Jennifer Hudson Joins Rare Club With Tony Win

Jennifer Hudson sings the Star Spangled Banner to start the Concert for Valor in Washington, D.C. Nov. 11, 2014. (DoD News photo by EJ Hersom)

Jennifer Hudson's meteoric rise from "American Idol" contestant to entertainment force of nature continued Sunday at the 75th annual Tony Awards.

The 40-year-old singer and actress earned a Tony for her role as a co-producer of the best musical winner "A Strange Loop."

With the victory, the star, whose portrayal of R&B icon Arethra Fraklin in 2021's "Respect" was heavily lauded but did not earn her Oscar consideration, joined one of Hollywood's most elite clubs.

absolutely iconic that Jennifer Hudson got her Emmy wearing an "EGO" ring, and now she just won a Tony to complete it, becoming the 17th person in history to EGOT pic.twitter.com/73SDZN7p09

— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) June 13, 2022

Hudson became just the 17th person, and second black woman, along with comedian and actress Whoopi Goldberg, to reach EGOT status. The rare accomplishment requires an artist to win an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award in their career.

Hudson joked to People magazine in 2020 about one day joining the small group of EGOT winners.

“I got a dog and named it Oscar, and then I won my Oscar. And then I got a dog and named it Grammy, and then I won my Grammy,” she said. “So I think I should get some dogs and name them Emmy and Tony — and it’ll give me good luck, and I’ll win [They’re] like my good luck charms.”

By then she was well on her way to accomplishing the goal. In 2007 she earned her Oscar for her breakout role in "Dreamgirls," Grammys followed in 2009 (best R&B album for her eponymously-named studio debut) and 2017 (best musical theater album for the musical "The Color Purple"), and in 2021 she earned a Daytime Emmy for her work on the animated short "Baba Yag," which she helped voice and co-produced, to set the table for her latest triumph.

Prosecutors Recommend R. Kelly Be Sentenced to More Than 25 Years

R. Kelly

R. Kelly won't see the outside of prison until well into his 70s if U.S. prosecutors get their way.

On Wednesday, in a 31-page document filed with the Eastern District of New York, prosecutors argued that the multiplatinum R&B singer deserves to spend more than 25 years in prison following his sex trafficking conviction.

They urged Judge Ann M. Donnelly to make the sentence for life, effectively, for the disgraced 55-year-old Grammy-winning artist who has been behind bars since 2019.

“The defendant’s decades of crime appear to have been fueled by narcissism and a belief that his musical talent absolved him of any need to conform his conduct – no matter how predatory, harmful, humiliating or abusive to others – to the strictures of the law,” prosecutors said in their filing.

“Put simply, the defendant’s crimes were calculated, methodical, and part a long-standing pattern of using his platform as a larger-than-life musical persona and his deep network to gain access to teenagers, many of whom were particularly vulnerable, and then to exploit them for his personal gain and sexual gratification.”

Prosecutors added that Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, remains a "serious danger" to the public, justifying keeping him behind bars until well into his 70s.

The legal brief comes ahead of his sentencing on June 29 for racketeering and eight counts of violating the Mann Act, which prohibits transporting people across state lines for prostitution. Kelly was found guilty of the offenses in a month-long trial featuring 50 witnesses in September 2021, making him one of the highest-profile men to be convicted during the #MeToo movement —which renewed interest in his alleged crimes and empowered those seeking justice for them.

At the heart of the case against Kelly was his 1994 marriage to singer Aaliyah Haughton. The singer was 27 when he married the then 15-year-old Haughton. Prosecutors said Kelly fraudulently married her to conceal abuse from when she was 12 or 13. Haughton died in 2001.

Previously, Jennifer Bonjean, a lawyer for Kelly, said he should spend fewer than 14 years in prison. Reuters reported that in a filing next Monday she will explain why his "history and characteristics" justify a shorter sentence.

Kelly faces a minimum 10-year term.

Hip-hop video star, Pasha Bleasdell, Dead at 38

Photo Credit: Screengrab "Hot in Herre"

Model Pasha Bleasdell, a mainstay of some of hip-hop's hottest videos, has passed away at the age of 38.

On Monday, prolific music video director Director X confirmed his friend and collaborator had succumbed to a brain tumor on Saturday.

"We lost a friend yesterday," he wrote on Instagram in a moving post accompanied by videos of her past work. "Pasha Bleasdell passed away from a brain tumor June 4th 2022 11:59pm. If you made videos in 2000’s or were around to watch them you know Pasha."

He added that he put Bleasdell, who he met doing background work on the set of Donnell Jones “Where I Want To Be," in a million videos and that they spent just as much time hanging out, and she never brought drama to the set of life.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Director X (@directorx)

"She was always genuine and cool," Director X said. "You never know when the last time you speak to some one will be the last time you speak. I hold on to my memories of you with love. Rest in Power Pasha January 24th 1984 - June 4th 2022 ⛅️🕊."

While Bleasdell starred in multiple videos — including Sean Paul's "Gimme the Light," 50 Cent's "P.I.M.P," and Donell Jones' "Where I Wanna Be" — she is perhaps most remembered for her work on Nelly's video for his smash hit "Hot in Herre."

Watch the video below: