'There is calm beyond the storm': Milwaukee's real-life 'Thunder' reacts to the success of 'Song Sung Blue'

WEST ALLIS, Wis. (CBS 58) — The excitement of Sunday's Golden Globes extended to Wisconsin, as one of the year's critically acclaimed films has firm ties to Milwaukee.

Song Sung Blue is about the Neil Diamond tribute duo, Lightning and Thunder, who performed at the Wisconsin State Fair in the 90s.

They were a fixture of our local music scene, and the couple's personal triumphs and tragedies were made for a movie.

Kate Hudson earned a Golden Globe nomination for her portrayal of Thunder in the film, and her performance was a delight for the real-life Thunder, Claire Sardina.

"It's been slightly overwhelming, but overwhelmingly wonderful," Sardina told CBS 58 reporter Jenna Wells.

A 2008 documentary first introduced the world to Claire and her late husband, Mike Sardina - Lightning.

It inspired director Craig Brewer to make the 2025 feature film, with Sardina and her family behind the scenes.

"We saw it in a private screening, my children by my side," Sardina said. "We wept, we wept, and we wept, and we re-lived much of what we experienced."

"We were saying on the set, we were like, this is magic," said her daughter, Rachel Cartwright.

They were enamored by both Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman. Jackman showed his love during a December visit to Milwaukee for the premiere.

"The heart of this city is at the heart of the story. It's real everyday people who battle, who struggle, and still have the resilience to dream big," the actor told CBS 58.

He started the day serving custard to fans and ended it on stage at an after-party, with Claire by his side.

"This gentleman, so kind, so courteous, so loving every step of the way that he went," she gushed.

Sardina's daughter, Rachel, said he advocated for the film from day one.

"We got word that Hugh wanted the script immediately. It was shown to him, and he immediately said yes," she explained.

Kate Hudson also immersed herself, method acting as Sardina, and sharing a stage with her at the New York City premiere.

Sardina was excited - but not surprised - to learn of Hudson's Golden Globes nomination.

"I turned to my children after the movie was done and said, 'Kate's going to win,'" she remembered.

Sardina believes the film can impact everyone.

"Everyone in their lifetime has moments of despair, moments of joy, moments of happiness, moments of love," she explained.

It has also put a spotlight on Sardina, herself. A decade after her husband's passing, she returned to singing at local venues.

"I did not stop. I kept going. I had a period of time of mourning, and rehabilitation, and then once 2016 hit, I got back into the circuit again," Sardina said. "It's sentimental to me. I was born and raised to sing. At three years old, I started singing."

When she isn't snow-birding in Arizona, Sardina frequents live band karaoke at Paulie's Pub and Eatery in West Allis, right across the street from Wisconsin State Fair Park, where Lightning and Thunder's journey began.

"That might be something, that she feels at home here," said the owner, Paul Budiac, who asked Sardina to play a special show there the night before New Year's Eve. "It's, I think, her renewing her spirit."

Hundreds of people packed the audience to see her continue to live her dream, as she spreads the message of Song Sung Blue.

"Don't give up. Don't ever give up," Sardina said. "There is calm beyond the storm."