Once a cruise ship entertainer, the singer has made the finals on American Idol, won a Best Supporting Oscar for Dreamgirls before, devastatingly, losing her mother, brother and nephew in a shocking murder.

"I've been through everything, from the bottom to the top," Hudson tells Insider, via phone, ahead of her first trip to Australia this weekend.

"Ever since American Idol, I've been on a roller-coaster that has not stopped - there's been ups and downs and all the way round and the world has been watching me go through it.

"At times, I feel as though I'm on the outside too, wondering what turns it's going to take, the ups and downs, and how I'm going to get through it."Despite all the turmoil, the mother of 21-month-old David Jr says music has been her saviour.

"It is my expression of me in every way, musically, personally, how I feel right now and everything. Music is my way of bottling it up and passing it along to somebody else."

Hudson admits her new album, I Remember Me, which features the tracks I Got This, Everybody Needs Love, Why Is It So Hard, Feeling Good and Believe, does reflect her life right now.

"It captures every part of me," she says. "Even I Remember Me, that's me personally, that's how I feel about my life and my journey and where I am today, and then Feeling Good is an expression of my weight-loss journey.

Overall it's just the vibe of me."Strength is also a common theme throughout the album - a trait she believes runs in her family.

"My mother was very strong and my sister, so I guess that's where it comes from."

Her strength was never more tested than when her mum Darnell Donnerson, brother Jason, and nephew Julian, 7, were shot dead in their Chicago home 2 1/2 years ago allegedly by her sister's estranged husband. Charged with the murders, he is awaiting trial.

She credits her strong nature, and the help of Weight Watchers, for driving her to lose nearly 40kg. "I do [feel sexy] and I always did," she says, laughing. "It's just like, the rest of the world is catching up. I always knew it was there. It's not new to me."

Hudson exercises daily, and is conscious of what she eats, but doesn't want to lose more weight. Despite being careful with food, she admits chocolate is her guilty pleasure.

"At this point, I don't really want to lose any more weight. I'm trying to shy away more from cardio and doing more cardio and training. So every morning, I get up and do four sets of 25 reps of crunches, of squats and, like, push-ups."

Her personal life is also flourishing with Hudson engaged to wrestler David Otunga, the father of her toddler son. The couple recently moved back to Chicago from Florida.

"When I'm on the road, I can't wait to go home and be mummy.

"He [David Jr] is such a blessing," Hudson says.

"I have never seen a baby have such an impact on the people he meets. There is never a dull moment. He keeps me happy, he keeps me uplifted and he keeps me smiling at all times."

Hudson flew into Melbourne yesterday to face a week packed with promotions, beginning tonight with an appearance on Dancing With The Stars.

Along with various radio interviews, she will also appear live on Seven's Sunrise on Thursday morning.

Her family remain in Chicago, as it's "a long way to travel".

"I've been excited [to come to Australia] since American Idol, and I've never been able to," the R&B-soul singer said.

"When I got the call, I was like, I don't care what's going on and I don't care what they want me to do, I am coming. So here I come."

The Playboy Mansion is one of several places L.A. County public health officials are investigating in an attempt to discover why at least 170 people had fallen ill after a four-day conference in L.A.

The possible outbreak of legionellosis, or Pontiac fever, affected people connected with the DOMAINfest Global Conference held at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica on Feb. 1-3.

"The department is investigating several locations associated with this conference, including the Playboy Mansion in Holmby Hills," the statement said. "At this time, Public Health has not determined that the source of exposure is limited to a specific location. The department is working to conclusively identify the source of exposure and the likely cause of illness for this suspected outbreak."

Conference events included a Polynesian Paradise Party at the Fairmont Hotel on Feb. 1, a Golden Era of Hollywood Party at SkyBar on the Sunset Strip on Feb. 2 and the Playboy Mansion party hosted by Playmates Jennifer Walcott and Suzanne Stokes to benefit Jenny McCarthy's Generation Rescue Autism Foundation.

The outbreak is not believed to have spread beyond the conference, officials said.

The department was notified Friday of a "suspected respiratory infection outbreak" among those associated with the conference, and officials were still identifying and contacting possible victims Monday, the statement said.

The state Department of Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and surrounding county health departments are providing assistance "as a number of conference attendees live outside of Los Angeles County," the statement said. "Public Health has no information suggesting that this suspected outbreak extends beyond those individuals associated with this conference."

The Playboy Mansion is one of several places L.A. County public health officials are investigating in an attempt to discover why at least 170 people had fallen ill after a four-day conference in L.A.

The possible outbreak of legionellosis, or Pontiac fever, affected people connected with the DOMAINfest Global Conference held at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica on Feb. 1-3.

"The department is investigating several locations associated with this conference, including the Playboy Mansion in Holmby Hills," the statement said. "At this time, Public Health has not determined that the source of exposure is limited to a specific location. The department is working to conclusively identify the source of exposure and the likely cause of illness for this suspected outbreak."

Conference events included a Polynesian Paradise Party at the Fairmont Hotel on Feb. 1, a Golden Era of Hollywood Party at SkyBar on the Sunset Strip on Feb. 2 and the Playboy Mansion party hosted by Playmates Jennifer Walcott and Suzanne Stokes to benefit Jenny McCarthy's Generation Rescue Autism Foundation.

The outbreak is not believed to have spread beyond the conference, officials said.

The department was notified Friday of a "suspected respiratory infection outbreak" among those associated with the conference, and officials were still identifying and contacting possible victims Monday, the statement said.

The state Department of Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and surrounding county health departments are providing assistance "as a number of conference attendees live outside of Los Angeles County," the statement said. "Public Health has no information suggesting that this suspected outbreak extends beyond those individuals associated with this conference."

No wonder Jennifer Aniston took so long to find her man – she was after a pink, scrotum like puppet to snog all along.

