By Jayson Rodriguez
It took nearly 12 years after the tragic shooting death of the Notorious B.I.G. to bring the larger-than-life rapper's story to the big screen. But now, as the release date of "Notorious" is creeping up upon us, the lobbying for which rapper's life should next be lionized in film has begun. Derek Luke — who portrays Sean "Puffy" Combs in "Notorious" — naturally says it should be Diddy. And it shouldn't be any surprise that Anthony Mackie, who plays Tupac in the same film, thinks the Thug Life icon should get a movie of his own.
Well, we here at MTV News have our own suggestions.
Since Luke and Mackie have already had their say, we're gonna skip those picks, for obvious reasons. And apologies to Hammer ("Too Legit: The MC Hammer Story"), Eminem ("8 Mile"), 50 Cent ("Get Rich or Die Tryin'") and even Russell Simmons ("Krush Groove"), but you guys can't be on the list since you've already told your stories. But we also wanna hear from you on this topic, so, after the jump, join the conversation and weigh in.
Jay-Z: Like Biggie, Jay's story is a story about Brooklyn — Marcy Projects, to be exact. So it's about the streets — and by extension, the people — that paved the way for Jay to become the man he is today. And let's not forget his VH1 "Driven" special was filled with as many twists and turns as the curves on Meagan Good's body. Sounds like a no-brainer to us, and even more so after Hov scrapped his "Black Book" memoirs a few years back. Suggestion: Cast Idris Elba to play Jay.
Eazy-E: He was a mogul before anyone in hip-hop really even knew what it meant to be one, from launching N.W.A into hip-hop superstardom to signing Bone Thugs-n-Harmony to fathering enough kids to take up a full row of seats in the L.A. Coliseum. How chilling would it be to see a scene of estranged friends Eazy and Dr. Dre's last conversation before the pint-size gangster rapper passed away from an AIDS-related illness? Suggestion: Use Jerry Heller's book "Ruthless" as the starting point for the screenplay.
(See the rest of our list and share yours, after the jump!)
Read more...
We here at MTV News are a pretty diverse bunch, so the views expressed by some in our more official-type year-end lists (like James Montgomery's Top 25 Albums and Best Songs, and the Mixtape Monday Awards) are not necessarily shared by the rest of the newsroom. So, this week we gave everyone else a chance to chime in with their own lists and explain (or defend) their choices. You'll find all of the staff faves of 2008 here.
By Rachel Josue, Digital Producer
I would like to preface this list with the following disclaimer: I did not see "Twilight" yet. OK, with that out of the way, like last year, I was really into this year's blockbusters. I go to the movies for the entertainment value, not so much the deep story of this and that, so fun is my #1 priority. Here are my picks for the most entertaining films of the year.
10. "Penelope": I saw this film two years ago, actually, and loved it then. It didn't get the attention it deserved.
9. "Vicky Christina Barcelona": What I appreciated most about this film was that I had seen so many blockbusters and superhero movies during the summer, this film became a breath of fresh air.
8. "Sex and the City: The Movie": The girls will always have a place in my heart.
7. "Hancock": I loved what they did with Charlize Theron's character. I would love to see a sequel for this one.
(Which movie did Rachel pick as her #1 most entertaining film for 2008? Find out after the jump!)
Read more...
"Kristen," the high-priced prostitute involved in Eliot Spitzer's resignation, is the latest civilian to remind us what those "private" settings on Internet profile sites are for. Once her real name got out, Ashley Alexandra Dupre (OK, it's a stage name) became a lot more popular, as proven by a spike in MySpace page views. Luckily for Dupre, she has a music career to develop, but others weren't so fortunate. Check out this list of people who should've kept the personal info to themselves.
10. A substitute teacher in New Jersey was fired for accepting friend requests from students on the MySpace page for his band, Ian of Fire. Fortunately, he had an internship at a record label to fall back on.
9. A California middle school student faced expulsion after posting graphic, anti-Semitic threats against a classmate. Meanwhile, 20 of his classmates were suspended for ... looking at the page.
8. This sheriff's deputy was let go after the department's Youth Internet Crimes Unit found his MySpace page, which listed his favorite things as "female breasts, swimming naked and drinking heavily and often."
7. Maybe this Texas art teacher shouldn't have posted topless photos of herself on Flickr. Still, if I were a parent I'd be more concerned about her colleague, who told students about the site in order to get her in trouble.
6. A 27-year-old woman was denied her education degree and teaching certificate because of a Halloween photo on her MySpace page that allegedly promoted "underage drinking." Because nothing says, "Hey kids, drinking is cool," like a pirate drinking out of a plastic Mr. Goodbar cup. Read more...
