Remember a couple of months ago when Will Smith spoke about Jaden thinking about becoming an emancipated minor? Yeah, that didn’t sit very well with most of you, what with many people thinking both Willow and Jaden are a little too grown and exposed as it is. The exchange went something like this during an interview with Metro New York:

Jaden, what happens when you’re 18 and Will kicks you out of the house.

J: We’ll probably work together ‘till he retires and he probably won’t retire.

W: [Laughs] No we’ve been talking about, he’s been thinking about becoming an emancipated minor.

J: Just thoughts that pop into my head.

They made a movie about that — a girl divorced her parents.

J: Really!

Rent that, get some tips.

W: [Laughs] No, it’s not like that. More the idea that, I want him to have as much command and freedom if he is willing to accept responsibility. Those are two concepts that are inexorably bound. So he’s a very responsible young man so he’s entitled to the maximum freedom. [To Jaden] I said “inexorably.” You heard that? Someone Google that for Jaden.

But now that other publications went haywire with the information in the last few days, while sitting down with Ellen DeGeneres on her talk show to promote After Earth, they decided to clear the air when she asked what was the deal with that rumor:

Jaden: “See, here’s the thing you need to explain. I’m not going anywhere. The thing that people don’t get is everything at his house is free. So, I can get anything and everything that I want at his house, so I think I’ma be there for 20, 30 more years. But uh, he says that as soon as I have a movie that’s bigger than one of his movies, then I have to get my own house.”

Will: “Ain’t no reason to live at my house no more…[laughs]

Ellen: “So where did that come from?”

Will: “I think I made a joke in Tokyo. My baby boy is never leaving me, ever! But no, no emancipation for the Smith kids.”

Source: WENNN

From HelloBeautiful

I remember vividly the first time I came to know the name Jada Pinkett. It was in the last days of “A Different World,” when the “The Cosby Show ” spin-off sitcom set on a Historically Black College campus was struggling to keep its freshness as it transitioned in to the early 90′s. Beloved characters Dwayne Wayne & Whitley Gilbert were all grown-up and professional, and the show’s once authentic connection to college life, youth culture and energy was dwindling. Insert Jada Pinkett’s Lena James, a powerful pint-sized freshman who boomed with energy and breathed new life in to cast. She joins the cast as a freshman, Lena James, introducing her self to the common area with a not so humble solo step routine: “L to the E, to the N, to the A, Step off, you ain’t getting no play!” From that moment on, in my 9 year-old mind, I was pretty sure I wanted to be her. She exemplified the spirit of what largely came to define the creative Black experience in the 90′s: loud, colorful and unapologetically proud. That was 20 years ago.

I find myself on the phone with Jada on a Thursday afternoon about a month ago. She’s in the process of doing promotions for “Free Angela And All Political Prisoners,” the brilliant documentary directed by Shola Lynch.  After a friend shared the film with her, Jada came on as a producer using her hollywood muscle to help get the film distributed in select AMC theaters nationwide. What I thought would be the typical 15-minute movie junket interview (abruptly ended by publicists listening in on the other end), turned in to a 90-minute phone call with the real Mrs. Smith about everything from her early relationship with her husband to why people should lay off Rihanna.

In what #TeamBEautiful has deemed the Best.Jada.Interview.Ever., we speak with the stylish and brutally honest A-lister about about parenting, dating, marriage, Black hollywood, and why America loves to hate on little girls. Check out the first of our three part series.

HB: You get a lot of criticism on the way you parent, has it ever bothered you?

JPS: You know what, I get it. In people eyes, I could see how it could be radical. It’s so funny the more I sit back and think about it, I was raised like this. It’s so natural to me–my situation was different; I had a lot of freedom. My mother worked a lot and she also struggled with drugs. So I had a lot of freedom at 12. But I also paid attention to where freedom worked and where it didn’t. One of the freedoms that I had was hair and clothes and how it completely [helped to] develop my self-esteem and sense of worth. And how, if I could dye my hair blue and shave it on the sides and deal with people remarks or smirks while I am walking to school, I’m good. To be able to stand tall in my own personal convictions for who I am and what I decided I wanted to be. And I was given that at a very early age. So by the time I got to 18 and I came out to LA, there was nobody out here that was going to pull me out of my own Jada game because I was very clear about who I am. You aren’t going to sucker me into to doing some crazy Isht I didn’t want to do. I didn’t have someone dictating to me along on what I need to be, and then at 18 struggling to figure out–I was already there. And the difference I see in Willow at 12 is, she’s got a loving father and the truth of the matter is that a girl’s emotional development is really strongly developed based on her relationship with her father. I just think of parenting at this: I don’t believe until waiting until a child is 18 to throw them to the world. I’d rather have kids in my house with me, building out certain freedoms as you go, and being there with them in my house while they are exercising these certain freedom so that we can be in the process in these freedoms together. When my children are 18, they will be fine. I don’t have to worry about them. Life starts when you pop out of the womb, and that’s what I believe!