Jennifer looked pretty happy wrapping her lips around this furry co-presenter on the El Hormiguero show in Madrid, all for totally hilaaaaaaar laughs.

Later on, Jennifer trotted along to the premiere for Just Go With It and she looked well nice with her snazzy new hair, although she appeared to have forgotten her trousers. Have a lookie loo.

No wonder Jennifer Aniston took so long to find her man – she was after a pink, scrotum like puppet to snog all along.

Jennifer looked pretty happy wrapping her lips around this furry co-presenter on the El Hormiguero show in Madrid, all for totally hilaaaaaaar laughs.

Later on, Jennifer trotted along to the premiere for Just Go With It and she looked well nice with her snazzy new hair, although she appeared to have forgotten her trousers. Have a lookie loo.

"American Idol" alum turned Grammy and Oscar winner, Jennifer Hudson, stops by "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on Thursday (Feb. 10) to share her weight loss success story, and of course, plug Weight Watchers.

It's easy to peg her success as the result of a paid sponsorship and access to personal trainers and chefs, but Hudson disagrees, saying the results are all mental.

"I've cooked all my meals at home, when I work out I do what I like to do, I don't believe in overdoing myself," she explains. "It's all about self motivation because at the end of the day you can have all the money and all the personal trainers in the world, but if you don't have that mindset it's not possible... You have to do it for yourself."

Joining Hudson in the audience is her Weight Watchers leader, Liz, who was adamant about not disclosing Hudson's weight.

Liz claims that people shouldn't obsess over the number of pounds, saying "You've got to do what feels good to you. Who cares about the number?"

After being asked multiple times to share her weight loss, and repeatedly saying that she wants to tell, but isn't allowed -- Hudson finally blurts out, "I've lost 80 pounds! I'm sorry, I had to do it."

The now size six singer then received a standing ovation from Oprah herself, and the audience.

She admits that getting used to her new body is definitely taking some adjusting, and that mentally she's not quite in sync with her new look.

"I'll go in the store, and I'll pick up the extra larges or the bigger sizes... or I'll even pick up a medium and they're like 'That's too big,' and I'm like 'For who?'" she says of her current shopping days. "It takes a while to get adjusted to it mentally, my mind still hasn't caught up yet."

Hudson also opened up for the first time about her 2008 family tragedy, and debuted her latest single.

"American Idol" alum turned Grammy and Oscar winner, Jennifer Hudson, stops by "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on Thursday (Feb. 10) to share her weight loss success story, and of course, plug Weight Watchers.

It's easy to peg her success as the result of a paid sponsorship and access to personal trainers and chefs, but Hudson disagrees, saying the results are all mental.

"I've cooked all my meals at home, when I work out I do what I like to do, I don't believe in overdoing myself," she explains. "It's all about self motivation because at the end of the day you can have all the money and all the personal trainers in the world, but if you don't have that mindset it's not possible... You have to do it for yourself."

Joining Hudson in the audience is her Weight Watchers leader, Liz, who was adamant about not disclosing Hudson's weight.

Liz claims that people shouldn't obsess over the number of pounds, saying "You've got to do what feels good to you. Who cares about the number?"

After being asked multiple times to share her weight loss, and repeatedly saying that she wants to tell, but isn't allowed -- Hudson finally blurts out, "I've lost 80 pounds! I'm sorry, I had to do it."

The now size six singer then received a standing ovation from Oprah herself, and the audience.

She admits that getting used to her new body is definitely taking some adjusting, and that mentally she's not quite in sync with her new look.

"I'll go in the store, and I'll pick up the extra larges or the bigger sizes... or I'll even pick up a medium and they're like 'That's too big,' and I'm like 'For who?'" she says of her current shopping days. "It takes a while to get adjusted to it mentally, my mind still hasn't caught up yet."

Hudson also opened up for the first time about her 2008 family tragedy, and debuted her latest single.

So how old is Jennifer Lopez? Well, J.Lo was born on the 34th of July 1969 and that makes her 41 years of age right now. Born in the Bronx, New York, U.S. as Jennifer Lynn Lopez, she is a multi talented woman. She is an actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, fashion designer and television producer.
Jennifer’s career kicked off when she was a dancer for the television comedy show “In Living Color.” Since then she has went on to star and co-star in numerous successful films.
In June 2010, following the departure of Ellen DeGeneres from American Idol, it was reported that Lopez was in talks to join season ten’s judging panel. It was later reported that she was out of the running for the role, due to her making outrageous demands. Despite the reports, it was confirmed she would join season 10 of in an announcement made official on September 22, 2010.
Shortly after this it was announced that Brad Falchuk, executive producer of the music-based series Glee, confirmed that Lopez had entered discussions to appear in the next season of Glee as a cafeteria worker.
Her career in television and film continues to blossom. She has already appeared in 25 films since 1986, appeared in 7 different TV shows since 1991 and been producer of 7 movies since 2000.

So how old is Jennifer Lopez? Well, J.Lo was born on the 34th of July 1969 and that makes her 41 years of age right now. Born in the Bronx, New York, U.S. as Jennifer Lynn Lopez, she is a multi talented woman. She is an actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, fashion designer and television producer.
Jennifer’s career kicked off when she was a dancer for the television comedy show “In Living Color.” Since then she has went on to star and co-star in numerous successful films.
In June 2010, following the departure of Ellen DeGeneres from American Idol, it was reported that Lopez was in talks to join season ten’s judging panel. It was later reported that she was out of the running for the role, due to her making outrageous demands. Despite the reports, it was confirmed she would join season 10 of in an announcement made official on September 22, 2010.
Shortly after this it was announced that Brad Falchuk, executive producer of the music-based series Glee, confirmed that Lopez had entered discussions to appear in the next season of Glee as a cafeteria worker.
Her career in television and film continues to blossom. She has already appeared in 25 films since 1986, appeared in 7 different TV shows since 1991 and been producer of 7 movies since 2000.

