The way that I've remedied hanging app updates entails deleting the app and then reloading it. Unfortunately, that won't work if you have data tied to the app that you'd like to keep. Otherwise, you'll just have to keep trying. Alternatively, you could use iTunes and download the updates onto your computer first, and then locally sync the updated apps onto your phone (provided that you have an iTunes backup first).
Botched downloads make up a big chunk of what can pile up in the "Other" directory, and you cannot get rid of it unless you restore your device as new (and then restore your apps and data from a backup). So, if the download keeps hanging, you might end up with a lot of garbage data taking up space on your device. This is also why I have automatic updates disabled.
