Puff Daddy disciple Usher is now taking acting tips from his multimedia mentor. |

The underage R&B vocalist will melt hearts in early June with appearances in eight upcoming episodes of the CBS soap opera "The Bold and the Beautiful." In a role that hits close to home, Usher will play an aspiring musician named "Raymond" who happens to be a childhood chum of show regular Amber Moore.

In the midst of the soap's murder plots and dangerous affairs, Usher will perform songs like "Make Me Wanna, " the chart-shattering hit from his sophomore effort, My Way. The Atlanta native will wrap up work on the television show in plenty of time to rehearse for his upcoming road stint with Janet Jackson on her Velvet Rope tour, which he will join in Washington, D.C. on July 9.

Scheduled to air in early June, the "Bold and the Beautiful" segments join a blossoming film rTsumT for Usher, who has previously acted on the sitcom "Moesha." In addition, the aspiring young singer will appear in an untitled Robert Rodriguez [Desperado, Four Rooms] film due out in December.

Like the illustrious Sean "Puffy" Combs, who produced Usher's first two albums, the R&B prodigy is setting his sights on complete domination of the entertainment industry. Shae Usher, a spokeswoman for the singer, told JAMTV on Friday that he wants to write a film script and possibly produce in the future.

Bringing the whole family into the picture, Usher has expressed interest in working with Puff Daddy on an upcoming film venture. The award-winning producer and rapper has several acting gigs in the works, including an upcoming football flick with director Oliver Stone and actor Al Pacino.

"Usher will probably want to work with [Puff Daddy] in the movies," Shae Usher said. "He's a true artist and he's not closed to any level of the entertainment industry." (Anni Layne)