Jennifer Hudson to Perform at Boston Pops July 4th Fireworks Spectacular

The BOSTON POPS FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR, an entertainment special will also be broadcast live from the Charles River Esplanade in Boston, Wednesday, July 4 (10:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network. For the second consecutive year, Emmy Award-winning actor Michael Chiklis, star of the highly-anticipated new CBS drama series “Vegas,” will host the special.

The BOSTON POPS FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR, now in its 39th year, is the orchestra's annual free outdoor Fourth of July concert and is sponsored by Liberty Mutual Insurance, one of America's leading insurers, offering auto, home and life insurance for individuals and families, as well as a variety of insurance products and services for businesses. The entire concert will be broadcast in HD (high definition), courtesy of Liberty Mutual Insurance. In addition, the final 20 minutes of the broadcast, featuring the spectacular fireworks display, will be presented commercial free by Liberty Mutual Insurance.

Jennifer Hudson is an Academy Award-winning actress and GRAMMY Award-winning recording artist. In 2007, she won an Academy Award for her role as Effie in the smash hit, “Dreamgirls.” Her performance also garnered a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a BAFTA and an NAACP Image Award. Hudson most recently appeared on the big screen in the Farrelly brothers' comedy, “The Three Stooges” which opened April 2012. She received an NAACP Image Award nomination in 2009 for her role in “The Secret Life of Bees,” and co-starred in the box office hit “Sex and the City: The Movie.” Her 2008 self-titled debut album won a GRAMMY Award for “Best R & B Album,” which was presented by one of Hudson's idols, Whitney Houston. The certified Gold album entered Billboard's Top 200 at #2 and has since sold over 1.1 million albums worldwide. Her sophomore album, I Remember Me, debuted at #2 on Billboard's Top 200 and R&B Albums charts and has since been certified Gold in the U.S. Recently, she received a 2012 Billboard Music Award nomination for Top R&B Album and also took home two 2012 NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Music Video and Outstanding Album. She also collaborated with Ne-Yo and Rick Ross on the title track for the film “Think Like a Man,” which opened in April 2012. Hudson has been the national spokesperson for Weight Watchers since 2010.

For more information, visit www.bostonpops.org, www.july4th.org.