Ever wonder why you see celebrities that seem to act a fool, but then others that don't? I wonder if there's a correlation between stars with parents that have taken a hands-on role in their childrens' careers as opposed to just let them live life.
Of course, that premise is shattered when considering the following Celebrity Mamas:
Lynne Spears: When celebrity goes toxic
Lynne Irene Spears is one part Sarah Palin, one part Dolly Parton. The mother of famous girls Britney and Jamie-Lynn, she has tried for years to keep the family grounded and out of the tabloids. In 2007, she finally succumbed to both, allegedly selling the story of her daughter's (Jamie-Lynn) pregnancy story to OK! for $1 million dollars. She has found her footing as an author, penning "Heart to Heart," a biographical book about Britney, in 2000, "A Mother's Gift," a 2001 novel that was adapted to a TV movie, "Brave New Girl" and a 2008 book,"Through The Storm: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World." It is a New York Times Bestseller.
Jonetta Patton: A Mother's Love
We'll never know the whole beef behind Ms. Patton's affection for her son and
apathy for his ex-wife, Tameka Foster. But we know this: She loves her some Usher. Mama brought her son up in the church, spying his talents as a 6-year-old while she directed the choir. Soon he was in talent shows and scored a sitdown with L.A. Reid at Laface Records. The rest, they say, is history. Or it could be herstory, because as soon as his friendship with Tameka, his former stylist, graduated to romance, Ms. Patton had a decision to make: Ms. Patton was crazy about Usher's old girlfriend, Chilli, of TLC fame. Should she accept an older-than-my-son woman with kids over the baby-faced, sweet Chilli? Words happened, wars did not. In the end, Usher's mom was out as his manager and Ms. Foster became Mrs. Raymond. Is all good on the homefront? Usher and Tameka had a child in their first year of marriage and Ms. Patton couldn't be happier. But the two couldnt'
work it out. Now, Usher is free, again. With his Mama.
Lisa Bonet: Wildflower Still
Lisa Bonet is mother of a grown child, y'all. I know, I know, seems like just yesterday. But it was actually 20 years ago, for in 1988 Zoe Isabella was born. Zoe has taken Hollywood by storm with her looks,
her skin, and of course her eccentricity, courtesy of both her mother and father, Lenny Kravitz. In 2007, Zoe made her feature film debut in two films, starring alongside such A-listers as Terrance Howard and Catherine Zeta-Jones. It's been a long, strange ride for Lisa Michelle Bonet, who was born in San Francisco. Her African American father, Allen, was an opera singer, and her Jewish American mother, Arlene, was a teacher. Of course we all know her as the daughter to onscreen father, Heathcliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby) on "
The Cosby Show". These days it seems Lisa Bonet has rediscovered childbearing: On July 23, 2007, Bonet, involved now with actor Jason Momoa, gave birth to her second child, daughter Lola Iolani Momoa. On Dec. 15, 2008, Bonet and Momoa had a son, Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha Momoa.
Teresa Caldwell: Experience a "Taste" of fashion
Teresa Caldwell knows how to take care of business. In the 1990s, when her son Bow Wow (Shad Moss) began to gain traction with record company executives, specifically Jermaine Dupri, she up and left Ohio for the ATL with her son in tow. As manager for her son she has learned the business of networking and massaged her celebrity contacts, especially athletes. In addition to advising NBA ballers Vince Carter and Baron Davis on fashionable purchases in 2004 she opened Taste, a clothing boutique in Atlanta's own Atlantic Station shopping mecca. She didn't do it with all her own money, but with that of former New York Jets running back Curtis Martin.
bow wow's mother has taste. Can you say, work it?
Voletta Wallace: Despite pain, holding on to B.I.G. dreams
Voletta Wallace has had to walk a fine line. A devout religious person, Ms. Wallace's name has been tossed around with the likes of Lil Kim, Faith Evans and Charlie Baltimore, all of which have been the women in her late son's life, Christoper Wallace aka, the Notorious B.I.G. If Mrs. Wallace is angry she's disguising it well. More than a decade after her son's murder, and with the case still cold, Mrs. Wallace is letting off a collective shot of her own with the release of the feature-length film "Notorious." The film depicts the gritty life and death of Biggie Smalls and features the wonderful Angela Bassett as Mrs. Wallace. Letting the world know that you'll never rest until justice is done for your son? Now, that's beef?
Janice Winehouse: Watching a train wreck ... in slow motion
Winehouse.
The name lends itself to juvenile name-calling and corruptions (wine-0, beerhouse, etc.) But that was before a certain daughter made the name literal. Enter Amy Winehouse. "No one can stop her once she's made her mind up, but she never thinks of the consequences," says mother Janice. The parents have had to watch from afar as Amy has taken a meteoric rise musically and at the same time a dramatic plunge into drugs, all with her addict husband Blake. Last year, Janice finally had had enough going to the press with one of the most inflammatory and sad comments a parent has publicly said about their celebrity child: " I realize my daughter could be dead within the year." British tabloids trumpeted the quote, but there was more."We're watching her kill herself, slowly," the mum said. "I've already come to terms with her dead. I've steeled myself to ask her what ground she wants to be buried in, which cemetery. Because the drugs will get her if she stays on this road." Amy was put in rehab last year and admitted to the hospital several times for complications, but hopefully she'll stay clean.
Afeni Shakur: Mother of a Movement
Afeni Shakur is certified hip-hop royalty. Her slain son 2pac is arguably the biggest artist in hip-hop history, immortalizing his mother with the stirring rap anthem "Dear Mama."
In 1971, while pregnant with her Tupac, Afeni Shakur was arrested for withholding information that could have led to the arrest of leading members of "Panther 21". To show how much of an agitator she was, while in prison, Shakur reportedly obtained a court order to have three boiled eggs per day because the food within the jail was unfit for an expecting mother. Since her son's death she has benefited from millions in album sales, but has not chosen to attend fancy parties or seek the limelight for herself. Instead she was become a beacon for social issues and empowered urban mothers to account for themselves.
Janice Combs: A Bad Boy's Diva-Mom
Janice Combs can be forgiven for wearing a catsuit to Fashion Week in Paris (or can she?). Way before her son was Sean "Diddy" Combs, or even P. Diddy, or even Puff Daddy, the woman worked three jobs to provide the best opportunities for her family and education for her children. Her husband had been gunned down in New York, leaving behind a little girl and a 2-year-old that would later rule the world. Nowadays, she's bold, she's audacious, she's boisterous, and it's all fully paid by Bad Boy records and Sean Jean clothing. Who's bad?
Tina Knowles: Matriarch/ clothier / Grandma
Everything is grande about Tina Knowles. Content to sit in the background of her daughter's rise to the top of the music world, "Miss Tina" is now calling the shots in a public way. In the last few years she's come into her own, releasing facts about the Knowles family history relating to her Lousiana Creole roots and becoming a major fashion designer with the advent of the House of Dereon clothing line. But things were'nt always this way: Way back when Beyonce was a tweeny the family cut back to push their daughters' entertainment career forward. Matthew Knowles actually quit his job to manage Destiny's Child while mom Tina worked long hours at her hair salon to support the family. "People thought we were nuts a lot more than we did," Tina is quoted as saying. "They really thought we were crazy.” Now, they are crazy rich.
