I love Queen Latifah. She’s just got such a positive energy to her, even if she does pick some crappy movies (ahem, “Taxi” and “Bringing Down the House.” For shame, Queen Latifah, for shame). Queen Latifah has finished filming “Mad Money,” a comedy about three women bank robbers with Katie Holmes and Diane Keaton. Yeah, doesn’t exactly sound like a winner. It’s Holmes’ first role since hooking up with Tom Cruise. Way to choose wisely. Turns out the Queen became pretty protective of Katie and baby Suri.

“Queen Latifah didn’t exactly turn into a ragin’ Cajun while in Louisiana shooting Mad Money, but she wasn’t thrilled with the overzealous paparazzi on the hunt for pics of her costar Katie Holmes and baby Suri. ‘There would be photographers trying to get real close, so you just sort of get protective, especially when someone has a baby,’ Latifah says of their time shooting in Shreveport. ‘I don’t know if it’s a woman thing, but we watched out for her.’

“Mad Money, a comedy about three women (Latifah, Holmes and Diane Keaton) who plot to rob the Federal Reserve Bank, is Holmes’ first acting gig since hooking up with Tom Cruise. It’s due to hit theaters in January. Despite being one of the most photographed women in the world, Latifah says Holmes couldn’t have been more real: ‘She’s cool. She’s really down to earth.’”

[From E! News]

Somehow that movie just seems like a bad idea for all involved. I really can’t even begin to figure out how Diane Keaton figures into it. Latifah was awesome in “Chicago” but seems to have more bad films lined up – she’s remaking “All of Me,” originally starring Lily Tomlin as a dying woman who accidentally transfers her soul to her lawyer, Steve Martin. Seems fraught with dumb humor, but who knows. If nothing else, Latifah is good at putting her own spin on things. She’s currently traveling, promoting her new album “Trav’lin Light.” Asked what she misses most about being away from home, she said she missed riding her motorcycle, which she can’t bring on tour. And apparently, she’s not worried about being followed by the paparazzi. “‘They can’t keep up with me. I lose them in a couple of minutes.’”

Picture Note by Jaybird: Here’s Queen Latifah performing with the cast of “Hairspray” on July 20th. Inset of Katie Holmes with Suri in Berlin this past summer. Images thanks to PR Photos.