My son is in first grade and his best friend is trying to get him to join Facebook so they can play games together. I said “no” and I plan to continue to keep saying that until he’s in junior high at least, at which point there will probably be a ton more social networking apps and sites to freak me out. This is what comes to mind for me when I saw this self portrait of Willow Smith that she posted to “Who Say” after she shaved her head. Does someone oversee her online activities, and did they ok her posting this? She seems to be taking pictures of herself and putting them up without asking an adult, but I don’t know that for sure.

I think kids should be able to pick out their clothes and hairstyles, within reason, although we’ve heard that Willow has a stylist. When I was in seventh grade, only slightly older than Willow, I shaved half my head and to my parents’ credit they didn’t freak out and just went with it. I don’t think kids should be able to independently use social networking apps without supervision, though. This is very young to be posting photos online, but I keep telling my kid that the Internet was only just coming out when I was in college. It’s a different world out there, plus Willow’s very privileged jet-setting world is much different than other little kids. She’s a pop star! Here’s more on her new look. She can’t “whip her hair” anymore.

Goodness knows what her superstar father Will Smith will make of his daughters outrageous new look.

But without her long locks she certainly looks more like her father Will than her mother Jada Pinkett Smith.

The youngster also decided to show off her love of ballet by posting further pictures on WhoSay, which styles itself as a social network service for VIPs and celebrities.

She posed for a picture where she sat on a chair in a dance studio, while in another she shows off her golden ballet shoes.

[From Daily Mail]

As a side note, please don’t make any mean comments about Willow’s appearance. She may look a lot like her dad that’s true, but try to remember that she’s 11.

In other news about Willow that’s kind of sad, Star Magazine has a cover story this week that her parents Will and Jada have split up and are on separate coasts with each of their kids. This is right on the cover, so chances are high that the kids have seen it. We’ve heard for some time that Will and Jada are having trouble:

With Jaden, 13, currently living in Philadelphia with Will and Willow, 11, living mainly in L.A. with Jada – almost 3,000 miles apart – it’s only a matter of time until the split is official. And sources say the children are already devastated about being a family divided.

“It’s always a shame when divorce splits up families,” Jada’s great aunt Estelle Pinkett tells Star. Indeed, as Will and Jada divide their assets and get used to living apart, one source says, “the kids are really suffering.

“They haven’t spent any time as a whole family in months,” the source continues, “and it’s not going to happen anytime soon – if ever again.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition, February 13, 2012]

Will is in Philadelphia to shoot a movie, After Earth directed by M. Night Shamalan, and Star reminds us that Willow is going on tour in May. So it sounds Will and Jada are necessarily apart for work and are each trying to single parent one of their kids. Still, maybe Willow is acting out by shaving her head. It seems pretty normal to me. Going on tour at 11 isn’t normal though. I wish Will and Jada would try and shield their kids from fame instead of putting them in the family business.

Here’s Willow at a BET event on 1-14-12. She looks so pretty in that yellow dress. She’s also shown on 12-13-11. Credit: WENN.com

Willow Smith is 11 years old. Is that too young to see Breaking Dawn Part 1? I’ve seen the trailer, and there seems to be a lot of “thrusting” going on in the movie, so maybe it’s inappropriate for 11 year olds? If you couldn’t tell, Willow was at the Breaking Dawn premiere, and it doesn’t seem like she was there with either or her parents. Maybe she was with an older cousin or something…? Maybe she only walked the red carpet and then went home? I’m trying to think if I was allowed to see movies with thrusting when I was 11 years old. Probably – my parents let me watch whatever I wanted, and look at me now. A dong-obsessed *mutter mutter* year old. Would Willow be the same?

Regardless of whether it was appropriate for Willow to even be at this premiere, what do you think of her outfit? And don’t start yelling and saying mean things about a kid. I tend to think that much like Lady Gaga, Willow is finding it difficult, at the ripe old age of 11, to maintain the crazy outfits and the “new looks” for each new appearance. This outfit didn’t even seem like she was trying to be the pint-sized Gaga or Nicki Minaj. The gold boots are pretty righteous, though.

