The Crazy In Love hitmaker, who revealed she is expecting her first child with husband Jay-Z at the MTV Video Music Awards in August, recently taped a chat for Sunday Night HD and the footage aired Down Under over the weekend.
But the interview made headlines for all the wrong reasons within hours of its broadcast as it appeared Beyonce's baby bump had folded in on itself as she sat down for the TV discussion.
The clip has sent gossip bloggers into overdrive and many have suggested the singer and Jay-Z have actually chosen a surrogate mother, and are faking the pregnancy until the tot is born in February.
But Beyonce's publicist has dismissed the crazy claims, telling Eonline.com the rumours are all "foolish".
The expectant star has been gushing about her pregnancy joy, and recently said, "If it's any time, right now is the time. I'm so happy. It already has changed my life. My husband and I have been together for 10 years. All of my 20s, since I was 20. I just felt like it's time. I'm very grateful that God has blessed me with the biggest gift any human being can have."
"It was important to me that I gave myself time to focus on becoming the woman I want to be, building my empire, my relationship, and my self-worth, before I became a mother," the singer, 30, tells Harper's Bazaar in its November issue, on newsstands Oct. 25. "Now God has blessed us with the ultimate."
Beyoncé, who announced she is due in February, speaks at length in the interview about her husband, Jay-Z, in particular.
"We have been together since I was 20 years old. We took our time and developed an unbreakable friendship before we got married," she says. "But, like anything great and successful in your life, marriage takes hard work and sacrifice. It has to be something both you and your husband deeply want."
She adds: "The best thing about marriage is the amount of growth you have because you can no longer hide from your fears and insecurities. There's someone right there calling you out on your flaws and building you up when you need the support. If you are with the right person, it brings out the best version of you."
These days, she's more confident than ever in all aspects of her life, personal and professional.
"I am finally at the stage in my life where I am not so concerned with other people's opinions about my life decisions," she says. "It is so liberating to really know what I want, what truly makes me happy."
The pop diva will give birth to the couple's first child in February, Knowles, 30, announced on Australia's Sunday Night TV show.
"My husband and I have been together for 10 years," she said on the program. "All of my 20s. I feel like it is time … and I'm so happy."
Knowles first revealed her pregnancy news at the end of August on the black carpet at the MTV Video Music Awards when she rubbed her baby bump for photographers.
Later, during the show, she performed "Love on Top," introducing the song by telling the crowd, "I want you to stand up on your feet. I want you to feel the love that's growing inside me."
And in just four more months, you'll get to meet the newborn!
The superstar premiered the song in America on Thursday and has been accused of copying a routine from two of Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker's productions, according to AceShowbiz.com.
Writing in a Danish blog, Keersmaeker says, "I didn't know anything about this. I'm not mad, but this is plagiarism... This is stealing. They took pieces from Achterland and Rosas danst Rosas.
"It's a bit rude, I must say. What's rude about it is that they don't even bother about hiding it. They seem to think they could do it because it's a famous work... Am I honoured? Look, I've seen local school kids doing this. That's a lot more beautiful."
As the mom-to-be counts down to baby, she's putting out a new video for her next single, "Countdown," which premieres Thursday (7:56 p.m. ET) on MTV and her website.
But you can watch a 30-second sneak peek of it above.
Dressed in a beatnik-black turtleneck, Beyoncé flirts and flutters her eyelashes at the camera as the upbeat love anthem begins. Later, the singer, whose hair is done up in a dark cropped do, dances around in front of a black-and-white background, before beginning the catchy count backwards from ten to one (which samples the Boyz II Men song "Uhh Ahh") that acts as the song's chorus.
When she gets to the last lines and sings, "I'm trying to make us three / From that two / He's still the one," Beyonce shows off her growing baby bump, which is significantly bigger than it was when she first debuted it in August at the Video Music Awards.
And just like that, Beyoncé and Jay-Z's unborn child becomes a music video veteran.
After showing off her baby bump at the MTV Music Awards and later saying she feels "very empowered," the pop diva, 30, now says she's "so happy to be a woman."
"[Pregnancy] is the most incredible gift anyone can have," Knowles told E! News. "I'm very excited. I'm probably the happiest I've ever been."
And should her baby-on-the-way (with husband Jay-Z) be inclined to follow in mom and dad's footsteps, he or she has already got quite a head start.
"I've been performing the whole time and dancing and singing in the studio," Knowles says. "I think my baby has heard lots and lots of very loud music."
"I'm very excited!" the mom-to-be told E! News during an exclusive interview on Thursday while at Macy's in New York City to promote her new fragrance Pulse. "I'm probably the happiest I've ever been."
In fact, the expectant singer, who said she constantly makes an effort to encourage women to "have their own goals and always know their worth," feels "empowered" by the experience.
"It is the most incredible gift anyone can have and I'm so happy I'm a woman," Beyoncé said. "Men, I feel bad, they don't get to experience this. It's incredible."
However, while the Grammy winner seems to have comfortably made the transition into pending motherhood, there's one common practice she hasn't done yet—headphones on the belly.
"I think my baby has heard a lot of music," she pointed out with a laugh. "I've been performing the whole time and dancing and singing and in the studio, so I think my baby has heard lots and lots of very loud music."
And much like now, Beyoncé doesn't plan on slowing down, even after the arrival of her and Jay-Z's little one.
"I know my mother worked really hard and she definitely didn't stop," she said. "My mother was a great example of how it's possible to own your own salon and be a great wife and spend family time and make the lunches and make the costumes and all of those things. So, that was my example, and I'm hoping to just keep it moving and bring my baby with me."
The expectant singer has been busy in the Big Apple promoting her new fragrance Pulse.
But before she hit her party last night at the Dream Downtown with Jay-Z, the mom-to-be indulged her preggo cravings and got room service.
So what's B chowing down on these days?
French fries!
"Before the party, she was overheard saying she was craving the salty snack and ordered a plate from room service to her suite," a source tells me.
Once she'd gotten her fry fix, it was time to party!
B, rocking a sequin minidress and sky-high heels, headed to the bash with her hubby in tow. The fete was a family affair—her sister Solange spun tunes at the rooftop soiree, which had been decked in blue and purple hues especially for her.
There were blue lights, blue orchids and purple candles, as partygoers (not the hostess!) sipped speciality Pulse-themed martinis.
Guests even stayed past closing since they were having such a great time.
Beyoncé, who recently sat front row at Fashion Week, will make another appearance today at Macy's to promote her perfume.
"It's been great. I feel free. I feel very empowered," the singer, 30, tells ET Canada of her pregnancy in an interview airing Thursday night.
After so many rumors over the years that she and Jay-Z were expecting, Beyoncé was a bit daunted by finally confirming that she was pregnant – but says the big reveal at the MTV Video Music Awards worked out great.
"I was just wondering how it's going to be when one day I am pregnant and everyone's like, 'Oh god, I don't want to hear this again,' " she says. "But I'm happy that people were happy and I actually didn't announce it in a statement. I said it's better to just show everyone."
Beyoncé showed off her Roberto Cavalli maternity style Wednesday at the launch of her new fragrance, Beyoncé Pulse, in New York. And it's a good thing she likes the perfume's scent because her sense of smell is amplified since she got pregnant.
"I smell everything," she says. "If it smells bad I smell it, if it smells great – I love it."
"My nose, I smell everything from a mile away," Beyonce said during an interview with The Associated Press while wearing a long, flowing purple dress, her baby bump showing. "Usually it is food, it is onions or something that I just can't tolerate."
Her new fragrance is not one of them. On Wednesday, Beyonce was busy promoting Pulse, her third scent. For the creator of girl-power anthems like "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" and "Run the World (Girls)," Pulse represents another extension of that theme.
"I always meet strong, powerful women and they always have a signature scent," the 30-year-old said. "That is one of the first things I was so proud of. I thought about Diamonds and Elizabeth Taylor and all these icons, so I am so proud of this."
AP: How is this fragrance different from your others?
Beyonce: This is very fresh. This is all about citrus, but it also has vanilla in the back. It is important for me for a fragrance not to just smell like one thing. I think women are interesting and I don't like for you to be like, "Ok, this smells like this." I like for it to be something signature and something that brings out your inner beauty and your confidence and makes you feel like you leave a long-lasting impression on someone.
AP: Your recent fashion show in London (with mother Tina Knowles for House of Dereon) was about empowerment. This scent is about empowerment. Why is that important to you?
Beyonce: I just enjoy being a woman and especially right now, I just feel so empowered. I think that is sort of my place in the world, for people to see that you can be an entrepreneur. You can have goals and dreams and you can grow and be strong and have your strong opinions, and all of these things bring that out in you.
AP: Does pregnancy make you feel more empowered?
Beyonce: Absolutely. It is the most powerful creation for you to be able to have life growing inside of you. There is no bigger gift, nothing more empowering.
AP: You have the fragrance, the clothing line, a husband, career and a baby on the way. What is next on your bucket list?
Beyonce: Balance. I am still working on balance and still growing. I am starting my company, my label. I want to create a boy band. I want to continue to produce and do documentaries and music videos. I eventually want to start directing for other artists. Once I know that I have my stuff together and I trust that, I can do it for other artists. I see so many male artists building these empires and passing their knowledge on to other artists and development. I see myself doing the same thing and hopefully other younger artists when they grow up and they have been around for 15, 20 years, they can do the same thing.
AP: What advice have you gotten from your mother and sister on motherhood?
Beyonce: I have the best examples around me because my sister is the most incredible mother. My mother, I am so proud of her. I see her and I could cry every time I think about her because she is such an incredible woman, so I just pray that I have the same bond with my children, child.
AP: Will the baby go everywhere with you?
Beyonce: Yes, I will probably be that way. I am sure I will. I think that it shouldn't stop you. I think of course my life is going to change, and I definitely will make sacrifices, but you know, I think I will be able to bring hopefully my little rider with me.
AP: You are doing an appearance for the perfume where you will be with your fans. What does it mean to you to be able to interact with them like that?
Beyonce: I have the best fans. They are so passionate and so loyal. I want to give them everything. I always get excited when I do the meet-and-greets because I get to really shake hands and look people in the eye and really see the impact that I have been able to have in people's lives, because sometimes you don't really get to see it. When I get to meet people and they tell me their stories and I feel their spirits, it makes me feel like my job and all of the hard work is worth it.
AP: You are pregnant but work nonstop. How do you keep your energy up?
Beyonce: I think it is just passion. When you are excited about something, you don't have to think about your energy. It is natural and comes from adrenaline. It is important that I don't look at this as like an illness. I am not sick. I am the same woman and I have the same passions.
AP: What is your pregnancy style?
Beyonce: I think I have been trying to find things that of course are flattering to the silhouette. I think a woman's curves when she is pregnant are so beautiful. I don't want to get matronly, and I still find things that are sensual and feminine and funky. I have been mixing different textures and suit jackets and blazers. I don't want to be in the same dress every day.
“It’s been such a great journey,” the expectant star told reporters in the clip below. ”We’ve been working so hard on this. It is a dream come true.”
Inspired by Beyoncé’s extensive travels, the “Global Nomad”-themed collection was an exotic and glamorous clash of cultures. From tribal Aztec-print dresses with feather headpieces to a flamenco frilled dress, the looks were set off with warrior-style gold face paint and embellished turbans.
Models strutted to the singer’s recent single, “Run the World (Girls),” and front row guests including Rosario Dawson and British singer Ellie Goulding applauded the mother-daughter designing duo, who walked the runway hand-in-hand at the end of the show.
Tina, who launched Deréon in 2004, told Selfridges that the line was inspired in part by her daughter’s style. “Beyoncé gets to travel all around the world and bring back beautiful fashions and trends,” she said. “And she tells us what’s going on, what’s new, and what’s just around the corner. We depend on her a lot — we raid her closet!”
Beyoncé added that she was excited to introduce her line to the U.K. (it’s available now exclusively at Selfridges) because “the women here are so stylish and beautiful. They’re a little more experimental [with fashion].”
But according to the singer, who admitted to coveting Kate Moss‘s sense of style, anyone can work the clothes in her mother’s line. “[She's a] trendsetter,” she said of the Deréon girl. “Someone who is very sexy and confident and bold, and wants to make a statement.”
After the runway show, Beyoncé hightailed it to Under the Bridge, a music venue underneath the Stamford Bridge football stadium in London’s posh Chelsea neighborhood. She settled into the V.I.P. area with Tina, as deejay duo the Nightcrashers spun some of her hits until 2 a.m. (the singer left around midnight). This morning, preggerlicious Beyoncé and her younger sister, Solange, caused a sensation when they made a surprise appearance at the J.Crew spring 2012 runway show... The singer arrived solo—rocking that pregnancy glow in a sparkling gold J.Crew dress—and skipped the interviews but was all smiles as the flashbulbs went crazy. "Beyoncé in sequins at the J.Crew presentation," Women's Wear Daily reported. "Photographers going wild." After the catwalk show ended, she was joined backstage by fashion daredevil Solange, who mixed and matched fun colors and prints by Prabal Gurung for J.Crew. Then it was off to the Vera Wang presentation for the show hoppers. Flanked by a huge security team and wearing new outfits, the sisters were the last to arrive. And like good little fashionistas, Beyoncé and Solange took notes, pointing at a few outfits and whispering to each other throughout the show. What's next, the J.Crew kids collection, perhaps?
Co-anchor Hoda Kotb tried to have a friendly chat with the pregnant superstar’s sister, Solange Knowles, at Lord & Taylor’s Fashion’s Night Out bash, but was rebuffed by her pushy publicist, Charles Wade. When Kotb approached Solange, who was DJ-ing in the store Thursday night, a source told us, Wade jumped in and barked at Kotb: “What do you want to talk to [Solange] about? She won’t answer questions about Beyoncé.” Kotb calmly replied she just wanted to say hi and ask her about the event. Unrelenting Wade got back in Kotb’s face and blustered, “She won’t answer any questions about Beyoncé ... I need to know what questions you’ll ask.” Kotb politely replied, “No, thanks,” and sashayed over to talk to Ivanka Trump. A rep for Kotb, who interviewed designers Kay Unger and Nanette Lepore instead, said, “Any member of the Knowles family is welcome on the ‘Today’ show.” Wade called our story “absolutely false” and added, “Hoda was simply informed that she didn’t want to speak about this issue, because it is indeed a very personal one, and Solange resumed her meet-and-greet with her supporters and continued having a great Fashion’s Night Out.” Kotb’s run-in wasn’t the only tense moment at the store -- one woman literally shopped until she dropped and was carried out on a stretcher after collapsing. At Dolce & Gabbana, Anna Wintour, Katie Couric, LeAnn Rimes and Usher paid homage to Justin Bieber, who sat tucked away in a private room. The pint-size pop star was rattled when an elevator halted briefly on the second floor and he told his team he wouldn’t get back in. He instead walked down the stairs, causing a scene as his security steered him through throngs of screaming teenage girls.
Not only did hot mama-to-be proudly rub her belly at the MTV VMAs when she announced she was expecting her and hubby Jay-Z's first child (we still have chills from her performance!), but… It seems like the holiday ad campaign for her and mom Tina Knowles' House of Deréon fashion line also pays tribute to her impending motherhood. In a just released image from the campaign, a rather busty Beyoncé poses in a short tight glittery gold cocktail dress. However, knowing what we know now, we can't help but notice the placement of her right hand—her well-manicured fingers are spread out and rest right smack in the middle of her tummy. Coincidence? Maybe so. There's no mention of B's pregnancy in the official description of the campaign, which was shot by famed photographer Terry Richardson and is set to break in the U.K. next month as part of House of Deréon's exclusive collection for British retailer Selfridges & Co. "With the collection's global nomadic theme," reads a release from the company, "the campaign takes cues from the inspiration behind Beyoncé's latest album 4 and depicts her as a modern day nomadic woman of the world." Or as her and Jay-Z's recent trip to Croatia proves, a nomadic pregnant woman of the world. A separate campaign for the fall collection shot by Tony Duran launches later this month, also in the U.K. However, no baby tease in this one. A wild-manned Beyoncé is shown covered up by a snake print hooded jumper.
Just several days after showing off her baby bump and announcing she and hubby Jay-Z, 41, are expecting their first child, the "Love on Top" singer celebrated her big 3-0. Rocking a full head of au naturel curls, the mom-to-be and her man jet-setted off to Venice, Italy, where they were spotted leaving a hotel on Saturday. Then, on Sunday (her actual birthday!) the couple had dinner at "one of the city's most celebrated restaurants," according to foreign press reports. The pop star, who has been especially giddy since her pregnancy, recently said to viewers at the MTV Video Music Awards, "I want you to stand up on your feet. I want you to feel the love that's growing inside me."
The singer used the ceremony to announce the news she's expecting her first child with husband Jay-Z and Gaga couldn't wait to congratulate her Telephone collaborator herself as they both prepared to perform at the big event. But security guards failed to recognize Gaga as Calderone and initially blocked her from visiting her pregnant pal. An eyewitness tells UsMagazine.com, "She kept coming over to rub Beyonce's belly and say hello. And the security guards thought she was a guy at first and wouldn't let her back! It was really funny." Paying tribute to mum-to-be Beyonce while presenting onstage at the VMAs, Gaga called the superstar "a beautiful soul".
Dr. D'Lynn Waldron -- who's worked as a consultant for the FBI -- has just released a new digital image ... showing how she thinks the kid will look ... after he's old enough to pop his own collar. Waldron believes the kid will have his "father's features, mother's eyes." No pressure, kid.
When Beyonce performed at 10:35 p.m. EDT Sunday night, there were 8,868 tweets per second. Twitter said that rate was a record for the service. At the VMAs, Beyonce revealed a baby bump, cupping her growing belly for photographers as she arrived and rubbing her tummy when she performed. The 29-year-old singer is married to Jay-Z. The VMAs drew MTV's biggest audience since the network began measuring its viewership. Sunday night's show attracted 12.4 million viewers.
The Crazy In Love singer announced at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday that she is expecting her first child with husband Jay-Z. But the show must go on for Beyonce - organizers have confirmed she will still sing a Jackson 5 track via satellite at Michael Forever - The Tribute Concert, alongside headliners Christina Aguilera, Smokey Robinson and Cee Lo Green. A representative for the event tells TMZ.com, "Pregnancy will not affect her performance." Beyonce will reportedly be five months pregnant at the time of the concert on October 8, 2011.
That's Kelly Rowland's take on the big news that her former Destiny's Child bandmate Beyoncé is expecting her first child with husband Jay-Z. "I have known for quite a while, and she's happy, and Jay is happy, and that's all that counts," Rowland, 30, told PEOPLE Sunday at the House of Hype VMAs afterparty. Asked how Beyoncé, 29, will be as a mom, Rowland replies: "I think she'll be an incredible mother, because she's always been motherly. I think that she takes after so many traits from her mother. And I just think it's going to be so natural for her. Its natural for her now!" Rowland added that the happy couple have already started talking about baby names, but of course she wouldn't spill any secrets there.
But it wasn't one of the pop diva's signature show-stopping performances that had people talking. Instead, it was Beyoncé's burgeoning belly bump, swathed in an orange gown. Beyoncé, 29, posed for photos with her hands cradling her belly, teasing, "I have a surprise!" "I'm happy to say it's true," her rep confirms to PEOPLE. "They told friends in the last month," a source tells PEOPLE. "She's never been happier. Seriously it's all she's been waiting for. And Jay is like an excited kid. They're adorable." This will be the first child for Beyoncé and her husband of three years, 41-year-old Jay-Z, who performed "Otis" at the VMAs with Kanye West. Just in June, Knowles, who turns 30 on Sept. 4, and told Piers Morgan, "I always said I would have a baby at 30." Looks like the talented singer is true to her word!
Rumors have been swirling about B having a bun in the over for weeks ... but tonight she confirmed the buzz by showing off her baby bump on the red carpet. With Beyonce as the mom ... and Jay-Z as the dad -- one thing's for sure ... THAT KID IS GONNA BE RICH!!!! For more on the MTV VMAs check out TooFab.com.
Take a look. There's leopard-print lingerie, too: Video.
Lady Gaga just landed on Forbes' annual World's 100 Most Powerful Women list, ranking higher than quite a few other famous females we know and love. So, where exactly did she place? While the "Born This Way" songstress came in at No. 11, no entertainment-related celebs actually made it into the top 10, which was dominated by the likes of Hillary Clinton (No. 2) and Michelle Obama (No. 8), with German Chancellor Angela Merkel holding down the top spot. But Gaga did beat out such pop culture folks as Oprah Winfrey (No. 14), Beyoncé (No. 18), Angelina Jolie (No. 29), Ellen DeGeneres (No. 55), Gisele Bündchen (No. 60) and Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. "Lady Gaga wears the crown of Forbes 2011Most Powerful Celebrity," the magazine said in a statement. "It's a title she's made good on both in dollar signs and massive constituency. She raked in $90 million over the past year. In July, Gaga became the first Twitter user to reach 12 million followers...[and] her Facebook page has 36 million fans." (Not to mention, she surfs!) Oh, and as for Queen Elizabeth II, she did manage to break through the top 50 and take the No. 49 spot. Sure, she many not be a singer, dancer, model, actress or talk show host, but she's certainly worth mentioning. If, for no other reason, than we're still a bit obsessed with her new granddaughter-in-law.
Promoters behind the "Michael Forever Tribute" in October just posted the announcement to their Facebook page -- Bey will perform one of her favorite Jackson 5 songs ... via satellite. Sadly, Beyonce couldn't perform live due to scheduling issues -- but this is almost the same, right? Right?
The Crazy In Love hitmaker is known for her dance-driven promos for chart smashes like Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It) and Run The World (Girls), and she hopes to be able to teach others how to groove sometime in the future. She tells InStyle magazine, "I want to someday open a dance school for young kids. I want to do whatever I can to keep the arts in schools."
The “Run the World” singer also had pizza delivered to fans standing on line for a recent show. Beyoncé and her husband, Jay-Z, are known fans of Lucali’s in Brooklyn. Her rep didn’t get back to us.
But sometimes, even queens need to show what it means to be royalty. And on Sunday night, Beyonce arrived at the Roseland Ballroom to give fans and critics alike a reminder that she remains the head diva in the music world. She made her case to a select group of fans one rump-shaking move at a time. "This show is going to be a little different," Beyonce told the standing-room crowd at the show's outset. "I just want to have a good time." But she clearly had more on her agenda for Sunday's concert, the first of a four-night run at the famed concert-dance hall. While she usually performs for audiences of around 20,000, Beyonce downsized at Roseland for a sold-out crowd of about 3,000 to promote her new album "4," which has received critical acclaim and gone gold since its June release, but has not dominated sales and radio charts as her previous three solo albums, all multiplatinum successes with multiple hits, did. The album's release came at a critical time for Beyonce, with the 29-year-old firing her father and longtime manager Matthew Knowles and taking control of her own career, amid the increasing chart pre-eminence of competing acts such as Lady Gaga and Rihanna. With the initial slower-than-usual start for her latest album, there's been discussion about whether her career is heading in the right direction. Sunday's concert was Beyonce's dazzling rebuttal to all that talk: She put her track record up for display along with her new material and a subtle but undeniable message that she is not to be doubted, or counted against. Dressed in a shimmering gold minidress, she gave fans a history lesson of how Beyonce became Beyonce, from her early days as the star of Destiny's Child to her reign at the top of the charts with such hits as "Crazy in Love" and "Single Ladies." She kicked things off by reaching deep into the past to do a song by one of her idols — Michael Jackson's "I Wanna Be Where You Are." Like Jackson, Beyonce started singing as a child, and like Jackson, she became the undisputed star of her group. "I Wanna Be Where You Are" was a song Destiny's Child once sang for a recording contract audition that ended unsuccessfully. Beyonce noted that the setback didn't stop them — a recurring theme for her concert, and her career. Throughout the first half of the show, Beyonce ran through the chart-topping hits that came from her pen such as "Independent Women," and said they were often inspired by her critics. Before launching into "Survivor," she told the crowd about all the jokes lobbed at Destiny's Child and their ever-changing personnel. "This song was the defining moment of our career," she said, noting the constant criticism she received at the time. "It actually inspired me." Later, she recalled how her record company wasn't a fan of her solo debut, "Dangerously in Love." "They told me I did not have one hit song on my album," she said of the album that contained such hits as the title track and "Baby Boy." "I guess they were kind of right: I had five," she boasted, before launching into a smoldering, slow version of the album's biggest hit, "Crazy in Love." Backed by her all-female band, Beyonce reaffirmed her role as a peerless entertainer with her full-throated, soulful soprano and killer dance moves, in her signature stilettos. While she spent the first half the concert running through her life story (including her romance with husband Jay-Z) and her achievements, the second half was devoted to the future, courtesy of "4." She said the album was about "being brave, managing myself ... giving myself artistic freedom to make real music for you." That freedom resulted in an album that showcased her romantic, torch-song persona with her bootylicious, dance-groove side. Though she didn't sing every song on the album, she sang most of them, from the Kanye West-produced "Party" to the girl-wronged anthem "Best Thing I Never Had" to infectious, marching-band inspired "End of Time." "I searched the world, and found myself," she declared. She ended the night with the song "I Am Here," a celebration of having left a lasting legacy — a point she underscored at Roseland to perfection.
According to law enforcement, police had already booted the rowdy 23-year-old male TWICE for sneaking onto the set -- after he shouted, "I can be a better dancer!" But all bets were off when the kid came back a third time ... and allegedly hurled an egg at an officer. We're told cops chased the guy down and arrested him on the spot for trespassing and disorderly conduct. He has since been released. The music video was for Beyonce's new song "Party" -- and the entire thing was shot inside an actual trailer park.
Multi-million selling music artist Beyonce will perform her hit single "Best Thing I Never Had" and "1+1" live, THURSDAY, JULY 28 (11:00 a.m.-12:00 noon, ET) on ABC's "The View," it was announced today by Bill Geddie, executive producer. In June the Texas born superstar, who turns 30 on September 4, released her fourth studio album "4," which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It was recently announced that she will star in a remake of the classic film "A Star is Born," to be directed by Clint Eastwood.
Beyonce, one of the best-selling music artists of all time, is also one of the most honored by the Grammys, with a total of 16 (13 as a solo artist), and is the recipient of numerous awards. She was honored at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards as recipient of the Billboard Millennium Award.
The multi-faceted singer has sold more than 75 million records worldwide as a solo artist.
The singer and burgeoning actress, whose fourth solo album "4" debuted at No. 1 on pop charts after its release in June, told Reuters she felt lucky to have landed the iconic role previously played by Barbra Streisand and Judy Garland. Eastwood will helm the fourth remake of the story about rising singer and actress Esther Blodgett, and Beyonce fondly remembers being a young girl and watching previous versions of the movie with her mother. "It's when I became a fan of Barbra Streisand's. And I then saw Judy Garland's version of 'A Star Is Born' and I realized every 20 to 30 years a new star is born and a new talent represents that generation and era -- so I didn't think that I would ever get the opportunity to be the star," she said. Beyonce has won 16 Grammy Awards, is married to rapper mogul Jay-Z, has topped Forbes magazine's lists of the most powerful and influential celebrities and is one of the world's top-grossing musicians. She starred in other movies with large ensemble casts, such as the widely-praised "Dreamgirls", but she said meeting Oscar winner Eastwood still made her quiver. "I met with Clint and I was so nervous and I know that it is the biggest opportunity of my life. I will work as hard as I can," she said. "Because I can't wait. And I am so happy that he trusts me and I am in good hands and I am so fortunate." The film is due to begin shooting at the end of the year and, according to showbiz website Deadline Hollywood, may also co-star Leonardo DiCaprio. But for now, Beyonce is still busy managing the singing career that she has taken over from her father and longtime manager, Matthew Knowles. The switch has the music industry watching closely. Without directly addressing her father, Beyonce said it was "difficult balancing the business and the creativity." "Having to balance the two is really hard and really making sure that I'm still doing my job, which is to be the performer and the entertainer and not have to do everyone else's job so that mine doesn't suffer, that's been a challenge," she said. She added: "I'm sleeping with my blackberry, I'm having dreams that I'm answering e-mails, like it's that far!" LABOR OF LOVE While "4," debuted at No. 1, its first week sales were her lowest to date and singles "Run the World (Girls)" and "Best Thing I Never Had" have not performed as well as other hits, from "Crazy In Love" on her first album to her third CD's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" and "Halo." The Houston-born singer, who first experienced fame with the all-girl group "Destiny's Child," said that with "4" she wanted to make a cohesive album that was "one body of work." "This album was a labor of love. It was not about singles," she said. "I felt like the emotion and live instruments and just soul (were) missing out of the music industry, especially the popular music that's out. I wanted to bring it back to the music I grew up listening to. It's like a mixture of the '90s and the '70s and rock-n-roll." Beyonce heralds the video for "Run the World (Girls)" as a current favorite, but acknowledges that the black-and-white video for "Single Ladies," which showed off her swinging pelvis and rhythmic dance moves in a one-piece bodysuit, was a hard act to follow. That video "was something that no one knew would become the phenomenon it became, thank God. And I know I am so lucky to have one of those moments in my career. It is just a blessing." Her move to take charge of her career -- everything from her tour performances to videos -- is partly aimed at inspiring younger stars to take control of their careers, she said, citing one of her major influences, Michael Jackson. "It just feels like no one else can tell me how I am supposed to perform, and I think it's what separates the Michaels and the Madonnas from the artists that are great but are just not quite the Michaels and the Madonnas," Beyonce said. While some industry watchers have wondered if success has gone to her head, Beyonce seems to exhibit very little of the ego of many pop stars and said as the years progress, she will likely be living "vicariously" through other artists. As she turns 30 years-old in September, what can she possibly achieve by, say, 60? "I am sure at 60 I will not doing the Oh-Oh-Oh dance, that will not be cute," she laughed, referring to the 'Single Ladies' dance. "I think my priority will be my children and hopefully my grandchildren by then -- and my record label or production company or whatever else."
Best Female Video Best Choreography Best Cinematography The songstress has popped up in a few unexpected places lately (like a surprise visit to a Target in New York, for one), but her latest cameo is out of this world. Literally. Yesterday Jay-Z's better half recorded a special message for the astronauts aboard the Atlantis space shuttle. So what did B have to say to those very spacial travelers. It was a wake-up call! "Good morning, Atlantis. This is Beyoncé," she told the crew aboard the NASA space shuttle. "Sandy, Chris, Doug and Rex, you inspire all of us to dare to live our dreams, to know that we're strong enough and smart enough to achieve them." That's quite the way to start your ninth gravity-free day amongst the stars! But even high in orbit, Beyoncé is still all about girl power! "This song is especially for my girl Sandy," Beyoncé told mission specialist Sandy Magnus as "Run the World (Girls)" played over the speaker. "And all the women who've taken us to space with them and the girls who are our future explorers." And the good vibes kept on flowing as Sandy responded to Houston, saying "Good morning, Houston! A big thanks to Beyoncé for taking some time out of her schedule to record us a greeting. We're ready for another day here in Atlantis! Hopefully we as a team at NASA can keep our inspirational work up for the young people of America." The Atlantis is bound for the International Space Station to deliver supplies before touching back down in Florida in less than a week. Gotta wonder if any other celebs will blast into orbit before the shuttle returns to Earth.
The singer began filming A Night With Beyonce at a London studio on Wednesday, belting out hits such as Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It), Crazy In Love, Irreplaceable and Halo, as well as songs from her latest album 4. She shot the second half of the hour-long show for U.K. network ITV on Thursday, performing new tracks including 1+1, Party and Run The World (Girls). But she had to call time on the set after struggling to maintain her powerful voice towards the end of the gig, blaming her lack of rest, and apologised to fans in the audience for making Countdown her last song of the night. Sources tell WENN she then enlisted the help of her devotees to sing the chorus, before exiting the stage to rousing applause and cheers. Earlier in the day, Beyonce treated her waiting fans to free pizza to show her appreciation for their support. Attendees began lining up outside the studio doors hours before showtime to ensure they got prime seats for the intimate show. A Night With Beyonce is due to air in the U.K. later this year.
In the documents -- obtained by TMZ -- Mathew Knowles claims Live Nation Entertainment wanted desperately to sink its fangs into Beyonce's 2011 world tour. According to the docs, Mathew claims Live Nation told Beyonce that Mathew "had stolen money from Beyonce on her most recent tour or otherwise taken funds that [he] was not entitled to." Mathew claims Live Nation was effective, because Beyonce had her law firm conduct an audit, and the law firm concluded Mathew had indeed pilfered money from her. Beyonce then fired him. Mathew claims after he was canned, Beyonce hired a manager who had worked as a former exec at Live Nation and maintained a relationship with the company. Mathew insists the theft accusations by Live Nation are false, and he wants the judge to give him the right to take depositions of various people at Live Nation, to determine just how they concluded he was a thief. We could not reach Beyonce's rep for comment.
Her new album "4" sold 310,000 copies during the week ended July 3, according to tracking firm Nielsen SoundScan -- about the same amount as the next four albums combined. Her previous release, the double-disc "I Am ... Sasha Fierce," sold 482,000 copies during its first week of sale in November 2010, fueled by the hits "If I Were a Boy" and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)." Her first solo outing away from Destiny's Child, "Dangerously in Love," started with 317,000 in 2003, while 2006's "B-Day" opened with 541,000. The new album has not yet had the benefit of a hit single, with "Run the World (Girls)" stalling at No. 29 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 singles chart. It is now at No. 84. Executives at her Sony Music label have been on the counter-attack in recent days after the album leaked on June 7 and fans took to the Web to give it a lukewarm reception. Elsewhere on the album chart, English pop singer Adele's "21" rebounded one place to No. 2 in its 19th week, with 91,500 copies. Its tally stands at 2.5 million copies, easily making it the biggest album of the year. Rapper Big Sean's debut release "Finally Famous: The Album" came in at No. 3 with 87,000 copies. Disney starlet Selena Gomez, currently in theaters with the teen comedy "Monte Carlo," arrived at No. 4 with sales of 78,000 for "When the Sun Goes Down," an album on which she shares credit with her band the Scene. Their previous set, "A Year Without Rain," opened at No. 4 with 66,200 last September. Last week's champ, R&B singer Jill Scott, fell to No. 5 with "Light of the Sun" (54,800). "American Idol" accounted for the two other newcomers in the top 10. Season 7 winner David Cook debuted at No. 7 with his second album "This Loud Morning" (45,800 copies). It marked a sharp drop from his self-titled debut, which arrived at No. 3 with 280,000 copies in the same week as Beyonce's previous album. Reigning champ Scotty McCreery came in at No. 10 with the Walmart-exclusive EP "American Idol Season 10: Scotty McCreery" (40,400). A full-length album, released immediately after his victory in May, debuted at No. 12 with 23,000 copies. Filling out the top 10, country singer Jason Aldean's "My Kinda Party" (47,800) rose four to No. 6 in its 35th week, talent contest winner Jackie Evancho's "Dream With Me" (43,900) fell four to No. 8 in its third week, and the Eminem side project "Hell: the Sequel" (42,200) fell three to No. 9, also in its third week.
Her mega-hit disc "21" remained at No. 1 for a second straight week, selling 13,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It held off the high debuts from Beyonce and her new effort "4" (8,700), which landed at No. 3, as well as Selena Gomez & the Scene's "When the Sun Goes Down" (9,000), which slid in behind Adele at No. 2. Another female giant, Lady Gaga, gained one position to No. 4 with "Born This Way," while LMFAO's "Sorry for Party Rocking" went the other way, dropping two to No. 5. Eminem's latest project Bad Meets Evil's EP ""Hell: The Sequel" moved up one notch to No. 6, Pitbull's “Planet Pit” had no bark in its second week, dropping three to No. 7, and Simple Plan's latest "Get Your Heart On!" plummeted six levels to No. 8. The compilation "Mixmania 2" spent its fourth week at No. 9, and Bon Iver's self-titled effort held on to the No. 10 spot. In the U.S., Beyonce landed her fourth consecutive No. 1 album with "4," which sold a healthy 310,000 copies, according to Billboard.com. She was followed by Adele in second, Big Sean's "Finally Famous" in third, Selena Gomez & the Scene in fourth, and Jill Scott's "The Light of the Sun" in fifth.
A Capitol Fourth: America's Independence Day Celebration, airing at 8/7c on PBS, will take place from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol and will be hosted by Jimmy Smits. The 90-minute special will feature performances from Steve Martin, Matthew Morrison, Jordin Sparks, Josh Groban and Little Richard, as well as the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of conductor Jack Everly. NBC will broadcast The Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular from New York City at 9/8c. The hourlong special, which will pay tribute to the Statue of Liberty, will be hosted by Nick Lachey and feature musical artists Beyoncé and Brad Paisley. Finally, The 38th Annual Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular will air at 10/9c on CBS from the Charles River Esplanade. Michael Chiklis will host the event and Martina McBride is set to perform with the Boston Pops under the direction of conductor Keith Lockhart.
The Halo hitmaker, who previously starred in Dreamgirls and Austin Powers: Gold Member, has been linked to the leading lady role for months and now she has ended the speculation by revealing she'll follow in the footsteps of Janet Gaynor, Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand for a fourth remake of the classic movie. Making the announcement during her summer concert series performance on Good Morning America on Friday, she says, "Clint Eastwood? Can you believe that? I can't believe it still. When I met with him I was just in awe. I'm so, so honoured that he believes in me. And I can't wait to do this film. "I represent this generation's talent and for me to be the chosen person, as an African American woman, is incredible." Russell Crowe is in talks to co-star.
She talked about her new 4 album, her new movie and her feet. Of the album: "It's all my influences that inspired me over my travels. I was able to see some festivals and artists (during her recent break from work). It's a bit of rock, jazz, live instrumentation. I wanted to bring chords, bridges and melody back on the radio. I thought I've earned the right to make artistic music and not just radio songs." Of the movie she will soon start, A Star is Born with director Clint Eastwood: "I can't believe it still. When I met with him I was just in awe. I'm so honored that he believes in me. I can't wait to do this film. ... For me to be a chosen person, and as an African American woman, it is incredible." Fielding a question from a fan who wondered if her feet ever hurt her: "They do! Sometimes they're numb. Sometimes they bleed - just like a ballet dancer. But I don't even think about it. I'm just usually so focused on stage and connecting with the audience I don't feel my feet until I leave the stage. Then I'm at home and oh, my lord ... "
Beyonce's choreographer was in the middle of conducting a dance lesson for the group ... when the pop star suddenly walked on stage ... AND THE WHOLE PLACE WENT NUTS!! We're told Beyonce hung out for roughly 15 minutes -- and afterward, she bought a handful of her new CDs and handed them out to the group.
Early indications are that the album will debut at No. 1 in as many as 14 countries, including the United States, Columbia/Epic Label Group Chairman Rob Stringer told Billboard.com. The first single, "Run the World (Girls)," stalled at No. 29 on the Hit 100 after it was leaked. The album itself was leaked on June 7, three weeks ahead of its June 28 release date. This led to reports that "4" would be delayed and possible altered -- particularly after a tepid response from the blogosphere. "We didn't want the leaks to happen," Stringer said. "But there was never any discussion of this album moving. It has always been that date. It's been that date for four months now. There was never a conversation about pushing it back, bringing it forward, changing the songs -- none of it." Stringer said the company is looking at an 18-month campaign for "4," which will include "extensive touring" by Beyonce. Just back from a successful overseas run that included three concerts in France and a closing-night gig at the U.K.'s Glastonbury Festival, she'll roll out a documentary, "Beyonce: Year of 4," on Thursday on MTV and BET, then perform Friday on ABC's GMA Summer Concert Series. She'll head back to the U.K. for a July 9 show at Scotland's T in the Park and a stop the next day at a festival in Ireland.
According to the Official Charts Company (OCC), the 29-year-old R&B star is set to top the ranking by the end of the week, which would be her second British number one. She was one of several acts to enjoy the "Glastonbury effect," where media exposure of one of the world's biggest music festivals boosts performers who appear. The event ran from Wednesday to Sunday, with U2, Coldplay and Beyonce grabbing most of the limelight with their headline slots on the final three days. Besides her new album, Beyonce's single "Best Thing I Never Had" was on course to enter at number six, one of seven tracks by the singer in the Top 75. Among others to benefit from Glastonbury with big gains in the album rankings were Chase & Status, Mumford & Sons, Aloe Blacc, Noah & The Whale, Plan B, Elbow and Coldplay.
After being the first female to headline the Glastonbury music festival this weekend, B continued her tour de force with a surprise album launch party and performance. So who was front and center to see her sing her hits old and new, besides hubby Jay-Z? Let's see: Gwyneth Paltrow, Stella McCartney, Adele and her mom, Tina, were all sitting front row at the Shepard's Bush Empire. Glee castmates Naya Riviera, Chord Overstreet, Kevin McHale, Darren Criss and Harry Shum Jr. also managed to attend during a night off from their busy overseas Glee tour. In addition to performing new tunes from her album 4, including Girls (Run the World) and Best Thing I Never Had, the Grammy winner sang former hits like Single Ladies, Halo and Irreplaceable. Bey also paid homage to other artists during the show. "The highlight of evening came with a medley of covers from Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody and Kings of Leon's Sex on Fire," a partygoer tells me. Guests toasted her with specialty Belvedere cocktails during the soiree. We'll see how the album sells with the masses, but one thing's for certain: B's got plenty of celebrity fans!
The former Destiny’s Child star took to the main stage to close the three-day event, becoming the first woman ever to play in the iconic festival’s headline slot. And she was clearly overwhelmed by performing in front of a crowd of more than 170,000 people on the last night of the world’s biggest rock festival. The Crazy in Love hitmaker frequently addressed the crowd between songs to thank them for their support and to express her delight at realizing her dream of playing a major festival. As her husband Jay-Z and pal Gwyneth Paltrow watched from the security pit in front of the stage, Beyonce performed a hits-packed set and even found time for some cover versions - she ran through a rendition of the Kings of Leon’s Sex on Fire and inserted a section of Alanis Morissette’s You Oughta Know into her track If I Were a Boy. She also sang her version of Etta James’ hit At Last, as images of U.S. President Barack Obama were beamed onto her stage backdrop. She invited the audience to join her in a mass singalong to Irreplaceable and invited fans to sing Happy Birthday to music mogul Steve Stoute, who was also watching from the pit. Rumours had earlier swirled that Beyonce was planning an onstage reunion of Destiny’s Child but the speculation was quashed when she gave Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams a shout out “back in the U.S.” before launching into a medley of her former band’s hits, including Independent Women, Bootylicious, and Say My Name. During her closing track, Halo, film footage of festival-goers over the three days was projected onto the backdrop, and Beyonce asked, “Can I come down and join you all?” before she was helped off the stage into the security pit and walked the entire width of the crowd, shaking hands and posing for photographs. She told the audience, “I’ve done a lot of things in my life but I have never performed in front of 175,000 people... I do say thank you, Glastonbury. A girl, a woman, a young lady, has not headlined... so this is history to me... Once again, thank you all for this beautiful night. I will never forget it.”
"I always said I would have a baby at 30," the singer, now 29, told her host Monday on Piers Morgan Tonight. "But I also said I was gonna retire at 30." With only months to go until her Sept. 4 birthday, the artist says "only God knows" when she will become a mother with husband Jay-Z – and she's not ready to retire. For now, she's focusing on her music. Her fourth studio album, aptly titled 4, just dropped Tuesday. And she's not fearing the new milestone. "I can't wait," she says, "because 29 is very strange." "You're still in your 20s," she explains. "But you feel like you're supposed to be 30, and I feel like a woman." She adds: "I feel like 30 is the ideal age because you're mature enough to know who you are and to have your boundaries and your standards and not be afraid of [being] too polite. But you're young enough to be a young woman, and I'm so looking forward to it."
"They're very nervous about Beyoncé's new record," an industry insider told us. "It doesn't have the hit songs that her fans are used to. They asked her to make changes, but she said no." Bracing for the worst, Columbia suits are strategizing in case of slower sales and have had "quiet discussions" about the reunion of Destiny's Child. "Beyoncé's career has stalled a bit," a source told us. "Columbia seems to think they can get some mileage out of a comeback record with all of the girls." Another source tells us Destiny's Child could start recording together as early as October, with a suggested album title "Family Reunion." But Kelly Rowland might not be eager to join forces again. Our source said, "She has her own solo career now, why would she want to be singing back up for Beyoncé?" A Columbia rep told us, "All I know is that the record came in . . . Nothing was ever discussed to change it." Beyoncé's rep said, "All of this is completely untrue. All of it." Rowland's rep didn't get back to us. Meanwhile, Columbia's parent company Sony Music, under new leadership of ex-Universal honcho Doug Morris, will be consolidating. Insiders say Sony honchos are in discussions to dump Jive Records, the label that signed Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears. One of the most successful music labels, Jive was purchased for close to $3 billion in 2002. Now, Peter Edge is poised to take over Sony's RCA label that will absorb many of Jive's artists -- but staff layoffs are still expected in July. "X-Factor" judge L.A. Reid jumped from Island Def Jam last week to revitalize Sony's Epic Records as chairman. Sources say Sony plans to transfer Jive's Tom Carrabba to Epic to work under Reid and control his legendary spending. A Sony rep declined to comment.
