Alicia Keys to Play Lena Horne in Movie

Singer Alicia Keys will play jazz music Lena Horne in a biopic movie chronicling the jazz star’s life. Filming for the project, produced by talk show host Oprah Winfrey, will begin this year, according to celebrity news site, PageSix.com.

It was previously rumored that Janet Jackson was to play the part. Horne, who was involved in the casting process, dropped Jackson from the project following the Super Bowl controversy in 2004 where the singer exposed her breast. She claimed it was a wardrobe malfunction.

Winfrey has taken over the project and recently confirmed that she has chosen Keys to play the lead role. Part of the reason for the selection is because Keys’ similar background with Horne.

So what do Keys and Horne have in common? Both of the singers are from New York. Both have been activists. Horne was involved in the Civil Rights movement and Keys is a spokesperson for AIDS organizations.

Here is more information about both singers:

Lena Horne was born June 30, 1917 in Brooklyn, New York. She is African American, Native American and European descent. She grew up in a upper middle class black community. Horne’s father left the family when she was three. Her mother was an actress who traveled with an African American theatre troupe. She was mostly raised by her grandparents. She has appeared in a number of films and musicals. The songstress also won numerous awards including four grammys. One of her best known works is the song “Stormy Weather,” a hit in the 1940s. She lives in New York City.

Horne has had a long history of involvement in the Civil Rights movement. During World War II she wouldn’t perform for segregated audiences. She also wouldn’t perform if German prisoners of war were seated in front of African American soldiers. She participated in the March on Washington of 1963 and spoke and performed on behalf of the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the National Council for Negro Women. She helped pass anti-lynching legislation in the U.S. Congress.

Alicia Keys was born January 25, 1981 in Harlem, New York. Her mother is of Irish, Italian and Scottish descent and her father is Jamaican. Her parents split up when Keys was young. Her mother was paralegal and part time actress. Keys wears many hats as a singer, pianist, songwriter and record producer. She began playing classical piano when she was seven. Since the launch of her career in 2001 she’s won awards including nine Grammy Awards, eleven Billboard Music Awards and three American Music Awards.

Keys is a spokeswoman for Keep a Child Alive, which is a non-profit organization that provides life-saving AIDS medicines directly to families with HIV and AIDS in Africa. She has visited numerous countries in Africa. Keys is also a spokeswoman for Frum tha Ground Up, a charity that motivates American youths to succeed.

Sources: PageSix.com, EURweb.com, aliciakeys.com