Todd Williamson/Invision/AP

Even a 12 year old knows when to take a step back from a job to just smell the roses and enjoy life. Willow Smith recently backed out of a big gig to star as Annie in a film produced by Marcy Media (Jay-Z’s company) and Overlook Entertainment. Overlook announced that Willow Smith would not be starring as Annie in the upcoming film because she was too old (she is now 12 and not the nine-year-old she was when it was first proposed). But her dad Will quickly set the record straight letting everyone know that no Smith ever gets canned and that there were other factors that lead to Willow’s departure from the film.

In an interview at Philadelphia’s Temple University, Mr. Smith stated:

“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,’” he recalled. “And I said, ‘Baby, hold up!’ I said, ‘No, no, no, listen, you’ll be in New York with all of your friends and Beyonce 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?’”

Willow gets big props for being mature enough to know her limitations and to do something about it no matter what the pressures were from her parents, Jay-Z or anyone else. That’s more than I can say for many child actors or musicians that keep pushing themselves until they end up with a drug addiction or a deadbeat baby daddy and two kids.

Moreover, I think we can all learn something from little Willow. Many Americans spend so much time at work and thinking about work that even when they aren’t at work, their jobs can have a negative impact on their personal lives and lead to complete burnout.

The American Psychological Association’s Dr. David Ballard, described to Forbes magazine what job burnout is: “An extended period of time where someone experiences exhaustion and a lack of interest in things, resulting in a decline in their job performance… A lot of burnout really has to do with experiencing chronic stress.”

I can totally see where Dr. Ballard is coming from. Recently I allowed myself to be put under so much pressure at work that I became stressed and suffered from chronic tension headaches. At the time I wasn’t eating right, getting about four hours of sleep, and drinking boat loads of coffee. It all caught up to me.

Professionals at the Mayo Clinic say you should ask yourself the following questions to figure out if you are experiencing job burnout:

• Have you become cynical or critical at work?
• Do you drag yourself to work and have trouble getting started once you arrive?
• Have you become irritable or impatient with co-workers, customers or clients?
• Do you lack the energy to be consistently productive?
• Do you lack satisfaction from your achievements?
• Do you feel disillusioned about your job?
• Are you using food, drugs or alcohol to feel better or to simply not feel?
• Have your sleep habits or appetite changed?
• Are you troubled by unexplained headaches, backaches or other physical complaints?

To combat burnout Dr. Ballard suggests that you take time to relax, cultivate a rich non-work life, and get plenty of sleep, among other things. I’d add that if these things fail due to the nature of the job or the company you work for, and it’s impacting your health, find a way to transition out of that job. Sometimes you have to know when you hold em’ and know when to fold em’, and your health is your number one priority. You might think you will lose money if you leave your job, but you will lose even more money if you are laid up in a hospital somewhere suffering from a medical condition as a result of stress.

Although we might not see much more of her until she concludes her hiatus, we should thank Willow Smith. Not only did she teach us how to whip our hair, she taught us how to put ourselves first and understand that sometimes you have to throw the deuces to a good opportunity to give yourself a chance to enjoy life.

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.”

Dominic Chan/WENN.com

From Essence

If you’ve ever had to remove a negative comment from one of your social media streams, then you know how pungent the effects of cyberbullying can be. Willow Smith has decided to take action against these kind of online attacks by teaming up with Seventeen Magazine’s “Delete Digital Drama” campaign.

The 12-year-old-singer will be one of the celeb activists behind the initiative which seeks to empower young women to disengage from cyberbullying by deleting harsh and mean comments they see on their Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages. This announcement comes just days after her mother, Jada Pinkett Smith, released a lengthy statement about online bullying towards young celebs via her Facebook page.

You can check the rest out over on Essence. Perhaps this is the reason why Jada started talking about online bullying – kind of pre-promoting Willow’s latest endeavor.

Have you or anyone you know ever been cyber bullied?

Source: Facebook

Back when Jada and Will Smith tied the knot, she realized that not only was she gaining a husband, but also a son, whom she would have to love and cherish as if he were her own. She recognized that with that child, came his mother, Will’s ex-wife, Sheree Fletcher and she knew that for the benefit of everyone in that family, she would have to form a decent relationship with Sheree. The actress posted a tough love, open letter to her Facebook page, addressing that very subject. She doesn’t exactly say who the letter is intended for, but it seems that anyone going through a similar experience can benefit from it. Check out the letter below.