Now in its fifth decade, the event has grown from a humble gathering of 1,500 people on Michael Eavis's Worthy dairy farm in 1970, each paying one pound ($1.60) and receiving free milk, to a giant five-day celebration of music costing 195 pounds for a basic ticket. The main talking point in the build-up to the festival, held most years on a sprawling site set in picturesque southwest England, is the weather, and the outlook this year looks more mixed than the sun-baked 2010 edition. Heavy rain means shin-deep mud, leaking tents and sodden crowds, but Britain's Met Office is predicting sunshine, clouds and light rain at the event which ends on Sunday night, and punters are advised to pack sun cream as well as raincoats. The biggest shows kick off on Friday, when the main Pyramid stage will host blues guitar legend B.B. King and contrarian Manchester singer Morrissey in the lead up to Irish rockers U2, the opening headline act. The band had been scheduled to perform in 2010, but were forced to cancel when lead singer Bono injured his back. Drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. said the set, before a crowd of some 100,000 standing on a grass slope leading down to the stage, posed a new challenge for the group, which has honed its live act on a record-breaking world tour that is still ongoing. "It's not the 360 Degree show, we're out of our comfort zone and that's important for us," he told BBC Radio. "Despite everything we have something to prove and it's about the songs. It's about a band being able to get up and play the music and there aren't bells and whistles necessarily. That's a challenge for us and we've got something to prove." Coldplay, who fill the headline slot on Saturday night and release a new album soon, confessed to some nerves, despite, like U2, being one of the biggest bands on the planet. Glastonbury is part of an increasingly crowded live music calendar in Britain, but remains the "mighty mother of all festivals" in the words of music website Pitchfork. "It's one of the few shows that we'll get really nervous about," said Coldplay drummer Will Champion. "When we're doing our own stuff there's a very set routine ... At a festival it's different," he told BBC, the festival's official media partner. According Eavis's daughter and Glastonbury co-organizer Emily, Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin helped the festival secure Beyonce Knowles for the final headline slot on Sunday, which brings the curtain down on the event. Knowles' husband Jay-Z performed at the event in 2008, a choice which upset some members of the British rock establishment like Oasis, who argued that Glastonbury was not the place for U.S. hip-hop. The rapper answered his doubters with a rousing set, and the choice of Beyonce this year barely raised an eyebrow. Pop pundits have singled out performers including Tinie Tempah, Plan B, Paul Simon, Primal Scream, Mumford & Sons, The Chemical Brothers, White Lies, Queens of the Stone Age, Cee Lo Green and Ke$ha as ones to watch across dozens of stages. Michael Eavis recently lamented the decline of political activism at Glastonbury, which he conceded was an event not everyone could afford, and those who could came chiefly "to have a good time. "It gives Glastonbury soul and gives it back its purpose," he said. "I place these values very highly, and recently I've been lamenting a bit of a decline. Tickets are good value, but not everyone can afford them. I hate to admit it, but the political platform has been reducing." Some of that spirit may be restored if Art Uncut, a small pressure group lobbying for funding for arts and public services in Britain, manage to drum up support for their "Bono Pay Up!" protest at this year's festival. The group plans to demonstrate against U2's decision several years ago to move part of its operations to the Netherlands from Ireland for tax purposes, a move that split opinion among fans.
For Oscar, that is. Jennifer Garner, Jesse Eisenberg, Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Russell Brand, Ellen Page, Mila Kunis and 170 other artistes have been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which of course doles out the Academy Awards every year. So, why now, and why them? "These individuals are among the best filmmakers working in the industry today," Academy President Tom Sherak said in a statement. "Their talent and creativity have entertained moviegoers around the world, and I welcome each of them to our ranks." Sadly, one of the new memberships is only honorary, as for the first time ever the Academy has extended a posthumous invite. Documentary filmmaker Tim Hetherington, who was nominated for an Oscar earlier this year for Restrepo, was killed in April while covering the unrest in Libya. A few of the household name directors who will presumably be accepting their invites include The Kids Are All Right helmer Lisa Cholodenko and Tom Hooper, who scored the big win in February for The King's Speech. A few of this year's break-out acting nominees made the cut, including Eisenberg, incoming Hunger Games hero Jennifer Lawrence, her Winter's Bone costar John Hawkes, and Animal Kingdom's Jacki Weaver. Rooney Mara, Mia Wasikowska, Rosemarie DeWitt, Nastassja Kinski, Téa Leoni, Lesley Manville and Connie Nielsen also make for lovely additions to the group, while Gerard Butler, David Duchovny, Avatar's Wes Studi, Peter Dinklage, Thomas Jane, John Corbett, Robbie Coltrane and Vincent Cassel round out the beefcake section. Whoever accepts the honor will be among the only additions to the Academy this year. Happy decision-making, stars!
Sold only at Target beginning June 28, the album features three remixes of "Run the World (Girls)," as well as behind-the-scenes footage of the music video, plus three new songs: "Lay Up Under Me," "Schoolin' Life," and "Dance for You."
Described by B herself as "futuristic," "electronic" and "African," the 29-year-old fused all that and more into a still remarkably cohesive music video for "Run the World (Girls)," the first single from her new album 4, due out June 28. Sure, anyone with two X chromosomes may be ready to grab some armor, suit up and join the Beyonce army after watching this, though the XY folk aren't left out, either: there are lions! Chains! Drooling hyenas! Cars on fire! Riot police! A close up of the old one-fingered salute! And did we mention, Beyoncé getting her groove on in a hot, sandy desert in less than modesty-protecting outfits? Bottom line: Beyoncé may have just wangled her way into song of summer territory. And just think, there's not an egg-hatching in sight. But the fun doesn't end there—Beyoncé's also released her new album cover art. Check it out... (Cover)
• Best Female R&B Artist "Everywhere I look, I see them calling it '4,' she told Billboard. "I had a whole other name and concept, but I keep seeing that the fans love the name '4,' and I think it would be a really nice thing to let them name the record." The number four also holds personal significance for Beyonce. "We all have special numbers in our lives, and 4 is that for me," she says. It's the day I was born. My mother's birthday, and a lot of my friends' birthdays, are on the fourth; April 4 is my wedding date." Beyonce said her early inspiration for the album came from Afrobeat music pioneer Fela Kuti: "I recorded more than 60 songs: everything I ever wanted to try, I just did it. I started off being inspired by Fela Kuti. I actually worked with the band from "Fela!" (the hit Broadway musical based on his life) for a couple of days...what I learned most from Fela was artistic freedom: he just felt the spirit." "4," due out in June, marks the follow-up to 2008's "I Am ... Sasha Fierce."
One of the most widely recognized and highly respected women in pop culture, Beyoncé was a founding member and front woman of Destiny's Child, one of the most celebrated female groups in music history. With three chart-topping solo albums, indelible images and a series of visionary videos, she has developed into an iconic artist. She has won numerous accolades and awards, including 16 Grammy Awards and ASCAP Pop Songwriter of the Year award. Her superstar duet with Shakira, "Beautiful Liar," set the all-time record for the biggest chart jump in the history of the Billboard Hot 100, bulleting upward an unprecedented 91 slots (No. 94 to No. 3) in a single week. Additionally, Billboard Magazine named the "I AM...World Tour," where she performed to 1.1 million fans on every continent, the No. 1 concert attraction of 2009. Billboard also named Beyoncé Woman of the Year in October 2009 and Top Female Artist of the Decade in December 2009. Beyoncé is currently finishing her fourth solo studio album, due for release later this year. The lead single, "Run the World (Girls)," debuted on radio worldwide on April 21, 2011. Ticket prices begin at $57.75 for Upper Level, not including applicable service charges and taxes, and are now on sale and available at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith's Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
About 85 students at P.S. 161 in Harlem were in the middle of a choreographed routine Tuesday to a song adapted from Beyonce's hit "Get Me Bodied" when the singer arrived. The children were participating in a national simulcast of "Let's Move Flash Workout." It's part of first lady Michelle Obama's fitness campaign. The singer joined in wearing stiletto heels and a T-shirt emblazoned with "Let's Move." Thirteen-year-old Aisha Collier gushed "she's so beautiful." She told the New York Post she messed up a little when Beyonce first arrived but then got back into it and continued to dance and have fun.
Apparently, everyone's at a critic at the annual fashion fete, because not even style royalty like Beyoncé and Jay-Z are above booing. The power couple arrived arm-in-arm but skipped media interviews, igniting some pissed-off members of the press to voice their upset. Of course, B was probably busy just trying to make it up the stairs in her supersexy, übertight Emilio Pucci gown... She looked absolutely great, but seriously, she could barely move enough to climb the stairs. Luckily, her hubby , along with a handler, was able to help Queen B scale the steps. Which begs the question: Is looking fierce worth it if it means not being able to move without an assistant by your side?
A video game company called Gate Five filed papers today in NY -- in which they claim they had a deal in place in 2010 to create a game with Beyonce called, "Starpower: Beyonce." According to the docs, things went awry during a "crucial moment in the project's development" when Beyonce made "an extortionate demand" for more money -- even though the two sides already had a deal in place. Gate Five claims her move "drove 70 people into unemployment, the week before Christmas" ... and notes that one of the project's backers described her conduct as "morally reprehensible." The company claims it is entitled to the $6.7 mil it invested into the venture -- as well as more than $100 million in profits Gate Five believes it would have earned had Beyonce honored the agreement.
The couple arrived in the French capital on Monday by private jet and, a source says, they have been ensconced in a two-story hotel penthouse suite at the Hotel Le Meurice overlooking the Tuileries Garden that goes for a whopping $20,000 a night. (No, that's not a misprint, though it's also not the priciest hotel suite in the City of Light.) Not that it's all R&R in the luxurious digs, which features a private kitchen, a glass enclosed dining room and an enormous private open air terrace. It's a working vacation for the pair, who reportedly are recording a new song featuring Kanye West, and possibly prepping a video, according to sources. Reps for the musicians had no comment. Beyoncé, who released the official version of her new single "Run the World (Girls)" on Thursday morning, has been keeping a relatively low profile in Paris. She "hasn't gone out on one of her customary kamikaze boutique runs," says one photographer, and the couple, who regularly enjoy the city's nightlife, have shared a low-key lunch – with champagne – at L'Avenue. Multiple sources tell PEOPLE they arrived with a lot of musical equipment. "They've set up a studio in another suite and have been working nights on her album," says one source. Still, there's always time for a little fun: Beyoncé took her 6-year-old nephew Daniel, who is in town with the singer, out to Disneyland Paris on Thursday. The singer's first stop – a souvenir stand, where she purchased a Goofy cap for herself. Afterwards, she headed for Phantom Manor and the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction.
The singer is expected to release a new album in June, when she headlines this year's Glastonbury festival. Meanwhile, Beyonce and hubby Jay-Z were spotted toasting each other at a Paris cafe yesterday. Buzz is that they are in Paris for a belated (April 4) third wedding anniversary celebration. But they were already said to have celebrated that earlier this month in the Bahamas. Joining them at the restaurant was their nephew Daniel Julez. While waiting for their food, Beyonce was seen leaning to give the 6-year-old son of her younger sister Solange Knowles a quick kiss. (Listen here!)
The pop superstar’s dad has managed her career since she was a teenager, but the singer announced this week that they had decided to part ways. Beyonce insisted the split was “on a business level”, but her statement failed to silence rumours the pair’s relationship hasn’t recovered from a family scandal last year, when Knowles was revealed to have fathered a lovechild while he was still married to the star’s mother, Tina. The baby was born three months after Tina Knowles filed for divorce. Mathew has now released his own statement to clarify the reports, insisting he wanted to move on from managing Beyonce to concentrate on other artists. He tells Us Weekly, “We mutually agreed to part ways in terms of me managing Beyonce, as my focus is in the investment of Music World Entertainment’s growing gospel and inspirational music division... Because of the success of all of these artists, my focus has to be on gospel now.”
Beyonce's publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure, told The Associated Press in a statement Monday that the Grammy-winning singer and her father have parted ways "on a business level." Knowles has managed his daughter since she debuted as a teen in the multiplatinum-selling group Destiny's Child in the late 1990s and throughout her superstar career as a solo artist. Beyonce says in the statement that she is grateful for the role her father has had in her career. She adds that "he is my father for life and I love my dad dearly."
The superstar made the revelation in a statement Wednesday to The Associated Press. Her announcement comes days after singer Nelly Furtado tweeted that she had gotten $1 million from the Gadhafi clan to perform in Italy in 2007. Furtado says she's donating that money to charity. Beyonce's publicist says she performed at a private party on the island of St. Barts on New Year's Eve in 2009. Once it was revealed that the performance was linked to the Gadhafi family, she gave the money and commissions to earthquake relief in Haiti. Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi is being investigated for possible war crimes.
"Put on good music and something that makes you feel great," the singer tells the U.K. edition of Cosmopolitan for its April issue, sharing her tips for feeling sensual. "I love a pair of high, sexy stilettos with a beautiful dress." "Never be predictable," she says. "Mix it up. Surprise him. Change your hair. Be the woman he knows with a little bit of a twist." But the most important ingredient is confidence, the singer, 29, says. "You can be beautiful but if you're not secure in yourself," she says, "you don't come across as sexy." When it comes to beauty, the singer-actress says Naomi Campbell, Halle Berry ("She has great arms") and Kim Kardashian make it look effortless. Still, she admits, it takes commitment to maintain a healthy body and a healthy self-image. "I love my butter pecan ice cream," she says, "but I also love to work out. We all have our issues. Mine is arms and legs, keeping them tight and toned. It takes work, believe me." "My attitude is, there is always room for growth," Beyoncé says. "I feel more comfortable about expressing myself." As for her future and life with Jay-Z, "Yes, I do want to embrace what happens next and family," she says. "It's funny how your outlook changes as you get older, how you look at life – at other women – in a different way." "I have so much admiration for women who are mothers," she says, "who balance family and work."
There's been no word yet from the Grammy winner herself, who reportedly used the photo shoot to also pay tribute to the late African musician-activist Fela Kuti. But the magazine is defending the spread. "The designs are all reflective of the African influence on fashion this season," the magazine says in a statement. "As for the artistic make-up, the inspiration came from several African rituals during which paint is used on the face. We find the images beautiful and inspiring." Inspiring or infuriating? The jury's still out
Spies tell us the talented trio, who split as a band in 2006 after nine years together, were enjoying a birthday meal for Rowland, who turned 30 on Feb. 11. Reps for the stars didn't get back to us.
The real-estate mogul -- who along with friends once famously spent $160,000 in one night at Avenue -- put on the bash Sunday in an Arabian-style tent hoisted onto the hotel roof by a huge crane. Gaga, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre all performed, and Low was spotted hanging out with Taiwanese superstar singer Elva Hsiao. Other guests included Leonardo DiCaprio -- smoking a cigar and wearing an Irish gangster cap -- and his model girlfriend Bar Refaeli, Megan Fox, Jamie Foxx, Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton, Busta Rhymes, Eminem, the Black Eyed Peas' Will.i.am, Apl.de.Ap and Taboo, Gwyneth Paltrow, Nicole Scherzinger, Jerry Bruckheimer and "Entourage" star Kevin Connolly. Sources said that despite reports of problems between Jay-Z and Beyoncé, which they strongly deny, the couple attended the bash and "looked happy to be together." Jay missed the Grammys, leaving Beyoncé to attend alone, and watched the show with Iovine at his viewing party, also at L'Ermitage. But a source said, "The rumor was he didn't attend the Grammys because he was p - - - ed he wasn't nominated for Album of the Year." Jay's rep didn't get back to us. Rumors that Iovine, chairman of Interscope-Geffen-A&M, was paid $1 million by Low to bring his talent to the party were denied by music-industry sources, who added that the event was paid for by Low and sponsors including Beats by Dre. But one source said, "Interscope wasn't hosting its own party this year, so Low approached Iovine and offered to throw him a party celebrating Interscope's artists, and said he would pick up the tab. It must have cost around $500,000. Interscope is making it clear that it was Iovine's party." An Interscope rep declined to comment.
They added that U.S. singer Beyonce would also appear at the event, one of the biggest outdoor music festivals in the pop calendar. "Coldplay have played such a major part in the festival over the last 10 years or so," Glastonbury organizer Michael Eavis said on the festival's website. "As their popularity grew around the world I was so proud of them. This is the triumphant return of a band that everyone here feels part of. They're one of the greatest phenomena to grow from these fields." It will be the band's first Glastonbury show since 2005. Coldplay made their debut at the event, held on a farm in southwest England that is turned into a tent city-cum-rock venue, in 1999 in the New Bands tent weeks after signing their record deal. Speaking of Beyonce, Eavis' daughter and co-organizer Emily said: "I went to see her live last year and was blown away by the might of the show. She has such soul, an amazing voice with an incredible, all-female band. "She is, I believe, the first female solo artist to headline, so it's a big moment for us. What better way to see off the Festival till 2013?" Glastonbury is held most years with occasional breaks, including 2012.
It was an ultra-exclusive affair on Saturday as Jay-Z's RocNation and Gucci threw a pre-Grammy brunch for guests including Rihanna, Adrian Brody and Ryan Phillippe at the Soho House West, where the emphasis was on mingling and grooving to the beat. Solange was one of the celebrity DJs at the event, entertaining the crowd while Beyonce and Solange's young son looked on. Best new artist nominee Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine was greeted by admirers when she walked in. Welch says she's excited about the Grammy week festivities. Jay-Z is up for six awards at Sunday's Grammys.
"Beyoncé is the most talented human being on the planet," Paltrow, 38, tells Harper's Bazaar U.K. in its March issue, on newsstands Thursday. "She has so much mastery over what she does. It's not even confidence – it's on a whole other level. It's mind-blowing." Beyoncé, 29, was trying to be helpful, but Paltrow at times found her example intimidating. "I watched her [perform] a lot to see how she did it, and I was like 'S---! I can't do that!' " Paltrow says. The actress ended up becoming a very believable country singer for the film role. But she was still terrified when called on to perform live at the CMA Awards in November. "Two weeks before I did it, I was dying," she says. "I couldn't sleep. I couldn't eat. I was like, 'Why would I say yes to this? What is wrong with me? What kind of maniac would agree to do this?' "
Warner Bros. confirms that the two are in negotiations to remake the 1937 classic. Eastwood is in talks to direct, while Beyonce, who has been attached to the project for some time, would star. Set to produce are Billy Gerber, Basil Iwanyk and Jon Peters, who made the 1976 version of the film with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson. Corporate spokeswoman Jessica Zacholl notes that the deals have not been finalized and negotiations are ongoing.
Outstanding Variety (Series or Special) Outstanding Music Video Jay-Z and Beyoncé hit Skylight West this week to celebrate their friend's birthday, and they weren't the only bold-faced names in the house. Diddy, Russell Simmons and Gayle King all turned out to fete a certain hip-hop heavyweight at an Egypt-themed party. So who was blowing out the candles? It was Mary J. Blige, who turned 40 on Tuesday (aka "1/11/11") in NYC. Her hubby, Martin Kendu Isaacs, organized the surprise soiree, which began with a dinner party at 9 p.m. and went all the way until 3 in the morning. Mary offered toasts to Diddy, for pushing her so hard, as well as Beyoncé, whom she called "an inspiration". Another special surprise was when Anita Baker took the stage to croon "Caught Up in the Rapture." "Mary was moved to tears and started singing along with Baker," a source tells us. Hey, it's her party and she'll cry if she wants to!
The singer recently made a cameo in Tom Ford's spring 2011 fashion show. But it wasn't just any old runway scenario: The celebrated designer showed his first womenswear collection in six years. (He left Gucci in 2004 when contract negotiations went sour.) For such a hugely fabulous occasion, Ford enlisted the help of fierce ladies like B., Julianne Moore and Lauren Hutton, along with top models Daria Werbowy, Chanel Iman and more. Though the supersecret show went down in September, video of the event was just released today. Click in and check out the "Single Ladies" singer strut her stuff around the two-minute mark.
In what was sure to be one of the most star-studded concerts of the year, Jay-Z and Coldplay rocked Las Vegas on New Year's Eve, performing at the grand opening of The Cosmopolitan, a $3.9 billion hotel on the famous Strip. But those two acts weren't the only ones to take the stage: Beyoncé, Kanye West and John Mayer all made surprise appearances during Jay-Z's performance. Beyoncé joined her husband for "Forever Young" and sang "Halo" with Chris Martin. Mayer played guitar with Jay-Z on his hit song "99 Problems." "All the problems you were going through have been kicked out the door," Jay-Z told the crowd before a collaborative performance of West's "Homecoming," which featured Jay-Z, West and Martin. Gwyneth Paltrow was also on hand to watch the show – and ring in the 2011 with her husband and close friends. The intimate crowd was littered with celebrities to witness the show that Jay-Z called "once in a lifetime." Following their Mexican vacation, Cameron Diaz and Alex Rodriguez were spotted in the audience. Diaz spent some of the evening chatting with Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, not far from Ellen Pompeo and Blake Lively. Following the concert, the stars headed to Marquee Las Vegas where famed DJ Eric Morrillo entertained the concert crowd.
From Jay-Z and Coldplay's star-studded concert in Vegas to a royal fete in London, we're breaking down the best big-time bashes... 1. The Cosmopolitan Hotel grand opening: This has been the most buzzed about party. The rumor mill has been in overdrive about the Vegas resort's New Year's Eve concert, where Jay-Z and Coldplay are performing. Did the Jiggaman really get 50 rooms for his entourage? Will Beyoncé and Gwyneth Paltrow get up on stage with their hubbies? We do know that Ashley Greene, Joe Jonas, Kellan Lutz and Mark Salling are a few of the VIPs who will be there. You could go, too...for a price. Rooms for the weekend were selling for $5,000. 2. Snooki's Jersey Shore house soiree: So what if the city put the kibosh on dropping the pint-sized MTV star in a ball from the middle of Times Square—the show must go on! Snooki will now be ringing in 2011 in Jersey at the cast's original shore house as MTV cuts back and forth between there and New York. No word on who else is coming, but Snooki's already shown that she can have fun all by herself (anyone remember her champagne-fueled bubble bath and solo dance parties?). And she's still getting dropped! 3. Prince Azim's party: If his New Year's Eve party is anything like his birthday party last year, this is going to be one lavish soiree. Prince Azim of Brunei rented out an entire London hotel for his 26th birthday in 2009 and personally paid big bucks for celebs like Kristen Bell, Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson to appear. For his New Year's fete in London, he's paying $75,000 alone for 90210 hottie Matt Lanter's attendance. 4. Cabo San Lucas: Some stars have opted to pass on a paycheck and celebrate the holiday south of the border. Although there's not an official party here, celebs are flocking to Mexico to ring in 2011. Paris Hilton and Cy Waits are in town, along with George Clooney and Elisabetta Canalis, who hung with Cameron Diaz and A-Rod in Cabo over Christmas. 5. Ciroc the New Year in Miami: As if we aren't going to put our own bashes on this list! E! and Ciroc are throwing a rooftop party at the Gansevoort with Kourtney Kardashian. Our oceanfront celebration will have an open bar, fireworks, and Scott Disick (you know you wanna see what he'll wear). And if you can't make it to Miami, I'll bring the party to you when I host the livestream with Michael Yo at 8 p.m. PST/11 p.m. EST!
Oprah takes the top spot on the newly-released Hollywood’s 20 Highest-Earning of 2010 with an estimated $315 million windfall, while filmmaker Perry comes in third with $125 million. The success of Avatar puts pioneering director James Cameron in second place with an estimated $210 million 2010 haul, while his peers Steven Spielberg, Jerry Bruckheimer, George Lucas and Michael Bay also make the top 10. The highest musician on the list is Beyonce, who lands ahead of Lady Gaga and Britney Spears on the coveted list at number nine with an $87 million 2010 windfall. Spears came in at 13, while Gaga closely followed at 14. Also making the top 20: Madonna, Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift.
Halo (Live) [Columbia Records/Music World Music] Bad Romance Teenage Dream Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals For a collaborative performance, with vocals, by artists who do not normally perform together. Singles or Tracks only. Airplanes, Part II Imagine Telephone California Gurls "Of course I am [ready for her to have a baby]," she told PEOPLE at the launch event for the Lorraine Schwartz "2BHAPPY" Jewelry Collection at LAVO in New York this week. "What grandmother isn't? I can't wait." And, Knowles adds, her daughter and husband Jay-Z have what it takes to be "great parents." "They're good people and they're really positive and they're talented and they've had a lot of practice with my grandson – their nephew," she says. "So I know they're going to make great parents." Her daughter, especially, is "very caring and patient and loving," Tina says, "so I know she'll be a great mom." Whenever Beyoncé and Jay-Z are ready to welcome their first child, they can always turn to Tina for parenting advice. As for raising her two daughters, she always tried "not [to] put pressure on them to be what you want them to be." And while her daughter has found massive success, there's one thing she hasn't quite conquered yet. "Cooking is the one thing she hasn't gotten into," says Knowles. "She hasn't mastered [it], but I'm sure she'll be a good cook once she makes up her mind." How the power couple will be spending Thanksgiving? "They're actually out of the country, so it's going to be different, but it'll be good," Knowles says. "They're getting their own tradition – so we have to let go."
I Am...World Tour documents an 11-month tour that saw Mrs. Jay-Z perform in 32 countries to over a million fans. "It's an honor to be able to come into people's homes on such a big holiday," says Beyoncé. The opening moments of the show — with audience members across the globe crying and passing out — establish the scale of the extravaganza that follows. Over the years, Beyoncé has racked up a boatload of hits, and I Am... covers everything from her early smashes with Destiny's Child to her version of Etta James' "At Last," best known as the first dance at the Obama inauguration dinner. Through rapid, cross-continental cuts, "Irreplaceable" becomes a global sing-along, and the staging of "Single Ladies" features hilarious clips of fans performing the video's signature dance steps. I Am... also includes rehearsal footage: "This isn't just a cut-down version of the concert film," says Beyoncé. "We wanted to make the special and the DVD two different experiences for the fans to enjoy." I Am... World Tour airs Thursday at 9:30/8:30c on ABC (Order the the New DVD here!)
"At this point, they say that I've been pregnant like eight times, so I am kind of used to it," the 29-year-old singer said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I just hope that one day when I decide to be pregnant that people are happy for me. ... One day hopefully I will be. It's part of being a celebrity, I guess." Beyonce is delivering something else — a concert DVD titled, "I AM ... WORLD TOUR," which goes on sale Friday. Footage from the DVD will air on Thanksgiving in her second prime-time special on ABC (9:30 p.m. EST), "Beyonce's I Am ... World Tour," but this time, she shows a more personal side. "I felt like I've done so many different things, it's time for me to show a bit of who I am. The hardest thing was showing that, because a lot of things that I filmed, I filmed in my computer, and I would never have gotten so open if someone else was in the room," she explained at her DVD premiere Sunday. Beyonce produced, directed and edited "I AM," which follows the singer on her world tour, which started in March 2009 and ended in February. (Order the the New DVD here!)
ABC News "Nightline" Anchor Cynthia McFadden sits down with one of the most dynamic forces in music today, Beyonce, for an in-depth interview. The interview will air MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22 on "Nightline." The star discusses her new DVD -- which she directed, chronicling her worldwide tour, "I Am... World Tour." The DVD offers a rare glimpse behind the curtains at the personal Beyonce. In her interview with Cynthia McFadden, she also discusses her career and addresses pregnancy rumors. On Thanksgiving night, November 25, the ABC Television Network will air a 90-minute special "Beyonce's I Am... World Tour" at 9:30 p.m., ET.
The raunchy new promo shows the superstar lying seductively on a bed, before going on to stroke her thighs while wearing a sexy red dress. As she walks away from the camera, her footprints melt and she says, "Catch the fever". However, officials at the U.K.'s Advertising Standards Authority have banished the footage from TV schedules until after 7.30pm following complaints from viewers.
The Crazy In Love superstar's stylist mom filed papers in Harris County, Texas last November to put an end to her 29-year marriage. The news emerged weeks after Mathew Knowles, Beyonce's manager, was accused of fathering a child with Los Angeles resident Alexsandra Wright. The Knowles were due to go to trial on Monday but a judge put a stop to the proceedings after a no-show from both parties, according to TMZ.com. As WENN went to press, it was not clear whether the estranged couple had called off the divorce and reconciled. Wright, who claims to have had an 18-month fling with Knowles, gave birth to baby boy Nixon in February and the music mogul has been paying her child support amid reports a DNA test was positive.
"I really sit back and wonder when people are going to stop," he said on Howard Stern's radio show Monday, when asked about the rumors by the show's co-host Robin Quivers. "The day that happens, I don't think Newsday is going to know before my grandmother." The rapper, who is notorious for keeping mum on his personal life, added, "Everyone knows I'm married, I just don't discuss it because it's a part of my life that I'd rather keep private." Meanwhile, Jay-Z was happy to elaborate when asked about his controversial pal Kanye West. "It was bad timing, but it was absolutely an honest emotion," he said of West's statement that George W. Bush "hates black people." Continues Jay-Z, "We all felt like that. We didn't feel like Katrina was a natural disaster. We felt like it was an attack on black people."
Fair or not, the entertainment industry's highest-earning men collectively raked in an estimated $1.2 billion between June 1, 2009, and June 1, 2010, compared to the $835 million the women pulled down during the same period. In fact, after Oprah Winfrey, who at $315 million out-earned everyone--male or female--Hollywood's second-best-paid woman, Beyoncé Knowles, would place ninth on the men's list. And the remaining top-earning females wouldn't have placed at all. Blame the industry's lack of high-ranking female directors, a category that dominated the men's list. Having built billion-dollar empires on the backs of massive franchises like Star Wars, Transformers and Avatar, top-earners like George Lucas, Michael Bay and James Cameron respectively banked $95 million, $120 million and $210 million. But the profession, particularly at the upper echelon, tends to be light on women, which explains the hoopla surrounding the Oscar win by Kathryn Bigelow (who was once married to Cameron) earlier this year. Too bad critical acclaim didn't translate to commercial success--her flick TheHurt Locker made peanuts compared with Avatar's $2.8 billion haul. Needless to say, she didn't make the cut for our rundown of top-earning women. Actually, the only woman on our list with a true film career is No. 6, Sandra Bullock. With two hit movies (The Proposal and The Blind Side) and an Oscar win this year, Bullock raked in $56 million thanks to her on-screen work, as well as her off-screen role as a producer. To determine how much the women on our list earned we talked to agents, managers, producers and lawyers. Though some of these leading ladies come from the worlds of film, television and talk shows, musicians dominate our ranking. Global appeal is what sets apart women like Lady Gaga (No. 4), Madonna (No. 5) and Taylor Swift (No. 9). Unlike stars of stateside TV shows, the popularity of which rarely extends far beyond U.S. borders, these musicians are making the bulk of their income touring around the world. Consider Beyoncé, who pulled down an estimated $87 million in the last year. Though her collection of endorsement deals, fashion line and debut fragrance helped pad her pocketbook, it was her 32-country, six-continent I Am... tour that took her around the globe and earned her many millions along the way. Britney Spears, who much of the entertainment universe had written off only a few years ago, translated her international appeal into $64 million in earnings over the 12-month span. She logged the fifth-highest-grossing tour in the world, bringing in $130 million in gross box office receipts by playing nearly 100 dates. Spears' résumé also includes a high-profile endorsement deal with Candies and a collection of lucrative fragrances from Elizabeth Arden. All of it was enough to garner her a spot at No. 3 on our list, and continued presence in the limelight. Lady Gaga, too, has a global tour to thank for much of her $62 million income this past year. The songstress, who premiered on this year's Celebrity 100 and ranks No. 4 on this list, remained on the road with a 106-date tour that grossed $95 million. Like her top-earning peers, she also booked a slew of marketing and endorsement deals, with companies like Polaroid, Virgin Mobile and MAC's Viva Glam, and cashed in on album sales and music video tie-ins. She's often recognized for maintaining and feeding that international fan base through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, where she touts more fans than any other star. And then there's Madonna, who rounds out the top five with an estimated $58 million. At 52 she is not yet ready to concede her spot in pop music's hierarchy to the genre's younger set. In addition to publishing royalties and a handful of fashion-related endorsement deals, the original Material Girl generated the fourth-highest-grossing tour of 2009, bringing in $6 million a night and $138 million overall. Up next, she's launching a series of gyms, appropriately dubbed "Hard Candy" after her 2008 album, around the world.
FAVORITE SONG FAVORITE POP ARTIST FAVORITE R&B ARTIST FAVORITE MUSIC VIDEO (Presented By VEVO) For the second year in a row, ABC is airing a prime-time special with the singer on turkey night. "Beyonce's I Am ... World Tour" will start at 9:30 p.m. Eastern on Nov. 25. The show will be a combination of performance clips from the tour, as well as backstage moments. Beyonce's husband, Jay-Z, and Kanye West will make guest appearances. ABC said Monday the special highlights the work of producing a highly visual act, "complicated by a performer who will tolerate nothing less than perfection."
The notoriously private couple came under the spotlight last week following a spate of rumours which suggested they had a baby on the way. Beyonce's mother Tina laughed off the gossip during a subsequent appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and now Jay-Z has broken his silence about his personal life to insist there is "no truth" to the stories. He tells the Sydney Daily Telegraph, "I'm just shooting down the rumours before they start. They do that every slow news day, this is like the fifth time. I think we have five kids now. No truth, but I wonder when people will stop giving it relevance? "You can't do the same subject. At least change the subject, they have to find a new one."
But then the 55-year-old Oklahoma native scored a viral hit on YouTube with her version, and it's now included on McEntire's new album All The Women I Am, on sale Nov. 9. "When I got the song and the lyrics, I thought it was an incredible song," said McEntire, on the line from Minneapolis before a short swing through Western Canada, including a show Friday night at Edmonton's Rexall Place. "And, to me, it turned out to be a country song, when we got our instrumentation on it and everything. And some people go, 'Well, why in the world would you do a pop song?' I just think music is music. You've got good and you've got bad, and I try to stay on the good side." McEntire first recorded If I Were A Boy for CMT's Unplugged Sessions back in May, and the success of it led to her recording a whole new album. "We did it and it went viral, and so we thought, 'We're going to quit the Keep On Loving You album (from 2009) and start a new album.' "And so I found a song called Turn On Your Radio, and when we recorded that one, it just screamed 'first single.' It's sassy." All The Women I Am is McEntire's 34th career disc, and she's calls it "a theme" album. "I have been all these women in this album. I have lectured a boy or two. I've been divorced. I have a child. I have been in love. All these songs -- it's the women -- all the hats they wear. And I've worn all the hats in this album, so this is all the women I am." And a woman's toughest job? "Spending time for herself," said McEntire after a long pause. "She's a giver. She's a caretaker. She's a lover. She's a mother. She's a worker and she can triple-task at one time. Finding time for herself and not feeling guilty about it probably is the most important thing that she can do for herself. I love getting older and maturing. You learn about yourself, to do things for yourself and not to feel guilty. That's a big step for women. I've got the kids, the work, being a wife. When that day (off) happens, I cherish it. I'll schedule lunch with my girlfriends. I love to do that. That's a treat for me." In the meantime, McEntire is performing at the Country Music Awards on Nov. 10. She is up for best female vocalist. After all this time, a victory still means something to her. "You bet it's a big deal," she said. "It's voted on by your peers, the people in the industry. It's very important. It's a huge honour ... I don't take it for granted at all." She hopes she gets to play Eastern Canada next year. "You guys are always so nice to us," she said. "You're very attentive, very appreciative of artists coming to your town, and y'all love country music -- so I'm just so proud to get to come to Canada." Reba welcomes Gwyneth to singers’ club The big news at next month's Country Music Awards is that Hollywood star Gwyneth Paltrow is set to make her CMA debut, singing the title track from her new movie, Country Strong. Reba McEntire -- a country singer who dabbles in acting -- doesn't have a problem with Paltrow doing the reverse. "'Welcome to the party' is my view," she said. "I don't know what everybody else is saying. But she's in a new movie with Tim McGraw so that's why she's been invited to the CMA awards. And (Tim's wife) Faith (Hill) said she sings great. Faith told me that's the best performance of a movie she's ever seen her do. So I can't wait to see it." McEntire's own acting plans include filming two cameos -- in the sitcom Better With You (ABC, Wednesday nights), and in the series Working Class (debuting in January on CMT).
The couple kicked back at the Delano Hotel, where Jay-Z was working with Bing to launch the DECODED search experience, an Internet scavenger hunt based on his new book. And though it was Beyoncé making headlines, she left the spotlight all to her husband. As the rapper gave interviews, Beyoncé slipped away into a poolside bungalow, where she ordered snapper, salad and sparkling water from the hotel's Blue Door Fish. "She was wearing a skintight dress that left nothing to the imagination," an onlooker tells PEOPLE. "There were no remote physical signs that she was pregnant." It wasn't until later that she emerged, smiling, to hear Jay-Z give a speech. "She almost went unnoticed. She really made it a point not to be in the spotlight, that it was his night," says the onlooker. "At one point, she actually introduced herself to a Jay-Z fan, who was shocked that she was standing there." Later in the evening, the couple retreated to a bungalow together. "They were adorable," says the onlooker. "She was sitting on his leg and they were watching TV. They were lovey-dovey." On Thursday's Ellen DeGeneres Show, Beyoncé's mother, Tina Knowles, denied that her daughter is expecting – yet.
At a taping for Thursday's Ellen, the clothing designer appeared to clear up recent reports that the Grammy winning singer was expecting her first child. "The truth is that's it's not Beyoncé that's pregnant. It's me," Knowles told host Ellen DeGeneres. Knowles then revealed that she was joking, but she also made it clear that Beyoncé, 29, isn't having a baby either. "No, no it's not true. Not right now," she said. Beyoncé and rapper Jay-Z married in April 2008.
The Crazy In Love singer was said to be stunned after learning she is expecting a child with her husband, rapper Jay-Z. A source tells Us Weekly magazine, "B was shocked. She loves kids, but she wasn't ready to be a mother just yet. She really wanted to get her album done and tour the world again. (But she realises) this is a gift from God and she's so happy." And former Def Jam president Kevin Liles has already wished the couple congratulations: "Jay has been all about family since I met him, and he's always going to be. I wish them the best." The former Destiny's Child star, who wed the rapper in 2008, had not responded to the reports as WENN went to press.
She's also the most powerful woman in the world, according to Forbes' list of, well, the World's 100 Most Powerful Women. According to the list-loving magazine, Obama, along with Oprah Winfrey (queen of Hollywoodland but a mere third in this case), Lady Gaga, Ellen DeGeneres, Angelina Jolie, E!'s own Chelsea Handler and love-or-hate-her Sarah Palin, are "shaping many of the agenda-setting conversations of our day" and "driving meaningful change across the world." But which of the aforementioned ladies ranks closest to Mrs. O and Ms. O when it comes to ruling her realm of influence with an iron fist? That would be 24-year-old Lady Gaga, who at No. 7 is the highest-ranking performer and the the youngest woman on the entire list. Her perch in the top 10 also places her above Washington power brokers like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Even Queen Elizabeth II is languishing at No. 41! Ninth-place Beyoncé almost has Gaga's number, and DeGeneres, even though she's lost the American Idol bully pulpit, weighs in at No. 10. The ubiquitous Palin comes in at No. 16, while Jolie, Katie Couric, Madonna and Handler are sitting pretty at Nos. 21, 22, 29 and 33, respectively. Other names you may recognize from your daily media consumption: Heidi Klum (39), Meredith Vieira (40), Sarah Jessica Parker (45), Diane Sawyer (46), Twilight author Stephenie Meyer (49), Serena and Venus Williams (55, 60), Gisele Bündchen (72), Rachael Ray (78) and Martha Stewart (99).
Well, then, good news: you, too, could be the host of the fourth hour of the Today show, because that's exactly the reaction Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford had when B—or should we say "Sarah"?—surprised the hosts and the viewing audience by being the final model to walk the morning show runway and help show off the new clothing collection from her mom, Tina Knowles. Just when you thought it wasn't possible for her to get any cooler. Well played, Beyoncé. Well played.
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge dismissed Philip Markowitz's suit against the Grammy-winning singer on Friday. Court filings show Markowitz sought a dismissal of the case roughly three months after it was filed. Markowitz had sued the singer, claiming that the all-day shooting of Knowles' video for "Why Don't You Love Me" disrupted his privacy in his Hollywood Hills neighborhood. The suit alleged that Markowitz's driveway was blocked and the video shoot lasted until 11 p.m. He had been seeking more than $25,000 from Knowles, a liability company and a production coordinator. Court filings did not state whether a settlement had been reached.
Ironically, "Blood Diamond" star Leonardo DiCaprio and his model girl friend, Bar Refaeli, disembarked in Sardinia when Campbell and company changed ships.
"My ambition is to continue to learn about the world and to eventually have a family," the singer-actress, who turns 29 on Sept. 4, tells You magazine, published by Britain's Mail on Sunday. Pressed for specifics, Knowles – who was the subject of pregnancy rumors last winter – says she can offer "no dates, no times – it will happen when I am ready." When she does have a child, it will add another major element to an already hectic life. Finding a balance amid the craziness, Knowles admits, is sometimes hard. "I love so many different things, and to have the discipline to turn certain things away and focus on one thing at a time so that I can give it 100 percent is really hard," she says. "Probably the biggest challenge in my life is time – making sure I have time to be a wife, to be a singer, to be a songwriter, to be an actor and still have time for my clothing line and now for my perfume [Heat]." But she gets by – usually with a little help from her girlfriends. "I love being a woman and I love being a friend to other women," she says. "I think we learn a lot from our female friends – female friendship is very, very important. It's good to support each other, and I do try to put that message in my music."
The singer has just readied a remix of "Why Don't You Love Me," a song that was originally a bonus track on her 2008 album I Am ... Sasha Fierce. Check out the song here! Beyoncé, 28, tells PEOPLE the video for the original version of the song inspired the ads for the fall collections for Deréon and House of Deréon, the clothing lines she created with her mother, Tina. "It's this pinup thing and we just thought that it would really be cool to do," Tina says. Beyoncé notes that B. B. Homemaker, the character she plays in the video, is not as edgy as Sasha Fierce, which relates more to where she is in her life today. "I've kind of been being a wife," says the singer, who has been married to Jay-Z since April 2008. "And I figured it could be nice to kind of give a little wink towards the things that I've been doing at home, but making fun of it. I'm just kind of living my life, relaxing, and trying to enjoy [doing things] other than performing and music." To read more about Beyoncé and Tina's glamorous style and fashion collaborations, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands now.
The former Destiny's Child singer is seen in several shots for her fashion brand, House of Dereon, wearing just a pair of black and silver leggings and leather boots. Her back, arms, chest and legs are covered in black 'tattoos' of circles, swirls, cobwebs and enormous spiders. In another shot, she is draped provocatively over a motorbike. The star launched the ready-to-wear clothes range with her mother, Tina, in 2004.
"Beyoncé was having a great time showing off her dance moves" and hanging with her sister in the deejay booth "until the early morning hours," an onlooker said. The sisters stuck with their musical talents and skipped the venue's chic bowling lanes.
Visitors to WENN.com were grilled on their favourite celebrity derriere and a resounding 37 per cent opted for the superstar, who admits she's fiercely proud of her best asset. J.Lo once said, "I do special squats and work with loads of weights in the gym to achieve my butt. And in a way I'm kind of flattered when people compliment me for having a big a**." Bootylicious beauty Beyonce came in second in the online poll and Kim Kardashian and Shakira tied for third, ahead of Ice-T's glamour model wife Coco, who brought up the rear in fifth place.
Best Collaboration Best Female Video Best Pop Video Best Art Direction Best Choreography The singer, in London since watching her husband Jay-Z's gig at the Wireless festival on Sunday, had set off with the rapper to pay a visit to luxury department store Harrods before a restaurant date in the British capital. But the trip nearly ended in tragedy after Beyonce narrowly avoided being hit by a London cab, which collided with her parked car's open door as it sped past, according to Britain's The Sun newspaper. A source tells the publication, "It was terrifying to watch. It all happened so quickly, the taxi came out of nowhere. "She seemed very shaken and was lucky to be alive. A couple of seconds' difference and God knows what could have happened." The couple was later picked up by a replacement car.
The multimedia mogul regained her throne at the top of Forbes' 2010 list of the world's 100 Most Powerful Celebrities, rebounding from last year's ignominious slip to No. 2. So what has become of last year's No. 1? Angelina Jolie slid to 18th place because, per the powerful list makers at Forbes, though she still maintained a solid media presence over the last 12 months, she didn't release any major films. (Look for a rebound in '11 after The Tourist and Salt come out.) Anyway, though Oprah's sitting pretty, No. 2 Beyoncé is nipping at her heels, followed by James Cameron (absent from the list last year) and first-time powerbroker Lady Gaga. Meanwhile, Tiger Woods, comfortable at No. 5, is still the highest-paid athlete in the business thanks to Nike, despite his inability to sell watches, Gatorade and cell-phone service at this time. Rounding out the top 10 are an ascendant Britney Spears, 2009 absentee U2, Sandra Bullock (who made a whopping one-year leap from 92nd to 8th), a stationary Johnny Depp and a slightly slipping Madonna. Out of the top 10 but still lurking close by are Kobe Bryant, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Aniston, Steven Spielberg and Brad Pitt (30th to Jen's 27th). Making their Most Powerful list debut are Robert Pattinson (50th) and Kristen Stewart (66th), both landing ahead of Daniel Radcliffe, who slipped from 70th to 82nd while waiting for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 to come along. Also hitting the list for the first time is E!'s own Chelsea Handler, debuting at No. 98, though she has some catching up to do to equal Ryan Seacrest's two-years' running spot at No. 44. Check out Forbes.com for the complete list.
The superstar singer was horrified when it was alleged last year that Matthew had an 18-month affair with 38-year-old Alexsandra Wright and DNA tests confirmed he'd fathered her son, Nixon, while still married to Beyoncé's mother, Tina Knowles. Now, sources tell Page Six that relations between Beyoncé, who is very close to her mom, and her father have reached such a low point that executives at her label, Columbia, are worried. Matthew guided Beyoncé's career through her days with Destiny's Child and is still her manager. But one music industry insider said, "Beyoncé was horrified to find out her dad cheated on her mom. She always looked up to him, and she is very close to her mom, so this has hit her really hard. She is refusing to speak to him, which is making things difficult where it comes to managing her career. Some people at Columbia now think it would be better to move him aside." Former "Scrubs" actress Wright filed a paternity suit last October, and a DNA test taken in March confirmed that Knowles was the father of Nixon, who was born on Feb. 4. A judge ordered him to pay $8,200 a month in child support on an interim basis. Wright, a Los Angeles-based branding executive, claimed that Matthew Knowles, who was married to Tina for 29 years, had an affair with her for a year and a half. Tina filed for divorce last November. Wright and Matthew are now in the final stages of negotiating a child support settlement. A rep for Beyoncé said: "There is no merit to this. This is absolutely false." Matthew Knowles didn't get back to us.
Kenny Chesney and The Steve Miller Band have been announced as the next Crossroads matchup to air in July, but isn't it time for the ladies to show their stuff? Reba McEntire recently performed a version of Beyoncé's "If I Were a Boy," which begs the question – who wouldn't like to see a Reba/Beyoncé Crossroads? The set list could include "Single Ladies," "If I Were a Boy," "Consider Me Gone," and "Fancy" – capitalizing on the stage power of the two top divas.
