NFL confirms ex-'Idol' finalist Jennifer Hudson to sing at Super Bowl
By John Bracchitta, 01/14/2009
Jennifer Hudson's return to the stage won't be at the MusiCares Person of the Year gala after all.
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The NFL has confirmed the former third-season American Idol finalist will sing the national anthem to kick off Super Bowl XLIII at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay on Sunday, February 1 on NBC.
Hudson's Super Bowl performance will mark her first public performance since the murders of her mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew last October.
Word that Hudson would be performing at the event had previously been reported by E! News on Tuesday.
Performing the national anthem at a nationally televised event won't be anything new to Hudson. She was selected by President-elect Barack Obama to sing the national anthem on the final day of the Democratic National Convention in Denver, CO prior to his acceptance of the party's presidential nomination.
More than 148 million viewers in the U.S. watched Super Bowl XLII in 2008, making it the most-watched television program in history. Super Bowl XLIII will be broadcast worldwide in more than 230 countries and territories.
