Will Smith and his youngest son Jaden, 10, appeared in the 2006 film The Pursuit of Happyness together as father and son. Mom Jada Pinkett Smith told Moviefone that she had a serious talk with her husband about whether her children should pursue show business. She said that she was supportive from the beginning but asked Will if he was fully ok with it because she knew Jaden would be successful:

You know, I was actually really OK with it because my kids were born into this. It’s really something they see as a family business. Like, “You guys do it, so we feel like it’s something we should be doing too. And we’re pretty good at it, so I think we’re gonna rock with this for a little while, Mom, until something changes.” When Jaden told his father, “I can do that,” I pulled Will aside and said, “Look. Don’t have him audition if you’re not really considering possibly having him do this. Because you’re not gonna find anyone who’s going to give you what he’s going to give you. I’m just telling you that.” Will was like, “Oh, OK …” [Laughs] And he went in and blew everybody away and Will was like, “Oh my god, this is real.” And I said, “I told you.”

[From Moviefone]

Jada also says she doesn’t give her kids an allowance and has them use their own money when they want to buy things for themselves. She says it teaches them the value of money. Her daughter Willow, 8, was in I Am Legend in 2007 with dad Will and also appeared in Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, which was out in July.

Now that Jaden is set to appear as the star in a remake of The Karate Kid, he seems to have cemented his status as an up and coming young actor:

Columbia Pictures is back in the dojo with a new version of the 1984 hit “The Karate Kid,” which has been refashioned as a star vehicle for Jaden Smith.

The film will be produced by Jerry Weintraub (who launched the original franchise) and Overbrook Entertainment’s James Lassiter, Will Smith and Ken Stovitz. Will Smith, who is the 10-year-old actor’s father, co-starred alongside Jaden in his feature debut, “The Pursuit of Happyness,” which Overbrook and Escape Artists produced for Columbia.

The script is being written by Chris Murphy, and the film will shoot next year in Beijing and other cities. While the new film will be set in that exotic locale, it will borrow elements of the original plot, wherein a bullied youth learns to stand up for himself with the help of an eccentric mentor.

China Film Group Corp. will co-produce in China.

The younger Smith, who next stars in “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” is a martial arts practitioner.

[From Variety]

In the interview quoted earlier, Jada also addressed criticism that her kids may be growing up too fast by getting into showbusiness at such young ages. It seems like a valid question especially now that the news is out that Jaden is about to star in a movie at the ripe age of 10.

Q: Do you ever feel like they’re growing up too fast?

Well, my humble opinion — and it’s a very humble opinion because all kids are different and parents always have to be able to recognize what their kids need — but if there’s something that kids can do to work and actually feel like they’re participating and providing for the family in some way, there is nothing better for a child’s self-value. I’ve just watched it — I think part of that is what keeps them on Earth. They feel like they’re real participants, and contributing to their own lives and really doing things that they can be proud of, that they own.

[From Variety]

I gained some respect for Jada reading that, and hope that she’s right about her kids and that they’ll remain down to earth. Little Willow has been quoted talking about herself in the third person, and she and Jaden even wore sunglasses on the red carpet at the Kit Kittredge premiere, although Jaden took his off at one point. Maybe Jada keeps it more under control than her kids make it seem, and I would bet she’s the type of mom that picks her battles. Jaden’s star is about to get a lot brighter and he’ll need some guidance from his very famous parents.

Update: There’s a lot of interest in how Jada gives the children access to their money. She says she manages her children’s money for them and gives them an allowance from their earnings. Here’s that part of the interview:

11. Do you think they really understand it all yet?

I’ve watched them really blossom, and I tell you what — them working gives them more appreciation for what we do. They get it! When mommy and daddy are out on the set, they know what that means and what it is. And they’re making their own money, so they’re very like, “Uh-uh, I’m not gonna buy that!” [Laughs] They’re very responsible how they spend their own money. They know what it means to work hard for something, which is fantastic. They have to utilize their own money for their special things, which is great for me.

