Fan Fare

Singer Jennifer Hudson will return to “American Idol” on Wednesday night to tape a performance for broadcast later, a source in her management office said.

Hudson first gained fame on “Idol” in 2004, when she finished a disappointing seventh in the competition. The 27-year-old singer went on to have a more illustrious career than some of the show’s champions, winning a supporting actress Oscar for her role in the 2006 movie “Dreamgirls” and this year winning a best R&B album Grammy for her self-titled 2008 release.

It’s ironic that Hudson is coming back to the Fox network show this year, because the ”Idol” judges recently changed the rules to allow them to override viewers’ elimination of just one contestant during the season. Alpha judge Simon Cowell has said the inspiration for the rule change came from the early elimination of Hudson and a couple other promising contestants. 

The regular Tuesday night broadcast of “Idol” has been preempted by President Barack Obama’s televised news conference about the economy and his budget plan.