Jada Pinkett Smith Adds 'Schoolmaster' To Her Resume

Jada Pinkett Smith is adding another title to her resume: schoolmaster. The 37-year-old actress-producer-musician and her husband, Will Smith, opened the New Village Leadership Academy in Calabasas, California last fall. The private school is for pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. It currently has 60 students.

Jada said she decided to open the elementary school after creating a home-school program for her children, 10-year-old Jaden and 8-year-old Willow.

"More and more parents were like, 'Can we come?'" she said. "Then my house started to fill up. We had like 20 kids and I said, 'We might as well start a school.'"

The New Village Leadership Academy generated some controversy when it was first announced because it relies on instructional methods developed by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. But the school's director has said it isn't a Scientology facility. The school’s Web site states that Hubbard's "study technology" is a secular course akin to a Montessori approach.

Jada Pinkett Smith said the school stresses "100 percent mastery," encouraging students to retake exams until they score 100 percent. The student body is ethnically and economically diverse. She said that this is probably the hardest thing that she has ever done, but that it is really rewarding. She also plans to open a companion campus for upper grades

Jada is also set to star in a new television series, "HawthoRNe," premièring in June on TNT. She plays a widowed nurse struggling to overcome her grief while balancing her duties at the hospital with and being a single mom of a teenage daughter.

The Secret Life of Bees

This is a MUST SEE!! Yes, I know it’s a chick flick but it is great. I didn’t think so when it was over, but the more I thought about it the more I like it. It was really emotional for me – brought back some memories from my childhood. It carries you through all the emotions, happy, sad, anger. It features an all-star cast: Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson, Sophie Okonedo (Hotel Rwanda), Tristan Wilds (The Wire), Nate Parker (The Great Debaters), and Dakota Fanning.

It's been a while since Gina Prince-Bythewood directed a film ('Love and Basketball' and 'Disappearing Acts'), but this proves that she has not missed a beat. She reminds of that people of different races have more in common, than not even while showing glimpses of the racial tension and violence that existed in the South in the 1960s. The movie is very entertaining and emotional. And the chemistry between the cast translates on screen. And it was produced by Will and Jada Smith.

They say men don't cry but this movie brought tears to my eyes throughout the whole movie. I don't want to give anything away. But I’ll bet those of you who know every line in Love and Basketball and The Five Heartbeats will be watching this one every time it comes on TV too. Definitely Oscar material; the only problem is which one to nominate. Guess I’ll have to read the book. Oh yeah, make sure you take plenty of tissue...

P.S. Please keep Jennifer Hudson in your prayers (mother and brother found dead).

Oprah No. 1 on List of the World's Most Powerful Celebrities

Oprah Winfrey remains No. 1 on Forbes’ list of the Celebrity 100, a power ranking based on both earnings and fame. Despite weakening television ratings and magazine circulation, Ms. Winfrey earned $275 million before taxes in the past 12 months, and she remains one of the most famous faces in the world. Ratings for the self-made billionaire's flagship production, The Oprah Winfrey Show, may have diminished, but her earning power appears bulletproof. She will debut the Oprah Winfrey Network in partnership with Discovery Communications next year. She also has a three-year, $55 million deal with XM Satellite Radio. Her Harpo production company helped create Dr. Phil and The Rachael Ray Show.

The Celebrity 100 is Forbes' list of the world's most powerful -- and best-paid -- celebrities. To generate the list, Forbes estimates celebrity earnings, then factors in media hype like Google hits, press mentions, TV/radio mentions and the number of times an A-lister appears on the cover of more than 50 consumer magazines. Earnings estimates are for June 2007 to June 2008 and consist of dollars earned solely from entertainment-related income.

Golf star Tiger Woods retained the No. 2 spot on the list, raking in $115 million. Tiger chalked up another monster year on and off the course in 2007. He won his ninth PGA Player of the Year award and a seventh Vardon Trophy (given to the PGA Tour's leader in scoring average) and was the top money winner for an eighth time. He added $10 million by winning the inaugural FedEx Cup. Off the links he parted ways with American Express after a decade together. He still has big contracts with Nike, Accenture, Buick and Gillette. His latest endorsement: a five-year agreement for his own line of Gatorade drinks.

Beyonce Knowles was No. 4 and husband Jay-Z was No. 7. Beyonce had a monster year, pulling in $80 million ($50 million in tickets sales alone) between a highly successful concert tour, private shows, a fashion line, endorsement deals with L'Oréal, American Express and others. Jay-Z left Def Jam Records to sign a $150 million deal with concert promoter Live Nation. The deal provides the rapper and entrepreneur with money for recording, tours and other entertainment endeavors for the next decade. He also released a second platinum comeback CD, American Gangster.

Will Smith, ranked 11th, is the highest paid actor in Hollywood, bringing home $80 million, including an estimated $20 million for his role in the upcoming anti-superhero flick "Hancock."

Hip-hop star 50 Cent was the third-highest earner on the list (he ranked 26th overall), taking in $150 million before taxes. Last summer Coca-Cola paid $4.1 billion for Glaceau, the beverage company that owns Vitamin Water. Fifty owned a small stake in the company.