12. Will and Jada don’t give their kids allowances?

Heck, no! [Laughs] Guess what? They make their own money! They get a certain amount of money from their own money. How about that? Allowance from their own money. [Laughs] For me, this is not just about, “Ooh, you’re doing movies!” While we’re doing this, you’re gonna be learning about life. When you work and you spend money, money goes away. So you better be really clear on what you’re spending and why. And let me tell you, they don’t spend. They are like, “OK, let me think on this. Do I really want that?” [Laughs] But if I’m buying it, it’s like, “I have to have it!” [Laughs]

Will Smith and Jaden are shown at the Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa premiere on 10/26/08. The whole family including Jada, Jaden, Willow and Trey are shown at the Hancock premiere on 6/30/08. Willow and Jaden are also seen with their mom at the Kit Kitteredge premiere on 6/19/08. Credit: WENN

Apparently when Wilmer Valderrama decided to attend the star packed 15th Annual Dream Halloween Fundraiser for Children with AIDS he decided he would go as a jackass and just dressed in his everyday clothes. At a Halloween costume fundraiser, where plenty of stars and their children got into the fun of dressing up, Wilmer came in his trademark stocking cap and badly fit jeans.

Valderrama needed to take a cue from Jada Pinkett Smith. Jada came in Supergirl gear and brought daughter, Willow, in her Spider Princess costume. Willow looked like she costume coordinated with CSI:NY’s Melina Kanakaredes, also dressed in black tulle, with a black, feathered witch’s hat.

Jason Priestly and his family went for patriotic, as did Jamie Lee Curtis. Jason, a Canadian by birth, dressed as a Canadian Mountie, wife Naomi Lowde showed her British pride with her Beefeater costume, and their little American baby, Ava was in all her Yankee Doodle glory. Jamie Lee Curtis could have grabbed her and had a little doppleganger as they were wearing matching outfits. They both topped it off with an Uncle Sam hat but Jamie Lee was better about keeping hers on.

Angela Bassett also did a family theme. Angela was a zoo keeper and her twins, Slater and Bronwyn, were a giraffe and flamingo. So adorable!

Other young people in costume were teen actors Shelbie and Robby Bruce, who came as Cleopatra and Caesar, Disney actress Sammie Hanratty as a scarecrow, and child actress Ryan Simpkins as Harpo Marx. Something tells me Miss Simpkins didn’t come up with that one on her own, but she looks fantastic!

Halloween rocks! Finding an inspired idea for a costume and dressing up is a highlight of the season, second only to seeing what all the kids coming to the door are dressed as. Costumes have improved so much since I was a kid, too. I remember dressing in what amounted to a decorated plastic bag and trying to breathe through the hard plastic mask with tiny holes at the nose and a one inch slit at the mouth! Your breath would cause condensation all inside the mask and it would be dripping out the sides if you left it on too long. But it was worth it because we got to wear our costumes to school, they don’t let kids do that anymore. I’m so glad I got to sweat half to death in plastic and wear my Princess Leia costume to school.

I can’t believe that Will Smith is turning 40 this year. I still remember when he first came on the scene as a rapper with DJ Jazzy Jeff- he was barely out of his teens. Has he really been around that long? Smith gave a fun interview about turning the big 4-0 to In Touch. He said that he’s in the best physical shape of his life and wants to spend as much time in the nude as he can before his body starts to go. He also said that none of his kids listen to a word he says.

Will Smith is always one of the best-dressed men on the red carpet. But with a big birthday approaching, he’s going to start dressing down- way down. “I’m turning 40 this year, so I’m going to be naked as much as possible before it’s too late,” Will says.

The actor, who is married to Jada Pinkett-Smith, believes now is the perfect time to be proud of his birthday suit. “I’ve been in pretty good shape for the past couple of years,” he admits. “When I’m 42 or 43 years old, I’m going to start letting go!”

Besides stripping down, do you have any other plans?
I’m going to start being mature and saying smart things. I’ve been telling the kids, “As soon as I turn 40, you have to do what I say, because now I’m in charge.”

How do your children (Willow, 7, Jaden, 10 and Trey, 15) react?
It’s not going over too well.

Why not?
My kids don’t listen at all. I tell them all the time, “When I was your age, parents were allowed to give kids spankings.” They think it’s hilarious, like it’s such a foreign concept to them.

