Jennifer Hudson’s life is a modern day Cinderella story. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Hudson lived your typical life. That is, until she was cast in her first play in college. That small role got her uber successful career on track and took Jennifer from “girl with awesome voice” to Academy Award winning actress and recording artist. Jennifer Hudson is at the tippy top of her game, but no matter who she has worked with (Um…SJP? Ne-Yo? Beyonce?), she is still a hometown girl at heart.

CollegeCandy got to speak to Jennifer about her fame, her fashion and her future (her debut album drops on September 30th!). It is nothing short of inspiring.

CC: (Internal Dialogue: I can’t believe I am talking to Jennifer Hudson. Ohmygod. Ok, let me start this.)Everyone is always talking about your style; you always look flawless. What are your secrets?
JH: I refuse to leave the house unless I am comfortable in what I’m wearing. If I’m not comfortable, I’m not wearing it.

CC: Yeah. I agree, but my comfort clothes – sweats – won’t get me on any best dressed lists.
JH: I have to love what I’m in. To me, what I wear is an expression. I’m just expressing myself through my clothes. It’s how I feel that day.

CC: Being a movie and music star must keep you quite busy. How are you spending your summer?
JH: One day I’m doing music the next day I’m doing film. I’m preparing for my next film that is coming out, which is The Secret Life of Bees. I’m also starting to prepare for my album that is getting ready to drop, so I’m doing the promotions for that, as well. And when I can, I just hang out at home. Read More »

Is the economy killing you? Yeah? (Join the club. I can’t even afford mixers for my vodka anymore.) Don’t wanna spend money on cute clothes if you can help it? Well, rally up your girls and organize a clothing swap party. They’re fun AND you end up walking home with tons of new clothes-for free! Here is how it works:

Get together with a group of your favorite ladies – especially those with wardrobes you would kill for. Tell everyone to bring clothes to the party that they don’t wear anymore. Assign each girl to a spot on the floor where she will pile up all the goodies she brought with her.

Each girl will take turns going around the circle and holding up one of the items she brought with her. Whoever wants it can raise their hands. If more than one girl wants it, settle the score through a trivia game…or a drinking game… whichever you choose. Read More »

Dear Boyfriend,

While you were at your frat’s campfire Friday night—I know, triple kegger! How could you not check it out? Life’s too short, bro!—I stayed in and watched “Camp Rock,” Disney Channel’s newest original movie starring The Jonas Brothers.

Let me tell you something; these “bros” are like three Prince Charmings, and you’re still just a frog—a frog with crappy hair gel and a dorm room that constantly smells like Jose Cuervo and dirty underwear.

After the movie, I got to thinking: the JoBros would collectively make a much better boyfriend than you. So without further adieu…

Here are the top 20 reasons why I’d rather date the Jonas Brothers: Read More »

Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod.

This Friday, CollegeCandy will be interviewing the one and only Jennifer Hudson! As in Dreamgirls, Jennifer Hudson. Sex and the City, Jennifer Hudson. And singing superstar, Jennifer Hudson.

Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod.

We looooove this woman. We love how sweet and down to earth she seems. How absolutely freaking gorgeous she is. And, of course, her ridiculous talent. We want to be her.

But, since that is never going to happen (considering people in the office run away when we start playing Rock Band), getting the chance to talk to her will probably be the best thing to happen to us. Ever.

I can’t imagine we are the only ones who are this obsessed/in love with J-Hud. How could you not be? So, we are giving you ladies the chance to ask her some questions. Well, not directly - that would be a tad overwhelming for our lady friend, no? - but through us.

Submit your questions in the comments section below by Thursday at noon and we will pass em along to Ms. Hudson. Want to know her beauty secrets (we do)? Ask about em. Want to know all about her new single, Spotlight? Add it to the list.

We will bring ‘em all with us and see what Jennifer has to say. So hop to it ladies; this is an opportunity you do not want to miss!

[Photo courtesy of Yahoo TV]

James Blunt. Love him or hate him, he certainly knows how to do two things: 1) bed hot models, and 2) write love songs that get said hot models to want to jump into said bed.

