A svelte Jennifer Hudson at last year's Oscars. Gorgeous!(AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
Mimi in her infamous Jenny ad outfit. It's definitely her style.(PRNewsFoto/Jenny Craig)
A concert image of Janet in 2008. She loves her sparkly stage outfits, too.(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Forget VHI Divas, we've got ourselves a true weight-loss showdown with some major singers endorsing diet plans.
Who hasn't seen those inspiring Jennifer Hudson Weight Watchers commercials for the last year or so?
But J-Hud has some lofty competition: Mariah Carey is shilling for Jenny (it's just Jenny now, no longer Jenny Craig); and most recently, Janet Jackson is appearing on Nutrisystem ads.
According to a recent story in the
New York Times, WW is the industry leader, earning $1.45 billion last year, followed by Nutrisystem with $509 million and Jenny with an estimated $462 million.
I like that these companies selected high-profile stars who have publicly battled their weight, and who have been much-criticized for gaining weight. It's not easy to be a singing diva wearing all those skin-tight, sparkly costumes, after all.
And I hate to say this, but this was my first thought upon seeing the latest J-Hud commercial, featuring a mashup of her new, svelte self singing to her heavier,
American Idol starlet: "I hope she doesn't gain it back."
We love a success story, but the tabloids will be relentless if she gains even 5 pounds. Can we say Kirstie Alley?
All those paparazzi photos of her eating cheeseburgers were horrifying.
Anyhew, it looks like WW is also reaching out to the opposite gender with the addition of Charles Barkley as the spokesman for its men's program.
But I'm not here to discuss the pro's and con's of celebs shilling for diet companies -- I'm all about the commercials.
As far as flash is concerned, Mariah has it in super-spades with her sexy "Make it Happen" ad. And J-Hud has the sentimental factor with the old-self vs. new-self "I Believe in You and Me" mashup.
Janet seems to be going for the testimonial approach, frankly talking about her lifelong weight struggles (and not appearing to have lost her weight yet).
Which diva do you think has the most diet mojo?
My money is equally divided between J-Hud and Mariah: They both like their clingy, sequined evening gowns, and prefer an old-school diva performance.
And Janet knows how to rock out -- and look great, in my opinion -- no matter what weight she's flaunting.
Who is your favorite?
