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TMZ has obtained photos of the room where Blue Ivy came into this world, and it's baller. There are 4 flat screen TV's, state of the art electronics, a kitchenette, nice art, mahogany walls and plush furnishings. And take a look at the bed where Jay Z got some shut eye!
Sources connected with the hospital tell TMZ ... the suite was not constructed specifically for Beyonce, but it was always intended that Beyonce would be the first patient to use it.
They had received two complaints about Manhattan's Lenox Hill Hospital, one made anonymously, the other from someone who had learned about the matter through the media, a health department spokesman said. Officials reviewed the complaints and dismissed them Wednesday night, spokesman Jeffrey Gordon said without elaborating.
The hospital, a popular choice for the rich and famous from late philanthropist Brooke Astor to "30 Rock" star Tina Fey, said it was conducting its own probe.
Beyonce gave birth to the couple's baby, Blue Ivy Carter, at the hospital on Saturday.
Media reports said Beyonce and Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, paid $1 million to take over a floor and their security guard blocked parents from the neonatal unit for hours. The hospital denied the reports, saying the couple paid the standard rate for an executive suite without disclosing what that is.
One new mother, Rozz Nash-Coulon, told The Associated Press that her twins, born Dec. 28, were in the neonatal unit and, starting Friday, intense security measures made it a struggle to see them as guards directed hallway traffic.
"Once they checked in there was high security everywhere," she said Monday. "It looked like the president was on our floor. The hospital's security cameras were taped over. Internal windows from the hallways into the ward were blacked out."
The hospital's executive director was heading up its own inquiry into the complaints, hospital spokeswoman Barbara Osborn said. The hospital was interviewing parents who had children in the newborn wing when Jay-Z and Beyonce were there, she said.
"We have spoken to seven out of the 10," she said. "None have reported being stopped from seeing their babies."
She confirmed that security cameras were briefly taped over when the Carter family was being moved, "but only when a security guard was present" on the fourth floor, where the neonatal unit is located. She declined to say why they were taped over.
She said that other parents at the unit did notice "enhanced security." But she said none felt restricted from accessing the unit or any other at the hospital.
Jay-Z confirmed the birth of the couple's daughter in a song released on his social website Life and Times on Monday.
The rooms featured "mahogany walls" and were empty for about a month leading up to Blue Ivy's birth on Jan. 7. A hospital source says the power couple "paid to have it constructed just for them," calling the two suites "amazing."
Hospital officials released a statement amid reports that the couple paid $1.3 million to rent an entire maternity floor. "Simply not true," the hospital said, adding that the family was "housed in an executive suite at the hospital and is being billed the standard rate for those accommodations."
The New York State Health Department has confirmed it's looking into complaints concerning the treatment of maternity patients and their families during Beyoncé's controversial stay at Manhattan's Lenox Hill Hospital this weekend.
But don't go calling it an investigation...
"We've received two complaints that we're looking into today," Moran tells E! News. "Neither of them was from people who were involved in the situation. One was from someone who read about it in the media and the other was anonymous. So we have no person we can interview or talk to about it. But at this point, we are reviewing the situation."
After the R&B diva welcomed Blue on Saturday night, the New York Daily News reported on the frustrations of a Brooklyn man who claimed he was barred from seeing his premature newborn twins in the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit due to the efforts of Beyoncé's security team.
More criticism followed from other patients and expectant moms who alleged that the celebrity presence was disruptive to care, especially since the couple rented out a four-star "executive suite" for the occasion.
Regarding reports that some patients may have been blocked from accessing certain parts of the ward, Moran added: "If someone brought us a complaint that their health or safety was in jeopardy, we'd look into that."
A Lenox Hill spokesman declined to comment on the matter of the Health Department getting involved. The hospital has vehemently denied the allegations since they first surfaced a few days ago.
In a statement given to E! News on Monday, spokesman Frank Danza said the hospital has received no complaints from parents about anyone being prohibited from the neonatal intensive unit.
He noted that officials were making "every effort to ensure minimal disruption," and that patient privacy is taken very seriously. Danza also dismissed reports that Beyoncé and Jay-Z had rented out an entire floor.
The cries and coos of Blue Ivy Carter, who entered the world in New York on Jan. 7, are featured on the new single “Glory“ released by proud dad Jay-Z on Monday.
The track made its debut on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart this week at No. 74 — the chart’s highest new entry — with the newborn credited as “featuring B.I.C.”, Billboard said on Wednesday.
For fans old enough to remember Stevie Wonder’s 1977 ode to his new daughter Aisha “Isn’t She Lovely”, which also featured the baby’s gurgles, Billboard had a simple explanation.
“Isn’t She Lovely” was released almost two years after Aisha was born and she wasn’t officially credited on the song, Billboard said.
Jay-Z, 42, released “Glory” just 48 hours after the birth of the music industry power couple’s first baby. He also revealed in the lyrics that Beyonce, 30, suffered at least one miscarriage in the past.
The superstars have been faced with mounting criticism by new parents and pundits alike after taking over an entire security-saturated wing at the city's Lenox Hill Hospital to welcome daughter Blue Ivy Carter into the world over the weekend. But now they found something of an unlikely defender.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
While holding a press conference Tuesday (which, thankfully, was not to discuss Beyoncé's baby), Bloomberg was asked about the star treatment the duo received—by several accounts, to the detriment of their fellow new parents at the hospital.
"Let's step back a little bit here," Bloomberg told reporters, cautioning people against criticizing the private facility for renting out floors or wings, while admitting that a city-run hospital would never allow the practice to occur.
"If [the hospital] got paid a lot of money and it let them provide services to other people who don't have insurance or can't afford it, I'm not so sure it's a bad thing," he said. "Full-paying patients are very valuable to hospitals in this day and age."
Lenox Hill did get paid a lot of money, although the exact amount is not known. Though the rumored price tag for the Carter family's stay is $1.3 million, the hospital has denied that figure and said the couple paid the standard rate—without clarifying what that rate was.