Live From Abbey Road, a show that begins its second season on Thursday, June 19th at 10pm E/P on the Sundance Channel, wants to give you a chance to do more than just see James Blunt (and a BUNCH of other awesome artists) in an intimate performance at a legendary setting — they want to give you a chance to WIN stuff. Win stuff while evoking the oh-so-heartfelt spirit of Blunt himself.

In honor of this new show (which features “36 top artists in 1 legendary setting” … awesome), we at CC have teamed up with the promoters of Live From Abbey Road and have decided to give away a cool-ass gift bag worth $180. How does a fateful reader such as yourself win such a bag? Well, originally you did it by  writing a love letter using only Blunt lyrics, but it seems that you  ladies aren’t that into love letters. It’s ok; we like it better when the boys write them for us, too. Read More »

Most people’s first encounter with the ultra hip, uber talented band, The Ting Tings can be attributed to Steve Jobs and his brilliant iPod commercials. Their song, Shut Up and Let Me Go, was catchy, fun and piqued everyone’s interest…in more than an MP3 player. Fortunately, that song wasn’t the only trick up The Ting Tings’ sleeve.Their newest album, We Started Nothing, is further proof of this duo’s serious talent. Unable to get those songs out of our heads, CollegeCandy just had to get the story behind the band. So, we did. The good news: Katie White is just as down to earth and cool as she is talented. And, though we didn’t get to chat with Jules, we are pretty sure the same goes for him.

CC: We Started Nothing is chock full of textured beats, irresistible melodies and witty lyrics- where do the songs come from?
TT: We didn’t intend to form in a band so I think it came from a very honest place, because when we wrote these songs we didn’t think anyone would ever hear them. We just wrote them to play for our friends at parties. We were both feeling quite frustrated at the time and very sort of, I don’t know, like, invisible. We had been in a band that hadn’t worked out, we had a bit of a horrible time with it; I think it came from a real frustrated point of view, but they weren’t negative songs; they were just songs to make us feel better.

CC: Could you describe your song writing process?
TT: It’s completely different for every song. Both myself and Jules write everything together. Sometimes it will be that I will come up with something on the guitar and then we’ll come up with an idea on top of that. Or Jules might come up with something on the guitar or drums, or we’ll play keyboards or we’ll just have this little percussive sound. We just turn to sing like guy vocals and then an idea will come out of it.

CC: A year and a half ago, you were playing living room parties for friends; what’s the largest venue you have played to date and how does the experience differ from the early sets?
TT: The largest venue we’ve played to date so far is the festival for the BBC one big weekend in the UK. I don’t know how many people there were, but there were thousands and thousands all singing our song. It’s very different. We just try to keep it the same really, we haven’t tried to change the bond, we haven’t tried to make it anything that it wasn’t; we just keep being ourselves and you know, people either like it or they don’t. We don’t try to manipulate it for other audiences or anything. Read More »

For a group of twenty-something young lads, the guys of Panic at the Disco have made quite a name for themselves. Their first album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, went double platinum. Before they were even 20 years old, the guys were blowing up the stage at the MTV Video Music Awards. And now, three years later, Panic (no more exclamation point) at the Disco is touring the world with Pretty. Odd., their wildly successful new album.

CollegeCandy got to sit down with Jon Walker, Panic’s super hot and talented bassist, to find out the secrets behind the music, how the band is handling all the success and just what a group of guys does on a giant tour bus. (Well, CollegeCandy was actually lying on the couch, but we assume Jon was sitting down on the other end of the line…)

CC: So, you guys are back on the road again. How is the tour going?
Jon: This tour right now is actually really fun. The Hush Sound is a really great band and Phantom Planet is out on tour with us right now, as well, and they’re also a really great band. We’ve been on this tour for about 2 months now we have about three or four shows left. That’s pretty exciting.

CC: And what do you guys have coming up next?
Jon: We are wrapping up this tour and going over to Europe. That’s our main focus right now.

CC: Wow. The tour never ends. What do you like best about being on the road?
Jon: Just playing shows, I guess. It’s fun to be able to travel around with your friends and hang out everyday, but some days it’s not always that fun until you get on stage and remember why you are out here doing this.

