Posts Tagged ‘chicago’

Samantha Harris’ Triple Duty

June 12th, 2009 / Author: OK! Staff

Dancing With The Stars’ sexy host Samantha Harris says it won’t be easy going from interviewing stage performers to taking on the big stage in Broadway’s Chicago as Roxie Hart next month.

“There’s going to be a lot of frequent flier miles racked up!” says Samantha, who will be balancing life as a Broadway star on top of being a wife and mother to 1-and-a-half-year-old daughter Josselyn, and serving doing double duty as a host for the Insider.

“I have dreamed of being on Broadway since I was a kid!” Samantha tells OK!. “To be honest, I didn’t necessarily know that would be an option for me just being that I stepped away from my musical theater background to focus on hosting.”

Samantha, 35, will take on the role Roxie Hart – which in the past has been played by celebrities including Brooke Shields, Ashlee Simpson and Melanie Griffith, for six weeks from July 7 through August 16 at the Ambassador Theatre in NYC.

The brunette bombshell was surprised it was her DWTS hosting gig that helped to thrust her into the Broadway spotlight.

“I’m so glad and grateful that Dancing With The Stars has given me an audience who sees me maybe in that light,” Samantha says. “Even though I’m just asking the questions and not dancing the dance!”

By Laura Lane

Hudson Homicide Suspect Remains in Custody

November 10th, 2008

William Balfour, a suspect in the killing of Jennifer Hudson’s mother, brother and nephew, appeared in court today in Chicago where it was found that he should remain in state custody until at least December for violating his parole, according to TMZ.

 

The estranged husband of Jennifer’s sister Julia Hudson, William has been in custody since Oct. 26, but has not been charged for the triple-homicide that has shattered the Hudson family.

 

The Illinois Prisoner Review Board determined this morning that there is enough evidence to show that Balfour has committed a crime that violates his parole, based on his girlfriend’s testimony that he appeared to have a gun that matched the murder weapon. Otherwise he could’ve gone free.

 

He has admitted to being in the Hudson home on the morning of the murders, and one of his current girlfriends told police that Balfour had said he was involved in the killing of Darnell Donerson, Jason Hudson, and Julian King.

 

Public Memorial Service Set for Hudson Family

October 31st, 2008

The Chicago community that lost Darnell Donerson, Jason Hudson and Julian King, all members of Jennifer Hudson’s family, will be allowed to attend a public memorial scheduled for the slain victims on Sunday, according to Entertainment Tonight.

 

While Jennifer and her sister Julia Hudson won’t be there, the service will bring together the neighborhood to grieve the loss they’ve suffered.

And, in the aftermath of the tragedy that took three of their family members away from them, Jennifer Hudson and sister Julia Hudson have announced a new foundation to help murder victims’ family members.

 

Named after Darnell Hudson Donerson, Jason Hudson and Julian King, Jennifer’s mother, brother and nephew who were slain last Friday, the Hudson-King Foundation for Families of Slain Victims was announced on Wednesday night, after a Chicago prayer vigil.

 

"The specific purpose of the Foundation is to care for the needs of families who have lost relatives to a violent crime," the family says in a statement. "This encompasses their basic needs of food, clothing and shelter as well as grief counseling."

Donations to the Hudson-King Foundation can be sent:
c/o Abrams Garfinkel Margolis Bergson, LLP
Attn: William L. Abrams, Esq.
237 West 35th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10001

Family Dispute at Center of Hudson Homicides

October 28th, 2008

Troubles between Jennifer Hudson’s sister Julia Hudson and her estranged husband William Balfour may be the motive behind the triple homicides of her mother Darnell Donerson, brother Jason Hudson and nephew Julian King, according to the Chicago Tribune.

 

A police source tells the paper that there was an ongoing dispute between Julia and Balfour, after he’d borrowed her car and promised to keep up the payments on it. When Julia found her wages garnished last Friday because of unpaid payments, she called William to complain.

 

The 27-year-old parolee had been thrown out of the Hudson home before, and Julia says he’d threatened to harm the family, and kill Julia if she ever had any other boyfriends.

 

Balfour is being held at Stateville Correctional Center for violating his parole, as a suspect in the murders. He was convicted in 1999 for attempted murder and spent seven years in jail. One of his girlfriends contradicted his alibi and told cops he was involved in the slayings on Friday.

 

Police are also looking into the possibility that Balfour involved someone else in the crime.    

Police Confirm Body is Hudson’s Nephew

October 27th, 2008

The tragic story of Jennifer Hudson’s slain family members, including brother Jason Hudson and mother Darnell Donerson, is about to take another sad turn:

On Monday, the Chicago Police confirmed the family’s worst nightmare: That the body of a young boy found inside an SUV is indeed Hudson’s 7-year-old nephew, Julian King. According to TMZ, the boy suffered at least one gunshot wound to the head, but an official cause of death has not been issued.