[From In Touch print version, Sept. 5, 2008]

It’s nice to know that men worry about their physique as they get older, too. Still, men have it a lot easier in Hollywood when they hit 40. Look at all the over-40 actors who still headline blockbuster films, starring with actresses half their age. It’s also comforting to know that Will Smith has the same problems with his kids as the rest of us. I’ll be he’s a fun dad, though. Jada definitely strikes me as the disciplinarian in that family!

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are shown at the Hancock premiere on 7/1/08. Credit: Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos

Update: This is indeed a Scientology school as many of you pointed out. Here are the full details.

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Will Smith has started his own private school in Calabasas, California for children from pre-kindergarten to grade 6 called the New Village Academy. It emphasizes learning by doing, technology and individualized instruction. According to the school’s website, which makes no mention of Smith, they will provide every child with a laptop computer, including pre-k students, and serve an all-organic low-fat sugar-free menu. It will cost $12,500 a year for grades 3-6 and $11,500 for K-2, with financial aid available for families who qualify.

Smith homeschools his two younger children, Jaden, 9 and Willow, 7, and told People Magazine last year that he wanted “to design the system that revolutionizes public education.”

Now Smith has paid about $890,000 to lease an existing school for three years, and classes will start this year, according to the school’s website and the May 26 edition of The National Enquirer.

I have a masters degree in education and many members of my family work in the school system. While the concepts on the website for Smith’s school are well described and sound like a good approach, it’s hard to know how they’ll be executed or if the school will be any good. What’s more is that Smith has made some arguably controversial statements about education. He doesn’t have a bachelor’s degree and never went to college, which is certainly not a requirement for starting a school and he’s been wildly successful in other endeavors in life. He is getting help from qualified experts, and even held a roundtable discussion with education leaders to help come up with ideas for the school. I know I started my son on computer education at a young age, and I do agree with Smith’s general concepts. It might be a decent school.

Smith told Reader’s Digest in an interview in 2006 that he could learn anything he set his mind to and that formal education was not necessary:

RD: Have you ever thought about going back to college?
Smith: The things that have been most valuable to me I did not learn in school. Traditional education is based on facts and figures and passing tests — not on a comprehension of the material and its application to your life. Jada and I homeschool our children, because the date of the Boston Tea Party does not matter.

RD: But there are some basics in education that need to be taught.
Smith: Of course there are. Reading, writing and arithmetic, because those are the languages of our country.

RD: When you say you homeschool, do you mean you actually teach them?
Smith: No, we have hired teachers who teach what we feel is important. For example, Plato’s Republic — kids need to know that. Why is that not taught in first grade?

RD: You think kids in elementary school should read Plato’s Republic?
Smith: Yeah. You cannot be an American without reading it and Aristotle’s Politics. That is what the forefathers of this country read, and they used them to create what I believe is the finest system of government that has ever existed.

RD: So, you don’t see any reason to go back to a formal education yourself?
Smith: I know how to learn anything I want to learn. I absolutely know that I could learn how to fly the space shuttle because someone else knows how to fly it, and they put it in a book. Give me the book, and I do not need somebody to stand up in front of the class.

RD: They put physics in a book, but I know I could never be a physicist.
Smith: The first step is you have to say that you can.

[From Reader's Digest via ICYDK]

The website for the school doesn’t say much about religion, except that it is tolerant of all beliefs, backgrounds, and cultural differences. Will and Jada may be closet Scientologists, but you hope that none of that will be pushed on the children in their school. It will be headed by Jacqueline Oliver, Ed.D, that former head of Gillispe private day school in La Jolla, CA. She has no ties to Scientology that I could find.

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Update: This is indeed a Scientology school as many of you pointed out. Here are the full details.

Will Smith is shown with his two children, Willow and Jaden, at the Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards on 3/29/08, thanks to WENN. Thanks to the National Enquirer for alerting us to this story.

