Jennifer Hudson has spoken publicly about the murders of her family members for the first time. The bodies of the Oscar winner’s mother, Darnell Hudson Donerson, 57, and older brother, Jason, 29, were found inside the star’s childhood home on Chicago’s South Side in 2008. Her seven-year-old nephew Julian King was reported missing soon after and later found dead in an SUV on Chicago’s West Side. All three were shot to death, and William Balfour, the estranged husband of Hudson’s sister Julia, was charged with the murders.

‘It’s all a blur, it was surreal,’ she says during a tearful interview on America’s VH1’s Behind the Music: Jennifer Hudson. ‘It was like I was outside of myself.’ For almost two weeks straight… [I was] inside one room with just family and friends coming in and out, I prayed when I’d get up in the morning and prayed before I lay down at night,’ says the 28-year-old.

Jennifer welcomed a son, David, with her fiancé David Otunga, almost 12 months ago, and it marked a new chapter of hope for the star. ‘I feel like I’ve lived about three or four different lives,’ she says. Her son, she says ‘reminds me of my nephew,’ adding that she seeks inspiration in the memory of her own mother now. ‘In so many ways I channel her because she was such a great mom.’ Hudson stated. At the Grammys she heartbreakingly thanked her ‘family in heaven, and those who are here today’ after earning Best R&B album.

The Dreamgirls actress, who found fame as a contestant on American Idol, has previously referred to her heartbreak but never in any detail.

—Daily Mail

Michael Douglas’s ex-wife files lawsuit fighting for half of his Wall Street 2 money

Michael Douglas’ ex-wife Diandra has filed a lawsuit claiming she is entitled to half the money he has received from new movie Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

The 65-year-old actor, who starred in Wall Street in 1987, is said to be furious after Diandra claimed her divorce deal stipulates she is entitled to half of any money Douglas gets from his movies – including any “spinoffs” from his previous films.

This includes Oliver Stone’s upcoming Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, in which Douglas reprises his role as greedy Gordon Gekko, according to Diandra’s lawyer, Nancy Chemtob. Ms Chemtob told Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Matthew Cooper last week: “It’s the same character, the same title, just years later.” However, Douglas’ lawyer, Marilyn Chinitz, says the new film is a “sequel”, not a “spinoff”, and Diandra is not entitled to any of Douglas’ proceeds.

—Daily Mail

Michael Jackson’s Dad Ends Bid for Estate Stipend

Michael Jackson’s father is withdrawing his request to receive more than $15,000 a month from his late son’s estate. A court filing says Joe Jackson is dropping his bid to receive a monthly allowance, opting instead to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit over his son’s death.

Joe Jackson filed a lawsuit in federal court on Friday against Dr Conrad Murray, who has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the singer’s death. The Jackson family patriarch was omitted from his son’s will, but in November sought a stipend to cover his monthly expenses. The filing was first reported on Monday by the celebrity website TMZ.

The filing indicates that he may renew his request for a stipend later if necessary.

—AP