In Latest Triumph, Jennifer Hudson Named Queen of Known Universe

By Rob Christopher in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 5, 2007 4:35PM

OK, so we're actually stretching the truth a little. Maybe. Tomorrow at 11 a.m. there will be a ceremony outside the Chicago Theater, and Mayor Daley will present Chicago's "It" girl with a plaque in honor of "Jennifer Hudson Day." State Street will be closed between Lake and Randolph for the ceremony.

Within the past few weeks she's won an Oscar, G-Rod proclaimed February 26 Jennifer Hudson Day across Illinois, and over the weekend she picked up an NAACP Image Award. Pretty much all that's left to do is to change the name of Hudson Avenue here in Chicago to Jennifer Hudson Avenue. Who cares that it doesn't even run along the south side?

We mean no disrespect to Ms. Hudson. She's a plucky singer with a powerful voice who has perservered, and her rise to stardom has been pretty spectacular. But generally speaking, the faster the rise, the harder the fall. Whether or not she can parlay her current fame into a lasting career remains an open question.

She would do well to remember the fate of the Anita Kerr Quintet. That's the group that won the 1965 Grammy for Best Performance By a Vocal Group with their now-forgotten album "We Dig Mancini" ... defeating The Beatles' "Help!"