Star magazine is revealing that after slowly making her way back into the spotlight with performances at the Super Bowl and Grammys, Jennifer Hudson has announced that she'll be kicking off her first solo tour. Hudson and R&B singer Robin Thicke will co-headline a five-week tour which will kick off April 2 in Philadelphia and concludes May 8 in Houston reports Star..

Jennifer Hudson has won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album at tonight's telecast. Jennifer's exposure during the third season of TV's American Idol in 2004 introduced her to a nation duly impressed with her potent soulfulness.

The Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation presents ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE: A Help Is On The Way Valentine Benefit Concert. Beneficiaries of this year's concert are Lyon-Martin Health Services, Maitri, and Sunburst Projects. This all-star Valentine-themed benefit concert features performers in all facets of entertainment including Broadway, Film, TV, Recording, Jazz and Dance. This one-night only gala benefit concert takes place on Monday, Feb. 9, 2009 at the POST STREET THEATER, 450 Post Street (at Powell) in SF 94102. Performance begins at 7:30 pm. Tix: $45 & $65 general reserved seating (Show Only), Underwriter Level tickets: $125 & up - (Preferred seating / Show & Post Party) Call REAF ticket line at 415-273-1620 or order online at www.helpisontheway.org

The Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation presents ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE: A Help Is On The Way Valentine Benefit Concert. Beneficiaries of this year?s concert are Lyon-Martin Health Services, Maitri, and Sunburst Projects. This all-star Valentine-themed benefit concert features performers in all facets of entertainment including Broadway, Film, TV, Recording, Jazz and Dance. This one-night only gala benefit concert takes place on Monday, Feb. 9, 2009 at the POST STREET THEATER, 450 Post Street (at Powell) in SF 94102. Performance begins at 7:30 pm. Tix: $45 & $65 general reserved seating (Show Only), Gala tickets: $100. Underwriter Level tickets: $125 & up - (Preferred seating / Show & Post Party) Call REAF ticket line at 415-273-1620 or order online at www.helpisontheway.org

The Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation presents ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE: A Help Is On The Way Valentine Benefit Concert. Beneficiaries of this year's concert are Lyon-Martin Health Services, Maitri, and Sunburst Projects.

Constantine Maroulis and Morgan James will be Barbour's special guests for the Friday, February 13, 2009 concert.

Jennifer Hudson is scheduled to sing at the Grammy charity concert to honor Neil Diamond, the 2009 MusiCares? Person of the Year on February 6th. This will mark the first public performance she's announced since the tragic killings of her mother, brother, and nephew.

The Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation presents ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE: A Help Is On The Way Valentine Benefit Concert. Beneficiaries of this year's concert are Lyon-Martin Health Services, Maitri, and Sunburst Projects. This all-star Valentine-themed benefit concert features performers in all facets of entertainment including Broadway, Film, TV, Recording, Jazz and Dance. This one-night only gala benefit concert takes place on Monday, Feb. 9, 2009 at the POST STREET THEATER, 450 Post Street (at Powell) in SF 94102. Performance begins at 7:30 pm. Tix: $45 & $65 general reserved seating (Show Only), Underwriter Level tickets: $125 & up - (Preferred seating / Show & Post Party) Call REAF ticket line at 415-273-1620 or order online at www.helpisontheway.org

CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG comes to the Providence Performing Arts Center beginning March 19 for six performances only! Based on the novel by famed James Bond author and creator Ian Fleming, the production features music and lyrics by the Sherman Brothers, composers of MARY POPPINS. The National Tour also features an original script and a fresh adaptation, directed by Ray Roderick. The Providence engagement of CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG also features six local children in the chorus. In October of 2008, over eighty children came to PPAC for the audition, which consisted of them learning choreography from the show, on-site, and singing an up-tempo song of their choice. The show's producers selected Andrew Purdy, of Franklin, MA; Eric Halvarson, of Cranston; Rebekah Philip, of Rehoboth, MA; Carolina King and Virginia King, of Clayville; and Fifer Horwitz of Tiverton as the regulars, and Daniel Perkins, of Bellingham, MA and Maddie Crump, of Norfolk, MA as the boy and girl alternates. The six regulars will appear in all six CHITTY performances at PPAC.

The New York Times has reported that a producer for the pregame show at Super Bowl XLIII revealed that Faith Hill and Jennifer Hudson used prerecorded tracks in their appearances on the showto the Associated Press. Rickey Minor, the producer and the music director for 'American Idol,' explained that Hill, who sang 'America the Beautiful,' and Hudson, who sang 'The Star-Spangled Banner,' performed along to recorded tracks that they were required to submit to the National Football League a week before Sunday's game.

