(From left to right: Beyonce as Etta James, Angela Bassett as Tina Turner, Jennifer Lopez as Selena)
Usher, Justin Timberlake, Nina Simone, and Marvin Gaye are just some of the many known names in music who will see themselves involved to some capacity in a biopic this year.
Indeed, the coveted biopic role has launched many-an-act to stardom in its tenure by bringing to light the real personal lives of celebrated public figures.
Most recently, VH1 has taken the reins in preparation of a TLC biopic and continues to tease fans with snaps from the set of the highly anticipated film (like the one seen here). With many great biopics of yesteryear to live up to, our excitement for the venture leads us to ask you – That Grape Juice faithful:
Whose biopic has been the best so far?
Just ask actors Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Lopez and Angela Bassett and they will attest to the power of the music biopic as it has arguably lent their most memorable performances yet (portraying Ray Charles, Selena and Tina Turner respectively).
Singers, on the other hand, have found the mighty musical memoir to be just as valuable as it has afforded them the platform to demonstrate their acting chops. One needn’t look any further than Diana Ross’s legendary depiction of ‘Lady Day’ – iconic jazz singer Billie Holliday – in the Academy Award nominated ‘Lady Sings the Blues’.
But, while some have earned critical and commercial acclaim for bringing to life the tales of other figures affront movie screens, talents like Prince, Fantasia, and 50 Cent prove that sometimes the best person to tell the tale is the one who lived it.
Whatever the presentation format, history has imparted movie lovers its fair share of new views on some of their favorite music acts via the biopic.
We have our favorites, but now you tell us:
just voted and Selena is currently topping the polls with 33.3% while Cadillac Records falls behind with a close 0%! Guess the Bey-Hive thought Bey sucked in that movie too. lol her acting is as bad as Kristen Stewart’s
Not any more!
^ F*** outta here.
Hard choices because Angela Bassett played the hell out of Tina and Jaime played the hell out of Ray decisions decisions……….
And those two ARE the best hands down. Lets not cloud judgement with anything else the “actor” may do professionally ( sing, dance, c****** pop, whatever)
Beyonce, Diana Ross, and JLo are marginal actresses. Angela SLAYED with portrayal and emotion!! actually….Angela wins!
it’s no contest! ‘WHAT LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT’ is the best biopic ever. i can still watch tht movie over and over.
angela killed that role!
I absolutely loved Ray!
Angela as Tina
“Ray” as for interpretation, hands down, Halley Berry did a wonderful job in “The Dorothy Dandridge Story”, Angela Bassett too and J.Lo was Selena like even the Quintanilla’s say they cried every time they saw her cuz she was identical to Selena, it’s a really touching movie. Beyonce doesn’t deserve a mention in this case.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIHPyBDQ_Fs
Well said.
Beyonce in Cadillac records though LMFAOOOoo i can’t!
Your favs can never and will never so . . . .
Glitter. Battleshit.
Kiiiiiiiiiiiii!
Did as good as the goat you stan for in Animal Farm.
Get Rich or Die Tryin’ and 8 Mile should not even be mentioned.
My top:
– Whats love got to do with it
– Lady Sings the Blues
– Ray
But Beyoncé did a decent job in Cadillac Records, no it doesn’t touch the most of the others I don’t stan for her but I was impressed with her in that film.
OMFG!!!! SO MANY GOOD MOVIES…..
WTF is get rich or die tryin doing there lmao.
8 Mile, Cadillac Records, The Temptations,What’s Love Got to Do with It, Ray, Little Richard Story, Selena, Why Do Fools Fall In Love,and Purple Rain!!!!!!!!!!!!! <333333333333333333333333333333333333333333 I LOVE THESE!!!!
J. Lo as Selena ofc.
Dorothy Dandridge and Whats Love got to do with it! So many good films!
My favs:
-What’s love got to do with it
-Purple Rain
-Selena
-Cadillac Records
-8 mile (it isn’t really a biopic, but love it anyway)
Cadillac records?? Major KIIIIIII. What’s love got to do with it FTW.
She did better than your razzie winning fav. I wouldn’t be kiiiii’ing when you stan for that!
Ray! Mr Foxx did that!
