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Mary J. Blige to Star in Nina Simone Biopic

Thanks to the movie For Colored Girls and the countless TV commercials and Films using her music, Nina Simone fever has been building over the past few years. So when is her story coming to the silver screen? That’s right folks in 2012. The moody, forceful soul diva Mary J. Blige has signed on play the moody, forceful soul diva Nina Simone, in Nina, the latter's inevitable biopic.

Blige becomes perhaps the highest-profile musician to star in another musician's biopic since Babs played Fanny Brice, though there have been a number of recent crossovers: club R&B star Jamie Foxx won an Oscar for playing Ray Charles, of course, and Joaquin Phoenix was nominated for one for Johnny Cash in Walk the Line. Beyonce played Etta James in Cadillac Records and who can forget Jennifer Lopez lip-syncing so movingly, Selena in Selena?

R&B songstress Mary J. Blige will tune up her jazz vocals after signing to star in Cynthia Mort's "Nina," a movie about legendary singer Nina Simone. Mort's script focuses on Simone's relationship with her assistant Clifton Henderson, who will be played by David Oyelowo, backers said.

William Morris Endeavor's Global Finance & Distribution Group brought the film to U.K. production, finance and studio facility operator Ealing Studios. Ealing is financing, producing and selling internationally the $10 million movie scheduled to shoot in the fall this year. WME Global is handling North American rights.

Mort's resume includes a stint as a writer-producer on TV's "Rosanne" and "Will & Grace" and as creator of "Tell Me You Love Me." Simone was a singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger and civil rights activist.

FEELING GOOD by Nina Simone

FOUR WOMEN by Nina Simone

SINNERMAN by Nina Simone

HTC “You” TV Campaign - simpled SINNERMAN by DJ Felix Da Housecat

The Thomas Crown - SINNERMAN by Nina Simone

'We Are The World 25 for Haiti' Vs. The 1985 Original

By Mike Ryan

Last Friday night, during the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics, a new version of 'We Are the World' was unleashed upon, well, the world, in an effort to raise money for Hatian earthquake relief. The original song, released in 1985, raised money and awareness for humanitarian aid in Africa. That original song went on to become a powerhouse of cultural significance. The new version? The cause is clearly just, but it's significance to popular culture remains to be seen. So, we decided to make a verse by verse comparison for each artist in the original version to those in the remake and see how they match up.

New Remake

- Lionel Richie vs. Justin Bieber

Normally, we'd be a bit cynical here -- a 15-year-old teenage Canadian pop star taking over for Richie, who was riding high with 'Can't Slow Down' at the time of the original. But there is something haunting about Bieber's voice opening the song, plus Richie hand-picked Bieber to replace him. We were considering calling this a push until we also remembered Lionel was also directly involved in introducing the world to Nicole Richie.

Advantage: Bieber/2010

- Stevie Wonder vs. Jennifer Hudson

We'd be happy to hear Stevie Wonder sing the phone book, which we hear were actually quite useful back in 1985, so Hudson didn't stand much of a chance here. The Oscar-winning actress uses her "listen to my vocal range" singing voice, which reminds us of her attempt to stand out during Hollywood Week on 'American Idol.' She didn't get the memo that only Cyndi Lauper and Celine Dion were allowed to do that.

Advantage: Wonder/1985

- Paul Simon vs. Jennifer Nettles

Nettles' gritty voice hits the mark. Simon's performance was fine, but it's hard not to think that poor Paul is about to be eaten by a Sasquatch when Kenny Rogers enters the frame.

Advantage: Nettles/2010

- Kenny Rogers vs. Josh Groban

The aforementioned Sasquatch (the white shirt he's wearing doesn't help) lays down some "hey, this is important"-type vocals, while Grobin just sounds like he's singing in his ironic 'I'm F**king Ben Affleck' tone. It's now impossible to distinguish Groban's serious voice from his pretending-to-be-serious voice.

Advantage: Sasquatch/1985

- James Ingram vs. Tony Bennett

The biggest shock in this match-up is that Tony Bennett actually appears in the 2010 version. For that reason alone...

Advantage: Bennett/2010

- Tina Turner and Billy Joel vs. Mary J. Blige

Blige appears ready to attend a 'Watchmen' costume party immediately following the recording session. The interesting thing about Tina Turner, who looks ready to break into 'Private Dancer' right there (and it would have been glorious), is that she hands it off to Billy Joel. It seems an odd pairing until you remember that Turner appeared with Bryan Adams in a duet of 'It's Only Love' on his 'Reckless' album. After Adams, this duet with Joel seems a lot less odd.