Choice Music: R&B Artist "Sometimes on creative stuff, one of us will ask, 'Do you think this is cool?' " the rapper, 40, tellsRolling Stone, which for its latest issue features the publication's first ever peel-off cover. "She's a magnificent A&R, if she ever decides to do that, for things like pitch. So I defer to her on those sort of questions." But while he might occasionally depend on his wife of two yearsfor input in his work, Jay-Z says the two tend to "pretty much stay out of each other's business." Case in point: The hip-hop star, 40, raves about Beyoncé's appearance in Lady Gaga's "Telephone" music video but says that was a decision she made on her own – and he never advised her on whether or not she should participate in it. A Photo Had to Go Outside the office and recording studio and back at home, Knowles, 28, is equally vocal about what she does – and especially doesn't – like, says the hip-hop star, who had to return a piece of artwork that she didn't approve. B., as Jay-Z calls her, vetoed a black-and-white photograph by artist Laurie Simmons "depicting a noirishly lit pistol with a pair of women's legs emerging from the handle," reports the magazine. Beyoncé then had it replaced with a similar piece showing a perfume bottle instead of a gun to hang in their 8,000-sq.ft. New York City penthouse apartment. "It was more of a masculine style, I guess," says Jay-Z. They Love Music One thing the couple does agree on: Their love of music, specifically watching other artists perform and getting to experience the same thrill their fans enjoy when they're on stage. "One of my great moments at Coachella was driving backstage," says Lyor Cohen, vice chairman of Warner Music Group and a long-time Jay-Z pal. "He was driving the other way, and Beyoncé rolled her window down. They're beaming from ear to ear." "I said, 'Where you guys going?'" recalls Cohen. "Jay said, 'Lyor, either jump in, or I'll check you out later – we can't miss the show we're running to now!' They were so excited by the other artists."
But that hasn't stopped Camp Beyoncé from releasing not one but two emphatic statements denying the apparently pervasive yet almost untraceable (we said almost) rumors to the contrary. While rumors of an impending reunion of the trio seem to pop up every few years—and go away just as quickly as they arrive—this time around, both the father and publicist of Knowles have piped up to deny the latest round of reports. "Contrary to rumors online of a Destiny's Child reunion, there are no plans for the group to reunite for a performance or album," the much-beleaguered Papa Fierce, and the group's former manager, Matthew Knowles, said in a statement. "The rumors are false." And just in case that wasn't final enough, Knowles went so far as to preemptively deny the same rumor should it pop back up in the future. "Destiny's Child made an unprecedented impact in contemporary music, becoming one of the best-selling groups of all time. Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams have each moved on to successful solo careers. The members remain close, but will not reunite as a group." But hey, they'll always have tenuous excuses to get their names back out there, so really everyone wins. Uh, except the fans.
Just after Rowland checked into the Empire Hotel Thursday night, Knowles arrived there with her bodyguard, who waited two hours in the lobby while she visited her old bandmate in a suite upstairs. Rowland just released a new dance song, "Commander," with producer David Guetta.
Court documents show Philip Markowitz filed the lawsuit seeking $25,000 on Friday in Los Angeles against Knowles, a liability company and Dina Ciccotello, a production coordinator for the video shoot for "Why Don't You Love Me." Markowitz claims his expectations of privacy in his upscale neighborhood were "shattered" on March 26 when the crew came in the morning and didn't leave until 11 p.m., and that his driveway was repeatedly blocked. Calls to Beyonce's publicists were not immediately returned.
Also expected to entertain guests Wednesday night inside a tent on the South Lawn will be the Mexican singing duo of Rodrigo y Gabriela The White House announced the entertainment lineup for the dinner on its blog.
They're both nominated for video of the year, best collaboration and viewers' choice. Jay-Z received two nominations in the video of the year category, which includes newcomers B.o.B and Melanie Fiona. Jay-Z is the top contender with five nominations; he's also up for best male hip-hop artist. Beyonce, Fiona and Alicia Keys, who follow with four nods each, are all up for best R&B female artist. R&B crooner Trey Songz also received four nominations. Other multiple nominees include Rihanna, Maxwell, Drake and Fabolous. Queen Latifah will host the awards show, which airs live on June 27 from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
That's the rumor swirling around these parts: That the singer and her rap mogul husband, Grammy Award winners both, are planning to buy a multimillion-dollar spread on 210 secluded acres in eastern Pennsylvania. What began as idle gossip has turned into an article of faith among many here. People are talking about it in grocery stores and pharmacies, at the fitness center and kids' T-ball games, online and over the phone. One fan even posted a welcome message on Beyonce's official website. No one seems to know how the rumor got started. No deed has been recorded in the courthouse, no real estate transfer tax has been paid, and the celebs have yet to request a showing, according to the real estate agent listing the house. But the gossip persists, supercharged by unconfirmed sightings of Beyonce at several businesses, from Boyer's supermarket to Heisler's dairy bar. And who was riding in that black Lamborghini seen tooling around town? Beyonce fans Brooke Shilling and Anne Tomtishen, college students from nearby Pottsville and Ringtown, drove up to the front gate after class one day this week, excited by the prospect of one of the planet's best-known celebrity couples making a home in Schuylkill County (pronounced SKOO'-kuhl). "I'm gonna tell everyone I'm their neighbors. It's insane!" gushed Shilling, 20. Added Tomtishen, 23: "Maybe she'll have babies. That would be awesome!" At first, the notion they would buy a house here seems farfetched, even ludicrous. Schuylkill County is an economically struggling region best known for the Yuengling brewery, Mrs. T's Pierogies, the Molly Maguires and a coal mining industry that is a shadow of its former self. In other words, it's a celebrity-free zone. "I don't believe they'll be here, unless they get a taste for Yuengling," scoffed Jonathan Moss, 54, of nearby Orwigsburg. Upon further inspection, though, the idea has a certain logic. Beyonce and Jay-Z could do a lot worse than the unique wood-and-stone hillside contemporary at the heart of the matter. Listed at $11.9 million, it's got 16,000 square feet of living space and stunning views of Hawk Mountain, a popular birdwatching spot. The property comes with a vintage eight-bedroom Sears house, a one-bedroom guest house, a restored bank barn and frontage on the trout-stocked Little Schuylkill River. (Does Beyonce fish?) It's also convenient — just over two hours west of Manhattan by stretch limo, even closer by helicopter or private plane. And the region does have a few celebrity claims to fame, including 1930s bandleaders Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey and Muhammad Ali, who had a training camp a few miles away in Deer Lake. The rumor has brought plenty of attention to the ultra-luxe property, but Beyonce and Jay-Z haven't expressed an interest in it, said Ericka Kirkpatrick, the agent who is listing the house. "I am just humored," she said. "We have no idea what the deal is or where it got started. ... We are just being bombarded with craziness. This is so absurd!" Jeff Faust, chairman of the local board of supervisors, said no one has approached the township about putting in a helipad — another rumor making the rounds. "It's amazing what people will come up with," he said. "Believe me, I'd love for that property to sell. The township gets a nice chunk of change from the realty transfer tax." The stars' reps aren't commenting, which means this rumor will likely persist at least until the house is sold. So who knows? There may be a Yuengling or two in their future after all.
The first, well, if you don't already know, then congratulations on finally managing to get out from under that rock. The second, well, it's all about the pretty. That's right, People has unwisely chosen today to unveil the aesthetically pleasing crop of superstars that make up this year's list of Most Beautiful People, with the much coveted cover shot going to Sandra Bullock Angelina Jolie Halle Berry Julia Roberts, her fourth such time as the Most Most Beautiful Person. She's called a Pretty Woman for a reason, folks. And it's not just because it makes for a good pun. Of course, she's not alone in the genetic winners' circle, getting joined this year by everybody's favorite sparkle vamp Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart (they're kind of a set), Jennifers Aniston, Garner and Lopez, Jake Gyllenhaal, Zoe Saldana, Scarlett Johansson, Bradley Cooper and the dreamiest, wittiest deodorant hawker out there, Isaiah Mustafa, to name a few. Now here's the rest: First, the ladies. Joining the lookers in the list proper is Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, small-screen babe Sofia Vergara, newly engaged songbird Katy Perry, suddenly prolific starlet Amanda Seyfried, Good Wife's Julianna Margulies and Gossip Girl star Jessica Szohr. As for the fellas, Ryan Reynolds, Johnny Depp, front-sweeper extraordinaire Justin Bieber and Grey's Anatomy hunks Patrick Dempsey and Kevin McKidd also made the cut. Among those forced to bear the title of Hot: our own Kim Kardashian and Kendra Wilkinson made the cut. They're joined by Glee's Dianna Agron, Adam Lambert, Christina Hendricks, Gabourey Sidibe, Kelly Osbourne and Miley Cyrus. The magazine's round-up of Beautiful at Every Age is where K. Stew makes the scene, and she's joined by...well, just about every hot young star you can think of (hey, every year has a publicist-appeasing catch-all category, and this is 2010's). Joining the ranks are Vanessa Hudgens, Blake Lively, Megan Fox (no hot list is complete without her!), Freida Pinto, America Ferrera, Anne Hathaway, Beyoncé, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Kate Hudson, January Jones, Reese Witherspoon, Amy Adams, Eva Mendes, Jenny McCarthy, Taraji P. Henson, Gwen Stefani, Lucy Liu, Kate Walsh, Cindy Crawford, Marisa Tomei, Mariska Hargitay (still with us? Hang in there!), Demi Moore, Sheryl Crow, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michelle Pfeiffer, Annette Bening, Christie Brinkley and Meryl Streep, among other decade-spanning beauties. This year's crop of stars who we hate look good without makeup are Ashley Greene, Diane Kruger, Heidi Klum, Kerry Washington, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Robin Wright and Selena Gomez. People also helpfully took the guesswork out of naming Hollywood's All-Time Screen Beauties (until next year, that is), dividing the stunning leading ladies into decade-size bites. The Noughties are well represented by Natalie Portman, Charlize Theron, Angelina Jolie, Penélope Cruz, Drew Barrymore and Jennifer Lopez. The '90s were apparently blinded by the beauty of Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz, Michelle Yeoh, Winona Ryder, Nicole Kidman and Meg Ryan. The '80s belonged to Brooke Shields and Kim Basinger. Oddly absent from the list—or at least from the online preview of the list—is Sandra Bullock, but we're guessing (hoping) that the magazine's editors didn't want to oversaturate the market. We're sure she'll make the cut when the issue hits newsstands this week...right, People?!
The odd couple were linked to the leading roles in the remake of the 1976 film, in which has-been rocker Kristofferson fell for aspiring pop star Streisand. Crowe, who tasted rock star success as the frontman of Thirty Odd Foot Of Grunts, admits he's still interested in making the movie - but doesn't think Beyonce is. He tells U.S. news show Extra, "I think she's pulled out of it. I'm still chatting about it. It's one of those stories that's been made a lot, but I think it's still quite a big focus - you can see that in terms of the popularity of things like American Idol." And Crowe admits he's an unlikely fan of the TV talent show's wannabe talent: "I have been known to spend many an hour watching American Idol; it's a compelling piece of TV."
The VIP crowd Friday night included Katy Perry, Paris Hilton, Rachel Bilson and cute couple Kate Bosworth and Alexander Skarsgard, who later got into a scuffle with photogs. Read on for more of what the stars were doing onstage and off... After his show, Jay-Z got his party on at a private house in Palm Springs, where he and Beyoncé arrived around 1:45 a.m. Belvedere was flowing at the small private party with only 50 other guests, including Solange Knowles. On Saturday, the couple hit the fest again and were spotted watching UK indie rock band The XX among all the regular concertgoers. Also checking out last night's lineup was Whitney Port, engaging in PDA with her new boyfriend from The Buried Life, while Kristin Cavallari hung out by the bar with Hayden Panettiere in VIP. After the shows Saturday night, celebs headed to 944 and Armani Exchange's neon carinval, where Josh Hartnett rode a mechanical bull and Kellan Lutz hit the dance floor. Newly single Paris danced up a storm with her sister and told E! that this was her "best Coachella ever," while David Hasselhoff, who was in attendance with his daughter, snapped photos with surprised fans. Lindsay Lohan opted to hit up the Adidas party instead. Stars stayed out even after the official parties shut down. Paris invited people to her rented house at 4 a.m. to continue the fun, while Rumer Willis retired to her RV with friends.
The R&B beauties jetted to the slums of Rio de Janiero, Brazil in February to film a new music video for Put It In a Love Song, which they recorded for Key's latest album The Element of Freedom last year. The promo was expected to air in March but Keys has revealed she's put the song on hold while she makes plans to promote Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready), which features vocals from singer/rapper Drake. Speaking about her Beyonce duet, Keys tells Rap-Up.com, "Expect it right after my Un-Thinkable video. It's kind of nice that I have such a great video (with) such a great artist in the can. They're going to be able to see the Un-Thinkable video first and then see Put It in a Love Song, but it probably won't come until closer to this summer." Keys has ruled out inviting Drake to make a cameo in the clip when she shoots it later this month but hopes to collaborate with him again in the future: "He won't be in the video. That's too obvious. (But) he's a great guy. I'm really proud of all the things he's been able to achieve, and we're most likely going to do some kind of remix for the song that'll be really good. There'll be more of me and Drake."
By the looks of the Grammy-winning, multihyphenate's YouTube page, Sony has blocked all of B's music videos and replaced them with this message: "This video contains content from Sony Music Entertainment, who has blocked it in your country on copyright grounds." The action comes on the heels of a copyright infringement issue involving Beyoncé's label, and as techie website Motherboard points out, no doubt stems from the floundering record industry and their desire to have a piece of the online video biz. No word yet on when those pieces of art Beyoncé calls music videos—you know you love "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"!— will be live on the web once more. We're just hoping more of our faves don't start vanishing from YouTube, too.
A paternity test has confirmed that Mathew Knowles, 58, is the father of Alexsandra Wright's new baby boy, Nixon TMZ reports. The baby's half-sisters Beyoncé and Solange are 29 and 24, respectively. The news comes after the elder Knowles initially had no comment about claims that he fathered a child with Wright, an actress, who said they had an 18-month affair with Knowles and filed a paternity suit last October. Knowles was the manager of daughter Beyoncé, who first rose to stardom with Destiny's Child under his leadership. He split with former wife Tina after nearly 30 years of marriage when rumors of his affair with Wright surfaced. A rep for Matthew Knowles had no comment.
The video begins with Gaga's wry commentary on speculation that she's a hermaphrodite. Two female cops rip her clothes off, throw her down on a prison cell cot and mutter, "I told you she didn't have a d--k." From there, the crazy level kicks up about twenty notches as Gaga dances in a skimpy studded bikini through the prison halls, just prior to Beyonce bailing her out. The two go all sorts of Kill Bill on us as they jump in pick-up truck labeled "P---y Wagon" and arrive at a diner where they kill all the patrons —including Tyrese and a dog. They then ride off into the sunset hand-in-hand, Thelma & Louise style, before a "To Be Continued..." flashes across the screen. They also sing a little bit here and there. Watch the video and weigh in on what you think in the poll bellow, as well as at the many gorgeous and grotesque looks of Lady Gaga (we're partial to the cigarette shades).
The singer and her mother Tina made a surprise visit to Brooklyn's Phoenix House on Friday, a day after she and husband Jay-Z met with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House in Washington, D.C. Beyonce spent time at Phoenix Center while preparing to play former heroine addict Etta James in the 2008 film, and she was so moved by her experience there she donated her movie salary to the centre's bosses. Beyonce and Tina Knowles later suggested Phoenix chiefs launch a cosmetology course, and they were both on hand on Friday to cut the ribbon at the school, which will be named the Beyonce Cosmetology Center. The school will allow recovering addicts to rebuild their lives and embark on careers in the cosmetics industry.
Next stop was club LIV, where they hung out until 2 a.m., when Jay sent a member of his entourage back to the restaurant for takeout. "After 20 minutes, the assistant brought five plates of spaghetti," we're told. "They munched on the pasta inside the club."
The singer came number one in the U.K. survey to find the sexiest stars in the eyes of women, while men voted Megan Fox into first place. Jennifer Aniston was also popular with girls, with women naming her as the star with the prettiest face, but the male survey handed the title to Keira Knightley. Former Spice Girls star Victoria Beckham didn't do so well in the poll by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment - she topped the list of least attractive stars by both sexes.
The R&B superstar dons a black and white two-piece in one scene in the music video, which also features Lady GaGa, complete with matching bracelets and sunglasses. Triumph executives took issue with the outfit, alleging it bared striking similarities to their creation by Bulgarian designer Iskren Lozanov, and filed suit against Sony for copyright infringement earlier this year. Lawyers for Sony argued Beyonce's underwear had been inspired by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, but a judge recently dismissed their claim, ruling in Triumph's favour because Lozanov's design was so unique. Bosses at the record label have consulted with the Halo hitmaker and are now preparing to file legal papers to appeal the decision.
Alexsandra Wright claims Mathew Knowles is the father of her two-week-old son, Nixon, and her lawyer was in court in Los Angeles on Tuesday asking for financial support. However, the support might be temporary - Knowles will take a DNA test on March 1 to determine paternity. In the meantime, he has been told to pay up and the order has been backdated to the beginning of February. Knowles must also pay all of Wright's uninsured medical costs, according to TMZ.com. The mother claims her son was conceived during an 18-month affair with Knowles. The music manager has yet to confirm he's the child's father, but he gave Wright $10,000 in January to cover her immediate medical costs.
Favorite Female Singer The superstar took her I Am... world tour to South America and kicked off the dates with a string of shows in Brazil. Britain's Star magazine reported the final show in the city of Salvador on Wednesday night was marred by violence, with a gang of youths opening fire on fans as they left the Parque de Exposicoes venue. Other reports suggested the singer cut short the show as a result of the violence - but her spokesperson has denied the incident affected the concert. The rep tells UsWeekly.com, "The reports of gunfire during Beyonce's concert in Brazil that allegedly ended her show early are totally false. Beyonce played to record crowds on her recent tour in Brazil without incident, including an audience of 60,000 in Sao Paolo on Saturday, February 6 and two sold-out shows in Rio on February 7 and 8."
The Crazy In Love hitmaker took her I Am... world tour to South America last week, kicking off the dates with a string of shows in Brazil. But Beyonce's final Brazilian concert in the city of Salvador on Wednesday night was marred by violence when youths outside the Parque de Exposicoes venue began shooting at fans leaving the arena, according to Britain's Star Magazine. Police reportedly returned fire but no one was injured during the incident.
The choice of third-grader Julia Lira to lead the drum corps for the Viradouro samba group sparked controversy and a legal challenge by a children's rights group who said she risked being sexually exploited. The final word was left to a family court judge, who according to Brazilian media ruled on Wednesday she could join the parade. The judge's office declined to comment. If allowed, Lira will dance through the Sambadrome stadium after midnight on Sunday cheered by thousands of fans and celebrities expected to include Madonna, who has been pictured in Rio smooching with her 22-year-old Brazilian boyfriend. In Carnival capital Rio, which has extra reason to party after being awarded the 2016 Olympics last year, masks of late U.S. pop idol Michael Jackson have been flying off the shelves along with those of Brazilian politicians in an election year. U.S. R&B stars Beyonce and Alicia Keys are also in Brazil to take part in the festival of hedonism before Lent that is thought to have its roots in pre-Christian spring festivals. The two donned feathered Carnival costumes to shoot a music video in a Rio slum on Tuesday and Beyonce opened the celebrations in the northeastern city of Salvador on Wednesday night with a show in front of 45,000 people. But it is the much younger diva who has been dominating the pre-Carnival headlines. The selection of a tiny girl in a role usually occupied by scantily clad, high-heeled models and buxom TV stars has sparked a heated debate, with critics saying she is too young to star in the grueling, sexually charged parade. Drum queens, chosen for their looks and samba skills, dance non-stop in front of hundreds of drummers, wearing little more than a tiny bikini, a feathered headdress and high heels. With Rio sweltering through its hottest February in half a century amid temperatures well above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), concern has also focused on the possible health consequences for a 7-year-old. Julia's father Marco Lira, who is also president of Viradouro, has defended her selection, saying she is doing what she wants and will wear an outfit designed for children. "No father wants to expose his daughter. She will parade because she deserves it," he told reporters on Wednesday.
Sheri Ladner is a publicist with RCA Music Group, which includes Keys' label, J Records. She says the singers are shooting a video for their duet "Put It In a Love Song." The song is from Keys' recently released album "The Element of Freedom." Brazilian television on Tuesday showed the singers performing together in front of cameras in the Morro da Conceicao shantytown. Ladner says the video will have scenes recorded at several locations across Rio. Keys already filmed one segment in Rio's Dona Marta slum. That shantytown became renowned worldwide after Michael Jackson went there to film the 1996 video "They Don't Care About Us."
The Grammy-winning diva's dad, Matthew Knowles, who was a target of a paternity suit in October, exclusively tells E! News that he will "certainly" submit to a paternity test when asked. "I know about as much as you do," he says. "Last week, they said it was a girl, this week they said it was a boy. We do have a court date but none of that means anything until DNA testing is done." "I'll leave that in the hands of the attorneys," Knowles added. Alexsandra Wright, who claims that Knowles fathered her child during an affair that lasted 18 months, gave birth to a son last week. A source told E! that she's planning to request that the former Destiny's Child manager take a DNA test—and then, if it's positive, petition Knowles for child support. Knowles has denied being Wright's baby-daddy and has not offered up any money to date, our source says. Beyoncé's mother, Tina, filed for divorce from Matthew in December after 29 years of marriage.
The Irreplaceable hitmaker, who launched clothing collection House of Dereon with her stylist mother Tina Knowles in 2005, is accused of costing apparel maker Vier International $500,000 in an alleged conspiracy to undercut the Asian company. In legal papers filed in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, New York on Monday Vier International owners claim executives at clothing company Donna Loren LLC and shipping firm HJM International worked together as "conspirators who induced the shipment of goods to the United States with the intent to convert them or pay less than the agreed upon contract price". Beyonce and her partners at House of Dereon and her Beyond Productions company reportedly aided the scheme by making purchase orders and requesting manufacturer specifications, reports WWD.com. Vier International executives are suing for compensation and they have also filed the complaint under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, a statute usually reserved for the prosecution of organised crime gangs like the mafia.
Other guests included Clive Davis, Sony head Barry Weiss, Kings of Leon, John Legend, Usher, Britney Spears clinging to agent-boyfriend Jason Trawick, Tony Bennett and Sharon Osbourne. Meanwhile, Lady Gaga held court still dressed in a glittering Statue of Liberty outfit at Interscope founder Jimmy Iovine's afterparty, at the Thom Thom club in Santa Monica, which drew Eminem, Dr. Dre, Akon and the Black Eyed Peas.
Later in the evening, Knowles and Jay-Z arrived at Reid's bash, and it became a mini-Destiny's Child reunion for the pop star as she sat next to Michelle Williams at the dinner table. The two caught up for a long time, leaning in and sharing close conversation. Then, at 10 p.m., Rihanna arrived and took a seat across from Beyoncé and Jay-Z, who gave her a high-five, as she nibbled on lobster and mascarpone ravioli, while they watched their favorite moments – and acceptance speeches – as everyone applauded.
Song of the Year: "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," Beyoncé R&B Female R&B Vocal Performance: Beyoncé, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" Traditional R&B Vocal Performance: Beyoncé, "At Last" R&B Song: "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", Beyoncé Contemporary R&B Album: I Am...Sasha Fierce, Beyoncé
Beyonce -- who had topped the nominations with 10 nods -- won the prestigious Song of the Year award for her hit "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)", which also earned her the best female R&B vocal award. The former Destiny's Child singer also snagged Grammys for best R&B song for "Single Ladies" and best contemporary R&B album for her chart-topping "I Am ... Sasha Fierce" as well as best traditional R&B vocal performance for "At Last." "Wow thank you so much. This has been such an amazing night for me," Beyonce said after collecting the best female pop vocal performance, her sixth award of the night at the Staples Center. However Beyonce -- who dazzled the audience with an electrifying performance -- was forced to share the honors in the other blue riband categories of Record of the Year and Album of the Year. Swift scored a stunning victory in Album of the Year for "Fearless" while the Kings of Leon looked as surprised as anyone else when they were named winners of Record of the Year for "Use Somebody." "Oh my god," Swift said after winning Album of the Year. "I just hope that you know how much this means to me. Oh my god. "Our families are freaking out in their living rooms right now. This is the story we're going to be telling over and over again when we're 80-years-old." "I just keep thinking back to when you're in second grade and you sing at your talent show and people say 'Maybe we'll see you at the Grammys one day' and it feels like an impossible dream," the 20-year-old said. "I just feel like I'm standing here accepting an impossible dream right now." Swift, who had received eight nominations also won for best female country vocal performance for her single "White Horse" and followed it up with victory in the best country song category for the same track. Meanwhile the Kings of Leon were wrong-footed by their Record of the Year success. "I'm not going to lie we're a little drunk but we're happy drunk," said frontman Caleb Followill. Elsewhere Sunday, oddball New York singer Lady Gaga picked up two Grammys with her smash hit single "Poker Face" taking best dance recording of the year and "The Fame" winning best dance album. The 23-year-old singer, famous for her outlandish outfits, had brought the curtain up on the show in a wacky duet with legendary songwriter Elton John where the couple performed a medley of "Speechless" and "Your Song." Pop powerhouses the Black Eyed Peas also enjoyed success, picking up three Grammys for best short form music video, best pop performance by a duo or group and best pop vocal album. Indian composer A.R. Rahman was also another early winner, scooping two Grammys for his music from the Oscar-winning film "Slumdog Millionaire." Rahman won in the best compilation soundtrack for a motion picture category before his "Jai Ho" won in the best motion picture song category moments later."This is insane, god is great again," Rahman said as he accepted his second award before a VIP audience. The Grammy success comes after Rahman earned two Oscars for his music in "Slumdog Millionaire" at last year's Academy Awards. One of the most popular segments of the show was a tribute to tragic "King of Pop" Michael Jackson which saw Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, Celine Dion, Smokey Robinson and Usher give a rendition of his track "Earth Song." The performance saw the star-studded audience rise to their feet for an ovation before Jackson's two eldest children Prince Michael and Paris appeared to accept a lifetime achievement award on behalf of their late father. "In all his songs his message was simple -- love," Prince Michael said in a faltering acceptance speech. "We will continue to spread his message."
Among the other big winners: Nashville rockers Kings of Leon, whose surging ballad "Use Somebody" netted them the prestigious Grammy for record for the year; the Black Eyed Peas won three awards, including best pop vocal album for The E.N.D. And country group Zac Brown Band was named best new artist. ?
What she hasn't won, however, is the prestigious album of the year trophy, despite being nominated once before. That may change on Sunday. The superstar is nominated for a leading 10 Grammys, including record of the year for "Halo," song of the year for her anthem "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" and album of the year for her multiplatinum third CD, "I Am ... Sasha Fierce." Of course, she faces tough competition — especially from two newer divas. Taylor Swift isn't far behind in the Grammy nominee count with eight. She too is up for the evening's three top awards: "Fearless" is nominated for album of the year, and her song "You Belong With Me" is nominated for both record and song of the year. Swift, whose country album became the most popular album of any genre last year, has captured top awards at just about every awards show she's been at, from the Country Music Association Awards to the MTV Video Music Awards. The 20-year-old, who is only on her second album, could emerge as the top winner at the Grammys as well. Lady Gaga is another relative newcomer up for top awards. Although she was disqualified from the best new artist category because her first single, "Just Dance," was released last fall and nominated for a Grammy, the Recording Academy more than made up for her exclusion in that category. Gaga is up for five Grammys, and like Beyonce and Swift, is also up for record and song of the year, for "Poker Face," and album of the year for "The Fame." Rounding out the album of the year category is the Black Eyed Peas' "The E.N.D.," and the Dave Matthews Band's "Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King." The latter album was the band's first release since the death of founding member and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. All are expected to perform on Sunday's show, to be aired on CBS from Staples Center. But the show won't be all about the nominees. There will be a special 3-D tribute to Michael Jackson; a video clip he made of "Earth Song" will be shown, as Usher, Carrie Underwood, Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson and Smokey Robinson sing along. Mary J. Blige and Andrea Bocelli will celebrate the 30th anniversary of "Bridge Over Troubled Water's" Grammy wins with a special performance of the classic song, which will be made available on iTunes. The proceeds will be donated to Haiti relief.
First released in 1937, the musical has been reworked twice in the past, with Judy Garland and James Mason in 1957 and Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson in 1976. Actor-turned-director Nick Cassavettes is behind the latest version and has signed a deal with Warner Bros ahead of a 2012 release, reports Deadline Hollywood Daily. Downey Jr. and Beyonce are the favourites for the lead roles, playing Normal Maine and Esther Victoria Blodgett, aka Vicki Lester - with Mad Men star John Hamm, Alicia Keys and Rihanna linked as back-up stars. It's not the first time a remake has been mooted, Will Smith and Jennifer Lopez were once linked to a version planned by director Joel Schumacher.
"I definitely want to have a child, but I know from my nephew it's a lot," Knowles tells Allure magazine for its February issue of starting a family with husband Jay-Z. "I hope that those things will just happen naturally. I still haven't had time to relax." Who can relax when you're popping out hit songs and maintaining a voluptuous figure? "I always say, 'I don't want to lose my curves.' I like firm curves," Knowles, 28, says. "You can never do enough squats, you can never do enough sit-ups. I like for women to look feminine." Feminine? How about Bootylicious? The singer/actress can't seem to shake the word coined in the Destiny's Child song of the same name. It's even been added to the Oxford Dictionary. "I still can't believe it! It's hilarious," Knowles says. "I actually wish it was another word that I created. I wish it didn't have 'booty' in it."
All that hard work has paid off. Between June 2008 and June 2009 the couple earned a combined $122 million putting them squarely at the top of our annual Top-Earning Couples list. Our list includes actors, musicians and professional athletes. We talked to agents, managers, producers and lawyers to determine what celebrities earned from staring in movies, touring, selling albums, playing professional sports, creating lines of clothing and perfumes and appearing in ads. Jay-Z and Beyonce both contribute significantly to their joint earnings. Last year Beyonce out-earned Jay-Z, bringing in $87 million to his $35 million. (The couple also topped last year's list with $162 million. About half of that came from each star.) For the couple in second place on our list, it's more about his big payday. Harrison Ford and his girlfriend, Calista Flockhart, earned a combined $69 million, $53 million less than Jay-Z and Beyonce. Almost all of that came from Ford's work in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Ford and producers Steven Spielberg and George Lucas made a unique deal with Paramount on the movie that gave them a significant portion of the film's earnings after the studio broke even. As a result Ford eared a jaw-dropping $65 million for putting back on Indy's trademark fedora. Flockhart earns for her work on the TV show Brothers & Sisters. In third place: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The power couple earned a total of $55 million split about evenly between them both. Pitt had one of the biggest hits of his career last year with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Jolie has embraced her inner action hero with 2008's Wanted and the upcoming film Salt. Will Smith and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, rank fourth with $48 million. Smith is perhaps the last of the great movie stars. Even in recessionary times he still can demand a $20 million paycheck. Pinkett Smith has a burgeoning career of her own. She voices Gloria the hippo in the popular Madagascar films and last year produced The Secret Life of Bees. The Smiths would earn even more if we were including whole families. Their daughter, Willow, appeared in I Am Legend with her dad and did voice work with her mom on Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. Jaden Smith costarred with his father in The Pursuit of Happyness and will star in the upcoming remake of The Karate Kid. Rounding out the top five are David and Victoria Beckham. The pair earned $46 million between June 2008 and June 2009. The vast majority of that comes from David Beckham, who plays for the Los Angeles Galaxy. He is also playing for A.C. Milan and could appear in his fourth World Cup this summer.
"Fashion is something I've been familiar with my whole life," she says in an interview before the shoot. So when Nintendo tapped her to represent its product, she was happy to oblige. Introduced last November for the portable Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi systems, the game allows aspiring entrepreneurs to choose from 16 fictional designer labels, each with a different style and price point, and more than 10,000 items. The goal is to accommodate customers' budgets and needs, then use the accumulated cash to restock your stores, bearing in mind such factors as seasonal changes. "It can teach young girls a sense of business and of responsibility," Beyoncé says. "You have to be a good listener and pay attention to what the customers want. It also teaches you about fashion, using terms that fashion people use, like 'asymmetrical.' " As part of its arrangement with Beyoncé, Nintendo plans to introduce five items from her Deréonline early this year. (Five items from Charlotte Ronson's fall 2009 collection are currently available for download.) "It will be fun," she says. "The clothes in the game are great, so cute and detailed, and there's always something new. It's like playing dress-up, only with digital technology instead of dolls." Up to four players can hook up wirelessly for a runway contest. Beyoncé took part in one such competition with a few friends, "and they told me I still have a long way to go. So I guess I have to keep working at it."
"It's definitely time to take a break, to recharge my batteries," says Beyoncé, 28. "I'd like to take about six months and not go into the studio. I need to just live life, to be inspired by things again." Not that Beyoncé won't be visible in the coming months. Just a few days before Christmas, she's in Long Island City, shooting a pair of commercials for the Nintendo video game Style Savvy, which is introducing items from Deréon, a casual lifestyle extension of the House of Deréon line that Beyoncé created with longtime fashion adviser Tina Knowles— also her mom. The spots will air on Nickelodeon in March, in the week before the Kids' Choice Awards and during the show. Before that, of course, Beyoncé will perform on the Grammy Awards broadcast Jan. 31 on CBS, where she's up for 10 trophies, more than any other artist, including album, record and song of the year. The last is for her slamming manifesto Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It), one of 2009's most ubiquitous singles (3.5 million downloads sold) and its most-streamed video. The album, I Am ... Sasha Fierce, has sold 2.7 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. "I still haven't really digested it yet," Beyoncé says. The Grammy nominations were announced Dec. 2, two days before her spouse and fellow pop icon Jay-Z turned 40. "I was focused so much on my husband's birthday — I threw a big party — that I didn't really think about it. But it's really an honor." Brian Hiatt of Rolling Stone, which recently named Beyoncé one of the top eight artists of the decade, doubts she'll have a sweep, given the momentum of industry "It" girl Taylor Swift and other up-and-comers such as Lady Gaga. "But if (Beyoncé) loses in all 10 categories, it will have absolutely no effect on her career," Hiatt says. Always a hard worker For the former Destiny's Child frontwoman, the nominations were a sweet coda to an especially productive and demanding period. "I've always worked hard, but I feel like I worked harder this past year than I have since I was just starting out. I just had all these great opportunities. It started out with singing At Last," the song Barack and Michelle Obama chose for their first dance as first couple. Beyoncé serenaded them at a ball hours after the president's inauguration. In the spring, the singer launched the I Am ... Tour, which took her to 110 cities around the world. Despite her hectic schedule, Beyoncé was determined "not to just perform and stay in the hotel. I visited the pyramids in Egypt. I saw the Great Wall of China and went out in the middle of the ocean in Australia to see the whales. I actually got sprayed in the face. I made some great memories this year and really learned to enjoy life." So much so that "when I got home, I wrote out a contract with myself. I made a list of everything I want to do that has nothing to do with music. Well, some of it does. But I promised myself that I would not go back on tour or in the studio until I finished these things." The to-do list consists of "random things. I want to go to restaurants, maybe take a class, see some movies and Broadway shows." (Beyoncé says she would love to do a stage musical, eventually.) She's also keen to spend more time with her 5-year-old nephew, Daniel, whose mom is Beyoncé's younger sister, Solange, 23. "He's a wonderful kid, amazing, so smart. And I spoil him, so it's a lot of work. He's a 24-hour job." Still, Beyoncé doesn't expect her sabbatical from the music business to be easy, or even necessarily successful. "It will be the hardest thing in the world for me to make myself not do an album and shoot a video and turn it in and say, 'I'm ready!' I already have all these melodies and ideas in my head. I have to tell myself, 'Sit down! Sit down!' " She already has planned a reprieve from her reprieve, in fact: Two weeks of concert dates are scheduled in South America and the Caribbean in February to accommodate additional demand from the I Am ... trek. (She recently generated controversy by performing at a private New Year's Eve party hosted by Muatsim-Billah Gaddafi, a son of the Libyan leader. A statement from her agency and management firms notes that the annual event has "a long history of booking internationally known artists.") She'll also launch a signature fragrance that month, Beyoncé Heat, with Coty. And there's no saying that a great film script won't come along. Beyoncé's portrayal of R&B legend Etta James in 2008's Cadillac Records earned the best reviews of her acting career and provided something of a revelation. "I learned that drama is probably what I'm best at. I really enjoy it, too — though it can be emotionally draining. Now I know I need to take time out for a project like that, rather than juggle it with 50 other things. I'm only one person." 'Grace under pressure' For someone who has been so famous, and so famously driven, for such a long stretch, Beyoncé still manages to convey a gentle, self-deprecating quality in person. Former Vibe and Spin editor Alan Light says her mix of indomitability and accessibility is one key to her enduring appeal. "She seems to have it all, but there's still this thing in her that you can relate to. The persona is one of graciousness and grace under pressure." That was certainly evident at the MTV Video Music Awards, when Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech by suggesting her winning video was inferior to Single Ladies and Beyoncé responded by inviting Swift to share her own triumphant moment. "When someone does something like that on the fly, you can't say it's totally made up," Light says. Fans can be found everywhere Beyoncé allows that she takes pride in maintaining a positive image. Out in New York recently, "I accidentally walked into the men's room, which was so embarrassing. But then I met this young lady in the (women's) restroom, and she was like, 'You're one of the only artists that my daughter and I both love, and I want to thank you for helping to bring us closer together.' "That kind of compliment makes me feel so good. And I think that my own relationship with my mom, though that has nothing to do with my music, inspires mothers and young girls. That's not something I try to do, but I'm aware of it and happy about it."
Beyoncé performed five songs in a sexy black leotard at the Nikki Beach club on St. Barts in front of a crowd that included her husband Jay-Z, Usher, Microsoft founder Paul Allen and Lindsay Lohan. We couldn't confirm how much Beyoncé was paid for the gig, but last year, Mariah Carey reportedly pocketed $1 million for performing at Nikki Beach. Some vacationers on the island were aghast. DJ Sam Young tweeted: "Jigga [Jay-Z], Beyonce & Usher were @ Nikki Beach performing for Khadafy family, WTF?" Just a week earlier, on Christmas Day, Hannibal, 33 -- also known as Moutassim -- allegedly attacked his wife, Aline Skaf, in his suite at Claridge's in London. Three of his security staff were arrested for obstructing police. Skaf was reportedly hospitalized with a broken nose while Hannibal was whisked away in a diplomatic car. In July 2008, he and his then-pregnant wife were arrested on charges of beating their servants in a Geneva hotel. They denied the charges, which were dropped after the servants received compensation. Hannibal was also arrested in 2005 in a Paris hotel for allegedly punching Skaf. He then allegedly brandished a 9mm handgun and went on a furniture-smashing rampage in his hotel suite. No charges were brought. A year earlier, he led a police chase on the Champs Elysees, reaching speeds of 90 mph in his Porsche. No charges were brought after Libyan diplomats apologized. And in 2001, he allegedly attacked three Italian policemen with a fire extinguisher, but demanded diplomatic immunity. Reps for Beyoncé and Nikki Beach did not return calls and e-mails.
Nominated for three Grammys, Beyoncé's hit "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," from her third solo album, I Am ... Sasha Fierce, has taken the world by storm. Peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard chart and staying on top for four non-consecutive weeks, the single dominated Hot 100 Airplay, topped U.K., Canadian and Australian charts and, with over 3,000,000 digital downloads, became the singer's highest-selling song. But do you know the story behind the music and the moves? The Lyrics "Single Ladies," conceptualized by singer-songwriter The-Dream, was recorded after Beyoncé secretly married Jay-Z. "It was the only public statement that they ever made about marriage," says the song's producer Christopher "Tricky" Stewart. "When we went into the studio she didn't have a ring on or anything, because at that point they were still really hiding it. That's where Dream got that concept from." "I thought it was a subject that most women wanted to talk about because most of us men are scared as s--- to be bound to a commitment," adds The-Dream (real name: Terius Youngdell Nash). The Sound Ever notice that "Single Ladies" sounds a lot like another Beyoncé dance hit, "Get Me Bodied?" "I always believe that every artist has a groove to them," says Tricky, who crafted the song's shuffle beat. "That rhythm is what she responds to," he adds. And once she had the rhythm locked in, she delivered the now-classic lines, "on point right away," says vocal producer Kuk Harrell. "She knows what she's going for." The Video Spawning a massive dance craze and hundreds of YouTube tributes, the moves in the music video for "Single Ladies" were choreographed by Frank Gatson Jr. and JaQuel Knight. "She wanted it to feel good and powerful and she wanted something that everyone would do," says Knight. Beyoncé's main inspiration was the Bob Fosse-choreographed performance of "Mexican Breakfast" on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1969 and, says Gatson, "Shirley MacLaine in Sweet Charity ... That is why Beyoncé ran up the wall [in the video]." Pair those moves and killer costumes, "reminiscent of the high-cut leotards seen in both A Chorus Line and All That Jazz, but modern," according to designer Tina Knowles, and add a flash of that $5-million Lorraine Schwartz wedding ring, and it's easy to see why "Single Ladies" became an instant classic. "I think the visual is what really pulled the record together as a whole," says Tricky. "The reach was just unparalleled."
The Recording Academy said Tuesday that other performers will include the Black Eyed Peas, Lady Antebellum and Maxwell. Beyonce has 10 Grammy nominations; Swift has eight. A stage-crashing Kanye West interrupted Swift's acceptance speech at this year's MTV Video Music Awards to say Beyonce should have won for best female video instead. West later apologized. The Grammys will be presented at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Jan. 31. The show will air on CBS. The Recording Academy says additional performers will be announced at a later date.
Reports began circulating online last week alleging stylist Tina Knowles had filed papers in a Harris County, Texas court in November to put an end to her 29-year marriage. The Knowles have now revealed the news is true, but insist the decision to split was "amicable". In a joint statement, the former couple says, "The decision to end our marriage is an amicable one. We remain friends, parents, and business partners. If anyone is expecting an ugly messy fight, they will be sadly disappointed. We ask for your respect of our privacy as we handle this matter." The divorce comes just weeks after Beyonce's manager father was hit with a paternity lawsuit from Los Angeles resident Alexsandra Wright, who works in the name branding business. Pregnant Wright claims Mathew Knowles is the father of her unborn child, which is due in spring 2010. The Knowles wed in 1980 and are parents to the Crazy In Love hitmaker and her younger sister Solange.
