Hudson to sing at the Super Bowl

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- Jennifer Hudson has agreed to sing the national anthem at next month's Super Bowl in Tampa, Fla., the NFL and NBC announced Wednesday.

Among the artists who have sung "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl are Billy Joel, Diana Ross, Neil Diamond, Whitney Houston, Harry Connick Jr., Garth Brooks, Natalie Cole, Vanessa Williams, Luther Vandross, Jewel, Cher, Faith Hill, the Backstreet Boys, Mariah Carey, Dixie Chicks and Beyonce Knowles.

It was previously announced that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will perform in the Bridgestone Super Bowl XLIII Halftime Show Feb. 1.

The Super Bowl performance will mark the first time Hudson will sing in public since her mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew were shot to death in Chicago in October, allegedly by her brother-in-law.

"She certainly can nail it," a source commented to E! News about Hudson's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner." "She proved it at the Democratic National Convention."

Hudson won an Oscar for her work in the movie musical "Dreamgirls." She also has appeared in the films "The Secret Life of Bees" and "Sex and the City."