In the cutthroat world of show business, sometimes it’s comforting to have a familiar face and someone you can trust as part of the team. These 15 celebrities left their fate and careers into the hands of their parents and it served them well — very well.

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The Kardashians

Perhaps the mother of all momagers, Kris Jenner helped her Kardashian daughters become household names. In addition to launching the careers of Kim, Khloe and Kourtney as reality television stars, the Kardashians have segued into the world of fashion design. Ready to have the limelight to shine on her, Jenner has inked a deal for her own talk show. In 2011, it was reported that she was worth an estimated $20 million.

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Well, 2014 is about to be a big year for Jamie Foxx. He’ll go from playing the bad guy in the epic The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which will debut next summer, to possibly being the good guy, playing a variation of the Daddy Warbucks character in the new Annie remake, which will come out next Christmas.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Foxx is currently in negotiations to play a character named Benjamin Stacks, the new version (and black version) of the wealthy Daddy Warbucks character from the famous comic strip. The character takes in Annie, who has already been confirmed as Academy Award-nominated actress and Beasts of the Southern Wild star, Quvenzhane Wallis.

According to Shadow And Act, for a while there, there was a rumor that Justin Timberlake of all people would actually play the character, but that was shut down by Sony as just that–a rumor. But currently it has been confirmed that Foxx was reached out to, and the actor/singer and his people are working on locking that opportunity down. The movie is being produced by Will and Jada-Pinkett Smith, and of course, their daughter Willow was originally cast to play Annie, but as papa Will told the world back in February, she just wanted to have a normal childhood, just for a little while:

“Willow was supposed to be doing ‘Annie,’ we got Jay-Z to do the movie, got the studio to come in and Willow had such a difficult time on tour with ‘Whip my Hair’ and she said, ‘You know Daddy, I don’t think so’ and I said, ‘Baby, hold up! I said no,no,no, listen, you’ll be in New York with all of your friends and Beyoncé will be there. You will be singing and dancing,’ and she looked at me and said, ‘Daddy, I have a better idea, how about I just be 12.’”

Jay-Z is still behind the project as well as a producer, and Will Gluck has been brought in as director (Easy A, Friends With Benefits).

We’re sure that Foxx will bring it in the comic strip-turned-musical-turned movie, even if his character is originally supposed to be a 50-something-year-old, bald white male. And the fact that he can really sing helps too.

What do you think about Foxx possibly coming in as the Daddy Warbucks character?

Source: WENN

Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake’s highly anticipated “Legends of the Summer” tour is a pretty big deal. So much of a big deal that fans are willing to shell out big bucks for the high priced tickets, which according to Hip Hop DX max out at nearly $300 for a non-VIP ticket. Those prices certainly serve as a reflection of the times in which we currently live. Ask anyone who’s been to the movies within the past six months and they’ll tell you that the price of being entertained seems to increase with each passing year. Musician Kid Rock, however, finds this to be unreasonable and recently voiced his disapproval of Jay-Z, J.T. and other entertainers for their expensive admission charges, even referring to them as “robbery” during an interview with CNN’s Piers Morgan.

“It’s garbage. It’s highway robbery,” he told Pierce.

He went on to say that he consider both Jay and Justin friends, but he disagrees with the pricey admission fees.

“I don’t care who you are. I would consider both of them in the circle of friends in the business, but I don’t agree with it. It’s gotten out of hand. The price of concerts, the price of entertainment period. Whether it’s a sporting event, going to the movies, buy a soda there, whatever…I’ve always tried to keep prices [to] what I think are fair. And I’ve always said I’m proud that I can walk around with my head held high and look someone in the eye knowing that I haven’t taken an unhonest dollar from a working man. But how can we make it better?”

Kid Rock also revealed that he’s been working closely with Live Nation to lower the costs of tickets to his concerts so that they are affordable to everyone, even if it means he has to take a $50,000 – $100,000 pay cut. This summer fans will be able to see him during his “$20 Best Night Ever” tour for the low price of $20.00. He expressed that he prides himself in being able to say that he hasn’t taken an “unhonest dollar from a working man.”

His efforts are definitely admirable, but as long as fans continue to dish out the big bucks, it seems that these prices will only continue to soar.

Turn the page to watch a clip of his interview. What do you think of Kid Rock voicing his opinion on the rising cost of entertainment? 

(Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)

In case you need a “Reminder”: “men lie, women lie, numbers don’t,” and while HOV may have been talking about himself – the same can be said about Justin Timberlake right now. It’s been seven years since he introduced us to “Future Sex/LoveSounds” and now he’s made a strong comeback with his new album, “The 20/20 Experience.” In a recent interview on the CNN special, The Justin Timberlake Experience, Timberlake’s manager Johnny Wright revealed the triple-threat (y’all know you like him on SNL) took twenty days to make the entire album.

Talk about a quickie! Heck – bills are due in thirty days and this man has sold shy of one million albums in half that time (album dropped on March 15) which begs the question, why the rush?

JT is undeniably a strong talent, but why did he decide to spit out an album so quickly after multiple movie projects and marrying longtime girlfriend, Jessica Biel just a few months ago? Is he that tired of being a newlywed, or was there a third party pushing him? According to The Hollywood Reporter (THR), Justin made a deal with concert giant Live Nation that may have forced his vocals.

According to sources, Live Nation reportedly gave Timberlake $20 million back in 2009 on promises of a future tour – and as some years have passed since the deal, it may be time for the singer-turned-actor to uphold his commitment. This might explain why the creative process took only 20 days, with the album premiering just three months after announcing it back in January 2013 (he released “Suit and Tie” that same month).

And what about this newfound friendship with Jay-Z? Did they really have so much fun collaborating that they felt the need to go on the ‘Legends of Summer’ tour together this year? A source for Live Nation told THR:

“Live Nation always envisioned an arena tour for Justin Timberlake. After their successful studio collaboration, Justin and Jay-Z approached us, and we are thrilled to promote their stadium tour.”

That’s a very interesting statement considering Jay-Z made his own deal with Live Nation back in 2008 for a cool $150 million that would give him $5 million annually to support his label endeavors, $25 million upfront and an estimated $10 million per album (three album minimum requirement). In return, Jay left Def Jam and has touring commitments of his own which might not make this newfound bromance genuine.

Maybe it’s all a coincidence. Or maybe Justin did make a quick album to fulfill his obligations to Live Nation. If he did, are you mad at him, or does it not matter? Do you like The 20/20 Experience?

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After a troubling last few weeks, which included being hospitalized in intensive care, Lil Wayne has some good news. According to Billboard, the rapper should earn the highest debut on next week’s Billboard 200 chart. His new album, “I Am Not a Human Being II,”  is on course to arrive at the No. 2 spot. Industry observers say the set could sell around 190,000 to 210,000 copies by the end of the tracking week on Sunday, March 31.

Despite the great sales, however, Lil Wayne probably won’t knock the current No. 1 artist off the chart. As we reported, Justin Timberlake is back like he had never left the music scene. His album, The “20/20 Experience,”  landed at No. 1 slot when it launched with 968,000 sales, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Lil Wayne has a chart-topping history. His last studio release, Tha Carter V, debuted at No. 1 with 964,000 in 2011. Prior to that, his first I Am Not a Human Being album launched at No. 2 with 110,000 in 2010 as a digital-only release. Then it jumped to No. 1 two weeks later (125,000) once the physical CD arrived in stores.

Lil Wayne will have some tough competition this time around. Not only against Timberlake, but he also be up against Blake Shelton, Depeche Mode, the Strokes, OneRepublic and Alan Jackson.

Are you going to buy Lil Wayne’s new CD?

Tom Munro

I was was in college the last time Justin Timberlake put out an album, and as I watched him do movie after movie, both comedy, drama and action, I was pissed. “Justin needs to quit playing and come out with a new album!” I said that mess for years and for years he made it clear that getting back in the studio wasn’t his first priority. He had always wanted to try his hand at acting and he was finally getting the opportunity, so music would have to wait.

And fans waited, that is until last Tuesday, when he finally put back on a suit and tie and released The 20/20 Experience. Six years since his last release, the album was met with a great response, as I reported last night, almost pulling in a million copies sold in a week. It was clear that the long wait had done Justin some good. He didn’t come back sloppy, and those who are fans, whether they initially liked “Suit & Tie,” were lauding the new release on social media. Time apart made the fans fonder.

I’ve always felt that a break from some of our favorite artists would do everyone involved some good, but we live in a time where artists in the game want to be overexposed. They are on every form of social media every day, they are on every magazine cover saying the same things in every interview, they are on every person’s single as a feature, and they put out a new album one after the other, each leaving you to say, “Eh, you know, it was alright.” Why? Blame it on the very obvious fear that if they actually take a break, people will forget about them.

