For her big-screen debut, Mary J. Blige hopes to portray legendary vocalist Nina Simone. Somewhere, Nina Simone may be singing her approval in that distinctively raw, deep and expressive voice. Chart-topping sensation Mary J. Blige is eager to make her big-screen debut with a still-untitled biopic of the recently deceased,

stress, just as soon as the final words are committed to the page. "They’re still writing the script," Blige said recently. "That’s the last news I’ve gotten." Nevertheless, the "No More Drama" singer is looking forward to putting her acting and singing skills on display while paying respect to one of her idols. "She was just incredible," Blige beamed. "The things we have in common is that we both move people, we’re about truth, we stand up for what we believe in and we have morals at the end of the day. Her husband was managing her, and my husband manages me, and we’re people that are not afraid to walk through the fire. Nina Simone was vocally incredible; she just gave you those goose bumps." ...

It may not have won the Academy Award for Best Picture, but those who can’t quit "Brokeback Mountain" will undoubtedly want to lasso a copy of the DVD on April 4. The year’s most talked-about film will be augmented with a making-of documentary, as well as bonus features focused on Oscar-winning director Ang Lee and writers Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana. ...

Bake a cake and get a Hallmark card because April 7 has been selected as the first national Benchwarmers Day, a holiday that purportedly celebrates everyone who has ever been an underdog. Revelers are encouraged to participate in easily winnable games, such as kickball or curling, that will be sponsored across the country by the upcoming flick "Benchwarmers," starring David Spade, Rob Schneider and Jon Heder. For more information, and to submit your own sob stories of the times you were picked on as a kid, visit Please-Stop-With-The-Crap-Tossing-Its-Getting-Old.com. ...

Nathan Fillion, the star of "Serenity" and the upcoming "Slither," is looking to build on his recent momentum with "White Noise 2: The Light," the sequel to last year’s surprise Michael Keaton hit. Currently filming in Vancouver, British Columbia, the sequel will continue the franchise’s exploration of electronic voice phenomena, while adding in the concept of near-death experiences. The plot follows Fillion’s Abraham Dale, who discovers after the death of his wife and child he can see a white light signifying the impending deaths of those around him. "Battlestar Galactica" TV star Katie Sackhoff has been cast as the female lead in the film, penned by first-timer Matt Verne and overseen by "Dracula 2000" director Patrick Lussier. ...

Parrotheads, get your CD players ready. Jimmy Buffett has recorded five new songs, including a cover of Warren Zevon’s "Werewolves of London," for the upcoming soundtrack of "Hoot," an April 21 family comedy that also stars the veteran rocker in a rare acting appearance. Maroon 5 also contribute to the soundtrack. ...

After moving from the heavy drama of "Mysterious Skin" to the family-pleasing flick "Ice Princess" last year, Michelle Trachtenberg has suddenly become one of Hollywood’s hot young actresses. Recently, she reported on one of the three movies she has in the pipeline. "I have an independent movie called ’Beautiful Ohio’ that I finished last year that Chad Lowe directed, with William Hurt and Rita Wilson," she said of the family comedy that will mark Lowe’s directorial debut. "It’ll be hitting the festival circuit." The movie is set in the ’70s and follows a family with two sons, one of whom is a genius. "I play the older son’s lover. It’s a couple of years in the life of these people and what happens, and how the older boy, the genius, goes to all of the math tournaments around Ohio. It’s a beautiful story." ...

The days continue to count down toward "Southland Tales," one of the most bizarre-sounding films of the year, and the much-anticipated return of the filmmaker that made Jake Gyllenhaal a star. "Well, Richard Kelly, from ’Donnie Darko,’ wrote and directed this next movie, and the movie’s pretty out there," laughed Jon Lovitz. "I asked him, I said, ’What do I say the movie’s about?’ and he said, ’Tell them it’s about the end of the world.’ He’s a very unique filmmaker. I play this psycho cop in it; my hair looks different and I talk different. It’s not a huge part, but I’m in it. What he did was he cast a lot of comedians against type: me, Cheri Oteri, Nora Dunn, Kevin Smith - you won’t even recognize him in the movie. The main people in it are the Rock and Seann William Scott and Sarah Michelle Gellar." Rumors have surfaced that the apocalyptic comedy/drama will even be part musical, but Lovitz said he won’t be one of the actors displaying his vocal abilities. "I don’t sing in the movie," he grinned. "I just play this psycho." ...

Ever wonder what it would be like to tour the comedy circuit with a sitcom superstar? Thanks to the upcoming Ray Romano documentary "95 Miles to Go," you’ll soon have your chance. "It was a tour I did, about three years ago during a hiatus on ’[Everybody Loves] Raymond.’ It was just six cities, and we drove from city to city," Romano remembered. "It was one of the writers from ’Raymond’ and I. He was my opening act, and he said, ’Let’s film it,’ and I said, ’No,’ and now we have a film." Laughing, he said "Miles" gleefully portrays many of the comedian’s characteristically insecure mannerisms. "We filmed 130 hours of stuff, and we just found 77 entertaining minutes. It’s what it is: A fly on the wall for a comedy tour." Romano added that the film will eventually air on HBO, but first it’ll play in theaters in New York and Los Angeles.