The mayor then went on to say that the special suite afforded to the music superstars no doubt allowed the hospital to subsidize the care of other patients and will likely serve as "an enormous revenue source" in this budget-tightening time.
And what about the reports that Beyoncé and Jay's strong-armed security team kept other overjoyed new parents from seeing their newborns by blocking off the entrance to the neonatal unit for several hours?
Well, even the mayor's magnanimity only goes so far.
Though he made clear that he wasn't clear on the specifics of the duo's stay, saying, "it's been an awful long time since I've been in a maternity ward," and "I don't think I'm the person that can tell you what goes on in this day and age," he did condemn the notion of closing off maternity wards—if that's indeed what happened.
"I don't think you should keep people from seeing their babies, or whatever, but have different services for people are full-paying patients. It's easy to go and criticize, but somebody's got to pay."
Lenox Hill Hospital's executive director Frank Danza also spoke out yesterday, in addition to denying the seven-figure price tag on their stay, clarified the rumors surrounding their security measures.
"No security plan that we or the Carters' security team put in place would have prevented or delayed families from gaining access" to their children, he said, adding that despite the media chatter, the hospital had not received any complaints from their patients that day.
Meanwhile, critics may be pleased to know that not every celebrity who checks into Lenox Hill gets the star treatment.
"My celebrity treatment at Lenox Hill involved taking a group breastfeeding class in a closet," Tina Fey, who became a mom for the second time over the summer, joked on the Today show this morning.
"The nurses at Lenox Hill are fantastic. They are the best. It's a New York City hospital room! There's like an ATM machine in the corner. It's not fancy."
Just three days after the couple welcomed daughter Blue Ivy Carter, the U.K. X Factor judge popped into upscale kids boutique, Lucky Wang, in New York City to snap up a green long-sleeved onesie ($24) featuring Bob Marley’s iconic image.
It seems the former Destiny’s Child member was able to figure out what to get the world’s most famous baby despite confessing she had no clue a few months ago.
“I have no idea what I’m going to buy Beyoncé at the baby shower because Jay is going to buy that little girl every single thing possible,” Rowland told Bang Showbiz last November.
The family left under cover of darkness at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, the New York Daily News reports.
Observers noted a procession of vehicles with blacked-out windows leaving from the hospital’s side gate, reports the newspaper. Two black SUVs helped facilitate the departure, with one blocking traffic so the other could move unobstructed.
The superstar couple's 7-lb daughter was born Saturday. They called the birth "emotional and extremely peaceful," adding, "we are in heaven."
"It was the best experience of both of our lives," Beyoncé and Jay-Z – who has already released a song devoted to his baby girl – said. "We are thankful to everyone for all your prayers, well wishes, love and support."
Called "Glory," the song released on Jay-Z's social website, LifeandTimes.com, followed the birth in New York on Saturday of daughter Blue Ivy Carter -- the first child of the music power couple.
"Last time the miscarriage was so tragic, we was afraid you disappeared," Jay-Z, 42, rapped midway through the song. He also spoke of "false alarms and false starts ... all the pain of the last time, prayed so hard it was the last time."
"The most amazing feeling I feel, Words can't describe what a feeling, for real, Baby I'll paint the sky blue, My greatest creation was you," the "Watch The Throne" singer rapped.
The baby's name, Blue Ivy Carter, was confirmed by fellow friend and actress Gwyneth Paltrow on Twitter and swiftly became a trending topic on the social media site.
Beyonce, now 30, and Jay-Z married in 2008, and the "Single Ladies" singer was reported multiple times in the past two years to have been pregnant.
But Jay-Z's lyrics in the new song Monday were thought to be the first time the couple had publicly spoken of previous pregnancies and a miscarriage.
In an official announcement Monday the couple said that Blue Ivy Carter was born Saturday.
"Her birth was emotional and extremely peaceful, we are in heaven. She was delivered naturally at a healthy 7 lbs and it was the best experience of both of our lives.
"We are thankful to everyone for all your prayers, well wishes, love and support. Beyonce & JAY Z," the statement said.
Beyonce revealed her baby bump at the MTV Video Music Awards in August, saying little but embracing her growing belly during an onstage performance.
The former Destiny's Child singer has forged a Grammy-winning solo career with hits such as "Halo." Brooklyn native Jay-Z has built a successful brand from his music career, Roc Nation music management company, Rocawear clothing line and investments.
His most recent collaboration, with Kanye West on the album "Watch The Throne," earned him four Grammy nominations this year.
Veronica Alexandra, owner of Blue Ivy, tells TMZ she's been getting phone calls, texts and Facebook posts from friends ever since the baby's name was announced. She jokingly feels Beyonce must have known about her company, because before this weekend ... her site came up first when someone Googled "Blue Ivy."
Alexandra says she'd LOVE to plan all of Blue Ivy's milestone celebrations and thinks B.I. should even be the face of the company. She tells us, "Clearly great minds think alike, and who better than our Blue Ivy to plan events for B&J's Blue Ivy!?"
We think mommy and daddy might have something to say about that.
Sources at Lenox Hill Hospital in NYC tell TMZ ... the mothers have been gathering at a breastfeeding class at the hospital ... and in between latching techniques, they've been griping about the way they've been treated during the celebrity lockdown.
We're told the mothers feel they've been "neglected" by hospital staff ... and now they're discussing the possibility of filing a lawsuit against LHH.
According to NYDailyNews.com, Bey and Jay-Z dropped $1.3 mil to seal off a private wing of the hospital ... with private security roaming all over the place.
Our sources say several mothers have been seen arguing with Bey's security people ... accusing the hired muscle of being "extremely rude."
Still, we're told the mothers are not mad at Bey and Jay -- directing the blame solely at the people who run the hospital.
One source tells us, "Someone at the hospital should be protecting us patients."
We've placed calls to the hospital -- so far, no response.
