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.

Who knew Will Smith was so boring? Though he’s generally considered a pretty nice, entertaining guy to be around, apparently one Japanese reporter doesn’t agree. He nodded off during Will’s press conference. To be fair, I’m told those things can go on for hours. And let’s be honest, while I love Will Smith, once you’ve seen about three of his movies, you’ve essentially seen them all. But TMZ never loses a chance to make a celeb sound bad – even a nice one.

Who needs bedtime stories when you have Will Smith?!

The Fresh Prince held a press conference in Japan today, where one sleep-deprived (or extremely bored) reporter was caught catching some zzzs while Smith rambled on about “I Am Legend.”

Surprisingly, the ever charming Will didn’t seem to mind. He must be used to it.

[From TMZ.com]

You can see the video here (you have to scroll down, TMZ doesn’t do permalinks). It is pretty funny– Will Smith really does seem like the nicest guy around. Somehow everyone’s attention is drawn to the sleeping reporter and he’s woken up. Will comments, “I appreciate that you fell asleep, and I want to have a picture with you.” And then the two pose, Smith slumping over on the reporter’s shoulder.

Will gave an interesting interview to “60 Minutes” on Sunday where he talked about growing up in Philadelphia and the early days of his success. He made a pretty good argument for why it’s good to work hard and have to wait and mature before you become financially successful – he blew six million dollars. Yeah turns out Will, who always seems to have it so together, wasn’t always good with finances.

Will Smith, one of Philadelphia’s most famous sons, talked about his sudden success while at Overbrook High on 60 Minutes last night. “You don’t want to have a hit record on the radio when you’re in high school,” he said.

It seemed so easy - until the IRS came knocking, asking for millions. “So, you went through five, six million dollars?” interviewer Steve Kroft asked.

“Probably, yeah,” said Smith.

[From Philly.com]

In a weird way, that actually makes me feel a bit better. Will Smith seems awesome, but way too perfect. I saw an interview with him about ten years ago on some local television station where the interviewer tried to find something about Smith that wasn’t perfect. He had Will go through a series of random tasks, like touching his toes, cooking a hotdog, and finally caught him being less-than-perfect when he asked Smith to brush his teeth. Turns out, Will doesn’t brush in a circular fashion like you’re supposed to. He just goes for the plain back and forth action. So really, when you combine the teeth with the blowing six million dollars and making a reporter fall asleep, I don’t feel all that intimidated anymore. So now I can totally have his babies. Oops.

Will Smith is a much more humble man than I realized. Not only does he keep his own talent in perspective, he has a very modest view of his young daughter as well. Will says that he’s not a great actor and he knows it. What sets him apart and makes him successful is his crazy work ethic.

Will Smith says he’s not a great actor but he’s a hardworking one. “I’ve never viewed myself as particularly talented. I’ve viewed myself as … slightly above average in talent,” the 39-year-old actor tells CBS’ “60 Minutes” in an interview scheduled to air Sunday.

“Where I excel is with (a) ridiculous, sickening work ethic,” Smith says. “While the other guy’s sleeping, I’m working. While the other guy’s eating, I’m working. While the other guy’s making love, I mean, I’m making love, too, but I’m working really hard at it!”

[From OMG!]

I think he could be a great actor if he chose great parts. He got great reviews for his acting in “Six Degrees of Separation” in 1993. Since then he’s chosen a bunch of big budget action and comedy roles, the only exception being “The Pursuit of Happyness” last year. But let’s be honest, “Bad Boys II” and “Independence Day” were a lot of fun, but no one’s taking home an Oscar for their work.

Will’s son Jaden costarred in “The Pursuit of Happyness,” and it seems that the Smith family will be working with each other from now on. His daughter Willow, 7, costars in his upcoming film “I Am Legend.”

“She has a drive,” Smith tells PEOPLE. “She has an energy and she just connects to human emotion. I think a big part was probably [seeing] Jaden after The Pursuit of Happyness. She saw what Jaden did, and she was like, ‘I want that.’”

Still, there shouldn’t be too much tension between the young Smiths. Smith says they have different styles – and goals. “Jaden is [like] Johnny Depp,” Smith says. “He just wants to do good work . . . He loves acting, he just wants to make good movies. “And Willow is Paris Hilton,” Smith says, laughing. “Willow wants to be on TV.”