“A Letter to a Friend:
Blended families are NEVER easy, but here’s why I don’t have a lot of sympathy for your situation because… we CHOOSE them. When I married Will, I knew Trey was part of the package…Period! If I didn’t want that…I needed to marry someone else. Then I learned if I am going to love Trey…I had to learn to love the most important person in the world to him…his mother. And the two of us may not have always LIKED each other… but we have learned to LOVE each other.

I can’t support any actions that keep a man from his children of a previous marriage. These are the situations that separate the women from the girls. Your behavior is that of an insecure child who needs to recognize her own weaknesses that MUST be strengthened to take on the task at hand. We can’t say we love our man and then come in between him and his children. THAT’S selfishness…NOT love. WOMAN UP… I’ve been there…I know. My blended family made me a giant… Taught me so much about love, commitment and it has been the biggest ego death to date. It’s time you let your blended family make you the giant you truly are.”

Jada is kicking major knowledge.

What do you think of her letter?

Jazmine Denise is a news writer for Madame Noire. Follow her on Twitter @jazminedenise.

Many were thrilled to learn that the young and talented Willow Smith would be starring in the Jay-Z affiliated Annie remake. Unfortunately, that won’t be happening. Last week, news broke that the youngest Smith child would no longer be starring in the production due to the Sony Pictures believing that she had “outgrown” the part and was now too old to play a nine-year-old Annie. Will Smith, however had a fairly different story as to why his baby girl pulled out of the remake, reports Necole Bitchie. Check out what he had to say.

“In the past 18 months,  I have spent a lot of time focusing on the emotional aspect of my life and my family. In 2010, in one year, our family had the ‘Karate Kid.’ we had ‘Whip my Hair,’ we had Hawthorne, and at the end of the year, we did the Nobel Concert when Barack Obama won his Nobel Peace Prize. Don’t be clapping yet, that wears you out. The thing that had become very clear to me is the danger of a material world and focusing so hard on coming up with money or a house or a job. You focus so hard on those things, and sometimes you can lose focus on why you are doing it in the first place. The only reason to do any of that is to have love,” he expressed.

It seems that Willow needed a break from show biz.

“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.’”

“I’m really learning through Willow the necessity that we have to snap ourselves back and refocus on the emotional needs of the people that we love. Someone’s emotional needs can be very very different from your dreams and what you think they should be doing and where they are supposed to be.”

Since the success of “Whip My Hair”, Willow was certainly pushed into the spotlight and one can only imagine how much pressure that could be on a 12-year-old. It seems that she has made a wise decision.

What do you think of Willow’s decision to pull out?

Photo courtesy of WENN

Jazmine Denise is a news writer for Madame Noire. Follow her on Twitter @jazminedenise

Apega/WENN.com

I can’t say that I was really pumped about Willow starring in the remake of “Annie.” I was sure that she was going to be adorable in it, and I surely would have supported it when it came out, but it wasn’t something I was awaiting with baited breath. So  I guess I won’t be losing any sleep now that this celeb kid is out. Sony Pictures recently announced that Willow has “outgrown the role.” Development for the picture began when Willow was 9 and now that she’s 12, and something of a rocker chick, I’m sure it’s not good for her brand.

I don’t know if this was Willow’s idea, but you have to appreciate a girl who is autonomous at such a young age and is taking responsibility for her career.

I’m sure Willow would have been great in it, but hopefully now some other little black girl will get the chance to shine. If Quevenzhané isn’t too busy, then maybe she can swing it.

The film, which will be produced by Jay-Z’ Marcy Media and Will and Jada’s Overbrook Entertainment, is set to start shooting this fall.

Are you surprised Willow is passing on this role? Is it a good look for her? Who should play the role?

Gone are the days where Willow Smith was a young girl who liked to wear funky clothes and sing about whipping hair and being a 21st century girl. Somewhere along the line (maybe it was the pressures of turning 12…?), baby girl left the dance tracks behind for more introspective songs that speak on why people do and don’t understand her, and the struggles of just being Willow. First was “I Am Me,” and now, that’s exactly what this new song, “Sugar & Spice” tries to do. Sampling Radiohead’s “Codex,” Willow goes for a more moody sound where she sings about the want for silence from “the monsters” under her bed, and probably those who always have something to say about who she is and how she lives her young life. Seeing as how critics question her mother’s parenting skills on the daily because she lives so freely, and because people talk crazy about her like they do adults, I can see why she would write material like this. And honestly, the song is not bad at all.

