How in the heck do you live up to being Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s firstborn?
You snag your first Grammy at the age of 9, of course.
Blue Ivy Carter is shining bright among a generation of kids of celebrities who are on track to become stars themselves. Some are further ahead in their careers, but the tween is no slouch.
In addition to a Grammy (which she and her mom won in the best music video category for “Brown Skin Girl”), Carter has also won a BET Award, narrated the audio version of the children’s book “Hair Love,” appeared in a few of her parent’s music videos, modeled for her mother’s “Icy Park” capsule collection and became a high-profile advocate for handwashing.
Here are some other children of celebs who have also received the fame gene, it appears:
Angela Simmons: This daughter of hip-hop royalty knows a bit about celebrity.
Her father is Joseph Simmons, better known by his stage name Rev. Run, of the iconic group Run-DMC. Her uncle Russell Simmons co-founded Def Jam Recordings, and her aunt (Russell’s ex) Kimora Lee Simmons Leissner was a model who helped make her Baby Phat brand the hip-hop uniform in the early 2000s.
The younger Simmons has racked up a reality show resume starting with “Run’s House” and “Growing Up Hip Hop.” Now, she’s giving followers a behind-the-scenes look at her life as a businesswoman and mom to a 4-year-old son with the new show “Just Angela,” set to debut on AspireTV March 30.
Her introduction to fame came early, she recently told CNN.
“I feel like by kindergarten, first grade is when I recognized the magnitude of who my dad was because of parents asking for photos,” she said. “I’m like, why would you want a photo of my dad?”
But along with that also came the work ethic, and while the 33-year-old said her father has never pushed any of his children to be in the spotlight, Angela Simmons welcomes the chance for audiences to learn who she really is.
“I think there’s always the misconception of who the people think I am versus who I actually am, which is why (the new show) is pretty cool,” she said. “I know you think because you’ve watched me grow up or where I come from, I should be this way, but no, this is actually how I am.”
Accompanied by her actor dad Stephen Baldwin, Hailey Bieber first met Justin Bieber in 2009 when she was 12.
Hailey Bieber: Before she was the world’s biggest Belieber, she was Hailey Baldwin, daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin and his wife, Kennya Deodato Baldwin, whose father is Grammy-winning pianist/composer/producer Eumir Deodato.
That’s quite the pedigree, and the now 24-year-old Mrs. Bieber can thank her famous dad for helping her meet the man who would become her husband.
The elder Baldwin introduced his then young daughter to the then teen pop star in the lobby of the “Today” show, explaining they had been enjoying his music.
Years would go by, during which time Hailey would become a successful model and co-host of the TV series “Drop the Mic” with rapper and actor Method Man.
While she recognizes getting married at 21 (Justin was 24 at the time) is “insanely young,” she told Elle magazine she thinks who they are have set them up for success.
“Although I do think for somebody like me and somebody like Justin, (it’s different),” she told the publication. “We’ve seen a lot for our age. We have both lived enough life to know that’s what we wanted.”
Emma Roberts told Allure in 2015 her famous Aunt Julia helped inspire her pursuit of an acting career.
Emma Roberts: Famed actress Julia Roberts unwittingly put her niece on the path to becoming famous.
Emma Roberts told Allure magazine in 2015 that she was a youngster on the set of her aunt’s film “Erin Brockovich” when she first caught the bug.
“I’d run and hide in her makeup trailer and hear, ‘Where’s Emma? It’s time for bed! She has to go home!'” the younger Roberts recalled. “I remember it feeling like summer camp, just the feeling of creativity.”
She got right to work with the Nickelodeon series “Unfabulous.”
The now 30-year-old actress is firmly established in the industry with starring roles in multiple seasons of the FX series “American Horror Story” and Fox’s “Scream Queens.” And while her father, Eric Roberts, is also an actor, it’s way too early to predict if Emma’s newborn son will follow in the family business.
(From left) Members of the Karashian/Jenner clan Khloé Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, Kim Kardashian West, Kris Jenner and Kylie Jenner pose for the cameras.
The Kardashian/Jenners: I don’t even have enough time to list all their names, let alone their accomplishments.