[From People]

Boy, in about five years when Willow is old enough to really understand how people view Paris Hilton, she is going to be raging pissed at her dad. That’s like saying, “My daughter is awesome, she’s Heidi Fleiss.” Okay not quite, and I realize that’s not the comparison he’s trying to make. But Will Smith seems to be a pretty smart guy. You’d think he could come up with a more reputable personality to compare his daughter to. Anyone would have been better. “My daughter is like Jessica Simpson” would have been a much kinder thing to say. It’s not great, but she’s at least famous for an actual profession or two. Last time I checked, Paris Hilton was famous for her legendary flat affect and wonky eye.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Will, Jada and Jaden are shown at the Pursuit of Happyness premiere in January of this year. Will and Willow are shown on the “I am Legend” set, also in January. Thanks to Splash News.

Add Will Smith to the list of celebrities duped into endorsement Scientology by rockstar-level perks and star treatment not afforded the members who end in forking over their life savings and all free will to the harmful cult. There are even rumors that along with giving celebrities free vacations and catering to their every whim, Scientology pays heavily for the priceless endorsements given by high-level stars.

While not admitting that he’s a current member of the cult, Will Smith gives an implicit endorsement to them. He compares Scientology to the Bible in a new interview with Men’s Vogue. He shows that he has little understanding of Scientology by saying “like 98 percent of the principles [of Scientology] are identical to the principles of the Bible”

Fox News says that Smith is “coming out” as a Scientologist, but while he gives them a raving endorsement he minces words a little, never directly admitting that he’s a member. He says “in all of the experiences I’ve had with Tom and Scientology,” suggesting he’s a dabbler doing a favor to Tom in mentioning it, and isn’t a full blown follower of the cult. So, like Jerry Seinfeld, maybe he’s just saying stupidly that it’s A-OK with him but that he isn’t currently involved with it:

Smith admits in the issue of Men’s Vogue on sale Tuesday that he has studied Scientology with Tom Cruise and doesn’t disagree with its basic tenets.

In doing so, he finally “comes out,” joining Cruise, John Travolta, Kirstie Alley and a handful of other Hollywood types in their devotion to this controversial religion.

For a long time, Smith has denied joining the Church of Scientology with his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, explaining that it would go against the beliefs of his late grandmother. But for some time, insiders in Hollywood have insisted the Smiths were, indeed, brought in by Cruise.

Smith concedes that his kids are being home-schooled, just as are those of Cruise, Travolta and other Scientologists.

In the article, Smith refers to “Thetans,” who are space aliens in the vernacular of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.

“… in all of the experiences I’ve had with Tom and Scientology, like 98 percent of the principles are identical to the principles of the Bible,” Smith tells Men’s Vogue writer Hudson Morgan.

“The Bible says, ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ And you know, there’s a Scientology principle: ‘Do not create experiences for others that they cannot comfortably perceive.’”

He continues: “The Bible talks about your spirit being immortal, that you were created for existence beyond your physical body. Well, that’s no different from Scientology. I don’t think that because the word someone uses for ’spirit’ is ‘thetan’ that the definition becomes any different.”

[From FoxNews.com via The Huffington Post]

By acting like Scientology is this benign religion, celebrities are doing their part to help dupe countless people into trying it. It’s a harmful cult that stops at nothing to discredit and harass anyone that dares question their illogical, sneaky, and cruel tactics. It’s not a religion, nor do it’s teachings have more than a superficial resemblance to the bible. And unlike the Bible, which is free and available to all, the Scientologists have gone to great pains to hide their central beliefs, holding out on their version of the origins of mankind and what will happen at the end of the world until members reach the highest levels, which take years of study and tens of thousands of dollars.

Scientology was started by a failed drug addict science fiction writer whose express purpose was to get rich by bilking people. Will Smith may make a living out of pretending to slay evil-doers, but he’s sure stupid enough in his personal life to do their bidding. Maybe good will prevail in the end and Will Smith will denounce Scientology, but they probably have enough dirt on him to make that very difficult for him.

