With Wanted opening this week, starring rapper Common opposite Angelina Jolie (and, I'm happy to see, getting some awesome reviews, making it one of the few movies I may pay to see just for the heck of it), we thought it would be a good time to revisit seven other rappers who've attempted the treacherous transition from rap artist to movie star.

What makes film producers look to rap stars when casting for the big screen? Well, aside from the built-in audience that comes from casting a popular rap performer in a movie role, rappers have to have stage presence to perform, and that charisma and personality can come across well on a movie theater screen. Here are seven of them; let me know which of your favorite rappers I missed. (And before any of you Outkast fans get all worked up: they are hip-hop, not rap, and this post was for the rappers; Outkast is one of my absolute favorite bands, though, and Andre Benjamin in particular, I consider enormously talented. I'll do a whole column on Outkast and what they're up to movie-wise in the near future, promise.)

1. Will Smith -- Smith charmed TV audiences as a teenager in his popular TV show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air before hitting it big on the silver screen with the triple-whammy of Bad Boys (1995), Independence Day (1996), and Men in Black (1997). Since then, more hits have followed, and Smith and his wife, actress Jada Pinkett-Smith, have become Hollywood royalty; Smith's solid marriage and commitment to his family have earned him a reputation as one of Hollywood's genuine "nice guys," to boot. Smith is one rapper who successfully made the transition from singer to big-name actor, largely due to his charm, charisma and natural talent on the screen. His latest film, Hancock, opens July 2.

I have this theory that on the set of 1991's Father of the Bride, Steve Martin and Diane Keaton turned to each other and said, "You know what? From here on out, let's just keep doing this. Let's just play cute, cuddly versions of our formerly edgy and interesting selves -- slightly goofy mothers and fathers, that kind of thing -- and watch the cash roll in!" Then they high-fived and fell into an awkward, melancholy silence.

Through one unchallenging project after another, Keaton has served up the same old eye rolls, squeals, and stutters until you can't really tell one role from another. And what's really frustrating about watching her squander her talents is that -- as with Martin -- no matter how embarrassing the performance, you can't help but love her anyway. She's at her most unhinged in Mad Money, and painful as it is to watch at times, she does -- just barely -- manage to keep the film afloat.

Back before she became Mrs. Tom Cruise, and way before she became mom to the Most Photographed Baby in the World, Katie Holmes used to, you know, act and stuff. And while we haven't seen her on-screen (large or small) since Thank You for Smoking, little Joey Potter's back, starring in the upcoming comedy Mad Money with Diane Keaton and Queen Latifah.

Keaton's the nominal lead as a middle-class housewife who, when her husband (Ted Danson) gets laid off, is forced to take a job as a janitor at the Federal Reserve Bank. And what do you do when you're working as a janitor at the Federal Reserve? Why, try to rob it, of course! Latifah and Holmes play her fellow employees and partners in crime -- and if you think it sounds like Thelma and Louise meets, uh, Quick Change, that's no surprise; it's directed by Callie Khouri, who won an Oscar for her very first screenplay: Thelma and Louise.

The movie opens on January 18, but on January 12, Holmes, Keaton and Latifah will be gracing the Moviefone studios for a mad, mad, Mad Money Unscripted interview -- and they'll need your questions to do it. So hit us (them) up with whatever you want to ask them ... though I can tell you right now, any questions containing a word that starts with "S" and ends in "ology" ain't gonna be making the cut. That's right, no sociology questions, you hear?

To submit a question for Katie Holmes, Queen Latifah or Diane Keaton, leave it here in the comments and please provide your first name and your city and state. If you're looking for inspiration, then take a look at some of our past Unscripted interviews here. Good luck.

Super-not-so-shocking news today: Dakota Fanning is about to sign on to play another kid with a dark life. Variety reports that she is in negotiations, along with Alicia Keys, for the upcoming drama The Secret Life of Bees -- which has already nabbed the likes of Jennifer Hudson, Queen Latifah, and Sophie Okonedo. Gina Prince-Bythewood, who wrote and directed Love & Basketball, adapted Sue Monk Kidd's bestselling novel, and will direct it when shooting begins in January in North Carolina. (I guess the South Carolinian book locale was too pricey to shoot in.)

