Queen Latifah and Mo’Nique star in “Bessie”

The Empress reigns: Queen Latifah is feeling blue these days.

The multi-talented rapper, songwriter, actress, model, talk show host and comedian never seems to slow down, and as an icon and pioneer of women in hip hop, her latest project is one that must be dear to her heart. "Bessie," HBO's latest biopic, premieres Saturday, May 16, on the premium channel, with Queen Latifah as just one member of the stellar, star-studded cast.

Queen Latifah stars as "The Empress of the Blues," the legendary Bessie Smith. Probably the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and '30s, Smith is hailed as one of the greatest singers of her era and as one of the biggest influences on jazz music to this day. Much as, decades later, Queen Latifah would pioneer a place for women in hip hop, Smith established women as a force to be reckoned with in blues music.

As Smith, Queen Latifah will bring her life story to the screen, from busking on the streets of Chattanooga, Tennessee., as a way of supporting her impoverished, parentless family to the pinnacle of stardom.

And speaking of stars, Queen Latifah may be the headliner, but she's far from the only one who will be on screen, including a number of HBO alumni. Michael Kenneth Williams ("Boardwalk Empire"), Khandi Alexander ("Treme") and Tory Kittles ("True Detective") are all HBO returnees, and they're joined by Mo'Nique ("The Parkers"), Mike Epps ("The Hangover," 2009), Tika Sumpter ("The Haves and the Have Nots") and Oliver Platt ("The Big C").

Bessie Smith's legacy as "The Empress of the Blues" lives on to this day, and what better way to celebrate than with a telling of her life's story. "Bessie" airs Saturday, May 16, on HBO.

Musical pairings: The ACM Awards may be behind us, but that doesn't mean that the party's over -- far from it, in fact.

Of course, country music fans know that the party is never really finished, but the Academy of Country Music and CBS have a very special treat in store for them anyway. Although the awards show happened nearly a month ago, CBS is bringing a two-hour musical special to TV screens Friday, May 15.

"ACM Presents: Superstar Duets" will feature some of the greatest performances from the two-day 3rd Annual ACM Party for a Cause Festival that was held April 17 and 18 in Arlington, Texas.

The celebration of the best of country featured duets by some of the genre's biggest stars, and the best of the best performances from the two amazing days of music will be broadcast.

The duets feature pairings of some of the industry's legendary stalwarts alongside more recent hitmakers. Pairings at the festival included Dwight Yoakam with Sam Hunt, Clint Black with Joe Nichols, Alan Jackson with Cole Swindell, and Keith Urban with John Anderson.

That's quite the list of stars old and new, and it's barely a drop in the bucket of the sheer number of country music performers who were at the festival.

With tickets to the festival having sold out within minutes of becoming available, CBS's "ACM Presents: Superstar Duets" may be the only chance that most fans get to see some of their favorite artists performing side by side. Don't miss it when it airs Friday, May 15, on CBS.

World, meet girl: It may seem like ancient history now, but in the 1990s, Friday nights on ABC were the go-to destination for great TV.

The alphabet network called it its TGIF programming block, and it was filled to the brim with funny, family-friendly classics whose legacies live on to this day, so much so that one of its most enduring shows, "Full House," recently had a sequel ("Fuller House") announced by Netflix.

Unfortunately, "Fuller House" may be overshadowing the sequel to another TGIF hit. "Girl Meets World," the sequel to "Boy Meets World," premiered on Disney Channel last summer, and the second season of the family friendly comedy is set to premiere Monday, May 11.

"Girl Meets World" really is a direct sequel to its predecessor. Cory Matthews (Ben Savage, returning to his "Boy Meets World" role) is all grown up, has married his childhood sweetheart (Danielle Fishel, also from "Boy Meets World") and has a daughter, Riley (Rowan Blanchard, "Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D," 2011).

Just as "Boy Meets World" was Cory's coming-of-age tale, so the sequel is the same for Riley. The world of 2015 may be very different in some respects to the world of the 1990s, but a lot of the problems facing teenagers today are as old as time itself.

With other members of the original cast popping up in recurring roles, "Girl Meets World" blends the old with the new in a package that the whole family can enjoy. Season 2 premieres Monday, May 11, on Disney Channel.