Jennifer Hudson has joined the cast of NBC's musical drama Smash in a multi-episode arc for next season.

J-Hud will play Veronica Moore, a Tony Award-winning Broadway star whose presence directly influences the lives of Karen (Katharine McPhee) and Ivy (Megan Hilty).

"Her character will represent someone who reached their Broadway dream but also paid a price for it,” said NBC chairman Bob Greenblatt.

Hudson's post-Oscar career trajectory, somewhat like Jamie Foxx's after he won his Oscar, has been a hotchpotch of work in TV, film, and music, although nothing that's been particularly memorable.

This year, she appeared in the poorly-received The Three Stooges, and we're still waiting for her Winnie Mandela biopic.

No matter though, because J-Hud has been revealed as one of 24 Hollywood celebs who'll be getting their own stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013. J-Hud joins the likes of Helen Mirren and James Franco, who were also in the new group of 24, who were announced at a press conference on Hollywood Boulevard's star-lined sidewalk earlier today.

And here's a little trivia for ya, in case you didn't already know… celebrities selected to receive stars have to pay $30,000 in costs and fees, if they accept. The money goes to fund the Walk of Fame's upkeep and maintenance, so that taxpayers don't have to carry the burden.