This TV project has been in the works for a long time – so long that the late Horton Foote earned a story credit for the screenplay of this biography of blues singer Bessie Smith, who fought her way to feisty popularity in the 1920s. Based on a 1972 biography by Chris Albertson, and starring Queen Latifah in the title role, it’s got a cast that HBO fans should love. Michael Kenneth Williams, from The Wire and Boardwalk Empire, plays Jack Gee, and Khandi Alexander from The Corner plays Bessie's sister Violet. Also appearing: Mo’Nique as singer Ma Rainey, and Charles Dutton as Rainey’s manager. For a full review, see Ed Bark’s Uncle Barky’s Bytes.

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