Amen
Beyonce’s performance can’t hold a candle to Jamie Foxx’s
I liked Dreamgirls, but Ray was a good one also. I love Jamie Foxx
I adore everything Angela Basset does and she played Tina flawlessly…She’s always my favorite African American actress
I always loved that movie and angela did a good job,but in the back of my mind i always wondered if they ever asked Beyonce to do that movie since she loves Tina so much.
Beyonce was too young when that movie came out lolololol!
Not to mention Beyonce Cant act and she sounds like shes reading a script even when shes talking regular.
Wow, this is a tough one. But angelina as tina is probably my fav.
I will never forget this day when I saw beyonce perform I’d rather go blind>>> and he dies. One of the saddest movies ever
Cadillac and what’s love got to do with it. My faves.
Rihanna fans shouldn’t be commenting. Atleast bey got a GOLDEN GLOBE nomination for this role not a razzi so king basic sit your alien forehead down boo
Gurl, stop. Rihanna has never been in a biopic so remind me again why this comparison is relevant.
if you’d like to compare…Beyonces acting debut was a made for tv musical. Rihannas was a big budget movie. And sure, Battleship wasn’t as successful as anticipated, but WAY to start when nobody’s seen you act except for clownin on SNL
Are we just gonna forget that ratchet ass mess that was rihanna in the 2006 TV movie bring it on?
Omg so hard. Some brilliant movies. My faves have got to be Angela Basset/Tina, Jamie Foxx/Ray and Halle Berry/Dorothy. I also love Purple Rain omg. And quit shading Bey. She wasn’t even bad in that movie. She actually did a great job and really showed up and showed out vocally and acting wise. Some people just love to hate because her name is there.
Honeychildplease sweety 🙂 you’re a rihanna stan you shouldn’t be commenting. This post is for real talented musicians and legends. I suggest that you take a sit 🙂
This post has abosultely nothing to do with Rihanna yet you’re the only one who find some strange stupid how to bring her into the mix…and what’s even worst you don’t even ilke her. idgi!! this chick really has your mind lol.
Cadillac records slayed everybody. Beyonce’s voice was full of soul.
All I could do was cry
Trust in me
I’d rather go blind
Once in a lifetime
At last
I have to declare What’s Love Got To Do With It the winner! Hands Down! Angela was Tina, it was just memorable and so powerful!
Although I haven’t seen Lady Sings The Blues in it’s entirety I’m convinced Diana Ross has to be the best singer/actress that ever lived(or at least in the top 3 of all time).
Selena was also a great film. I thoroughly enjoyed it, Jlo did a great job.
I haven’t seen Ray, but you can tell J. Foxx likely did an outstanding job. I probably didn’t bother supporting it because Jamie irks me.
As for Beyonce, she was on point playing Etta! She’s shown great improvement in her acting by that time. I personally think her role in Dreams Girls was a bit underrated. If that movie is loosely based off the life of The Supremes than she nailed her portrayal of Diana! I thought her body language and small gestures were really well thought out!
ohhh yeah….Bey has came a long way…. she still has growing to do as an actor, but I thought her role as Etta was really good.
People need to be real. the best are Diana Ross – The lady sings the blues. Angela Basset – Whats love… Jamie – Ray and the a mention for J-Lo om Selena, and Fantasia. The rest didnt really dop it for me and the best thing out of the jacksons was Jason Weaver ans the young Michael
J-lo as Salena
Jamie foxx as Ray
Angela as Tina
An as for Cadillac Records Beyonce was ok But the other
Actors made the movie for what it was like Jeffrey Wright
As Muddy Waters and I love Columbus Short as little
Walter and Mos Def who killed his part as Chuck Berry.The
Only problem with Beyonce part was it had nothing to do with who she
Was playing it was really about her ( she used her voice in the singing parts
Instead of Etta and she never met her until she seen her on the red carpet) it came out in her acting
If she would sat down and talk to Etta like Jamie fox did with Ray Charles or followed her around a few
Days and got to know who Miss Etta was she would have did a better job.