Were they getting married in a wrestling ring???

Hulk Hogan married his girlfriend Jennifer McDaniel last night in what should have been a peaceful and intimate ceremony on the beach in Clearwater, Florida.

Unfortunately, though, things went very wrong when a photographer was caught trying to snap photos of the wedding. Sources say that a family employee told the photographer to leave and that's when a fight broke out - just as the couple was saying their vows!!

Police were called to the scene, but nobody was arrested.

Sounds like a great way to start a short happy marriage! Let's hope this was the last of their problems.

Were they getting married in a wrestling ring???

Hulk Hogan married his girlfriend Jennifer McDaniel last night in what should have been a peaceful and intimate ceremony on the beach in Clearwater, Florida.

Unfortunately, though, things went very wrong when a photographer was caught trying to snap photos of the wedding. Sources say that a family employee told the photographer to leave and that's when a fight broke out - just as the couple was saying their vows!!

Police were called to the scene, but nobody was arrested.

Sounds like a great way to start a short happy marriage! Let's hope this was the last of their problems.

During the fifth season of Dexter, Detective Debra Morgan has really come into her own. At first it seemed like she was falling into all her old traps: messing up at work, getting down on herself, and falling for the wrong guy. But as we near the end of the season (the penultimate episode airs this Sunday), it’s clear this is the year everybody’s favorite potty mouth grows up. We sat down with actress Jennifer Carpenter, who plays Deb, and asked her the big questions: What’s the deal with Quinn? What would happen if Deb found out the truth about Dexter? And who is really responsible for Deb’s profanity-laden, hilarious one-liners?

Where do you see Debra as we near the end of this season versus where she was a year ago?
I think the evolution of Deb is a little louder than most of the characters. Dexter is actually trying not to evolve in a weird way, he’s trying to find his beginning. On the other hand, Deb has sort of been fast and furious and doesn’t seem to have an edit button. And suddenly, this season, she has a private life, or at least private thoughts — she didn’t expose everything. The show felt a little less emotionally driven than it had in the past and I think it worked in my character's favor. It left room for me to do my own sort of coloring on the side; I didn’t have to show all my cards every week.

Deb is currently pursuing the barrel girls’ murder case, and if she finds out what really happened, Dexter could be exposed. What would Deb’s reaction be — and you might already know this, we don’t know how this season ends — if Deb found out who Dexter really is?
I think my answer to that changes day to day. There’s a part of me that thinks that Deb bleeds blue, and she’ s a cop through and through and she would put him away. And then I realize that without Dexter she has no link to her childhood — there’s no witness to recount stories and remind her of her origins. For that reason, I think that she might make a deal with him. I'm just grateful that, at this point, five years in, that decision is not in my hands. I have a sense that the writers and producers have an idea of how that will unfold, and I’m ready to know. I feel like the audience has earned it as well. I feel like it’s time for them to find out.

What makes you think the writers are considering letting Deb know the truth?
I think it’s kind of heading that way. I also feel like I [Deb] have a lot of really integral puzzle pieces to the picture of Dexter — there’s a lot of stuff that’s difficult to ignore. I mean I’m supposed to be able to know when people are lying, when they’re hiding something, and I’m really good at my job. But I can’t see the writing on the wall in front of me? Especially after I was dating a serial killer? I think it’s time.

But that’s what we love about Deb, she’s such a great combination of badass and naive good girl.
I think she knows once something is seen it can’t be unseen. Everything changes forever. She might not even want that. And she deserves all the good stuff. She deserves the brother that she’s always suspected she’s had. She loves him. She loves his potential. She sees his potential. She wants him to engage.

She set him and Rita up.
Right, but then she was never really invited to engage. Poor Deb. Poor, poor Deb. You know, it worries me sometimes that she’s got a gun on her back.

The thing that happened this year with her killing someone — there’s the scene in her kitchen ...
I love that you call it her kitchen.

It’s her fucking house, man!
Thank you! Deb goes 100 miles an hour in one direction — forward, forward, forward — and she sort of surprised herself, she switched gears a little. I think she was shocked that she didn’t feel anything [when she killed someone], 'cause that’s what she does — she emotes to a fault. And there are a couple of things coming in the next episode where you see her — she’s suddenly no longer in the shadow of Harry, she’s finding her voice, professionally, finding her voice and admitting where she is, that things aren’t quite black and white. She might bleed blue, but she knows there’s got to be room for some gray. She might do better at work if she admits that the choices aren’t always so clear.

What’s up with Deb’s terrible taste in men?
Here’s the thing. She was denied affection from every male figure in her life. Her brother, her father — they just walked right by her. So when a man gives her attention, it’s as if she charges through every cautionary flag that exists and can only see the light of the love and attention that they’re giving her. When those cautionary flags are in her face, she’s in trouble again. But that’s Deb’s addiction. She’s addicted to any form of attention and love. When I first heard that Quinn and Deb are gonna be a couple, I was concerned, but you know they have a lot in common. They can compare scars together and keep each other clean.

People love Deb’s foul mouth. Are all Deb’s lines written for you or are you cursing like a sailor?
I actually take a lot of the cuss words out.

So we’re not even getting as much as what’s written for her!?
Exactly.

Do you have a favorite Deb line of all time?
We had some criminal coming in during the second season, I think, a really tall gigantic football player, and I called him “a fucking beef bus,” which made me laugh. And I really like “I’d rather put a campfire out with my face.” “Shit a brick and fuck me with it” is also okay.

Do you ever find the Deb cursing infiltrating your regular life?
I was just home for Thanksgiving and I caught myself cursing three times. It was so embarrassing. I was so ashamed.

