Yasiin Bey, the rapper/actor formerly known as Mos Def, will star opposite John Hawkes in the Elmore Leonard adaptation “Switch,” from writer-director Dan Schechter, reports Variety.

The crime drama will serve as a prequel to Quentin Tarantino’s “Jackie Brown,” with Hawkes and Bey playing younger versions of Robert DeNiro and Samuel L. Jackson’s respective characters Louis Gara and Ordell Robbie, who appear in Leonard’s novel “Rum Punch.”

Set 15 years before the events in “Jackie Brown,” the story follows career criminals Ordell and Louis as they team up to kidnap Mickey Dawson, the wife of a corrupt Detroit real estate developer. When the husband refuses to pay the ransom for his wife’s return, the ex-cons are forced to reconceive their plan, and the angry housewife uses the duo to get her revenge.

Production is scheduled to start in May.

Bey, who recently had a recurring role on Showtime’s “Dexter,” previously starred in “The Italian Job” and “Something the Lord Made.”

Denzel Washington attends "Safe House" (El Invitado) photocall at Villamagna Hotel on Jan. 31, 2012 in Madrid, Spain

Denzel Washington and  Dionne Warwick will be honored in Germany this weekend at the Golden Camera ceremony, one of the country’s top entertainment award events.

Washington, currently in theaters with Daniel Espinosa’s “Safe House,” picks up the Golden Camera for best international actor, while R&B legend Warwick will receive a lifetime achievement honor.

Dionne Warwick attends the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival after-party presented by American Express and The Cinema Society for "Last Night" at Avenue on April 25, 2011 in New York City.

Also, Scarlett Johansson, who stars in Joss Whedon’s summer tentpole “The Avengers,” will receive the best international actress award, and Dutch jazz sensation Caro Emerald will be honored with the best music international award.

The Golden Cameras are arguably Germany’s most prestigious awards show, on par with the Oscars or the Emmys. Every year some 4-6 million Germans tune in to watch the live, three-hour Golden Camera broadcast.

Last year’s winners included John Travolta, Rene Zellweger and Michael J. Fox.

The 2012 Golden Cameras will be held Saturday, Feb. 4 in Berlin.

Move over Real Housewives of whatever and make room for the women of the cloth.

TLC is capitalizing on the latest trend of reality shows and giving the world what it really wants to see with a new series “First Ladies” of the Atlanta area churches.

With True Entertainment, the same production company behind RHOA, behind it, how could it go wrong?

“We are excited to work with TLC to profile the lives of these strong-willed women,” True Entertainment president Steven Weinstock says. “With most praise in religious communities directed towards male preachers, we are thrilled to give these remarkable ladies the spotlight they crave and deserve.”

The series will follow the women who play the role of preacher’s wives and mothers at home. The real drama is how they manage both while keeping their cool.

An airdate has yet to be announced. But they need to hurry that up because it’s bound to be a popular one.

The X Factor USA Finale Press Conference held at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, CA. (Dec. 20, 2011)

It’s a done deal.  Paula Abdul is indeed part of “The X Factor” bloodbath that has already claimed fellow judge Nicole Scherzinger and host Steve Jones.

“Yes, it’s true; I won’t be returning to The X Factor next season,” Abdul said in a statement Tuesday. “I’ve learned through my longevity in this industry that business decisions often times override personal considerations.  Simon [Cowell] and I, along with Fox and Fremantle, have been communicating about this for a while now, and I have absolute understanding of the situation.

“Simon is, and will remain a dear friend of mine and I’ve treasured my experience working this past season with my extended family at Fox and Fremantle. I want nothing more than for The X Factor to exceed ALL of their wildest dreams. This truly has been a blessing and I am most grateful.”

Only Cowell and L.A. Reid remain following the massive personnel overhaul.

“I want to say a massive thank you to Paula, Nicole and Steve for being part of The X Factor last year,” Cowell said in a statement. “We had a lot of fun making the show together and importantly, we found some real talent and stars. You do develop friendships with the people you work with and Paula, in particular, is a very close friend and I expect to be working with her on another project in the near future. I’m sure all three are going to have massive success in what they do next, but now is the time to thank them all for everything they did last year.”

Added Mike Darnell, Fox’s president of alternative entertainment: “We love Paula. She is a remarkable talent and we appreciate all of her contributions. We’re lucky that she is a part of the Fox family, and we look forward to working with her again soon.”

Cowell brought Abdul on board to “The X Factor” after admitting he missed working with her on American Idol, but Abdul did not sign her contract until the day auditions kicked off in Los Angeles. Abdul was also the first judge to see all of her final acts eliminated from the competition.

It’s yet to be determined who will fill the vacant slots for Season 2, which will premiere in the fall.

Kim Kardashian spent some time in church on Sunday, and she's already looking forward to doing it again.

The events leading up to Kardashian's widely publicized divorce of New Jersey Nets forward Kris Humphries became the focus of her show's season finale, in which she could be seen frequently shedding tears over her unhealthy marriage.

But while the model and reality star's Tweets on Sunday revealed her angst to see the season come to a close, she seemed excited to learn more about the Bible.

"On [my] way to church with the girls!" she posted on her way to the service in Southern California. Afterward she said that she "can't wait" for next week's service, which she indicated will feature a lesson about angels.

Kris Jenner, Kardashian's mother, was also in attendance for the Sunday service. She Tweeted a message of thanks to the church's pastor, Brad Johnson, for sharing a helpful sermon about "Toxic Family Members."

In the "Kourtney and Kim" season finale, Contactmusic.com reports, Kardashian admitted that Humphries' Christian beliefs are among the things that are attractive to her, but they ultimately weren't enough to keep the high-profile couple together.

"It's hard for me. He has a good heart, he's a Christian – everything on paper I want in someone, but for some reason, my heart isn't connecting," she said in the episode. The 31-year-old split with Humphries in October after being married for only 72 days, marking the end of her second marriage.