It's true, Kanye West is influenced by many different sources, including filmmaker Spike Jonze ('Where The Wild Things Are,' 'Adaptation') who he tapped to direct the music videos for 'Flashing Lights' and "See You In
My Nightmares.' West has seemingly returned the favor by lending his acting talents to Jonze's short film 'We Were Once A Fairytale," which made its debut this week at the Los Angeles Film Festival.

The film is said to include a N.A.S.A. remix version of 'See You In My Nightmares,' but according to a report by The Daily Swarm, that's probably the most civilized aspect viewers received. Supposedly the film is Jonze's homage to "what people love and hate about Kanye's persona and pushes it into a trippy realm."

Rapper/actor Common will join fellow rapping thespian Queen Latifah in the romantic comedy 'Just Wright.'

According to Variety, Latifah, along with Shakim Compere and Debra Martin Chase, will produce the flick, which is centered around a sports trainer who finds herself falling in love with a professional basketball player while rehabilitating him from a career-threatening injury.

Actress Paula Patton has been linked to the film and Sanaa Hamri has been named as director. 'Just Wright' will begin shooting in July in New York and is set to hit the big screen in 2010.

They call her the Wu Tang Gran. Her motto? "I'm fresh, I'm cool, I do break-dance." And you better believe this 70-year-old hip-hop enthusiast can move better than your own grandma.

At first glance, Gran looks more like a YouTube parody than anything else, but she, along with her Wu Tang Gran Clan (students), are taking a stand by bringing a new art and culture to the Communist nation. "In a socialist system you don't have so much freedom of speech" she explains. "Hip-hop is all about freedom." To that end, she's making up for lost time ... by challenging Bejing's finest hip-hop dance crew? Suffice it to say you have to see it to believe it. Watch 'Wu Tang Gran' for free, courtesy of our friends at SnagFilms.

Having successfully portrayed a drug dealer who gets shot and takes up rapping in 'Get Rich or Die Tryin',' Vitamin Water millionaire 50 Cent (a former drug dealer who was shot and became a rapper) has decided to finally get serious about his film career.

50 has upcoming projects with both Forest Whitaker and Jermaine Crawford, and a film version of his forthcoming album in the works, but probably most surprising is the cop drama 'Caught in the Crossfire' that he is slated to produce and star in.

The film features 50 as a former gangster-gone-government informant, and will also be executive produced by Violator Management head honcho, Christ Lighty, and actor (and former Tupac co star) Tim Roth.

He came. He saw. He stormed out. Rapper Eminem made his return to the MTV stage by way of a highly anticipated performance at the network's movie awards. The 36-year-old performed his singles 'We Made You' and 'Crack a Bottle,' alongside D12 member Bizarre. With a band behind him, Em gave a bevy of screaming fans and adoring celebrity counterparts the performance that they were all waiting for, but it's what happened after he sat back in his seat that got everyone talking.

Comedic actor Sacha Baron Cohen, best known for 'Borat,' was in character as his latest flamboyant offering "Bruno." Cohen descended from the ceiling wearing small white underwear and landed in Em's lap with his private parts dangerously close to his face.

As expected, Em did not find the stunt funny. The rapper shouted "Are you serious?" before calling on his bodyguards to get Cohen off of him, then stormed out of the show muttering and cursing. It's still unclear if Em was in on the Bruno joke -- he by-passed the press tent and refused to speak to the media.

Hip-hop has an important legacy of being an instrument used to "fight the powers that be," but in Senegal, West Africa, where voices of opposition are silenced, the stakes are raised. Ben Herson, the founder and director of Nomadic Wax -- a global hip-hop record label and production company, explores the role of hip-hop in African culture in the short film 'African Underground: Hip Hop in Senegal.' The piece is part of a longer film, 'Democracy in Dakar,' which focuses on music and politics during the country's 2007 presidential election campaign.

Mixing interviews, freestyle and commentary from journalists and artists alike, 'Hip Hop in Senegal' educates on the relationship between Western and African hip-hop culture. One striking difference is the influence of Islam--for many MCs, it means no cursing and absolutely no elements of misogynism -- a clear break from some of the gangster stereotypes in American rap. The music is all conscious, with political and social change in mind, which is what inspired Herson to make the film. "Change is still in Senegal," he says. "And we hope that this film will help support the non-violent movement towards a more efficient democratic government."

Check out 'African Underground: Hip Hop in Senegal' below and find more free online documentaries at SnagFilms.

Jamie Foxx has been very busy lately promoting his new movie 'The Soloist' and his latest album, 'Intuition,' but that hasn't kept him from lending a hand to those in need. The actor/singer has recorded an inspiring message for Nineline, a crisis telephone hotline for homeless kids, as part of a social campaign for 'The Soloist.' Foxx plays a former violin prodigy who struggles with schizophrenia and eventually ends up living on the streets in the touching drama.

Nineline is part of Covenant House, a social services organization working with displaced youth in the United States. Covenant house received over 45,000 calls from at-risk kids last year and Kevin Ryan, the organization's president, believes that hearing Jamie Foxx's voice will help some of the teens get through their rough times. "Now kids in crisis will not only hear a reassuring voice but a well-known positive role model. I'm convinced that hearing Jamie's voice will be the difference for kids who might otherwise get scared and hang up before we can help. This is a tremendous gift to our kids."