When I interviewed Julia Stiles [who plays Lumen], she talked about how Michael [C. Hall, who plays Dexter] really sets the tone on set. What is it like to be married to the star of the show? What are the pros and cons of working with someone you’re romantically involved with?
The pros are we have each other’s trust. I would say it’s true about everyone on the cast and crew — we are all connected through friendship, there to take care of each other. [I'm] hesitant to say we’re a family, 'cause it sounds generic, but we’ve all invested in each other, so it’s easier to take risks at work.

People assume it must be hard to play siblings …
You know what? The work is easy. When he puts the khakis and the loafers on and combs his hair that way, he’s not Michael. And I swear, when I put her shoes on and the gun on my back, I’m not the same person. I hesitate to say what the cons are because I don’t want to concentrate on them. The season is fast and furious and then it’s over.

During the fifth season of Dexter, Detective Debra Morgan has really come into her own. At first it seemed like she was falling into all her old traps: messing up at work, getting down on herself, and falling for the wrong guy. But as we near the end of the season (the penultimate episode airs this Sunday), it’s clear this is the year everybody’s favorite potty mouth grows up. We sat down with actress Jennifer Carpenter, who plays Deb, and asked her the big questions: What’s the deal with Quinn? What would happen if Deb found out the truth about Dexter? And who is really responsible for Deb’s profanity-laden, hilarious one-liners?

Where do you see Debra as we near the end of this season versus where she was a year ago?
I think the evolution of Deb is a little louder than most of the characters. Dexter is actually trying not to evolve in a weird way, he’s trying to find his beginning. On the other hand, Deb has sort of been fast and furious and doesn’t seem to have an edit button. And suddenly, this season, she has a private life, or at least private thoughts — she didn’t expose everything. The show felt a little less emotionally driven than it had in the past and I think it worked in my character's favor. It left room for me to do my own sort of coloring on the side; I didn’t have to show all my cards every week.

Deb is currently pursuing the barrel girls’ murder case, and if she finds out what really happened, Dexter could be exposed. What would Deb’s reaction be — and you might already know this, we don’t know how this season ends — if Deb found out who Dexter really is?
I think my answer to that changes day to day. There’s a part of me that thinks that Deb bleeds blue, and she’ s a cop through and through and she would put him away. And then I realize that without Dexter she has no link to her childhood — there’s no witness to recount stories and remind her of her origins. For that reason, I think that she might make a deal with him. I'm just grateful that, at this point, five years in, that decision is not in my hands. I have a sense that the writers and producers have an idea of how that will unfold, and I’m ready to know. I feel like the audience has earned it as well. I feel like it’s time for them to find out.

What makes you think the writers are considering letting Deb know the truth?
I think it’s kind of heading that way. I also feel like I [Deb] have a lot of really integral puzzle pieces to the picture of Dexter — there’s a lot of stuff that’s difficult to ignore. I mean I’m supposed to be able to know when people are lying, when they’re hiding something, and I’m really good at my job. But I can’t see the writing on the wall in front of me? Especially after I was dating a serial killer? I think it’s time.

But that’s what we love about Deb, she’s such a great combination of badass and naive good girl.
I think she knows once something is seen it can’t be unseen. Everything changes forever. She might not even want that. And she deserves all the good stuff. She deserves the brother that she’s always suspected she’s had. She loves him. She loves his potential. She sees his potential. She wants him to engage.

She set him and Rita up.
Right, but then she was never really invited to engage. Poor Deb. Poor, poor Deb. You know, it worries me sometimes that she’s got a gun on her back.

The thing that happened this year with her killing someone — there’s the scene in her kitchen ...
I love that you call it her kitchen.

It’s her fucking house, man!
Thank you! Deb goes 100 miles an hour in one direction — forward, forward, forward — and she sort of surprised herself, she switched gears a little. I think she was shocked that she didn’t feel anything [when she killed someone], 'cause that’s what she does — she emotes to a fault. And there are a couple of things coming in the next episode where you see her — she’s suddenly no longer in the shadow of Harry, she’s finding her voice, professionally, finding her voice and admitting where she is, that things aren’t quite black and white. She might bleed blue, but she knows there’s got to be room for some gray. She might do better at work if she admits that the choices aren’t always so clear.

What’s up with Deb’s terrible taste in men?
Here’s the thing. She was denied affection from every male figure in her life. Her brother, her father — they just walked right by her. So when a man gives her attention, it’s as if she charges through every cautionary flag that exists and can only see the light of the love and attention that they’re giving her. When those cautionary flags are in her face, she’s in trouble again. But that’s Deb’s addiction. She’s addicted to any form of attention and love. When I first heard that Quinn and Deb are gonna be a couple, I was concerned, but you know they have a lot in common. They can compare scars together and keep each other clean.

People love Deb’s foul mouth. Are all Deb’s lines written for you or are you cursing like a sailor?
I actually take a lot of the cuss words out.

So we’re not even getting as much as what’s written for her!?
Exactly.

Do you have a favorite Deb line of all time?
We had some criminal coming in during the second season, I think, a really tall gigantic football player, and I called him “a fucking beef bus,” which made me laugh. And I really like “I’d rather put a campfire out with my face.” “Shit a brick and fuck me with it” is also okay.

Do you ever find the Deb cursing infiltrating your regular life?
I was just home for Thanksgiving and I caught myself cursing three times. It was so embarrassing. I was so ashamed.

When I interviewed Julia Stiles [who plays Lumen], she talked about how Michael [C. Hall, who plays Dexter] really sets the tone on set. What is it like to be married to the star of the show? What are the pros and cons of working with someone you’re romantically involved with?
The pros are we have each other’s trust. I would say it’s true about everyone on the cast and crew — we are all connected through friendship, there to take care of each other. [I'm] hesitant to say we’re a family, 'cause it sounds generic, but we’ve all invested in each other, so it’s easier to take risks at work.