Read more at HelloBeautiful.com

PNP/ WENN.com

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

If your panties are still in a bunch over the way Will and Jada Smith live in holy open matrimony, you might as well sit tight, because this latest detail about their approach to parenting is likely to get you riled up all over again. By now we’ve heard umpteenth explanations for why Willow can change her hair color every other day and Jaden can jet set out of the country with one of the Kardashians, but it seems the Smiths may be thinking about giving their eldest even more freedom than he already has. Essentially, at 14 years old he may become his own “man” and head of household.

In an interview with Metro New York, the father and son pair discuss their new film together “After Earth” and inevitably the conversation turned to Will’s parenting style, which seems to be much more hands off from the character he plays in the new flick. Here’s a bit of the Q&A:

When was the last time you were punished, Jaden?

W: We don’t do punishment. The way that we deal with our kids is, they are responsible for their lives. Our concept is, as young as possible, give them as much control over their lives as possible and the concept of punishment, our experience has been — it has a little too much of a negative quality. So when they do things — and you know, Jaden, he’s done things — you can do anything you want as long as you can explain to me why that was the right thing to do for your life.

J: It works pretty well.

But most teenagers aren’t naturally introspective. Jaden, do you find yourself asking yourself deep questions about your behavior and acting accordingly?

J: Yeah. Other teenagers go to parties and sometimes I be like, “Why am I here right now?” And most of the time, I just leave right then and there. Some things I don’t like to do, that other teenagers do. Everyone thinks that since you make movies, you go to parties, and I like to party, but not normal teenage parties.

Jaden, what happens when you’re 18 and Will kicks you out of the house.

J: We’ll probably work together ‘till he retires and he probably won’t retire.

W: [Laughs] No we’ve been talking about, he’s been thinking about becoming an emancipated minor.

J: Just thoughts that pop into my head.

They made a movie about that — a girl divorced her parents.

J: Really!

Rent that, get some tips.

W: [Laughs] No, it’s not like that. More the idea that, I want him to have as much command and freedom if he is willing to accept responsibility. Those are two concepts that are inexorably bound. So he’s a very responsible young man so he’s entitled to the maximum freedom. [To Jaden] I said “inexorably.” You heard that? Someone Google that for Jaden.

So, it’s not like Jaden will be out on the streets under a viaduct with a sign begging for food if he’s emancipated, but at 14, there’s still so much time for him to be an adult. Why the rush? As a matter of fact, he’ll legally be one in a little over three years after he turns 15 this July. While I absolutely think children should be rewarded with freedom when they are responsible, the responsibility that comes along with being an adult isn’t always rewarding. Jaden should enjoy the last few years left of being a carefree child.

What do you think about allowing a 14-year-old to emancipate himself from you if he’s responsible?

Source: WENN

From Essence

Jada Pinkett Smith is taking another shot at addressing the persistent rumors that she and hubby Will Smith have an open marriage. The actress took to her Facebook page this past weekend to comment on the public’s preoccupation with the goings-on in her bedroom because, you know, we have to know. First and foremost, wrote Jada, is “trust and love.” That would include agreeing that one doesn’t “own” the other.

“Do we believe that ownership is the reason someone should ‘behave?’” she asked “Do we believe that all the expectations, conditions, and underlying threats of “you better act right or else” keep one honest and true?”

Jada added that she trusts Will, and he the same. “Will and I BOTH can do WHATEVER we want, because we TRUST each other to do so,” she wrote. “This does NOT mean we have an open relationship…this means we have a GROWN one.”

So we get the whole bit about Will and Jada’s marriage being none of our business, (because, really, it isn’t) but her open letter has us thinking about the expectations we so often bring into relationships. How many of us can really say that we allow our significant other to be who they really want to be?

Read more at Essence.com

FayesVision/WENN.com

In an interview with Wonderland magazine, the very colorful and creative Jaden Smith discussed his upbringing, his sister (“It’s really fun working with her because she kind of gets my vision.”), and whether or not he’s getting cozy with Kim Kardashian’s little sister. With all he’s got going on, you almost forget that Smith is only 14.

From the outside looking in, it seems like it might have been overwhelming growing up as the son of two huge movie stars. And for the youngest Smith son, it initially was, especially when, as Wonderland noted, people cried and screamed when they saw his father. However, he says that he’s been extremely lucky to have the family he does. And not just because they’re extremely ballerific:

“I saw his first movie when I was one. I mean, I went to premieres before I could talk. I’m really happy and fortunate, and thankful that I can get brought up in a family as lucky as mine.”

The young’n also talked about his connection to Kylie Jenner, the 15-year-old model and little sister of Kim Kardashian, but says that they’re just friends. Good friends, but just friends. Jenner actually surprised the actor/rapper by popping up in London while he was out there doing his interview with Wonderland and promo touring for his clothing line and more:

“I was in LA, we were all hanging out. Then I went to New York and she came too, then she came here and surprised me, so that’s pretty baller. She’s one of my best friends. It’s pretty awesome.”

Image Source: WENN.com

Tia Norfleet

Tia Norfleet made her mark in black history by becoming the first black race car driver. But then she made us all look bad when she was kicked out of NASCAR for lying about her identity to cover up a few drug and theft charges and faking her NASCAR racing license.

