Queen Latifah is Bessie

From HBO pictures comes the film Bessie starring Queen Latifah as 

gritty Blues singer Bessie Smith – “Queen Latifah stars as legendary blues singer Bessie Smith in this HBO Films presentation, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Dee Rees. The film focuses on Smith’s transformation from a struggling young singer into “The Empress of the Blues,” who became one of the most successful recording artists of the 1920s and is an enduring icon today.”