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In the new movie Cadillac Records Beyoncé transforms herself to play Etta James. There is already a bit of Oscar buzz for Miss Knowles. If she gets an Academy or Golden Globe nod, she will once again prove that a diva playing a diva in a film is almost certain to garner award attention. With the possible exception of Whitney Houston (who was, at least, nominated for a Razzie for her performance in The Bodyguard), anytime one of these queens plays a singer, an award nomination is not far behind. And so we present our list of nominees for the best divas playing divas on-screen.
 
10. Jennifer Lopez as Selena Quintanilla-Pérez in Selena
Before she was J. Lo, she played Selena, the Tejano pop sensation. Start with one rising star playing the part of another rising star, add in a tragic, senseless murder, and you've got yourself a Golden Globe nomination launching J. Lo onto the path of her own superstardom.

 
9. Liza Minnelli as Francine Evans in New York, New York
Who better to play a love-struck lounge singer in post WWII New York than Liza? The style. The flair. The pipes. Though Francine is fictional (and so the film's not a biopic in the true sense of the word), Liza portrays a singer who becomes an overnight sensation. And with a killer theme song like "New York, New York" and De Niro as her leading man, no one was surprised by Liza's Golden Globe nomination.

 
8. Bette Midler as Mary Rose Foster in The Rose
There's hardly a better way to win awards than playing a rock ’n’ roll diva battling drugs and alcohol. So Bette Midler was a shoe-in for her performance as the troubled singer (loosely based on Janis Joplin) in The Rose. The Divine Miss M got an Oscar nod and won the Golden Globe for her painfully fragile performance.

 
7. Barbra Streisand as Esther Hoffman A Star is Born
This was a big risk for Babs. Not only was she a diva playing a diva, but she also was taking on a remake of a film already conquered by the mother of all divas, Judy Garland. But Barbra reinvented the role of the star whose career takes off while her boyfriend's (Kris Kristofferson) crashes to a grinding halt. Streisand won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy. Plus she took home an Oscar for Original Song for "Evergreen."

 
6. Jessica Lange as Patsy Cline in Sweet Dreams
We cry every time we even think about this movie. A biopic about a beloved country singer who dies in a plane crash seems like classic Oscar bait. But Jessica Lange embodied the spirit of Patsy Cline, and she deservedly won a nomination for her portrayal of the tragic star whose life ended way too soon.

 
5. Angela Bassett as Tina Turner in What's Love Got To Do With It
A diva who survives and rises from the ashes of spousal abuse has nomination written all over it. Angela Bassett was so convincing in What's Love Got To Do With It that we had a coke hangover when we left the theater. We were exhausted just watching the portrayal of the physically and emotionally tortured Tina. Angela was completely deserving of her Golden Globe win, although we thought she should have shared it with Tina herself.

 
4. Jennifer Hudson as Effie White in Dreamgirls
Even though Beyoncé was the predicted Oscar winner for playing Deena Jones (loosely based on Supreme diva Diana Ross), newcomer Jennifer Hudson walked away with the statue for her portrayal of Effie White. This time the award was given to the diva underdog, who stepped out from the star's shadow and into the limelight.

 
3. Diana Ross as Billie Holiday in Lady Sings the Blues
The ultimate diva-playing-a-diva movie: Diana Ross as Billie Holiday. It was Diana's first film and in true diva form, when she heard both Diahann Carroll and Cicely Tyson had been offered the part, she went to Motown head Berry Gordy and demanded the role. Also in true diva form, she was nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe for Best Newcomer that year.

 
2. Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf in La Vie En Rose
Edith Piaf is more of a chanteuse than a diva. But either way, the story of a singer abandoned by her parents, raised by prostitutes, singing on the streets for her supper, struggling with addiction and dying at a young age is guaranteed to garner gold statues. Marion won The Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy and the Academy Award for Best Actress for her bone-chilling performance.

 
1. Sissy Spacek as Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner's Daughter
Sissy Spacek didn't want to play Loretta Lynn. She asked to sing her own songs, thinking once they heard her voice they wouldn't cast her. But Lynn personally selected her, and the rest is award history. Did it never occur to her that playing a country diva who marries at 13, has four kids by 17, and a hit record at 25 would get her an Oscar and a Golden Globe?

  
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