Temtations was my movie but I didn’t like the actor that they
Choose to play Otis he sucked foreal
Angela Bassett hands down….. Ray was good too
Temptations!!!! and what’s love got to do with it mostly because people quote the lines off of that movie ALOT!!! i can’t really choose because i love lady sings the blues and selena also and did you put the FIVE HEARTBEATS on here?! shame of you sam!
Angie killed it too. She was tina turner
Whats Love got to do with it and Selena are by far the BEST! Angela and Jennifer both played the hell out those roles!
Its out of Jamie playing Ray or The Temptations or Angela playing Tina. And I’m gonna say, hands down Angela playing Tina Turner! Luv her homage to The Mother of THE QUEEEEEEEEEN!
Is there even a question?
Angela as tina
only movie that still brings me to tears… Got me to eally appreciate the women tina was
Ummm 8 MILE, GET RICH.., AND PURPLE RAIN ARE NOT BIO PICS SMH
lol…
These are movies that had great soundtracks with actors in movies that was ‘LOOSELY BASED’ lol… y’all cuttin up if yall thought PURPLE RAIN was a BIO PIC lol…Princes dad was NOT abusive lol and his Mother was not crazy lol.. and CURTIS JACKSON AINT NOBODIES GANGSTA BITCHBOOBYE
Oh but hands down the BEST BIO PIC is WHATS LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT … it not only launched ANGELA BASSETT into SUPERSTARDOM but it also revived Tina’s already successful career…
for me #2 is THE JACKSONS AMERICAN DREAM- SO many actors so much story in so little time
Glitter.
*Leaves*
LOL LOL LOL I can’t. 😀
Gagging.
!
I mean what type of snub?
Glitter the best movie created by the best actress of all the, Messiah Christ.
RoyalKev said it perfect! HANDS DOWN ANGELA WINS THIS!
n**** it was hard to chose between Whats Love Got To do With It and Why Do Fools Fall In Love.
To this day i don’t understand how Angela Bassett didn’t win an Oscar for portraying Tina turner, it’s beyond me.
Whats love got do with it and Temptations are my favorites!
All the actors/actress looked like the person they played, except Beyonce, she just looked like Beyonce with a wig in Cadillac Records, but I thought she looked great in Dream Girls and had Ross body movements down to the t. But ANGELA was TINA! All the movies are great tho and Salena was J.lo’s best acting. Let’s not forget the guy who played MJ in the Jacksons movie. I can’t wait til they find the perfect actress to play Aaliyah, but until then, the TLC movie will be a great made for tv film.
LaBamba is my shiiizzzzz! i watch that and Selena back to back every once and a while =) #RitchieValens
Cadillac Records won the “Glitter” award for:
FLOP OF THE CENTURY .. #DEAL
Selena is the best .. That movie + J.Lo >>>>>>>>
Hey lamb!
Did you enjoy #Beautiful? I know you’d be the first to buy it.
I love every song bey sang on cadillac records esp once in a lifetime(golden globe nom) all i could was cry etc and d performance was best av seen from her so far
As Pop already mentioned, the iconic Glitter takes the cake.
When will your faves have that type of iconic, legendary movie? That iconic era? That iconic soundtrack? That iconic mental break down? Neva. 😥
Angela,Jamie, and J-Lo take the cake here.
Despite what people from this generation say, Diana Ross was snubbed because Liza was Judy Garlands daughter…If you know anything about old school Hollywood..connections often earned you an Academy Award..Plus Diana was a solid actress. Who actually remembers that terrible ass cabaret movie anyway? While its over 30 yrs later and Diana Ross’s portrayal of Queen Billie are still being talked about till this day.
I love Mariah but only a stan(very few) would say glitter was a great movie.
As far as Beyonce in Cadillac Records…Her acting got better.. But like any movie she plays in, its always the music I like more than her actual acting performance.
Some of her best work musically are on soundtracks
Selena and Whats love got to do with it. hands down!
Selena of course! such a touching movie. RIP!
WHERE LYNN WHITFEILD FOR THE JOSEPHINE BAKER STORY. ONE OF THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN BIOPIC SINCE LADY SINGS THE BLUES. AND MISS BEYONCE HAS GOTTEN A LOT OF INSPIRATION FROM MS. BAKER. COME YALL LETS NOT SLEEP.