American Idol and Broadway HAIRSPRAY star Diana DeGarmo will star as 'Dorothy' in OZ THE MUSICAL, a contemporary musical treatment of the popular L. Frank Baum story 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,' the production will begin a Texas based tour in February 2009. The original musical was written by Plainview native Todrick D. Hall. Direction and choreography also are by Hall, who danced with Ballet Lubbock at age 9 under artistic director Yvonne Racz, and, more recently, appeared in the Broadway musical 'The Color Purple.'

US Magazine is reporting that Oscar winner and recording artist Jennifer Hudson has returned to her creative work after taking the needed time away from the public after her recent family tragedy, she is currently shooting a music video for her single, 'If It Isn't Love'.

The Laurie Beechman Theatre, located within The West Bank Caf? (407 West 42nd St.), is pleased to continue our Friday night soiree, THE AFTER PARTY. Now going strong it's third, THE AFTER PARTY is billed as 'a weekly schmoozefest for the theatrically inclined.' Every Friday from 10:30 pm until the wee hours, pros from Broadway and aspiring stars alike belt it out on the stage of The Laurie Beechman Theatre. Join hosts BRANDON CUTRELL (Bistor, MAC and Nightlife Award winner) and ALYSHA UMPHRESS (Make Me A Song) with RAY FELLMAN (Bistro Award winner) at the piano for this weekly party in the theatre district. There is no cover charge for this event. Come and sing yourself as the mic is always open, or sit back and enjoy a cocktail with friends. Located just blocks from the Great White Way, you never know who might drop in.

The sexy international dance sensation Burn the Floor, making its San Francisco premiere January 30-March 15 at the Post Street Theatre, has signed on with the Australian Team to be featured in NBC's dance-themed reality/competition series, 'Superstars of Dance.' Created by 'American Idol' creator Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe of 'So You Think You Can Dance,' the show will feature teams of professional dancers from eight countries competing against each other in various dance genres. Each team will consist of two solo dancers, a duo and a group. 'Superstars of Dance' premieres Sunday, January 4, 2009 at 9 p.m. on NBC.

The Laurie Beechman Theatre, located within The West Bank Caf? (407 West 42nd St.), is pleased to continue our Friday night soiree, THE AFTER PARTY. Now going strong it's third, THE AFTER PARTY is billed as 'a weekly schmoozefest for the theatrically inclined.' Every Friday from 10:30 pm until the wee hours, pros from Broadway and aspiring stars alike belt it out on the stage of The Laurie Beechman Theatre. Join hosts BRANDON CUTRELL (Bistor, MAC and Nightlife Award winner) and ALYSHA UMPHRESS (Make Me A Song) with RAY FELLMAN (Bistro Award winner) at the piano for this weekly party in the theatre district. There is no cover charge for this event. Come and sing yourself as the mic is always open, or sit back and enjoy a cocktail with friends. Located just blocks from the Great White Way, you never know who might drop in.

On Tuesday, January 27th, 2009, Steven Fales, who made his critically acclaimed Los Angeles theatrical debut with his Off-Broadway hit autobiographical one-person play CONFESSIONS OF A MORMON BOY, is back with Mormon American Princess a new cabaret confection to make its Los Angeles debut at L.A.'s renowned Upright Cabaret at Mark's Restaurant, 861 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069

OUT OF OUR HEADS is brought to you by the award-winning songwriting team Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond. Be the first to hear the exciting new additions to their songbook, as well as some of their classics. Join Kooman & Dimond for an evening of songs of love, loss, stalkers, and candy bars. Catch this one-night-only performance before it travels to the Kennedy Center as part of the Next Generation of Musical Theater series.

The Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation presents ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE: A Help Is On The Way Valentine Benefit Concert. Beneficiaries of this year?s concert are Lyon-Martin Health Services, Maitri, and Sunburst Projects. This all-star Valentine-themed benefit concert features performers in all facets of entertainment including Broadway, Film, TV, Recording, Jazz and Dance. This one-night only gala benefit concert takes place on Monday, Feb. 9, 2009 at the POST STREET THEATER, 450 Post Street (at Powell) in SF 94102. Performance begins at 7:30 pm. Tix: $45 & $65 general reserved seating (Show Only), Gala tickets: $100. Underwriter Level tickets: $125 & up - (Preferred seating / Show & Post Party) Call REAF ticket line at 415-273-1620 or order online at www.helpisontheway.org