A rep for Lenox Hill Hospital just released a statement, claiming, "The suggestion that the couple paid $1.3 million to rent an entire maternity floor is simply not true."
The rep adds, "The family is housed in an executive suite at the hospital and is being billed the standard rate for those accommodations."
According to the rep, "The family does have its own security detail on site. However, the hospital has been and continues to be in control of managing all security at the facility. We have made every effort to ensure minimal disruption to other families experiencing the births of their own children over the past three days."
TMZ broke the story ... moms at Lenox Hill are considering filing a lawsuit against the hospital, claiming they were treated like 2nd class citizens when Beyonce rolled in this weekend.
There were reports the singer birthed Blue with the help of a scalpel -- but Bey and Jay-Z released a joint statement moments ago, claiming, Blue "was delivered naturally at a healthy 7 lbs and it was the best experience of both of our lives."
The couple adds, "Her birth was emotional and extremely peaceful, we are in heaven. We are thankful to everyone for all your prayers, well wishes, love and support."
So why didn't Michelle Williams, a member of Destiny's Child, Tweet congratulations to Beyoncé and Jay-Z on the arrival of their daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, over the weekend?
Because she'd rather do it in person.
"Let's get ONE thing straight....I do NOT have to say congrats to someone when they're NOT on twitter...ESPECIALLY when I talk or email them all the time....or when I'll be physically present as well," Williams wrote in response to a user (whose page is NSFW) who suggested she needed to send a message of congratulations on the social networking site.
"My friendship with people aren't always for twitter display," Williams continued. "Respect that and get a LIFE!!! Enjoy this FINE day!!! God bless!!!!"
In a follow-up Tweet, Williams said, "This is a beautiful, precious, private time between two people and excitement is to be expected but NOT disrespect!"
And to end the mini-rant, Williams used this hash tag: "#churchdismissed."
Jay-Z posted the latest track, "Glory feat. B.I.C.," (listen below) on his Life + Times website Monday. The rap concludes with sounds of a newborn crying.
Elsewhere during the cut, Jay makes some heartbreaking, as well as some sweet, revelations. "Last time, the miscarriage was so tragic," he raps. "We was afraid you disappeared, but nah, dear, you magic."
Another verse reveals that Blue Ivy, a.k.a. "the most beautiful girl in the world," was "made in Paris," just before Knowles "shot an album package."
"People haven't ever seen Jay this happy or proud," a source tells PEOPLE.
And you can hear that joy all throughout the song: "The most amazing feeling I feel," he raps. "Words can't describe what I'm feeling for real / Baby, I paint the sky blue / My greatest creation was you."
This was the case over the holidays, when, in anticipation of the baby's birth, the parents-to-be sent pals blue Christmas gifts, a source tells PEOPLE.
Sources and fans suggest the couple chose the name "Ivy" because of the number 4 or Roman numeral IV, which is significant in Beyoncé and Jay-Z's relationship.
Beyoncé's birthday is Sept. 4, while Jay-Z's is Dec. 4; the two married on April 4 in 2008; they reportedly have matching "IV" tattoos on their wedding fingers; and Beyoncé named her latest album 4.
And the significance of the baby's first name, Blue? Well, Jay-Z has three albums with the word "blueprint" in their titles: The Blueprint was released in 2001; The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse, in 2002; and The Blueprint 3, in 2009.
In lyrics, Jay-Z has rarely been coy about proclaiming himself the best rapper ever. "I'm the Blueprint, I'm like the map for 'em," he said in "A Star Is Born," from The Blueprint 3.
Fans have also chimed in on the name. "Blueprint was the hottest album ever sold by Jay-Z! their child's name makes a lot of sense!" Tweeted @kisssmyDIAMONDS
And Tweeted @omgitsralph: "There's a meaning in Ivy Blue. IVy = a roman numeral for 4 which is Beyoncé's favorite number and BLUE for Jay-Z's Blueprint albums. Wow."
Perhaps at some point the parents will make clear why they chose the name.
Until then, there's one thing the family is clear about, as proud aunt Solange declared on Twitter on Sunday. Blue Ivy, she said, is "the most beautiful girl in the world."
"We are happy to announce the arrival of our beautiful daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, born on Saturday, January 7, 2012," the couple said, confirming the news in a joint statement Monday. "Her birth was emotional and extremely peaceful – we are in heaven."
"She was delivered naturally at a healthy 7 lbs.," the statement adds, dispelling rumors that the birth was by scheduled cesarean.
"It was the best experience of both of our lives," continue Beyoncé and Jay-Z, who has already released a song devoted to his baby girl. "We are thankful to everyone for all your prayers, well wishes, love and support."
Following Knowles's highly publicized childbirth, rumors swirled about special perks she received at New York City's Lenox Hill Hospital, including having a floor to herself.
"The suggestion that the couple paid $1.3 million to rent an entire maternity floor is simply not true," Lenox Hill Hospital Executive Director Frank Danza said in a statement Monday.
"The family is housed in an executive suite at the hospital and is being billed the standard rate for those accommodations. Our executive suites are available for any patient, including the food service and amenities provided to the Carter family."
In response to reports that Beyoncé and Jay-Z's presence has stopped visitors from being able to see relatives and even disrupted a father's visit with his newborn twins in the neonatal intensive care unit, Danza says such stories are untrue.
"We have made every effort to ensure minimal disruption to other families experiencing the births of their own children over the past three days," he explains.
"No security plan that we or the Carters' security team put in place would have prevented or delayed families from gaining access to the NICU, and to date, no families have complained to the hospital about being denied access to the NICU."
Neil Coulon tells the NY Daily News he has been repeatedly kept out of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) by the couple's security. He also claims his relatives were booted out of the waiting room by bodyguards wearing headsets.
He tells the paper, "Three times they stopped me from entering or exiting the NICU and it happened once on Friday -- just because they wanted to use the hallway."