Tia also had a criminal past she tried to apologize for, saying:

“People make mistakes in their life and move forward and make a better way. I think things that I’ve done, people make mistakes, as a child, as a teen, and basically, it’s things that you may not be proud of but you move forward and you help others. And they may be in the same situation and you can relate and they can relate to you, and you help them as much as possible.”

But we still feel bad for all of the little black girls who looked up to Tia before they found out that she was a criminal and a liar.

Source: WENN

Remember earlier in the month when Jada Pinkett-Smith opened up about her relationship with Will Smith to HuffPost Live? To some, it came off like she was saying that Big Willy is allowed to to run the streets because he is “his own man,” when in reality, she was saying that she can’t put a leash on him and control him in their partnership:

“I’ve always told Will, ‘You can do whatever you want as long as you can look at yourself in the mirror and be okay. Because at the end of the day, Will is his own man. I’m here as his partner, but he is his own man. He has to decide who he wants to be, and that’s not for me to do for him. Or vice versa.”

Feeling like some took her words and ran into the opposite direction with them, Pinkett-Smith took to her beloved Facebook page on Sunday and set the record straight one more time. Not that she needed to, but hey…:

Open marriage?

Let me first say this, there are far more important things to talk about in regards to what is happening in the world than whether I have an open marriage or not. I am addressing this issue because a very important subject has been born from discussions about my statement that may be worthy of addressing.

The statement I made in regard to, “Will can do whatever he wants,” has illuminated the need to discuss the relationship between trust and love and how they co-exist.

Do we believe loving someone means owning them? Do we believe that ownership is the reason someone should “behave”? Do we believe that all the expectations, conditions, and underlying threats of “you better act right or else” keep one honest and true? Do we believe that we can have meaningful relationships with people who have not defined nor live by the integrity of his or her higher self? What of unconditional love? Or does love look like, feel like, and operate as enslavement? Do we believe that the more control we put on someone the safer we are? What of TRUST and LOVE?

Should we be married to individuals who can not be responsible for themselves and their families within their freedom? Should we be in relationships with individuals who we can not entrust to their own values, integrity, and LOVE…for us???

Here is how I will change my statement…Will and I BOTH can do WHATEVER we want, because we TRUST each other to do so. This does NOT mean we have an open relationship…this means we have a GROWN one.

Siempre,

J

Oooooh child, whatever they’re doing, open marriage or not, is their business. As long as they’re happy and their family is happy and healthy, there’s no need for any more lengthy notes or interview questions about it. Do you, Jada, and continue to do you, because you’re too fab to have to continue to explain the details of your love.

What do you think of her statement?

Source: WENN

For years, rumors of Hollywood power couple, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith maintaining an open marriage have been circulating. Whispers have implied that Jada has a thing for the ladies and Will has his eye on the fellas, and that the pair really just have a mutual understanding, which is why they’ve been able to stay together for so long. Public figures are subject to have all kinds of wild and outlandish things being said about them, so it’s sometimes difficult for the public to decipher what’s real from what’s not. Either way, Jada doesn’t seem to be allowing anything to slow her stride. In a recent, rather interesting interview with Huff Post Live’s Marc Lamont Hill, the 41-year-old beauty somewhat addressed the rumor that she and Will are in an open relationship.

When asked by Hill whether or not the rumors were true, Jada responded:

“That’s the most persistent one [rumor]. I think people get that idea because Will and I are very relaxed with one another. And I think how I answered questions in the past like, ‘Girl, you know, what would you do if he came home and this and that and that?’ or ‘Being married to a big superstar like Will, how do you deal with all the women?’ I’ve always told Will, ‘You can do whatever you want, as long as you can look at yourself in the mirror and be okay.”

“At the end of day, Will is his own man. I’m here as his partner, but he is his own man. He has to decide who he wants to be and that’s not for me to do for him or vice versa.”

It really seems that Jada’s well-crafted answer was given with intent of allowing people to assume what they want. While one person could perceive her answer as an admission of carrying on an open relationship, someone else may take it as Jada simply expressing that she refuses to drive herself crazy over the actions of another person. Things did, however, get a bit interesting when Hill noted that the couple’s “understanding” sounds very similar to the one shared between Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee.

“I think that just comes from respect. You’re in a partnership, but that you also are an individual as well,” Jada responds.

And there you have it… sort of.

Skip to the next page to watch Jada’s interview. What are your thoughts on her response to the rumors?

Credit: WENN

From Essence

Sidra Smith, also known as actress Tasha Smith’s equally ebullient twin sister, is the producer behind the thrilling new documentary on political activist Angela Davis.Free Angela and All Political Prisoners explores the explosive months Davis spent on trial for murder, kidnapping and criminal conspiracy charges in 1972.

We spoke with Smith about her involvement in the Shola Lynch-directed project, finally getting to meet Davis in Toronto, and how she got Jada Pinkett Smith (with Will Smith and Jay-Z through their entertainment companies, Overbook Entertainment and Roc Nation respectively) involved.

ESSENCE: Did Shola Lynch come to you with this project?

Read what Sidra Smith had to say on Essence.com.