Apparently being called a Scientologist is just about the worst name you can be called in Hollywood these days – aside from being called Lindsay Lohan or something. And while that makes a lot of sense, you’d think that if people didn’t want to be called Scientologists, they wouldn’t partake in so many Scientology-related activities. The internet is abuzz with the news that Radar magazine is about to publish a cover story on celebrities involved with the dreaded church. But instead of focusing on the usual targets (Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Kirstie Alley), they’re focusing their article on some possible recent converts to the religion. The biggest suspects are Will Smith and wife Jada Pinkett Smith, though the magazine also mentions Kimora Lee Simmons – who has already denied any affiliation with the cult.

Will Smith, Jada Pinkett and Kimora Lee Simmons are loudly denying Radar magazine’s claims that they’ve been recruited into — dun dun dun! — the Church of Scientology. Smith, a good buddy of Scientology poster boy Tom Cruise, denies he is a church member. “You don’t have to be Jewish to be a friend of Steven Spielberg. You don’t have to be a Muslim to be a friend of Muhammad Ali. And you don’t have to be a Scientologist to be a friend of Tom Cruise,” Smith tells us. “I am a Christian. I am a student of all religions. And I respect all people and all paths.”

[From Rush & Molloy]

I cannot tell you how much Will Smith’s response annoys me… because it’s totally fair. He’s phrased it in such a way that I really can’t justify poking holes in it. That doesn’t necessarily mean I believe him, but he’s certainly right – being friends with someone of a different religion in no way means you’ve converted. One of the better arguments that Smith has converted is that Scientologists are generally encouraged to associate only with other Scientologists. The rest of us are supposed to have demon souls or something. But hanging out with someone open and accepting of the religion, as Smith claims to be, might be considered okay. But you’ll have a hard time convincing me that Tommy’s not putting the full court press on Will.

Here’s Will and Jada with their kids and Tom Cruise at the “I Am Legend” premiere on December 11th, 2007. Images thanks to PR Photos.

If I worked for Star or the National Enquirer, right now I’d be telling you how Will Smith is encouraging teenagers to have as much sex as possible. That’s right, Will Smith wants you (or your kids, depending on your age) to have as much freaky lovin as possible – as long as you don’t get high first. Alright in reality, Will Smith was just talking about what kept him off drugs in high school, and that was his preoccupation with getting with the ladies. That’s right, Will had bigger things to think about than getting high. And frankly, if you could do a lot of (bad) drugs or have a lot of (good) sex, which would you choose?

Hollywood actor Will Smith has credited his sex obsession with keeping him away from drugs as a teenager. The 39-year-old star has maintained his aversion to alcohol and drugs throughout his life, and he steered clear of addictions in his younger days by spending every waking moment fantasizing about women.

He says, “Through my teenage years I was too focused on sex to even think about any other vices. I’m much the same now. No drugs and only the occasional drink.”

[From Starpulse]

Alright so he’s not exactly telling your kids to drop their bong and grab a boob instead. Boy I sure would like to see that “Anti-drug” commercial. “T&A: the anti-drug.” It’d probably work. I bet if we told teenagers, “Alright, if you agree not to ever so much as touch a drink or a drug, you can have as much sex as you want,” most of them would agree. I’m not saying we should, I’m just pointing out it’d probably be pretty effective. And in my little hypothetical, there would be no STDs or pregnancy as a result of this… because it’s my hypothetical universe and I can make whatever rules I want. Which means that in it, Paris Hilton would have monopolized all the STDs – as she’s the most hospitable environment for that sort of thing – and the rest of us would be immune. Will Smith didn’t mention that part, but I’m pretty sure that’s the natural conclusion.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Will Smith is shown at the premiere of I Am Legend with Tom Cruise and Jada Pinkett Smith last night. Jada looks thrilled to be standing between those two, or maybe she’s just practicing her “Posh face.” Thanks to PRPhotos.

The stars were out for the premiere of the new terrorism-themed film The Kingdom in LA on Monday. Jennifer Garner looked stunning in a loose red dress with tiered layers. Jada Pinkett Smith’s outfit was a definite miss, though. She wore fuschia satin shorts paired with a matching jacket. She loves bright colors and looks great in simple dresses with shocking colors, but her look was just wrong. Her husband Will looked hot though in a quilted black leather jacket, shades and dark jeans.