Advantage: Turner and Joel/1985

- Michael Jackson vs. Michael Jackson

In the second most odd moment of the new 'We Are the World,' archive footage of Michael Jackson is used from the original -- with his sister, Janet, superimposed on to the screen. It is oddly reminiscent of Jim McMahon in 'The Superbowl Shuffle.' In 1985, Jackson was already starting to look a little different. In 2010, the 1985 version of Michael Jackson is a welcome sight.

Advantage: Jackson/2010

- Diana Ross vs. Barbra Streisand

Now this is interesting: Two dueling divas from, roughly, the same era. Ross makes no attempt to memorize the words, reading from her lyric sheet. Streisand looks way too happy to be there, even though she's probably not happy at all. If this is a true battle of divas, the winner has to be the one acting like a diva.

Advantage: Ross/1985

- Dionne Warwick vs. Miley Cyrus

Warwick, through the Psychics Friends Network, once envisioned that, someday, there would be a man who sang a country hit called 'Achy Breaky Heart.' And, she envisioned, one day, that man's daughter would some day sing her part in this tune.

Advantage: Cyrus/2010

- Willie Nelson vs. Enrique Iglesias

Nelson once sang a duet with Enrique's father Julio called 'To All the Girls I've Loved Before.' That has little to do with this comparison, but the fact that Nelson gave an honest rendition with this man's father on a song with lyrics like, "To all the girls I once caressed/And may I say I've held the best..." speaks volumes.

Advantage: Nelson/1985

- Al Jarreau vs. Jamie Foxx

Jaime Foxx has an Oscar for playing Ray Charles (hold this thought) while Al Jarreau sang the theme song to the Bruce Willis television show 'Moonlighting.'

Advantage: Jarreau/1985

- Bruce Springsteen vs. Wyclef Jean

The Boss, in all of his 'Born in the U.S.A.' glory, overdoes his part to the point where he sounds like he's passing a kidney stone. (Full disclosure: We love Springsteen, just not on this song.) Springsteen is from New Jersey; Jean is from Haiti and sings a lyric in Haitian Creole.

Advantage: Jean/2010

- Kenny Loggins vs. Adam Levine

Neither artist really stands out on their given part, though Loggins did sing the theme song to 'Caddyshack,' so...

Advantage: Loggins/1985

- Steve Perry vs. Pink

Poor Pink. It's not an easy task to take over for the Journey front man who's been immortalized in every karaoke bar in the world. Plus, Perry once sang a duet with Kenny Loggins called 'Don't Fight It' ... and Loggins sang the theme song to 'Caddyshack.'

Advantage: Perry/1985

- Daryl Hall vs. BeBe Winans

Both give soulful renditions. We can't help but think John Oates always got the worst of this Hall & Oates "duo." Name one song that Oates sang. How is this a true duo? John Oates is at the 1985 recording, so why doesn't he get to be front and center with Hall? We feel Hall was in a position to pull some strings for his "partner" and chose not to do so.

Advantage: Winans/2010

- Huey Lewis vs. Usher

Poor Lewis and Usher. They were both given the thankless role of being the warm-up act for human dynamos Cyndi Lauper and Celine Dion, respectively.

Advantage: Push

- Cyndi Lauper vs. Celine Dion

It's shocking how similar these two are in their respective videos. Shocking because, in human history, it's not often these two show up in the same sentence. Both nail the "Whoa, Whoa, whoa!" and both clinch their fists in triumph or, possibly, agony. Dion was given her own room. Lauper was perched between Lewis and Kim Carnes. The look on Carnes' face is priceless. "I have to follow, that?"

Advantage: Lauper/1985

- Kim Carnes vs. Fergie

Just like Huey Lewis and Usher, these two are only here so Lauper and Dion can catch their individual breaths and belt out one more "Yeah!"

Advantage: Lauper and Dion

- Bob Dylan vs. Lil Wayne

The biggest surprise when comparing these two versions is that Dylan and Lil Wayne sound eerily similar. But Dylan didn't need an electronic voice manipulator.

Advantage: Dylan/1985

- Ray Charles vs. LL Cool J., Will.i.am, Snoop Dog, Busta Rhymes, Swizz Beatz, Iyaz, Kanye West.

After hearing the most shocking change between the two songs, somewhere, in this studio, Jaime Foxx had to be shaking his head while thinking, "You know, this rap just isn't quite right." He was probably also thinking his version of Charles, that won him an Oscar, may have proved the better choice here.

Thurgood Marshall Front Row Invasion

Check The FUTURE Media Squad with more behind the scenes clips, interviews, and celebs at the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Front Row Fashion Show and Black Tie Dinner. Enjoy! Comment!

Is Rihanna's "Rated R" Worth The Hype?

Right now, all eyes are set on Rihanna. Media, bloggers, fans and critics around the world have given much of their attention to the international pop singer from Barbados as she prepares for the release of her fourth studio album Rated R.

