NEW YORK: After winning an Academy Award and a Grammy, Jennifer Hudson is taking a roundabout route to give theater a try.  She'll appear on the second season of the television musical drama series ''Smash'' in a multi-episode arc as a Broadway star named Veronica Moore.    

On ''Smash,'' Hudson will join fellow ''American Idol'' alum Katharine McPhee, who's one of the show's main characters.  ''It's just the perfect opportunity,'' Hudson, a fan of the NBC show, said in a recent interview. ''It's gonna be challenging, and I'm a little bit intimidated to play this big Broadway star.

But it's gonna be a great experience. I can't wait to get started.'' She also admitted the show may be a way for her to ease into an appearance on Broadway.    Fans will have to wait a while to see her on ''Smash,'' though. The series doesn't return to television until early next year.

In the meantime, Hudson, 30, is working on a clothing line. The Jennifer Hudson Collection for QVC will launch in September.

Hudson said she wanted to make something that was accessible to the masses.

''My fans see things on the red carpet that I may wear or that other celebrities may wear, and I wanted to make it accessible to them where they can afford it like, 'I can't afford that,' but now you can, you know?'' she said. ''A lot of pieces were inspired from some of my red-carpet looks and stuff like that, too.''    Hudson said shopping is one of her favorite things to do, especially since losing more than 80 pounds (36.29 kilograms).

''At times I feel like my own little doll that I get to dress up and find my new style and niche and things like that,'' she said. ''I get to experiment more.''