Tuesday Tales

Rapper Kanye West is set to make his screen debut as a gay jazz pianist in the 1930's. The project is being financed by Will Smith, Jay Z and Oprah Winfrey. No word on when the film will hit theaters. In other Kanye West news, his latest CD, "My Beautiful, Dark, Twisted, Fantasy" has shipped over one million units. He also denied dissing Brittney Spears. He reportedly took to Twitter to start a beef with the pop singer after her new single "Hold It Against Me" topped the charts. He was accused by MSNBC of trying to get a rise out of Spears. He stated that he's happy for the star. Usher cancelled two more concerts on his European tour. As mentioned previously, he took the stage in Germany only to have his voice go out. He reportedly has a respiratory infection and will have to rest. 50 Cent is in the studio working on his fifth CD. No word on when the disk will hit stores. Nicki Minaj will be the musical guest on "Saturday Night Live" on Jan 29. Check your local listings. As most know, "American Idol" returns to Fox this month and auditions to determine who will make the show have begun. Contestants can also audition via My Space. The winners will be flown to Los Angeles to audition for "Idol" executive producers and then judges Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler. The new cable network owned by Oprah Winfrey, OWN, is receiving some criticism in the African American community. Some say the shows should include more African Americans. So far, no comment from Ms Winfrey. Some are still talking about whether comic/writer/actor Ricky Gervais, who hosted Sunday's Golden Globe Awards, went too far with his jokes. So far, there's been no comment from his employers, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. On DVD: "Raging Bull" and "The Social Network". On the tube: "Glee" on Fox, "NCIS" on CBS, "No Ordinary Family" on ABC and "Biggest Loser: Couples" on NBC. Happy Tuesday!