Puffy P Diddy Puff Daddy is to host yet another reality TV show, that will be screened by MTV in January 2009.

This time the series is called ‘StarMaker’ and will focus on a group of solo artists chosen by Sean Combs. Producer Mark Burnett will work on the show - his past work includes Survivor, Contender and The Apprentice.

The contestants will have to take part in a StarMaker boot camp says AllHipHop, and be evaluated on tasks like how they can handle a photo shoot, how they perform on the stage and even how they handle attention from the paparazzi.

Biggie is coming to the big screen.

Fox Searchlight has hired Jamal Woolard, a Brooklyn-based rapper, to play late rap icon Biggie Smalls, a.k.a. the Notorious B.I.G., in its upcoming biopic “Notorious.”

Derek Luke, Angela Bassett and Anthony Mackie also have been cast in the movie, the art-house studio said. Directed by George Tillman Jr. (”Soul Food”), it goes into production this month and is set for release in January.

Luke (”Catch a Fire”) will play Biggie record producer Sean “Diddy” Combs, who off-screen is an executive producer on the film. Mackie (”Brother to Brother”) will play rival rapper Tupac Shakur, while Bassett (”Akeelah and the Bee”) will play Biggie’s mother Voletta Wallace.

The production held an open casting call last fall in the hope of finding the next Notorious B.I.G., ne Christopher Wallace, the generously built East Coast rapper who was killed in an unsolved Los Angeles drive-by in 1997.

The idea, executives said, was that as with casting for sports movies like “Miracle,” the production would be better served with a non-actor who can rap and imitate Biggie than with a pro actor who might need to be taught how to rap.

More than 100 Biggie wannabes, many of them non-pros and all with the requisite size, turned out to show off their rapping and impersonation skills.

Woolard, who also is known as Gravy, is not a total unknown. He has released a number of albums, though he’s perhaps best known for being shot before a radio appearance outside the New York hip-hop station Hot 97 two years ago, after which he proceeded with the interview and became a part of hip-hop lore.

Like Biggie, Woolard was a drug dealer before he became a rapper. He had released a number of albums on indie labels in the 1990s before being signed by Warner Bros.

Voletta Wallace cited “Jamal’s charming personality, warm spirit, wonderful sense of humor and beautiful smile” as reasons for the casting. “He is a talented and charismatic actor, and I am excited that he will bring Christopher’s character to life,” she said.

Biggie, who drew on his experiences as a drug dealer in his rapping, is considered a seminal figure in the hip-hop world; his posthumously released “Life After Death” was a top seller and is considered one of the most influential hip-hop records of the modern era. “Notorious” is expected to examine his troubled life, his music and his impact.

His singular mantra to young people: “”Hold onto your dreams.”" Producer. Rapper. Mogul. Designer. Perfumer. Restauranteur. CEO. Marathoner. Actor. Sean Combs, international icon, clearly has the midas touch–shining a bright light on his many endeavors. It’s only fitting that he now lends his talents to a film, aptly entitled A Raisin in the Sun.

Its history is compelling and its legacy hearty. A Raisin in the Sun–a new film made for TV begat from a 2004 Broadway Tony-winning revival–has lived several incarnations before: the 1989 TV-movie, the 1961 award-winning film, and the original 1959 Pulitzer Prize-winning play by African American playwright Lorraine Hansberry. Hansberry’s drama was the first play mounted on Broadway by a black woman, and also marked the first play directed by a black director, Lloyd Richards.

Having won skeptical audiences over in his Raisin stage portrayal of Walter Lee, Combs continues to expand his own hearty professional legacy with an unquenchable thirst. As actor/producer, he now offers both older and younger audiences a new cinematic glimpse into a timeless classic about cyclical struggle and hardship that unleashes a vision of boundless hope.

On his love for Lorraine Hansberry’s opus:

Sean Combs: This play is more relatable to young people today because so many of them are living in these situations. First, it was an African American story, now you have white people living in trailer parks, Latinos living in impoverished areas, African Americans–there’s millions of people right now waiting for a check, a check for unemployment–a check for social security. To not be able to accomplish your dreams or feel like there are so many obstacles in your way–these are things that people are going through, and to see this family go through it is really relatable for today.

On how this story relates to his personal life–particularly as a father:

SC: I really related to it–ironically, people think that I can’t relate to losing $10,000–even in my real life, the story relates to me. My father was killed when I was three, so I grew up in a house with three people. When I was chasing the dream of being in the music industry, everyone thought I was crazy. They thought (his character in Raisin) was crazy to have a liquor store. The way I was feeling when I had my first son and I still hadn’t made it yet–seeing his conditions–the way that I wanted it for him. These are the things we’ve all gone through and we can all relate to the characters.

On stepping into Sidney Poitier’s and Danny Glover’s shoes in the lead role of Walter Lee Younger:

SC: I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time–first, it was Monster’s Ball with Halle Berry–I’ve paid a lot of dues to get to this point. Every project I’ve taken on, I’ve gotten better. I’ve never done a leading role, and it really changed my life. You have to expose yourself–it’s the most work I’ve ever done. I’m very proud of it and I look forward to doing more things in the future.

On his secret to staying successful:

SC: My belief in God and I have a great team of people behind me and around me. It helps me to focus on things–like when I did this movie, I was able to shut down everything. I turned off my Blackberry and I just focused on the movie. I have a team of people that run my various companies, so I’m able to go on tour or do artistic things that I like to do.

On why he wants to expose Raisin In the Sun to a younger generation:

SC: This is a timeless story–a story of hope and a story of love. These are the kind of stories we need in the world to balance things out. It will let them know: there are people who have gone through what you’re going through … Sometimes, things are not gonna work out, but never give up your dreams. And whether there’s good times or bad, when the chips are down, your family is going to be there. This is a love story and a story of hope. As long as young people focus on those things, they will have gotten what I want them to get.

A Raisin in the Sun costars: Phylicia Rashad, Audra McDonald, Sanaa Lathan, John Stamos.

It airs on ABC February 25th 8/7c.

P. Diddy, will receive a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. Diddy, who spilled the beans on Jamie Foxx’s XM radio station, says: “I’m from Harlem, New York, so to get a star in Hollywood is just mind-blowing.”

Of the event that will take place on January 11th, 2008, he continues, “You can get a lot of things but when you see those stars on the ground… that’s something I can’t even say I dreamed of and to be getting recognised for it is definitely something I’m gonna have my whole family out there for.”

Aside from music, he has dabbled in theater (A Raisin In the Sun) and in movies (Monster’s Ball). Plus, his clothing lines, deal with Ciroc vodka and restaurants.
Pic Via: WENN.com