Willow is really starting to look like her dad, right? She’s a combination of her parents – she got her mom’s almond-shaped eyes (gorgeous), and then everything else looks like Will.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Willow Smith’s new music video was just released – it’s for her next big single, “21st Century Girl” which I think is the follow-up to “Whip My Hair”. Was there another song in the mix too? I forget, and I don’t care enough to look it up. Anyway, the video. It’s… um. There’s an old lady playing with bones for the first minute and a half. For real.

Things I like: the costumes are kind of cute, and I like that the outfits seem like “dress up clothes” for kids, rather than adult themed hooker-wear miniaturized for children. I also like that the dance moves aren’t provocative and sexy – Willow looks like a kid who enjoys dancing, and she’s not thrusting her hips or anything. I also like that Willow looks like she’s genuinely having fun, you know? She’s not pulling an angsty Raccoon McPantless and looking dour and sad.

What I don’t like: the song isn’t that great, and you can tell that Willow’s voice isn’t that strong. I also hated the old woman at the beginning. That’s about it.

So… in the end, not the worst video. Good production value, everything is age-appropriate and fun, and yet… I’m still concerned. Mostly because I think Willow should be in school right now.

Photos courtesy of Fame.

I don’t know much about author Terry McMillan, but I did read How Stella Got Her Groove Back and I have a vague memory of the 1998 movie. McMillan’s 24 years younger Jamaican boy toy, her romance with whom was chronicled in the book, has since left her for a man and probably only married her for his green card. That’s not related much to this story and I just found it interesting when the news came out.

Anyway McMillan tweeted recently that Willow and Jaden Smith are pretty arrogant for a couple of little kids and that they’re being “pimped and exploited.” McMillan went on to talk about her own son, who is around Willow’s age and is in the fourth grade. Willow, 10, of course has a singing career and is slated to star in a remake of Annie, produced by her dad Will. Jaden, 12, has starred in several movies including The Pursuit of Happyness and last year’s Karate Kid remake. You can read McMillian’s entire statement about this on Bossip and here’s a segment:

The Smith children already act like child stars. There’s an arrogance in their demeanor and behavior. I find it incredibly sad. It feels like the Smith children are being pimped and exploited. Or, they’re already hungry for fame. What about 4th grade?

A lot of A-list movie stars shielded their children from the Hollywood-world until they were old enough to decide. Look at those who didn’t. Look at Lindsay. Phoenix. To name but a few. They miss out on childhood. It’s more important than fame.

[Via Bossip]

I agree with her in principle. There is something stuck up about the Smith kids, but it’s not very nice to call them on it. They may act like they’re happy to have Hollywood careers but that’s the only life they know. If their parents encourage them to have careers in the spotlight that’s what they’re going to do. They’re just little kids and it’s not their fault.

After this quote got picked up by the media, McMillan half apologized in a post in which she blames people for paying attention to her. She’s able to express herself better than most, but she’s giving us the same “there’s a war on,” “it’s your fault for paying attention to the inflammatory things I say” argument that countless celebrities have used before her.

I apologize for using the word pimp and exploit in referring to the Smith children. It was insensitive of me and wrong. Twitter is not the best forum to express some things. I didn’t know folks would take my opinion so personally. It is amazing, though, how fast an unflattering comment gets retweeted versus one that’s flattering. I’m done with this issue. My opinion isn’t going to change anything.

There are a lot more important things going on in the world right now. My Mama used to say: “They’ll talk about you if you do. And talk about you if you don’t. Let ‘em talk.” Some folks look for a reason to criticize you. They’re getting off on it and are saying much worse things than I did. I’ve got work to do. I hope everybody who has something important to do today besides worry about the Smith children, does it.

And for those of you who were so offended by what I said or thought I was being disrespectful, unfollow me.

[Via Bossip]

So McMillan isn’t apologizing for calling out the Smiths or for calling their kids arrogant, she’s apologizing for her choice of words and blaming other people for paying attention to her. I wouldn’t be down on her if she would have either owned her comments or offered a sincere apology. As it is, she’s upset that people are calling her on it. She did bring up an important point though. The Smith kids should be in school. They’ll have plenty of time for their careers once they’re finished with their education. They don’t seem very grounded at all, but look at their parents. Will and Jada are two of the richest and most famous people in the world and they live in a rarefied bubble. They’re raising their kids to be little mirror images of them and even named them after themselves.