I saw the trailer for this movie during one of my rare nights out when my husband and I went to see The Bourne Supremacy. It looks like a good intelligent thriller, and centers around FBI agents, played by Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman and Chris Cooper, trying to capture a lead terrorist after a civilian attack on the US. Watching the trailer gave me goosebumps and it hit too close to home for me as I lived right near NY when 9/11 happened. I’m not sure theater-goers are ready for that with the war still going on and touching so many people. (Not that there is any connection between the war and 9/11. It’s just that too many people have died recently through random acts of terrorism, and there’s a lot of that in this movie.) It looks like it provides the riveting story of the capture of a top terrorist, but I don’t think I would be able to watch it, even on DVD.

Here’s the trailer:

The Kingdom is getting decent reviews, and is said to be an action-packed film with a tight plot. It currently has a 60% aggregate critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The Kingdom is out in US theaters on September 28.

Shown at the premiere are Jennifer Garner, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, a hot-looking pregnant Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon, Jeremy Piven looking beat, Amanda Peet, Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, and Jason Bateman. Thanks to PRPhotos for these pictures.

Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith and their son Jaden were on the red carpet at the Rome premier of Will and Jaden’s film The Pursuit of Happyness. Will and Jada have son Jaden, 8, and a daughter, Willow Camille Reign, 6. Will has another son from his first marriage with Sharee Zampino, Willard Christopher III, 14, who goes by Trey.

The Pursuit of Happyness is the story of a down on his luck single father working against the odds to build a life for his son. I have not seen it yet, but Pajiba critic Dustin Rowles says that it tears at your heartstrings even though it’s so obviously hoaky. It sounds like you should bring some tissues to the theater.

Here’s the trailer:

Will was seen kissing both Jada and Jaden at the Paris premiere of the film. I thought it was pretty cute, but over-the-top gossip site Media Take Out says it’s “borderline criminal.” If kissing your kid is borderline criminal I would be wearing an ankle bracelet now.

I’m not digging Jada’s bubble hairdo but her dress looks decent. She’s got such a good figure she can pull off all those fringes, which might not be flattering on a bigger woman.

Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith’s wife, says that she’s seen Tom and Katie’s supposed daughter and that she’s beautiful. Her quotes are much more believable than Leah Remini’s, especially since she’s a cult outsider, but I’m not buying it:

I’ll take empirical evidence over some actress/singer’s word any day. Hey people, I saw a ghost of an old woman last night. She looked incredibly sad, had white hair in a bun, wore a long dress, and I could see through her. Now that I made that claim, that ghost must exist, right?

The Daily Mail calls the rumors that Suri doesn’t exist “conspiracy theories” and says that they’re “crazy” and “clearly inaccurate.” It’s not inaccurate to say she’s never been seen, and it’s easy to dismiss a good argument by labeling it a conspiracy theory without addressing its merits. It’s not a conspiracy theory if it’s true!

That same crappy article recycles a made up quote by Katie’s dad, who originally was said to have complained about Katie’s “Buff Brides” workout plan. They changed it around to make it sound like he was disagreeing with Scientology, but the original quote was about her fitness plan. I know it was fake because the article also featured a fake quote by Sue Fleming, the creator of Buff Brides and a family friend.

Here’s the quote from the article:

Here’s the original, totally bogus quote:

The truth is that no one knows how Katie’s parents feel about her involvement in Scientology, or about the fact that they supposedly haven’t seen their grandchild. Maybe they realize that she doesn’t exist and they’re in on the scam. Regardless if Jada Pinkett Smith has seen the little changeling, why has nary a bandle been photographed by the ever-present paparrazi?

People can claim that the baby’s being shielded by the Scientologist freaks, but wouldn’t someone take her out for a walk at least once in the more than three months that she’s supposedly been on the planet?

Jada Pinkett Smith said she was a coked-out slut when she met Will Smith ten years ago and that he saved her from a life of debauchery. Well, that’s not exactly what she said, we’re inferring. It was pretty close, though:

Jada, it’s called college and that’s what everyone does. You’re supposed to move on and not talk about it except to reminisce about how great it was.

Jada has been raising eyebrows with the rock and roll look she’s sporting. She’s the lead singer for heavy metal band, Wisdom. On anyone else this outfit would seem forced, but on Jada it looks rather fitting.

Pictures [via]