Update: US Weekly notes that Smith lumps Scientology in with more established legitimate religions in that same interview, saying “I’ve studied Buddhism and Hinduism, and I’ve studied Scientology through Tom [Cruise].” So he’s not saying that he’s a member, just that he tried it. They also note that his wife, Jada, is “more gung-ho about Scientology than Will.”

Tom Cruise and Will Smith are shown at the Lions for Lambs premiere on 11/1/07, thanks to PRPhotos.

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes looked like brother and sister at the premiere of Lions for Lambs at the AFI Fest in Hollywood last night. Tom has grown out his Nazi bowl cut while Katie’s short dark bob looks suspiciously similar. Add the matching outfits and they’re like any other couple that ends up looking alike, perhaps intentionally. Katie mercifully wore flats, which made her about even with Tom instead of towering over him like she did at the Berlin premiere of the film.

In terms of Tom and Katie’s home life, Cruise recently gave some statements to the press that show he’s mastered the art of revealing enough to create a news blurb without really giving too much information. He praised his wife’s acting ability and said that they’re good at coordinating schedules. He also admitted he doesn’t get a lot of sleep without complaining about it:

With his first anniversary fast approaching, Cruise said married life was “all very good, all very lovely,” and that he feels “lucky” to be wedded to Holmes, his third wife.

“I have a lot of respect for her as an artist, as a woman,” he said. “She’s a very strong, gracious woman.”

When it comes to juggling his responsibilities as a husband and father with his career as a leading man and studio mogul, Cruise admits that life gets busy.

“Just like everybody else, you just work it out,” he said. “We’ve gotten pretty good at organizing everything. I don’t sleep much anyway.”

[From EOnline]

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt should take note, because Cruise provides enough general information to make it mildly interesting without revealing any weaknesses for tabloids to run with.

Cruise plays a Congressman in Lions for Lambs, which weaves different stories around the fates of two college students fighting in Afghanistan. Lions for Lambs is directed by Robert Redford and is out in the US on November 9. It also stars Michael Peña and Meryl Streep.

Here’s an introduction to the film, told by the young actors.

Thanks to PRPhotos for these pictures. Also shown are Will Smith, Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Samantha Mathis, and David Beckham. What’s up with Beckham’s outfit? Is it deliberately messy or is he just unable to dress himself when Posh isn’t around?

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.

Forbes.com just released an analysis of who gives movies studios the most bang for their buck. I was kind of surprised, but it turns out the best investment is Matt Damon. In a way it makes sense: those “It” actors and actresses command such huge paychecks, that investment-wise, it’s hard to get the same return. For every dollar that Matt Damon is paid for a film, the movie returned $29. Pretty good deal.

“According to Forbes’ first-ever list of Ultimate Star Payback, the movie stars who deliver the best bang for the buck aren’t the industry’s top earners. Matt Damon, the soft-spoken leading man in box office winner The Bourne Ultimatum, turns out to be Hollywood’s best investment. For every dollar Damon got paid for his last three roles, his films returned $29 of gross income. And, surprisingly, former ‘Friends’ star Jennifer Aniston is Hollywood’s most profitable actress, despite duds like ‘Rumor Has It.’ For ever dollar the former Mrs. Pitt was paid for her last three major roles, her films on average returned $17 of gross income.”

[From Forbes.com]

Second place for actors went to Brad Pitt, and third place was a tie between Johnny Depp and Vince Vaughn. Vince Vaughn is the biggest surprise to me. It must be because he makes about $34 a film, so if the film makes $43,000 you’ve got a pretty good deal. Vaughn’s rate is actually about a million a film, a relative bargain in Hollywood terms. Forbes points out that his last three movies “’The Break-Up,’ ‘Wedding Crashers,’ ‘Dodgeball’–have been box office bonanzas relative to their low production costs. (At $52 million, The Break-Up’s budget was roughly 20% of “Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Man’s Chest.).” The big budget actors like Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise and Will Smith only averaged about $12 in gross income per salary dollar.

