Hudson Honored For 'Dreamgirls' Role

Jennifer Hudson belted out some pop classics as the Palm Springs International Film Festival honored her performance in "Dreamgirls."

Hudson received the breakthrough performance prize at a gala Saturday after missing the festival's award ceremony earlier this month.

"I never imagined any of this, I never thought about the outcome," Hudson said. "All I wanted was the part. It never occurred to me I would be a part of such greatness."

Later, she launched into Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" and the Barry Manilow favorite "Weekend in New England" – the last song she sang before being voted off 2004's "American Idol."

Hudson, 25, plays soulstress Effie White in "Dreamgirls," adapted from the stage hit about a Motown singing group that rises to stardom in the 1960s.

Her film debut has earned a Golden Globe nomination, and she's considered a potential Oscar nominee.

"I'm going to have to do a lot of praying to get ready for that," Hudson said of the Academy Award nominations being announced later this month.