West marred Taylor Swift's first Video Music Awards win this year when he rushed the stage, interrupted her acceptance speech and went on a tirade about Beyonce being more deserving of the award for Best Female Video. The performer Swift beat out for the No. 1 spot on the Billboard list is none other than Beyonce Knowles. It's just another milestone in an amazing year for Swift. Aside from the VMA statue, Swift has won two Academy of Country Music awards, five BMI awards, and five Country Music Association awards (including Entertainer of the Year). Most recently, Swift took home five American Music Awards -- including Artist of the Year, where she faced possibly the stiffest competition of all, the late Michael Jackson. West, however, has all but fallen off the radar since the VMAs debacle. His tour with Lady Gaga was canceled as the rapper retreated to take time away from the spotlight (though he surfaced in the tabloids briefly in October when an Internet rumor declared that he was dead.) For the following overall year-end standings, the editors of Billboard have tallied the year's album sales figures and reviewed Hot 100 song rankings and compiled a list of the 20 artists who traveled furthest and fastest up the charts. These stars were the best performers on the Hot 100 singles chart and the Billboard 200 album chart from November 2008 through November 2009. 1. TAYLOR SWIFT: To say Taylor Swift had a remarkable year would be a comic understatement. She sold more albums than any artist not named Michael Jackson. Her first headlining tour, Fearless 2009, sold out every show within minutes. She became the youngest woman to win the Country Music Association's entertainer of the year award, and she set seemingly every chart record that exists. But most important, she proved herself a graceful, timeless celebrity, handling hosting duties on "Saturday Night Live" and a rampaging Kanye West at the MTV Video Music Awards with equal aplomb. 2. BEYONCE: As Kanye West infamously pointed out at the 2009 Video Music Awards, Beyonce made one of the best videos of all time. "Out of all my videos, ("Single Ladies") was the least expensive and took the least amount of time, and it ended up being the most iconic," Billboard's 2009 Woman of the Year reflects. "But once we got on the set, it was like, wait a minute. This is something special." Not only did the ubiquitous clip inspire thousands of YouTube imitations, it also helped push her "I Am ... Sasha Fierce" album to last over a year on the Billboard 200 chart. 3. LADY GAGA: The chart-topping hit-maker and headline-grabbing fashionista from Yonkers, New York, became the first artist ever to send her first four singles to No. 1 on the Billboard Pop Songs chart. What's her secret? "A hit record writes itself," said the winner of the 2009 Billboard Rising Star award. "If you have to wait, maybe the song isn't there. Once you tap into the soul, the song begins to write itself. And I usually write the choruses first, because without a good chorus, who really gives a f**k?" 4. THE BLACK EYED PEAS: In 2009, Will.i.am, Fergie, apl.de.ap and Taboo became the first group in history to spend six consecutive months atop the Billboard Hot 100, thanks to the succession of two No. 1 songs ("Boom Boom Pow" and "I Gotta Feeling") from the band's fifth release, "The E.N.D." -- a body of work that Will.i.am refuses to think of in traditional terms. "I'm trying to break away from the concept of an album," he told Billboard. "What is an album when you put 12 songs on iTunes and people can pick at it like scabs? That's not an album. There is no album anymore." 5. MILEY CYRUS: What does Miley Cyrus want to be when she grows up? The 17-year-old superstar, who spent 15 weeks at No. 1 on Adult Contemporary with "The Climb," told Billboard last year, "Songwriting is what I really want to do with my life forever. No matter how long what I'm doing here lasts, I want to be a songwriter for the rest of my life." With the soundtrack to her "Hannah Montana" movie climbing to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart this spring, it seems the queen of the teens is off to a pretty good start. 6. KANYE WEST: Mr. West is Billboard's Top Male Artist of 2009; an impressive honor, though after his bullying of Taylor Swift at this year's VMAs, he might be a little irked to see her ranked five spots higher than him on this overall artist list. Still, despite his sometimes misplaced enthusiasm, the hip-hop hit-maker never fails to give the fans (and the foes) his all. "I've always wanted to sound like I was rapping at the top of a mountain," he told Billboard in 2005. "I wanted to change the sound of music." 7. BRITNEY SPEARS: After a few tumultuous years that found Spears in the tabloid more often than on the charts, Britney redeemed herself with a pair of chart-topping singles -- "Womanizer" and "Circus" -- from her 2008 comeback album. A successful world tour brought her back to center stage, but the real proof of her rejuvenation was the one-off single "3," which debuted atop the Hot 100 chart in October, making Spears the first artist to achieve that feat in three years. 8. T.I.: Sadly, T.I. -- who has done big things on the Rap Songs chart this year -- will be celebrating his 2009 successes behind bars in Forrest City , Arkansas, where he remains imprisoned for federal weapons charges through March 2010. But the Atlanta emcee, who scored two of the biggest hits of his career with "Dead and Gone" and "Live Your Life," is taking his punches in stride. "I must be a man and stand up and accept responsibility," he told BET in May. "I exercised extremely poor judgment, and for that, I must be willing to pay whatever price that comes before me." 9. NICKELBACK: Why did the band that sold 7.3 million copies of its 2005 album, "All the Right Reasons," entitle its follow-up "Dark Horse"? "We never feel like we'll ever be done trying to prove ourselves," Chad Kroeger told Billboard last year. "You really have to keep that initial hunger that made some of your first songs your best songs. You have to keep that fire in the belly." 10. PINK: "'Heartbreak is a Motherf**ker' is what I originally wanted to name the album," laughed Pink during an interview with Billboard last year when asked about her 2008 release, which was inspired by her split from motocross star Carey Hart. "But this album is not all about that. There is fun happening, too, and that's why I named it 'Funhouse' in the end." The set proved positive in more ways that one; it produced her first solo Hot 100 No. 1, "So What." 11. KINGS OF LEON: The Nashville band's slow build finally exploded in 2009, with its platinum-selling album "Only by the Night" pushing the alt-rock quartet to arena-headlining status. "I always felt that people would look at me as a guy who dropped out of high school and point out everything I said that wasn't proper," frontman Caleb Followill admitted to Billboard. "I was writing these melodies that I felt were so deserving to be heard (that) I just said, sing the way you know how to sing. Just try it for one record, and, if it doesn't work, you can go back to your shelter." 12. KATY PERRY: Katy Perry went straight to the top 10 with three smash singles, including the No. 1 anthem "I Kissed a Girl." The California Girl embraced her success with open arms. "I can't wait to be super-mainstream," Perry told Billboard last year. "But, take all the production away, and I'll play on an acoustic guitar and sing by myself. I'm not a puppet, I don't need strings. There need to be pop girls other girls can aspire to, like Cyndi Lauper, Joan Jett, Pat Benatar. We need those women again." 13. FLO RIDA: Flo Rida had a monster 2008 thanks to "Low," which reigned as the year's No. 1 song. But 2009 wasn't too shabby for the Sunshine State rapper either; "Right Round," the first single from his sophomore album, "R.O.O.T.S.," sat on the top of the Hot 100 for six weeks beginning in February. "I'm happy to be stepping it up," he told Billboard earlier this year. "I didn't know this record would be this big. I just love making music." 14. KELLY CLARKSON: After taking a much-publicized stand to follow her own creative muse on 2007's "My December" (which yielded only one Hot 100 hit after her previous album, "Breakaway," afforded four top 10s), Clarkson returned to her winning chart formula in 2009. "My Life Would Suck Without You," from "All I Ever Wanted," became her first Hot 100 No. 1 since "A Moment Like This" in 2002. 15. JASON MRAZ: In 2009, singer-songwriter Jason Mraz rewrote Hot 100 history with "I'm Yours," which remained on the chart for a record 76 weeks. "That's a song about generosity, giving yourself or your time to someone else, and countries all over the world are singing it, loud ... really loud," Mraz told Billboard. "I'm really stoked that that's the kind of song people want to hear right now. It makes me want to keep writing songs like that." 16. THE FRAY: The Fray boasted a huge Adult Pop Songs hit this year, "You Found Me," but the band also enjoyed unexpected airplay with an organic remake of Kanye West's "Heartless," which stemmed from a performance on BBC Radio. "They ask guests to cover a current artist and just gave us a list of artists they were playing at the time," said drummer Ben Wysocki. "It was either 'Heartless' or 'Circus' by Britney Spears." 17. NE-YO: Ne-Yo, who did big things on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart this year, respects those who paved the way for his success. "Years ago, if you weren't wearing the right suit or (didn't) have a correct crease in your pants, you couldn't even get in the door, let alone on stage to perform," he told Billboard last year. "For me, the sharpness of Sammy (Davis Jr.) and Sinatra is the kind of style I strive for in clothes and music. (Ne-Yo's 2008 album) 'Year of the Gentleman' is named in honor of those guys." 18. LIL WAYNE: The N'awlins rapper made 21 trips to the Hot 100 in 2009, more than any other solo act. "I think this album is going to be one of my best," he declared to Billboard last year, before the release of "Tha Carter III." "I got one of them Beyonce(-type) albums; everything's hot. I might have to work out a deal with Universal to shoot a video for all these songs, that's how crazy they all are. Every one of them is a movie!" 19. RASCAL FLATTS: The Ohio trio made its debut on Billboard's Country Songs chart in March 2000 and has since become a cornerstone of the format. With 38 chart appearances this decade, including a pair of No. 1s in 2009 ("Here" and "Here Comes Goodbye"), the gang trails only Kenny Chesney (47) and Toby Keith (41) for most visits to the survey in the 2000s. 20. ZAC BROWN BAND: Country fans are accepting of newer sounds as well, especially when they're as carefree and catchy as the Zac Brown Band's recent No. 1 "Toes." "(Co-writer Wyatt Durette) called me (at) about 6 in the morning on my home phone," Brown recounted to Billboard, "which either meant that something was wrong or that somebody was up late partying. He said, 'I got my toes in the water, ass in the sand and we gotta write a song about it.'" Not only was the tune a hit, but it helped the band earn a 2010 Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.
But for an album to make the cut, it had to be more than just something to appreciate and put on a shelf. It had to be something you couldn't live without, that you had on your go-to playlist, that you listened to not just the year it came out ... but in the years since. Best albums of the decade: 1. "Denials, Delusions and Decisions," Jaguar Wright: Who? WHO? OK, OK, she's not the best-known artist of the decade; she could win an award for most obscure. But this R&B singer-songwriter should have won top accolades for her amazing debut album, a raw, sometimes profane, yet brilliant collection of songs about a woman frustrated by love and life. This is a riveting CD that never leaves those who hear it. Too bad so few people had that experience with such a masterful album. 2. "Confessions," Usher: If Usher is this generation's Michael Jackson, this was his "Thriller." Every song is good, and most of them are absolutely great tunes that paint a complex portrait of a man entangled in a relationship when his inner bachelor is trying to set him free. 3. "Mama's Gun," Erykah Badu: "Because I'm cleva, when I bust a rhyme," Badu croons on one of the disc's tracks, "Cleva." But that could be a synopsis for this entire album, which grabs you as much by lyrics as it does by its musicality. 4. "The College Dropout," Kanye West: The self-proclaimed "voice of the generation" first roared with his debut, changing the game of rap, from his production to his style. Just when rap was beginning to sag creatively, Kanye provided its biggest boost with this amazing concept album. Say what you want, but West is not only one of rap's greatest, but music's greatest as well. 5. "Back to Black," Amy Winehouse: If Winehouse doesn't get her act together, she may go down in history as a two-hit wonder best known for the song "Rehab," that would come to define her disheveled life. But listening to this album, you forget about all that drama and get lost in her artistry — those sassy lyrics, the retro-soul and the emotional depth in her voice. Here's hoping we can get that Amy back in the next decade. 6. "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" 50 Cent: There's nothing particularly deep about this album, but when you make songs this good, you know what? It's OK. From "In Da Club" to "What Up Gangsta" to "P.I.M.P.," 50's debut was thoroughly riveting. 7. "B'day," Beyonce: Beyonce could have chosen to make "Dangerously in Love 2" for her sophomore debut. Instead, she took a musical risk by trying out different sonic styles, from the futuristic funk of "Green Light" to the acoustic brilliance of "Irreplaceable." With "B'day" Beyonce established herself not only as this decade's most important hitmaker, but also established her artistic heft. 8. "Testimony: Vol 1. Life and Relationship," India.Arie: Being eternally positive has often been a negative in India.Arie's career — sometimes people want to wallow in grief with music that mirrors their mood and not be told to look at the silver lining. For that reason, she's often been ignored and derided, but those who choose to embrace the light are always rewarded, and on "Testimony," India finds a way to turn heartbreak into lyrics filled with wisdom, optimism and grace — something we should all celebrate. 9. "The Chocolate Factory," R. Kelly: In the middle of a child porn scandal (of which he would eventually be cleared), R. Kelly decided to write with his heart in mind, and not that other body part that usually dictates his music, and delivered the best album of his career, with touching love songs and bluesy heartbreak ballads. Sure, there was the obligatory sex-equals-machinery song with "Ignition," but this album took Kelly to a level we wish he had been able to sustain. 10. "The Marshall Mathers LP," Eminem: This is Eminem's greatest album, where his demented genius is at its apex, with songs such as "Stan" and "The Way I Am." Here, we get more of a sense of who Marshall Mathers is before the caricature of Eminem took over completely, and his image became cartoonish and garish. On this album, Eminem is a conduit to warped young Americans whose voices were silent — until Mathers came along. Honorable mentions: "The Black Album," Jay-Z; "Dreaming Wide Awake," Lizz Wright; "The Emancipation of Mimi," Mariah Carey; "Survivor," Destiny's Child; "Taking the Long Way," the Dixie Chicks; "FutureSexLoveSounds," Justin Timberlake; "Graduation," Kanye West; "Vespertine," Bjork; "Arular," M.I.A.; "Elephant," The White Stripes; "Acoustic Soul," India.Arie; "Van Hunt," Van Hunt; "Late Registration," Kanye West; "Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds, Vol. 1," Jill Scott; "American Idiot," Green Day; "Lovers Rock," Sade; "The Breakthrough," Mary J. Blige.
Wynn Resorts spokeswoman Jennifer Dunne says there's no deal yet, despite published rumors of a lucrative, long-term contract. Beyonce (bee-AHN'-say) appeared at the resort from July 30 through Aug. 2 this year while filming a concert DVD. Her shows helped boost visitation to Wynn and its sister Encore Las Vegas resort during a typically slow tourist season in Las Vegas. Beyonce sang in the Encore Theater, where country star Garth Brooks plans to play a series of solo acoustic shows starting on Friday. Brooks' deal puts him in Las Vegas 15 weeks a year for possibly the next five years.
GENERAL FIELD Album Of The Year: Record Of The Year: Song Of The Year: RAP FIELD It takes a lot to upstage both Beyoncé and the ghost of Michael Jackson, but Toni Braxton managed to do just that, when her show-opening performance of "Yesterday" ended with her tongue squarely in the throat of duet partner Trey Songz. The sealed-with-a-kiss performance sent a ripple of shock through the audience, not least of all because Braxton's hubby of eight years, Keri Lewis, had a front-row seat for the makeshift game of tonsil hockey. Within days (the awards taped on Nov. 3), the duo was dunzo. Braxton wasted no time in denying that the smooch contributed to the disintegration of her marriage, telling Wendy Williams afterward that it was part of the choreography and that she had warned Lewis beforehand. You can judge for yourself when the ceremony finally airs Sunday on BET. As for the actual winners... It was pretty much business as usual for the Soul Train Awards: Jackson picked up yet another posthumous award, for Entertainer of the Year no less, while the unstoppable Beyoncé took home a leading three trophies. Here's the complete list of winners for the 2009 Soul Train Awards: • Entertainer of the Year: Michael Jackson • Best New Artist: Keri Hilson • Best R&B/Soul Artist, Female: Beyoncé • Best R&B/Soul Artist, Male: Maxwell • Song of the Year: "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," Beyoncé • Album of the Year: I Am...Sasha Fierce, Beyoncé • Record of the Year: "Blame It," Jamie Foxx feat. T-Pain • Best Reggae Artist: Sean Paul • Centric Award, Soul Approved/Underground: Maysa • Gospel Performance: "God in Me," Mary Mary featuring Kierra "KiKi" Sheard • Collaboration: "Knock You Down," Keri Hilson featuring Kanye West and Ne-Yo
"This is my last show for this tour in the U.K., so hopefully, I'll see you all in a year with a new album," a raspy-voiced Beyonce told the crowd at the end of the set, before thanking them "from the bottom of my heart" for coming to the show. Producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins confirmed the news on Twitter, recently posting the news that he's working on some tracks for Beyonce's upcoming album. Beyonce's 2008 album, "I Am ... Sasha Fierce," has sold 2.5 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
The Crazy In Love hitmaker is currently touring the U.K. and performed in Liverpool, north-west England on Wednesday night. The singer stayed at the Lowry Hotel in nearby Manchester - but paid out for an additional room in Liverpool for her clothes. A source tells Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper, "She had seven suitcases, three hand-luggage bags and two boxes, all for her mammoth gig. "Beyonce doesn't do things by halves - especially where her performances are concerned. So in the cases there were apparently 14 dresses along with numerous pairs of shoes. Another box was full of make-up and the other had about 25 wigs in it."
Revered historian Zahi Hawass, Egypt's chief Egyptologist, reportedly called the pop star a "stupid person" while speaking to journalists during Beyonce's recent tour of the Giza pyramids near Cairo. Reporter Summer al-Gamal says Hawass, who claims he inspired Harrison Ford's Raiders of The Lost Ark character, was annoyed by the pop star's apparent lack of interest as she toured the ancient site. According to Gamal, Hawass said, "I showed her the Sphinx and I gave her a book on King Tutankhamen," during his self-guided tour. The reporter says, "Then he stopped being diplomatic and said in anger, 'She's a stupid person and she doesn't understand a thing and she doesn't want to understand... She's coming here to take pictures and that's it.'" Gamal has reported Hawass' comments in the al-Shorouk newspaper. The leading Egyptologist has yet to comment about the story.
"Beyoncé: I am...Yours," at 9:00 p.m., ET: In Beyoncé's first network special with ABC, viewers get a front row seat to an intimate performance from the iconic artist. The hour-long special captures the superstar's appearance at the Encore Theater in Wynn, Las Vegas this past summer, where she tells the story of her career through music and dance. Woven throughout the special are backstage moments, footage of her off stage life, and rare childhood video. Additionally, viewers will get to know her famously all-female band -- drums, keys, bass, guitar, horns and percussion players. Beyoncé shares how she transformed herself from a talented nine-year-old into one of the world's most powerful musical forces - and what she thinks of it all. "Paul McCartney: Good Evening New York City," at 10:00 p.m., ET: Forty-four years ago, four kids from Liverpool performed what was then the largest, highest grossing rock concert ever - the Beatles Live at Shea Stadium. In the summer of 2009, Paul McCartney did it again, performing at Shea's former site, New York's Citi Field in Queens, NY. ABC will bring viewers this dazzling concert in which he performs Beatles, Wings and solo classics. Culled from nearly three hours of music and video, the program is an emotional journey through his legendary 50-year musical career and includes footage of the original Beatles concert at Shea. McCartney also talks candidly about those early days and what it was like to return to a place where he performed at the height of Beatlemania.
"Twilight" and "True Blood" were among the top nominees announced Tuesday. Fans cast more than 18 million votes online to select the nominee slate and will also choose the winners in 35 categories. The People's Choice Awards lets the general public vote for their favorite stars and works of popular culture. "Twilight" is up for favorite movie, franchise and on-screen team for its trio of stars: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner. Stewart and Pattinson were also nominated individually for favorite movie actress and actor, and Lautner is up for breakout movie actor. "True Blood" was nominated for favorite TV obsession and sci-fi/fantasy TV show, plus star Anna Paquin earned a nod for TV drama actress. Fans can vote for their favorites online at www.peopleschoice.com. Queen Latifah is set to host the People's Choice Awards at the Nokia Theatre. The ceremony will be broadcast live on CBS on Jan. 6, 2010. The complete list of nominees: TV drama: "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "Grey's Anatomy," "House," "Lost," "NCIS." TV comedy: "Desperate Housewives," "How I Met Your Mother," "The Big Bang Theory," "The Office," "Two and a Half Men." TV drama Actor: Hugh Laurie, Kiefer Sutherland, Mark Harmon, Matthew Fox, Patrick Dempsey. TV drama Actress: Anna Paquin, Blake Lively, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Katherine Heigl, Mariska Hargitay. TV comedy Actor: Alex Baldwin, Charlie Sheen, Jim Parsons, Neil Patrick Harris, Steve Carell. TV comedy Actress: Alyson Hannigan, America Ferrera, Amy Poehler, Eva Longoria Parker, Tina Fey. TV obsession: "Dexter," "Gossip Girl," "The Hills," "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," "True Blood." TV talk show: "Chelsea Lately," "Live with Regis & Kelly," "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "The Tyra Banks Show." TV sci-fi/fantasy: "Heroes," "Lost," "Supernatural," "The Vampire Diaries," "True Blood." TV competition show: "American Idol," "Dancing With the Stars," "Project Runway," "So You Think You Can Dance," "Survivor: Samoa." Animal show: "Animal Cops," "DogTown," "Dog Whisperer," "It's Me or the Dog," "Rescue Ink." New TV drama: "Eastwick," "FlashForward," "Melrose Place," "Mercy," "The Forgotten," "The Good Wife," "The Vampire Diaries," "Three Rivers," "NCIS: Los Angeles," "V." New TV comedy: "Accidentally on Purpose," "Brothers," "Community," "Cougar Town," "Glee," "Hank," "The Cleveland Show," "The Middle," "Modern Family." Movie actor: Brad Pitt, Hugh Jackman, Johnny Depp, Robert Pattinson, Ryan Reynolds. Movie actress: Anna Hathaway, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Aniston, Kristen Stewart, Sandra Bullock. Action star: Christian Bale, Gerard Butler, Hugh Jackman, Shia LaBeouf, Vin Diesel. Comedic star: Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Jim Carrey, Ryan Reynolds, Vince Vaughn. Breakout movie actress: Anna Kendrick, Emily Osment, Ginnifer Goodwin, Miley Cyrus, Zoe Saldana. Breakout movie actor: Chris Pine, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Sam Worthington, Taylor Lautner, Zachary Quinto. On-screen team: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"; Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, "The Proposal"; Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, "The Twilight Saga"; Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen"; Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Ryan Reynolds, will.i.am, Dominic Monaghan and Daniel Henney, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." Family movie: "Hannah Montana: The Movie," "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs," "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian," "Up," "Where the Wild Things Are." Independent movie: "(500) Days of Summer," "District 9," "Inglourious Basterds," "Paranormal Activity," "Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail." Franchise: "Harry Potter," "Star Trek," "The Twilight Saga," "Transformers," "X-Men." Comedy movie: "17 Again," "Bride Wars," "He's Just Not That Into You," "The Hangover," "The Proposal." Favorite movie: "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," "Star Trek," "The Hangover," "The Proposal," "Twilight." Male artist: Eminem, Jason Mraz, John Mayer, Keith Urban, Tim McGraw. Female artist: Beyonce, Britney Spears, Carrie Underwood, Pink, Taylor Swift. Country artist: Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift. Breakout Music Artist: Adam Lambert, Demi Lovato, Kris Allen, Lady Gaga, Susan Boyle. Hip-hop artist: Eminem, Flo Rida, Jay-Z, Lil' Wayne, T.I. Rock band: Daughtry, Green Day, Kings of Leon, Muse, Paramore. Music collaboration: Cobra Starship & Leighton Meester, "Good Girls Go Bad"; Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat, "Lucky"; Jay-Z, Rihanna & Kanye West, "Run This Town"; T.I. & Rihanna, "Live Your Life"; The Lonely Island & T-Pain, "I'm on a Boat." R&B artist: Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Jennifer Hudson, Mariah Carey, Usher. Pop artist: Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, the Black Eyed Peas. Web celeb: Andy Samberg, Ashton Kutcher, Miley Cyrus, P. Diddy, Will Ferrell.
The R&B superstar scooped up three wins Thursday at the 16th annual MTV Europe Music Awards, including trophies for best female, best song for "Halo" and best video for her No. 1 smash, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It.)" When she won the best video award, she thanked Jay-Z - who just happens to be her husband - for "putting a ring on it." Jay-Z was also honoured, winning MTV Europe's best urban act - though he said he looked forward to the day when "all those awards come down" that it's just music, plain and simple, adding "Danke schoen" (thank you in German) before leaving the stage. Other winners included Green Day, the established trio whose punk-influenced tunes have garnered it a fan legion worldwide. The trio won the award for best rock act while U2, which earlier Thursday performed a six-song mini-set in front of the German capital's iconic Brandenburg Gate, won best live act. U2 frontman Bono paid tribute to Berlin, which marks the 20th anniversary of the collapse of the Berlin Wall on Monday, for its grit and determination. The band recorded its LP "Achtung Baby" in the city and drew inspiration from reunification to write its oft-played single "One." German pop quartet Tokio Hotel, which has toured steadfastly and built up a fan base outside of Germany won best group and played a set that saw its amps and equipment light up in organized pyrotechnics. Lady Gaga took best new act though she was not in person, having had to stay in New York and Eminem took best male, beating out Kanye West, Mika, Robbie Williams and Jay-Z for award. Turkey's maNga took home the best European act, giving Turkey the award for the second consecutive year - last year the country's Emre Aydin scored a trophy. Katy Perry, who hosted the show for the second consecutive year, lauded Berlin and Germany, citing its history of division by the wall and sported a bevy of toned-down yet sultry costumes that hearkened back to Berlin's Weimar-era of hedonism and decadence. The telecast also featured performances by Foo Fighters, Leona Lewis and Shakira. Berlin is the only city to host the awards show twice - in 1994 and this year - a decision MTV said it made to mark the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall's collapse.
On giant posters plastered across the Egyptian capital advertising the Friday evening concert, Beyonce sports a revealing, flame-covered outfit and grips a set of motorcycle handlebars extending from her hips — a sharp contrast to Cairo streets, where most women wear the traditional Muslim headscarves. TV ads promoting the show, part of Beyonce's I Am ... world tour, have run on Egyptian and Arab satellite stations. The tour, which also took Beyonce to the United Arab Emirates last week, had grossed $53.5 million as of October, according to Billboard magazine. But in Egypt, Islamic lawmakers and their supporters have waged campaigns on social networking websites, accusing the government of encouraging debauchery and calling for the concert's cancellation. "Why are you encouraging this insolent sex party?" lawmaker Hamdi Hassan from the opposition Muslim Brotherhood wrote in a letter to the government. "You are accused of disturbing social peace and stability, encouraging vice and debauchery." Another Islamic lawmaker, Ali Laban, called for banning the "nudity concert." A Facebook campaign against Beyonce's concert collected nearly 10,000 supporters. But the war of words has not derailed the glitzy concert, due hundreds of miles south of Cairo in the luxury Red Sea resort of Port Ghalib. Organizers said "ultra" security will be deployed to protect the thousands of concertgoers. Beyonce canceled her stop in Malaysia last month following opposition from a conservative Islamic party. Malaysia requires female artists to cover up from the shoulders to the knees and bans any showing of cleavage. Egypt, the Arab world's most populous country, is torn between a growing secular and economically prosperous class and a large mainly conservative, poor population. The government has been squeezing Islamic conservatives with security crackdowns and administrative measures aimed at curbing outward manifestations of conservatism. Beyonce's event organizer Ahmed Beltagi said tourism and police officials cooperated to make the concert happen because they believe it's a way to promote Egypt as a center of culture, entertainment and art. "We are Muslims too ... this will not stop Egypt from hosting an award-winning, first class artist," Beltagi said. "We should salute her instead of criticizing her," he said of the diva.
The DVD, entitled "I Am ... Yours: An Intimate Performance At Wynn Las Vegas," will be released November 23 by Columbia Records. Three days later, ABC will air a Beyonce Thanksgiving special. The DVD, culled from an August stand in Las Vegas, will mix biographical storytelling, performances and behind-the-scenes footage, showcasing over 30 songs from all three Beyonce solo albums. A CD of the concert will be included in the package. Also due on November 23 is a deluxe version of her current studio album "I Am ... Sasha Fierce," which will feature two bonus tracks, including "Video Phone (Extended Remix)," featuring Lady Gaga. The music video for "Video Phone" will premiere on MTV on Thursday.
Hanks first racked his brain when asked for his favorite tune of 2009 while backstage at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 25th anniversary concert Thursday. Then, the song came to him — though he didn't know all the words. "Dada-dada ring on it! Dada-dada ring on it!" he sang, as he tried to remember. "That is a damn fine song, the Beyonce song ... because it's infectious," the 53-year-old actor said of Beyonce's No. 1 smash, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It.)" Hanks said "Single Ladies" resonates with him because that's what he told his wife, actress Rita Wilson, when they first met: "I'm gon' put a ring on that finger. I'm gon' take that thing home." He also joked: "Kanye West has nothing to do with my embracing of that song."
The awards ceremony, hosted by actors Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, will be the first special aired on BET's recently launched CENTRIC Network. Taping November 3 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, the "CENTRIC Presents: 2009 Soul Train Awards" will premiere on both CENTRIC and BET in a special simulcast on November 29 at 9 p.m. In addition to awards presented in various categories, the show will salute the careers of Chaka Khan, Charlie Wilson, Antonio "L.A." Reed and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. The Soul Train Awards will also celebrate the 50th anniversary of Motown Records and honor the late Michael Jackson with the Entertainer of the Year Award. Scheduled performers include Toni Braxton, Trey Songz, Chrisette Michelle, Ledisi and Melanie Fiona.
Beyoncé has called off a planned concert for culturally sensitive Malaysia after facing some pretty fierce objections from Islamic critics upset over her sexy stage outfits and dance routines. The R&B songstress was due to perform Oct. 25 at the National Stadium Bukit Jalil in Kuala Lumpur, but according to a statement released by Malaysia-based promoter Marctensia, the performance "has been postponed to a future date to be announced shortly." "The postponement is soley [the] decision of the artist and has nothing to do with other external reasons," the company added. Best to let it blow over, B. While Marctensia denied the delay is a response to the uproar sparked by Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, which has labeled Beyoncé's bootylicious stage show a Western attack upon the country's traditional values, it's likely the move will succeed in dampening the threat of protests. The "Ring The Alarm" singer's camp was unavailable for comment. The Kuala Lumpur date has since been removed from her site. Beyoncé must be feeling a bit of déjà vu right about now. The Grammy-winning diva similarly scrapped a 2007 gig after taking heat from Malaysia's religious vanguard and instead headed to Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim state, which has less rigid standards for performers (for instance, female artists don't have to wear birkas). At that time, Team Knowles blamed a sudden "scheduling conflict" for the nixed show.
After teaming up with Shakira and husband Jay-Z on record and Tina Turner and Prince onstage, the Single Ladies star is set to test her fanbase with a GaGa diva duet on her upcoming single Video Phone. The pop stars were spotted shooting a video for the song in a New York studio together last week and all those involved in the secret get together were instructed to keep details under wraps. But one insider tells Life & Style magazine, "Everything on the set was being kept very hush-hush, and security was extremely tight. "In the video, Beyonce wears a feathered dress. And of course Lady GaGa wears something wild. The fashion is sick and insane."
Favorite Female Artist SOUL/RHYTHM & BLUES MUSIC Favorite Female Artist Favorite Album After receiving Billboard's Woman of the Year award Friday, Beyoncé spoke to radio host and O: The Oprah Magazine editor-at-large Gayle King in one of her first interviews since the tirade. "I knew his intentions and I knew he was standing up for art," Beyoncé told King. "When they didn't call my name, he was completely shocked. When he walked on the stage, I was like 'No, no, no!' He spoke and I'm like, 'Oh, no, no, no!'" The singer-actress was grateful that the ceremony at least closed on a good note. "In the end, it ended up being a great night. Taylor Swift did get her moment and I didn't have to make an acceptance speech," Beyoncé said.
Take the four days leading up to MTV's recent Video Music Awards. She wraps a run-through of her Radio City Music Hall performance at midnight Thursday evening. Friday morning at 10 a.m., she returns to rehearsal mode. A dressing room break is anything but: chats with MTV personnel about show logistics segue into an editing session for her next project -- a DVD culled from a summer stand at the Wynn Las Vegas. Later that evening, Beyonce makes a surprise appearance at husband Jay-Z's September 11 Madison Square Garden show. Then right after the VMAs on September 13, Beyonce catches a flight to Australia to kick off the next leg of the world tour to promote her latest chart-topper "I Am ... Sasha Fierce." "It's just one of those grind weeks," Beyonce casually says. THE AVERAGE PERSON CAN'T KEEP UP YOUR PACE. HOW DO YOU IT? I'm an all-or-nothing type of woman. Either I'm doing absolutely nothing and relaxing -- reading a book, sitting by the ocean and not answering any questions -- or else I'm hands-on and giving 100%, working really hard. I was just on vacation for three weeks after touring for a couple of months. I have to schedule time to rest, rejuvenate and get inspired to work again. Now I'm definitely rested and thank God I had the rest -- that's the only way I would be able to get through a week like this. After three weeks without giving any answers or approvals and no performing, I came back like, "Yes! I'm ready to work!" WHAT DO YOU DO TO MAINTAIN YOUR TOUR STAMINA? I HEARD A RUMOR THAT YOU RUN ON A TREADMILL IN HEELS AND SING. (Laughs heartily) No, I don't run on a treadmill in heels. That's a bit extreme. But I do practice my choreography in heels. And I have a rule that when I have my heels on, everyone has to have their heels on too. Sometimes the dancers are like, "Oh, God, we hope Beyonce comes in late," because I'll go all day. And in the end, I'll have blisters and my toes will have bruises. It's really hard sometimes. I still do all the boring things that everyone else does in regular workouts like squats and the treadmill. But I mainly get in shape from doing the choreography during those long 12-hour rehearsals for two months before a tour. ... On my days off from the tour, I do a lot of sightseeing. I love to visit churches and museums all over the world. The architecture in America is amazing but in Europe, there's so much history. I also started riding a bike on my days off with others like my assistant and stylist. It's amazing how I'm able to ride around on a bike. People kind of see it's me but since I'm on a bike, they think, "No, it's not her." And by the time they realize it's me, I'm already gone. It's great to do something normal every day. It keeps me grounded. WERE YOU SURPRISED BY THE IMMENSE POPULARITY OF THE "SINGLE LADIES (PUT A RING ON IT)" VIDEO? Out of all my videos, it was the least expensive and took the least amount of time. And it ended up being the most iconic. I absolutely didn't expect that -- I don't think anyone did. But I knew exactly what I wanted to do: Keep it simple. I've done so many things in videos with different hair and wardrobe changes, different sets and lights. I just wanted to keep this one really minimal. And once we got on the set, it was like, "Wait a minute. This is something special." I'd seen this 1969 video (featuring Gwen Verdon), this one take of amazing Bob Fosse choreography set against a white background. And I thought, "Wow, despite all the technology we have now, wouldn't it be great to just strip it all down -- without a bunch of different camera shots and cuts, without any hair and wardrobe changes -- and make it all about the performance?" We had exactly 12 hours to film that video. We did it after shooting "If I Were a Boy," so I used the same director and same crew, renting out a studio in New Jersey. From the black leotards to incorporating some of Fosse's 1969 choreography into our modern choreography, it was just a conscious effort at keeping everything simple. YOU'RE JUST AS BUSY ON THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SIDE, DATING BACK TO YOUR ASSOCIATION WITH L'OREAL. I have worked with L'Oreal since I was 18 and it continues to be a great relationship. And with the clothing line that I started with my mother (Tina Knowles), I'm still making sure the brand is true to what I like and what I think my fans will like. Making it affordable for them was very important. At my concerts, we've offered seats for $10 so that people who can't afford it can attend. I don't realize all that I do until I do interviews like this. And then I'm like, "Oh, my God, how is this possible?" But I usually break things up and focus on one thing at a time. It is a lot and thank God I love it, because I don't know how else I would be able to do it. You just make it happen. HAVE YOU LINED UP YOUR NEXT ACTING GIG YET? I did two movies last year, which was hard because I had the album and a tour. I'm on tour right now until March and I'll be going back and forth for some of the award shows. So probably next year after the tour something may happen. I've gotten a lot of scripts and out of those there are 10 that are very good. So I have to pick the one I really love. All of the work I've put into my films has paid off because the type of scripts I'm getting now has completely changed. I've always wanted to do something darker and more dramatic because I'm much better at drama than anything else. I don't think anyone knew that until I played Etta James; people could see my range. And then I did the other movie, "Obsessed." It was so much fun, especially the fight scenes. I fell in love with doing those stunts. That was my first time ever doing anything with action in it. Eventually, I would love to do something with a little more action in it. I'm not in a rush because acting for me is fun -- something I do because I enjoy it. I don't have to do it. So I'm going to be patient and find the right film to work on next year or whenever it works out. WHAT ELSE IS ON YOUR TO-DO LIST? I'm interested in a lot of different things. I'd like to get involved in videogames since I really love Wii Fit. I think it would be a great idea to incorporate choreography because for me my workout is way more fun when it involves dancing as opposed to running on a boring treadmill. So I would love to do some kind of fitness game but incorporate dance and performance into it. I think a lot of women would enjoy that. I also want to continue to produce films -- even if I'm not in them -- as well as a documentary on my life. Actually, I'd like to do a film loosely based on my father's (Mathew Knowles) childhood and school years. He's had an interesting life. But that will probably be in a couple of years. YOU CAN'T END THIS INTERVIEW WITHOUT ONE LAST QUESTION: ANY TRUTH TO THE RUMOR ABOUT A DESTINY'S CHILD REUNION TOUR AND/OR ALBUM? I don't know if we would do another record anytime soon. And we haven't talked about a tour. That's just been something floating in the media. If people keep talking about it, maybe we'll do it. If that's what people want ... who knows? But whenever the girls need me or I need the girls, we're here for each other.
Alexsandra Wright claims Mathew Knowles is the father of her unborn child, due in December. And what gives her case considerable weight is the fact top lawyer Neal Hersh is representing her. TMZ.com reports Wright works in the name-branding business. News of the lawsuit broke just hours after Beyonce had picked up Billboard magazine's Woman of The Year Award in New York.
Two of Michael Jackson's siblings also appeared at the MOBO (Music Of Black Origin) prize ceremony, held for the first time outside London this year. The late singer's sister La Toya introduced a musical tribute to Jackson, who died of a prescription drug overdose on June 25, and his brother Jermaine performed. Boy band JLS picked up prizes for best newcomer and best song ("Beat Again") in the public vote, while hip hop act N-Dubz won the best UK act and the best album category for "Uncle B." Beyonce, who did not attend, was named best international act and won the best video category for "Single Ladies." London rapper Chipmunk, whose real name is Jahmaal Fyffe, was the surprise winner of the best hip hop award, beating out U.S. heavyweights Eminem and Kanye West. Following is a list of winners of the main prizes on the night: Best UK Act - N-Dubz Flash Entertainment said Monday the performers will open and close the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend next month. Beyonce is slated to kick off the festivities on Thursday, Oct. 29. Aerosmith will wrap things up three days later. But the only way fans in the conservative Gulf city can see them is to buy tickets to the F1 race. Concerts are also planned for Friday and Saturday, though the headliners haven't been announced. Some of the attractions planned around the Emirati capital's first Formula One race include outdoor movies and free concerts — including one by hip-hop producer Timbaland — on the city's Persian Gulf beachfront.
The R&B superstar has attracted criticism in recent days from the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, the country's largest opposition group, which wants authorities to scrap the Oct. 25 show because it would promote "Western sexy performances." Knowles, who is well-known for her provocative clothes and concert choreography, backed out of a concert in Malaysia two years ago after the Islamic party threatened to protest the show. Party officials have not planned any demonstrations for next month's event. Entertainment company Marctensia, the concert's Malaysian organizer, said Knowles should be regarded as a "role model" and "embodiment of success" because of her heavy involvement in philanthropy work, including campaigns against poverty and domestic violence. The company also allayed concerns that Knowles would wear inappropriate outfits, saying "all parties have come to an amicable understanding" about stage costumes at the stadium concert in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's largest city. "We are confident that (the concert) will once and for all silence international critics and put Malaysia back on track ... in presenting A-list international pop concerts in this region," Marctensia said in a statement. Other pop stars such as Avril Lavigne and Gwen Stefani have performed in Malaysia under similar protest threats by conservative Muslims in recent years, forcing the artists to don attire that revealed little skin. In another recent concert controversy, the government at first barred, then reversed an order forbidding Muslims from attending a Black Eyed Peas concert Friday because it is being sponsored by a beer company.
When the rapper rudely upstaged country music cutie Taylor Swift during the televised Sept. 13 awards show, the 54-year-old country music veteran says she would have done something about it. West grabbed the microphone out of Swift's hand as she won best female video and declared that Beyonce had one of the best clips of the year. "I wish I had been there!" the intense McEntire told Sun Media yesterday in Toronto. "I would have jumped up there and said, 'Give me that microphone! Give that back to her!' I was totally upset." The redheaded Oklahoman is in Canada to promote her 12th No. 1 album, Keep On Loving You, which she'll support with shows tonight and tomorrow at Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls, Ont. "It was (Swift's) time to shine, her moment, and Kanye is way down here and Beyonce is way up here (in terms of my) admiration, respect. "What Beyonce did when she won her award (later) and she called Taylor back on the stage, I thought that was huge, classy, professional. Beyonce's mouth was wide open when Kanye pulled that fiasco. Taylor had been on SNL (previously). I'm sure, I haven't talked to her about it, but what would have been going through my mind: 'Is this a gag?' " A frequent awards-show host, presenter and performer, McEntire said the only time she has been involved in an uncomfortable live TV moment was when she was presenting the entertainer-of-the-year trophy to Toby Keith at the ACMs while he was fueding with the Dixie Chicks. "The official explanation was that he was on the bus (with Willie Nelson) writing songs when he was up for entertainer of the year -- that's the last place I would have been. I would have my butt in a seat waiting for that award. "But anyway, I think Toby was mad because the Dixie Chicks had gotten to perform live via satellite and he had asked to do that and they had told him no. Oh, it was so much fun that day. Whoa, mercy, it was like juggling." McEntire, who has sold 55 million albums worldwide over her 32-year career, is up for two CMAs in late November for her collaboration with Brooks and Dunn, on a re-recording of their hit Cowgirls Don't Cry. She will perform her own new song, Consider Me Gone, on the awards show. McEntire said she's excited, not disappointed, that Brooks and Dunn are splitting up following their 2009 greatest-hits album and 2010 tour, after 20 years as a duo. "They've done everything they know to do as a duet, won every award. So I think now what I'm really anxious about and excited about is to see what they're going to do next, separately, because they're so creative. Surprised? No. Twenty years. The thing is to keep recreating yourself." McEntire, who just broke Loretta Lynn's record for having the most No. 1 album debuts on the country music charts with Keep On Loving You, pointed out her fan base has diversified since she spent six seasons on the Reba TV series and also did Annie Get Your Gun on Broadway in 2001. "The more different things you do, and the more fans you bring into your music, is very beneficial to the whole country music scene." She recently recorded Blue Christmas with opera star Andrea Bocelli at the invitation of Canadian producer David Foster, and will be on both the PBS TV special in November and Bocelli's holiday album -- along with fellow guests Natalie Cole, Mary J. Blige and The Muppets. "Andrea's a huge fan of Elvis Presley," McEntire said. "I sat there in awe. I just loved it. (His voice) is like rich frosting on a cake -- decadent. It's so full. I stood there right beside him and just watched him. He's a very handsome man."
Best Live Act - Beyonce; Green Day; Kings of Leon; Lady Gaga; U2 Best Group - Black Eyed Peas; Green Day; Jonas Brothers; Kings of Leon; Tokio Hotel Best New Act - Daniel Merriweather; La Roux; Lady Gaga; Pixie Lott; Taylor Swift Best Female - Beyonce; Katy Perry; Lady Gaga; Leona Lewis; Shakira Best European Act- Nominations announced October 12 Best Push Artist - Daniel Merriweather; Hockey; La Roux; Little Boots; Metro Station; Pixie Lott; The Veronicas; White Lies Best Male - Eminem; Jay-Z; Kanye West; Mika; Robbie Williams Best Urban - Ciara; Eminem; Jay-Z; Kanye West; T.I Best Rock - Foo Fighters; Green Day; Kings of Leon; Linkin Park; U2 Best Alternative - Muse; Paramore; Placebo; The Killers; The Prodigy Best Video - Beyonce/Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It); Britney Spears/Circus; Eminem/We Made You; Katy Perry/Waking up in Vegas; Shakira/She Wolf Best World Stage Performance - Coldplay; Kid Rock; Kings of Leon; Lady Gaga; Linkin Park
The R&B superstar said on her Web site that she will take the stage at a stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's biggest city, on Oct. 25. "Beyonce for the first time ever has decided to make Malaysia part of her 'I am.' World Tour," her Web site said. Two years ago, Knowles canceled a planned concert following protest threats. At the time Knowles' talent agency said the show was called off due to a scheduling conflict. Instead she went to Indonesia, which has less stringent rules about how performers should dress and behave. Malaysia requires female performers to cover up from the shoulders to knees with no cleavage showing. Artists such as Avril Lavigne and Gwen Stefani have performed in Malaysia but under similar protest threats by conservative Muslim groups, forcing the artists to don attire that revealed little skin. In the latest controversy, the government late last month at first barred then reversed the order forbidding Muslims from attending a Black Eyed Peas concert because it was sponsored by a beer company. With the ban lifted Muslims can now watch the U.S. hip-hop stars at a theme park near Kuala Lumpur on Sept. 25. In family and personal matters, Muslims, who make up two-thirds of Malaysia's 28 million people, are governed by Islamic law, which forbids the consumption of alcohol. The laws do not apply to non-Muslims. Organizers for Beyonce's October show could not immediately be reached for comment Sunday.
Abercrombie & Fitch Co, the apparel retailer known for sexy advertising and casual looks, has sued the singer Beyonce Knowles, claiming her plan for a new fragrance to be launched in early 2010 infringes on its existing trademark. In a federal lawsuit filed on Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio, Abercrombie claims a fragrance under the singer's "Sasha Fierce" label "poses a likelihood of confusion" with the retailer's own "Fierce" brand. It said such confusion could deprive it of control over a trademark it has used since 2002, and perhaps cost it sales. The lawsuit seeks to halt potential trademark infringement, unfair competition and deceptive trade practices. Representatives of Knowles did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Best known for clothing sold to teens and college-age adults, New Albany, Ohio-based Abercrombie said it has sold more than $190 million worth of fragrance under the Fierce name, and expects $64 million of sales in 2009. Abercrombie sells Fierce at more than 350 retail stores and on its website, typically for $40 to $70 in bottles featuring a young man's muscular, nude torso. The fragrance is sprayed throughout stores via a scent machine or by store employees. "A&F's intent is that all garments that leave the store have the FIERCE scent attached to them," the complaint said. The company markets Fierce as a men's cologne whose "fresh citrus aroma" and "warm musky subtleness" will "naturally draw her curiosity because of its seductive nature." A saleswoman at a San Francisco store nonetheless described it as a "unisex" scent. WHO IS MORE FIERCE? Fragrance maker Coty Inc has signed an agreement to market Knowles' fragrance. Knowles, often known solely by her first name, is one of the world's best-known singers, after having risen to fame as lead singer of the group Destiny's Child. Last November, her album "I am ... Sasha Fierce" debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. On Sunday, the song "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" from that album won the Video of the Year award at the MTV Video Music Awards. In English vernacular "fierce" means "cool" or "fabulous." The case is Abercrombie & Fitch Co v. Knowles, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio (Columbus), No. 09-807.
Although the list, released Wednesday, does not have numerical ranking, Winslet, 33, who won an Oscar in February for playing a dour Nazi in "The Reader," was deemed to be the best-dressed woman on the red carpet on 2009 "with her unique brand of sexy sophistication, modern Hollywood glamour and those enviable curves." People named Reese Witherspoon as having the "best short dresses," "High School Musical" actress Vanessa Hudgens as best hippie chic, and Freida Pinto, the Indian star of Oscar-winning movie "Slumdog Millionaire," for having the best use of color. Brad Pitt, "Twilight" actor Robert Pattinson, and Bradley Cooper of "The Hangover" and "Nip/Tuck" fame were among the best-dressed men of the year. People said their attention to details like a scarf, pin or skinny tie "took their looks beyond basic." Teen country singer Taylor Swift was dubbed "best sparkle." The annual best- and worst-dressed double issue, on newsstands Friday, also acknowledged the impact on fashion of the Emmy-award winning TV series "Mad Men," set in the 1960s, whose cigarette pants and sheath dresses have inspired new designs by Michael Kors and Tory Burch. The People magazine special issue also looked at some of the fashion flops of 2009. Former "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul and actress Renee Zellweger were cited as having the worst red carpet dresses. Singer Jessica Simpson's January appearance in unflattering high-waisted "mom jeans," which triggering a heated debate about weight issues in Hollywood, was among the "most memorable moments of the year," People said. People's choice of the Top 10 Best-Dressed Women of 2009 are: Kate Winslet - Best Red Carpet Vanessa Hudgens - Best Hippie Chic Reese Witherspoon - Best Short Dresses Cameron Diaz - Best Jeans Michelle Obama - Best Accessible Glamour Freida Pinto - Best Use of Color Taylor Swift - Best Sparkle Nicole Richie - Best Maternity Beyonce - Best Street Chic Kim Kardashian - Best Bikinis The complete list can be found at www.people.com/bestdressed.
VIDEO OF THE YEAR: Beyonce, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)." BEST FEMALE VIDEO: Taylor Swift, "You Belong With Me." BEST ROCK VIDEO: Green Day, "21 Guns." BEST POP VIDEO: Britney Spears, "Womanizer." BEST MALE VIDEO: T.I. featuring Rihanna, "Live Your Life." BEST HIP-HOP VIDEO: Eminem, "We Made You." BEST NEW ARTIST: Lady Gaga. BEST VIDEO THAT SHOULD HAVE WON A MOONMAN: Beastie Boys, "Sabotage." BEST BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO: Matt and Kim, "Lessons Learned."
Swift, the first winner of the night for Best Female Video for "You Belong with Me," was abruptly interrupted during her acceptance speech by West, who grabbed the microphone from her to declare that "Beyoncé has one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time!" Beyonce looked horrified as the audience booed West and Swift was ushered offstage. The singer got her moment nearly two hours later though, when Beyonce invited her onstage after winning Video of the Year for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)." West, who was booed whenever his named was mentioned after the incident, lost all three of his nominations. He later took to his blog to apologize to Swift. "I'm sooooo sorry to Taylor Swift and her fans and her mom. I spoke to her mother right after and she said the same thing my mother would've said. She is very talented! I like the lyrics about being a cheerleader and she's in the bleachers! I'm in the wrong for going on stage and taking away from her moment!" West wrote. "Beyonce's video was the best of this decade!!!! I'm sorry to my fans if I let you guys down!!!! I'm sorry to my friends at MTV. I will apologize to Taylor 2mrw. Welcome to the real world!!!! Everybody wanna booooo me but I'm a fan of real pop culture!!! No disrespect but we watchin' the show at the crib right now cause ... well you know!!!! I'm still happy for Taylor!!!! Boooyaaawwww!!!! You are very very talented!!! I gave my awards to Outkast when they deserved it over me ... That's what it is!!!!!!! I'm not crazy y'all, i'm just real. Sorry for that!!! I really feel bad for Taylor and I'm sincerely sorry!!! Much respect!!!!!"
