The Good, The Bad, And The Undecided Of Stars Who Try It All

The Good:

The "Goddess of Pop" paved the way for the future generation of singers-turned-actors. Cher got her start as one half of the duo Sonny and Cher before establishing herself as a solo artist. She then moved to television before starring in a string of (mostly) well-received movies. She earned herself an Academy Award nomination for her performance in 1983's Silkwood and eventually won an Oscar in 1988 for her performance in Moonstruck.

Will Smith
Who knew the gangly rapper known as The Fresh Prince would go on to be named "the most powerful actor on the planet" by Newsweek in 2007?  Before the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Belair, Smith's claim to fame was the music he made as a part of DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince. Smith has since cemented his position as an A-list actor, starring in a string of blockbuster hits and even garnering an Academy Award nomination for his performance as Muhammad Ali in Ali.

The Bad:

Britney Spears
Before Kevin Federline, the shaved head, and her conservatorship, Spears landed the lead role in a movie that pushed boundaries, challenged the status quo, and set the record of number of Academy Award nominations... err, not quite. 2001's Crossroads was a largely forgettable and mostly laughable flick that scored a measly 14 percent `fresh` rating on Rotten Tomatoes, as well as harsh criticism for Spears' acting skills - or lack thereof.

Vanilla Ice
We can't blame you if you weren't aware of Vanilla Ice's career in film. The rapper we love to joke about made his debut in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze where he had a short cameo performing a "Ninja Rap." He went on to play a motorcycle-riding badass in 1991's Cool As Ice, voted the 80th worst movie of all time. We'd advise Vanilla Ice to stick to music, but that might not be such a great idea either.

The Undecided:

Justin Timberlake

From Mouseketeer to boy-band leader to actor, Timberlake has proven himself as a man of all trades. But is he also a man of many talents? His filmography was mostly a list of movie theatre duds until a role in this year's The Social Network made critics sit up and rethink his acting chops. With three films slated for release in 2011, we'll see if Timberlake can keep up the good work.

Christina Aguilera

Aguilera is one of the few of her fellow Mouseketeers who hasn't tried her hand at acting - until now. Aguilera and fellow singer-turned-actor Cher join forces in Burlesque, in theatres on November 24. In the film, the blonde songstress plays a down-on-her-luck waitress whose life is changed when she falls in love with the world of burlesque. Aguilera has one of the most powerful voices in the business; we're curious to see if she's got the acting skills to match.

Jaclyn Tersigni
		About the author:
		Jaclyn is a 20-something journalism student at Ryerson University. She traded suburbia for the big city two years ago and enjoys navigating life as a single woman in Toronto. She’s a burgeoning foodie, a borderline music snob, a news junkie, and constant explorer of the world.
	Read More >>