Upbeat, Downbeat

And the beat goes on: Writer-director-actor Robert Townsend--who lampooned the film industry’s treatment of blacks in “Hollywood Shuffle”--will next explore the early ‘60s music biz with “The Five Heartbeats.”

It’s about the rise and fall of a fictional black singing group in an era when white singers often “covered” (re-recorded) tunes first done by blacks to get broader airplay on white-owned stations. In the current script, a hot Five Heartbeats’ tune is covered by the Five Horsemen--all blonds.

A Townsend spokeswoman said casting is under way.