Project Runway all-star Chris March, he of the outlandish costume design and seemingly incessant narcolepsy, has filed suit against Beyoncé's world tour costume designers (but not the star herself) for failing to make good on payments promised for properly outfitting Sasha Fierce. Those robogloves and futuristic superhero outfits don't pay for themselves, you know. March, who placed fourth on both the All-Star special last week and during the fourth season of the reality hit, filed the suit on July 23, seeking upwards of $45,000 for wardrobe services rendered. "Chris March's lawsuit is not against Beyoncé, but rather against Thierry Mugler and Tancrede Prinz, who owe Chris money for having designed and fitted Beyonce's costumes," March's lawyer, Leslie Ben-Zvi, told E! News. Sounds like a job for the fashion police. Or the New York State Supreme Court. March, who filed suit on behalf of both himself and Carelli Costumes, Inc., claims in court documents that he was hired as "head of costumes" for Beyoncé's tour by Mugler back in February of this year. His job was "to create, pattern, fit and deliver finished costumes" for her tour. For several months after, while Beyoncé was donning his very duds around the world, March sent a series of invoices to Mugler, most of which remained unpaid. And while the Runway alum is looking to recoup the funds that are rightfully his, the designer (looking out for his clients as well as career, no doubt) says he bears no ill toward his muse. "Chris continues to be a big fan and admirer of Beyoncé," Zvi said. "And Beyoncé is a big fan of Chris' as well. She continues to look beautiful in anything she wears, especially Chris' costumes."
The superstar will be honored by the industry publication at its annual Women in Music event. Past "Woman of the Year" honorees were Ciara (SEE-ehr-ah) and Reba McEntire. Beyonce will be on hand to accept her award at the Oct. 2 event in New York City. It's been yet another big year for the entertainer. She had the smash hit "Single Ladies," sang at President Obama's inauguration, had a No. 1 movie with "Obsessed" and embarked on an arena tour.
The police action came after footage of the paparazzi fight in the narrow streets of Dubrovnik - a medieval port known as the pearl of the Adriatic Sea - was broadcast on television. Police say they have seized the passport of the bodyguard, a 31-year-old Dutch national, as a precaution. They have also ordered him to attend a magistrates court for a "breach of public order". The guard was reportedly detained on the luxurious 47-metre yacht on which Beyonce and her husband Jay-Z have been cruising the Adriatic coast since the start of this week. The boat was intercepted off the southern island of Korcula, the website of the newspaper Jutarnji List says. A police statement said the cameraman, 57-year-old Dragan Banovic, had also been taken in for questioning over the incident. In the television footage, Banovic is seen striking the bodyguard on the back with a tripod after the guard knocked down his camera and laid into him. The guard was later filmed hurling the tripod into the sea. Pictures of Beyonce holidaying have been a big hit with the Croatian press.
Beyonce was heading to a boat anchored in the medieval port with her rapper husband Jay-Z when their bodyguard kicked a Croatian cameraman in the back several times, the online edition of the Jutarnji List daily says. Private television station RTL showed images of the incident, including journalists chasing the star couple down Dubrovnik's narrow streets despite their bodyguard's protests. The footage showed that before getting back on the boat, the bodyguard knocked a journalist's video camera to the ground and then laid into the man himself. The journalist then hit the bodyguard in the back with his tripod, who - visibly angry - responded by throwing it in the Adriatic sea. Police are now investigating the incident. Pictures of Beyonce holidaying on a yacht off the resort known as the pearl of the Adriatic have been a big hit with the Croatian press.
The crew songs include Beyonce’s Billboard chart No. 1 “Crazy in Love” and “Single Ladies,” Billboard chart No. 4 “Déjà Vu,” “Beautiful Liar” and her new single, “Sweet Dreams.” This season, the show moves from Thursdays to a new night and time, Sundays at 9 ET/8 CT. This Sunday, Aug. 9, kicks off a special 90-minute special episode.
A criminal complaint filed Tuesday alleges Leon Desmond Barrett sent more than a dozen letters between December 2006 and April of this year to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the University of Notre Dame. In some letters, the government says Barrett wrote he was getting ready to kill the former Steelers and Rams running back, as well as music performers Beyonce and Jay-Z. Barrett denies sending threatening letters. He tells The Associated Press he has had a dispute with Bettis for seven years and has written to various people about the dispute.
All three will compete for the honor of video of the year, with Beyonce earning a bid for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It), Lady Gaga for "Poker Face" and Britney Spears for "Womanizer." They square off against rappers Kanye West with "Love Lockdown" and Eminem for "We Made You" in the video of the year race. Honors will be given out at New York's Radio City Music Hall on September 13 in a show hosted by British prankster Russell Brand. Beyonce has enjoyed a hugely successful solo career since leaving the all-female group "Destiny's Child." Her third solo album, "I Am ... Sasha Fierce," had the No. 1 hit "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)." "I've been blessed this year to have 'Single Ladies' become a video people really connected with and responded to," Beyonce said in a statement released by MTV. The annual awards are one of the cable TV channel's most-watched programs, as much for the celebrity antics and performances as the awards themselves. At the height of Spears' early career in 2003, she and Madonna famously kissed on the show. Later her personal life veered out of control and her father took control of her business affairs. But recently she has rebounded. Spears is currently on tour and her video for the song "Circus" was nominated for best choreography. 'GET WASTED AND MAKE ART' New Yorker Lady Gaga's 2008 debut album, "The Fame," included the hit single "Just Dance" and was among the top five CDs in countries including the United States, Britain and Germany. "Poker Face" earned Lady Gaga not only a video of the year nomination but also a nod for best female video, a category that pits her against Katy Perry with "Hot N Cold," Beyonce with "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)," Kelly Clarkson with "My Life Would Suck Without You," Taylor Swift with "You Belong With Me" and Pink with "So What." Lady Gaga thanked MTV "for being our video flagship, and for supporting this bunch of inspired kids, who love to get wasted and make art, together." Eminem ("We Made You") and Kanye West ("Love Lockdown") will square off in the best male video category against hip hop star Jay-Z with "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)," rapper T.I. (featuring Rihanna) with his "Live Your Life" and Ne-Yo with "Miss Independent." First-time nominees include U.S. rockers Kings of Leon as well as rappers Drake and Asher Roth. Both rappers were nominated in the best new artist category. Other categories include best hip hop video, best pop video and best rock video.
Beyonce will be joined by the Black Eyed Peas, ZZ Top, Simple Minds, N*E*R*D and Chinese pop legend Jacky Cheung as entertainment over three days in Singapore from September 24th, adding to Formula One's night-time grand prix weekend. "The world's only F1 night race just got bigger, faster and louder. Our talent is world class and "F1 ROCKS" will rock Singapore!" Paul Morrison, CEO & chief creative officer of the concert, said in a statement. The show is also expected to feature guest appearances from top Formula One drivers and celebrities, the organizers said in a statement.
And then some. The 27-year-old singer, previously known for her work in Destiny's Child but now three albums into a successful solo career, including her most recent effort, I Am... Sasha Fierce, came to town packing big hair, big heels, big costumes -- courtesy of designer Thierry Mugler -- a big production, that included an impressive LED video screen and a staircase -- and a big band made up of 13 female musicians and singers and as many as nine dancers, both female and male. Seemingly, it all went according to plan over the course of an hour and 40 minutes with nary a hair out of place on the beautiful Beyonce, despite a wind machine constantly blowing back her long mane which she liked to whip around while doing her trademark exaggerated dance moves. Part supermodel, part drag queen, part showgirl, this girl loved her drama and the audience seemed to love her for it. Opening the show with Crazy In Love, Beyonce first appeared backlit while wearing a gold bathing suit-like costume with a big bow on her backside. With her hands on her hips and her legs spread apart, the crowd went nuts before she even sang a note and by the time the tune had ended, white confetti rained down on the audience like it was the show finale instead of the beginning. Now that she had gotten our attention, Beyonce segued into Naughty Girl with red lighting to emphasize the point. At times, she came across as a sex kitten on songs like Freakem Dress, but other times, she seemed more innocent such as when she donned a full-length silver-beaded gown for the ballads At Last, the Etta James classic which she sang while portraying the singer in Cadillac Records, and Listen from Dreamgirls. There was even a moment when she sang and danced opposite vintage footage of her former small self in a split screen during Radio. Mostly though, it all seemed to be about Beyonce with not a lot of soul behind the music itself. When she offered up a snippet of Bootylicious from her Destiny's Child days, it was really the sample of Stevie Nicks' Edge of Seventeen guitar hook that everyone was going nuts for. Visually, she had some interesting highlights like the crashing blue surf projected on to the LED screen behind her while she donned a white bathing suit and white cover up to sing Smash Into You, and Ave Maria, which included a bit of Sarah McLachlan's Angel. But Beyonce's best look was a black leather bustier, mini skirt and cuff, which she donned for If I Were A Boy, on to which she tagged Alanis Morissette's You Oughta Know. She definitely gets points for Can-Con. Even rising Toronto rapper Drake was spotted in the crowd as she left the stage to greet fans in the audience as the evening wound down during Halo. The cheesiest moment came during a filmed video segment, shown while she was offstage making one of her numerous costume changes, when her face transformed into that of a leopard's during a snow storm. She then returned to the stage in a futuristic outfit that included lit-up private parts in the dark while her female dancers wore gold robot-like suits that recalled C-3PO from Star Wars. The best video moment was a YouTube montage showing fans dancing to All The Single Ladies before Beyonce and her dancers performed the hit song much to the crowd's delight. Another highlight was Irreplaceable as audience members sang the song's familiar refrain, "To the left, to the left," while waving their hands in the same direction. "That is so beautiful," Beyonce said. Beautiful yes, soulful, not exactly, much like the concert itself. Sun Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Away from the stage, Beyoncé dropped $6,000 on some new sunglasses at Ilori, a boutique on Beverly Hills's Rodeo Drive. Joining her on the shopping trip: 4½-year-old nephew Daniel and mom Tina.
Despite the title of her latest album, "I Am ... Sasha Fierce," nothing was fierce at all. Warm and fuzzy? Sure. Over the top? You could've bet on that because it's the nature of pop tours these days. But what made her truly connect with fans wasn't the gimmicks -- confetti raining down during her horn-blasted, opening retro-soul strut of "Crazy in Love," or high-tech movable stage parts and loads of costume changes: It was the music and the way it was delivered that counted the most as she interacted with her band and fans. Many so-called divas and such could learn something here. Are you listening, Madonna? The two-hour-plus show offered Beyonce's far-ranging styles, from pop and R&B to hip-hop, reggaeton, electronic and dance. She also dipped into songs by others -- though they were more tease than covers, linked to her own songs. She cooed through a bit of Donna Summer's "Love to Love You Baby," Sarah McLachlan's winsome "Angel" and took a quick tear through part of Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know." She proved adept at each, and it's a shame she didn't just go for the complete numbers. But "Ave Maria," sung while dancers assembled a wedding dress on her, didn't work at all. When the crowd cheered, screamed and roared early on in the show, she stopped to beam with a genuine smile. This was a far cry from the Beyonce of some years whose ego appeared to walk ahead of her. But she's grown up -- musically and as a performer. So while "flying" across the top of the arena in a harness to a small stage in the middle of the floor was a slice of Cirque du Tinkerbell, what followed contained much more emotion, as fans sang her hit "Irreplaceable" before she took over. For the most heated material, she was Tina, the Next Generation, and some ballads found her in a Streisand mode, down to her phrasing. She's become a much better vocalist, thanks in part to taking on such projects as playing Etta James in the film "Cadillac Records" and appearing in the film adaptation of Broadway's "Dreamgirls," both of which played a part in the night's diversity. The show certainly had its flaws, and some material was hammered out and shrill or served up through pretentious videos, like a sci-fi segment. At one point, Beyonce spoke of believing in female empowerment, citing her all-woman band and backing singers. Even among her co-ed dancers, the men often were in costumes with their faces covered. Such sisterhood shout-outs are well and good, especially for pumping up the self-esteem of her younger fans. Some might claim she's on a feminist-agenda tack, but that's nonsense. All those mini-dresses and even racier skimpy outfits were not just for the women in the audience. Ultimately, it's all about marketing and branding, from music to clothing lines, fragrances and more. Beyonce has long been a product. That's the way it's been since she emerged as the breakout star in Destiny's Child a decade ago. Now, some might argue that's the nature of pop -- and very often it is. But the best moments of the concert weren't about glitz and flash: They were about making a connection. And if she pursues that path, it's a direction that might bring greater artistry, with marketing secondary.
Soul Train Holdings has partnered with Direct Holdings Americas Inc., granting the latter the domestic home video and worldwide clip licensing rights to the "Soul Train" library. During its 35-year run, "Soul Train" evolved into a mainstream cultural institution that played host to such R&B and pop icons as Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, The Jackson 5, Prince, Elton John, Whitney Houston, Justin Timberlake and Beyonce. All told, the "Soul Train" library houses more than 1,100 hours of archival footage. The show's last new episodes aired in 2006. Direct Holdings' Time Life brand will produce and distribute DVDs of vintage "Soul Train" episodes and launch a comprehensive marketing campaign to license show clips worldwide. The announcement comes a year after the famed music variety show's longtime host/producer/owner Don Cornelius sold the franchise to MadVision Entertainment. Los Angeles-based Soul Train Holdings, a union formed between MadVision and Intermedia Partners, is headed by co-CEOs Peter Griffith and Kenard Gibbs. The clip licensing half of the agreement is already under way. Show clips can be viewed at globalimageworks.com. Fans can also visit the Soul Train YouTube channel. Regarding the DVD rollout, Griffith said music clearances are still being processed. Once that is completed, the company will determine its initial release slate and other details. In the meantime, BET's new Centric channel will bring back the Soul Train Awards this November. The channel is licensing old episodes of the dance show for broadcast as well. And a "Soul Train" documentary is being developed for VH1, according to Griffith. Also in discussion for next year: a new "Soul Train" show. "We're talking to some very well-known producers," Griffith said. "It would have to be updated for today's world of competitive reality programing like 'American Idol' and 'Dancing With the Stars.' It's not something we take lightly. We want to do it with the same kind of passion and respect that Don had."
Video of the Year Best Actress Viewer's Choice Nominees "The reason I am here is due to Michael Jackson," Beyoncé told the Friday night crowd at Philadelphia's Wachovia Center before her concert, where she sang Jackson's "I Can't Help It". In Beverly Hills, the 22nd Annual ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards – honoring songwriting achievements in the R&B, soul, rap, hip-hop and gospel genres – became a total memorial to Jackson, as the audience observed a moment of silence and presenters and award-winners alike extolled Jackson's unparalleled influence on the industry. Winner Alicia Keys thanked Jackson for breaking "all the rules" and "inspir[ing] us all to hopefully break the rules, because we have to break the rules in order to reap the benefits." Timbaland, who was set to work with Jackson on what was to have been his upcoming tour, spoke of feeling "down" about missing the chance to collaborate with the pop legend, but uplifted in knowing that "his music lives on."
"The incomparable Michael Jackson has made a bigger impact on music than any other artist in the history of music," the 27-year-old singer said. "He was magic. He was what we all strive to be. He will always be the King of Pop! "Life is not about how many breaths you take, but about how many moments in life that take your breath away. For anyone who has ever seen, felt, or heard his art, we are all honored to have been alive in this generation to experience the magic of Michael Jackson. I love you Michael."
The pop princess was slated to perform tomorrow at M2 -- the West 27th Street nightclub that used to be Crobar and Mansion -- as part of the launch of her "I Am . . . Sasha Fierce" North American tour. M2 owner Joey Morrissey agreed to pay the singer $200,000 for the gig, he says. But on Wednesday, Beyoncé's people suddenly pulled the plug on the performance, despite having signed a contract that had prompted Morrissey to spend $100,000 preparing for the show, according to the clubowner. "They said they were too busy with the launching of the tour and that they wouldn't have time to do the kickoff party," Morrissey tells Page Six. To make up for the cancellation, Morrissey says Beyoncé offered to stop by the club "to hang out for an hour" on Sunday. He adds, "I mean, we sold tables for thousands of dollars for the show, and spent $100,000 renting a soundboard and other equipment, as per their stipulations. What good does her showing up for an hour do me? They've been totally unwilling to agree to another show." As a result, Morrissey says he's now preparing to file suit against Beyoncé, claiming his place has suffered a "loss of reputation" in addition to the sunk cash. "We had an overwhelming response from our clubgoers, who were lining up to buy tickets and tables. This will come as a great disappointment to all of them," he claims, adding, "If Beyoncé cancels and doesn't give us a new date, this hurts our credibility in night life." The gig, which was initially posted on the singer's Web site, has since been taken down. A rep for Beyoncé at Sony did not respond to our phone calls and e-mails.
The R&B babe is the on warpath against a bunch of unnamed vendors who have been peddling pirated CDs and merchandise "in the vicinity" of her concerts during her world tour. She dispatched her legal team to federal court in New York to crack down on the 100 John and Jane Does, saying they've been making money at her expense. Aside from a lawsuit, the 27-year-old songbird also wants an injunction to keep the street hawkers away from her June 21-22 gigs at Madison Square Garden. The Fierce singer's rep could not be reached for comment on the legal action. Aside from protecting her booty, she's also tuning up to perform at this year's BET Awards, June 28 in Los Angeles, where she's also nominated for five prizes.
Choice Movie: Rumble Choice Music: R&B Artist Choice Music: Love Song Choice Music: R&B Track Choice Music: Album (Female Artist) Choice Female Hottie Show organizers say the pop star will attend the ceremony, as will her husband, Jay-Z. The two join a performance lineup that includes Kanye West, Maxwell, Young Jeezy, Ne-Yo and Soulja Boy. Beyonce is nominated for a leading five BET Awards, including favorite R&B female and video of the year. Rapper T.I. also has five nods, followed by Lil Wayne, T-Pain and Keri Hilson, who are tied with four nominations each. Jamie Foxx will host the show, to be broadcast live June 28 from the Shrine Auditorium.
Just as Beyoncé was bringing her concert to a close—wham!—out came George Michael to perform a duet with the shiny gloved one on her hit "If I Were a Boy." Of course, hearing this father figure of music belt out lyrics speculating about life as a guy when he already is one is kinda weird, but whatever. He and B killed it! Angelina Jolie nabbed the No. 1 spot on Forbes' 2009 Celebrity 100 list, the magazine announced Wednesday, topping Winfrey who slipped to No. 2 after two consecutive years at the top. According to the magazine, wealth is only one factor in determining the most powerful celebrity, and Jolie's $27 million in earnings last year combined with her fame determined her ranking. (Interestingly, Winfrey grossed $275 million in 2008.) Rounding out the top 5 positions in Forbes' rankings: Madonna, whose Hard Candy tour and $110 million income landed her the No. 3 slot; Beyoncé is No. 4; and Tiger Woods fell to No. 5 on the list, down from No. 2 last year. Notable newcomers to Forbes' power list include Taylor Swift (No. 69), fellow country star Toby Keith (No. 59) and 30 Rock star Alec Baldwin (No. 91). Meanwhile, Barack Obama (No. 49) became the first sitting head of state to appear on the list. The reason? His historic election made him the most famous person in the world, Forbes says, and also increased his book sales. See the full list here.
The R&B singer is currently playing a string of dates in the U.K. as part of her I Am... world tour and landed at the capital's O2 Arena for a show on Monday. But as she was preparing to start her performance, a fan managed to sneak backstage and accost her as she was walking between her dressing room and the stage. A source tells The London Paper, "A man barged through the backstage door just as Beyonce was walking past. "He cried out her name with his arms outstretched before security bundled him back out again." But the paper reports it was not the Crazy In Love hitmaker who was the actual target: "He wanted to see (Beyonce's husband) Jay-Z to give him a demo tape.”
She actually has a painting in her gym featuring the iconic gold statuette so she can run toward her goal. "I look at it, and I'm like, OK, I have to stay in shape," she explains in the new issue of Self magazine. That's not her only motivator… Shopping also comes in handy. "I buy something too small and then say, 'I have a reason,'" the 27-year-old singer says. "I need to wear these jeans or this hot dress." And then there are the tiny Thierry Mugler costumes she's been squeezing into for her tour. "[All it takes is to] do a fitting and see that my costume doesn't fit anymore," Beyoncé says. "I know I have to keep things in all the right places." But she'll only lose so much weight. She wasn't happy about the 15 pounds she shed to play Deena Jones in Dreamgirls. "I felt very chic, like a model," she says of her thinner-than-ever bod. "But it didn't look natural for me. I didn't feel very sexy or feminine, and I didn't have much confidence because I didn't feel like myself." In other words, don't expect to find her running too much toward that Oscar.
The two entertainers, who each who scored No. 1 hit songs and videos this year, lead BET Awards nominees with five each. Beyonce also counts a No. 1 film among her recent credits: "Obsessed," which topped the box office when it opened last month. The 27-year-old singer is up for female R&B artist, actress, the viewer's choice award and video of the year, where she has nods for both "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" and "If I Were a Boy." T.I. has two nominations for best collaboration — with Rihanna for "Live Your Life" and with Yung LA and Young Dro for "Ain't I." The 28-year-old rapper is also up for male hip-hop artist, the viewer's choice award and video of the year. Lil Wayne, T-Pain and Keri Hilson have four nominations each. Other multiple nominees include Jennifer Hudson, Jazmine Sullivan, Kanye West, Keyshia Cole and Jamie Foxx, who is set to host the show on June 28 at the Shrine Auditorium. Foxx is up for male R&B artist, along with best collaboration and video of the year for his hit with T-Pain, "Blame It." The ninth annual BET Awards is scheduled to include performances by Foxx, Maxwell and Ne-Yo. Click here for a complete list of nominees.
Before Beyoncé Knowles performed "At Last" for Barack and Michelle Obama's first dance as President and First Lady in January, the singer – who has said her onstage alter ego is the aggressive Fierce – was overcome by emotion. "I had to tell myself, 'They asked you to do this. You have to do a great job. This is their history. Calm down. Calm down,'" she admits in the June issue of Marie Claire. "I barely made it. Literally seconds before the song started, I was crying like a 5-year-old." But she remains proud of that moment – and all of her accomplishments so far. "Fifteen years from now, I want to be able to look back and say 'Wow.' That's where I was at 27. That was my best." And it certainly has been a big year: Last April, she married Jay-Z, 39, and the busy couple work hard to spend time together. "We try to sync our calendars," Knowles says. "I started working on my tour a year ago just to make sure that I had time at home. But you know, that's part of it. Any other woman who has to go to work and pick up the kids and make dinner – that's way harder than what I have to do. At least I can say I'm taking two weeks off and really take two weeks off." She might even be ready for a longer break. "My priorities are slowly changing," she reveals in the interview. "So after this tour I might be tired and want to take two years off. I've worked hard enough to be able to do that. I'm in a very good place." Who also might welcome a break from touring? Her mother, Tina, who accompanies her on the road. Tina tells the magazine, "I'm always the person to make her go to bed."
"We have had Brad Pitt and Nicolas Cage visit here," says museum press officer Verena Dahlitz. "So this was not big news for us – to have celebrities visit." Thirty minutes later, a stretch limo arrived and a sunglass-wearing woman stepped out surrounded by five burly bodyguards. Museum officials were immediately skeptical. "She was too thin for Beyoncé," says Dahlitz. "I thought she had probably lost weight." Still, the museum director gave the woman a VIP tour. After all, there were screaming fans outside, and officials assumed that she was just one of those stars who look different in person than they do on television. Later, the museum learned that the woman actually wasn't Knowles, but an impersonator sent by a local radio station, Krona Hit Radio. "We were fooled," admits Dahlitz. But the museum is taking the prank in stride: "We must be the most important museum in Vienna," says Dahlitz, "because they chose us." A rep for Knowles could not be reached for comment.
Obsessed, the new-school Fatal Attraction thriller with Knowles and Larter battling it out, amped-up Angela- and Kelly-style over The Office's Idris Elba, dominated the weekend box office with a far-bigger-than-expected $28.5 million, per studio estimates. Elsewhere, Zac Efron's 17 Again aged well, grossing another $11.7 million, while Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx's The Soloist ($9.7 million) didn't play as well as the year's other disappointing grown-up movies. Drilling down into the numbers: • The most optimistic projections had Obsessed bowing in the high teens. In the end, the movie had its reputed $20 million budget covered by Saturday night. • Obsessed is Knowles' top-grossing debut since her own film debut in Austin Powers in Goldmember. • The XX-chromosonal types who supposedly are too interested in girly things to drive box-office business, except for Twilight, Sex and the City and any other number of titles, drove Obsessed, too. The opening-weekend audience was said to be 58 percent female. And in the mood for a good cat fight. • 17 Again, last weekend's No. 1 film, slipped to second. Ticket sales were down the standard 51 percent. The Efron comedy has now grossed nearly $40 million overall. • By opening with less than $10 million, the violin-tuned The Soloist failed to come close to the new low standard for adult dramas, non-porn division, as set by Russell Crowe's State of Play and Julia Roberts' Duplicity. The latter movies debuted in the $13-$14 million range, and boasted higher per-screen averages than The Soloist. • The Soloist marks Foxx's smallest wide-release debut since his breakout 2004 of Ray and Collateral. • In its second weekend, State of Play ($6.9 million) actually held okay, with ticket sales down 51 percent. Its overall gross of $25.1 million, though, isn't going to sell many on the current viability of political thrillers. • Thinking may be out, but punching is in! Channing Tatum and Terrence Howard's Fighting ($11.4 million) bowed in third, but outgrossed second-place 17 Again, theater for theater. • The Disney nature movie, Earth, which opened last Wednesday, and didn't lack for furry-style fisticuffs, upped its so-far take to $14.2 million with a solid $8.6 million weekend. • Hannah Montana: The Movie ($6.4 million) passed the $65 million mark overall. • I Love You Man ($1.936 million) and former No. 1 movie, Knowing ($1.935 million), depart the Top 10 after five weekends each, and a Role Models-esque run of $67.8 million and a Vantage Point-esque run of $76.8 million, respectively. • In limited release, the new Mike Tyson documentary, Tyson, did well, but not killer with a $85,982 gross at 11 theaters. The Manhattan nursery-school documentary, Nursery University, did killer, taking in $13,100 at one theater, for the weekend's highest-reported per-screen average. • Bret Easton Ellis source material—check. Billy Bob Thornton, Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke brand names—check. A $622 per-screen average, per Box Office Mojo, for The Informers ($300,000)—oy. Here's a complete look at the weekend's top-grossing films based on Friday-Sunday estimates as compiled by Exhibitor Relations: Obsessed, $28.5 million "I saw this dress online. I'm always on Style.com," she said of her sparkling Balmain dress with an endless black train on the red carpet at the Cinema Society and MCM-sponsored New York premiere of her film Obsessed. When her stylist friend found it for her, "he was so excited, he said, 'Please fit, please fit.' " And fit it did, but not without a lot of work on the part of Knowles. "I lost a lot of weight naturally, just from 12-hour rehearsals," she explained, attributing her recent weight loss to preparing to tour. "That's a lot of dancing. I would never work out for 12 hours, but I'm able to move around and not think about it. It's part of my job." Her other stay fit trick for fitting into those tiny tour costumes? "I've been trying to eat really clean," she told PEOPLE. "Fish and, in the morning, Special K." Knowles, joined by Jay-Z in the theater and, surrounded by bodyguards at The Bowery Hotel dinner after, accented the look with shinning chrome nails and a unique bracelet. "It's black and white jade and white diamonds," said the designer Lorraine Schwartz at the screening. "It's incredible. It was designed with her in mind." But, most importantly, is the star comfortable with the long train, metallic nails, and fierce four-and-a-half-inch heels? "I wouldn't say comfortable, but hopefully, I'll be happy when I see all the photographs and footage," Knowles said.
The couple celebrated its one-year wedding anniversary on 4 April - and the Irreplaceable hitmaker, who will launch the U.S. leg of her I Am... world tour on 21 June, admits she'd eventually like to slow down and build a family with the rapper. But until then, 27-year-old Beyonce is content living vicariously through her younger sister Solange and playing aunt to her sibling's four-year-old son, Daniel. She says, "I definitely want one (a child) but I'm not ready for all that. I don't think a person should see that before their time. I fall in love with my nephew every time I see him."
"It's my ideal job," Knowles told Reuters, while promoting her latest film role in "Obsessed," in which she plays a wife who takes on her husband's stalker. "I'll be able to go to the theater every day and drop my kids off and maybe make some food -- maybe I'll know how to cook by then -- and then go do what I love and have some normalcy and have a regular schedule." "I definitely want to do Broadway." Knowles, 27, said she loved playing Sharon Charles in "Obsessed," which opens in U.S. theaters on Friday, her first non-singing film role after performances in screen musicals including "Cadillac Records" and "Dreamgirls." "I love this role because in most of these movies the man comes in and saves the day. And my character Sharon is the hero. She's strong and doesn't choose to be the victim, call her husband, call the police, hide in the attic -- she fights," said Knowles. The singer's "I Am..." world tour, which begins this week in Croatia, is dramatic but, "I wouldn't say Broadway," said Knowles , who has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide. "It's really theatrical and I do, of course, all of the singles."
The fake tape first surfaced on The Howard Stern Show Wednesday and has since been dismissed as "a complete prank," Matt Lauer told Knowles on Thursday morning's Today show. "I haven't heard this, but I do know whoever did this did it as a joke," the singer, 27, told Lauer, who described the recording as a combination of "dogs barking and fingernails on a chalkboard." She added, "I heard it's a little over the top." What amazed her, said the Cadillac Records and Obsessed star, was that such a recording could go from someone's home – where the tape was created – to the nation's airwaves.
The singer's "board mix" from a November performance on America's The Today Show was played by shock jock Howard Stern on Wednesday, and the audio quickly circulated the internet. Fans were shocked to hear a voice purported to be Beyonce's screeching a rendition of her hit tune If I Were a Boy into the mic. But Mathew Knowles has slammed the singer's critics and insists the recording has been tampered with. In a statement to TMZ.com, he says, "If no one took the time to look at the biggest Inauguration in the history of America then shame on them. If no one took the time to listen to Beyonce sing America the Beautiful and At Last at the Neighborhood Ball for the first dance of President Obama and the First Lady, and they question Beyonce's vocal ability, they've gotta be an idiot. "At 12 years into her career, the last thing someone should be questioning is her vocal ability. That would be like questioning if Kobe Bryant could shoot a jump shot. The vocals were obviously altered."
Beyonce strutted gingerly in one such outfit, with a motorcycle handle-type top and flashing light at the centre. But the camera brought out Sasha Fierce, her alter ego moving confidently in the outrageous getup and stiletto heels. "I'm never gonna go on stage or do a video and not work until my feet are blistered, and until I'm basically, I can't walk any more," the giggly but exhausted entertainer said later. "I always give, and I do that because I know how lucky I am, to do my job." In a recent interview, Beyonce - whose latest CD, "I Am ... Sasha Fierce," is double platinum - talked about concerts (her tour kicks off June 21 at Madison Square Garden) in the YouTube age, what she will fight fiercely for and why Etta James never had her worried. AP: How will this tour be different from your 2007 "B'Day" tour? Beyonce: It's going to be more emotional, because this album, "I Am," that portion was a lot more real and raw and more sensitive. ... The best part about this tour is I'm working with Thierry Mugler, who is an icon and a legend, and I've been a fan. AP: Often snippets of concerts end up on the Internet. Is it frustrating not being able to surprise people anymore? Beyonce: It's very frustrating now. ... It's great because people can get a little sneak peak and say, "Oh, I wanna come to the show" or "I don't wanna go to that show" (laughs), and I'm fans of people so I go on there and check it out too. But you put so much of your heart and time into the wardrobe ... it's kind of unfortunate that people can see the show months before you get into their city, but that's life. AP: One YouTube video from your last tour showed you falling, getting up and continuing. Beyonce: A lot of people with heart can see that I have heart, and I encourage other people to have that same strength and fight, and I definitely get tired, I definitely mess up, I definitely fall down stairs. I forget the words, sometimes, but that's just life. I guess the question is, what are you going to do after that? And I always get back up, and it just makes me even stronger. AP: In your new movie "Obsessed," out on Friday, you play a wife who fights to protect her family. What is the hardest thing you ever fought for? Beyonce: Everything that's worth anything you have to fight for. You have to fight in your relationships, I have to fight for my career, I have to fight to stay in shape, because I get tempted to eat good old chocolate (laughs), and all this stuff everybody loves. It's all a fight, but it's worth it. AP: When you sang "At Last" for the Obamas at the inauguration ball, Etta James said some pretty harsh things about you but later said she was joking. Did you know she was joking? Beyonce: I played Etta James (in last year's "Cadillac Records"), so I did my research, I read her book. I was not at all surprised. That's Etta. She's hilarious (laughs). AP: Your sister Solange twitters all the time. Do you do it? Beyonce: My sister is the Twitter queen. She told me about the twittering, but I don't get it, I feel like I'm getting really old. I'm like, what? I don't understand. Just call me.
Launching at Madison Square Garden, the tour, which officially kicked off March 26 in Edmonton, takes Beyoncé to arenas across the country, hitting Ft. Lauderdale, Dallas, Chicago, and 14 other cities before wrapping with a four night stand at Las Vegas' Encore Theatre inside the Wynn. The singer is touring behind her 2008 album I AM … Sasha Fierce. Beyoncé's tour wardrobe, which includes 71 costumes, was designed by Thierry Mugler. The singer will also be joined on the road by her all-female band as well as winners of her "Single Ladies" dance contest – in which fans uploaded videos of themselves performing her hit – during a segment of the show. Fan club members can buy tickets beginning April 20. Tickets to the general public will go on sale April 25. In addition, Beyoncé is making 2,000 seats available at each venue (save for the Las Vegas dates) available for $20. For a full tour itinerary, visit the singer's official Web site.
Newly single Jennifer Aniston pocketed a cool $27 million in 2008, according to Parade's annual "What People Earn" issue. Aniston bagged the same amount in 2007. The actress is no match for Jay-Z and Beyonce: The power couple combined for a household income of $162 million ($82 million for him; $80 million for her). On the other side of the spectrum, comeback queen Britney Spears earned $2.25 million (must have spent a lot on lawyer fees, huh?). Country-pop princess Taylor Swift earned $5.5 million. One-woman comedy machine Tina Fey made $4.6 million, but Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin only reeled in $125,000. Other celebrities on the list include Will Ferrell ($31 million), Kelly Ripa ($8 million), Patrick Dempsey ($3.5 million), Alex Rodriguez ($34 million) and Tiger Woods ($125 million). Trumping them all? Barbie. The plastic babe took in a whopping $3.3 billion.
The singer is lending her famous voice to Nickelodeon's animated kids' show, Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!, playing Shine, the lead singer of the The Wubb Girls, in four episodes beginning April 27. It will be the star's first children's project. Watch the exclusive music video for The Wubb Girlz's tune, "Sing a Song." "She's a very sweet young lady," Beyoncé says of her character. "Whenever Wubbzy needs a little help or a friend, she's right there with The Wubb Girlz to give him a helping hand. I think Shine is pretty cool." While Beyoncé has recorded albums (as a solo artist and with Destiny's Child) and performed for fans across the globe – including President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle – and appeared in films, her role for Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! was "all about fun," she says. "It was all about my inner child and me being 5 years old all over again."
The Wubb Girlz will appear in four episodes, April 27-30 at 10 a.m. ET/PT. Beyonce will introduce Sing a Song. The first and third episodes will be shown as Wubb Idol May 1 at 1 p.m. ET/PT, and on Noggin May 3 at 7 p.m. ET. Says Beyonce: "The one challenging thing for me in playing the role of Shine was her voice. It's really, really high, and my voice is deep and a little husky." She hasn't convinced Daniel she got the gig. "I told my nephew I was being considered for the role, and he didn't believe me. The episodes haven't aired on TV, so he still doesn't believe me. He's like, 'Yeah, right, Auntie BB, you don't know Wubbzy!' "
The multiple Grammy-winning group - comprising of Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams - left fans heartbroken when they split in 2005. Knowles has since carved out a highly successful career as a solo artist and actress, while Rowland and Williams have also released their own material. But the Independent Women hitmakers are set to head back into the studio to complete one last record out of duty to their music label, reports PerezHilton.com. A source tells the website, "They still have another album they owe their label, Columbia Records, on their contract." Destiny's Child's last album of new material, Destiny Fulfilled, was released in 2004 and their greatest hits disc, #1s, hit stores in 2005 before the group disbanded.
Two words: Paid rehearsal. If something went wrong at Rexall Place last night, who cares? It's Edmonton. Work out the kinks in the hinterland before upcoming dates in places like Vienna, Prague, Paris and London. Makes sense, doesn't it? It may also explain the "no media" rule in force at the show last night. You wouldn't want some kind of bootylicious wardrobe malfunction on the front page of the Edmonton Sun, would you? Or maybe you would. Well, anyway, media ban or not, we can still buy a ticket - lots were available - and review the show. One word here: Spectacular. I don't know what she was worried about, if indeed she was. There were no kinks, not a single bad note or missed cue was evident. Drawing just 8,000 fans, far less than is expected at Britney Spears in two weeks, the show had all the high-production bells and whistles you'd expect from the African-American queen of all media. As with her tour in 2007, there was also the extra-large all-girl band, the phalanx of backup dancers drilled in the latest artful choreography, songs spanning a remarkable career - solo and with Destiny's Child - in a wide range of musical styles, not to mention a remarkable vocal range, and of course the riveting presence of the star herself. The tour is called I Am ... to support her latest double album I Am ... Sasha Fierce. So in addition to seeing Beyonce's alter-ego (that would be Sasha Fierce), which as far as I can tell is just the uptempo side of this ridiculously gifted artist, we can fill in the blanks in that loaded ellipsis at will. I Am ... the new Tina Turner. I Am ... one hell of a singer. I Am ... blessed with a great butt. And so on. Sure, it's a bit of a self-centred title for a tour, but in what was basically a celebration of all things Beyonce, who else would you want in the spotlight the entire time? Her image - in one revealing costume after another - filled the video screens. Her voice filled the arena. The extra-large all-girl band filled the spaces between, buying time for costume changes. There was little that was subtle about this show, but some of the Canadian musical homages were appreciated - like a snippet from Sarah McLachlan in her a version of Ave Maria, or a blast from Alanis Morissette's You Oughta Know in If I Were a Boy, the latter seeing Beyonce decked out in some armour-plated get-up like Aunty Entity in Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome. Like I said, she's the new Tina Turner. You might also quibble with some of the robotic wrinkles that weighed down the second half of the concert, though the flying through the air routine was entertaining in a Cirque du Soleil sort of way. Beyonce can sing traditional R&B if she wants. She proved it late last night - wailing on the Etta James classic At Last, which she performed for the inauguration of U.S president Barack Obama. There weren't a lot of traditional R&B moments like that last night. Based on the new material, she seems more interested in reinventing the wheel and doesn't seem clear on which way she's going to go. With talent like this, it could be anywhere. It just doesn't have to be everywhere. The audience, which was forced to wait in the concourse for a full half hour while the band finished its soundcheck, got shafted on the opening act. It was just a mere four songs from 2006 Canadian Idol winner Eva Avila. She even seemed to forget the words to her own latest minor hit, from her second, album: Damned, as in "damned if I do, damned if I don't." There's a message in there somewhere.
The Bootylicious beauty donned a hip-enhancing Thierry Mugler gown in early March and hit the streets of the Big Apple to film a promo video for her I Am... tour. The dress has attracted unflattering comments about the singer's curvy figure, with some detractors claiming Beyonce's weight is gradually ballooning. It wouldn't be the first time Beyonce has drastically changed her physique - she piled on the pounds to portray Etta James in 2008 movie Cadillac Records and went on a strict diet to slim down for her role as Deena Jones in the big-screen adaptation of Broadway musical Dreamgirls in 2006. But the star's spokesperson insists Beyonce is fighting fit as she heads out on tour. Her representative tells Usmagazine.com, "This is not a weight-gain issue. Beyonce is in the best shape of her life. The exaggerated hips are a design element of a truly couture dress. Beyonce has always loved this dress." The Mugler couture outfit is one of many designed for Beyonce - the fashion guru was also responsible for creating the 58-piece stage wardrobe she will wear on tour.
And let's face it, BritBrit and RiRi aren't really within reach of the pedestal we're about to place R&B powerhouse Queen B on. Even Barack Obama's daughters look up to she of the bootylicious curves and Fierce 'tude -- which will be out in full force when her I Am ... Tour hits MTS Centre on Saturday night. Here are 10 reasons why we love her: 1. Her alter-ego makes sense. When countryman Garth Brooks told everyone he would like to be referred to as a rock musician called Chris Gaines in 1999, the world chuckled. But when Beyonce explained her that her alter-ego Sasha Fierce -- who she introduced us to in her two-disc third release I Am ... Sasha Fierce last November -- helps her separate her tamer self from the wild persona she takes on when she hits the stage, it sounded like a logical, harmless idea. Well, until she brought out that roboglove (see No. 9). 2. She doesn't engage in diva feuds. Part of being a queen is knowing when to keep your mouth shut - and Beyonce has done just that on two notable occasions. First case in point: Aretha Franklin. At last year's Grammy Awards, Beyonce referred to her all-time idol Tina Turner as "the queen" while Queen of Soul Franklin was sitting in the audience. Franklin later issued a statement that implied Beyonce was being dis-R-E-S-P-E-C-T-ful: "I dismissed it as a cheap shot for controversy." Instead of piping up, Beyonce let her dad respond ("I consider my wife a queen and sometimes call her that. Does Aretha have a problem with that?" Matthew Knowles said). As for this year's dis from Etta James -- who said "the great Beyonce" was "gonna get her ass whupped" for singing her song At Last at U.S. President Barack Obama's inauguration? Beyonce also let that one slide. Though if she had unleashed Sasha Fierce, it might have been another story. 3. She keeps her private life (relatively) private. The paps might have caught her on vacation without mascara a few times, but Beyonce otherwise keeps her personal life under wraps. To think, the public wasn't even sure if she and Jay-Z had really tied the knot last spring until five months after the fact, when she wore her wedding ring to the Fashion Rocks concert in September. Heck, Beyon-Z could have a Brangelina-sized brood by now and we wouldn't even know it. 4. She keeps her privates (relatively) private. There's a fine line between sexy and skanky that Beyonce has yet to cross. Though Sasha Fierce is no stranger to hot pants, Beyonce keeps her offstage attire classy, favouring floor-length gowns and pants -- which you'll rarely seen on some of the other songstresses topping the charts these days (right, Lady Gaga?). And while Britney can't get out of a limo without the paparazzi congregating at her crotch, Miss B has avoided any pantyless embarrassment so far. 5. Those moves! When the average person squats so low that their 'cheeks touch the floor, chances are they're not going to get up gracefully. That's not the case for Beyonce, whose superhumanly strong legs allow her to bend and rise so smoothly, it looks like she's riding an escalator. She can also shake it like nobody's business, and while some of those karate-meets-chicken dance moves from her infamous Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) video were bizarre enough to be mocked by Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg on SNL, we couldn't take our eyes off them. 6. That bod! Beyonce's pinup curves can be seen everywhere from the latest edition of Vogue to 2007's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, meaning both women and men agree: She's hot stuff. We ARE talking about the woman who coined the term "bootylicious." 7. She's not afraid to take acting risks. For every Dreamgirls, there's a Pink Panther for our beloved Beyonce. Fortunately, she's had more hits (The Fighting Temptations, Cadillac Records) than misses (Austin Powers in Goldmember) throughout her film career. Who knows what will come of her upcoming thriller Obsessed, in which she plays a woman whose husband is being stalked by Ali Larter. But at least she's willing to find out. 8. She'll be the first to admit she can be annoying. While still dangerously in love with hubby Jay-Z, Knowles says she has a tendency to annoy him. "I'm a little messy," she told the April issue of Ebony magazine. "When I get home, I don't want to take care of anything ... I don't have any shoes on. No makeup. My purse is in the kitchen." Apparently, this irks Jay-Z -- who she says is "very, very organized." It never hurts for a celeb to admit their imperfections -- if you can call being "a little messy" a flaw. 9. She rocks a roboglove. Fashion can be cruel - and if you got stuck in the clutches of Beyonce's metal handpiece, you'd learn that the hard way. Dubbed "the roboglove," this dagger-like titanium creation is usually only worn by Sasha Fierce, not Beyonce. But the fact that either of them could pull it off is impressive. 10. Barack Obama's kids dig her. After Beyonce called Michelle Obama to thank her for letting her sing at the Presidential Inauguration, the first lady told her she's happy her daughters Malia and Sasha have someone like her to look up to. "And I'm like, 'Oh, my God,' " Beyonce said in April's Vogue magazine. Yep, we'd say that's a pretty good compliment.
"I'm a little messy!" the singer, 27, confesses to Ebony magazine in the issue hitting stands March 10. "Oh, yeah." Seems the pressure to look tailored in public can weigh on her – and when she's out of the spotlight, she feels the need to kick back. At home, "I don't have any shoes on. No makeup. My shoes are left at the door. My purse is in the kitchen," she says. "I'm relaxed!" As for her husband, Jay-Z, Knowles realizes that her messy habits may bug him. "I think that is the most difficult thing for him," she concedes. "He's very, very organized."
Several sources say that the Aussie hunk will be joined on stage by Beyoncé, High School Musical stars and real-life couple Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens and Mamma Mia!'s Amanda Seyfried. Dominic Cooper, Seyfried's costar and rumored boyfriend, will also likely participate, but I'm told scheduling conflicts still have to be resolved to make it work. One source tells me that Jackman and Beyoncé have been rehearsing at the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York City. The entire group begins rehearsals tonight here in Hollywood, according to another source. The song-and-dance routine is being directed by Jackman's Australia director Baz Luhrmann. No stranger to musicals, Luhrman's credits include Moulin Rouge!, Romeo + Juliet and Strictly Ballroom. Jackman reportedly requested to have Luhrmann stage the Oscar number. As I first told you earlier today, Efron is also expected to present Best Original Song. No word yet on what they'll singing and dancing to. First-time show producers Laurence Mark and Bill Condon have kept a tight lid on their plans, but have continually stressed that they intend to shake things up on the movie industry's biggest night of the year. Reps for the stars and the Oscars did not comment. The 81st annual Academy Awards will telecast live on ABC from Hollywood's Kodak Theatre.
