Curiouser and curiouser. <p><strong>The Background</strong>: Nick Venable is an Assistant Managing Editor, and the TV Editor. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper. After rising up through the ranks covering Movies, Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. And if you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy. His love for his wife and daughters is almost equaled by his love of gasp-for-breath laughter and gasp-for-breath horror. A lifetime spent in the vicinity of a television screen led to his current dream job, as well as his knowledge of too many TV themes and ad jingles.</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>What He's Into</strong>: Nick is one of those people who won’t necessarily insert a Monty Python reference into every conversation, but is still mentally equipped to do so. Beyond such appreciation for surreal UK comedy, Nick also indulges in as much horror splendor as possible, from Stephen King novels to James Tynion IV comics to Freddy Krueger one-liners to all things Mike Flanagan. Throw in a dash of NFL, some 311 and Weird Al, fried crawfish poboys, bourbon, ‘90s-era pro wrestling, crossword puzzles and mystery-driven video games, and baby, you got a stew going. (Nick will insert an Arrested Development reference into every conversation, if possible.)</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>What He's Excited About</strong>: Anything Jeff Lemire, Tom King and W. Maxwell Prince think of, ever. More of Kelly Reilly’s deliriously fierce performances on Yellowstone. HBO’s The Last of Us. Clone High’s return. Colin Farrell’s Penguin being in every movie/TV show/breakfast cereal.</p>

Jennifer Hudson had a very sweet moment with the late Queen of Soul.

Jennifer Hudson perfectly channels Aretha Franklin in the full trailer for Respect.

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MGM has released the first teaser trailer for the Aretha Franklin biopic Respect online, giving us our first look at Oscar-winning actress and performer Jennifer Hudson in the lead role. The project has been in the works for years, with Franklin hand-selecting Hudson to play her before her death in 2016, and it looks pretty terrific. This is a cradle-to-grave biopic of sorts, as the story charts Franklin’s career from child singing in her father’s church choir to international superstardom—and charting the roadblocks she faced along the way. Hudson, of course, first burst …

A biopic more than a decade in the making...

National Geographic and Fox 21 Television studios have just released the first look teaser trailer for the upcoming anthology series Genius: Aretha, starring Academy Award nominee Cynthia Erivo as the iconic singer Aretha Franklin. The 8-part series will premiere over four consecutive nights beginning this Memorial Day, May 25. The trailer is brief (it is a teaser), but we do get to see Erivo in character as the Queen of Soul, and her performance looks predictably great. As was the case with the subjects of the previous seasons of Genius, Aretha looks like it will cover the entirety of …

The X-Men are attempting to use Kitty Pryde to forcibly recruit Franklin Richards. Could an act of kindness from long ago save both of them?

MGM has released an announcement trailer for their upcoming biopic Respect. The film follows the career of iconic singer Aretha Franklin (Jennifer Hudson) as she goes from a child singing in a church choir to an international superstar. Since this is just an announcement trailer, there’s no sense of the surrounding film, but you will nod your head in approval that they cast Hudson as Franklin. It’s hard to think of any other actresses who have the pipes to do just to the late singer, but Hudson can do it, and I’m eager to see what she …

Jennifer Hudson is Aretha Franklin in the announcement trailer and poster for Respect, the upcoming movie biopic about the Queen of Soul.

The X-Men are trying to tempt the Fantastic Four's Franklin Richards to join his fellow mutants... and it's getting disturbingly seductive.

The life of music legend Aretha Franklin is on its way to the big screen in Respect, and today, Metro Goldwyn Mayer announced the rest of the cast. Joining Academy Award-winner Jennifer Hudson as the Queen of Soul, will be Academy Award, Golden Globe and Emmy-winner Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland), Marlon Wayans (Requiem for a Dream), Marc Maron (Joker, Glow), Tate Donovan (Argo), and Emmy nominee Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt). The film will also star Grammy winners Mary J. Blige and Audra McDonald, and Tony nominees Saycon Sengbloh and Hailey Kilgore. Franklin, who passed …