A rep for the hospital told the NYDN she hadn't personally heard of any complaints. We reached out for comment as well ... haven't heard back.
According to our sources, the hospital held a meeting leading up to the delivery to discuss a security plan for the birth. We're told the meeting between execs and security was held Friday afternoon and strict security was in place almost immediately, preparing for Beyonce's late night delivery.
The goal, keeping Beyonce's delivery under wraps, succeeded admirably -- no pictures of Bey or hubby Jay-Z entering or exiting the hospital have emerged ... and she hasn't been seen at all since Thursday.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z welcomed a daughter Saturday night in New York, the little one's arrival coming via scheduled C-section, mutliple sources confirm to E! News
And the pop 'n' hip-hop princess' name? Drumroll, please...
Blue Ivy Carter! (At least that's what Jay-Z is telling pals at this point—the couple's reps have not immediately responded to calls seeking comment.)
Friend and music mogul Russell Simmons was among the first to celebrate the arrival, tweeting the new parents: "congrats to my good friends Beyonce and Jay-Z."
Rihanna gave baby Blue a warm welcome, tweeting: "Welcome to the world princess Carter! Love Aunty Rih."
Hey, we're happy to find out this much, considering Blue's parents didn't even confirm to the world that they were married until...Wait? Did they ever really confirm it? (Public records ultimately told the tale.)
Anyway, the "Crazy in Love" duo tied the knot in April 2008 after roughly six years of dating. Considering they waited another three years to have a baby, you can tell this is one couple that thinks things through!
Beyoncé memorably revealed that she was pregnant onstage at the MTV Video Music Awards in August.
And her hubby certainly seems to be in the right head space, telling E! News in November that he hoped to be the kind of father whose children could talk to him about anything.
"Your child could come to you and have any type of conversation. I always hope for that kind of open relationship," he said.
Just imagine the rap sessions father and daughter will be having a few years from now!
The singer stepped out Thursday wearing jeans, gold heels, a black blazer and a flowing scarf covering her ample tummy as she was photographed for the first time since the Internet reached a fever pitch with inferences that she'd secretly delivered.
The photos may finally silence chatter that the singer and husband Jay-Z (who was snapped himself in N.Y.C. on Wednesday) checked into a New York hospital where she gave birth to a baby girl named Tiana-May Carter over the holiday weekend.
The couple was also spotted out – but weren't caught on camera – feasting on oysters and friend chicken at Buttermilk Channel in Brooklyn on New Year's Eve.
Beyoncé, said an onlooker, "looked amazing. She wore sky-high heels. It was really impressive for an enormously pregnant woman. She looked like she was about to give birth."
And, indeed, it appears she still is.
On New Year's Eve, the singer, 30, ate for two at Buttermilk Channel in Brooklyn, where she and husband Jay-Z feasted on fried chicken and oysters.
"She was definitely a pregnant lady that night," said an onlooker. "They sat side by side and had a cozy and intimate dinner. They seemed to be having a lovely time."
And although the soon-to-be mom is due any day now, an uncomfortable baby bump is not getting in the way of her sense of style. ??
"She looked amazing. She wore sky-high heels. It was really impressive for an enormously pregnant woman," adds the source. "She looked like she was about to give birth."
The couple greeted excited fans on their way out of the restaurant, presumably before heading to a New Year's shindig at Beyoncé's sister Solange's apartment.
And pregnant Beyoncé in heels got huge props from her sibling. Tweeted Solange: "Shout out to my sister for being THE cutest pregnant woman ever!"
Blogs and Twitter are in a fever pitch with rumors, gossip, tips, inferences and even bad Photoshopping all about one thing: whether Beyoncé" and husband Jay-Z have welcomed their baby girl.
No matter that the couple and their reps have maintained total silence and that no credible reports exist. The Beyoncé Baby Watch has become a cyber-event unto itself.
It all started with the Twitter explosion when the singer announced her pregnancy at the MTV Video Music Awards last summer, setting a world record of 8,868 Tweets per second (TPS).
After a surreal moment when conspiracy theorists were convinced the baby news was an elaborate hoax involving a prosthetic belly – all, of course, denied by Beyoncé – the Web picked up steam as the due date neared.
In recent days, blogs and Twitter pages seemed certain that Beyoncé not only checked into a New York hospital, but that she actually gave birth.
The Internet has even named the couple's first-born, Tiana-May Carter, after Disney's first black princess, Tiana, in The Princess and the Frog.
And in one of the more unsettling posts, somebody shared what was purported to be a baby photo. We certainly hope not. This would be one ugly kid.
According to the website Media Takeout, the staff at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital on the Upper West Side has been informed that an exceptionally high-profile patient will check in today to give birth. The hospital staff believes that the mom-to-be is none other than Beyoncé.
Nurses shared with the site that while the identity of the patient has yet to be confirmed, whoever she is, she booked an entire half of the hospital's "labor and delivery suite," where Alicia Keys gave birth to baby Egypt. The suite is known for its luxurious accommodations and, according to Media Takeout, offers enough room for three deliveries and up to a dozen guests overnight.
Simple math is further fueling the rumors that the famous patient is Beyoncé.
In a scene on the superstar's "Live at Roseland: Elements of 4" DVD, Beyoncé says, "Hello! It's September 23rd … Right now I’m actually shooting the video for 'Countdown' and I’m six months pregnant, pretending that my stomach is flat in body suits."
This means that Beyoncé rounded the nine months mark days ago.
2. "Barton Hollow," The Civil Wars: Joy Williams and John Paul White aren't a couple, but they radiate passion and chemistry on their debut album — all through a batch of understated, mellow tunes that blend country with folk, acoustic pop and whatever else that gives them their intangible appeal. Their songs about aching love and broken dreams catch your ear, but it's their irresistible harmonies that will make your heart leap.
