Hip-hop artist Usher at the Roosevelt hotel in Hollywood, October 17, 2005. By any measure Usher is a big global star, but the R&B singer, whose album "Confessions" has sold more than 15 million copies, wants to get bigger. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - By any measure Usher is a big global star, but the R&B singer, whose album "Confessions" has sold more than 15 million copies, wants to get bigger.

Usher Raymond, 27, has a record label that is launching new artists, his own concert DVD currently in stores and he owns part of professional basketball team Cleveland Cavaliers.

But his movie "In the Mix," a romantic comedy, hits theaters on Wednesday, and it's movies that Usher expects will supercharge his one-man entertainment machine -- creating a "triple threat," he calls it -- of singing, dancing and acting.

"I've always wanted to pattern myself after those artists who were capable of being legendary," he told Reuters, listing celebrities like Frank Sinatra, James Brown, Michael Jackson, Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire.

Usher first gained attention as a singer and dancer in the mid-1990s, but this past year proved to be his biggest yet. "Confessions" not only sold millions of CDs but earned him numerous awards including three Grammys.

He toured Asia, Australia, Africa and Europe. He sold out London's Wembley stadium three times and one concert in Africa got so out of hand, it had to be stopped, he said.

"You know, what's strange is, maybe in other regions the music doesn't connect so well, but the entertainment does," he said. "No matter where you go, people like a good show."

Usher sits in a lavish Beverly Hills hotel suite wearing blue denim jeans, a pressed dress shirt and wool cap pulled down just right. He smiles the infectious smile that has won hearts, minds and rhythmic souls around the world.

"Kids watch Usher, adults watch Usher, even senior citizens know and watch Usher," he said.

MIX IT UP

But Usher cannot ascend to the heights of a Sinatra, Kelly or even his contemporary Will Smith until he acts in movies and rakes in major box office bucks.

He has acted before, in guest roles on television or in small parts in films with ensemble casts. He was in high school thriller "The Faculty" in 1998, high school comedy "She's All That" and high school drama "Light It Up," both in 1999.

But "In the Mix" is the first movie in which he stars, and in which his name is expected to bring thousands of fans to theaters.

Is the pressure on?

"Of course," he said. "But that's part of the reason why I chose a film like this. I felt like with the fan base I have, I wanted to make a film that everybody could see."

In this new movie, Usher plays a popular club DJ named Darrell who is as hot with the ladies as he is with a music mix. But Darrell, also, is straight-up guy who spends time watching after the little girl next door and hangs out with neighborhood folks at backyard barbecues.

Darrell's life grows complicated, however, when mafia boss Frank Pacelli (Chazz Palminteri), who once treated Darrell like a son, asks him to be a bodyguard for his daughter Dolly (Emmanuelle Chriqui) who has returned to town from law school.

Dolly, as one can imagine, is a doll. And Darrell, being a player, can't help but fall for her. The problem is, a mob war has erupted in the city, and Dolly is targeted for a hit.

"In a romantic comedy you can go in any direction," he said about his movie. "It's about love, it's about the suspense, it's about the drama."

TRIPLE THREAT TIME

Usher's fans know he has become a first-rate showman in concerts singing hits like "Yeah!" and "Burn."

"In the Mix" director Ron Underwood said he has a natural ability on movie screens, too.

"In most of acting you are bringing parts of what you are to any role ... (but) everyone will be surprised by his range," Underwood said. "He understands character, building a performance and being consistent within that performance."

Usher's fans also well know his background. He was raised by a single mother in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and moved to Atlanta, Georgia, when he was young. His mom manages his career.

His mother and grandparents, he said, instilled in him the idea he could do anything and be anybody he wanted if he applied himself and never gave up.

At age 14, after singing in the church choir, he was signed for a record contract and in 1994 he released his first album, "Usher," It was co-executive produced by rap mogul Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, who took the young singer under his wing.

He has since became a sex symbol with washboard abs, and he survived a very public breakup with former girlfriend and TLC member Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas.

In fact, he said, "I did this film more for the ladies more so than anything."

But Usher has an altruistic side, too. This past summer he sponsored Camp New Look in Atlanta where kids could hone their singing, dancing, acting or sports skills and learn about the business side of their endeavors too.

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