Photo of Terry McMillan below is the most recent I could find and is from 2007. Credit: WENN.com. Willow and Jaden are shown with mom Jada on 11/21/10 and also with dad Will on 7/25/10. Credit: WENN.com

These are photos from the LA set of Willow Smith’s latest music video, “21st Century Girl”. This will be Willow’s follow-up to her wildly successful debut “Whip My Hair”. I actually liked “Whip My Hair” – I could understand the appeal of it, I thought it was a decent debut single. But I just listened a 15-second snippet of “21st Century Girl” and it makes me hearken back to the old days, when Willow would have been a one-hit wonder. Instead, in this new music paradigm, Willow is going to be forced down our throats for the next decade.

It’s back to the dance floor for Willow Smith! Following the runaway success of her debut single “Whip My Hair” last fall, the 10-year-old pop star shot a video for her second single, “21st Century Girl,” in Los Angeles this week, as dad Will Smith and mom Jada Pinkett Smith looked on.

She also debuted a snippet of the club-ready track in a video post on her Facebook page on Sunday.

She sings: “21st century girl/I do what I like/I’m takin’ you for a ride/Yeah I’m gonna live it up, just live it up.”

Smith, who calls the new song “a dance record,” is also hard at work on her album, reportedly due this spring, for Jay-Z’s Roc Nation label.

“It is very cool, because Jay really welcomes me and makes me feel like the record label is a place where I can have fun and talk about my career,” Willow told Vanity Fair’s February issue. “He and his people make me feel like I’m a part of something. And I love Beyoncé – she’s awesome!”

[From People]

Someone tell Willow that it’s time for her to “retire” from her music career to concentrate on her fashion lines, which I’m sure are forthcoming. I could handle Willow as a tween fashion designer – she seems more punk-influenced than jailbait/Gossip-Girl-influenced, thank God. But this musical career needs to die. Don’t believe me? Scratch out your eardrums with this 15 second snippet:

Photos courtesy of Fame.

Willow Smith, who turned 10 a little over a month ago, will be whipping her hair all over Europe when she tours with Justin Bieber early next year. Willow made the announcement on Twitter and her famous parents, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, are supposedly on board with it. (Her Twitter account is managed by her team.) I know that Willow is very mature and self possessed for her age, but should a ten year old be going on a music tour?

Will Smith’s hair-whippin’ daughter writes that she’s psyched about the prospect of helping spread Bieber Fever across Europe.

“Got news that my big bro @justinbieber invited me on his European Tour in March… so exciting! Maybe I’ll let Jaden come… LOL,” the 10-year-old tweeted Wednesday.

Meanwhile, demand for Willow’s hit single “Whip My Hair” shows no sign of slacking. The starlet tweeted that her song has reached No. 1 on the iTunes UK chart. That’s already after it peaked at No. 5 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and its official video on YouTube has notched over 24 million views.

Before she and Bieber take over Europe, Willow’s got a performance date on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” December 31 on ABC.

[From ETOnline]

Willow grew up in the business, her parents are world famous movie stars, and she’s been going to movie premieres for years. It still bothers me that a ten year old is going to go on tour. She should be in the fifth grade not touring around the world on stage. Still, she’s an international sensation and she’s making money for a lot of people. When I visited her website, WillowSmith.com, the entire page was in German to match my location. It’s also offered in versions for 16 other countries. Willow is a star, she’s only 10, and she’s not going away. At least she has a strong head on those shoulders.

Here’s Willow performing “Whip My Hair” at the LA Tree Lighting. She can really perform.

Here she is singing at the official lighting of the Christmas Tree in LA on 12/4/10. She’s also shown with her mom and brother at the American Music Awards on 11/21/10. Credit: WENN.com

Willow Smith is interviewed in the new W Magazine, all for her newfound super-star music career. It’s nice to see that she’s still a kid, though, and she still refers to her “mommy” and “daddy” in interviews. Still just a kid, albeit one who has a major hit and is going to back an album on Jay-Z’s label.

It’s hard to imagine, but Willow Smith has twice the charisma of her superstar parents, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. At just 10 years old, she has already scored a hit single—“Whip My Hair,” which bumps as hard as anything by Beyoncé—and a contract with Jay-Z’s powerhouse Roc Nation.