3. "4," Beyonce: On paper, some may look at "4'' as a disappointment; it had no big smash singles compared with Beyonce's past albums, and underperformed commercially. Artistically, though, it was a triumph. While she still had pulsating beats on songs like "Countdown" and "End of Time," Beyonce dialed down her typical bombast for ballads, and midtempo grooves still smoldered as she relied more on passion than girl power.
4. "Watch the Throne," Jay-Z and Kanye West: While the first single, "Otis," suggested an album full of "how rich am I" rhymes from rap's most outsized figures, the album provided a much deeper narrative, as Kanye and Jay-Z mused on racism, black-on-black crime, fatherhood and other issues for an excellent album that was so much more than another vanity collaboration.
5. "Nostalgia, Ultra," Frank Ocean: Although Frank Ocean may be one of the most buzzed about new artists of 2011, you won't find his debut album in the stores, on iTunes or Amazon.com. He released it on the Internet out of frustration that it wasn't getting any traction at his label, Def Jam. We're hoping the label dragged its feet on this brilliant debut because of valid issues (maybe they were waiting on that "Hotel California" sample clearance). But it's a sad commentary on the failing label system that the young Ocean crafted a sonically rich album that shows him as hilarious, heartfelt, cocky, insecure and most important, thoughtful — and it apparently fell on deaf ears.
6. "The Movie," Betty Wright and the Roots: This soul veteran showed how real R&B should be done with her first album in 10 years. "The Movie" plays more like a lesson in music-making, celebrating classic soul with songs that are unapologetically "grown-folks music." Yet, she smartly utilizes The Roots, Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne and other young stars (and even raps a little herself), hopefully showing that generation that great music doesn't have to be disposable — and can be timeless.
7. "Hell on Heels," Pistol Annies: Country music hasn't had a trio of chicks this raucous since, well, the Dixie Chicks — and the Pistol Annies delivered a well-needed dose of bad attitude. The trio of Miranda Lambert and friends Angaleena Presley and Ashley Monroe were the anti-Taylor Swift, with songs about pill-popping, man-stealing, family feuds and other sordid tales, told with a sharp tongue and witty tone. We hope Lambert's side project grows into something more regular.
8. "Undun," The Roots: The hip-hop band has always had more goals than just making good music, and fresh off last year's activist album "Wake Up!" with John Legend, they bring us "Undun," the story of a drug dealer whose fate is already sealed: The album just gives us a three-dimensional portrait of him and why he ended up where he did. The grooves veer from frenetic to poignant, and the album is another example of why The Roots remain among music's most innovative storytellers.
9. "Own the Night," Lady Antebellum: They may not have come up with another song that resonated quite like 2010's "Need You Now," but Lady Antebellum still has plenty of musical magic left. Their harmonies are as smooth as ever, and the tales behind the tunes are just as captivating.
10. "Hot Sauce Committee Part Two," Beastie Boys: The future Rock and Roll Hall of Famers are still serving up funky hip-hop grooves with the right blend of wackiness, and "Hot Sauce Committee, Part II" is the best example of that in years, with songs like "Funky Donkey" and "Lee Majors Come Again."
Honorable mentions: "Metals," Feist; "El Camino," The Black Keys; "Paper Airplane," Alison Krauss and Union Station; "Got to Get Back!" the Bo-Keys; "Break of Dawn," Goapele.
The pop superstar's mother filed for divorce from manager Mathew in 2009 just weeks after he was accused of fathering a lovechild with another woman.
The divorce case was dismissed last year after both parties failed to appear at a court hearing, but the former couple's split has now been made official.
A final decree of divorce was issued last month in Texas, according to TMZ.com.
In the divorce documents, Tina declared the marriage crumbled because of "discord or conflict of personalities" which "prevents any reasonable expectation of reconciliation."
According to public records, Beyonce dropped $465,000 on a tiny cabana in a glitzy Miami condo complex back in 2002 -- it only measured 190 square feet ... and contained one 1/2 bathroom.
The place is basically a small little beachfront room, from which Beyonce could walk to and from the sand and the pool.
It's highly likely Beyonce owned a bigger condo in the complex ... and used the cabana so she could change and use her own private restroom without having to schlep all the way back through the building.
But that was BEFORE November 9th ... when B sold the cabana for $110,000 ... a tad below her $135,000 asking price ... and $355,000 LESS than she paid for it.
Tough loss ... but we're guessing she'll be able to get by somehow.
We called Beyonce for comment -- so far, no response.
The Crazy in Love singer was hit with a lawsuit in April from bosses at Gate Five, alleging she inadvertently put 70 staff out of work after "abruptly abandoning" her project with the company.
Gate Five owners claim they were preparing to release a game called Starpower: Beyonce, but it fell through when she walked away from the deal last year.
On Tuesday, lawyers for the singer applied to have the case thrown out at Manhattan Supreme Court in New York, but judge Charles Ramos rejected the request and ruled Gate Five can press ahead with the lawsuit.
The Irreplaceable singer revealed her baby news at the MTV Video Music Awards in August and she has been dogged by rumours suggesting she's faking the baby bump ever since.
Gossips went crazy when footage from an Australian chat show hit the internet and appeared to show the singer's bump crumple like a piece of fabric as she sat down.
But Beyonce is refusing to let the comments upset her.
She says, "There's some things that a so far (fetched) that it doesn't even upset you. (But) my mother, she's like, 'Nobody's talking about my grandbaby (like that). My grandbaby's not even here yet... I don't like it!'
"I'm like, 'Calm down mom, it's OK, it's really silly.' My mom is really protective and so is my sister, but I'm cool. It's so ridiculous and over the top."
“I’ve been really conscious and I’ve been trying my best not to lose control,” she says of her pregnancy eating habits on Friday night’s 20/20.
“Because I’ve met so many people that say, ‘My second baby, my third baby, I’ve learned my lesson.’ So I haven’t been going crazy.”
She added, “It’s important that I don’t lose myself … I believe that life doesn’t stop.”
She also dismissed rumors of wacky cravings involving ketchup, hot sauce and ice cream, saying her desires don’t involve “anything crazy.”
