Public Memorial Set for Jennifer Hudson’s Family

A public memorial service for Jennifer Hudson’s slain mother, brother and nephew is planned for Sunday at the South Side Chicago church where the Oscar-winner grew up singing.

“The Hudson family welcomes anyone who wishes to attend and pay their respects to these three beloved members of the Chicago community,” reads a statement from Hudson’s rep.

Neither the singer-actress nor her sister, Julia, the mother of slain 7-year-old Julian King, are expected to attend the public observance.

The service will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Pleasant Gift Missionary Baptist Church, located at 4526 S. Greenwood in Chicago. The memorial will be preceded by a private service.

Police continue to investigate the deaths of Hudson’s mother Darnell Donerson, 57, and brother Jason Hudson, 29. Both were found shot to death Oct. 24 in the home where Jennifer grew up in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago. The body of Jennifer’s nephew Julian, who police believe was taken from the home at the time of the attacks, was found Oct. 27 in an abandoned Chevrolet Suburban after a three-day search. He had been fatally shot.

Police, who recovered a .45-caliber handgun about a block from the SUV, later described the weapon as the same one used in the killings of the other family members.

Julia’s estranged husband William Balfour, 27, was arrested the day the killings were discovered and remains in jail on alleged parole violation. He has not been charged, though police say he is a “person of interest” in the case.

Jennifer and Julia Hudson have established the Hudson King Foundation for Families of Slain Victims in honor of their family members. “The specific purpose of the Foundation is to care for the needs of families who have lost relatives to a violent crime,” according to the announcement on Jennifer’s MySpace page. She also tells her fans, “Thank you for your continued support.”

Hard-bodied Faith Hill marks 41st birthday with bikini pose

 

While some famous blondes might celebrate turning the big 4-1 by consulting their plastic surgeon or needle-wielding dermatologist, Faith Hill has decided to doff her duds to show the firming power of Pilates.

“… Wearing a bikini on a magazine cover is my 41st birthday present to myself,” the ab-tastic country star tells the December issue of Shape, crediting her thrice-weekly Pilates workouts for her ultra-toned figure.

“I could bend in ways I haven’t been able to since I was a teenager,” Mrs. Tim McGraw marvels to the magazine (via People). “My husband loves it!”

Hill, who’s mom to Gracie, 11, Maggie, 10, and Audrey, 6, admits it took her years to come around to the idea of a consistent workout routine.

“I was always very athletic, playing basketball and softball and running track,” she explains. “But in my 20s and 30s, I’d go through phases with exercise, working out for four weeks before a big tour or video shoot and not doing much afterward. Then I had three kids and turned 40, so I decided to make a lifestyle change.”

Giving Faith an added push was the knee surgery she underwent in January, which turned her sedentary for six months.

“I had never gone that long without doing something,” she admits. “I was not happy.”

Hill and McGraw started doing four miles a day on an elliptical machine in July, along with some weightlifting, crunches and push-ups.

“I found I slept better, had more energy and was stronger,” says Hill, who soon added the instructor-led Pilates to her routine.

“It was so hard, but ultimately so worth it,” she encouragingly declares. “My core is much stronger, and my arms are more toned.”

Angelina Jolie: We Do Have a Family Plan

With six kids in the brood and thoughts of adopting another, Angelina Jolie can only imagine what people must be thinking.

“I mean, I know we seem crazy, just bringing them in one after the other, but we do plan,” she tells the New York Times. “We make sure one is absorbed completely into the family before we add another.”

And as each child grows up and becomes Internet-savvy, Jolie, 33, sees even more challenges ahead for her and partner Brad Pitt, 44. “There’s a lot we’re going to have to explain to them about how public their family is,” she says.

But there’s good with that bad. “What’s going to be funny is when they think Mom and Dad are a little bit cool,” she says. “Because right now, we’re not cool Mom and Dad.”

Jolie adds, “They all think I can’t do anything, that I’m just there to snuggle with. But the other day (son) Madd said, ‘Can you do a cartwheel?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I can.’ And he was like, ‘Wow, Mom.’ And I thought: ‘Oh, yeah. I can do some things. You wait. You’ll find out. I’m capable.’”