The American Idol star, who won an Oscar for her role in the 2006 box office hit Dreamgirls, will play the South African personality in the movie, which will begin shooting in South Africa in May next year, .

Winnie — directed by veteran South African filmmaker Darrell J. Roodt — will be shot on location in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Robben Island – where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years before becoming the country’s president.

Screen Gems has acquired the rights Sheneneh and Wanda, a new comedy for Jamie Foxx and Martin Lawrence. The duo will play female characters they developed during their stand-up comedy days in the 1990s, Variety reports. You’ll likely remember Sheneneh Jenkins from Martin and Wanda from In Living Color.

The project originated from a parody movie trailer for a film called Skank Robbers, which Foxx and Lawrence made for the 2008 BET Awards. In the skit, the actors cross-dressed to portray two women who make a living robbing banks. The reception was so strong, the duo decided to turn the concept into a real film.

Jamie will write Sheneneh And Wanda and produce alongside Martin. It will be the first time the comic, who have known each other since they started out as stand-up acts, have worked together on a movie.

The inner-city drama — about a sexually-abused, obese girl battling teen pregnancy and physical abuse in 1987 Harlem — earned $1.8 million at 18 theaters in its first weekend of limited release, according to Variety.

The film, executive produced by Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, scored an average of $100,000 per theater — a record for films in limited release.

The film will be accompanied by a four-issue Shady Talez comic book series, due out in 2010.

The film hits theaters April 2010.

Here’s the trailer for Before I Self-Destruct: The Movie….

That didn’t go over so well with Richard’s White, animal-lovin’ widow, Jennifer Pryor

Chris had been on-board to produce the eagerly-awaited Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said? alongside Jennifer — who just happens to be the director of the animal rescue group Pryor’s Pets. The organization, founded by Richard before his death in 2005, was created to rescue abused and neglected dogs.

“Among the 40 dogs we are currently caring for are seven pit bulls….each one is a sweet and affectionate dog who mistreated or dumped or neglected all because of their breed.”

After watching Chris’ controversial appearance on Leno, a fuming Jennifer promptly alerted her attorney that she no longer wants Chris involved in the film project.

“For your information, Chris, what Michael Vick did was to torture, drown, electrocute, and murder dogs all for fun and profit. He went to prison for felony animal cruelty! That’s what he did!” Jennifer thundered at the comic. “These types of comments only encourage abuse and misunderstanding of their breed, as well as actual dog-fighting,” she added.

The Richard Pryor biopic — which is expected to star Marlon Wayans — hits theaters in 2011.