“I was on a plane and the flight attendant came and was like, ‘I have your hot sauce and pickles and bananas.’ And I’m like, ‘That is absolutely disgusting, what are you doing?’ He’s like, ‘I read it on the Internet,’” she says.
The expectant first-time mom admits she knows things won’t be perfect, but says she can handle whatever comes her way.
“It’s exciting! I know it’s gonna be difficult at times,” she says. “I know that, like my mother, I’m gonna get on my child’s nerves [but] I’m just ready. I’m ready for the next chapter.”
Though she doesn’t exactly respond to reports to PEOPLE that she is having a girl, Knowles does share that she’s not picky about the child’s sex.
“I don’t care. I just want — I’m just like everyone else. And now I know why people say that, it’s true. I just want [a healthy baby],” she said.
We confirmed with the realtor that J&B took a walk-through the 9,491 square-foot ocean-front pad last week -- but it's unclear if the couple is interested in making an offer.
According to official records, Ricky's trying to score a hefty profit on the estate -- because he bought it in 2005 for $10,000,000 .. and now he's listed the house at $12.5 mil.
The place is pretty sick -- boasting 7 beds, 10 baths, a swimming pool ... and it's located in one of the ritziest parts of Miami Beach, close to Miami Heat superstars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
As for Ricky, neighbors tell us he was a great neighbor -- and they're sad to see him leave.
Best Long Form Music Video
"I Am...World Tour," Beyoncé
"Foo Fighters: Back And Forth," Foo Fighters
"Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon," Kings of Leon
"Beats, Rhymes and Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest," A Tribe Called Quest
"Nine Types of Light," TV On The Radio
The singer, who’s due to give birth to her first child with husband Jay-Z early next year, puts on voices, laughs and jokes over her baby bump in new behind-the-scenes footage taken on the set of her “Countdown” video on Sept. 23.Watch here:
Putting on a gravelly, Muppets-like voice and rubbing her belly, she chants, “Oh baby, oh baby, oh baby!” while holding up the day’s New York Daily News, which has a photo of her on the cover along with the headline — you guessed it — “Oh, baby!”
With a sparkling smile and a higher-pitched voice, she tells the camera with a giggle, “Right now I’m actually shooting the video … And I’m six months pregnant pretending that my stomach is flat in bodysuits!”
“But thank god, you can’t really tell from the front,” she adds, turning sideways to show the full size of her growing bump. “But we’re not turning to the side.”
She then laughingly finishes with, “Oh baby, oh baby!”
The second half of the program, shot during a four-night stand in August, is a nearly complete run-through of her most recent album, the possibly underrated "4." Fan reaction to the record hasn't been as enthusiastic as it was for Beyonce's earlier albums, which doesn't stop her from introducing it (without any real elaboration) as "my most defining moment."
Preceding this is a 30-minute medley/monologue billed as "The Journey B 4," in which the pre-2011 greatest hits of Beyonce's and Destiny's Child are excerpted mostly in half-minute snippets, interrupted by a self-serving stream of fact- and figure-filled historical commentary. It's sort of like the inevitable middle act in a Diana Ross show dedicated to paying lip service to the Supremes.
It's all highly impressive, and almost all a little annoying, if solipsism isn't your thing. Say this for Beyonce though: Even at her most egotistical, she's strangely never less than utterly likable. She might actually be the world's most good-natured megalomaniac.
Part 1 was probably more fun to experience at Manhattan's Roseland ballroom than it is to watch on home video -- especially if you already own a copy of "I Am… Yours - An Intimate Performance in the Encore Theater," a 2009 DVD filmed in Vegas that included a scripted Destiny's Child mega-medley almost identical to this disc's.
In the intervening two years, apparently no one told her she needed a script doctor to reshape a life story that goes a little like this:
"And the hits just kept on coming! But the success just wasn't enough to keep Destiny's Child together… With a lot of success comes a lot of negativity… Now it's 2002, and I just finished co-starring in my first No. 1 movie, 'Austin Powers'… They told me I didn't have one hit single (on 'Dangerously in Love'). I guess they were right. I had five!... All the hard work (portraying Etta James) paid off, since it got me my second Golden Globe nomination… " And then this: "What do you do after 16 Grammys and millions of records sold? Whatever makes you happy!"
Repeated triumphs over show-biz adversity aside, no one will be mistaking this for an Elaine Stritch one-woman show.
Part 2 proves far more satisfying, even though Beyonce may be overestimating "4" as the culmination of her career to date, if only because the tunes all last more than a minute each and there is no further boasting about the accolades she has earned from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Liberated from the lousy patter to pay tribute to songs instead of herself, she is… fairly glorious. Naturally.
Almost across the board, the live versions of the "4" material are more invigorating than the studio equivalents, with Beyonce's's eight-piece all-female band making everything sound like the great cross-pollination of contemporary urban and '70s soul you'd hope for.
(You do have to wonder what that 10-piece string section -- also all-female -- is doing constantly sawing away directly behind Beyonce's, besides providing visual props, since you'd be hard-pressed to ever hear cellos and violins in the mix.)
"End of Time" is a particular stunner, with drummer Cora Coleman-Dunham transforming an already martial beat into something like a one-woman marching band drum corps.
And Bey is at her best on "Love on Top," which takes what is a very tired diva stunt -- repeated octave changes -- so far over the top that the trick officially becomes spectacular again. It doesn't hurt that she's employing her mastery of multiple key changes not on some hackneyed ballad but on a fun, Motown-inspired romp.
"4" had more balladry than we'd heard on a Beyonce's album in a while. Three of the first four songs featured from the album fall into that category, climaxing with the memorable sight of the singer kneeling on a piano top for "1 + 1," allowing us a chance to focus exclusively on the super-humanness of her thighs… and, sure, vocal prowess that seems almost irritatingly effortless.
