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.

What's the craziest thing you've ever done for money? Queen Latifah says she worked at a Burger King when she was 15 ... before they had the counters where you can make your own drinks! Yes, two of the three stars from the comedy heist Mad Money (opening this weekend) sat down for another installment of Moviefone's highly-enjoyable Unscripted series (where stars answer your questions, as well as some of their own). And in case you were wondering, yes, Katie Holmes does indeed delve into the one thing we're all dying to know more about -- Dawson's Creek! Joey, we still love ya! Anyway, Katie talks a little about the "bambina," Latifah gives up her off-screen nickname and we also find out which one of the two might be heading to the Broadway stage real soon.

Check out an exclusive clip from their chat above (that you won't see in the Unscripted piece), then head on over to Moviefone to watch the rest. Starring Queen Latifah, Katie Holmes and Diane Keaton, Mad Money arrives in theaters later this week.

Breaking news, hold onto your seats, people. The folks at Fox have just announced (well, late last night) that the release date for 27 Dresses is changing from January 11 to January 18. I know, it's gonna screw up your movie-going plans for next weekend, but don't blame us.

Apparently it's taking a while for the news to filter down, though -- as I was sitting down to write this, I was IMing with a colleague who was watching The View (no, I'm not telling which of my male colleagues watches that show, that would be cruel) and he saw an ad for 27 Dresses that still has the release date as January 11. Someone better get their ads changed out. Anyhow, here's the new artwork with the date change reflected, so you can rest easy knowing that you, at least, are better informed than people who watch The View.

The date change is moderately interesting for a couple of reasons: first, the date change squares 27 Dresses and Katherine Heigl off against another film targeted at about the same demographic, Mad Money, which stars Queen Latifah, Diane Keaton, and Katie Holmes. There was nothing really competing against 27 Dresses for the chick demographic group on the 11th -- the only films opening then are The Bucket List (depressing film about dying with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman) and In the Name of the King (directed by Uwe Boll, so what are the chances that one will be any good, really?).

With the move to the 18th, 27 Dresses will now be facing off against Cloverfield (scary monster) and Teeth (scary vagina)so it will be interesting to see how the box office numbers fall out. I'll be immersed in Sundance at that point, so I wouldn't be going to any of them anyhow, but which film are you most likely to check out that weekend?

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.

Cinematical has just received the exclusive poster for The Perfect Holiday (click on the image for a larger version), starring the smokin' hot Gabrielle Union, Queen Latifah, Terrence Howard and Morris Chestnut. This looks to be one of them feel-good Christmas flicks (and we need at least one of those every year ... because it's nice to just feel good). In the film, Gabrielle Union stars as a divorced mother who's too busy raising her three kids, she never finds any time for herself. Ah, but her kids are paying attention -- and when they go to visit Santa at the local mall, they don't ask for a lousy football or a Red Rider BB Gun, they ask the jolly fat man for a nice gentleman to compliment their mother. Turns out Santa himself is a nice, good-looking guy in the form of Morris Chestnut, and, well, I imagine sparks fly from there. Based on the poster, it looks like there will be plenty of characters swirling around mom and her kids; some of which are dressed up as big ass elves. Also starring in the film are Malik Hammond, Charlie Murphy, Faizon Love, Jeremy Gumbs, Jill Marie Jones, and Rachel True. The Perfect Holiday was written, produced and directed by Lance Rivera (The Cookout, Life Support), and you can check it out in theaters on December 12.

(Left to Right.) Katie Holmes, Queen Latifah, Diane Keaton star in Overture Film's Mad Money.

Cinematical was just handed a batch of exclusive stills (click on the image above to head to our gallery) for Overture Film's upcoming Mad Money, starring Katie Holmes, Queen Latifah and Diane Keaton. The film marks Katie Holmes' first big-screen appearance since giving birth to her and Tom Cruise's baby Suri, and we haven't seen her toss on the acting gloves since 2005 when she appeared in both Thank You for Smoking and Batman Begins. In Mad Money, all three women play employees of the Federal Reserve who hatch a plan to steal money that's about to be destroyed. Mad Money is based on a British film called Hot Money which, apparently, was based on a real-life story about a group of women who stole money and hid it in their bras. Interesting. Callie Khouri (who wrote another bad girls-type flick back in 1991 called -- you may have heard of it -- Thelma and Louise) directs, and the film is due out in theaters on January 25, 2008.