Set in the 1964 south, the year the Civil Rights Act came to be, the film will focus on Lily (Fanning), a 14-year-old girl who lives with her abusive father and memories of her dead mother. It seems that her mom died when a 4-year-old Lily accidentally shot her during a fight with her husband. Meanwhile, her nanny Rosaleen (Hudson) gets into some trouble with some white men while going to register to vote and has to flee the Georgia town. Lily joins her and the pair run off to South Carolina, which somehow holds secrets about her mom's past. They are then taken in by the "eccentric" Calendar sisters (Latifah, Okonedo, and Keys), who make Black Madonna Honey. So, that's where the bees come in. If this slice of drama sounds interesting, the project has a quick turnaround -- Fox Searchlight plans to release it in 2008.

The new website for the heist comedy Mad Money has gone live with its first full-length trailer. It is pretty much what you would expect from a harmless little comedy, so if you are looking for a hard-edged crime flick, you are definitely in the wrong place. Along with the trailer, the website has the usual photo galleries and downloads (you can check out Cinematical's exclusive gallery here). There is even the chance to win a little of your own 'mad money' in a sweepstakes. Directed by Callie Khouri, the film stars Katie (or Kate; I can never keep it straight) Holmes, Queen Latifah, Diane Keaton, and Ted Danson. The story centers on three employees of the Federal Reserve who pull together for a plot to steal the money that is going to be taken out of circulation.

Khouri is probably best known as the writer for another famous female 'buddy film'; Thelma and Louise. Money is a pretty light-hearted flick so I doubt we'll be seeing Keaton, Holmes, and Latifah going over a cliff in a protest of patriarchal control. Mad Money will be Holmes' first big-screen role since Batman Begins and Thank You for Smoking back in 2005. As we all know, Holmes wasn't invited back for The Dark Knight and there were even a few thinly veiled shots directed towards her in the press over the whole matter. Since all that Wonder Woman talk never panned out either, for the sake of her career I only hope that comedy vets like Keaton and Danson can help keep Mad Money afloat at the box-office. Maybe then, Holmes will get credit for being something other than Mrs Tom Cruise. Mad Money hits theaters on January 18th.

Did you know that Queen Latifah, who is remaking All of Me, wants Steve Martin to reprise his role from the original 1984 comedy? It's news to me and possibly news to Martin who apparently hasn't been given many details about what Latifah and director Adam Shankman (Hairspray) want to do with the film.

All of Me originally starred Martin and Lily Tomlin -- an outrageously funny duo -- and was about two souls that merge into one body. Tomlin plays a wealthy woman who wants her life to continue on earth via the body of another woman. She calls upon Martin's lawyer services to rearrange her will and a soul transference ceremony. As Martin exits her sky rise apartment before the services begin, an act of human clumsiness sends the bowl that Tomlin's soul was resting in flying out the window and onto Martin's head. Thus the ceremony is botched and Tomlin is now present in Martin's body. The film becomes a physical comedy as the personalities fight to cohabitate.

The premise of the remake will essentially stay the same. Latifah stated to MTV that a number of story options were being presented to Shankman and herself but not much has been determined. As for Martin returning to the role he originated over 20 years ago? Stage actors reprise their roles often without too much guffawing and Martin has aged so graciously that physically, he would have no problem re-inhabiting the role. Whether he should do the project or not is best left to be determined by the script. I have to admit that I have instant trepidation about this one. It could be wonderfully brilliant but another part of me would rather let sleeping dogs lie.

John Waters 1988 hit movie-turned-Broadway-musical is heading back to the big screen on July 20 -- this time as a musical -- with Adam Shankman (The Wedding Planner) at the helm and a bevy of A-list stars in the cast. We have an exclusive first look at 10 Hairspray character posters below, from an in-drag John Travolta to a still-smokin' Michelle Pfeiffer. Click on the images for larger versions.

Newcomer Nikki Blonsky stars as Tracy Turnblad, a chubby teen who wins a spot on the American Bandstand-esque Corny Collins Show in 1962 Baltimore. Amanda Bynes plays Tracy's saucy best pal Penny Pingleton.

John Travolta plays the plump Edna Turnblad, mother of the aforementioned aspiring dancer. Yes, that's correct: A virtually unrecognizable Travolta plays a woman. And he's married to Christopher Walken. Great stuff.

I always thought of All of Me as a tragically forgotten classic from the 1980s -- that is until I forgot all about it myself. Now I can't really make a good case for its worth, as I apparently didn't do a good job of keeping conscious of it, but I still have a hard time digesting the fact that in addition to being left behind, it is also about to be made somewhat obsolete. New Line has announced it is remaking the comedy, which starred Steve Martin as a man accidentally forced to share his body with the soul of Lily Tomlin, and that the new version will star Queen Latifah. Though it hasn't been revealed if Latifah will play the body or the soul, I have a good guess she'll be taking on the part originally played by Martin.