It's all good until the closing "I Was Here," a self-celebratory anthem that seems to be arriving a few decades earlier than any superstar's valedictory ballad should. While Beyonce sings about the mark she's making on the world, you get random footage of the star traveling the world, admiring a portrait of Gandhi, earning more awards, greeting Make-a-Wish kids, and hanging with Nelson Mandela, Michael Jackson, Obama, and Oprah.
Oh, well. The straightforward performances were fun while they lasted, before they gave way not just to that terrible closing montage but also auteurist end credits that have Beyonce's giving herself title cards as director, executive producer, and co-show-director/choreographer.
It may be up to true diva devotees, of course, to rightfully determine whether all this sweet self-congratulation counts as hubris when we're dealing with an actual goddess.
Beyoncé takes a page from the femme fatale's handbook in her brand-new video for "Dance for You," a come-hither love letter to the man in her life, set to a sultry beat.
As she did with "Single Ladies," the mom-to-be (not so visible here, however) sticks with the power of black and white to set the mood, which in this case is a naughty film noir vibe.
"Dance for You" was included on the bonus disc that comes with the deluxe edition of Beyoncé's latest platinum-selling album, 4. And it's very possible you've heard it playing in a nearby bedroom since then.
Now you can see what Beyoncé means when she says, "I wanna show you how much I appreciate you," right here.
"I wouldn’t miss the birth of Beyoncé’s baby. I can’t. I don’t want to miss those moments," Rowland, now a judge on the British version of "The X Factor," told the Daily Mail. "It’s life happening to people that I love and I want to be a part of it."
Rowland says she learned her lesson in 2009, when she was in the UK promoting her solo album and another close friend went into labor.
"My best friend had a baby and I wasn’t there to see the baby born ... I watched my best friend’s baby being born on Skype," she said, not acknowledging that watching a friend's birth, in person or on a computer, is not the norm. "I get choked up even now talking about it because I wasn’t there. So now it’s important to me to share those moments."
But perhaps either Knowles or her husband Jay-Z will object to Rowland's presence. The two have yet to respond to the fact that Rowland accidentally leaked the sex of their baby in an interview earlier this month. When discussing Knowles' baby shower, Rowland said, "I have no idea what I'm going to buy Beyoncé at the baby shower because Jay is going to buy that little girl every single thing possible."
Who knows what information Rowland might let slip if present for the birth.
Rowland and Knowles have been friends since age 7, when Rowland moved to Houston, Texas, and began singing in the group Girl's Tyme. Five years later, the group was voted off the talent competition show "Star Search."
Rowland says that the experience makes her the perfect "X Factor" judge now. "It felt like my world had ended. You felt you’d had your heart ripped out ... So yes, I know absolutely how it feels when you’re voted off 'X Factor,'" she said. "I know what it’s like, too, to have a meeting with a production company and have the excitement of thinking you’re one step closer to being signed and then it doesn’t happen ... These things happened to me."
When asked about collaborating with Rihanna for Princess of China, even though Martin has dropped Beyoncé's name in the past many times, he said, "Well, I did write a song for Beyoncé, but it got rejected by her A&R people. And the one I wrote for Rihanna didn't get rejected."
He went on to say, "It was when (Rihanna) was doing Rated R, but it took so long — there's still this tribalism in music where we're rock and you're pop and you're hip-hop, and it sometimes takes a while to get across those barriers. Whereas a 14-year-old doesn't even see those barriers. So once we started thinking like that, it was, "Who cares if we used to be shelved in different places in Tower Records?" She's (expletive) rad, and I love listening to her. It's my favorite real singing on the album, 'cause it isn't me."
Family members (Beyonce's mom and cousin), media insiders and some lucky fans (radio and online contest winners) got a first look at the expectant superstar's new concert film. Available Nov. 29 as part of a two-disc DVD, Roseland was shot in August, during Beyonce's four-night stint at that New York venue, and also features behind-the-scenes footage, including excerpts from her "video diaries."
Resplendent in a black gown, the 30-year-old singer answered a few questions before the screening. Beyonce was obviously well aware she was pregnant during the Roseland shows: "The whole time I was thinking, everyone can see."
She admitted, "When you're pregnant, it's a little bit hard to breathe. … It's hard to sing and dance at the same time. But I get my strength from all the love from the fans."
Of the video entries, which chronicled backstage and off-the-cuff moments —- among them husband Jay-Z popping up at a Destiny's Child appearance way back when — Beyonce said, "I've always done video diaries. I don't Tweet, but it's still important people get a sense of who I am."
Part of the reason she was eager to release the DVD is that she knew "this was probably my last performance" — quickly adding, "this year," to cheers.
Asked if Roseland could also provide something of a time capsule for her unborn child, she responded. "Well, there's a lot about my life. (The baby) can say, 'I can't believe I was in that belly.' "
"The whole time I definitely was thinking, 'Everyone knows, everyone can see,'" said the singer before the screening of her new concert DVD Sunday in New York.
It became particularly difficult for her to hide the growing baby bump when the Grammy-winner performed for four nights to sold-out crowds at New York's Roseland Theater in August.
"When you're pregnant, it's a little bit harder to breathe, so it was hard doing all the choreography and singing at the same time," said the 30-year-old singer in an onstage interview.
Fans who didn't get a chance to catch "The Intimate Nights" shows — what Beyonce said was her last concert performance of the year — can get a behind-the-scenes look in her new "Live at Roseland" DVD, available exclusively at Walmart this week.
Along with classics from her Destiny's Child days and major hits from her solo career, the DVD includes interviews with the singer, home footage of rehearsals and special family moments — even shots of Beyonce in a wedding gown.
She's also hoping the film will serve as a time capsule for her unborn child, a chance for him or her to say, "I can't believe I was in that belly," she said.
Toward the end of the four-and-a-half-minute clip, which appears on vevo.com, the singer shares brief front and back shots of her flowing white wedding dress, which has never been seen publicly. The exaggerated sweetheart gown appears to have an elaborate fitted back with layers of fine fabric and a long train.