If you hadn’t figured it out by now, Willow can actually sing very well. She doesn’t have a heavy powerhouse voice, but the girl can hold a note better than some of the people calling themselves singers in the game right now. For future success in the industry though, I think she might just need better songs, ones that aren’t so cliche and doing their hardest to follow in the footsteps of “Whip Your Hair” success. And while I hope her future tracks aren’t this emotional (I mean dang, she IS just 12, and if she thinks ish is hard now, she hasn’t seen anything until she becomes a full blown teenager), “Sugar and Spice” is actually good to me. In fact, I’ve played it multiple times today just because. But give the song a chance and let us know what you think below.

What do you think? Pass or play?

WENN

If this year has taught us anything, it’s this my friends: Box braids/Poetic Justice braids/ Patra braids are back! Woohoo! For those of us out in these streets looking to whip some hair that’s not itchy and will help us protect our strands from harsh weather (if you don’t get them too tight, they should protect your hair in general), the return of box braids has been welcomed with open arms. Especially by the African women who sit on 125th street in Harlem looking to put some braids on a fro they assume you want to hide. And while we love box braids here at MN, so do the celebs. From the ones who made the look hot years and years ago to the ones trying to keep it hot in the present, they’re everywhere. But who is rocking them right and who isn’t? Let’s take a look!

From Style Blazer

Fur is back in style this fall/winter season, not like it ever really ever left! If you are looking to stay warm this season you can turn to these celebs for a little inspiration. They definitely aren’t scared of PETA.

For more, head over to StyleBlazer.com.

More on Madame Noire!

• From Dropping It Like It’s Hot To Oscars: 10 Celebrities Who Got Their Video Vixen On Before Making It Big (Fellas Too!)
• Name It & Claim It: The Importance of Speaking Your Dreams and Desires Into Existence
• It’s Women Like Kiana Howell And Makeeba Graham Who Make It Hard For All Of Us To Get Through Security At The Airport
• Ask A Very Smart Brotha: Does Makeup Really Matter To Men?
• When It Comes To The Magic Stick, Does Size Really Matter?
• Magazine Cover Curse: 9 Couples Who Shared Their Love With Us And Ended Up Yesterday’s News
• Wait, How Did You Get That Role? 14 Of The Crappiest Casting Calls in Black Films and TV

With Willow and Jaden Smith on every screen and radio possible singing, rapping, dancing and acting, it was kind of nice to look at Will Smith’s elder son, Trey, the cute kid from the “Just The Two Of Us” video with Will, and see that he preferred to stay out of the spotlight. You know, be a regular kid who just focused on school, played football and appeared as the supportive kid, not the mini mogul in the making.

But surprise! At 20, Trey has decided to make his mark in music as well, but as a DJ, following the route of other famous youngsters like Connor Cruise (Tom’s son), and naming himself DJ AcE. The eldest Smith child dropped the track “Find You Somewhere,” a song where his younger brother spits some teen angst-like lyrics and his little sister sings the simple hook (“I…think I can find you soooomewhere…DANCE!”). Of course, they showcase some dancing skills in the video, with Willow doing ballet and the young siblings showing off some slick footwork for the cameras. I do need Jaden to keep his shirt on though…

Oh, by the way, their mother, Jada Pinkett Smith, directed the dance-heavy track, so yes, it really is a family affair. As my colleague would say, “It pays to be rich!” Want to make a video real quick? Your mom can direct it! Clearly I’m jealous.

All in all, the track is not bad, and it seems like the three Smith kids are trying to get their David Guetta on while keeping things PG-13 (“And the orange juice is still pourin’”) on the track about finding love. And can we all agree that Willow has a pretty great voice? I could live with seeing this joint just once, but I appreciate the effort. What about you?

Is this a pass or play for you?

More on Madame Noire!

• Is Ryan Gosling Singing Jodeci!? 9 White Celebrities And Their “Blackest” Moments
• Handle That For Me! Why I Want Him To Plan The Dates
• You Already Know Black Don’t Crack:15 Female Celebs Who Are Over 40 But Don’t Look It
• Where Are They Now? The Women of “Real Chance of Love”
• Are You A Rebound Queen? How To Tell If You’re Moving Too Fast…
• An Open Letter to My Single Sistas: Stop Searching For Him
• Ways to Wear Wine: Fall’s Hue Du Jour