“I like the way Billy Idol sings,” she says about her musical influences. “Mommy turned me on to him. And I like Lady Gaga’s songs.”

One-on-one, Willow is more articulate than many adults; what’s more amazing is that she comes off as a normal kid who’s just following her interests.

“I can’t do whatever I want,” she explains. “Mommy has to say it’s okay.” Although she is “focusing on music right now,” it seems a given that Willow will eventually end up on the big screen; her brother Jaden became a celebrity in his own right after taking the lead role in the recent Karate Kid remake.

“Mommy and Daddy inspired me to be a performer,” Willow says. “I get my flow from Daddy, my singing ability from Mommy, and the camera stuff from both. That’s just what happens when you hang out with the Smiths!”

[From W Magazine]

Whatever, I know some people are going to hate on her, but I kind of like her. She seems like a cool kid, and it seems like her parents are really trying to monitor how much exposure she gets to the industry. We’ll see.

By the way, did everyone see Jimmy Fallon (as Neil Young) and the actual Bruce Springsteen cover “Whip My Hair”? It’s kind of awesome. I prefer this version:

Willow Smith continues to give interviews in support of her hit single, “Whip My Hair”. I just watched the video again this morning (on VH1), and I currently have it stuck in my head, which is really annoying and I know, totally random. Anyway, Willow seems to think that she’s super-successful these days because of her own hard work, and how she always dreamt of “being famous like mommy and daddy.” That’s a pet peeve of mine for the younger generation. All too often, they don’t say they want to be “successful” or “be a really great —”. They say they want to be “famous”. Ugh. Anyway, here’s more:

Willow Smith has confessed that she is proud of herself for having secured a record deal at such a young age. The 9-year-old – who signed with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation label last month – released the video for her first single ‘Whip My Hair’ on Monday.

“It felt like all the hard work paid off, mostly that,” she told MTV News about the signing. “Like all the hard work that I’ve done, like recording ‘Whip My Hair’ – it’s paid off.”

Recalling the day of her big meeting with the label, she said: “We went to this building, I don’t remember what it was, but we had a meeting and I got to hang out with [Jay-Z] and meet him, and it was fun.”

When Willow Smith explains why she entered the music business, she talks about expressing her individuality, and wanting to help people with her message. But she also acknowledges that she wanted to be famous like her “mommy and daddy.”

She’s well on her way now. The 9-year-old daughter of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith has become a viral sensation with her first single, “Whip My Hair.” The official version of the video has gotten more than 7 million views on YouTube; there was even a popular video that mashed the song with the Sesame Street “I Love My Hair” video (which she laughed and called “very funny”).

Willow’s funky song, which makes its debut on iTunes on Tuesday, is even being played in the clubs, and she’s due to release her first album on Jay-Z’s Roc Nation sometime next year.

In a phone interview Monday, Willow said she was “very surprised” about the success of the song, but said she thought the song’s message was resonating with listeners: “I just think that it’s like, individuality that they’re excited about.”

Willow first entered the limelight three years ago, playing the daughter of her father’s character in the blockbuster movie “I Am Legend.” At that time, it seemed as if she would follow in the acting footsteps of her parents, much like her brother, Jaden, who earlier this year had his own smash movie with the remake of “The Karate Kid.”

But Willow was more influenced by her parents’ musical careers: Will Smith is a Grammy winner who got his start rapping, and Jada Pinkett Smith has toured the country as part of a metal band.

“I would go on tour with them and watch them and I’d be like, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s what I wanna do,’” she said. Willow said she decided not to wait to pursue her musical career until she got older – say, as a teenager.

“I wanted to make a difference now, (and) because I wanted to be big and famous like my mommy and daddy and help people,” she said.

[From Digital Spy & HuffPo]

Well, at least she added “help people” at the end. It’s strange to think of someone being helped by a 9-year-old’s largesse, but stranger things have happened, and I do think/hope that Will and Jada have stressed the importance of charity and “giving back.” Will is known as a nice guy who treats everyone with respect, so hopefully Willow will follow in his footsteps.

header: Photo courtesy of WENN.