The rest of the video features major moments in Beyoncé’s life: meeting luminaries such as Nelson Mandela, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson and Oprah Winfrey; performing as a youngster and later as a member of Destiny’s Child; joining Jay-Z on stage in concert; and revealing her baby bump at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards. She sings, “I wanna say I lived each day until I die,” and from the looks of this video, so far, she definitely has.
Favorite Female Artist:
Adele
Beyoncé
Katy Perry
Lady Gaga
Taylor Swift
Favorite Album of the Year:
21, by Adele
4, by Beyoncé
Born This Way, by Lady Gaga
Femme Fatale, by Britney Spears
Own The Night, by Lady Antebellum
Favorite Pop Artist:
Beyoncé
Demi Lovato
Katy Perry
Lady Gaga
Rihanna
Favorite R&B Artist:
Beyoncé
Bruno Mars
Chris Brown
Ne-Yo
Rihanna
Favorite Music Video:
Judas, by Lady Gaga
Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.), by Katy Perry
Party Rock Anthem, by LMFAO featuring Goonrock and Lauren Bennett
Rolling in the Deep, by Adele
Run The World (Girls), by Beyoncé
But the secret seems to be out! Sources have referred to the upcoming arrival as "she" to PEOPLE, and former Destiny's Child bandmate Kelly Rowland alluded to the baby's gender at an awards show Thursday night. Rowland told Bang Showbiz: "I have no idea what I'm going to buy Beyoncé at the baby shower because Jay is going to buy that little girl every single thing possible."
The mini Sasha Fierce, due in February, will be the couple's first child.
"I feel like it is time," the singer, 30, previously said of her pregnancy. "I'm so happy."
In addition to Heidi Klum and Miranda Kerr's costume parties in the Big Apple, Kanye West and model Anja Rubik threw their own spooky soiree last night at The Darby.
So whose shindig was the best?
Kanye's fete had quite the impressive guest list. Bumblebee Beyoncé and Naomi Campbell were just a few of the bold-faced names who turned out for his party.
Some revelers, such as Michelle Trachtenberg and Jersey Shore's Vinny Guadagnino, opted to hit both Kanye's and Heidi Klum's bash at PH-D inside the Dream Downtown (her second costumed get-together of the spooky holiday season), while Fergie, dressed as a toddler pageant queen, made Heidi's party her only stop of the night.
The hostess and her hubby Seal were tardy for their own party and didn't arrive until nearly 1 a.m., as they were working on their intricate matching gorilla get-ups. The couple said their primate outfits took nearly 6 hours to complete!
Fortunately, they made it work.
Meanwhile, Miranda Kerr held her own fete at on the rooftop of Catch. Hubby Orlando Bloom was MIA as the Victoria's Secret supermodel wore a sexy ringmaster costume. Partygoers such as Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, dressed as a policeman, sipped Voli cocktails.
Back in L.A., Adam Levine's annual graveyard bash with his own supermodel girlfriend was the place to be.
Guests such as Christina Aguilera, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Lauren Conrad and Leona Lewis all danced with the dead inside the Hollywood Forever Cemetery at the carnival-themed soiree.
Christina, a fellow judge with Adam on The Voice, made a beeline to offer her host a toast after she entered.
Sounds like a great Halloween!
Dylan's 1965 release Subterranean Homesick Blues, Cash's Folsom Prison Blues (1955), Nirvana classic Smells Like Teen Spirit (1991) and Jackson's 1982 chart hit Billie Jean all appear on the unranked list, alongside tunes by the likes of Madonna (Borderline), Beyonce (Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)), Lady Gaga (Bad Romance), Sinead O'Connor (Nothing Compares 2 U), Radiohead (Paranoid Android) and Prince (Kiss).
Others mentioned in the top 100 countdown include Bruce Springsteen, Fleetwood Mac, R.E.M., Led Zeppelin, Dolly Parton, The Who, Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G. and Queen.
Michelle Obama, who is encouraging the nation to work out as part of her "Let's Move" campaign, has revealed the tunes that get her motivated.
"I always love Beyoncé, so anything fast-paced that she's doing is a good one for me," Obama said in a video response to questions from the "Let's Move" online audience. "But I have very eclectic tastes, so my playlist on my iPod, which I listen to, runs from fast paced to a little more mellow."
The Obamas are actually longtime Beyoncé fans – the singer performed at the Neighborhood Ball celebrating the President's inauguration. But no matter Americans' musical tastes, the First Lady says the most important thing is to find something that moves you.
"Listen to whatever you like and whatever is going to get you motivated, and for me that's a lot," she added. "The important thing is that you get up, you try to get that workout in."
Weeks after releasing a video for "Countdown," which featured her growing baby bump, Beyoncé's video for "Love on Top" hit the web on Sunday.
This time, there's no visible belly on the singer, who's due in February. But there are plenty of fingers snapping, fancy footwork, sexy back-up dancers, a skimpy leotard, a golden tuxedo and more key changes than you can count.
But before rumors of a fake pregnancy reignite, the singer was spotted out and about in New York City on Friday, sporting a chic zip-up navy and black dress and looking like a proud and glowing mom-to-be.
Beyoncé first performed "Love on Top" at the Video Music Awards in August, when she announced – by showing off her bump, of course – that she and husband Jay-Z are expecting a baby: Video.
Fresh from shooting down the conspiracy theories and hoax calls that her baby bump was well, less than legit, Beyoncé proudly showed her burgeoning belly while walking around in New York City this morning.
And while body-con clothes are nothing new for the curvy fashion plate, we can't help but think she chose this most form-fitting of little black dresses for one reason in particular, and let's just say, there's no conflating this message—received loud and clear, B!
Now that's how to silence the haters without saying a word. Well played, you classy mama-to-be, you.
Favorite Album
Beyonce/4
Chris Brown/F.A.M.E.
Rihanna/Loud
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