People assume it must be hard to play siblings …
You know what? The work is easy. When he puts the khakis and the loafers on and combs his hair that way, he’s not Michael. And I swear, when I put her shoes on and the gun on my back, I’m not the same person. I hesitate to say what the cons are because I don’t want to concentrate on them. The season is fast and furious and then it’s over.

Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter play brother and sister on the hit series Dexter, but now will play ex-husband and wife in real life. The couple has filed for divorce after two short but eventful years of marriage that saw Hall battle Hodgkin's lymphoma and their critically-acclaimed show blow up.
"Having been separated for some time, Jennifer Carpenter and Michael C. Hall have filed for divorce," reps for the couple said in a joint statement.

Access Hollywood says the couple has been bickering on set for months and the rest of the cast and crew knew it was only a matter of time before a separation was announced.

Now producers are trying to figure out how the actors will be able to work as closely together as their characters require. Maybe Dexter will make Deborah his next victim?

Hall and Carpenter wed on December 31, 2009 in a New Year's Eve ceremony. They have no children. Hall was previously married to Broadway actress Amy Spangler.

Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter play brother and sister on the hit series Dexter, but now will play ex-husband and wife in real life. The couple has filed for divorce after two short but eventful years of marriage that saw Hall battle Hodgkin's lymphoma and their critically-acclaimed show blow up.
"Having been separated for some time, Jennifer Carpenter and Michael C. Hall have filed for divorce," reps for the couple said in a joint statement.

Access Hollywood says the couple has been bickering on set for months and the rest of the cast and crew knew it was only a matter of time before a separation was announced.

Now producers are trying to figure out how the actors will be able to work as closely together as their characters require. Maybe Dexter will make Deborah his next victim?

Hall and Carpenter wed on December 31, 2009 in a New Year's Eve ceremony. They have no children. Hall was previously married to Broadway actress Amy Spangler.

Jennifer Grey has been crowned the new winner of Dancing with the Stars.

The actress made her name in the 1987 classic Dirty Dancing, opposite Patrick Swayze, and she donned her dance shoes once again for the celebrity showdown.

She saw off competition from actor Kyle Massey and politician Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol during the show's finale.

Palin came third in the competition after gaining the least amount of votes, leaving Grey and her dance partner Derek Hough to battle it out with Massey for the title.

Grey scored a perfect 30 for her Viennese Waltz and a 28 for her Cha Cha in her final dances on Tuesday's show.

After winning, the star revealed she nearly pulled out of the finale after rupturing a disc in her spine on Monday night, prompting a brief hospital visit. Grey has been plagued with injuries throughout the competition after undergoing a string of spinal surgeries to repair torn ligaments in her neck.

With her actress pal Jamie Lee Curtis and Cabaret star dad Joel Grey looking on from the studio audience, she admitted, "I didn't think I was going to compete tonight and I'm really glad I did."

Other celebrities who took part in the 11th season of the show included David Hasselhoff, Michael Bolton, R&B singer Brandy, veteran actress Florence Henderson, Jersey Shore star Mike Sorrentino, former NBA star Rick Fox, The Hills star Audrina Patridge, comedienne Margaret Cho and retired football star Kurt Warner.

Jennifer Grey has been crowned the new winner of Dancing with the Stars.

The actress made her name in the 1987 classic Dirty Dancing, opposite Patrick Swayze, and she donned her dance shoes once again for the celebrity showdown.

She saw off competition from actor Kyle Massey and politician Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol during the show's finale.

Palin came third in the competition after gaining the least amount of votes, leaving Grey and her dance partner Derek Hough to battle it out with Massey for the title.

Grey scored a perfect 30 for her Viennese Waltz and a 28 for her Cha Cha in her final dances on Tuesday's show.

After winning, the star revealed she nearly pulled out of the finale after rupturing a disc in her spine on Monday night, prompting a brief hospital visit. Grey has been plagued with injuries throughout the competition after undergoing a string of spinal surgeries to repair torn ligaments in her neck.

With her actress pal Jamie Lee Curtis and Cabaret star dad Joel Grey looking on from the studio audience, she admitted, "I didn't think I was going to compete tonight and I'm really glad I did."

Other celebrities who took part in the 11th season of the show included David Hasselhoff, Michael Bolton, R&B singer Brandy, veteran actress Florence Henderson, Jersey Shore star Mike Sorrentino, former NBA star Rick Fox, The Hills star Audrina Patridge, comedienne Margaret Cho and retired football star Kurt Warner.

Jennifer Nettles, lead singer, songwriter and charmingly take-charge performer of the sweet and sassy duo known as Sugarland, is upfront about her band's latest record.

"This is not your grandma's country," she says about the group's fourth studio album, The Incredible Machine, released today (October 19) on Mercury Nashville. "Country is cool and it's hip and it's young and it's fresh."

Then she hastens to add, "... Not that there's anything wrong with your grandma's country."

Sugarland, essentially the power pairing of Georgia peach Nettles and her songwriting partner/multi-instrumentalist/comedic foil Kristian Bush, likes to continually stretch the boundaries of the generic genre known as classic country. And they do so with The Incredible Machine, an explosive exhibition filled with pump-your-fist anthems, power-to-the-people pop and glory-be inspiration.
With 11 sweeping songs co-written by Nettles and Bush (at right), who also co-produced it with Byron Gallimore, The Incredible Machine is a big record meant to be played before bigger audiences. And Nettles doesn't hesitate to state that Sugarland plans to take the country by storm. Not the genre, mind you, but the Rhythm Nation that likes their messages sent in simple terms with thumping beats, stirring guitars and soaring vocals. Trying to reach a broader audience is their ultimate goal as emerging artists such as Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Lady Antebellum wrestle for a piece of the fountain-of-youth market. But keeping traditional country listeners, including grandma, is also important to Sugarland.

