A Closer Look with John Beaudin: Jennifer Hudson Should Have Said ‘No’ to Cheating at Super Bowl Feb. 5, 2009 – So many people are forgiving Jennifer Hudson for lip-synching at last Sunday’s Super Bowl. After all, she lived through the tragic loss of three family members being killed in October – something most people never get over.
Hudson has always come off like an underdog, a person, we could relate to. She has amazing talent but always lets other people say that. For a 27 year old she seems to understand that one’s reputation is someone else’s job. Unlike Beyonce or Celine Dion who seem completely self absorbed by their show-off celebrity status, Hudson was our girl. Humble, quiet and brilliant. I have no doubt that she will triumph past her tragic loss and have a long career but Hudson will make mistakes and lip-synching the national anthem was one of them.
To her defence though, the Super Bowl has a long history of forcing performers to lip-synch. This year’s Musical Director, Rickey Minor, is also American Idol’s band leader who worked with Hudson when she was on the show in 2004. Minor was responsible for Whitney Houston’s awe-inspiring anthem at 1991’s Super Bowl XXV in Tampa, which, yes, was also lip-synched.
The off-the-record protocol for the NFL is that pre-game performers are pre-recorded and the halftime show is live. So, don’t worry, Springsteen was very much singing live. If he wasn’t that would really be news. In fact, some reports say the NFL has encouraged performers to cheat since 1993. Ashlee Simpson, are you hearing this? Pick up the phone now.
Everyone was so busy loving Jennifer’s comeback that they accepted headlines like, “Hudson Shines at Super Bowl” or “Hudson’s Voice of Perfection,” neither are true. Jennifer Hudson recorded that national anthem in a very controlled space of a recording studio with, maybe, ten people in the room and not the millions who watched. So what exactly does “live” mean? This girl could have knocked it out of the park but decided not to sing at the Super Bowl any more than Madonna sings live when she dances a million miles an hour on stage.
Yo Yo Ma and Izhak Perlman were not live at Obama’s inauguration, blaming the chilly weather’s affect on their instruments and it can be argued that sometimes that weather can do, not so kind things to a voice. Interestingly, Aretha Franklin was asked to lip-synch at the inauguration but simply refused. She sounded amazing, well, once you got past that crazy hat. Some say it was Minor who asked the ‘Queen of Soul’ to cheat on Obama’s big day. I hoped she smacked Minor upside the head.
I don’t think I’m alone when I say that the national anthem is what, sometimes, makes the performer. Will they crack under pressure? Will they crack the glass with that crescendo? Or, in Whitney’s case, will they be high on crack?
It should be pointed out that Faith Hill also lip-synched her performance at the Super Bowl this year but I expected as much from her.
So many people are giving Hudson a “pass’ because of her family trauma and I can understand that. Singing in front of 100 million viewers after your soul’s been charred beyond recognition is hard and coupled with the pressure that it’s expected of you to lip-synch. When the dust settles I’m still disappointed. I expected more from her. This whole thing will disappear quickly though. We all want Jennifer to heal and to gain strength, lots of it so she can smack Rickey Minor upside the head if he ever asks her to comprimise her integrity again! – by John Beaudin
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Feb. 5, 2009 – So many people are forgiving Jennifer Hudson for lip-synching at last Sunday’s Super Bowl. After all, she lived through the tragic loss of three family members being killed in October – something most people never get over. 
The off-the-record protocol for the NFL is that pre-game performers are pre-recorded and the halftime show is live. So, don’t worry, Springsteen was very much singing live. If he wasn’t that would really be news. In fact, some reports say the NFL has encouraged performers to cheat since 1993. Ashlee Simpson, are you hearing this? Pick up the phone now.
March 5, 2010 – Smooth Jazz has gone dark in Sacramento. Entercom Communications, owners of Smooth Jazz KSSJ 94.7 FM pulled the plug on the station this week. 
February 27, 2010 – Smooth Jazz Now wants to thank you for listening. Starting Monday March 1st listen for your name andyou could win some of the biggest albums in Smooth Jazz history
February 23, 2010 - French Smooth Jazz guitar sensation Emmanuel Abitebol, more known as U-NAM, came to fame with his widely acclaimed somophore album ‘Back from the 80’s’ released in 2007. 
February 23, 2010 – The new Sade album is kicking some serious butt on the charts. After a 10 year break the sultry singer is back on top of the Billboard Album Charts with “Soldier of Love.” It sold over 500 thousand in its first week of release. 
February 22, 2010 – The annual Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards ballot count ending last Friday (Feb. 19) reflects a dramatic increase in voter interest. Awards co-chair, Mary Kirk, of Wave 94.7FM says, “Thank you to the huge number of fans from all over the world who took time to send in their ballots.” 
February 19 - 2010 - Smooth Jazz female sax players are not numerous, but there is a collection of talented performers such as Candy Dulfer, Jessy J and Paula Atherton among others. Mrs. Atherton does not only perform sax and other horn instruments, she is also a consummate singer.