They say three times a charm and the cliché is an applicable one when it comes to bringing the life of a beloved singer to a cineplex near you. The Molotov cocktail of drug abuse, poverty, blind ambition, rocky relationships and self-destruction rolled up into a juicy role has long proved to be an irresistible preposition. Last year marked the beginning of Jamie Foxx's breakthrough at the expense of pillaging Ray Charles' memory at every waking moment and the gold rush of awards season '06 sees the trend going swimmingly for Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon in portraying Johnny Cash and June Carter to the tune of dual Oscar nods. Like it or not, there's more where that precedent of Oscar bait came from, so be prepared to see a whole lot of copycat musician-biopics in the next few years, as just about every star who ever battled demons will become fair game. Mary J. Blige has already announced that she's about to play Nina Simone. If Idlewild turns out to be halfway decent, it's goodbye juke joint, hello flower power in getting the long mentioned Hendrix project off the shelf for Andre 3000. And there's plenty more where that came from: Janis Joplin, Sam Cooke, Keith Moon, Eazy-E, the Milli Vanilli guy. VH-1 Classic should certainly see a spike in viewership for would-be screenwriters mining All Request Hour for inspiration. However, for every Lady Sings The Blues there lies a Beyond The Sea. Or Get Rich Or Die Tryin'. Or De-Lovely.

In spite of the littered boulevard of broken Behind The Music dreams, a feature film about the life of Marvin Gaye has been given a green light. Jesse L. Martin, star of NBC's "Law & Order" and the big-screen adaptation of "Rent," has been tapped to play the soul icon in the independently-financed film "Sexual Healing," due to begin production in May. The movie to be directed by Lauren Goodman, will focus on the years preceding his sudden shooting death at the hands of his father on April 1, 1984, one day before his 45th birthday. The film will include his self-imposed exile in Europe after years of battling drugs, domestic issues and label headaches. There through the help of businessman Freddy Cousaert who acted as promoter from his seaside home in Ostend, Belgium, began the retreat which spawned his biggest-selling album, "Midnight Love," supported by his comeback smash, "Sexual Healing."

"More than just being the voice of a generation, Marvin Gaye proved to be its very heartbeat," Goodman told the Hollywood Reporter. "As a filmmaker, I was drawn to tell the story of a human being who was never fully realized, one with faults and foibles and an uncommon grace expressed every time he picked up the microphone."

According to the Hollywood Reporter, producers have been trying for years to get a Marvin Gaye biopic off the ground. Originally, "Sexual Healing" was intended to cover a larger portion of his life but was restructured to focus on his final years due to ongoing disputes over his Motown-produced records.

In spite of Ms. Goodman's resume looking about as credible as a medical practitioner in Mexico, the right screenplay coupled with Jesse's formidable talent as both a singer and actor - this could go a long way in renewing interest into a career that seems almost tailor made for an adapted screenplay. Color me so excited, it makes me wanna holler and throw up both my hands!

Labels: biopic, Jesse L. Martin, Marvin Gaye, movies