Nettles, enjoying a "good-for-my-heart-and-soul" cup of green tea on an early October morn, acknowledges that this album might not be for hard-liners who only like the classics such as Johnny Cash, George Jones and Tammy Wynette. Yet she believes the Grammy-winning Sugarland, just nominated for two American Country Awards for the December 6 inaugural telecast on Fox, can still reach many stanch traditionalists. "We need them. ... You know, they hold the line in the middle. But we have, from the beginning, tended to play in the margins."

So they delivered an album of emotional songs that emerged as "a cohesive unit," addressing the "concept of the human heart" and "it's exquisite capacity to love and to feel and to understand ... and to hurt."

The group performed the songs during a live-streamed concert Monday in New York and will appear at an invitation-only CD release event at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta on Wednesday. With a worldwide tour planned to kick off in March 2011 that features a steam pump on "a crazy, crazy, crazy set," Sugarland will attempt to win over the hearts and minds of America ... and beyond.

While admitting, "I definitely protect my personal life because it is that and it is sacred to me," the 36-year-old Nettles does "tell most of what's on my heart anyway either through my songs or end up opening my mouth onstage and saying it." Regarding her intentions, she pretty much provides full disclosure here:

Ready, set, go!
Nettles laughs, recalling another interviewer's recent question about whether Sugarland's fans will be ready for this new approach. "What an arrogant ass I would be if I was like (in a mocking tone), 'They're really not ready, this is so far above them.'
"I think they're absolutely ready. When I'm onstage every night and I see the response to that (Sugarland has performed about five new songs during recent concerts), I know that they're ready. It's not the fans. The fans get excited. ... They want to be inspired and don't want the same old thing. That's not the battle.

"Many times, the trouble is the people have to deal with the gatekeepers of commerce in Radioland. But from an artistic perspective, are the fans ready? Absolutely."

'Meet them where they are'
In an era when the record industry sags and concert touring lags, Nettles expects Sugarland to only get bigger and better. She nobly takes it as a compliment, but mildly disagrees that The Incredible Machine sounds nothing like country, then totally dismisses the notion that this is a deliberate attempt to completely stray from the music that made Nashville famous. "I hear country influences in it, especially in certain songs. When I hear 'Little Miss' or when I hear 'Stand Up,' for example. Those feel country to me. When I hear 'Shine the Light,' it's more of a gospel influence. That definitely pulls from my Southern heritage," she says.

"I feel all of those elements, in its organic-ness, can consider country as an influence, specifically on those songs. And at the same time, if I'm honest, I do hear other influences that aren't country that are throughout the record, too. Is it a conscious moving away from country? No. But is it a conscious offering of our music to all sorts of listeners, all radio formats, hopefully? Yes, absolutely. ... If you listen to country radio today, you know who we are. And more than likely, you probably have one of our records, which is wonderful. However, if we want to reach more people, we have to meet them where they are and allow them to hear what it is that we do."

Expand your horizons ... and venues
Sugarland's music, including 2008's mega-hit album Love On the Inside, is so far-reaching that a local teenager is heard singing "It Happens" from a side stage at the Chile and Frijoles Festival in Pueblo, Colorado. So where do they go from there?

"I would absolutely love to be able to headline a stadium," says Nettles, who had the chance with Sugarland to open past massive shows for Kenny Chesney. "I think that would be quite a goal to accomplish. Because at the end of the day, if you can reach all different kinds of people with your music, through all different types of venues and have it translate, I think that says something about what you're doing and about the authenticity of it."

Long before Sugarland, Nettles and Bush developed as seasoned performers, entertaining folks at "backyard barbecues, in small clubs where everyone's drunk and trying to get the attention of the asshole in the back," she recalls. "So consequently, we're able to get out there and give a good show and recognize the energy of the audience."
Their 2009 tour, with numerous arena dates opening for Keith Urban, including a show at Pepsi Center in Denver reviewed for No Depression, provided solid proof of just that. (At right, Nettles performs in Denver in July 2009.)

Find your inner diva
Nettles, who will appear with Katy Perry and Paramore, among others, on the VH1 Divas military tribute December 5, recently told The Associated Press she was "hoping to get to wear the Cher outfit" the pop icon showed off aboard a battleship in a 1989 music video.

Even if she was kidding, Nettles does have a serious fixation for the music and fashion from the "Me Decade," and particularly a few of those Eighties ladies who became New Wave mavens. The album's influences include the Pretenders and Blondie, and Bush's opening guitar riffs of "Find The Beat Again" are reminiscent of The Clash's "London Calling."

The theatrical "Tonight," building toward a rousing chorus, is a clear departure for Nettles vocally. Asked if she found her inner diva, perhaps a post-Lone Justice Maria McKee, makes Nettles chuckle. "I don't think there was a specific concept of 'OK, I want to channel this or I want to be this specific influence and I'm gonna try to sound this way.' I think at the time I had been listening to ... I had been going through a Cure revival. And there was also even from a (Pretenders') Chrissie Hynde perspective, I think there's a little bit of that vibrato in there. But it wasn't intentional.

"What was intentional is, 'Hey, let me get in here and play around with this part of my range, and play around with this part of emoting in this area of my range. And it is a lower, more gravelly part of my voice and consequently that lends itself to a rounder, grander -- for lack of a better word -- sound in the voice as opposed to when I'm up in my high, mid-range. ..."

Get your act together
Nettles knows musical theater, having followed that path for a while in college before realizing "music is my first love and I've been doing it since I was a little girl." But that doesn't mean she hasn't given up those acting aspirations, and displays her dancing, acting and comedic skills in the video from the album's first single, "Stuck Like Glue." Playing "this crazy, ridiculous, kooky character of a stalker," Nettles says, "I felt like I was in Fame or something. ... I go into the studio and I've got my leggings on and a shirt and, of course, heels, because that's what I had to dance in, dear God!"