They have reason to feel this way, but it should be more of a fear for new artists. You’ve just built your brand, gathered some fans, thrilled people with your music. If you disappear for even a hot minute, chances are, people won’t be as enthusiastic when you come back. See a Chingy or Ashanti for example as people who lost steam around their sophomore efforts after taking a break. Even musicians who used to have droves of fans have come back after a hiatus, tried to return to them with a whole new sound, and wound up flopping. However, it’s just my belief that when you have real talent and true fans, you shouldn’t be afraid to go away, live life and come back when you’re actually ready to make GOOD music. Keyword: good.

There are way too many people who don’t say no to to a new album or new feature and because they don’t give themselves the opportunity to live life and write music based on their experiences, the output is stale and a bunch of the same. They’re singing somebody else’s songs, selling sex, drugs and fashion labels instead of substance. Take Lil Wayne for example. How many times can we hear you get on your own song or someone else’s and talk about your appreciation for the nether regions of a woman? Such a radical difference from his “Best Rapper Alive”days circa 2006-2009. He and those who listen to his music know that he’s not really feeling it anymore.

Breaks give very talented artists the chance to cultivate their skills. Go learn how to play an instrument. Write until your hands get sore. Watch life happen around you instead of fiending so much to be a part of every moment, of every thing and doing the most to make sure people see it. Justin stepped back and finally made the time to try something new, and while the results weren’t the greatest thing ever as far as being an actor, he also got to meet a new love interest, get married, gain some new insight and be clear about what he wanted to do musically when he came back. Maybe that’s why his album had no hint of the dance-pop every artist thinks that people are only willing to buy nowadays (You too Usher…damn you David Guetta!). It gave us some time to miss him instead of thinking, as with most musicians out now, “Can they sit down somewhere!?”

If you have true fans and real talent, you can come and go from public view as you please, so for those doing the most right now, use all that money to take a vacay and LIVE. Give us time to get excited about your work and talents once again.

As for those with no real talent…Hey, you better not go anywhere because irrelevancy could be waiting for you when you come back…

Source: AP Images

Justin Timberlake hasn’t moved units this large since he was rocking a perm and doing the stomp dance in ‘N Sync. Matter of fact, aside from Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and maybe Eminem, nobody is selling many copies of anything, let alone going damn near platinum in a week. That should tell you something. Well, three things:

The album is VERY good.

Promotion for the album was also VERY good.

And the fans were tired of waiting for some new music–and they finally got it.

Credit: Supplied by WENN

From The Grio

What kind of former child performer can sell a million records in a matter of days?

Such is a week in the whirlwind life of Justin Timberlake, the megastar every woman wants and every guy surely wants to be. An anomaly in more ways than one, the man is officially embarked on a path to world domination.

The birth of Timberlake-Mania

From the gilded gramophones of the Grammy Awards to the laugh-filled set of Saturday Night Live, the world’s most famous former boy-band mate and Mouseketeer is both in your ears and your face. Timberlake-Mania is racing ahead at warp speed, not unlike sales of his new album The 20/20 Experience. Timberlake’s third solo effort threatens to break one million sales after just a few days in circulation.  All of this comes less than six months after tying the knot with his longtime girlfriend, actress Jessica Biel.

Read more at TheGrio.com.

If we’re lucky to make it to the last lap of our lives with that special someone still by our sides, there’s bound to be a fascinating story to tell. This is what Justin Timberlake’s illustrating in his latest video, “Mirrors,” the story of a young couple who grow to be an old one. MTV News explains that the video chronicles the struggles this couple, Justin’s grandparents, William and Sadie Bomar, have faced and even how one partner carries the memory of her husband with her after he’s gone. (You may notice that the couple are in the same room but they never touch each other.) It’s a reference to Justin’s grandfather whose failing health prevented him from attending his wedding to Jessica Biel. The video is not your average R&B singer in the club type of thing, it tells the very touching story. It’s dedicated to the couple, who were married for 63 years. Their names appear at the beginning of the video.

We don’t see an appearance from Justin until the end when the woman’s wedding ring falls off of her finger and Justin catches it, slipping it onto his symbolizing, perhaps, that he’ll carry on their legacy in his own marriage. Beautiful.

Check it out and let us know what you think. And if this is the first time you’re hearing this song, let us know how you felt about it as well.

Credit: Shutterstock

If you’re an R&B/Hip-Hop music lover, 2013 is gearing up to be an exciting year for music. Although no album is official until it actually hits the market, let’s keep our fingers crossed that most of these do. Here are nine albums to be released this year.