A kung fu fighter in a disco

It's more noticeable the other way round - when an actor or model or whatever turns their hand to pop they'll rarely get respect. I think the sheer volume of pop stars going into film has inured them from the harshest derision now, unless they're really bad - all the most recent ones have received fairly decent reviews I think!

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i think rappers were the pioneers of good reviews for acting (aka kris kristofferson invented hiphop)

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freakytigger.livejournal.com

He's only submitted his phd! So we don't know if it's good! I like the idea though that the field of astronomy had held off from contemplating B May's area of study in the hope that the master would return to complete his work!!

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I forgot Queen Latifah!

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john lydon = marine biologist!

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I thought he was an insect dude?

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My question was rly asked with Paris H in mind (and R Kelly but that's another matter). She's got a new CARTOON coming out, blimes. Of course she has a bunch of different business ventures but is pop her only creative outlet? Is her fashion designing any good at all (I have no idea)?

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cis.livejournal.com

I am srsly anticipating Gerard Way out of My Chemical Romance's comic! I reckon it will be QUITE FUN.

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freakytigger.livejournal.com

I think it will be good too!

I think he is the first pop star ever to write a comic :)

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She acts! I have never seen any of her films, though I intended to see House Of Wax, and her next role is in a futuristic rock musical (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6922877.stm) :o

I think...J-Lo started all of this off? The whole multi-branding thing.

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sbp.livejournal.com

Pammy Anderson had a cartoon ages ago - Stripperella.

Paris H isn't a pop star.

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freakytigger.livejournal.com

When I worked in a second hand bookshop we used to find any and all books by pop stars a pretty easy sell -

giddyoldgoat was a lot more knowledgeable in this area than I was and knew what ridiculous price the crazed fans would pay.

Anyway a perennial in-demand book and high seller was THE ADVENTURES OF LORD IFFY BOATRACE by Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden! Has anyone ever read this? It had a cover drawn by the person who drew Tom Sharpe covers (or a good imitator)

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BOB DYLAN d00d! painter, poet, actor...

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carsmilesteve.livejournal.com

yes yes, the flying planes and fencing all very good but dude, the adventures of lord iffy-boatrace????

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Good point

offensive_mango! Pop stars who make upbeat music are assumed to be good at dancing too - cf Sophie Ellis Bextor's continued ridicule of her giraffe-gait. And Bouncey & Justin are famed for doing their own choreography for better or worse. Does this count as 'visual art'?

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Also I remember when J-Lo branched into pop as a proper second career rather than between-films diversion, she got loads of critical stick for it, but now it's the default, expected thing for (esp US) pop stars of her ilk to do - if they AREN'T multi-platform entertainers they'd be thought of as selling themselves short. Li-Lo, Paris, Christina Milian, Justin Timberlake, Hilary Duff, Aly & AJ, Ashlee Simpson, Ciara, Beyoncé, Missy Elliott, Madonna - all have CDs AND films AND perfumes AND fashion lines. I can't think of a single US pop star who doesn't have at least two of those things.

And, like, Ellen Allien! Producer and DJ and fashion designer and record label bosswoman and good at them all.

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haha i really nearly put bruce instead of chuck berry -- but i have not read it (chuck berry's autobiog is genuinely weirdly brilliant tho...)

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Dangerous ground here dude...

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cis.livejournal.com

J-boybands are all about the 'being good at something else'! well if by 'good' you understand 'agreeably mediocre' except in standout cases. This is cos a j-pop idol career is not so much about making records as about near-total pop culture coverage. Actually hm this is not quite true - the current first-rank female idols (kumi koda, ai otsuka) don't have acting careers (or regular variety show work), but the bulk of idols do. Nevtheless this isn't really an extra-curricular talent, appearing in dramas is part of the job of being a pop star and perhaps therefore doesn't count.

POP STARS WHO ARE GOOD AT SPORTS is perhaps a class to consider, although for a lot of pop stars 'doing some sport' is part of their pop-star job: e.g. US pop's 'challenge for the children', NME charity five-a-sides, Harry out of McFly's charity cricket.

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Oh and Joni Mitchell I guess. I wonder what made J-Lo's multi-branding so newsworthy? I remember it being a massive and novel thing at the time.

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Ellen is a v good example of a ubercoolische renaissance wumman!

The perfume thing is ubiquitous because the popstar need do NOTHING apart from publicity shots and interviews, which they would be doing ANYWAY. Please don't tell me J-Lo works late at night in her laboratory trying to find the perfect smell...

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S Club 7! And extrapolating, The Monkees...

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Kano was going to have an international club career in football before choosing grime instead!

Aaargh who won The Games last time - it was Alesha or Javine or Ms Dynamite or someone.

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MC Harvey & Javine on The Games, that's where all the Alesha beef started you know...

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