CC: Yeah, I am sure being cooped up on a bus all day isn’t always so glamorous. What do you guys do all day to pass the time?
Jon: Well, luckily Nintendo recently came out with Mario Kart for the Wii. That’s really pretty much what we’ve been doing . We’ve been writing a lot as well on this tour and we’ve been trying to demo some songs. In between Mario Kart and demo-ing songs and sleep… that’s pretty much the top 3 things we do on the bus. Read More »

These days, the radio is a serious disappointment. I long for the days when the number one hit was Mariah Carey singing Vision Of Love (I’m sorry but that sh*t was QUALITY). When I listen to say…something like, “This Is Why I’m Hot”, I find myself feeling so incredibly–unhot. Instead, I feel ashamed for listening to junk. Listening to most of the todays Top 40 tunes is like eating a Big Mac.

So, I’m going to bring you MY version of the good stuff, old school style, spanning several decades. Holla!

1. She’s Got A Way and Piano Man- Billy Joel
Ok, if you really want to go there….just buy a Greatest Hits album, so worth it.

2. Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves- Cher
Yeah, Cher. And no, I’m not a gay man.

3. I Have Nothing- Whitney Houston
Whitney would MURDER any of those American Idol b*tches. Read More »

When I was in 6^th grade I made a mixed tape for my boyfriend. Side A was filled with songs I loved (and taped off of the radio); side B was songs about love (which included a lot of Mariah Carrey and a few jams from California Dreams). I decorated the tiny white label with pink hearts and our names. I adorned the outside of the tape case with glitter, stickers and a picture of the two of us at the most recent Bar Mitzvah. It was so romantic.

Soon, mixed tapes turned into CD mixes. People were tossing out their tape players and trading up to the Disc-Man and 6-CD changers. For me, CD Mixes were far superior to their antiquated predecessors. The CD’s shape and size provided much more space for decorations/proclamations of love. I was making mixes for everyone (friends, lovers) and everything (workouts, power hours); but I didn’t realize that my days of CD mixing were also coming to an end.

With the advent of the MP3 player (namely, the iPod) came an end to an era. People were getting rid of their standard music players of choice in favor of the smaller, sleeker MP3 players. Sure, I bought one (I am actually on number 3), but with this shift into the future I was yearning for the old days. I missed my mixed tapes!

I started scouring the internet for a tape player. I wanted to bring back the glory! Then I realized that just because I bought a tape recorder to make the tapes didn’t mean that the recipients would have tape players to play em. And then I found this. Read More »

Not everyone is a gym freak. As a matter of fact, to some, the gym is like the plague. Working out takes serious motivation, time and dedication, and lifting weights in silence is even more painful, especially when the only noises are grunting meatheads. Yeah, no thank you.

Here are some tunes to block out those awkward noises and kick your ass into gear!

1. Headlights Look Like Diamonds– Arcade Fire
2. This Modern Love– Bloc Party
3. Freakum Dress– Beyonce (girl knows how to work it and you’ll wanna pull out your best drag queen moves after this song. Platforms are essential)
4. Bullet and a Target– Citizen Cope (the whole album is work out worthy)
5. Baby Makin’ Hips– Fantasia (please ignore the title, the song is all about the BEAT)
6. Hate On Me– Jill Scott (this is a good redemption tune)
7. Anything’s Possible– Johnny Lang (a young dude with the soul of an old man, this song will make you feel like you could move mountains, literally)
8. When Your Heart Stops Beating– Plus 44
9. Breakin’ Dishes– Rihanna (also a GREAT song to release any ‘boyfriend rage”)
10. I am Your Man– Ryan Shaw (it’s a good follow up so you don’t become a complete man-hater on the Elliptical)
11. In Love With A Girl– Gavin Degraw (glad you’re back Gavin! Grab his album on May 6th, it’s going to be SUPERB)
12. Drivin’ Me Wild– Common Ft. Lily Allen (great duet on so many levels)

And Cool Down with…

13. Everytime It Rains– Charlotte Martin (this song makes me smile like an idiot)
14. Silver Lining– Rilo Kiley

These tunes should be enough motivation for ya, now GO!

What tunes are on your “Work Out Playlist”?