R&B singer Mario is taking his dance moves to reality TV. He’s joined the cast of “Dancing with the Stars” which starts a new season beginning Mar. 17. “I’ve never done ballroom dancing, but I’ll be ready,” he told the Baltimore Sun. The 21-year-old is the youngest member of the cast and was admittedly hesitant about the competition. “When my manager called me to talk me about being on the show, he knew what my first answer was going to be,” he said. “But then I came to notice that the show gave viewers a chance to get to know the performer behind the costume - and I liked that…This is definitely a challenge, but I’ve had challenges all my life. At the end of the day, if you dedicate yourself, there's nothing you can’t do.”

Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am takes on his first big screen role as John Wraith in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” reports Variety. The film, expected May 1, 2009 is a prequel to the “X-Men” franchise and is being shot in New Zealand and New Orleans. The Wraith character is a mutant with teleporting powers created as a test subject in the same Weapon X program that spawned the franchise’s central character, Wolverine.

Singer Beyonce is also looking to solidify her place in Hollywood. Not only will she be starring as legendary blues and R&B singer Etta James in “Cadillac Records,” she’ll also be executive producing the biopic and supplying songs for the soundtrack. The 1950’s period piece is centered on the Chicago label that launched the careers of James, Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Cedric the Entertainer and Academy Award winner Adrien Brody also star.

Mya takes the lead as Velma Kelly in the Broadway version of “Chicago.” Mya won a Screen Actors’ Guild award for a smaller role in the movie version in 2003. (also starring Queen Latifah). “It’s not often that one encounters a performer with the level of accomplishment that Mýa brings to the table,” producer Barry Weissler said in a statement released to AOL Black Voices. “She is a true triple-threat – a wonderful actor, an amazing singer, and an insanely talented dancer.” Though there have been no official updates on her career as a recording artist (last year she released “Ridin’” and “Lock U Down,” singles supposedly from the Liberation/Smoke & Mirrors double-disc she has been working on since 2004), her acting resume continues to build. She appears in the movie “Cover” opening this week, directed by actor Bill Duke and also starring Patti LaBelle.