Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson will sing at the request of presidential hopeful Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday.
The 'Dreamgirls' star, who won an Academy Award and countless other honors for her co-starring role as Effie White in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical, will perform the National Anthem in Denver when Obama accepts the party's nomination.
"I'm so proud and excited for him. I haven't gotten a call from them yet, but he does have my support," the Chicago-bred singer told E! Entertainment back in June about the Illinois senator.
In other Hudson news, the 26-year-ol
d singer has been on a whirlwind promotional tour gearing up for the Sept. 30 release of her debut self-titled album.
The season three of 'American Idol' finalist will also star opposite Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys and Dakota Fanning in the new film, 'The Secret Life of Bees,' which opens Oct. 17.
On the personal front, Hudson is dating 'I Love New York 2' contestant David Otunga, known on the VH1 reality series as Punk.
The pair has been photographed together a lot over the last several months at many of Hudson's promotional events and were even spotted coming out of the singer's hotel. The photograph of Otunga (pictured above) is actually from Hudson's 'Sex and The City' movie premiere.
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UPDATED (August 29, 2008)
Jennifer Hudson performed the National Anthem during the DNC convention to rave reviews. Sporting a purple dress with a brown belt, Hudson's powerful, yet simplistic rendition of America's sacred song earned a roaring applause from the 75,000-plus attendees at Denver's INVESCO Field at Mile High.