Beyonce won the female artist category while Husdon picked up the new artist award. They costarred in the 2006 film "Dreamgirls." "This is where we come from," Hudson said, accepting the trophy. "So it's always an honor to come home and feel welcome and to feel the love. I really cherish this and appreciate it." Along with Beyonce and Hudson, will.i.am and Seal performed on stage at the Shrine Auditorium ceremony, which was hosted by actress Halle Berry and actor-screenwriter Tyler Perry. The show coincides with the 100th anniversary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and kicks off a yearlong centennial celebration. "The Secret Life of Bees" won for motion picture. "Grey's Anatomy" won for TV drama. Several of the winners were awarded before the live ceremony, including Chandra Wilson from "Grey's Anatomy" for actress in a drama series, Columbus Short from "Cadillac Records" for supporting actor in a motion picture and singer-actor Jamie Foxx for male artist. Chris Brown, who's accused in a domestic dispute that reportedly involves pop superstar Rihanna, was up against Foxx with Common, John Legend and will.i.am for the male artist trophy. Rihanna was competing against Beyonce with Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson and Mariah Carey for the female artist award. Neither Brown or Rihanna were in attendance. Sean "Diddy" Combs picked up the TV movie actor trophy for his role in "A Raisin in the Sun." Other acting winners included Hill Harper for "CSI: NY," Tracee Ellis Ross for "Girlfriends," Taraji P. Henson for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and Will Smith and Rosario Dawson for "Seven Pounds." The awards honor achievements and performances of people of color in TV, film, music and literature. Former Vice President Al Gore and Kenyan activist Wangari Maathai received the Chairman's Award. Boxing legend Muhammad Ali won the President's Award. Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons was given the Vanguard Award. "I discovered that giving made me happy," Simmons said during his acceptance speech alongside daughters Ming and Aoki, who precariously held up his trophy and counted down his remaining speech time. "As you get older, that's the easy route, so it's always been such an easy thing. It seems kinda crazy to be honored for it."
They join previously announced singers Jennifer Hudson and Seal, Fox said Wednesday. Other celebrities scheduled to take part include Academy Award nominee Taraji P. Henson ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") and Sean "Diddy" Combs. Halle Berry and screenwriter-actor Tyler Perry are hosts of the 40th annual Image Awards, airing Thursday. The awards coincide with the 100th anniversary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and will kick off a yearlong centennial celebration.
Hanks was the master of ceremonies for Saks Fifth Avenue's 14th annual "Unforgettable Evening" Tuesday to benefit the Women's Cancer Research Fund. He and wife Rita Wilson, along with Spielberg and wife Kate Capshaw, serve as honorary chairs of the charity, which funds innovative cancer research. Paltrow and Cox were recognized for their dedication to cancer causes. Paltrow, who helped establish a research fund in memory of her father, appeared deeply touched by the honour. "I'm like a housewife in England," the 36-year-old actress said. "I'm married to a singer. And now I'm here." Paltrow's husband is Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, who won three Grammys with his band at Sunday's Grammy Awards. Martin missed Tuesday's party. "My husband's in Japan," Paltrow said. "But I've got Jay-Z, so that's even better." The A-list crowd nibbled on filet mignon and chocolate-covered strawberries, then finished with three songs from Beyonce. Wearing a sparkly gold mini-dress and backed by an eight-piece, all-girl band, the entertainer opened with Etta James' "At Last" and boogied alongside two dancers during "Crazy in Love" and "Single Ladies." Beyonce called Paltrow "one of my favourite people in the world."
The 71-year-old singer tells the New York Daily News she "didn't really mean anything" by her remarks at a concert last week. James says: "Even as a little child, I've always had that comedian kind of attitude. ... That's probably what went into it." Even so, James says it stung that she wasn't asked to sing her most famous song on the historic night. James says she liked Beyonce's version but thinks she could have done a better job. She says it's "a shame to say that." Beyonce portrayed James - and sang the 1941 song written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren - in the film "Cadillac Records" last year. Beyonce's spokeswoman did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
Favorite Song Favorite Female Singer First, Hilary Duff snaps nasty about Faye Dunaway. Then, Stephen King admits he doesn't think much of Twilight author Stephenie Meyer's writing chops. Now, R&B icon Etta James has some choice words to say about Beyoncé Knowles and her "At Last" performance at President Barack Obama's Inaugural Ball. "I can't stand Beyonce," she told a Seattle crowd. "You know your president, the one with the big ears? He ain't my president—had that woman singing for him at his Inauguration. She's going to get her ass whooped...she had no business up there, singing up there on a big ol' president day, gonna be singing my song that I've been singing forever." For the record, Mrs. Jay-Z played James in the recent film Cadillac Records. The "Single Ladies" star claims the soulful songstress had nice things to say about her portrayal. Is she sure about that?
And it will be about a lot more than music, said Michelle Ebanks, president of Essence Communications Inc. The festival, slated for July 3-5, will include events marking the festival's 15th anniversary and President Barack Obama's inauguration. Headliners for the festival — billed as one of the nation's largest annual events celebrating black music and culture — will include Beyonce, John Legend, Teena Marie, Al Green and dozens of others. There also will be a tribute to Bishop T.D. Jakes, the Dallas pastor who gave an Inauguration Day sermon in Washington. Obama spoke at Essence two years ago, when he was campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination. The format for this year's festival will be the same as in years past: Ticketed musical performances are slated at night and free empowerment seminars will be held during the day. The musical lineup also includes Robin Thicke, Anita Baker, Eric Benet, Ne-Yo and Salt-N-Pepa. "That's the wonderful thing about Essence," Ebanks said. "It's not one particular genre of music. It's a celebration of the music of our lives, of all the music that we know and love." More musical acts may be added in coming months, she said. The festival began in 1995 as a one-time celebration of the 25th anniversary of Essence magazine. Over the years, it has hosted performances by Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, LL Cool J, the Isley Brothers, Lionel Richie, Luther Vandross, Mary J. Blige, the O'Jays, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Toni Braxton and Patti LaBelle, among others. In honor of Essence's 15th anniversary, the festival is offering a 15 percent discount on select tickets through Friday. General admission tickets range from $51 to nearly $175. Ebanks said the festival's 15 years of success is "a real testament to the legacy of the brand," which she says "was designed with such care." An estimated 200,000 people attended the festival in 2007, the year it returned to New Orleans after being held in Houston in 2006 because the city was still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. The festival had one of its biggest turnouts last year with more than 270,000 attendees.
The Neighborhood Ball: At the Washington Convention Center, where Mariah Carey, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Faith Hill and Mary J. Blige perform.
On Sunday afternoon, the President-elect was feted on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration. The two-hour event was broadcast live on an open signal on HBO, and it featured a mix of historical speeches, presented by stars like Tom Hanks, and classic anthems like U2's surging Martin Luther King, Jr.-inspired "Pride (In the Name of Love)." Equally powerful, Beyoncé closed out the festivities with a stately, soaring version of "America the Beautiful." The singer beckoned all the earlier performers on stage, leading a star-studded sing-along. Said Beyoncé as she concluded, "America, we are one."
She will sing the Etta James classic "At Last." Beyonce portrayed the blues great in the recent film "Cadillac Records" and sings the song in that movie. Beyonce will sing to the Obamas at the Neighborhood Ball Tuesday night. In a statement, Beyonce said: "I am so honored that I will be performing for President Obama and the first lady. To sing `At Last' while they have their first dance is a dream come true. I could not be more honored and excited that they have asked me to be part of this moment in history." It was revealed on Thursday that Beyonce would be serenading the Obamas at the event. But the song choice was not revealed by the Presidential Inaugural Committee. "It is our hope that we can keep the song secret until the moment," said spokeswoman Linda Douglass. But Beyonce decided to spill the beans herself Friday. Maybe it reflects her excitement: A day after Obama's victory, Beyonce giddily offered to do anything the Obamas needed at the inauguration during an interview. Beyonce, along with husband Jay-Z, were Obama supporters and went out to campaign for him during the election. Beyonce recently had a No. 1 hit with her song "Single Ladies," with its catchy refrain to a former love: "If you like it then you should have put a ring on it."
And the song? "Crazy in Love?" Her version of Etta James' "At Last?" The Presidential Inaugural Committee isn't saying. "It is our hope that we can keep the song secret until the moment," said spokeswoman Linda Douglass. Beyonce is part of the star-studded lineup at the official Neighbourhood Ball that will be televised on ABC, along with her husband Jay-Z, will.i.am, Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys, Shakira, Sting, Faith Hill, Mary J. Blige, Stevie Wonder and Maroon 5. The Presidential Inaugural Committee says presenters at the ball will include Denzel Washington, Jessica Alba, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ray Romano, Jamie Foxx, Queen Latifah and Kate Walsh. The Neighbourhood Ball is for Washington, D.C. residents, and will be broadcast live and streamed online with an interactive component on the Internet. The inaugural Web site allows people to host or find viewing parties around the country. "We are encouraging people all around the country to have their own inaugural ball," Douglass said. "All Americans are invited to take a moment and have a little party, and they'll be connected to the folks in Washington and the Neighbourhood Ball through both broadcast and on the Internet." Beyonce has been eager to participate in the inauguration, telling a reporter the day after the election: "Whatever they want - if they need me to volunteer, they need me to sing, I'm there, and I'm ready."
Beyonce, Bono, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Usher, Shakira, Sheryl Crow, Josh Groban and James Taylor are among the musicians scheduled to perform Sunday afternoon. The president-elect and his family are expected to attend. HBO will televise the show at 7 p.m. EST on Sunday on an open feed, meaning the pay cable network will offer the telecast for free to cable and satellite customers. Other performers include Stevie Wonder, Renee Fleming, Garth Brooks, Mary J. Blige, Herbie Hancock, Heather Headley, John Legend and Jennifer Nettles. Historical passages will be read by Jamie Foxx, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah and Denzel Washington.
Outstanding Music Video Outstanding Song Outstanding Album • Beyoncé – “I Am…Sasha Fierce” (MusicWorld/Columbia Records) Nashville's teen queen just notched her fourth straight week at No. 1,selling another 90,000 for the week ended Sunday, per Nielsen SoundScan. Beyoncé Knowles' I Am…Sasha Fierce, moved 77,000 at No. 2. With no major releases slated for the immediate future, Fearless will likely dominate the coming charts. Beyoncé, who currently tops the Hot 100 with "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," will remain Swift's main competition. Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreak, which reentered the Top 10 last week, climbed another two spots to No. 3 on 71,000 thanks to major radio play for the current single, "Heartless." Ironically, the post-Yule week's biggest jumper is actually a holiday album. All Wrapped Up—a Target exclusive featuring holiday songs by such friends of Mickey as Miley Cyrus, Demi Lavato and the Jonas Brothers—jumped 78 spots to No. 10. The album sold 40,000 for the week after the retailer slashed the price after Christmas. Other discounted holiday albums experienced similar jumps. Julianne Hough's Sounds of the Season bounced 58 spots to No. 24; Disney's Fairy Tale Holiday was up 81 to No. 34; and Nat King Cole's NBC Sounds of the Season leapt a stunning 120 spots to No. 44. Score one for Ludwig as The 99 Most Essential Beethoven Masterpieces led all debuts by selling 21,000 copies at No. 29. Similar to the holiday releases, the 19th century master benefited from discount pricing—just $1.99 as an MP3 on Amazon.com—which also made it No. 2 on the Digital Albums chart, behind the Twilight soundtrack. Thanks to a traditionally slow January sales week, newbie rockers Thriving Ivory jumped onto the Billboard 200 with their self-titled debut selling 6,000 at No. 124. Over on the Digital Tracks chart, Lady GaGa held the No. 1 spot with "Just Dance" selling another 279,000 downloads, while West, Spears and Knowles remarkably dominated six of the other Top 10 spots. While down a crushing 55 percent compared to the previous week, overall sales were off just 14 percent compared to 2008's kickoff week, when Mary J. Blige's Growing Pains ruled the charts. Here's a rundown of the Top 10: Knowles appeared to put down the Jackson family in a recent interview with Elle magazine after stating, "I grew up upper class. Private school. My dad had a Jaguar. We're African-American and we work together as a family, so people assume we're like the Jacksons - but I didn't have parents using me to get out of a bad situation." And according to the New York Daily News, Jackson, who hails from the working class area of Gary, Indiana, is so "infuriated" by the comment she is planning to confront the singer.
Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," a track from her chart-topping album "I Am ... Sasha Fierce," sold a massive 382,000 downloads last week according to Nielsen SoundScan, a 157% increase. But Lady GaGa's Grammy-nominated "Just Dance" featuring Colby O'Donis sold 419,000 downloads, the second biggest single-week sum of all time behind Flo Rida's 467,000 from the same week last year. It rose one spot from the previous week, swapping places with T.I.'s "Live Your Life" featuring Rihanna. Kanye West's "Heartless" held at No. 4, and Taylor Swift's "Love Story" rose two to No. 5. Katy Perry's "Hot N Cold" remained at No. 6, and Britney Spears' "Womanizer" fell two to No. 7. Rounding out the top portion of the Hot 100, West's "Love Lockdown," T.I.'s "Whatever You Like" and Beyonce's "If I Were a Boy" were are unchanged at Nos. 8-10. Nickelodeon star Miranda Cosgrove's cover of Sugababes' "About You Now" was the top debut at No. 51. The song was released last June on the "iCarly" soundtrack but is now doing strong digital business after a performance on Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade; it sold 74,000 copies last week.
But Beyonce is giving them all a run for their money. Her video for "If I Were a Boy" has been watched by more than 34 million on the video-sharing site. In it, Beyonce imagines life if gender roles were reversed between her and her boyfriend (a fictional boyfriend, alas, not Jay-Z). This offers the particular thrill of seeing Beyonce as a police officer - which, if it ever happened, would surely cause such a rash of speeding (with the hopes of a ticket from the pop star) that roads would resemble "Grand Theft Auto." The popularity of "If I Were a Boy" is matched by Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)." That video has yielded at least 22 million views and inspired countless bedroom copycats. Whereas "If I Were a Boy" is conceptual and has a narrative, "Single Ladies" is simple, imitable and iconic. It's just Beyonce dancing in a black leotard and heels (and a bizarre metal glove), flanked by two similarly dressed female dancers on a plain white studio set. The video has spawned dozens and dozens of amateur versions, from the mimicking of a toddler named Arianna to more aggressively serious attempts, like that of a 20-year-old North Carolina native who identifies himself as a Staples employee named Chris or "Angel Pariz." Beyonce has spoken about how bowled over she is by all the imitations and met some of the dancers. She also joined the "Saturday Night Live" parody of the video with Justin Timberlake and cast members Andy Samberg and Bobby Moynihan. (That video has also been watched by millions online.) Beyonce and her record label, Sony/BMG, surely hope her latest video, "Diva," also hits a nerve. Released on Dec. 24, it returns the singer to the simple style of her and two dancers in a plain setting - this time an empty warehouse. It's a grittier and less catchy song, though, and the video hasn't sparked the same attention, drawing less than one million viewers on YouTube so far. But the popularity of Beyonce's videos only reinforce how important music videos are to the Google-owned YouTube. Many of the most watched videos in YouTube's short history are music videos. (Remember how OK Go's treadmill clip was such a hit in YouTube's infancy?) Earlier this month, though, videos by artists signed to Warner Music Group began disappearing from the site after contract negotiations broke down between the music company and YouTube. The takedown included many fan-created videos, as well. It's a somewhat ironic development for a medium - the music video - originally created as an advertisement to sell records (and thus something labels wanted played as much as possible). But as album sales have declined, all revenue streams are more important to labels. At the same time, YouTube is aware of how much music videos are part of its lifeblood; the site promptly posted a blog entry explaining the situation to users. There's competition in being an online broadcaster of music videos, too. Artist pages on MySpace increasingly host music videos, and MTV earlier this year launched the beta version of the impressive MTVMusic.com, a player that hosts seemingly every music video. And naturally, Beyonce's "Single Ladies" is one of the most viewed videos at MTVMusic, too.
Rapper T.I.'s "Live Your Life" featuring Rihanna held at No. 2, and Lady GaGa's "Just Dance" featuring Colby O'Donis at No. 3. Kanye West's "Heartless" jumped three places to No. 4. Britney Spears' "Womanizer" rose one to No. 5, Katy Perry's "Hot N Cold" jumped two to No. 6, and Taylor Swift's "Love Story" climbed four to No. 7. Another West song, "Love Lockdown," moved up two to No. 8, T.I.'s "Whatever You Like" fell four to No. 9, and Beyonce's "If I Were a Boy" slipped one to No. 10. Leona Lewis' cover of Snow Patrol's "Run," a recent No. 1 hit in her native United Kingdom, was the top debut at No. 81. Billboard's airplay-based rock charts were unchanged, with Kings Of Leon's "Sex on Fire" in a third week atop Modern Rock and Shinedown leading Mainstream Rock for a second with "Second Chance."
The tune rose one place to No. 1, trading places for the second time in recent weeks with T.I.'s "Live Your Life" featuring Rihanna. Lady GaGa's "Just Dance" featuring Colby O'Donis rose one place to No. 3, flip-flopping with Britney Spears' "Circus." T.I.'s "Whatever You Like" held at No. 5, as Spears' "Womanizer" rebounded four places to No. 6 and Kanye West's "Heartless" blasted nine places to No. 7 thanks to strong airplay. Katy Perry's "Hot N Cold" fell one place to No. 8, Beyonce's "If I Were a Boy" dropped three to No. 9, and West's "Love Lockdown" was off two to No. 10. The Hot 100's top debut was Jamie Foxx's "Just Like Me" featuring T.I. at No. 75. The Oscar-winning actor's new album, "Intuition," was released this week. Montgomery Gentry's "Roll With Me" began a second week at No. 1 on Hot Country Songs, as Kings Of Leon's "Sex on Fire" did the same on the Modern Rock tally.
Also on the list: Paris Hilton, Ashton Kutcher, Jenna Fischer, Criss Angel, Hayden Panettiere, Shanna Moakler, Travis Barker and Lauren Conrad. The movie "Twilight," Jennifer Hudson, Beyonce, Lil Wayne and Taylor Swift are among the five top-searched terms on MySpace. Swift led the list of musical artists most searched for on MySpace Music since it launched on Sept. 25. The most streamed artist is T.I., and the most streamed song belongs to him as well: "Whatever You Like."
"I've known her since she was a teenager!" Union told PEOPLE at Ideal Bite's "Best in Green" Awards on Thursday. "It's been nice to see that her music and her lifestyle choices and her acting choices have all evolved as she's gotten older." Most notably? The development of Beyoncé's stage persona, Sasha Fierce. "Beyoncé is quiet and reserved, very Southern, sweet and polite," Union said. "If someone told me that girl was gonna go on stage and do the kind of performances that she does, and be so fiery, and this quintessential and iconic entertainer, I'd be [in disbelief], like, 'Yeah, okay!' " There's no doubt that Beyoncé has grown up over the years, but one thing that hasn't changed her, Union says, is marriage. (The singer wed rapper Jay-Z in a super-secret ceremony earlier this year.) "They were good to each other before, they're good to each other now," Union noted. "They seem very happy when they're around. As long as there's more smiles than frowns, I suppose that's the key."
The story traces the rise of Chess Records and the turbulent careers of such legendary R&B artists of the 1950s and '60s as Muddy Waters, Etta James, Howlin' Wolf and Chuck Berry. A rather disjointed plot follows these musical legends and their interactions with Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody), a Polish-born bar owner. For his patrons' entertainment, he hires guitar prodigy Waters (an excellent Jeffrey Wright) and harmonica player Little Walter (Columbus Short), a duo who change his life. Seeing a broader potential in the blues, he records their songs, and Chess Records is born. The title refers to Chess' habit of giving his recording artists new Cadillacs as a reward for a hit record. Whether or not Chess exploited or properly compensated the musicians on his label is unclear, but he seemed to have a familial affection for most of them. He also appears to have had an affection that transcended friendship with James (Beyoncé Knowles). Conflict poisons some of the relationships among the musicians and between them and Chess, but there are a few too many story lines, which dilutes the individual sagas, some of which come off like soap opera. Little Walter has a temper, which leads to trouble with the law. His bond with Muddy's long-suffering girlfriend (Gabrielle Union) could have been more fully explored. And Muddy clashes with Howlin' Wolf (a fine Eamonn Walker). The film features too little about Berry (an engaging Mos Def), who crosses over to great fame. But when Berry is arrested, Chess switches his focus to another artist: James. Knowles captures James' emotional vulnerability and is substantially better than she was in Dreamgirls. Of course, she shines most when singing. While the story could use a tighter focus, the ensemble is strong and the music makes Cadillac Records worth catching. Cadillac Records - ** 1/2 (out of four) "If I didn't respect someone and they didn't have that strength, then I would be bored," the 27-year-old tells Elle in its December issue. "I wouldn't be attracted to them." The couple, who secretly wed in April, topped Forbes' list of richest couples this year with an estimated worth of $162 million. As for starting a family with Jay-Z, 39, Knowles told Ellen DeGeneres she definitely wants to have "a couple" of children – but not for a while. "I'm terrified of having a child," the Cadillac Records actress reveals in Elle. "No way! I'm terrified of delivering a child because I saw my nephew being born. That traumatized me. I'm only 27. I've got time."
"Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," a track from the R&B star's new solo album "I Am... Sasha Fierce," rose one place to the top, swapping places with T.I.'s "Live You Life." Another Beyonce song, "If I Were a Boy," held at No. 3, and another former T.I. chart-topper, "Whatever You Like," held at No. 4. Newcomer Lady GaGa's "Just Dance" featuring Colby O'Donis rose two places to No. 5. Katy Perry's "Hot N Cold" slipped one place to No. 6, Ne-Yo's "Miss Independent" jumped two places to No. 7, Pink's "So What" was steady at No. 8, Britney Spears' "Womanizer" rose three places to No. 9, and Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours" was up three to No. 10. Top debut honors went to Kanye West's "See You in My Nightmares" featuring Lil Wayne, which started at No. 21. The song comes from West's new album, "808s & Heartbreak," which opened at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 on Wednesday. AC/DC's "Rock'N'Roll Train" led Billboard's airplay-based Mainstream Rock chart for a third week, and the Offspring's "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" ruled Modern Rock for an eleventh.
Me, Myself And I, Beyonce Organizers of the festival announced Tuesday the singer has confirmed her participation. The July event will mark the 15th anniversary of the celebration of black music and culture. The festival will include more than 12 musical acts a day. The festival had one of its biggest turnouts this year with more than 270,000 attendees. Performers at the last event included Mary J. Blige and LL Cool J.
Instead, the writer-director has made a movie about all of them with "Cadillac Records," cramming their complicated individual stories into the larger saga of Chicago-based Chess Records, the label that launched those stars and so many others during the 1950s and '60s. The result feels even more cursory and rushed than the average music biopic, a genre that's already difficult to depict without lapsing into self-parody. (Jake Kasdan, Judd Apatow and Co. had long known that when they made "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.") It's all here, over and over, just as you've seen it countless times before: the early struggle, the rise to the top (accompanied by the obligatory montage of press clippings and positions on the Billboard chart), the waste of fame and talent with various controlled substances. Certainly there must be a better, fresher way to tell this familiar tale. Despite the glimmers of potential for typically strong work from Jeffrey Wright as Waters, Mos Def as Berry and Adrien Brody as the label's founder, Polish emigre Leonard Chess, Martin too often gives them too little of substance with which to work. She also shows us the racism of the time — which Chess earnestly, persistently tries to break through by bringing blues and R&B to a mass audience — with facile platitudes and hand-holding voiceover provided by Cedric the Entertainer. As songwriter Willie Dixon, Cedric tells us things that are already obvious, things we're already seeing for ourselves: that these performers were hooked on music, women and cars (namely Cadillacs, hence the title), on the flashy lifestyle talent and stardom afforded them. Columbus Short gets some amusing moments as volatile harmonica player Little Walter, but Gabrielle Union gets too little to do as Waters' initially supportive but ultimately put-upon wife (yet another cliche in this type of movie, for those of you keeping score at home). And Beyonce Knowles doesn't seem to have splurged on acting lessons since her wooden turn in "Dreamgirls." From the second she enters the film as the tempestuous James, you want to see her sing "At Last," then get out. No amount of wigs and padding can transform her. The music itself is the most reliable star of all; Knowles does knock it out of the park a couple times, particularly on James' signature song, and Mos Def is insanely charismatic as Berry, though he doesn't appear in the film nearly as much as the ads would lead you to believe and when he's gone you want him to come back. In fact, the music is often so good, with classics including Waters' "Hoochie Coochie Man" and Berry's "No Particular Place to Go," that "Cadillac Records" makes you long for a documentary on the subject instead. That probably wasn't the intended effect. "Cadillac Records," a Sony Music Film release, is rated R for pervasive language and some sexuality. Running time: 107 minutes. Two stars out of four.
The R&B chanteuse's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" rocketed from No. 28 to No. 2 after selling 204,000 digital downloads, while "If I Were a Boy" held at No. 3. In the week ended November 23, Beyonce scored her third-straight No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200 album chart with "I Am ... Sasha Fierce," which sold 482,000 copies. T.I.'s other recent No. 1, "Whatever You Like," slipped from No. 2 to No. 4. Katy Perry's "Hot N Cold" was down one rung to No. 5, Kanye West's "Love Lockdown" rebounded from No. 9 to No. 6, and Lady GaGa's "Just Dance" featuring Colby O'Donis soared from No. 16 to No. 7 on a 60 percent digital-sales uptick to 113,000. Pop singer Pink's "So What" dropped from No. 5 to No. 8, as Ne-Yo's "Miss Independent" moved up two notches to No. 9 and Akon's "Right Now (Na Na Na)" fell from No. 8 to No. 10 to round out the top tier of the singles chart. The Fray's "You Found Me" was the week's top debut at No. 28 after selling 62,000 downloads. The track premiered last week during a promo clip for the hit ABC show "Lost"; it's from the Denver band's self-titled sophomore album for Epic, due February 3.
In one of the year's more competitive sales weeks, Ms. Knowles' double-disc I Am...Sasha Fierce rolled past rockin' new albums by Nickelback and David Cook that would have topped the charts most any other week. Beyoncé scored her third No. 1 album in three tries by selling 483,000 copies, easily eclipsing Nickelback (No. 2, 327,000) and the reigning American Idol champ (No. 3, 289,000). Beyoncé did have a little help, though. In the spirit of Eminem-Slim Shady and T.I.-T.I.P., the singer introduced her more aggressive alter ego, Sasha Fierce, on the album's second disc. Up until this time, Sasha only appeared in live performances. I Am topped 2003's Dangerously in Love debut (317,000), but trailed 2006's B-Day (541,000). She also gets family bragging rights over Jay-Z, who sold 425,000 first-week copies of American Gangster last November. Beyoncé also dominated the Digital Tracks charts with "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" debuting at No. 1 on 204,000 downloads, dropping her single "If I Were a Boy" to No. 2 on 160,000 downloads. About the only thing Beyoncé didn't do is beat Taylor Swift for the year's biggest female debut (592,000 for Fearless, which fell to No. 4 this week). Nickelback's Dark Horse galloped in a strong second place. The Canadian rockers, who signed an all-inclusive deal with Live Nation earlier this year, just announced the launch of their North American tour in Nashville on Feb. 25. Cook, meanwhile, got plenty of cougars to shell out for his eponymous debut. In comparison to Idol's other recent stars, Cook sold nearly 100,000 more copies than rival David Archuleta and twice as many copies as season seven champ Jordin Sparks. (Archuleta, whose eponymous debut opened at No. 2 last week, dropped to No. 11 in its second week.) Cook's album also sold 59,000 digital copies, a new record for a debut artist. Il Divo's The Promise, which topped the U.K. charts last week, opened at No. 5 (162,000), ahead of the Twilight soundtrack (125,000), which actually sold 17 percent more than the previous week thanks to the film's blockbuster opening. Just missing the top 10, Dido's Safe Trip Home debuted at No. 13 (51,000). Other debuts making a Thanksgiving week cluck included Mudvayne's New Game at No. 15, Zac Brown Band's The Foundation at No. 17, Slim's Love's Crazy at No. 32 and Blake Shelton's Startin' Fires at No. 34. Overall, album sales were up 6 percent over last week but still down 32 percent relative to the same week in '07, when Josh Groban's Noël made its first chart-topping appearance. Fittingly, Noël currently tops the Catalog chart. Here's a recap of the top 10, based on figures from Nielsen SoundScan: • I Am…Sasha Fierce, Beyoncé • Dark Horse, Nickelback • David Cook, David Cook • Fearless, Taylor Swift • The Promise, Il Divo • Twilight soundtrack, various • Now That's What I Call Music! 29, various • High School Musical 3: Senior Year soundtrack, various • And Winter Came, Enya • Black Ice, AC/DC
The handpiece you mention—alternately known among fashion reporters as the roboglove, the gling or Anti-Rihanna Death Grip—actually was handcrafted by Beyoncé's longtime jeweler, New York-based Lorraine Schwartz. Despite Internet rumors that the piece was fashioned of pure gold—possibly in the legendary Elven forges at Rivendell—it's actually made of... ...titanium! And, according to sources close to the gling, it's also one of a kind and therefore close to priceless. More details on the roboglove? Sure. • Schwartz had her artisans working day and night on the piece, laboring 24 hours a day until it was complete. • It fits literally like a glove. Beyoncé's entire upper arm was cast in wax so that the titanium piece would wrap perfectly. • It's actually several pieces, including a ring, a glove and a separate component that covers the upper arm. It can be worn all together or separately. • It looks heavier than it is. Titanium is about 45 percent lighter than steel. • Beyoncé really, really doesn't want to take it off. She wore it on Saturday Night Live. She wore it in her "Single Ladies" video. She wore it in her cover spread for Gotham magazine. She wore it on the red carpet at the MTV Europe Awards. • The glove was Beyoncé's concept all the way, I am told—a "superpower" hand to complement the singer's new Sasha Fierce ego.
"I got to kiss my boss!" exclaimed Adrien Brody, who stars with Knowles in Cadillac Records. Knowles was also the executive producer for the film, which opens Dec. 5. Brody was one of several co-stars who hit the red carpet Monday night for the film's Los Angeles premiere. The movie chronicles the rise of Chess Records, a Chicago label that ultimately helped launch the sound of rock 'n' roll music. It tells the real-life stories of key figures of that era — Muddy Waters, Etta James, Little Walter and Chuck Berry. "Their stories are so important and need to be told, because it would be no Beyoncé or any of us out right now," said Knowles, who was dressed in Dolce & Gabbana. "They were the first African Americans to cross over on the radio before Motown and it's something that I didn't know. I didn't know that rock 'n' roll came from Chess Records. And I didn't know that the Rolling Stones and the Beatles and all these people copied their music. And it's great for them to finally get their due." Knowles, who also recently released an album, was getting her own due Monday night. Co-stars praised her work for her role as James. "I swear to God, after this, there will be no more questions about whether she's an actress or a singer. She is an actress," said British actor Eamonn Walker, who co-starred in the film. Gabrielle Union, who has known Knowles for years, agreed. "I like Beyoncé because the check cleared, and if it didn't, I'd know where to find her," joked Union, dressed in navy blue Reem Acra. "She's obviously incredibly talented. When you watch her transform into Etta James and really channel her and her pain and that journey, it's powerful. As a boss and as a fellow actress, she's the bomb." Jeffrey Wright, who portrays Waters, said she gave the cast an extraordinary lift. "She came and did wonderful work as a part of an ensemble that came to get down," he said. "And she deflects a lot of the tremendous amount of light that shined on her toward this music and these lives, and that's a great gift for the film." Brody added: "She came with it. She was just so strong and allowed herself to be vulnerable. It made me really happy. She brought truth to the role." And now that she has tackled James, is there another legend she'd love to take on? "I'd love to play Eartha Kitt," said Knowles. "She's amazing. Her story is really interesting, all the things that she went through. Wow."
In an interview in the latest issue of Giant, the 27-year-old singer talks about getting hitched to Jay-Z. She says she doesn't have a fantasy view of marriage. That's because she's seen her parents, Matthew and Tina Knowles, struggle but stick through it. Says Beyonce: "My parents are tighter now than ever, but they've been through it all. There were times when they were together, times when they were apart. I learned that it's a lot of hard work, that it's more than a dress." Beyonce and Jay-Z married in a private ceremony earlier this year.
"One day, maybe," the singer – who wed rapper Jay-Z in a super-secret ceremony last April – tells Ellen DeGeneres during Tuesday's show. What's holding her back? Watching her sister, Solange, give birth in 2004. "I was there in the delivery room and it kind of traumatized me," Beyoncé admits. "I said please don't have me in the room. And she said, 'You have to. I'm your sister. Stop being so silly.' Well, I was right!" Still, the Cadillac Records star says she definitely will have kids someday. "A couple, maybe." Married Life Beyoncé has been notoriously tight-lipped about her marriage – refusing for months to even confirm the union. But she chatted happily with fellow newlywed DeGeneres – who gave the singer towels and a coffee maker as belated wedding gifts. "It feels great," Beyoncé says of married life. "Oh gosh, listen to me about to start yapping. We've been together a long time – it's been about seven years." Why did they wait so long to tie the knot? "I'm only 27 so I was really young [when we started dating]," she explains. "And I feel like it's important for woman and men to have their goals and their own life before they can complete someone else. So we took our time." Not that Jay-Z was putting on the pressure. "He's a great guy," she gushes. "He's a cool guy. He's patient." The hip-hop star knows when to give up on a lost cause, though – like Beyoncé learning to cook. "He actually, after me cooking a couple of times, he said, 'Just don't do it,'" she recalls. "It's ok."
Then again, one could argue that it's always Beyonce season. Two years ago, it was all about the release of her second CD, "B'Day" and her starring role in the movie "Dreamgirls." Last year, her "Irreplaceable" was up for a top Grammy and she was on a world tour. And this year, besides a high-profile Grammy performance with Tina Turner, her hush-hush marriage to Jay-Z and appearances on hit remixes with Justin Timberlake and Usher generated headlines. Though it may have been hard to tell, she actually did take a yearlong hiatus from recording music. "I think I did need to take a break. I honestly did," she says, sitting on a sleek chair in an even sleeker hotel room during a recent interview. "I needed to take a break even personally so I could relax and appreciate all the things that I worked for." Of course, Beyonce being Beyonce, her hiatus wasn't a complete vacation: She spent part of that "break" filming her upcoming movie, "Cadillac Records," in which she peels off the glamour to play R&B great Etta James during her drug-addled years. Beyonce says not only did the role propel an acting breakthrough, it provided a musical one, too. "I felt like after I played Etta James, and I sang these beautiful, emotional, deep, honest songs, I really learned a lot about myself. And I wanted to make classic music ... to grow and make that transition into legendary," she says. Her bid at musical immortality comes this week with the release of "I AM ... SASHA FIERCE," her third solo CD, something of a departure from the frenetic funk of her previous two multiplatinum albums, "Dangerously in Love" and "B'Day." While the new album certainly has its share of club anthems — one of its first singles is the bouncy jam "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" — it is a double-CD with two personalities. The upbeat side is dubbed "SASHA FIERCE" (the namesake of her onstage, divalicious alter ego); the "I AM ..." portion is a ballad-centric pop album that features Beyonce at what her father and manager, Matthew Knowles, calls her most revealing. "She shows more vulnerability on this record," says Knowles, who with Beyonce acts as executive producer. "That's a natural growth of her age and life experiences." Though Beyonce is an established veteran after more than a decade in the spotlight (she made her debut along with the rest of the members of Destiny's Child in 1997), the 27-year-old has always been among the more guarded celebrities, staying on message about her music and movies while giving up little about her life outside the spotlight. She still refuses to divulge much about her private life (other than confirming her marriage to Jay-Z — a breakthrough itself — she declined to speak much about the relationship). But she seems more at ease during interviews, more willing to let the Sasha side of her personality come through. The day after the election of Barack Obama, the giddy singer was in good spirits, wearing a suit in honor of the candidate she supported and laughing often as she talked about politics, music, and her future. "I'm learning the importance of balance, which is one of the biggest (concerns) of all working women — when is it enough, when is it time to relax, and to take care of yourself? But I'm very proud of my progress," she adds with a laugh, "and I'm growing." Songwriter Makeba Riddick, who co-wrote songs on "B'Day" and was part of a team of writers on the ballad "Ave Maria" with Beyonce, says that growth was apparent during the creation of "I AM ... SASHA FIERCE." "The energy, it was different," says Riddick. "'B'Day' was a bunch of dance tracks and it was a lot of fun records, party records, and this is more reflective and personal. (She's) just showing a more mature side of her and music." That's partly because of where her head was at after filming "Cadillac Records," which she executive produced. The movie, which also stars Oscar-winner Adrian Brody and Jeffrey Wright, documents the heyday of the Chess R&B label. To depict James in the harrowing throes of addiction, Beyonce spent time at a Brooklyn rehab center in to better understand something she says she's never done: drugs. The experience, she said, took its toll. "I don't go around focusing on negative things, so it was really a difficult thing for me to be in that much pain for that amount of time, crying all day, all night, even when I left I was in a funk. I was a different person." Beyonce also takes a dramatic turn in the upcoming thriller "Obsessed," due out next year. "She's played two roles that really have helped change and mold her growth," says her father. To that end, Beyonce appears to be taking a more streamlined approach to her music. "I just wanted to do things that makes people feel, make people think. Even with the uptempos, with 'Sasha Fierce,' I wanted it to be simple and classic."
"I know I'll definitely be there [at the swearing in]," she told reporters at a Gotham magazine event in New York Tuesday night. "I want to be there to witness it." As for performing, she added, "Of course I'd love to. Who wouldn't?" The singer also opened up about dancing with Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg in a hilarious Saturday Night Live send-up of her hit "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)." "Justin Timberlake came by SNL, and I just happened to be in town," she said of the already-classic skit. "I said, 'I'm not sure I want to do it.' ... But when they told me [he] would be a part of it, I said, 'I have to do this!' " So how does she rate his skills as a (leotard wearing!) backup dancer? "He's so hilarious!" she said. "He has the best timing."
The singer likes to relive her shows to work out what she can do better next time. She says, "I have my YouTube days when I watch every performance. I listen to my music and I watch my videos to figure out what I need to do, what I need to fix and how to become a better singer."
"I still can't believe he did that. He was incredible," Beyoncé, 27, said on Power 105.1's The Ed Lover Show. "We rehearsed it two times. He picked up the choreography. He has this photographic memory. He could probably kill it if he wanted to." Timberlake, in a black leotard and high heels, danced to "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," one of the tracks off Beyoncé's new album, I Am … Sasha Fierce. The singer said she is ready for people to see her through the album. "With this project, I went with simplicity, because I've done everything," Beyoncé said. "Half of the album is my album that I love, called I Am, and half is for the fans, called Sasha Fierce." Her Alter Ego Sasha Fierce is the singer's sensual, aggressive alter ego, but don't expect her to surface anywhere but the stage. "Sasha Fierce was born when I did 'Crazy in Love.' People, when they meet me, expect that all the time, but that person is strictly for the stage." Maybe Sasha caused that fall at her concert last year. Either way, Beyoncé is still feeling that pain. "I had to get right up or I would be laid out. I have a permanent scar and permanent bruising on my leg from that fall."
On I Am … Sasha Fierce, Beyoncé, like David Bowie and Mariah Carey before her, unleashes an alter ego, and uses it to both open her heart and maintain her dignity. Available in standard and deluxe editions, the album is divided into two discs.The first is gentler and more patently vulnerable, while Ms. Fierce is a vehicle for the confidence and sass that the singer summons onstage. But as that title, with its sly ellipsis, suggests, Beyoncé and Sasha are bound by more than a creative concept. There are strength and defiance in I Am's tender ballads, and unfulfilled yearning in Sasha Fierce's funkier, more flamboyant fare. The overall portrait is one of a young woman grateful for her blessings in art and life, and eager to protect them as her journey continues. -Download: If I Were a Boy, Ave Maria, Sweet Dreams "I AM . . . SASHA FIERCE" is her attempt at a concept album, with the disc split into two. There's the swoony, ballad heavy "I AM . . .," which Beyonce says reveals her true self "underneath all the exciting star drama." Then there's the more modern, hip-hop-influenced "SASHA FIERCE," which Beyonce calls "more sensual, more aggressive." The cover for "I AM . . ." has Beyonce scrubbed free of makeup, a cross dangling from her hand. "SASHA FIERCE" is all glamazon armour: dark eyebrows, gilded eyelids, puckered mouth - all oozing sex. Does the split-personality attempt work? As a total package, not quite. Individual songs such as the role-reversal jam "If I Were A Boy" and saucy "Video Phone" shine, while other tunes just don't produce enough oomph. Vulnerability is nothing new for Beyonce, who touched on her sensitive yearnings on 2003's solo debut "Dangerously in Love." But she came roaring back in 2006 with "B'Day," the kind of woman-in-control hit album that scorched club roofs with its rapid-fire grooves. Executively produced by Beyonce and her dad-manager Matthew Knowles, "I AM . . . SASHA FIERCE wants it naughty and nice. Still, with only 11 songs on the full album's standard version, splitting the two sides is unnecessary. Each disc isn't strong enough to maintain the momentum "B'Day" did, even with five extra songs on the album's deluxe version. "I AM . . ." starts off promisingly, with "If I Were A Boy" building on a soft rock acoustic guitar riff and handclaps. "If I were a boy, I think I could understand, how it feels to love a girl, swear I'd be a better man," Beyonce emotes. Written by BC Jean and Fergie collaborator Toby Gad, the tune - the only one Beyonce didn't have a hand in writing - is one of the strongest she has ever done. Then things start getting generic. Slow burner "Halo" could be a love letter to her new hubby, Jay-Z, but it has such a conventional feel, with cliche heart-tugging lyrics lacking spark. Other songs, from the sadly cooing "Disappear" to piano-based "Broken-Hearted Girl," recall U.K. songstress Leona Lewis (Indeed, OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder, who penned Lewis' hit "Bleeding Love," co-wrote "Halo"). While B's voice sounds great, the mushy content - all ballads - doesn't leave you inspired. Thankfully, when "SASHA FIERCE" begins with "Single Ladies (Put A Ring on It)," the album comes back to life with the hip-moving sassiness that Beyonce delivers so well. The chant - "If you like it then you should've been a ring on it" - is all diva strut and a clap-beat rhythm with "oh-ohs" thrown in. "Video Phone," a dirty ditty dotted with electro bleeps and groans, is guilty good. Beyonce - oops, make that Sasha - lets her inner freak fly: "You want me naked. If you likin' this position you can tape it," she slurs over finger snaps. "Diva," a sparse play off Lil Wayne's "A Milli," funnels Beyonce's strong voice into low-key rap posturing. Call her Sasha or Beyonce, there is no doubt it is fiercely funky - and the kind of attitude we want from Beyonce, instead of meekness. Beyonce, for all her big-haired, big-voiced fabulousness, apparently has some identity issues like the rest of us. But if other worthy one-named divas have successfully straddled that divide between vulnerability and powerhouse sexuality without an alter-ego as a buffer, so can Beyonce. Check out this track: Extra tune "Ego" is worthy of Beyonce's role as Etta James in the upcoming film "Cadillac Records." A shout-out to her man, and herself, Beyonce taps into James' boldness, singing, "He love my big ego. It's too much. I walk like this cuz I can back it up." Go B!
"I was 18 when we first met, 19 when we first started dating. There was no rush," the singer tells Seventeen in its December/January issue, due out Nov. 18. "I really don't believe that you will love the same thing when you're 20 as you do at 30." The singer, whose new album I Am … Shasha Fierce arrives Monday, says she wanted to have a strong sense of self before making a lifelong commitment to anyone. "Before the age of 25, I would never get married," says the 27-year-old singer. "I feel like you have to get to know yourself, know what you want, spend some time by yourself, and be proud of who you are before you can share that with someone else." Still, she has learned a lot from her music mogul husband – and not just about showbiz. Asked what lessons Jay-Z has taught her, she says, "I guess probably that we're all human." "I don't care if you're picture-perfect on every magazine cover, and you're the most handsome, successful, coolest guy," says Beyoncé. "You still get sad, and you still get your feelings hurt, and you still get confused and vulnerable and nervous and scared. You have to find a person you can make it through the tough times with." Beyoncé also shows her fiercely ambitious side in the interview, saying that she often studies her own past performances looking for ways to improve. "I have my YouTube days, when I watch every performance," she says. "I listen to my music, and I watch my videos to figure out what I need to do, what I need to fix, and how to become a better singer."
"I am happy that my fans will get to listen to my new album first at MySpace," Beyoncé says in a statement. "I have put my heart and soul into I Am … Sasha Fierce and cannot wait to hear the feedback from the fans." Named for the singer's spicy alter-ego, the double album – and the singer's third solo disc – finds her broadening her sound. As Beyoncé tells it, the disc "allows me to take more risks and really step out of myself, or shall I say, step more into myself, and reveal a side of me that people [who] only know me see." Among the innovative sonic moments on the album, "Diva" presents an aggressive, hip-hop flavored sound with its chirpy, repetitive verse: "Diva is a female version of a hustler." Other songs like "Sweet Dreams" and "Halo" position Beyoncé's voice over synthesizer-flecked melodies. And "Radio" takes her into full-on dance-music territory with a club-ready rush of a beat.
FAVORITE STAR 35 & UNDER "Now, they offer crazy money that's just ridiculous," she said in a recent interview, laughing. "But in the end, absolutely not. It's so not worth it. If anything, if you wanna put something out, then put it out, not for (money)." Beyonce and Jay-Z were married in April in an intimate ceremony in New York City. "We worked really hard at keeping it private," she said. "I've always been this way, and he's always been this way, so that's why we complement each other. We always knew that it would be private and quiet, for all the right reasons." Though Beyonce declined to talk about specific details, she's been more open to acknowledging her relationship in recent interviews after years of silence about it. She's due to release her new CD, "I AM ... SASHA FIERCE," on Nov. 18. MySpace Music is giving listeners a free preview of the CD on its Web site starting 3 a.m. Tuesday. The 27-year-old singer joins the list of other musicians who provide fans with an online preview of the CD in the days before its release.