I was looking at these new photos of Willow Smith – out and about in New York yesterday with her adorable puppy – and I came to the startling realization: In my whole life, the culmination of everything I do and say, all of it will never amount to the coolness radiating from 9-year-old Willow Smith. I know many of you think that she’s a poseur or she’s too young, but you’ve got to admit – she’s really, really cool for a 9-year-old, right? And check it out – her hair is even different. She’s already moved on from the “skunk” hair. Lady Gaga and Rihanna, take notes. Even her puppy is radiating a “I’m too good for this patch of grass” vibe! Anyway, just a thought.

Since Willow’s music video for “Whip My Hair” came out a few days ago, Willow has been giving interviews and it seems like her parents are letting her do her own thing, and speak without a filter. When being interviewed on the radio, Willow discussed her feelings about Lady Gaga (I feel another “mothership” reference coming): “[Somebody] I would really want to work with on a song would be Lady Gaga… She is amazing! She’s just so amazing, she’s a free person. She’s a free girl, baby.” Willow also talked clothes: “Sometimes I put my own stuff in it. I mix up the outfits too. My mom puts together outfits and I can pick which one I want to wear.” MOM! Additionally, Willow talked in greater detail about the “Whip My Hair” video to MTV… I also put the video up again!

Willow Smith had a little help from her friends on the set of the video for “Whip My Hair.” In the clip, which premiered Monday, Roc Nation’s latest signee, joined by her crew of pint-size girls, turns a drab classroom into a kaleidoscope of color with a few energetic flicks of her paint-dipped braids.

“Having my Warriorettes there, my best friends caring — Jade, Angel Punky, they’re just all my best friends — and my family there just made it even better,” Willow told MTV News about the shoot when she stopped by Tuesday (October 19).

“Me and my friends were touching the oranges, ’cause they were, like, real oranges but they were spray-painted,” she said. “It was gooey,” she added, turning up her nose at the recollection.

The 9-year-old progeny of A-list actors Will and Jada Pinkett Smith explained that her BFFs are her Warriorettes, a supportive team that fully subscribes to the ethos espoused by her smash single “Whip My Hair.” The outgoing tween, who describes her style as “schoolgirl-meets-punk rock,” also opened up about the significance of the track.

“‘Whip My Hair’ means don’t be afraid to be yourself,” Smith explained, “and don’t let anybody tell you that that’s wrong. Because the best thing is you.”

A sampling of the lyrics bear that out: “We turn our back and whip our hair/ And just shake ‘em off, shake ‘em off, shake ‘em off/ Don’t let haters keep me off my grind/ Keep my head up/ I know I’ll be fine.”

As for filming last month in Los Angeles, Willow, a girl firmly on her grind, said she “liked it” but admitted it could be intense at times.

“It was a long day. … It was hard sometimes, but, like, if you have a commitment to that, you have to stick with it,” Willow said.

Clad in circus pants, a military blazer and a Lady Gaga brooch, the upstart artist turned serious for a moment. “And it’s not because I have to, it’s because I want it,” she said of her percolating music career. “Most people, if they don’t want it, they’ll just be like, ‘Oh well, I can do that tomorrow’ — is that what’s called procrastinating?” she added with a grin.

[From MTV]

So now we know the feminist, girl-power message of “Whip My Hair”. Now you can move forward with your life with that knowledge, right?

All of us spent way too much time this summer talking about and thinking about Jada Pinkett Smith’s face. I asked you guys what was wrong/different with Jada when she started making a ton of appearances with her son Jaden to promote The Karate Kid. I gave her the benefit of the doubt and suggested that perhaps it was weight loss combined with some truly unfortunate Bangs Trauma wigs. Many of you disagreed, claiming that she had gone in for some Madonna-esque chicken cutlet implants. I’m starting to agree.

Anyway, these are new photos of Jada and Willow in Milan. I think Jada did a cute mother-daughter jaunt to Italy so that they could see some of the fashion shows – they were at Armani and Jada went to Pucci alone. Willow even put some white stuff at the end of her hair… to coordinate with her clothes, I guess? Sure. I do think Willow looks cute, by the way. And I bet she had a great time. I guess my point is that Jada seems like a great mom, and it hurts me to think that she’s f-cking with face, and sending the signal to Willow that once you get to a certain age, you have to get drastic surgery to look “young.” That being said, I’m so glad Jada put away the bangs trauma wig. That thing was hideous.

Jada & Willow in Milan on Sept. 25, 2010. Credit: WENN.