Let’s just say the children of Robert Kardashian, Kris Jenner and Caitlyn Jenner (formerly Bruce Jenner) are the epitome of children of famous parents who have hit the fame jackpot.
For your weekend
Three things to watch:
‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’
(From left) Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan star in “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.”
Marvel is gonna Marvel.
That is to say, it’s going to give the fanboys and fangirls (fan people, maybe?) what they want.
And after the success of the series “WandaVision,” we now have Marvel Studios’ “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” starring Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson, also known as Falcon, and Sebastian Stan as soldier Sgt. James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes.
CNN critic Brian Lowry wrote the forces behind the show “shrewdly constructed their series to take advantage of their streaming home’s weekly episodic strategy (or as the kids used to call it, ‘television’), turning each Friday’s drop into the equivalent of a movie premiere when there weren’t any major ones to speak of.”
The series is streaming each week on Disney+.
‘Invincible’
Mark Grayson, voiced by Steven Yeun, is the son of the most powerful superhero on the planet in “Invincible.”
“The Walking Dead” creator Robert Kirkman has given us this adult animated superhero show based on the Skybound/Image comic of the same name.
Kirkman, Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley created the comic, and the show tells the story of 17-year-old Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun), the son of the most powerful superhero on the planet, Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons).
But as the teen develops his own powers, he discovers his father’s legacy may not be as heroic as it seems.
“Invincible” starts streaming Friday on Amazon Prime.
‘Bad Trip’
(From left) Eric André and Lil Rel Howery are shown in a scene from “Bad Trip.”
If you were a fan of “Bad Grandpa,” we’ve got something new for you.
The producer of that romp is back with this raunchy hidden-camera comedy about a pair of friends who embark on a road trip in which they pull real people into their pranks.
Eric André, Lil Rel Howery and Tiffany Haddish star.
The film starts streaming Friday on Netflix.
Two things to listen to:
Vanessa Carlton releases “Love Is an Art — Deluxe” this Friday.
Vanessa Carlton has come much further than “A Thousand Miles” since she had that hit in 2001.
She was even tapped to be on Broadway in “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.”
Now, she’s releasing a deluxe version of her album from last year. “Love Is an Art — Deluxe” commemorates the one-year anniversary of her last studio album and will include a bonus track and two demos.
It drops Friday.
(From left) The latest album from Adam, Jack and Ryan Met of AJR is “OK Orchestra,” out Friday.
Another album due Friday is “OK Orchestra” from the trio AJR.
The three brothers, Adam, Jack and Ryan Met, put a great deal into their creativity.
“We want every single song to be a concept that nobody’s ever talked about before,” Ryan Met told American Songwriter. “We try not to copy ourselves. I think to cope with that, we just say, ‘Let’s go deeper. Let’s mine even deeper into our lives.'”
One thing to talk about:
Demi Lovato opened up about her overdose on “CBS Sunday Morning.”
According to Demi Lovato, she is now “California sober” after an overdose in 2018 that she has said almost took her life.
For Lovato, that means she might on occasion drink or smoke a little marijuana.
“I really don’t feel comfortable explaining the parameters of my recovery to people,” she told “CBS Sunday Morning.” “Because I don’t want people looking at my parameters of safety and think that’s what works for them … because it might not.”
Such a declaration is sure to cause debate in the recovery community, which is well aware that, for many, semisobriety can be a slippery slope.
Something to sip on
Riley Keough of “The Lodge” is shown at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
Unfortunately, I am learning a great deal about grief these days.
The death of my beloved father more than a month ago due to Covid-19 has me smack dab in the complex emotions for which there is no “one size fits all.”
That’s why I was particularly intrigued by Riley Keough posting on her verified Instagram account about completing death doula training.
Keough, who is the daughter of Lisa Marie Presley and the granddaughter of Elvis, lost her brother Benjamin last July. He was 27.
Death doulas help those who are dying and their loved ones better navigate the process. The actress made a point that had occurred to me often in the past few weeks.
“I think it’s so important to be educated on conscious dying and death the way we educate ourselves on birth and conscious birthing,” she wrote. “We prepare ourselves so rigorously for the entrance and have no preparation for our exit.”
Death is a part of life, and perhaps if we understood it more we would be both less fearful of it and more grateful for living.
