Jennifer Hudson Gets Engaged

American actress Jennifer Hudson has got engaged to reality TV star David "Punk" Otunga.

Hudson's rep confirmed the engagement.

The 'I Love New York 2' star Otunga popped up the question to the Oscar winner on her 27th birthday.

The couple has been dating for less than a year.

"I am very happy," Usmagazine.com quoted Hudson, as saying last month at a Dove event.

"I don't think I have ever been happier," she added
Jennifer Kate Hudson first gained notice in the world of glamor as one of the finalists on the third season of the FOX television series American Idol. She went on to star as Effie White in the 2006 motion picture adaptation of the musical Dreamgirls. This film gained her numerous awards including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA and a SAG Award.

American idol results - Season 8

The eighth season of American Idol will begin in January 2009. Auditions began July 17. It has been revealed that this season will feature fewer drawn-out audition episodes and more half-hour result shows. Also this season will have a fourth judge on the pannel: singer and songwriter Kara DioGuardi.

After Fox and producers promised changes to the show, on Aug. 4 showrunner and executive producer Nigel Lythgoe announced he was leaving "Idol" to focus on international versions of his other show So You Think You Can Dance.

The audition schedule was as follows:

Audition City Date Audition Venue
San Francisco, CA1 July 17, 2008 Cow Palace
Louisville, KY July 21, 2008 Freedom Hall
Phoenix, AZ2 July 25, 2008 Jobing.com Arena
Salt Lake City, UT July 29, 2008 EnergySolutions Arena
San Juan, Puerto Rico August 2, 2008 Coliseo de Puerto Rico
Kansas City, MO August 8, 2008 Kemper Arena
Jacksonville, FL August 13, 2008 Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
East Rutherford, New Jersey August 19, 2008 IZOD Center

1The Cow Palace, the site of the San Francisco auditions, is actually in Daly City, California.
2The Jobing.com Arena, the site of the Phoenix, Arizona auditions, is actually in Glendale, Arizona.