"She'd get us little jackets and we'd go to an art supply store and we'd get stones and glitter and we'd personalize a lot of our clothes," Beyoncé, 27, said in an interview in the premiere issue of The New York Observer Style. "She taught me the importance of looking good and feeling good but also that beauty comes from within, because it fades." Now the singer, who is set to release her new album Nov. 18, wears vintage Caroline Herrera and collects Chanel jewelry. "I'm an accessories queen. I collect a lot of vintage jewelry. I love it because you know no one else has it. Sometimes I don't even wear it – I just like to look at it." Behind it all, though, is Tina. Beyoncé said she has looked up to her mother since she was little. "I looked at her like a therapist and a makeover queen – the perfect glamorous smart woman. People would walk in, talk to her and tell her their issues and they'd walk out feeling and looking like a new woman."
"What would be better than Wonder Woman?" she tells the Los Angeles Times. "It would be great. And it would be a very bold choice. A black Wonder Woman would be a powerful thing. It's time for that, right?" The singer-actress, 27, has met with representatives at DC Comics and Warner Bros. to discuss donning the red, white and blue bathing suit on screen, she says. "After doing these roles that were so emotional I was thinking to myself, 'OK, I need to be a superhero,'" Beyoncé tells the Times. "Although, when you think about the psychology of the heroes in the films these days, they are still a lot of work, of course, and emotional. But there's also an action element that I would enjoy." Her interest in the role was strengthened earlier this year when she went to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and saw on display Lynda Carter's iconic costume. "I would definitely have to keep it right for that costume," she says. "But I love Wonder Woman and it'd be a dream come true to be that character. It sure would be handy to have that lasso."
She says, "It was definitely difficult because I was so young and my father was my manager and the group was like family. I felt like, what are we gonna do? We weren't making any money yet. "I was the lead singer, so I got the blame. That was the first time I had to deal with rumours and people attacking me. I was an 18-year-old kid, so I didn't understand it was just a part of this life and it wasn't personal. I didn't have a thick skin yet. I was so embarrassed and wanted to defend myself and please everybody." The Destiny's Child trio eventually parted ways in 2005.
Knowles went blonde to portray the singer (best known for the 1961 classic "At Last") in the film Cadillac Records, hitting theaters Dec. 5. See the trailer here. The musical drama, which centers on the influential sound developed by Chess Records, also stars Oscar-winner Adrien Brody as the label's co-founder Leonard Chess (known for rewarding his top acts with a shiny new Cadillac) and Jeffrey Wright as blues legend Muddy Waters. Seven-time Grammy-winner Knowles is generating Oscar buzz for her portrayal of James, now 70, who battled a heroin addiction.
"I'm there. I can't wait. I feel like all of us, we're ready to do whatever we have to do. Whatever they want — if they need me to volunteer, they need me to sing, I'm there, and I'm ready," a giddy Beyonce said in an interview the day after Barack Obama made history in becoming the nation's first elected black president. The singer couldn't stop beaming after Obama's win over Republican John McCain on Tuesday. In fact, she was so inspired, she wore a blue suit and tie in honor of Obama — with stiletto heels that were red, white and blue. "I've never been so patriotic!" she laughed. "I'm just beyond excited." Beyonce was supposed to be in Japan on Election Night to promote her upcoming album, "I Am ... Sasha Fierce," but decided to postpone it at the last minute. "I said, 'What am I doing? I'm completely making a bad decision. I have to go home, I'm gonna kill myself if I'm not home in America,'" she said. "I knew I needed to be here." After going with hubby Jay-Z, Diddy, Mary J. Blige and others to states like Pennsylvania, Florida, and Ohio just before the election, she watched the returns Tuesday night with family and friends in her home. She was not only inspired by Obama, but McCain's concession as well: "McCain's speech was so classy." The 27-year-old said the win was particularly important for the inspiration it gave to African-Americans. "My nephew, who is 4, when we say, 'You can do whatever, you can be whatever,' it's not cliche. You have no doubt that it's not true," she said. The election even brought Beyonce to tears, though she says it was the good kind: "I fell asleep crying and smiling at the same time," she laughed. I woke up with mascara running and a smile on my face!"
She says, "Even now I sometimes fly economy if I need to. We had a storm in Miami (Florida) and there was a hurricane coming so we just got out." She adds, "You know the airlines where if you're fifth in line, you sit in seat five? And then they throw a peanut at you with your drink? I don't care about those kind of things. It's just that people don't give me peace, that's the hardest thing."
She tells Gotham magazine, "We were together for a really long time before we got married; we were in no rush. We don't have a normal relationship because of our careers. But celebrity or not, you go through the exact same things. We're not perfect." But Knowles admits she loves life as Mrs. Shawn Carter. She adds, "This is like my first relationship. I'm very private and, of course, I don't talk about it, but I'm very, very happy. That's all I'll say."
The pop superstar is far from happy with the Gotham magazine piece, in which she reportedly stated she was headed towards a collapse two years ago. Knowles now says, "I wouldn't say I was on the verge of a breakdown. That's a very strong thing to say." So was she misquoted? She adds, "Maybe. I have been before."
T.I.'s "Whatever You Like" was No. 1 for a seventh non-consecutive week, while "Live You Life" featuring Rihanna was No. 2 for a second consecutive week. Beyonce's "If I Were a Boy" bounced 65 places to No. 3. She was last in the chart's upper tier with "Beautiful Liar," her duet with Shakira, in the spring of 2007. Pink was No. 4 with "So What," Britney Spears at No. 5 with "Womanizer," and Katy Perry at No. 6 with "Hot N Cold." Each was down one place. Kevin Rudolf's "Let It Rock" featuring Lil Wayne and Ne-Yo's "Miss Independent" held at Nos. 7 and 8, respectively. Rihanna's "Disturbia" dropped three to No. 9, and Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours" rose three to No. 10. British singer Adele's "Chasing Pavements" was the top debut at No. 82. On Billboard's airplay-based rock charts, Metallica's "The Day That Never Comes" was No. 1 at Mainstream Rock for a fifth week, while the Offspring's "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" led Modern Rock for a sixth. Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy" debuted at No. 12 on the former. Carrie Underwood earned her seventh No. 1 hit on Hot Country Songs as "Just a Dream" jumped two places.
The R&B singer has christened herself "Sasha Fierce" for her new double album, "I Am ... Sasha Fierce," due in U.S. stores on November 18, and has released a lengthy justification for the comical moniker. "I have someone else that takes over when it's time for me to work and when I'm on stage, this alter ego that I've created that kind of protects me and who I really am," the former Destiny's Child frontwoman said in a statement. "Sasha Fierce is the fun, more sensual, more aggressive, more outspoken side and more glamorous side that comes out when I'm working and when I'm on the stage." Additionally, she has set up a cryptic MySpace page (http://www.myspace.com/sashafierce) that gives a "lucky person" the opportunity to receive a personal message and a gift bag valued at $500. As George found out, nicknames usually do not work when they are self-bestowed. His colleagues thought he should be called Koko the monkey. In real life, rapper Eminem had better luck with his alter ego "Slim Shady," which he said came to him while he was on the toilet. Beyonce released her previous solo album, "B'Day," to coincide with her 25th birthday in September 2006. It debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. pop chart and yielded the No. 1 single "Irreplaceable." "I Am ... Sasha Fierce" will be distributed by Columbia Records, a unit of Sony Corp's Sony Music Entertainment.
"Celebrities have the power to motivate civic engagement regardless of their own grasp of the issues at hand," according to a study by Washington State University published in the Mass Communication and Society journal. The study, based on a survey of 305 students at the university, contrasted with a number of other polls which indicated celebrity endorsements of presidential candidates were unlikely to sway votes, It said: "Celebrity endorsed campaigns successfully lowered complacency and helped young people believe in their own impact on the political system. Young people got involved at higher levels and became increasingly aware of societal issues." The study, led by Erica Austin, researched the influence of "get out the vote" campaigns in 2004 involving Knowles, Aguilera, Combs and other celebrities. It quoted a Pace University poll in 2004 which showed 44 percent of newly registered voters were ages 18 to 25. The study found that "the cause of this dramatic increase in voter participation of young people in 2004 can largely be attributed to celebrity get-out-the-vote promotions." About 44 million people aged 18 to 29 are eligible to vote in the November 4 presidential election. If young voter turnout exceeded 50 percent, it would be only the third time since the voting age was lowered to 18 in 1972. Turnout among young voters peaked at 55 percent in 1972 and dropped to 40 percent in 1996 and 2000, but it rebounded to 49 percent in 2004. Celebrities including Jessica Alba, Leonardo DiCaprio, Halle Berry, Jennifer Aniston, Ashton Kutcher, Eva Longoria and Dustin Hoffman have been involved in campaigns this year to encourage people to vote.
"I gained almost 15 pounds to play the role," Beyoncé, 27, says in the November issue of In Style. "It was way easier – and tastier – than having to lose so much weight for Dreamgirls." Her legendary role didn't only affect her figure, but it also rubbed off on her music. "Lyrically, it's deeper than what I've done before," the singer, who recently debuted two singles, says of her album due Nov. 18. "I wasn't mature enough or old". Beyoncé reclaimed her bootylicious curves (and then some!) to play soul singer Etta James in the upcoming film Cadillac Records. "I gained almost 15 pounds to play the role," Beyoncé, 27, says in the November issue of In Style. "It was way easier – and tastier – than having to lose so much weight for Dreamgirls." Her legendary role didn't only affect her figure, but it also rubbed off on her music. "Lyrically, it's deeper than what I've done before," the singer, who recently debuted two singles, says of her album due Nov. 18. "I wasn't mature enough or old enough, or in touch with myself enough, to do this type of album before. I didn't have the guts." It was only last week that the stealth newlywed opened up about her secret wedding to longtime love Jay-Z. "This is a new chapter for me," she says. "I'm terrified, but excited. It's like I'm a new woman."
The singer, 27, told Billboard the video for "If I Were a Boy," where she dresses up as a police officer, is "kind of like Freaky Friday." "In the beginning of the video, my husband makes me breakfast and he's excited about it, and I kind of don't have time to eat," she says. "As a police officer, I have a male partner and the video goes through our days. My husband's at work and has attractive girls flirting with him but he declines their advances. I have a guy flirting with me, and I flirt back." So where does the Freaky Friday part come in? "At the end of the clip, you realize that I was acting out his life, and it all starts over again. He was a cop and everything that happened was really him doing the same thing to me," Beyoncé says. "It's about all of the little things that mean so much in a relationship." "Single Ladies," meanwhile, comes from a different perspective: Beyoncé's onstage persona Sasha. The dance track features lyrics like, "We just broke up/I'm doin' my own lil' thing/And you decided to dip/ Now you wanna trip/Cuz another brutha noticed me/I’m up on him/He up on me." The Sasha persona is one of the risks Beyonce said she is taking on the new album. The singer wrote a letter to fans about the album, saying, "I am in a different place right now and I wanted people to see the many sides of me." Both singles, which debuted last week, will appear on her new album, out Nov. 18.
"What Jay and I have is real. It's not about interviews or getting the right photo op. It's real," the singer, 27, tells Essence magazine in its November issue. Notoriously tight-lipped about her relationship with the hip-hop mogul, Beyoncé does share a little about her wedding day, but only after groaning, "You're gonna get me in trouble." Beyoncé tells the magazine she didn't want an engagement ring because, "People put too much emphasis on that," she says. "It's just material and it's just silly to me." Instead, the magazine reports, she wears a band on her ring finger over a tattoo of the Roman numeral IV (Beyoncé was born on Sept. 4; Jay-Z on Dec. 4; they were married on April 4). Jay-Z, 38, has a matching tattoo on his left-hand ring finger. (Beyoncé has not commented on the significance of a $5 million, 18-carat flawless diamond ring by Lorraine Schwartz she has been photographed wearing since September.) Their wedding was small and intimate because Beyoncé is not a "traditional woman," she says, and didn't want the drama. "It's been my day so many days already," she told Essence. Beyoncé, who just debuted two singles off her new album due Nov. 18, was certain she and Jay-Z would end up as husband and wife. "We've been together a long time," she says. "We always knew it would happen."
In the ballad, If I Were a Boy, Beyoncé, 27, sings how she'd "chase after the girls" and "put myself first," and belts out in the chorus how she'd "be a better man" because she knows "how it hurts when you lose the one you wanted/cause he's taken you for granted." Beyoncé's second single, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" aired on Z100's sister station Power 105.1. In the song, the secretly married performer croons, "We just broke up/I'm doin' my own lil' thing/And you decided to dip/ Now you wanna trip/Cuz another brutha noticed me/I’m up on him/He up on me." Check 'em out for yourself!
"I have recorded over 70 songs and have created a sound that reveals all of me," the singer, 27, writes about her upcoming album – due Nov. 18 – in a post on her official Web site. "I am in a different place right now and I wanted people to see the many sides of me." Knowles will likely pare down her bounty of songs for the album, though she has not yet confirmed a title or track listing for the set. She did announce that the disc will be preceded by two singles, "If I Were a Boy" and "Single Ladies," which be released on Oct. 7. Most importantly, the singer says her new music reflects who she is now – personally and sonically. "I have worked on this album for close to one year," she writes. "I have taken the time so I can create my sound. Something that says who I am at this stage in my life. I have poured my heart and soul into it. It is my baby. It is the most time I have spent on any project since my first records as a member of Destiny's Child," her posting says. As for the sound, "The music is upbeat for the dance, fun side and it is reflective, passionate and serious for the personal side," Knowles writes. "I have taken risks here. I am not afraid and my music will explain it all."
Ultimate Urban Beyoncé has finally set a release date for her as-yet-untitled third studio album: The wannabe icon will unleash her new tunes on Nov. 18. While she probably doesn't need to worry too much about hyping the hotly anticipated release, she'll still be amping things up on Oct. 7, when she simultaneously releases the first two singles from the album, "If I Were A Boy" and "Single Ladies." The new album—her first as a (quietly) married woman—follows up 2006's B'Day and, according to her Columbia record label is the Grammy winner's "most personal, reflective and revelatory collection to date." The 27-year-old cowrote and coproduced every track on the album.
All eyes were on Beyoncé Friday night, when, for the first time, the singer publicly displayed her engagement ring on the red carpet for Fashion Rocks at Radio City Music Hall in N.Y.C. The singer, 27, who secretly married rapper Jay-Z in April, flashed an 18 carat flawless diamond by Lorraine Schwartz, valued at more than $5 million dollars, according to the jeweler. Neither Beyoncé nor Jay-Z have publicly confirmed their marriage but in recent weeks, Beyoncé’s younger sister Solange referred to Jay-Z as her brother-in-law during a television interview. Later in the evening, Beyoncé took off the ring for a performance where she donned a short, blonde wig in tribute to blues singer Etta James whom she portrays in an upcoming movie. The star-studded event included appearances by Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Mary J. Blige, Tommy Hilfiger, Hayden Panettiere, Paula Abdul, Fergie, Ciara, Natasha Bedingfield, Chris Brown, Terrance Howard, Justin Timberlake and Chace Crawford.
"There is a time limit on being a pop star, yes," the Grammy-winning singer tells the October issue of Marie Claire's U.K. edition. "Being a legend, an icon? Absolutely not." "I'm over being a pop star," Beyoncé, 26, adds. "I don't wanna be a hot girl – I wanna be iconic." Still, she admits to being frustrated with the demands of her career: "There are responsibilities that come along with this life ... trying to have a romantic meal without someone sneaking in to film the whole thing," says Beyoncé, who married Jay-Z in April. "I have to work really hard and it's fine because I like it, I love it, but it's a lot of sacrifice." Acknowledging the challenges of being a minority in Hollywood, Beyoncé gives a nod to her own role models: "I think I'm opening doors for more black women, just like Halle Berry and Diana Ross opened doors for me." The singer also expressed a sense of excitement for the political future. Regarding Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, she says, "I'm really proud. I think we're making a bit of progress, it's an exciting time. We all feel part of our country now."
That's when "Just Stand Up" hits airwaves and iTunes. The song features Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Fergie, Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge, Ashanti, Natasha Bedingfield, Keyshia Cole, Ciara, Leona Lewis, LeAnn Rimes and Carrie Underwood. All sales of the star-studded single will benefit cancer research. The charity tune was conceived by Antonio "L.A." Reid, who produced it with longtime creative colleague Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds. All 15 singers will share the stage to perform the song live on Sept. 5 during the "Stand Up to Cancer" television special, set to air simultaneously on ABC, NBC and CBS. Other stars expected to turn out for the hourlong fund- and awareness-raising program include Jennifer Aniston, Lance Armstrong, Katie Couric, Sally Field, Salma Hayek, Meryl Streep, Forest Whitaker and Reese Witherspoon. Founded in 2007, Stand Up to Cancer is a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation that calls on entertainment-industry people and platforms to help fight cancer.
"We highly value our relationship with Ms. Knowles. It is categorically untrue that L'Oréal Paris altered Ms. Knowles' features or skin tone in the campaign for Feria hair color," the Paris-based company said in a statement sent to the Associated Press through the singer's representative. The ad is in the current edition of Elle magazine. L'Oreal, the maker of Garnier hair care and Lancome cosmetics, is the world's largest cosmetics maker. A representative for Beyonce said the singer would have no comment beyond L'Oreal's statement. Beyonce has been a spokeswoman for L'Oréal since 2001.
For the sequel to his 2007 hit album Shock Value, the musician-producer, 37, is bringing in heavy-hitting collaborators from across the music world, including Beyoncé, Rihanna and the Jonas Brothers. "Right now, I have a song with Madonna that I didn't put on her album. I saved [it] in case I wanna do one for me," he told MTV News. "Of course I'mma do one with Beyoncé. Of course I'mma do one with Jordin Sparks, Rihanna. It's a lot of people. I'mma do one with Jonas Brothers. I'mma try to have 10 major ones." He'll also incorporate rappers into his lineup, he says. T. Pain has signed on, while T.I. and Jay-Z may also make appearances. "Jay was really on the last one, but he wanted to change [the song]," he said. "I said, 'Look, man, I gotta put out an album. You're killing me.' "
These are just a few of the superstars set to perform at the upcoming Fashion Rocks, the big music and fashion shebang put on in New York by the Condé Nast Media Group. Who else is on the lineup? Rihanna, Chris Brown, Duffy, Keith Urban, Kid Rock and Lil Wayne. The fifth annual Fashion Rocks happens at Radio City Music Hall on Sept. 5 and airs on CBS on Sept. 9. It coincides with New York's Fashion Week and the publication of Condé Nast's annual Fashion Rocks magazine.
But Rowland is convinced that the group will reunite within the next 12 months - as she misses working with her former bandmates. She says, "Me and the girls never split up - we are as close as we always were, like sisters, and we may do some projects next year."
The American government has launched an investigation into claims that many famous U.S. stars have fallen victim to illegitimate snooping, with the internal state department declaring that 127 celebrities have had their personal details illegally accessed. Other victims include model Anna Nicole Smith and presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama. Investigators took a sample list of 150 stars and found that 127 of them had suffered an invasion of privacy, with Knowles' passport file said to have been accessed more than 100 times. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has issued an apology over the security breaches.
Guests danced to tracks like Prince's "Kiss" and Bob Marley's "Could You Be Loved" spun by Lindsay Lohan pal DJ Samantha Ronson, as the birthday girl grabbed a microphone and called people to the floor. Lohan sat close to the deejay booth early on, but left before most guests arrived at the Hollywood Hills mansion at 11 p.m. On Solange's request, Ronson kept the tunes in the family, playing nearly every hit in Beyoncé and husband Jay-Z's catalogs including "Big Pimpin'" (as Solange played a tambourine and Beyoncé showed off her best moves) and "Dirt Off Your Shoulder." When Beyoncé's "Get Me Bodied" played, revelers circled around the Knowles sisters as they reenacted dance moves from the song's video. Champagne flowed as guests noshed on barbecue chicken, cornbread, greens and mac and cheese (served buffet-style). Rock band Chester French took the stage playing an instrumental version of "What About Dre," and finished their set with a rocked out version of "Happy Birthday." Cupcakes with large white candles were passed through the crowd as everyone sang to Solange, who blew out the candles and banged on her tambourine.
Choice Music: R&B Artist "I told them to go home and make babies," he told reporters at the Dodge Celebrity Event in Rosamond, Calif. "They should, that's the next step as far as marriage, having kids ... add on to the family, so hopefully that's what they'll do." When asked if he'd be planning on adding to his already full nest, he shook his head, grinning. "No. I'm good." Snoop's key to lasting marriage? "Communication, and being able to fight and get back up," he says. "To have misunderstanding and [then] get some understanding."
Rehab hitmaker Winehouse was rumoured to have been dropped as the film's official musical muse after DJ Mark Ronson told reporters he had scrapped his 007 collaboration with the singer, because she was not "ready" to work on music after a recent return to her erratic ways. But on Saturday, Winehouse confirmed that she has completed the song although she is unsure whether movie bosses will choose to green-light the track for use in the film. Now industry insiders claim Knowles has become the favourite to record the title track - although her representatives have yet to comment on the rumours.
The newlyweds exchanged vows in a private ceremony at a chapel in Scarsdale Village in Westchester County on 4 April, before holding a reception at the rapper's luxury penthouse apartment in the TriBeCa area of New York City. And the stars have now decided to call Scarsdale home, after purchasing a modern colonial property measuring 15,000 square-feet in the quiet community, according to website TMZ.com.
A source in the Knowles camp tells MediaTakeOut.com, "They've already agreed to give Beyonce a cameo appearance. But we're hoping that she could be written in for a recurring role, or possibly even a permanent one."
After Jay-Z's Madison Square Garden concert, the couple – dressed to match in black and white – separately walked the red carpet leading into the rap mogul's 40/40 club. Jay-Z jokingly cat-called to his wife as she strutted her stuff in front of cameras and ignored wedding queries, instead telling PEOPLE his fans can expect "more great things" from him: "I've got a couple more albums to give you." Inside the club – a 12,000 square foot lounge co-owned by Jay-Z – the newlyweds (neither of whom were wearing wedding rings) danced together to New Edition's "Cool It Now". Later in the evening, Jay-Z and actress Joy Bryant broke out into the robot dance and Beyoncé boogied with a fellow clubgoer to Timbaland's "The Way I Are." To cap off the evening, Jay-Z did two rounds of Patron shots with Rodriguez (currently on the disabled list for a muscle strain), whose team lost to Cleveland Tuesday night.
As part of Jay-Z's regular solo set during his tour with Mary J. Blige, the rapper sits in a DJ booth and plays classics such as "Money Ain't a Thang," and "Hard Knock Life." Every time he plays a song, he cuts it off with an expletive. During the Friday show, he included his wife's hit "Crazy in Love," which he often does. But this time, after he cut it off, Beyoncé joined Jay-Z on stage and danced to the tune as the crowd cheered. Among those at the sold-out show at at Madison Square Garden were Justin Timberlake, Jodie Foster and Naomi Campbell, reports MTVnews.com. Before leaving the stage, Beyoncé walked over to her husband, swirled and gave him a smile. Jay-Z responded by doubling over laughing. The Hearts of the City Tour next hits Atlantic City, New Jersey on Monday night and returns to New York on May 6 and 7. http://www.youtube.com
The newlywed, 26, is working in N.Y.C. with production duo Chris "Tricky" Stewart and Kuk Harrell. "She's a professional," Tricky tells PEOPLE. "She loves what she does and works her [butt] off. Right now she's basically doing three to four songs a day and that's unheard of." Tricky, who worked with Rihanna and Jay-Z on "Umbrella" and Mariah Carey on "Touch My Body,” said the newly-minted husband hasn't visited the studio, but don't count out a collaboration between the newlyweds. "It’s always a possibility," Tricky said of a future Beyoncé and Jay-Z musical pairing. "They worked together before, so it may be just a matter of getting the right record." So has Tricky, a newlywed himself, offered any marital advice to Beyoncé? "No, we haven't talked about it at all, but I will probably ask her for advice at some point!"
The singer – a founding member of Destiny's Child – was in London Wednesday night promoting her remix album, Miss Kelly: Diva Deluxe. But she could not be tempted to discuss her BFF's April 4 wedding, which she attended. "I just spoke to Beyoncé last night, and she is very happy," said Rowland, who is already hard at work on her third solo album. So married life is treating Knowles well? "How do you know there's been a wedding?" she replied playfully. "This is something you need to ask Beyoncé and Jay."
So you’d think they’d start wearing wedding rings by now. But no, they’re still ringless. My spies spotted the newlyweds at last night’s wrap party for Beyoncé’s upcoming flick, Cadillac Records, at New York’s Angels and Kings. (Others at the p.i.n.k. vodka-sponsored bash included Beyoncé’s costars Jeffrey Wright, Adrien Brody and Mos Def.) And while I'm told the couple was lovey-dovey and holding hands, there wasn’t a bejeweled finger in sight—which seems to be in keeping with a Jay-Z sighting earlier this week at a Kanye West party in L.A., again not wearing a ring. What gives you two?
After the rapper's sold-out show at the Hollywood Bowl in L.A. Wednesday night, the inseparable duo headed to his private dinner and after-party at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel's Tropicana Bar. Neither wore a wedding ring, but in all other ways they were the picture of wedded bliss. Knowles, 26, arrived just after 11 p.m. with Destiny's Child member Michelle Williams by her side – and her groom just a few steps behind, letting her lead the way. They headed upstairs to the "bridge" above the Tropicana Bar where they held their private dinner for 40 friends and family catered by the hotel's upscale steakhouse, Dakota. Jay-Z, 38, stayed by Knowles's side all night – only slipping away for a few minutes to change from his concert clothes into a dapper dark suit When he returned, Beyoncé – who, sources say, was joined by her mom Tina and sister Solange – cuddled up next to her man at one of the many large long tables set up for the private dinner. At several points during the dinner, Knowles wrapped her arms around the rapper and rubbed his back. At other times, she would lean her head against his shoulder and hold him tightly. "She looked as if she never wanted to let him go," said an onlooker. Guests including Christina Aguilera and Mary J. Blige – who swung by after hitting her own bash at Hollywood's Ritual Supper – all feasted on a four-course menu from Dakota, including options like tuna carpaccio, Maine lobster, braised short rib cannelloni, diver scallops, lamb and filet. The group also partied their way through many bottles of tequila and red wine. The large party relaxed to tunes by DJ Samantha Ronson, who was accompanied by BFF Lindsay Lohan. (At one point, the actress came by to pay her respects to the happy couple.) As the night wore on, the whole crew chilled by the Roosevelt pool until just past 2 a.m.
"I didn't know!" Rihanna told PEOPLE at the Escada Moon Sparkle/Island Def Jam benefit for her Believe Foundation and DKMS, the world's largest bone marrow donor center. "No one knew!" (Although the wedding has not been officially confirmed, sources tell PEOPLE the ceremony did take place April 4 and Knowles has been spotted wearing a huge ring.) Among those in the audience at Manhattan's Highland Ballroom were L.A. Reid and Rihanna's "friend" Chris Brown. "Chris said it was a good show," the 20-year-old said of her rumored beau. "He really enjoyed it." After the show, Rihanna met with several young bone marrow transplant patients. "You are so beautiful," she told 15-year-old Camila Mera.
"Whenever Beyoncé decides to have a child, I definitely think she'll be banging on my door," younger sister Solange Knowles tells PEOPLE. In fact, when it comes to kids, Solange – single mom to 3-year-old Daniel Julez – claims Beyoncé has a lot to learn. "She's kept my son over the weekend," says the 21 year-old singer and actress. "She'll call me like, 'How do you get this stroller out? And what about the car seat? I don't know how you do this!' And I'm like, 'People do it every day.' " Knowles spoke with PEOPLE about life and her new album – SoL-AngeL and the Hadley St. Dreams – and her latest single, the '60s-inspired "I Decided." (Listen to the track on her MySpace page.) While admitting that she's the more outspoken of the Knowles sisters, Solange managed to keep mum about Beyoncé's extravagant wedding to Jay-Z which, sources tells PEOPLE, happened April 4 in New York City. "I don't know anything about [a wedding]," she insisted four days later, adding coyly, "You'll have to ask her yourself." And while she may be happy to share parenting tips, don't expect Solange to dole out any marriage advice. "I got married at 17 and divorced at 20," she says. "So I don't know if anyone would look to me for advice about that!"
"Beyoncé happily flashed a whopping hunk of diamond on her left-hand ring finger Tuesday night at her new husband's concert with Mary J. Blige at Atlanta's Phillips Arena. Wearing a short black dress and big hoop earrings, the newlywed singer" sat in a VIP area with buddy Usher. The two leapt to their feet to groove hard when Jay-Z launched into his hit "PSA," with its lyrics, "I got the hottest chick in the game wearing my chain." Usher threw up the diamond Roc sign, while Beyoncé showed off a telltale diamond rock of her own and waved her arms to the beat. During the show, Beyoncé also relaxed backstage on a plush red couch, sporting shades and singing along to Blige’s songs as Jay-Z made last minute costume changes. On Monday night, Jay-Z celebrated without his wife – or a wedding ring – at his 40/40 club in Manhattan, where he cheered for Memphis during the NCAA men’s basketball championship game with friends like rapper Tru Life. An unlit cigar dangling from his mouth, Jay-Z was in a really good mood as he snacked on spicy French fries and coyly evaded wedding questions. "I don't know what you’re talking about!" he said with a laugh when congratulated by patrons.
Several other music husband-and-wife teams that preceded the rap/R&B mainstays to the altar have seen mixed post-marriage sales numbers. Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony both saw a decrease in album sales after they exchanged vows on June 5, 2004. Prior to their union, Lopez released three albums, which have sold a combined 8.1 million in the United States, according to Nielsen Soundscan. Lopez's post-wedding 2005 album, "Rebirth," has sold 731,000 copies, while a pair of 2007 albums, "Como Ama Una Mujer" and "Brave," fell to 200,000 and 154,000, respectively. Anthony released seven albums between 1994 and early 2004, with combined sales of 2.5 million. His biggest selling album to date is his 2002 crossover set "Mended," which has moved 680,000 units. His first post-wedding album, "Sigo Siendo Yo," released in 2006, has moved 151,000 copies to date, while his 2007 album, "El Cantante," has sold 183,000. Rapper Nas and R&B singer Kelis have also seen a sales decline since their January 8, 2005, wedding. Nas' eight pre-marriage releases have sold a combined 11.3 million copies, while Kelis' two albums released before 2005 add up to 785,000. Post marriage, Nas has sold 755,000 of 2006's "Hip Hop Is Dead," while Kelis has moved 157,000 with "Kelis Was Here," released in 2006 as well. But country stars Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, whose joint tour was the 8th highest grossing trek of 2007, have seen steady sales, and in some areas even a boost since they married on October 6, 1996. Hill's two albums released prior to marrying McGraw have sold a combined 3.6 million copies. McGraw's three pre-marriage albums have sold 9.3 million. Still, while McGraw's biggest selling album is his 1994 release, "Not a Moment Too Soon," with 6 million copies sold, Hill's top seller is "Breathe," with 6.5 million copies, which was released three years after her marriage to McGraw. Like Hill and McGraw, Beyonce and Jay-Z have achieved success working together. The pair have collaborated on the songs "03 Bonnie and Clyde," which reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, and on "Crazy in Love," which topped the chart.
But co-headliner Mary J. Blige on the "Heart of the City" tour couldn't maintain the same level of silence, shouting to the sold-out Greensboro audience: "Congratulations to my man, Jay-Z, and my girl B," before starting her set with "You're All I Need." Otherwise, it was musical business as usual for Jay-Z, who stuck to the concert script, performing on his own and doing duets with Blige. Beyoncé was nowhere to be seen, and his only reference to her came when he played a few notes of "Crazy in Love," then cut it off, saying, "Sorry, B." But this is something he does at every show. A couple since 2002, Jay-Z, 38, and Beyonce, 26, have long kept quiet about their relationship, and their reps are still not comfirming a wedding. But a friend tells PEOPLE: "It happened earlier (Friday) evening. Jay wanted it to be a really private affair – close friends and family." The ceremony was followed by a lavish party at the rapper's Tribeca apartment that drew Beyoncé's mother Tina Knowles, her father/manager Mathew, her sister Solange, her Destiny's Child mates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, and the couple's friend Gwyneth Paltrow.
Beyoncé Knowles and Jay-Z, a match made in musical heaven, tied the knot in New York Friday, just three days after setting tongues wagging by taking out a marriage license—and hours after what appeared to be the signs of lavish (and possibly nuptial) party preparations compelled dozens of reporters and photogs to gather outside Jay-Z's Tribeca loft. "Yes, it's a wedding," a source at the scene told E! News. However, it was unclear whether the vow-swap took place earlier at another location or at the penthouse apartment. Amy Vongpitaka, owner of Thailand-based Amy's Orchids, confirmed her flowers were for Beyoncé's wedding, telling E! News, "The designer called us a week ago, and we had to move quickly. We used a total of 200 workers to cut and process 100,000 Dendrobium White orchids, and then we hand -chose the best 60,000." There has been no official confirmation yet, although all signs point toward holy secret matrimony. Alan Nierob, Beyoncé's publicist, said he had "no comment" on the matter. The intimate affair was attended by about two dozen friends and family members. Among those present: the parents of the bride and groom; Knowles' kid sis, Solange; Jay-Z's mother, Gloria Carter; former Destiny's Child mates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams; and Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, who has collaborated with Jigga. Most were dressed in white. Also present: the Knowles' family minister from Houston, who presumably officiated. (George Clooney happened to be photographed at the scene in a natty suit, but it turns out he was taping Charlie Rose. His timing was impeccable, anyway.) The previously subdued festivities finally got raging at 2:30 a.m. ET when the Jackson 5 tune "I Want You Back" started blaring from the penthouse, followed by a steady stream of hip-hop music. The tunes were still blasting at 4 a.m. with no sign of the bash slowing down. Earlier in the day, crates of cream-colored orchids and oversize silver candelabras were spotted being delivered to the hip-hop superstar's penthouse. A white tent was also erected atop the building, presumably to keep out raindrops...and telephoto lenses. According to various media reports, the Roman numeral IV was also prevalent throughout the party, in honor not only of the wedding month and day (4/4/08), but because the number holds special significance for the couple, each of whom was born on the fourth of the month—September for Knowles, December for the man born Shawn Carter. (For what it's worth, In Touch Weekly reports that the duo, who have matching "IV" tattoos on their ring fingers, are planning a second ceremony in France on May 4, exactly one month from today. However, Jay-Z is on a North American tour with Mary J. Blige that's not scheduled to wrap until May 8.) The duo's well-seasoned wedding rumors picked up speed on Tuesday, when People reported the superstars obtained a marriage license in Scarsdale Village, New York. Adding to the deafening wedding buzz leading up to the vow swap was the descending of likely wedding guests on New York, chief among them Rowland and Williams. The particularly giddy twosome posted a video online Thursday evening from what they teasingly referred to as an "undisclosed location," later revealing it to be the Four Seasons. Knowles, 26, and Jay-Z, 38, have been together for nearly six years. Don't expect much of a honeymoon, though. The rapper, on the verge of signing a whopping $150 million music deal with Live Nation, has concerts scheduled for Saturday in Greensboro, N.C., and Sunday in Washington, D.C.
Throngs of photographers, TV crews and onlookers crowded around the garage entrance to the apartment building in Manhattan's Tribeca district where the wedding ceremony was thought to be taking place. A parade of sport utility vehicles with tinted windows was seen coming and going from the garage late in the afternoon, one of them carrying two people dressed in chef's uniforms carrying large, square, white boxes on their laps. And men dressed in tuxedos were spotted on the roof of the building, where a white tent was erected. As night fell on the scene, word spread through the crowd that several celebrity guests had been spotted arriving by car, including Beyonce's former Destiny's Child cohort Kelly Rowland and actress Gwyneth Paltrow. People magazine touched off the celebrity wedding watch this week when it reported the couple, who have been dating for several years, had taken out a wedding license in Scarsdale Village, New York, that is valid for 60 days. Gossip blogger Perez Hilton fanned the flames when he reported the wedding would take place on Friday, then followed up by posting the address of Jay-Z's apartment house as the location for the nuptials. Representatives for the pair have declined to comment on the reports, and the Internet buzzed with skepticism. A HOAX? One celebrity Web site, TMZ.com, questioned whether the apparent wedding preparations might be for another couple in the building. Another site, eVIPlist.com, suggested the whole frenzy was part of a hoax perpetrated by actor and TV prankster Ashton Kutcher. The camera crews at the scene were undeterred, however. "I can't believe all the paparazzi. It's really exciting," said Sydnee White, 17, one several fans mingling with members of the media hoping to catch a glimpse of the stars. Matrimonial union between Jay-Z, 37, whose real name is Shawn Carter, and Beyonce, 26, also known by her full name Beyonce Knowles, would mark one of the highest-profile celebrity unions in recent years. The two have been romantically linked since September 2002, and they performed together in music videos for two of her hit singles, "Crazy in Love" and "Deja Vu." Beyonce rose to fame as a member of the glittery R&B act Destiny's Child but emerged as a superstar in her own right with her big-screen turn as Foxxy Cleopatra in the 2002 film comedy "Austin Powers in Goldmember." The following year Beyonce scored a hit with her debut solo album, "Dangerously in Love," collecting five Grammys along the way. The Houston native earned a Golden Globe nomination in 2006 for her role as a Diana Ross-like character in "Dreamgirls," a big-screen adaptation of the Broadway hit musical. Her marriage to Jay-Z comes as the hip-hop artist and record executive is in talks with concert promoter Live Nation for a deal reported to be worth about $150 million, rivaling the biggest music contracts ever. The onetime street hustler from Brooklyn ran the landmark rap label Def Jam Records as president for several years, but stepped down from that post in December.
The wedding buzz began when the couple went to get a marriage license at a village hall in Scarsdale, N.Y., on Tuesday. "It's [happening] tonight," says a source. "A lot of their friends are booking hotel rooms." Early Friday morning, workers erected a white tent atop the building, where Jay-Z owns a penthouse apartment. Not long after, an SUV carrying what seemed to be AV equipment arrived, followed by deliveries of flowers and party rentals. More evidence of an impending wedding? Likely guests have been gathering in New York. Producer Rodney Jerkins, who is working on Beyoncée's new album and is a friend of Jay-Z's, zipped into town a couple of days ago. Beyoncé's former Destiny's Child bandmates, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, are also here, coyly divulging in a YouTube video that they are camped out at a Manhattan hotel, giggling about "sisters" getting together. And of course, there's Jay-Z, who reportedly hopped a flight from Boston, where he performed last night, to New York this morning. Friends of the couple say they are very eager for the nuptials to happen. "It's about time," says producer Dallas Austin. "I think it's great that they're getting married."
"We're ... out of town," jokes Rowland, to which Williams chimes in, "At an undisclosed location," before Rowland admits that they're at the Four Seasons in New York – just a cab ride away from Scarsdale, where Beyoncé and Jay-Z got a marriage license on Tuesday. Fresh off a plane from London, Rowland talks about performing at the Choice FM 18th Anniversary Party along with Mariah Carey and Ciara, and giggles while getting chased around the suite by Williams, who was in NYC for a listening session for her new album, Unexpected. "This is what happens when sisters get together!" says Rowland. So where's Beyoncé? "B's in the studio tonight," says Rowland, adding that she's headed to Denver this weekend "to go see some friends" before heading to New Orleans for a show. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Vt7CMylH50
Could their happiness be because the longtime couple is finally putting the constant wedding and split rumors to rest? Although a rep for Beyoncé, 26, had no comment and a rep for Jay-Z, 38, could not be reached, the courthouse trip is the first real indication that the pair – who first started dating in 2002 – will walk down the aisle. Rumors of a wedding have long followed the couple, and Beyoncé has admitted to thinking about how it would happen. "I don't know when I'll want to get married," she told Cosmopolitan in January 2006. "I never pictured myself as a bride, but after my sister's wedding, I did start thinking about what kind of wedding I'd want. I don't think I want a big one." A year later, she told InStyle, "Maybe me and my man will go away to an island; maybe we'll go to a church. I have no idea."
The longtime couple obtained a New York wedding license Tuesday morning, according to People. A Knowles rep refused to comment on the singer's betrothed status or her seemingly pending nuptials, but People quoted an unnamed source saying the license, obtained in Scarsdale Village, a suburb of Westchester County, is good for 60 days. (A quick glance at the calendar shows that the "I dos" would go down by June 1, if the report is true.) With the news of the possibly very big next step in their relationship coming after business hours on the East Coast, the county clerk's office couldn't immediately be reached for confirmation. Knowles, 26, and her 38-year-old beau, whose real name is Shawn Carter, have been dating for more than five years and, despite the inevitable breakup rumors and stepping-out speculation that has dogged them at times, the duo is apparently still going strong. And this isn't the first time it's been suspected that wedding bells were going to chime for the power couple; although, what with the purported p
Beyoncé Takes Her Baby Bump to Fashion Week
(Photo) Fashion Week just got a whole lot hotter!Beyoncé baby talk off-limits
Even the “Today” show can’t ask questions about Beyoncé’s baby.Beyoncé Strikes a Pose, Shows Off Baby Bump?
(Photo) We all know Beyoncé has no problem showing off her baby bump.Beyonce -- My Baby Bump Is Ready for Its Close Up!!
(Photo) After revealing she was pregnant on the VMAs last week, Beyonce -- who just turned 30 -- showed off her growing bare baby bump while vacationing with Jay-Z in Croatia on Tuesday. Her destiny's child is in there.
Beyoncé Celebrates 30th Birthday in Italy with Jay-Z
It's been a week of momentous occasions for Beyoncé Knowles.MTV kept Gaga's Calderone from Beyonce
Lady Gaga's male alter ego Jo Calderone sparked security issues backstage at the MTV Video Music Awards on August 28 - because no one recognized the pop superstar when she tried to enter pal Beyonce's dressing room.Beyonce's Fetus -- If I Were a Boy ...
(Photo) It's a little creepy ... but THIS is how Beyonce and Jay Z's kid might look ... if it's a boy -- at least according to one famous forensic artist.Beyonce's baby bump reveal sparks Twitter record
Beyonce's pregnant performance at the MTV Video Music Awards sparked a Twitter record.Pregnant Beyonce set for MJ tribute
Pregnant superstar Beyonce is refusing to call off her performance at the upcoming Michael Jackson tribute concert, despite her growing baby bump.Beyoncé Will Be 'An Incredible Mother,' Says Kelly Rowland
She was destined to have a child, and she'll be wonderful at it.Beyoncé & Jay-Z Expecting a Baby
Leave it to Beyoncé to steal the spotlight at Sunday's Video Music Awards.Beyonce -- I'M PREGNANT!!!!
(Photo) Beyonce just showed up to the MTV VMAs with a very special guest -- HER FETUS.Beyoncé shimmers in '1 + 1' video
Beyonce's new sultry, sexy, shimmery, rainy video for her ballad 1+1 from her new album, 4, is just out. "I don't know much about algebra," she sings, "but I know one plus one equals two!"Lady Gaga More Powerful Than Oprah, Angelina Jolie and the Queen!
This should make her little monsters proud.Beyonce to Perform at MJ Tribute Concert ... Via Satellite
Beyonce just joined the growing list of A-listers performing at the upcoming MJ Tribute Concert in Wales -- but unlike the rest of the line-up ... she'll only be a glimmer of her former self.Beyonce wants to open dance school
R&B superstar Beyonce dreams of one day launching her own dance school to pass on her impressive booty-shaking skills to youths.Diva dishes pizza
Beyoncé has been keeping her fans and staffers at her four sold-out concerts at Roseland Ballroom happy with pizza. On Tuesday night, fans standing on line to enter the ballroom for her show noticed a Bentley rolling up to the backstage entrance to deliver a pie.Review: Beyonce showcases her dominance at concert
With 16 Grammys, millions of records sold, several defining hits and a superstar husband, Beyonce has nothing to prove.Beyonce Music Video Shoot COPS ARREST EGG-THROWING LOUDMOUTH
Some loudmouthed dumbass was arrested near the set of Beyonce's new music video in NJ this week -- after screaming at the crew and allegedly THROWING AN EGG at a police officer.Not destined
It was a Destiny's Child reunion of sorts at the Standard Hotel Tuesday night, where Beyonce and Michelle Williams both showed up for Kelly Rowland's release party for her third album, "Here I Am," thrown by Moet Rose. Williams and Beyonce -- who entered through a side door after a taller, honey-skinned doppelganger drew paparazzi at the main entrance -- huddled together in a VIP area as fans including Jessica White and Maxwell greeted them. Rowland trounced any idea of a real Destiny's Child reunion, telling us, "We have not talked about it."
BEYONCE on The View, Thursday, 7/28
BEYONCE TO PERFORM LIVE ON ABC'S "THE VIEW," THURSDAY, JULY 28Beyonce says Eastwood film makes her day
Beyonce Knowles has had it all before turning 30, yet is still humbled by what she calls "the biggest opportunity of my life" -- the lead role in Clint Eastwood's remake of the film, "A Star Is Born."2011 VMA Nominations
The awards will be handed out Aug. 28.
• Adele, "Rolling in the Deep"
• Beyoncé, "Run the World(Girls)"
• Katy Perry, "Firework"
• Lady Gaga, "Born This Way"
• Nicki Minaj, "Super Bass"
• Beyoncé, "Run the World (Girls)"
• Britney Spears, "Till the World Ends"
• Bruno Mars, "The Lazy Song"
• Lady Gaga, "Judas"
• LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett & Goon,"Party Rock Anthem"
• 30 Seconds to Mars, "Hurricane"
• Adele, "Rolling in the Deep"
• Beyoncé, "Run the World (Girls)"
• Eminem featuring Rihanna, "Love the Way You Lie"
• Katy Perry, "Teenage Dream"
2011 Teen Choice Award Nomination
Choice Summer Music Star: Female
Beyoncé
Selena Gomez
Demi Lovato
Katy Perry
Britney Spears
Beyoncé Goes into Orbit With Space Station Shout Out!
(Video) Girls may already rule the world, but Beyoncé has her eyes set on somewhere much bigger: Space!Beyonce loses voice on TV special
R&B superstar Beyonce was forced to cut short a special TV concert taping on Thursday after she began losing her voice.Beyonce's Dad: I Didn't Steal from My Daughter!
Beyonce's dad has filed legal papers which now explain why the singer fired him as her manager -- he claims she's under the impression he stole lots of money from her, and say it's a bad rap.Sales slide for Beyonce's new chart-topper
R&B singer Beyonce went to No. 1 on the U.S. pop album chart with her fourth consecutive release on Wednesday, although its sales were the lowest of her solo career.Beyonce, Gomez can't top Adele in Canada
Adele got some stiff competition from two fellow female stars, but they weren't strong enough to knock her out of top spot in the land.What Time Do the Fireworks Start?