The interesting thing is that Adam Shankman is producing (and maybe directing?). In case you aren't familiar with Shankman's work, well, incidentally he made two movies starring Martin, Cheaper by the Dozen 2 and Bringing Down the House, the latter which also starred Latifah. Wait, I think I figured out the idea: the new All of Me will turn the old one on its head by having Martin play the character co-inhabiting Latifah's body. Of course! If there's anything that could be worse than a man having to share his body with the mind of a woman it is an African American diva having to share her body with the mind of a white guy.

In case you have never seen the original All of Me, you should probably check it out before the remake comes around and lowers its value. It came out in 1984 and was the fourth consecutive collaboration between Martin and director Carl Reiner (the first, The Jerk being the best one, of course). It was also the last decent movie made by Reiner as well as Tomlin's last decent starring role in a comedy (sure, I have soft spots in my heart for both Reiner's Summer School and Tomlin in Big Business, but there's no point in defending them). My favorite part of the whole movie, though, involves the great character actor Richard Libertini, a ringing telephone and a toilet bowl.

John Waters' 1988 hit about a chubby teen who wins a spot on the American Bandstand-esque Corny Collins Show gets a makeover courtesy of choreographer-turned-director Adam Shankman (The Wedding Planner) in this summer's Hairspray. This time around, John Travolta plays the plump Edna Turnblad, mother of the aforementioned aspiring dancer (Nicole Blonsky). Yes, that's correct: A virtually unrecognizable Travolta plays a woman. And he's married to Christopher Walken to boot. I'd go on about how the all-star cast also includes Michelle Pfeiffer, Amanda Bynes, and Queen Latifah, but frankly Shankman had me at "Travolta married to Walken." Get an exclusive first look at the poster below (double-click on the image for a larger version).

Get more about Hairspray | See John Travolta photos

I've never really been able to reconcile the two competing images I have in my head of Queen Latifah; one is of her being one of the most important women in hip-hop and the other is the star of mediocre comedies like Bringing Down the House and Last Holiday. Latifah has gone from starring in a so-so sitcom to an Academy award nomination, which is a pretty impressive feat, but for me she'll never be cooler than she was in Ladies First. I guess I shouldn't be surprised -- I mean, if Ice Cube can go from Straight Outta Compton to cuddly family man, then I guess anything is possible.

Production Weekly reported Latifah is currently in negotiations to star in the remake of the British comedy Hot Money. The story is based on the true events of three night cleaners who decide to rob the British Treasury. Marketed as a female Ocean's 11, the US version will be called Mad Money and also star Diane Keaton. The production is set to start filming in March on location in Louisiana. On board to direct is Callie Khouri, who won an Academy Award for her Thelma and Louise screenplay ... so I'm hoping this one won't end with Keaton and Latifah flying off a cliff in a classic car.

Did you know that Queen Latifah has co-owned her own production company for 17 years? You did? Oh. Well, it's news to me. Flavor Unit, which started out in music management but has since produced films including Bringing Down the House and Beauty Shop, has signed a first-look deal with Rogue Pictures, the incredibly active genre arm of Focus Features. According to the terms of the deal, Flavor Unit will produce films (with "modest" budgets) through both Focus and Rogue, with the goal of making about three every year; already on the table for the company are Welfare Queen, Reality Sucks (yes, that's a parody of reality TV), and the obviously awesome Horror in the Hamptons which, according to Latifah, is "about a bunch of 16-year-olds chopping each other up." Oh hell yes!

The first product of the collaboration will be the aforementioned Welfare Queen, a based-on-a-true-story drama about a woman named Dorothy Woods, who "scammed the welfare system out of a fortune." The film will star Latifah as Woods, and the script is current being written.

New releases took the top three slots at the box office this weekend, ending Hostel's short-lived reign and pushing last year's blockbuster holdovers down to the bottom of the pile. Glory Road, a mushy sports drama directed by newcomer James Gartner, landed at the top of the heap with an unremarkable $13.5 million; Last Holiday, Wayne Wang's surprisingly well-reviewed remake of the 1950 film starring Alec Guinness, came in not far behind with $13 mil. The Weinstein Company's long-delayed CGI meta-fairy tale Hoodwinked! landed in third, and with hostel falling all the way to fifth, that left room for only one 2005 flick in the top five. That slot went to The Chronicles of Narnia, which managed to scrape together $10.1 million in its 700th week in release. On awards watch: heading into tonight's Golden Globes it looks like Munich is just about dead. Spielberg's drama dropped out of the top ten this weekend and isn't likely to recover.