As the Rated R U.S. release date [November 23] draws near, Rihanna, born Robyn Rihanna Fenty, has been photographed and made the top subject of interest more than any celebrity in recent weeks. From her envelope-pushing red carpet high-fashions and

ever-changing hairstyles, many critics have applauded her "comeback" as an ascension to "the hottest chick in the game" title. However, many more have commented about her first interview regarding the February 2009 incident where the world felt sorry for an abused and battered Rihanna by the hands of her on-and-off again boyfriend R&B crooner Chris Brown. Rihanna's "20/20" interview with Diane Sawyer drew top-rating viewership numbers as did the repost videos on hundreds of blog sites.

Publicity over a celebrated music artist's personal matters and public appearances guarantees a great amount of anticipation for a new project. However, the performer's music must equally draw or succeed the general press attention to ensure sales of new albums, singles and concert tickets. After the global breakthrough success of her 2007 album Good Girl Gone Bad, the pressure must be heavy for Rihanna and Def Jam [the record label] to guarantee that Rated R

prolongs the momentum of success.

So far, five recorded songs have been leaked from the Rated R sessions. According to the finalized track, "Bubble Pop," an electro-pop dance tune that samples heavily on the classic house single "Good Life" by Inner City, did not make the cut. Notwithstanding, "Pop" has the potential of being a clubhouse classic. The haunting pop ballad "Russian Roulette," the album's first single made the top ten in pop charts in a few countries despite the controversy over its title and precarious lyrics. "Hard" positions itself as the second single to the delight of R&B listeners whose markets do enjoy as much of Rihanna's tunes as pop radio. Featuring Atlanta rapper Young Jeezy, the tune is the first single for the young diva that sound entirely like a R&B record versus pop. While "Wait Your Turn (The Wait Is Ova)" is the buzz track from the album, the newly leaked "Cold Case Love" reaped much approval from critics and fans alike. Though it sounds like an autobiographic tune regarding her much publicized incident with Brown, the epic ballad produced and written by Justin Timberlake stands out as a favorite from Rated R showing that Rihanna's vocal abilities can handle big ballads despite dismissed as not a good singer as her contemporaries Beyoncé and Mary J. Blige.

The five leaked tunes suggests that Rated R will take a similar direction of its predecessor by having a smörgåsbord of sound without any two songs sounding similar regardless of

producers. All songs are hit-worthy. The difference lies in the artistic direction. Good Girl Gone Bad contained obvious pop hit that played safe with no new sounds. The new album pushes the boundaries wide open leading the Bajan beauty in new music territory with theatrical
musical backdrops and epic production that has not been heard of regularly since the early 1990's. The test occurs in a couple weeks. Will Rihanna's fans and music listeners will get the genius of Rated R, or will it be ahead of its time?

Listen to these leaked tracks and judge for yourself.

"Bubble Pop"

"Cold Case Love"

"Russian Roulette"

"Wait Your Turn (The Wait Is Ova)"

"Hard" (featuring Young Jeezy)

Dishin' it with Dwight--- Triple M- MOVIES, MUSIC, MTV Madness

So don't know if you have gotten to the movies recently, however there are some great ones that I have checked out. You must see "Orphan" when I tell you that this orphan in this movie did everything but turn her new family loose, it is the truth. Get your butts out to the movies ASAP... Coming soon are a few new movies and I am highlighting Tyler Perry's "I Can Do Bad All By Myself" starring Mary J. Blige and Taraji Henson it looks really good and Tyler Perry is really doing his thing at producing his stage plays into films I declare him as an honorary THE Future Member... Check out the trailer and let me know what you think...

Also Eve is going to be seen in a new film and word on the street is she will be dropping a new album very soon as well... UMMM Tambourine was very hot two years ago and I cannot wait to hear what tops that, can she do it? Only time will tell... As for the film Eve skates her way through Whip It, Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut starring Ellen Page (Juno) and Kristen Wiig (Saturday Night Live). Eve plays a roller derby girl named Rosa Sparks. Coming in October, until then check out the trailer here:


And last but not least you must see Mariah Carey's remix video to her hot new single "Obsessed" I know some of you hate it and there are always rumors about her, however I think the song is hot because she addressed the issues with her stalker, we all know who this rapper is and this man of THE Future thinks he is totally overrated. Personally a song for him was not worth her time, however I can imagine my own obsessed one in his place... Check out the Music Video with Gucci MAN, which I guess that's code for GOOD MAN, because I recently learned that Gucci means Good... Check out and and leave a comment if you think its GUCCI or NOT...

Congrats to MTV, Jalia who is representing the transgender community on Diddy's Making His Band reality series. Also revealed was America's Best Dance Crew first-ever transgender dance group, Vogue Evolution. Lets keep pushing our community toward the success we all deserve... Thanks MTV!!!