Murphy's loss gave Jen Hudson a scare

By Bill Zwecker
Sun-Times Columnist

HOLLYWOOD — Backstage at the Oscars ceremony, Jennifer Hudson said the statuette is “going home to my new house in Chicago — along with my SAG Award, my Golden Globe and my BAFTA [from the British film academy].”

Asked if she brought any of her local roots into her “Dreamgirls” performance, she said, “I just drew on it all. It comes from the heart, and that’s what I put into it.”

The front-runner for the prize throughout the Oscar season, Hudson might have had a scare when her “Dreamgirls” co-star Eddie Murphy lost unexpectedly to Alan Arkin.

“I was definitely shocked, but you just can’t count on anything,” Hudson said. “Once again, everything is unpredictable. I'm still in shock. It will take awhile to get used to this.”

She’s always called herself a singer first and an actress second. But after tonight, she said, “Maybe I have to think that through again!”