The actor who gave the worst return, dollar for dollar? Russell Crowe. Forbes points out that his “standing in Hollywood has shrunk since he scored back-to-back consecutive Oscar nods for ‘The Insider’ (1999), ‘Gladiator’ (2000) and ‘A Beautiful Mind’ (2001). Crowe’s last three films earned on average just $5 in gross income for every dollar spent on the star. His most recent, last year’s ‘A Good Year,’ was made for $35 million, almost one-third of which went to Crowe’s salary. The film earned only $40 million in worldwide box office, making it a huge disappointment for Fox, which produced and distributed it.” Logically, it seems like the opposite should be true. Who would ever have guessed that getting three Oscar nominations in three years could be bad for your career?

You know who is not a good investment? Lindsay Lohan. For some reason Forbes doesn’t even bother mentioning this. Probably because it’s so obvious it doesn’t need stating. Ironically, I bet this report will raise Matt Damon’s salary, thus making him less of a great deal. Oh well. He’s still a good actor, and fun to look at.

Picture note by JayBird: Here’s Matt Damon yesterday at the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival. Header image of Matt and his wife Luciana Bozan Barroso from the “The Bourne Ultimatum” Los Angeles Premiere. Images thanks to PR Photos.

Will Smith plays a down on his luck superhero in the upcoming film John Hancock (According to IMDB the working title is Tonight, He Comes). The film also stars Jason Bateman and Charlize Theron as Smith’s sort-of love interest. Theron is married to Bateman in the film, and IMDB says that Smith’s superhero has a “questionable” relationship with her character. It might be more of a flirtation than a full blown affair:

A hard-living superhero (Smith) who has fallen out of favor with the public enters into a questionable relationship with the wife (Theron) of the public relations professional (Bateman) who’s trying to repair his image.

IMDB also includes the keywords “interracial relationship” with this movie, which isn’t something that would occur to me independently. I remember reading that Eva Mendez was chosen for Smith’s love interest in Hitch because American audiences would supposedly accept a Latina in a relationship with an African American guy, but a Caucasian wouldn’t fly. Can anyone remember an interracial relationship in a recent film that wasn’t the focus of the film - like it was just either matter of fact or secondary to the plot? There’s Monster’s Ball I guess.

About.com points out interracial relationships in films and tv shows like Hitch, Guess Who?, ER, Lost, My Name is Earl, Grey’s Anatomy and Will & Grace, and says that they’re becoming more commonplace, but most of those are TV examples. It still doesn’t seem common in movies.

Here’s an article at MTV news about interracial relationships in film.

Thanks to Splash News for these pictures of Smith on set in LA.

Will Smith’s … not running for President yet

Will Smith - recently rumored to have replaced crazy couch bouncer Cruise as Mr. Number One Box Office – may be headed for the ultimate Number One in the Free World– at least according to the slightly confused American Association of Retired People demographic.

Will Smith spoke today at the Motion Picture Association of America in Washington D.C. Mr. Smith told the crowd a hilarious story.

It happened this morning on his way to the event. An older couple approached Smith and said, “We love what you’re doing. You’re so great for the country!” In true Hollywood fashion, Smith said, “Thank you!”

As the star walked away, the old man said, “And we’ll be sure to vote for you.”

(via TMZ)

And he’s not even Barack Obama! What a punch line. That is a hilarious story … old people are a hoot - what with their bad eyesight and race confusion. It’s a knee slapper. Ouch my knee … what with all the slapping.

Come to think of it, Will did express a desire to run for president not that long ago. It was when he was on his ’I am the Greatest’ high - right after shooting Ali. Jada supported the idea. The crazy couch apparently has room for any number of Box Office Stars. Here’s the old quote from USA Weekend:

“I feel like I could be the president of the United States. I really do. … Education has to be the priority. Every other problem we have is based on a lack of education in whatever field. It is not as instant a solution as pouring more money into it, but I feel the greatness of any society is based upon the depth of the scholars. …

“That’s the ultimate rule: The smartest guy wins.”

I can’t see any proof for this thesis of presidential fitness … do we have the smartest guy now … will we have the smartest guy when Will Smith runs or is the smartest guy Barack Obama for hitching his presidential wagon to such a winner as the Fresh Prince of Happyness? Is it smartest to spell happyness with a Y? I’m still a few years away from retirement, but I’m starting to get confused myself.

Pictures via xhollywood and Senator Obama’s Office

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.