Best-Selling Author Slams Justin Bieber: “Wake the [Bleep] Up”

Most celebrities who've been criticizing Justin Bieber lately have taken issue with his headline-grabbing behavior, such as showing up late for concerts, allegedly driving recklessly and walking around shirtless in inappropriate places.  But now, one multi-millionaire celebrity is upset at Justin because one time, the singer dissed...reading.

Best-selling author James Patterson's books have sold 280 million copies; he created the popular Alex Cross series, which has inspired three movies.  In a new interview, he slams Justin for saying last year in an interview that he's "really not into writing and reading."

Speaking about the vital importance of reading for all kids, Patterson tells Salon.com, "You’ll get the rare athlete or the rare musical artist, like Justin Bieber, who then goes and starts knocking reading. Give me a break, Justin. Wake the hell up. For most kids, who aren’t as lucky as you are, if they can’t read it’s going to be a big problem."

Patterson explains, "It’s going to be a problem in high school and it’s going to be a problem afterward. They’re not going to get into college, and they’re going to have trouble getting jobs."

When Justin made those comments, he was speaking to an Australian paper about the fact that his mother encouraged him to get his diploma, and he did, even though he had to do all his schoolwork while he was on tour.

"This kind of lifestyle has given me a different perspective on life. I've been able to travel the world," he said, "At school, usually you have to do a lot of writing and reading. I'm really not into that stuff. I like to be out there."

Justin was later roundly criticized online for making those comments.