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If not for the unexpected box-office success of March of the Penguins, Arctic Tale would never have seen the light of theatrical release. The documentary would have ended up as a National Geographic special on whatever TV channel nature shows are broadcast these days (remember, I don't have cable), and I suspect a slightly less glitzy star than Queen Latifah would have narrated the show. However, Paramount Vantage is gambling that families will flock to theaters to see more polar adventures with adorable animals, even if the animals aren't doing anything we haven't seen before.

The success of March of the Penguins is that it introduced many of us to a phenomenon of nature: the mass marches and other rituals that make up penguin conception and birth. If you're a fan of nature shows you may have known all about the penguin march, but most of us did not. Unfortunately, Arctic Tale does not focus around a similar phenomenon. The movie concentrates its story around a baby polar bear and a baby walrus as they struggle to survive in the Arctic mountains and islands ... especially since in recent years, the ice melts earlier and forms later every year. The phenomenon here is actually global warming, although it is never mentioned by that name, but it is not a radical enough catalyst to muster much interest. The animals themselves are simply too predictable -- they swim, hang out on the ice, wrestle, hunt, and eventually grow up.

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.

When an innocuous-sounding nature movie called March of the Penguins smashed box office records two years ago -- to the tune of $77 million in the US -- you better believe Hollywood was paying attention. Distributor Paramount Classics was quick to snap up rights to another documentary about polar creatures in early November 2005. Call of the North was not some hurried project put together to capitalize on the success of Penguins, though. Filmmakers Adam Ravetch and Sarah Robertson had worked together on at least two Arctic-themed episodes of the long-running series Nature earlier in the decade. David Poland reported that they had been working on the film, shooting on location and thus often enduring sub-zero temperatures, for seven years. He also passed along the news that the film was "due out in mid or late '06."

Somewhere between then and now, the title changed to Arctic Tale (at one point it was The Walrus and the Polar Bear) and acquired narration spoken by Queen Latifah and written by Linda Woolverton (Beauty and the Beast), Mose Richards and Kristin Gore (Futurama and daughter of the former US Vice President). From a look at the web site, it's being marketed as a cute yet environmentally-sensitive movie for kids; for adults, the advertising mentions the film as coming from "the studio that brought you An Inconvenient Truth." Certainly it's the distributor's goal to get as many people as possible to see it. I just wonder if any of the harsh realities of the animal kingdom were softened for the sake of trying to replicate the success of Penguins, and if the result fully reflects what the filmmakers set out to make so many years ago. For now, you can watch the trailer at Moviefone and decide if you agree with The Documentary Blog, where Jay Cheel comments: "I don't mean to sound like an a******, but this trailer is s***." Paramount Classics has set a release date of July 25.

Not long ago, I posted a Monday Morning Poll asking which summer films you think will surprise us the most. For awhile now I've been in the minority in predicting that New Line's Hairspray will wind up shocking a lot of people when it turns out to be one of the more entertaining films this summer has to offer. I'm not sure why I felt that way; sometimes you just get this vibe and you either run with it or keep it to yourself for fear you could be completely wrong. I've always liked Hairspray (saw the original movie a bunch, as well as the Broadway musical); it's colorful, campy and fun -- and if director Adam Shankman can find a way to update the film so that it appeals to a wider audience, while still managing to retain Hairspray's awesome quirkiness, then pic should have no problem pleasing just about everyone when it arrives in theaters on July 20.

That said, I discovered an early review of the film over at Fox News that leads me to believe my initial instincts were right on the money. Not only does it refer to John Travolta's performance, in drag, as Edna Turnblad, as "remarkable," but it also calls the film "a big colorful carnival, with loads of cotton candy." The review goes on to rave about the various cast members -- with Queen Latifah (who they say could wind up with a few more awards and nominations) being their favorite -- and Travolta, Christopher Walken, Michelle Pfeiffer and newcomer Nikki Blonsky all turning in "excellent" performances in their respective roles. But don't expect Hairspray to break any box office records right out of the gate. Since it will face some pretty heavy competition from the Adam Sandler comedy I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, as well as Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (which will be in its second week), it might take a little while for Hairspray to build buzz. Nevertheless, come this fall, I wouldn't be surprised if Hairspray is one of only a handful of summer flicks people are still talking about.

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.