They're making a biopic about Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. Biggie Smalls, the Notorious B.I.G., and given the special nature of Biggie's sizable presence — he was over six feet tall and weighed close to 300 pounds at the time of his death, at age twenty-four — an open casting call seemed to be in order. In an online plea for auditioners, Voletta Wallace, the rapper's mother and one of the film's producers, says, "Anyone who felt that they can fill that shoe, can do that swagger, can try the lyrical tone, I’m welcoming them." About a hundred candidates showed up. As reporter Melena Ryzik puts it, they came "on foot, by Escalade or late-model sedan, men of all ages and backgrounds — but mostly one body type." They also came from all over, though in keeping with Biggie's roots, a go-Brooklyn vibe was apparently evident among the locals: "If I don’t get it," one contender told Ryzik, "I hope somebody gets it from Brooklyn." — Phil Nugent