Aretha Franklin wants the Oscar winner Halle Berry to portray her in the biopic that is planned to be adapted from the autobiography 'Aretha: From These Roots'. The plan was on for a long time now to adapt the life of the American legendary singer into films but it's only recently that things have started to fall into the right places.

London, November 08 : Singing legends Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder may perform at the 50th anniversary celebrations of record label Motown.

Late in 1960, Franklin was offered a contract with Motown but she had chosen to affiliate with Columbia Records.

However, the "Queen of Soul" was still connected to Motown artists and record executives, reports the BBC News.

Washington, Jun 9 : Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin, rapper Queen Latifah and hip-hop band TLC will be headlining The Mandela Day Celebration, scheduled to take place on July 18 in New York.

The three will be joined by Wyclef Jean, Cyndi Lauper, Baaba Maal and Josh Groban, among others, at the upcoming event.

They will be paying tribute to human rights icon Nelson Mandela, reports Contactmusic.

The Madison Square Garden concert marks the first time the U. S. will host a Mandela Day concert following successful all-star shows in the U. K., South Africa, Spain and Norway.

London, May 15 : Legendary soul musician Aretha Franklin is auctioning singing lessons to fans in a bid to raise money for charity.

Franklin''s has offered one-on-one vocal session to fans as an exclusive prize at charitybuzz. com, reports the Daily Star.

The profits from the auction will benefit the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights.

Stevie Wonder has also donated his harmonica for the sale.

London, Feb 13 : Legendary singer Aretha Franklin has decided to take a break from her career.

The 66-year-old soul queen has pulled out of an appearance at a U. S. jazz festival, scheduled to take place in Louisiana during April and May, insisting that she is planning a hiatus from singing.

"She decided not to do any more work for a while," the Daily Star quoted organiser Quint Davis as saying.

However, Franklin has to continue to support the annual festival.

Washington, January 24 : ‘Queen of Soul’ Aretha Franklin gifted U. S. President Barack Obama with the most inspiring sermons of her father, who was a civil rights leader.

The singer, who performed ‘My Country, Tis of Thee’ during Obama''s inauguration on January 20, expressed her belief that the new American President would enjoy reading through Rev. Dr. C. L. Franklin''s greatest moments addressing his congregation at Detroit, Michigan''s New Bethel Baptist Church.

Washington, Dec 18 : ''The Queen of Soul'' Aretha Franklin will be among the lucky artists who will perform at President-elect Barack Obama''s inauguration ceremony on January 20 in Washington DC.

The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies has announced the program for Obama''s swearing-in ceremony, reports CBS News.

And the event will see a number of musical greats and famous names performing on stage, which include Itzhak Perlman and Yo-Yo Ma other than Franklin.

Washington, Dec 8 : Aretha Franklin has been named the ''Greatest Singer Of All Time'' by The Rolling Stone magazine.

The 66-year-old soul singer, best known for hits such as Respect and Think, has topped the list of 100 singers.

"Aretha is a gift from God. When it comes to expressing yourself through song, there is no one who can touch her. She is the reason why women want to sing," singer Mary J. Blige said.

Washington, Nov 27 : Aretha Franklin is thinking of giving Terrence Howard the role of Smokey Robinson in an upcoming biopic about the Queen of Soul.

And from what the reports suggest, the Motown legend has approved of her choice.

While Franklin has not yet finalised who will play her in the movie, she is quite sure that she''s found her Smokey.

"I was talking to him (Howard) about playing Smokey (and) he said he would be delighted with a capital D,” Contactmusic quoted the R. E. S. P. E. C. T. singer as saying.