Asked if a Sugarland-themed Glee might be on her wish list, Nettles squeals with delight. "Oooh, I would love it. I would absolutely love it. I don't watch a lot of television. I have watched parts of two different episodes of Glee and I absolutely loved it. I just love the music, I love all these kids singing in it. I thought it was great and I would love to be a part of it. Just because, what a wonderful concept, right? And again, this is coming from someone that doesn't watch much television. But to have a show like that which celebrates music and allows young people to be turned on to all different kinds of music, I think it's pretty fantastic."

Starring a woman who can reach all age groups, here's even a built-in name for the episode: Jen X-Y-Z.

Dare to change your hair
Nettles revealed a shorter and straighter 'do in the new video, with those cascading curls taking a leave of absence, however brief that might be. The fact that anyone would care about her hair befuddles Nettles, though she can understand why fans and gossip mags want to know. "These are the pressing questions," she says with a hardy dose of sarcasm. "Is that so funny. Oh, God. that's simply part of the celebrity portion of it that always makes me pause and makes me like, 'Really?' No, I love it. I think that's all so fun.

"And people sometimes ask me, 'Well do your quote unquote people, do they get upset?' and I'm like, 'Nobody cares what I do.' Why would anybody tell me what to do with my hair. And if somebody did, I would be like 'Excuse me?' I just do what I want to do and if I get bored, I change it."

Jennifer Nettles, lead singer, songwriter and charmingly take-charge performer of the sweet and sassy duo known as Sugarland, is upfront about her band's latest record.

"This is not your grandma's country," she says about the group's fourth studio album, The Incredible Machine, released today (October 19) on Mercury Nashville. "Country is cool and it's hip and it's young and it's fresh."

Then she hastens to add, "... Not that there's anything wrong with your grandma's country."

Sugarland, essentially the power pairing of Georgia peach Nettles and her songwriting partner/multi-instrumentalist/comedic foil Kristian Bush, likes to continually stretch the boundaries of the generic genre known as classic country. And they do so with The Incredible Machine, an explosive exhibition filled with pump-your-fist anthems, power-to-the-people pop and glory-be inspiration.
With 11 sweeping songs co-written by Nettles and Bush (at right), who also co-produced it with Byron Gallimore, The Incredible Machine is a big record meant to be played before bigger audiences. And Nettles doesn't hesitate to state that Sugarland plans to take the country by storm. Not the genre, mind you, but the Rhythm Nation that likes their messages sent in simple terms with thumping beats, stirring guitars and soaring vocals. Trying to reach a broader audience is their ultimate goal as emerging artists such as Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Lady Antebellum wrestle for a piece of the fountain-of-youth market. But keeping traditional country listeners, including grandma, is also important to Sugarland.

Nettles, enjoying a "good-for-my-heart-and-soul" cup of green tea on an early October morn, acknowledges that this album might not be for hard-liners who only like the classics such as Johnny Cash, George Jones and Tammy Wynette. Yet she believes the Grammy-winning Sugarland, just nominated for two American Country Awards for the December 6 inaugural telecast on Fox, can still reach many stanch traditionalists. "We need them. ... You know, they hold the line in the middle. But we have, from the beginning, tended to play in the margins."

So they delivered an album of emotional songs that emerged as "a cohesive unit," addressing the "concept of the human heart" and "it's exquisite capacity to love and to feel and to understand ... and to hurt."

The group performed the songs during a live-streamed concert Monday in New York and will appear at an invitation-only CD release event at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta on Wednesday. With a worldwide tour planned to kick off in March 2011 that features a steam pump on "a crazy, crazy, crazy set," Sugarland will attempt to win over the hearts and minds of America ... and beyond.

While admitting, "I definitely protect my personal life because it is that and it is sacred to me," the 36-year-old Nettles does "tell most of what's on my heart anyway either through my songs or end up opening my mouth onstage and saying it." Regarding her intentions, she pretty much provides full disclosure here:

Ready, set, go!
Nettles laughs, recalling another interviewer's recent question about whether Sugarland's fans will be ready for this new approach. "What an arrogant ass I would be if I was like (in a mocking tone), 'They're really not ready, this is so far above them.'
"I think they're absolutely ready. When I'm onstage every night and I see the response to that (Sugarland has performed about five new songs during recent concerts), I know that they're ready. It's not the fans. The fans get excited. ... They want to be inspired and don't want the same old thing. That's not the battle.

"Many times, the trouble is the people have to deal with the gatekeepers of commerce in Radioland. But from an artistic perspective, are the fans ready? Absolutely."

'Meet them where they are'
In an era when the record industry sags and concert touring lags, Nettles expects Sugarland to only get bigger and better. She nobly takes it as a compliment, but mildly disagrees that The Incredible Machine sounds nothing like country, then totally dismisses the notion that this is a deliberate attempt to completely stray from the music that made Nashville famous. "I hear country influences in it, especially in certain songs. When I hear 'Little Miss' or when I hear 'Stand Up,' for example. Those feel country to me. When I hear 'Shine the Light,' it's more of a gospel influence. That definitely pulls from my Southern heritage," she says.

"I feel all of those elements, in its organic-ness, can consider country as an influence, specifically on those songs. And at the same time, if I'm honest, I do hear other influences that aren't country that are throughout the record, too. Is it a conscious moving away from country? No. But is it a conscious offering of our music to all sorts of listeners, all radio formats, hopefully? Yes, absolutely. ... If you listen to country radio today, you know who we are. And more than likely, you probably have one of our records, which is wonderful. However, if we want to reach more people, we have to meet them where they are and allow them to hear what it is that we do."

