It’s always sad to see a die-hard fan who clearly needs a reality check to see that their beloved celebrity has had their full 15 minutes of fame. We completely understand, there are certain actors, singers and even comedians that we thought would blow up–no question. Well, unfortunately the general masses did question, so much that they stopped paying attention. So below is a rundown of celebrities we thought would reach Beyonce-levels of success, but unfortunately only reached the LaTavia Roberson level:
Arsenio Hall
The late 80s to early 90s were when the Ohio-native was in his hay day. We laughed watching him play “Semmi” in “Coming to America” and his talk show was an instant hit on the Fox Network. But the good friend of fellow comedian, Eddie Murphy, never quite gained stardom beyond his show, which ended in 1994.
Jasmine Guy
The dancer turned actress who first rose to stardom in the late 80s with her role in “School Daze” and as “Whitley Gilbert” on “A Different World” was a guaranteed triple threat. We were all sure she’d be the next megastar commanding the film and television screens. Guy decided to take a less glamorous route to write a book and become a dedicated wife and mother. She is now the host of “America’s Ballroom Challenge,” acts in small circuit plays and teaches dance.
O-Town
As the first guinea pigs of the “Making the Band” series we believed these boys would become the next big boy band. Unfortunately, the industry was too saturated at the time and they came off as just riding the N’Sync and Backstreet Boys wave.
Amy Winehouse
The British singer who was trained at the prestigious BRIT School (former pupils include Adele and Leona Lewis) had a voice that could wake a man from a coma! Not only could the Jewish-raised songstress sing, but her lyrics were honest and raw. Unfortunately, a series a bad relationships and drug use took her from the limelight and into rehab (a few times).
Ruben Studdard
We know he’s released consistent albums since he won “American Idol” in 2003, but we wanted more. Bouncing between R&B and gospel it seems like his mainstream appeal diminished along with his record sales.
Justin Guarini
We could have had a theme here but we’ll just say this: sometimes…being on a show where you’re deemed an “Idol” or “Top” anything, doesn’t mean you’ll have longevity. In Guarini’s case, he didn’t even win the “Idol” title and we haven’t seen much of him since.
Keith John
Come on, man! After hearing you sing “I Can Only Be Me” in “School Daze”—sounding like a young Stevie Wonder—we thought it’d be nothing but Grammys and platinum records. Somehow the Spike Lee Joint didn’t give him stardom nor did his amazing vocals.
Chris Tucker
Like someone in the office asked, “Is he only contracted to work with Jackie Chan?” Although we love “Rush Hour”…really, we do… we thought he would diversify his resume with more lofty projects. But we only have “Friday” on DVD to cling on to.
Cuba Gooding Jr.
Gooding is a funny guy. He has a great smile. And we’re sure he could charm to heck out of us, if we ever met him in person. In reality, the “Fighting Temptations” actor hasn’t had a box office hit in a couple years.
Salim Grant
He’s one of those actors that you saw everywhere in the early 90s, but never knew his name. We figured he’d eventually land a big role and blow up or maybe even decide to become a rapper like his contemporary Aubrey “Drake” Graham. But nothing, nada. We haven’t seen him since his days as R.J. on “Saved by the Bell: The New Class.”
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