Complete casting has been announced for the brand new production of GREASE, starring American Idol winner Taylor Hicks, playing the Golden Gate Theatre beginning Tuesday, March 24 through Sunday, April 19. Taylor Hicks made his debut on Broadway in the role of 'Teen Angel' this past summer. This brand new production of GREASE will feature songs from the smash hit 1978 motion picture performed for the first time ever in a Broadway production. GREASE is presented as a part of the 2008-2009 Citibank Best of Broadway series season under the direction of Carole Shorenstein Hays. Tickets on sale now. Taylor Hicks achieved widespread fame in 2006 as a contestant on the hugely successful FOX singing competition 'American Idol.' On May 24, 2006, Hicks was named the winner of the fifth season of 'Idol' with over 63.4 million votes in total. Winning the title over Katharine McPhee, the announcement was made during the live finale episode which aired to a worldwide audience of over 200 million viewers. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Taylor Hicks' passion for music began at an early age. He toured the Southeastern Unites States during his teenage years and released two independent albums. Known for his energetic performances with influences derived from classic soul, blues and R&B music, he quickly grew a large fan base among the millions of viewers and voters who tuned in to 'Idol' each week. His fans ultimately dubbed themselves the 'Soul Patrol.'

La Jolla Playhouse welcomes back Rick Elice, co-writer of the Tony Award-winning Jersey Boys, as the playwright of Peter and the Starcatchers. Alex Timbers and Roger Rees are set to direct with choreography by Kelly Devine and music by Wayne Barker. Peter and the Starcatchers will be playing at the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre at La Jolla Playhouse February 13 -March 8, 2009. Based on the best-selling novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, Peter and the Starcatchers dares to tell the real story of precisely how a desperate orphan in Victorian England became The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up. It's a tale that travels halfway round the world and straight up to the stars. It's a comedy that takes aim at social injustice. It's a romance of young heroes who risk everything for the sake of doing right. It's an expos? of extravagant villains possessed of a single-minded ferocity from which no good shall ever spring. In short, it's an awfully big adventure. La Jolla Playhouse will present Peter and the Starcatchers, a new play, as a part of its Page To Stage program, by special arrangement with Disney Theatrical Productions. Adam Green has been cast in the role of Peter. He has appeared in Off-Broadway productions such as Election Day, All This Intimacy and None of the Above. Molly will be played by Celia Keenan-Bolger who most recently appeared on Broadway in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, for which she earned a Tony Award nomination. She also appeared in Saved. Lost boy Prentiss will be played by Carson Elrod, who appeared in the La Jolla Playhouse production of Our Town. Elrod has also appeared on Broadway in Reckless and Noises Off. David Rossmer is cast as the ever - peckish lost boy Teddy. His Broadway credits include Fiddler on the Roof and Titanic. Christian Borle, who will be playing the ravenous Black Stache, received acclaim for his roles in Spamalot. He also received a 2007 Tony Award nomination for his role in the Broadway production of Legally Blonde. Andrew McGinn is set to play Slank. His New York credits include Coast of Utopia and The Invention of Love. Playing Lord Aster is John G. Preston, who recently appeared as Cameron Parker in the Off-Broadway production of Taboos. Greg Hildreth, playing the good hearted Alf, recently appeared in Dance Dance Revolution and Gentlemen of Verona. Teddy Bergman will be playing Fighting Prawn. His New York theater credits include Dance Dance Revolution and Nobody Likes the Mormons.

Joanna Pacitti, who was hired and then fired from the 20th anniversary production of Annie advanced on tonight's American Idol to Hollywood Week after singing the Pat Benatar classic 'We Belong'.

On Tuesday, January 27th, 2009, Steven Fales, who made his critically acclaimed Los Angeles theatrical debut with his Off-Broadway hit autobiographical one-person play CONFESSIONS OF A MORMON BOY, is back with Mormon American Princess a new cabaret confection to make its Los Angeles debut at L.A.'s renowned Upright Cabaret at Mark's Restaurant, 861 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069

Ars Nova (Jason Eagan, Artistic Director; Jon Steingart and Jenny Wiener Steingart, Executive Producers) have announced a jam-packed lineup of February programming from its developmental series Out Loud, Tragedy Tomorrow, and Uncharted, as well as Residency Encores and Special Events.

American Idol and Broadway HAIRSPRAY star Diana DeGarmo will star as 'Dorothy' in OZ THE MUSICAL, a contemporary musical treatment of the popular L. Frank Baum story 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,' the production will begin a Texas based tour in February 2009. The original musical was written by Plainview native Todrick D. Hall. Direction and choreography also are by Hall, who danced with Ballet Lubbock at age 9 under artistic director Yvonne Racz, and, more recently, appeared in the Broadway musical 'The Color Purple.'

The Huffington Post is reporting that Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson will make her first public appearance since the tragic killings of her mother, brother and nephew during the upcoming Super Bowl.