Police are reviewing surveillance tapes in the neighborhood where the SUV was found and are zeroing in on a timeline, although they say it is still unclear when the SUV showed up in the neighborhood with Julian’s body.

 

Police are currently calling William Balfour, Jennifer’s brother-in-law and Julian’s step-father, a "person of interest" but have not named anyone as an official suspect.

 

Earlier today, a top FBI official said the agency believed the body was Julian’s. At the time, Hudson was on her way to the medical examiner’s office to identify the body.

 

The 7-year-old son of the actress’ sister Julia has been missing since Friday, after the bodies of Jason and Darnell were found inside a Chicago home.

 

Chicago police said the body of a black male child was found shortly after 7 a.m. in the rear seat of an SUV. An autopsy was planned for Tuesday.

 

TMZ reports the body was inside a 1994 white Chevy Suburban, the same SUV owned by Jennifer’s murdered brother which was reported missing after he and Jennifer’s mother were shot dead last Friday.

 

Earlier today, FBI Deputy Director John Pistole said the body is "believed to be" Julian, according to reports.

 

William Balfour has been arrested, although no charges have been filed against him yet.

 

Jennifer and her family had offered a $100,000 reward for the safe return of Julian, and the actress had posted a plea for her nephew on MySpace.

Jennifer Hudson’s Mother, Brother Found Dead

October 24th, 2008

In a shocking act of violence, the mother and brother of Oscar-winner and singer Jennifer Hudson have been found dead in a Chicago home, apparently shot to death.

 

According to Chicago’s local ABC station WLS, Darnell Hudson Donerson and her son Jason Hudson died in a home in the Englewood neighborhood of the city, where the star’s mother had decided to stay even though Jennifer has quickly risen through the celebrity ranks in Hollywood.

 

Jennifer and her family are members of Progressive Baptist Church on Chicago’s South Side, and church leaders applauded Darnell’s decision to remain in the neighborhood.

 

"That says a lot about the fact of the kind of family Jennifer comes from," WLS quotes Rev. Willie Davis as saying. "They’re a family of faith. They want to be attached to their roots. And that’s just the sign of the nature of their relationship with God."

Jennifer is reportedly flying home from Tampa to be with her family in this difficult time.

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G

August 5th, 2008

Chicago was a-m-a-z-i-n-g. Gotta love this photo from the spontaneous scenic window photo shoot we did at the Hard Rock Hotel Chicago - after a few mid-afternoon Ciroc vodka mixed with Slenderize Fuze cocktails in the EastSport Café. I needed a couple of shots of espresso from Café Bustelo before I was able to recoup for an evening that ended with us dancing on the stage while Mark Ronson spun records and Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson sat on the floor behind the deejay table – occasionally popping up like puppets to peer at the crowd. Well, the night didn’t really end there, as that was only about 2am. Actually continued at Rockit Bar & Grill where I happened to end up sitting next to Patrick Swayze – although, it was me who was sitting because my feet hurt from my five-inch heels and he was up dancing with his wife – till 4:30am! God bless Patrick Swayze, who thankfully looked a-m-a-z-i-n-g

Mya Prepares for “Chicago” Debut

March 28th, 2008

Grammy Award-winning singer, Mya is taking her vocal stylings to Broadway.
The singer is gearing up to play the murdering Velma Kelly in the hit musical Chicago at NYC’s Ambassador Theater from May 12 through July 13.

"I love live performance," the North Shore Animal League America Tour for Life spokesperson tells OK!. "Since I was 3, I’ve been performing on stages and that’s truly where my heart and passion is."

The 29-year-old, who played Mona in the 2002 movie version of Chicago, says she appreciates the spontaneity and consistency that the stage production will offer. "Broadway may be different for me — I can change things from night to night — but I do have to stick with a script, and consistency is something that I’m looking forward to with this Broadway run," she tells OK!. "On tour as a recording artist, you’re free to do what you want and improvise from night to night, or change shows every night. This is going to be a little different for me."

Mya, who relocated to the Big Apple from her native Maryland for the show, tells OK! she can’t wait to play the role of Velma. "It’s a great role to play and fantasize about," she says. "She’s fierce and manipulative. I truly feel liberated and free."

When she’s not rehearsing, the singer likes to relax with baths, candles and massages, and spends quiet days with her best friends, Rottweilers Rambo, 8, Bear, 7 months and her mutt Pepper, 2.

By Valerie Nome

Report: Shia LaBeouf Arrested

November 4th, 2007

According to the Chicago Tribune, 21-year-old actor Shia LaBeouf was arrested in Chicago late Saturday night after employees at a Windy City Walgreens notified police, alleging that the Transformers refused their several requests for him to leave the store.

Shia was cited with a misdemeanor trespassing charge and released on bail early Sunday morning. He now has a scheduled court date of Nov. 28.

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