Jam: Spotlight on Music StarsUsher’s Malibu playdate
Though Usher is still in the middle of a bitter custody battle with ex-wife Tameka Foster over their two sons, 4-year-old Usher V, and Naviyd Ely, 3, he looked happy as can be while spending some quality time with his youngest boy and a friend at a Malibu playground on Thursday.
The "Yeah!" singer — who showcased his buff bod in a white tank top and denim shorts -- might have also been smiling because his 2004 album Confessions just surpassed the 10-million mark in U.S. sales! Confessions is only the 19th album to achieve this milestone since Nielsen SoundScan started tracking the data in 1991. The last album to hit the milestone was Eminem's The Eminem Show in October 2011. (And just in case you're interested, the top three albums that have reached and surpassed 10 million in sales in the U.S. since 1991 are and Metallica's Metallica with 15.79 million, Shania Twain's Come On Over with 15.52 million, and Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill with 14.75 million.)
As for his fit physique, Usher has recently started working out hard to prepare for his upcoming role as Sugar Ray Leonard in "Hands of Stone," a biopic about Panamanian boxer Roberto Duran.
"If you see me running around the city in scorching weather with a sweat suit, you know that I'm getting ready for my role as Sugar Ray," he laughed during an interview with AOL.
Though Usher doesn't have a ton of acting experience, he told the U.K.'s Independent that he's not afraid to be starring opposite such Hollywood heavyweights as Robert De Niro (who portrays legendary boxing trainer Ray Arcel) and Gael Garcia Bernal (who plays Duran). "Not at all," he said, "not at all. There's a respect for both parties. I've seen Oscar winners come out of left field."
So does that mean he thinks he could win an Academy Award?
"I'm just saying Jennifer Hudson [won an Oscar for 'Dreamgirls']," he continued. "You asked me, is it OK to assume that an actor who doesn't have as much skill can't out-act an actor who is well-decorated? And what I'm saying is, if you take a moment to just analyze … No … I'm not intimidated in any way. Because there's a shared passion and respect among all of us, and it's the type of script that will allow all of us to shine. I don't know if this is the one that would win me an Oscar or not. I'm going into it offering my interpretation and my hard work and my dedication to be the best Sugar Ray ever. Or as good as the man can be. I've spoken to him, and I don't know if I'll ever be able to live up to him. But I'll try to be better than him."
Check out more photos of Usher in Malibu at X17 Online.
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