Expand your horizons ... and venues
Sugarland's music, including 2008's mega-hit album Love On the Inside, is so far-reaching that a local teenager is heard singing "It Happens" from a side stage at the Chile and Frijoles Festival in Pueblo, Colorado. So where do they go from there?

"I would absolutely love to be able to headline a stadium," says Nettles, who had the chance with Sugarland to open past massive shows for Kenny Chesney. "I think that would be quite a goal to accomplish. Because at the end of the day, if you can reach all different kinds of people with your music, through all different types of venues and have it translate, I think that says something about what you're doing and about the authenticity of it."

Long before Sugarland, Nettles and Bush developed as seasoned performers, entertaining folks at "backyard barbecues, in small clubs where everyone's drunk and trying to get the attention of the asshole in the back," she recalls. "So consequently, we're able to get out there and give a good show and recognize the energy of the audience."
Their 2009 tour, with numerous arena dates opening for Keith Urban, including a show at Pepsi Center in Denver reviewed for No Depression, provided solid proof of just that. (At right, Nettles performs in Denver in July 2009.)

Find your inner diva
Nettles, who will appear with Katy Perry and Paramore, among others, on the VH1 Divas military tribute December 5, recently told The Associated Press she was "hoping to get to wear the Cher outfit" the pop icon showed off aboard a battleship in a 1989 music video.

Even if she was kidding, Nettles does have a serious fixation for the music and fashion from the "Me Decade," and particularly a few of those Eighties ladies who became New Wave mavens. The album's influences include the Pretenders and Blondie, and Bush's opening guitar riffs of "Find The Beat Again" are reminiscent of The Clash's "London Calling."

The theatrical "Tonight," building toward a rousing chorus, is a clear departure for Nettles vocally. Asked if she found her inner diva, perhaps a post-Lone Justice Maria McKee, makes Nettles chuckle. "I don't think there was a specific concept of 'OK, I want to channel this or I want to be this specific influence and I'm gonna try to sound this way.' I think at the time I had been listening to ... I had been going through a Cure revival. And there was also even from a (Pretenders') Chrissie Hynde perspective, I think there's a little bit of that vibrato in there. But it wasn't intentional.

"What was intentional is, 'Hey, let me get in here and play around with this part of my range, and play around with this part of emoting in this area of my range. And it is a lower, more gravelly part of my voice and consequently that lends itself to a rounder, grander -- for lack of a better word -- sound in the voice as opposed to when I'm up in my high, mid-range. ..."

Get your act together
Nettles knows musical theater, having followed that path for a while in college before realizing "music is my first love and I've been doing it since I was a little girl." But that doesn't mean she hasn't given up those acting aspirations, and displays her dancing, acting and comedic skills in the video from the album's first single, "Stuck Like Glue." Playing "this crazy, ridiculous, kooky character of a stalker," Nettles says, "I felt like I was in Fame or something. ... I go into the studio and I've got my leggings on and a shirt and, of course, heels, because that's what I had to dance in, dear God!"

Asked if a Sugarland-themed Glee might be on her wish list, Nettles squeals with delight. "Oooh, I would love it. I would absolutely love it. I don't watch a lot of television. I have watched parts of two different episodes of Glee and I absolutely loved it. I just love the music, I love all these kids singing in it. I thought it was great and I would love to be a part of it. Just because, what a wonderful concept, right? And again, this is coming from someone that doesn't watch much television. But to have a show like that which celebrates music and allows young people to be turned on to all different kinds of music, I think it's pretty fantastic."

Starring a woman who can reach all age groups, here's even a built-in name for the episode: Jen X-Y-Z.

Dare to change your hair
Nettles revealed a shorter and straighter 'do in the new video, with those cascading curls taking a leave of absence, however brief that might be. The fact that anyone would care about her hair befuddles Nettles, though she can understand why fans and gossip mags want to know. "These are the pressing questions," she says with a hardy dose of sarcasm. "Is that so funny. Oh, God. that's simply part of the celebrity portion of it that always makes me pause and makes me like, 'Really?' No, I love it. I think that's all so fun.

"And people sometimes ask me, 'Well do your quote unquote people, do they get upset?' and I'm like, 'Nobody cares what I do.' Why would anybody tell me what to do with my hair. And if somebody did, I would be like 'Excuse me?' I just do what I want to do and if I get bored, I change it."

Jennifer Aniston: Jennifer says the ‘R’ word on Regis and Kelly (photos, videos)

Jennifer Aniston appeared on the Regis and Kelly show and spoke about her photo shoot for the magazine Harpers Bazaar. Jennifer revealed that she is a Barbara Streisand fan and for her photo shoot she dressed like the songstress, paying her tribute. Regis held up a series of photos showing Jennifer in costume, recreating many of Barbara’s most famous looks.

Slideshow: Jennifer Aniston says the R word (photos)

Jennifer explained that she had fun with the photo shoot when Regis interjected, “You’re playing dress up.” It was then that Jennifer Anniston responded with the ‘retard’ comment that has stirred controversy.

“I play dress up, for a living- like a retard,” she said.

The audience burst into laughter, but the comment is getting plenty of negative feedback.

Jennifer Aniston isn’t the first in the public spotlight to slip up and use the ‘R’ word.

President Obama’s Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel issued a public apology after calling liberal activists ‘retarded.’ He met with the head of the Special Olympics, Tim Shriver, to apologize for the statement. Many across the nation want the word ‘retard’ and ‘retarded’ banned and the word is just as offensive to those with special challenges as the ‘N’ word is to the African American community.

Dr. Laura Schlessinger caused outrage when she used the ‘N’ word 11 times on the air with a caller. Whether or not Jennifer Aniston’s ‘retard’ comment will have as great a backlash remains to be seen, but it is quite possible she will issue an apology for the comment. At this point, none has been given.
You may see a video from Live with Regis and Kelly, where Jennifer said the ‘R’ word below.