Celebrity Extra: Usher
By Dana Jackson
Q: I remember when singer Usher used to be on the soap opera “The Bold and the Beautiful.” Has he done any acting since? -- S.L.
A: Born Usher Raymond IV, superstar Usher was born in Dallas and sang in the church choir that was directed by his mother. The family later moved to Atlanta and then Los Angeles, where Usher released his first album in 1994 at the age of 16 and also hit it big with his second album, "My Way," in 1997. He flexed his talents even more by branching out into acting -- first in the sitcom "The Parent 'Hood" on The WB network, then in recurring roles on "The Bold and the Beautiful" and "Moesha."
More recently, he's just played himself in several TV shows like "Dave" and The Lonely Island movie "Popstar." However, being selected to headline the Super Bowl halftime show is a high honor for any recording artist, so I doubt he has any regrets about not having a hit acting career. He also just released his ninth album, "Coming Home," so perhaps he'll be adding his ninth Grammy to his mantle during the next award season.
Musician Usher. Photo Credit: Depositphotos
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Q: When is "Young Sheldon" coming back with new episodes? Is it true that this will be the final season? -- A.M.
A: By the time you're reading this, you might have noticed that "Young Sheldon" returned to CBS with all new episodes on Feb. 15. Delayed by the writers' and actors' strikes, the seventh and final season will only consist of 14 episodes, with its hour-long series finale airing on May 16. It was inevitable that the show would end, since the title character was getting closer to the age of his future self in "The Big Bang Theory," the hit sitcom that preceded "Young Sheldon."
However, there is a bit of good news on the horizon. According to The Hollywood Reporter, CBS is "reteaming with exec producers Chuck Lorre, Steve Holland and Steve Molaro to develop a spinoff of their prequel series 'Young Sheldon.'" Although nothing official has been announced, word is that the new show will focus on Sheldon's brother, Georgie (Montana Jordan), and his fiancee, Mandy (Emily Osment). It will debut as early as the 2024-25 television season. Hopefully, Iain Armitage will pop in occasionally as Sheldon.
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Q: Is it true that Jon Bon Jovi lost his voice? Will he still be able to sing? -- I.S.
A: Singer Jon Bon Jovi is recovering from surgery to mend a vocal cord injury, but his career is far from over. According to Entertainment Weekly, the lead singer of the popular rock band Bon Jovi had undergone surgery 19 months ago with a specialist in Philadelphia who used a plastic implant to fix an atrophied vocal cord.
While promoting "Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story," an upcoming docuseries on Hulu about him and his bandmates, Bon Jovi said that their new record has been completed and that he recently performed live for the first time since his surgery. He's also about to become Millie Bobby Brown's ("Stranger Things") father-in-law, as his son, Jake, proposed to the actress last year.
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