Usher learning business of entertainment

NEW YORK, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Recording star Usher says he thinks the key to a long career is understanding the business side of the entertainment industry.

"You want to make smart business decisions to take care of you when you're 40 and 50 years old," he told United Press International in New York recently. "You don't have to continue to do back flips. I enjoy dancing, but I don't want to have to do it at 50 or 40. I want to have the luxury of making a choice, rather than be put in a position where I have to be on stage, where my lights are going to be turned off or I'll be bankrupt."

The 27-year-old singer and TV actor can be seen playing a nightclub DJ in love with the daughter (Emmanuelle Chriqui) of a mob boss (Chazz Palminteri) in the romantic comedy, "In the Mix."

Usher also served as executive producer on the film.