#SPOTTED: JENNIFER HUDSON IN TORONTO FOR “BLISS BALL” & “WE DAY”

I honestly don’t believe my luck!  Anyone who knows me well will know about my v. public J-Hud Obsession phase, which had me seeing Dreamgirls at the theatre seven times, not to mention the giant Poster on my wall, Fridge Magnets, Postcards, Deluxe Edition Soundtrack, Three-Disc Limited Edition DVD.   The Mania went even further as I went on a mission to snatch-up every Magazine Cover featuring her during her Oscar Campaign.  You name it, I had it. Things got so bad for a while that I stopped supporting Beyoncé (we’re okay again), her on-screen Nemesis.  Jennifer Hudson for a good 18 months was my Female Alter-ego.

And you can just imagine how devastated I was last year when she couldn’t make her Premiere at TIFF 2011 for WINNIE, which has her portraying Winnie Mandela!  It still was v. cool however, meeting her Co-Star Terrence Howard!

Today was my lucky day as I took Billy on a stroll through Yorkville at Lunchtime to notice an Escalade parked uncharacteristically right in-front of Nervosa Trattoria.  Noticing the window was rolled a third-down, right before my eyes I saw the Oscar and GRAMMY Winner. Within moments, she came out of the Car with her Handler, amazingly nice to come over to stop for a Photo.  Even in casual mode, she looked stunning – proudly sporting that amazing improved physique!

Hudson is in-town for two reasons: she appears tomorrow at Air Canada Centre, performing at We Day – celebrating inspiration and global change among Youth – and on Saturday, she makes her way to historic Fort York to perform at Bliss Ball, in support of SickKids‘ Patient Amenities Fund.  A big Heart to match that big Voice.

Make no mistake though, the Chicago Native actually knows Toronto real well.  She Tweeted yesterday, “On my way to Canada !! Toronto is my old stomping ground. It’s like home. I’m excited.”.

And while we’re on the topic, WINNIE also happens to open in theatres on Friday, October 5, 2012.   I am hosting a Giveaway for Tickets along with D Films and District PR for Passes across Canada.  Enter here.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)