The Fourth of July means barbeques, beach time and, of course, fireworks! But for those that can't make it to their local fireworks display in-person, fear not: There are several ways to catch a colorful show — and lots of great musical performances — on your very own TV screen.Beyonce to star in Eastwood film
Pop star Beyonce has confirmed she'll lead the cast in Clint Eastwood's A Star Is Born remake.Beyonce: 'Not just radio songs' on new album
Beyonce rocked Central Park this morning for Good Morning America's summer concert series.Beyonce Targets Harlem Kids For Surprise Show
Beyonce just pulled off an AWESOME surprise at a Target in Harlem ... where she unexpectedly appeared at an event for the Boys & Girls Club ... and led an impromptu dance party!!!Beyonce album off to strong start despite bad buzz
After reports of dissatisfaction, panic and other pre-release drama, Columbia Records executives say Beyonce's new album "4" is off to a strong start since going on sale worldwide on Monday.Beyonce, others enjoy "Glastonbury effect" in UK charts
Beyonce heads the British album charts at the midweek stage, with "4" outselling its nearest rival by three to one boosted by her weekend appearance at Glastonbury, sales data showed on Wednesday.Beyoncé Wows A-List Crowd With a Surprise Performance
If Beyoncé's new album (which drops today) is a disappointment, no one told all of her famous friends who came out to see her sing last night in London.Teen Choice Award Nominations
Choice Music: R&B/Hip-Hop Track
"Run the World (Girls)," Beyoncé
"Just Can't Get Enough," The Black Eyed Peas
"Don't Wanna Go Home," Jason Derülo
"I Need a Doctor," Dr. Dre featuring Eminem and Skylar Grey
"All of the Lights," Kanye West
Beyonce overwhelmed by Glastonbury
Beyonce paid an emotional tribute to her family, friends, and fans during a triumphant headline set at Britain’s Glastonbury festival on Sunday night.Beyoncé: Babies and Retirement at 30?
Beyoncé once had big plans for the year she turned the big 3-0.Bracing for a Beyonce bomb
Columbia Records executives fear Beyoncé's new album, "4," could be a dud after she refused to return to the studio to re-record new tracks, sources say.U2, Coldplay, Beyonce lead line-up at Glastonbury
The Glastonbury festival opened its gates on Wednesday to 150,000 fans ignoring forecasts for rain and muddy fields to hear U2 and Beyonce alongside a bewildering choice of smaller acts from Spliff Richard to punk poet Attila the Stockbroker.Garner, Cooper, Beyonce and a Bunch of Your A-List Faves Get Academy Invite
A whole bunch of celebs have only just now scored the right to vote.First Look at Deluxe Edition of Beyoncé's Album, 4
(Cover) Sporting a tight bluish-purple ensemble, with her hands over her big, flowing hair, Beyoncé Knowles is giving her fans extra treats on the deluxe edition of her new album, 4.Beyoncé's Pulse Fragrance Ad
(Ad) Is your heart racing yet? Beyoncé‘s latest fragrance, Pulse, hits stores in September, and the sexy, just-released ad already has our pulses beating faster. The seductive scent — a follow-up to the singer’s perfumes Heat and Heat Rush — features notes of pear blossom, peony, midnight blooming jasmine, Madagascar vanilla and for the first time in a fragrance, bluebird orchid. “Pulse is a fragrance you can wear all the time,” Beyoncé tells PEOPLE exclusively. “I love the idea of a signature scent that lets a woman leave her mark wherever she goes, so I always try to make my scents appropriate for any occasion.” The fragrance comes in an upside-down chrome-and-blue bottle, neatly tucked into a holographic carton. The bottle’s topper, a chrome cap, was inspired by her stage costumes. “I love [that] because it incorporates fashion into the overall design,” Beyoncé said in a statement. The print ad was photographed by Lionel Gasperini, and the TV commercial was shot by Jake Nava, who directed the singer’s “Single Ladies” video and her oh-so-sexy Heat commercial. Edited by Beyoncé, it’s set to the first single from her new album.
Girl Power Returns: Watch Beyoncé's "Run The World (Girls)" Video Now!
(Video) For anyone still laboring under the illusion that Beyoncé does not mean business, well, just watch this video.2011 BET Award Nominees
The 2011 BET Awards airs live June 26 from Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium.
Marsha Ambrosius
Beyoncé
Keri Hilson
Jennifer Hudson
Rihanna
Beyonce names new album "4"
Beyonce's upcoming fourth solo album will be called "4," a title she says was inspired by her fans.BEYONCÉ TO BE HONORED AT 2011 BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS (5/22)
Recording artist, actress, producer and philanthropist Beyoncé will receive the 2011 Billboard Millennium Award celebrating her career achievements and influence in the music industry. The award will be presented at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards hosted by Ken Jeong, airing live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, SUNDAY, MAY 22 (8:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. Musical artists performing at the show include Cee Lo, Nicki Minaj, Pitbull, The Black Eyed Peas, Rihanna, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum and Taio Cruz.Beyoncé Covers "God Bless the U.S.A."
Beyoncé has released a version of Lee Greenwood's country classic, "God Bless the U.S.A.," to raise money for 9/11 charities. The song premiered Thursday night (May 5) on CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight. Beyoncé sang the patriotic ballad during President Obama's campaign in 2008 but the studio version had remained unreleased. The track is available on iTunes. Proceeds will go to the New York Police & Fire Widows' & Children's Benefit Fund. "I cannot think about anything more appropriate to do to help these families," she said. "Almost 10 years [after 9/11], it is still so painful for all Americans, especially those who lost loved ones."
NYC school gets surprise visit from Beyonce
Students at a New York City public school working out to a Beyonce song got a big surprise when the superstar walked in and joined them.Jay-Z & Beyoncé Get Booed at the Met Gala!
(Video) Whoa, talk about a tough crowd at the Met Gala last night.Beyonce Accused of Destroying Xmas for 70 People
Beyonce Knowles is a "morally reprehensible" person who screwed 70 people out of their jobs one week before Christmas ... this according to a new legal documents obtained by TMZ.Beyoncé & Jay-Z Staying in $20,000-a-Night Paris Hotel
Beyoncé and Jay-Z aren't skimping when it comes to their accommodations in Paris.Beyonce enjoys Paris as new single arrives
Beyonce's new single, Run the World (Girls!), was set to hit radio and iTunes this morning at 8 a.m. ET. A teaser for the song features the star on a big black horse.Sighting
Beyoncé and Jay-Z may be laying low around their Paris hotel, but the couple have made time for meals out. They enjoyed a late lunch out (with champagne) at L'Avenue, and stayed for about two hours.
Beyonce's dad nixes rift rumours
Beyonce’s father Mathew Knowles has dismissed rumours his famous daughter dumped him as her manager over a family rift - insisting the “mutual” decision was made so he could concentrate on mentoring gospel singers.Beyonce's father will no longer manage her career
Beyonce will no longer be managed by her father, Mathew Knowles.Songs For Japan
The Beyone track "Irreplaceable" is feature on the new charity album 'Songs For Japan'
Beyonce says she donated Gadhafi performance fees
Beyonce says she donated money she received for performing for the Gadhafi clan to Haiti relief efforts more than a year ago.Beyoncé: Self-Confidence Is Sexy
How does Beyoncé keep hubby Jay-Z enticed? She makes herself feel sexy first.Controversy Alert! Beyoncé Sports Blackface for Photo Shoot
(Photo) Beyoncé acknowledges her roots in L'Officiel Paris' 90th anniversary issue by wearing various African-inspired clothing. But did she go too far by voluntarily darkening her face for the shoot?Couple Watch
He was hosting the party – but Jay-Z still made plenty of time for wife Beyoncé during a post-midnight bash at CAA in Los Angeles. Beyoncé looked radiant at the 2 Kings party presented by Bing, and she had some girlfriends to keep her company. The ladies sipped cocktails and listened to tunes spun by DJ Mick Boogie, as other guests like Rihanna, Ryan Phillippe and Leonardo DiCaprio mingled. Beyoncé and her hubby snuck out together just before 2 a.m.
Like Old Times
Could Destiny's Child be heading for a reunion? Beyoncé Knowles and her former bandmates, Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland, dined in the private wine cellar at Philippe Los Angeles on Thursday night.Super Grammy bash hits roof
Malaysian billionaire Jho Low, who recently invested in posh Beverly Hills hotel L'Ermitage, threw a spectacular Grammys party there for Interscope founder Jimmy Iovine with guests including Lady Gaga, Jay-Z and Beyoncé.Jay-Z, Beyonce, Will Smith have pre-Grammy brunch
British rock band Coldplay will headline the Glastonbury music festival this year, appearing on the main Pyramid stage for the Saturday night slot, organizers said on Tuesday.Jay-Z, Beyonce, Will Smith have pre-Grammy brunch
Jay-Z laughed it up with Will Smith; Beyonce stood close to sister Solange in a DJ booth; and Charlize Theron made a late entrance.Not So Lonely
When Gwyneth Paltrow arrived solo at Lure Fishbar the other night, guests wondered if her husband, Chris Martin, was en route to save her from looking lonely at her table. But after a brief wait, her friends Jay-Z and Beyoncé breezed in to join her for dinner, a spy said. Photographers outside were disappointed when restaurant staff closed the curtains to keep them from spying. Paltrow recently described Beyoncé in Harper's Bazaar as "the most talented human being on the planet." Earlier this week, "Gossip Girl" star Ed Westwick and Alec Baldwin dined separately at the Mercer Street hot spot.
Gwyneth Paltrow: Beyoncé's Talent Is 'Mind-Blowing'
Beyoncé was a great teacher to Gwyneth Paltrow while the latter was learning to be a musical performer for Country Strong. Perhaps a little too great.Eastwood and Beyonce discussing 'A Star Is Born'
Clint Eastwood and Beyonce may be teaming up to make a musical version of "A Star Is Born."2011 NAACP Image Awards nominations
The awards will air live Friday, March 4 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.
• "2010 BET Honors" (BET Networks)
• "Beyoncé: I AM...WORLD TOUR" (ABC)
• "Black Girls Rock!" (BET Networks)
• "TV One Night Only: Live from the Essence Music Festival" (TV One)
• "UNCF An Evening of Stars Tribute to Lionel Richie" (Syndicated)
• "Fistful of Tears" - Maxwell (Columbia Records)
• "Soldier of Love" - Sade (Epic Records)
• "Un-thinkable (I'm Ready)" - Alicia Keys (J Records)
• "Whip My Hair" - Willow Smith (Roc Nation/Columbia Records)
• "Why Don't You Love Me" - Beyoncé Knowles (Columbia Records)
Which Famous Friend's B-Day Did Jay-Z and Beyoncé Celebrate?
H to the...Happy Birthday!Beyoncé Struts in Tom Ford's Fashion Show
(Video) Watch out, world, Beyoncé is working her bootylicious curves.Jay-Z, Coldplay Entertain a Star-Studded Crowd in Las Vegas
Viva the New Year!The Five Most Fabulous New Year's Eve Parties!
For most people, New Year's Eve is the time to dress up and drink champagne. For celebrities, it's the time when they get paid to party and perform. And how!Oprah, Cameron & Perry top rich list
Oprah Winfrey and pal Tyler Perry have stormed to the top of Forbes magazine’s end-of-year rich list.Only the best for Beyonce
Beyonce got some sweet gifts yesterday. Her husband, Jay-Z, was spotted shopping at Hermes' plush Madison Avenue boutique on Christmas Eve. A spy reports, "Jay was in a private room of Hermes doing last-minute shopping. He had a guard standing watch outside. He spent $350,000 on Birkin bags, among other things." The buying binge took so long, Jay-Z missed his scheduled lunch at Nello, prompting the restaurateur to deliver his food to the store. Jay-Z has plenty to spend -- he's getting $1 million to perform at the opening of the Cosmopolitan hotel and casino in Vegas on New Year's Eve. His rep declined to comment.
Beyonce buys Jay-Z a $2 million Bugatti
Beyonce bought her hubby Jay-Z a $2 million Bugatti Veyron for his 41st birthday. The starlet had to wait a full year after ordering the Grand Sport edition because of the precision and attention to detail the carmakers spend on the vehicle, Britain's Sun reports. The Veyron can reach 255 mph and accelerates from 0-60 in 2.5 seconds. Beyoncé, who reportedly earned a combined $90 million with Jay- Z last year, paid for the car in full. Her reps didn't return our calls.
Grammy Nominations
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.
King Of Anything
Sara Bareilles
Track from: Kaleidoscope Heart
[Epic]
Beyonce
Track from: I Am...Yours An Intimate Performance At Wynn Las Vegas
Chasing Pirates
Norah Jones
Track from: The Fall
[Blue Note Records]
Lady Gaga
Track from: The Fame Monster
[Streamline/KonLive/Cherrytree/Interscope]
Katy Perry
Track from: Teenage Dream
[Capitol Records]
B.o.B, Eminem & Hayley Williams
Track from: The Adventures Of Bobby Ray
[Rebel Rock/Grand Hustle/Atlantic]
Herbie Hancock, Pink, India.Arie, Seal, Konono No 1, Jeff Beck & Oumou Sangare
Track from: The Imagine Project
[Hancock Records]
If It Wasn't For Bad
Elton John & Leon Russell
[Decca]
Lady Gaga & Beyonce
Track from: The Fame Monster
[Streamline/KonLive/Cherrytree/Interscope]
Katy Perry & Snoop Dogg
Track from: Teenage Dream
[Capitol Records]
Beyoncé's Modeling Debut for Tom Ford Revealed!
(Photo) When Tom Ford made his official return to womenswear during New York Fashion Week this fall, only a select group of industry insiders were granted access to the lavish and ultra-exclusive runway show. The refined affair was so private that only one photographer was present and no photos were released, until now! Nearly three months later, Harper’s Bazaar U.K. has revealed the images in its January 2011 issue. And as if the perfectly appointed surroundings, extraordinary threads (sequins, feathers, fishnets!) weren’t enough, Ford cast Hollywood heavyweights including Beyoncé, Julianne Moore and Lauren Hutton as models in the show. In this snap shot, a turned out Beyoncé glints down the runway in a sequined sheath, embroidered fishnets and supersized hair, striking a perfect pose. “It was so much fun!” raved the singer post show. “It felt like a performance.” To check out the never-before-seen images from Tom Ford’s fashion tête-à-tête, visit harpersbazaar.co.uk, or pick up the January issue, on sale Dec. 6.
Beyoncé & Jay-Z Will Be Great Parents, Says Tina Knowles
She may have shot down pregnancy rumors last month but that doesn't mean Beyoncé's mother, Tina Knowles, isn't ready for her superstar daughter to join her sister Solange and give her a grandchild.Beyoncé Previews Her Thanksgiving Concert Special
(Order the the New DVD here!) The cranberry sauce won't be the only thing shaking this Thanksgiving. For the second straight year, ABC is airing a concert special by Beyoncé to funk up your Turkey Day.Celebs keep their jewels safe at Lorraine Schwartz launch
Some celebrities are loath to reveal where they store their jewelry. "Why, who's going to rob me?" said a defensive Blake Lively at the Lorraine Schwartz launch party at Lavo for Schwartz's 2BHAPPY jewelry line. "I can't tell you that because somebody will jack me," Ashanti replied. Mary J. Blige was brave enough to reveal, "I have a safe. It's so heavy you have to get probably 10 men to carry it out." Beyoncé hosted the event Monday and got into a serious late-night dance-off with Blige, Schwartz and Tyson Beckford in a private area near DJ Cassidy's turntables.
Beyonce promotes new DVD, `I AM ... WORLD TOUR'
(Order the the New DVD here!) Beyonce is tired of the baby rumors.Cynthia McFadden interviews Beyonce on Nightline (11/22)
Interview to Air on "Nightline" Monday, November 22 at 11:35 PM ET/PTBeyonce ad too hot for daytime TV
(Video) Beyonce's fiery new TV advert for her perfume Heat is too hot for British viewers to handle as the commercial has been banned from the small screen in the daytime.Beyonce's parents' divorce axed
Beyonce's parents Mathew and Tina Knowles have had their divorce case dismissed after failing to appear in court.Jay-Z Says Beyoncé Is Not Pregnant
Jay-Z has one (final) word (for now) on wife Beyoncé's possible pregnancy: No.Hollywood's highest-earning women
Hollywood's leading ladies have plenty to boast about financially, until you compare their pay checks to those of their male counterparts.People's Choice Awards 2011 Nominees
Winners will be revealed during the live broadcast of the PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS 2011 at the Nokia Theater, L.A. Live on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011 (9:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network. Tickets to the awards show are now available for fans to purchase through Ticketmaster. Voting begins today at http://www.peopleschoice.com for the finalists in all 44 categories and will end on Dec. 7, 2010, except for "Favorite New TV Drama" and "Favorite New TV Comedy," which will remain open for voting until the night of show.
Airplanes - B.o.B featuring Hayley Williams of Paramore
California Gurls - Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg
Love the Way You Lie - Eminem featuring Rihanna
OMG - Usher featuring Will.i.am
Telephone - Lady Gaga featuring Beyoncé
Beyoncé
Katy Perry
Lady Gaga
P!nk
Rihanna
Alicia Keys
Beyoncé
Mary J. Blige
Ne-Yo
Usher
Baby - Justin Bieber featuring Ludacris
Love the Way You Lie - Eminem featuring Rihanna
Teenage Dream - Katy Perry
Telephone - Lady Gaga featuring Beyoncé
Waka Waka - Shakira featuring Freshlyground
Sighting
BEYONCÉ buying tight- fitting bodysuits, leggings and tops at American Apparel right before Halloween
Beyonce has Thanksgiving special on ABC
Beyonce (bee-AHN'-say) and the ABC network may become a Thanksgiving tradition.Jay-Z: Beyonce 'not pregnant'
Jay-Z has spoken out to officially dismiss rumours he is expecting a baby with his wife Beyonce - insisting the pop superstar is definitely not pregnant.Reba McEntire takes on Beyonce
Country music veteran Reba McEntire says before she covered the Beyonce chart-topper If I Were A Boy, she didn't really know the tune.Beyoncé & Jay-Z's 'Lovey-Dovey' Miami Visit
With rumors swirling that Beyoncé is expecting her first child, the singer was content to play the role of supportive wife during a party in Miami Beach with hubby Jay-Z on Wednesday night.Tina Knowles: Beyoncé Is Not Pregnant
Tina Knowles said her daughter Beyoncé is not pregnant.Report: Beyonce is pregnant
Beyonce is at the centre of a baby riddle in the U.S. following reports she is pregnant.Michelle Obama More Powerful Than Oprah, Lady Gaga and...Chelsea Handler!
Michelle Obama is more than the first lady of the United States.Beyoncé Surprises Today Show, Hoda's Head Nearly Explodes
What would you do if Beyoncé surprised you at work? Throw whatever you were holding straight into the air? Sit there, mouth agape at her presence? Fumble through a statement an octave higher than usual?Couple Watch
Beyoncé and Jay-Z, dancing in their seats as Alicia Keys and Sade performed "Love Is Stronger Than Pride" at the Black Ball in New York, benefitting the Keep a Child Alive foundation. And Knowles kept on dancing as her hubby took the stage to perform his big hit, "Empire State of Mind," alongside Keys. When she was done performing with the rapper, a pregnant Keys received a big hug from new hubby Swizz Beatz, who was waiting for her off-stage.
Beyoncé Makes Her Mark With Deréon Temporary Tattoos
(Photo) After effortlessly pulling off a stylish motorcycle maven in her fall/winter 2010 Deréon ad campaign, Beyoncé and her mother Tina Knowles have decided to add temporary tattoos to the sportswear collection. “We decided to invite Temptu to help us create custom body art for her to model with our fashions,” Tina Knowles, Deréon’s founder, designer and creative director, told WWD. “The resulting images were so strong that we realized consumers might want to re-create the tattoos themselves.” On Nov. 1, Deréon and airbrush makeup firm Temptu will release a limited edition collection of both basic and deluxe temporary tattoos to adorn and toughen up your look. The waterproof tattoos will be offered in Deréon’s signature fleur icon and in chains, spider designs, rocker bolts and jewel baubles-giving you a two to five-day edge. The $16-basic kit has eight tattoos and all the pieces needed to affix the designs on your skin, while the online-only deluxe kit will retail for $34 and includes a signed photo of Beyoncé as well as a chance to win a trip to New York. To pull your biker-chick look together, visit Sephora or dereon.com.
Couple Watch
After a successful performance at Yankee Stadium, Jay-Z celebrated with a bash at his 40/40 Club in N.Y.C., with his wife Beyoncé and a who's who of guests (like LeBron James). The couple entered and walked down a main staircase together, soaking up congratulations from fans and well-wishers.
Beyoncé Walks in Top Secret Tom Ford Runway Show
Much has been made of Tom Ford’s long-anticipated return to womenswear, and it seems the wait was more than worth it! In true Tom Ford fashion, the former Gucci and YSL designer secured none other than Beyoncé and a slew of other iconic faces to parade down his ultra-exclusive N.Y.C. runway on Sunday evening. According to WWD, Ford described the high-wattage models, who also included Julianne Moore, Daphne Guinness and catwalk queen Chanel Iman, as “the world’s most inspirational women.” And one in particular, certainly enjoyed storming the catwalk. “It was so much fun,” Beyoncé told WWD after the show, which Ford personally narrated. “It felt like a performance. It had the energy of a live show. It’s great to see people have fun in fashion.” Although access to the refined affair was so private that only one photographer was present and no photos were released, some lucky style-savvy guests took to their Twitter to provide a glimpse of what is sure to be one the most talked about events of New York Fashion Week. “Tom Ford gorgeousness: silk fringe gown, crisp tuxedos in blk and white, leopard pantsuits, corsets under peekaboo gowns and lace kneeboots” Tweeted Elle creative director and The City star Joe Zee. And while it may be awhile before we get to see the glamorous designs Tom has in store for spring, we’re happy to wait just a little bit longer.
2010 VMA Winners
Best Collaboration: "Telephone" - Lady Gaga featuring Beyonce
Video of the Year: "Telephone" - Lady Gaga (Featuring Beyonce)
Sightings
Beyoncé celebrated her 29th birthday with a dance party at The Darby in N.Y.C. alongside famous pals like Diddy, an expectant Alicia Keys and Kanye West. Hubby Jay-Z organized the private bash, while DJ Cassidy spun tunes, including Stevie Wonder's version of "Happy Birthday," which was played shortly before cake was served. There was also a jazz band, and a source says the party was "perfect" and "very intimate."
Lawsuit over Beyonce music video filming dismissed
A Los Angeles man who sued Beyonce Knowles claiming a music video shoot "shattered" his privacy has dismissed the case.Jay-Z throws Beyonce big b-day bash
Jay-Z threw an intimate party to celebrate wife Beyoncé's 29th birthday on Saturday. He took over nightlife im presario Scott Sartiano's and Richie Akiva's about-to-open Chelsea restau-rant, The Darby, and invited friends including Alicia Keys, Serena Wil liams, Kanye West and Sean "Diddy" Combs to toast Beyonce . . . while DJ Cassidy took over the decks. A spy reports, "Jay brought a six-layer cake out for B, they were really affectionate. Cassidy played Stevie Wonder's 'Happy Birthday.' The party went on until 6 a.m. Both Jay and B's moms were there, but there was no sign of her father or her sister. Diddy was the last to leave. Jay filled the room with orchids."
Sightings
Beyoncé and Jay-Z dropped anchor in Saint-Tropez during their vacation at sea. The couple headed ashore to Club 55, where they lunched on a seafood platter, raw vegetables and champagne. After, the singer was spotted jet-skiing and catching some waves.
Naomi Campbell adds Quincy Jones, Jay-Z & Beyonce to crew
Quincy Jones is the latest addition to Naomi Campbell's Mediterranean cruise, but he'll be outshined when Jay-Z and Beyoncé board the boat in Capri, a source says. Naomi's billionaire beau, Vladimir Doronin, his 13-year-old daughter, Katya, and her friend Olivia Rothschild, daughter of socialite Anna Rothschild, have been at sea since Campbell had to testify at the war-crimes trial of Liberian dictator Charles Taylor, who allegedly gave the model blood diamonds.Beyoncé Will Have a Baby 'When I Am Ready'
The plan hasn't changed – she still wants a baby. But Beyoncé Knowles says she and husband Jay-Z aren't on a specific timetable for when it might happen.Michael Jordan parties with Jay-Z at Avenue
Partygoers at Chelsea lounge Avenue were amazed when Michael Jordan turned up at 1 a.m. Friday with Jay-Z. The NBA legend "was in a good mood, wearing a white button-down shirt with jeans and white sneakers. He was drinking scotch on the rocks," a spy said. Jordan sat at Jay and Beyoncé's table, then headed upstairs, where "he chatted to other guests before leaving around 2:45 a.m." Rick Ross, in a velour cardigan, performed for the packed club, while Fat Joe and DJ Cassidy ran the VIP lounge.
First Listen: Beyoncé's Dance-tastic Remix of 'Why Don't You Love Me'
Beyoncé may be on a break from making music, but her alter ego Sasha Fierce is still hard at work.Beyonce in topless photo shoot
Beyonce is set to shock her young fans after posing topless and covered in fake tattoos for a racy new photoshoot.Beyonce hits Brooklyn Bowl to support sister
Pop starlet Beyoncé was showing some sisterly love to her younger sibling, Solange Knowles, Friday night. Mrs. Jay-Z shocked bowlers and partygoers when she showed up casually dressed to Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg, where Solange was deejaying.J.Lo's butt the 'most famous'
Jennifer Lopez has beaten off competition from the curviest stars in showbiz to land the title for the most famous bottom in the world.2010 Teen Choice Award Winners
Choice R&B Artist: Beyoncé
2010 MTV Video Music Award Nominations
Video of the Year
• Lady Gaga, "Bad Romance"
• Florence + the Machine, "Dog Days Are Over"
• 30 Seconds to Mars, "Kings and Queens"
• Lady Gaga featuring Beyoncé, "Telephone"
• Eminem, "Not Afraid"
• B.o.B. featuring Hayley Williams, "Airplanes"
• B.o.B. featuring Hayley Williams, "Airplanes"
• Beyoncé featuring Lady Gaga, "Video Phone"
• Lady Gaga featuring Beyoncé, "Telephone"
• 3OH!3 featuring Ke$ha, "My First Kiss"
• Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, "Empire State of Mind"
• Lady Gaga, "Bad Romance"
• Ke$ha, "Tik Tok"
• Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg, "California Gurls"
• Beyoncé featuring Lady Gaga, "Video Phone"
• Taylor Swift, "Fifteen"
• Lady Gaga, "Bad Romance"
• Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg, "California Gurls"
• Ke$ha, "Tik Tok"
• Beyoncé featuring Lady Gaga, "Video Phone"
• B.o.B. featuring Bruno Mars, "Nothin' On You"
• Lady Gaga, "Bad Romance"
• Florence + the Machine, "Dog Days Are Over"
• Eminem, "Not Afraid"
• 30 Seconds to Mars, "Kings and Queens"
• Beyoncé featuring Lady Gaga, "Video Phone"
• Lady Gaga, "Bad Romance"
• Lady Gaga featuring Beyoncé, "Telephone"
• Beyoncé featuring Lady Gaga, "Video Phone"
• Usher featuring will.i.am, "OMG"
• Janelle Monae featuring Big Boi, "Tightrope"
Sightings
Beyonce and Jay-Z having a late-night dinner next to Cobra Starship lead singer Gabe Saporta at Macao Trading Co.
We Hear...
Beyonce Knowles dining at Strip House, taking over a corner table with a small group of girlfriends and sharing food and wine until closing time.
We Hear...
That Amber Sabathia will throw husband CC a 30th-birthday bash at the 40/40 Club Sunday night with 300 guests, including all his Yankee teammates as well as Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Fabolous, Young Jeezy and Selita Ebanks
Beyonce nearly hit by London cab
Beyonce had a close call during a shopping trip on Tuesday after a taxi reportedly ripped off the door of her private car moments before she stepped out.Sightings
Jay-Z & Beyoncé, R&B singer Maxwell, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Naomi Campbell and Andre Harrell paying homage to the King of Pop at 1Oak's second annual Michael Jackson tribute party.
Sightings
Jay-z and Beyoncé dining with LeBron James at the Waverly Inn, no doubt trying to persuade him to come to the Nets.
Oprah Regains the Power in Celeb Land
You can't keep Oprah Winfrey down for long.Couple Watch
Beyoncé and Jay-Z, celebrating Solange's birthday and the one-year anniversary of club Avenue at the New York hot spot. The couple arrived after midnight – and Jay-Z requested a cake and some Ace of Spades champagne in honor of the birthday gal, who also spun at the party with DJ Reach. The couple sat with friends and were "very affectionate with each other and just chill," a source says.
2010 BET Award Winners
Video of the Year - Beyonce and Lady GaGa, Video Phone
Record label worried about rift between Beyonce, dad
Beyonce Knowles is still refusing to speak to her dad and manager, Matthew Knowles, after he fathered a love child with a woman 20 years his junior -- and suits at her record label fear the rift could damage her career.Could Reba and Beyoncé Be the Next Matchup on CMT Crossroads?
The long anticipated CMT Crossroads featuring Keith Urban and John Mayer will finally air Friday night. Having teased viewers with a sneak peek and a rousing performance of "Hit the Ground Runnin" at the CMT Awards, fans will now be able to enjoy a full hour of watching the guitar mavens do what they do best.2010 Teen Choice Awards nominees
The two-hour event airs Monday, Aug. 9 at 8 p.m. on FOX. Starting Monday, June 14, fans ages 13-19 can vote once each day at www.teenchoiceawards.com.
Beyoncé
Alicia Keys
Rihanna
Trey Songz
Usher
Jay-Z, Beyoncé Rely on Each Other to Know What's Cool
If Beyoncé ever decides to stop performing, there's another career husband Jay-Z says he knows she'll be able to conquer.Destiny's Child Still Not Reuniting Despite Tired Rumors
Hear the one about Destiny's Child reuniting? Us, either.Beyonce, Kelly Rowland still close
Beyonce Knowles and Kelly Rowland are still tight after their days together as members of Destiny's Child.FHM Magazine: 100 Sexiest Women for 2010
100. Elle Liberachi
99. Bilie Piper
98. Rochelle Wisemann
97. Freida Pinto
96. Lacey Turner
95. Eva Longoria
94. Giselle Bunchen
93. Georgie Thompson
92. Lady Gaga
91. Ali Larter
90. Alice Coulthard
89. Sasha Grey
88. Sienna Miller
87. Danielle Bux
86. Helen Flanagan
85. Christine Bleakley
84. Vikki Blows
83. Charlotte Church
82. Sugababes
81. Jennifer Aniston
80. Lindsay Lohan
79. Shakira
78. Christina Hendricks
77. Rosie Jones
76. Blake Liveley
75. Alexandra Burke
74. Zoe Salmon
73. Nicole Scherzinger
72. Katie Cassidy
71. Lily Allen
70. Angelina Jolie
69. Jessica Michibata
68. Olga Kurylenko
67. Gabriella Cilmi
66. Kara Tointon
65. Elin Nordgeren
64. Beyonce
63. Natalie Portman
62. Emily Atack
61. Candice Swanpoel
60. Taylor Swift
59. Nadine Coyle
58. January Jones
57. Bar Refaeli
56. Charlize Theron
55. Ana Ivanovic
54. Keira Knightley
53. Kristen Bell
52. Olivia Munn
51. Holly Willoughby
50. Doutzen Kroes
49. Michelle Ryan
48. Rachel McAdams
47. Evangeline Lilly
46. Jennifer Metcalfe
45. Pixie Lott
44. Britney Spears
43. Rihanna
42. Vanessa Hudgens
41. Kate Beckinsale
40. Dannii Minogue
39. Elizabeth Banks
38. Alessandra Ambrosio
37. Katy Perry
36. Miranda Kerr
35. Sarah Harding
34. Rachel Bilson
33. Elisha Cuthbert
32. Rachel Stevens
31. Jessica Biel
30. Michelle Keegan
29. Emma Watson
28. Kristen Kreuk
27. Rosie Huntingdon-Whitely
26. Summer Glau
25. Amber Heard
24. Zoe Saldana
23. Scarlett Johansson
22. Gemma Arterton
21. Eliza Dushku
20. Ashley Greene
19. Una Healey
18. Olivia Wilde
17. Diora Baird
16. Audrina Patridge
15. Tulisa
14. Mila Kunis
13. Kaya Scodelario
12. Hayden Panettire
11. Eva Mendes
10. Abbey Clancy
9. Jessica Alba
8. Adriana Lima
7. Kelly Brook
6. Kristen Stewart
5. Keeley Hazell
4. Frankie Sandford
3. Marisa Miller
2. Megan Fox
1. Cheryl Cole
Man sues Beyonce; claims video shoot trespassing
A man living across from a video shoot for Beyonce Knowles in the Hollywood Hills is suing the singer for nuisance and trespassing, claiming his privacy was invaded by unnecessary noise and crowds.Beyonce, Rodrigo y Gabriela to sing at WH dinner
Beyonce is set to perform at the White House state dinner for Mexican President Felipe Calderon (fay-LEE'-pay kahl-duh-ROHN').Sighting
Calling all the single ladies! After joining hubby Jay-Z at a Yankees game in New York, Beyoncé stepped out on her own to celebrate a pal's birthday at Manhattan hot spot Provocateur. A source tells PEOPLE the singer "laughed with the birthday girl" before making a quick exit.
Jay-Z, Beyonce to compete at 2010 BET awards
Rapper Jay-Z and his wife, Beyonce, will compete in three categories at the 2010 BET Awards.Pa. town engulfed by rumors about Beyonce, Jay-Z
Hey, didja hear the news? Beyonce and Jay-Z are moving to Schuylkill County, Pa.!Julia, Kristen, Reese, Anyone Named Jennifer and R.Pattz Among "Most Beautiful"
Hard as it may be to believe, this week's People magazine actually had two cover stories. We know, shocking.Beyonce pulls out of 'Star is Born'
Russell Crowe has confirmed reports he's in talks to take on Kris Kristofferson's role in a remake of Barbara Streisand movie A Star is Born - but Beyonce is no longer attached to the project.Beyoncé Joins Jay-Z And Glut of Stars at Coachella
(Video) Jay-Z and Beyonce were in a Coachella state of mind this weekend, as the couple headed to the desert for Jay's Friday performance at the fest. Not only was B there to support her hubby, she also joined him on stage to sing "Forever Young" later in his set.Keys' Beyonce duet delayed
Alicia Keys is postponing the release of her much-anticipated collaboration with Beyonce until the summer - so she can put out a track with Canadian star Drake.Not Fierce! Beyoncé's YouTube Page Blocked by Sony
First we find out Beyoncé's not pregnant, now her infamous music videos are on lockdown?!Beyoncé and Jay-Z Not Expecting a Baby
Fans who can't wait to see Beyoncé Knowles and Jay-Z start a family will have to be patient. Despite an online report that the singer is pregnant, a source close to Beyoncé tells PEOPLE the story is "not true." In the past, Knowles, 28, has spoken about her desire to start a family with her husband, 40. "I hope that those things will just happen naturally," she told Allure magazine for its February issue. The pair, who were married in a secret ceremony, celebrate their second anniversary April 4. The pregnancy rumor surfaced the same week a paternity test confirmed that Knowles's dad, Mathew, 58, is the father of a baby boy, according to a TMZ report. A rep for Beyoncé had no comment about the pregnancy report.
Paternity Test Confirms Beyoncé's Dad a Dad Again
It appears that Beyoncé Knowles has a new half-brother.Beyoncé's Perfume Sells $3 Million-In Just One Month!
Is it getting hot in here or is it just Beyoncé’s ‘Heat’? The diva’s first fragrance, launched last month exclusively at Macy’s, has been setting sparks off the shelves with its scorching success. Not only did the signature scent nab the honor of being the number one brand at Macy’s, but it has already sold around $3 million in its first month out — 72,000 bottles alone in a single hour during an in-person N.Y.C. appearance by the star, according to WWD. The fragrance–a mix of magnolia, neroli and blush peach scents–retails for $39-$59. To get your own bottle of the best-selling scent, go to Macy’s.com to purchase Beyoncé Heat!
Sighting
Now that's how you follow up a big show at Madison Square Garden! Robin Thicke celebrated his 33rd birthday at New York hot spot 1Oak with Beyoncé and Jay-Z by his side. The singer, who opened for Alicia Keys at the arena, started the night with an intimate dinner at Abe & Arthur's with his dad Alan and pals, before continuing on to 1Oak for cake, drinks and music by DJ Sinatra.
Jail, Poison, Beyonce: Lady Gaga Debuts Her Latest Brainchild
After months of anticipation, Lady Gaga and Beyonce have finally released their full-length video for "Telephone" — all nine minutes and thirty seconds of penises, prison lesbians, and murder. Hide the kids!Beyonce gives back to addicts
Beyonce Knowles has thanked staff and students at the New York substance abuse centre where she researched her role in movie Cadillac Records by returning to open a new cosmetology school named in her honour.Jay-Z parties, carbo-loads with Beyonce, Diddy and A-Rod
Jay-Z needed to carbo-load after opening the North American leg of his BP3 tour in Miami last week with wife Beyoncé, Sean "Diddy" Combs and Alex Rodriguez in the audience. After the show, the group headed to Scarpetta in the Fontainebleau, where "they chowed on bowls of spaghetti," a spy reports.Beyonce tops best body poll
Enjoying a delicious meal: Beyoncé and husband Jay-Z. The two were in Houston, where they stopped by award-winning eatery Reef after the rapper's concert. Before leaving, Jay-Z shook chef Bryan Cawell's hand, pumped his fist and praised the restaurant's crab cakes.
Beyonce tops best body poll
Beyonce is the envy of British women - the R&B star has topped a poll of the most wanted celebrity bodies.Beyonce's undies spark lawsuit
Sony Music bosses are fighting legal action from underwear manufacturer Triumph amid accusations Beyonce’s lingerie in her Video Phone promo is a direct copy of one of their designs.Beyonce's dad ordered to pay up
Beyonce's music mogul father has been ordered to pay $8,200 -a-month in child support for his alleged lovechild.Kids' Choice Award Nominees
23rd Annual Nickeolodeon Kids' Choice Awards will be given out March 27 in Los Angeles.
Beyoncé Knowles
Miley Cyrus
Lady Gaga
Taylor Swift
Rep: No gunfight at Beyonce show
A representative for Beyonce has dismissed reports of a gun battle at her concert in Brazil last week, insisting the gig took place "without incident."Beyonce show ends in gun battle
A Beyonce concert in Brazil ended in terror when gunmen opened fire on fans outside the venue.Child queen, U.S. stars to light up Brazil Carnival
Rio de Janeiro's youngest Carnival queen, just 7 years old, is preparing to share the limelight with pop divas Madonna and Beyonce as Brazil's annual blow-out gets under way this week.Beyoncé Named Official Face of 'Fashion For Haiti' T-shirt
The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) has named Beyoncé as the official face of their limited-edition “Fashion For Haiti” T-shirt. The charitable tee features black and lime green graphics designed by Peter Arnell, who also created the CFDA’s iconic “Fashion for America” mended heart T-shirt that raised $2 million dollars following 9/11 for the Twin Towers Fund. As the spokesperson for “Fashion For Haiti,” Beyoncé has a message for all fashionistas: “Join me and the fashion industry by buying and wearing the Fashion for Haiti T-shirt. Together we can send a message of hope by raising much needed funds for the people of Haiti.” In addition to Beyoncé, fashion designers like Diane von Furstenberg, Ralph Lauren, Tory Burch, Tommy Hilfiger and more are rallying to promote the $25 knit. The CFDA will donate the net proceeds from each T-shirt to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund. Look for the tee to hit shops and e-boutiques on February 16. For more information and a full list of stores, visit CFDA.com.
Beyonce, Alicia Keys shoot music video in Rio slum
Grammy Award-winning singers Beyonce and Alicia Keys are filming a music video in Rio de Janeiro.Beyoncé's Dad Will "Certainly" Take Paternity Test
The quest to determine whether Beyoncé has a half-brother is picking up steam.Beyonce's fashion label getting sued
R&B superstar Beyonce has been hit with a breach of contract lawsuit from the bosses of a Hong Kong clothing manufacturer.Mystery of who paid Beyonce deepens
The mystery of who paid Beyoncé a reported $2 million to perform at a New Year's party at Nikki Beach in St. Barts deepens. The Libyan leader's bachelor son, Mutassim Billah Khadafy, photographed with his hair slicked back at the party, denies bankrolling the event. While the benefactor who paid Beyoncé remains secret, sources say a $185,000 payment for the bash, attended by Jay-Z, Jon Bon Jovi and Usher, was wired to Nikki Beach by Malta-based financier Joseph Sammut. Meanwhile, Mutassim is annoyed at Europeans who keep confusing him with his violent brother, Hannibal, who was not at the party.
Beyonce & Jay-Z make up at Grammys
Jay-Z didn't seem amused when an emotional Beyoncé thanked him as her "husband" onstage at the Grammys. Sources say he was taken aback because they don't like to talk publicly about being married. A source at the show said, "He appeared startled and a little exasperated." But the couple, who wed amid strict secrecy in 2008, was later all smiles at the Sony BMG party at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where they celebrated Beyoncé's record six awards. A spy said, "They were holding hands and looking happy."Sightings
Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony held court with a who's who of stars – everyone from Rihanna to six-time Grammy winner Beyoncé – at music mogul L.A. Reid's post-Grammy Awards dinner party at Cecconi's in West Hollywood. Lopez had some girl talk with Nicole Richie, before settling down to the table, while Anthony and Joel Madden stood nearby. Soon, Glee star Matthew Morrison joined his possible future costar Lopez at the table, and the two giggled and chatted like "old pals," an onlooker says. Guests enjoyed food like Kobe beef and gorgonzola sliders and wild mushroom risotto, while the Grammy telecast played on television screens in the restaurant.Winners! 2010 Grammys
Female Pop Vocal Performance: Beyoncé, "Halo"Grammy Quotes
"Wow, thank you so much. This has been such an amazing night for me." — Beyonce Knowles after receiving her award for best female pop vocals, her sixth award Sunday.
Beyonce's six appeal dominates Grammys
R&B diva Beyonce dominated the 52nd Grammys here Sunday with six awards, edging out country star Taylor Swift who finished the music industry extravaganza with four prizes.Grammy Performances to YouTube
Six-time winner Beyoncé marched toward the stage in an armor-like costume, flanked by foot soldiers. The pop diva was clearly channeling her Sasha Fierce alter-ego as she poured out her hit "If I Were a Boy," complete with a sassy crotch grab and plenty of hair-tossing. But then, when you thought she was done, the singer launched into a revved-up cover of Alanis Morissette's angst-ridden "You Oughta Know."
Beyoncé's Big Night
The night's biggest winner, though, was another leading lady: Beyoncé, who claimed six of the 10 Grammys for which she was nominated, including song of the year for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," and best female pop vocal performance for "Halo." Winning six trophies in a single night earns her a place in Grammy history – no other female artist has accomplished that feat.Beyonce poised to add to Grammy total
Besides being one of the most popular singers on the planet, Beyonce has gotten plenty of accolades over her career. Now a veteran, she's won a caseload of Grammys for her solo work and also with Destiny's Child.Sightings
Beyoncé danced the night away and caught up with former Destiny's Child member Michelle Williams at a Haiti relief benefit at The Eldridge in downtown New York. Not far away, her hubby Jay-Z made the rounds, chatting up the club owners. The couple also sipped Belvedere cocktails and enjoyed tunes spun by Knowles's sister Solange, who played a soundtrack of Prince and Michael Jackson hits.
Sightings
One night before performing on the Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief telethon from London, Beyoncé was in Paris, where she stepped out for dinner at L'Avenue off the Champs-Elysees with hubby Jay-Z. "They looked so elegant together," an onlooker says.
Downey Jr., Beyonce in 'Born' remake?
Robert Downey Jr. and Beyonce are tipped to take the lead roles in a new remake of 1930s movie classic A Star Is Born.Beyoncé Wants a Baby - Someday
Before a baby, what Beyoncé really wants is some R & R.Sightings
That Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis made it to the birthday bash of Hot 97's Angie Martinez the other night at Quo, along with Jay-Z, Beyoncé and Grand Master Flash, but skipped the party his pal Osi Umenyiora threw for Osi's Giants teammates Kevin Dockery and Terrell Thomas the following night at Hudson Terrace.
Hollywood's top-earning couples
The indisputable king and queen of the hip-hop prom are Jay-Z and Beyonce Knowles. The couple, who quietly married in 2008, not only produce and sing some of the biggest hits on the charts (including "Single Ladies" and "Empire State of Mind") but they oversee clothing lines, perform around the world and endorse products from companies like American Express and Budweiser.Nintendo helps savvy singer Beyonce step up her style game
In a new commercial set to premiere on Nickelodeon, Beyoncé will be seen playing Style Savvy, a video game that turns players into managers of a virtual boutique.Beyonce is poised to take a well-deserved break in 2010
Beyonce's New Year's resolution is at once ambitious and surprising. The multitasking superstar, who was seemingly everywhere in 2009, hopes to spend a good chunk of 2010 not working.Beyonce sings for a Khadafy
Beyonce performed for an hour on New Year's Eve at a party thrown by terror-backing Libyan dictator Moammar Khadafy's son, Hannibal, who has a long record of violence against women.INSIDE STORY: The Making of Beyoncé's 'Single Ladies'
By now you should know Beyoncé's infectious tune by heart. It's the get-the-party-started anthem of the year, the fun kiss-off track that got Justin Timberlake dancing in a leotard on SNL, The Chipettes shaking their hips in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel and fans of every age, shape and size posting tributes to YouTube.Swift, Beyonce to perform at Grammys
Taylor Swift and Beyonce will perform at the Grammy Awards next month.Sightings
A lovey-dovey Beyoncé and Jay-Z helped pal Robin Thicke launch his new album, Sex Therapy, with a bash at Butter in New York. The duo shared a table with hotelier Andre Balazs and his blonde friend, and they stayed glued together all night. Beyoncé sipped Svedka martinis and even sang along to some of Thicke's songs, while Jay-Z stuck to champagne. When Thicke pulled Leighton Meester on stage to perform their duet "Somebody to Love," Beyoncé was smiling and clapping along to the beats. Next, the couple moved the party downstairs, where they held court in a banquette together.
Beyonce's parents confirm divorce
Beyonce's parents Mathew and Tina Knowles have broken their silence to confirm they are heading for divorce.Beyoncé Launches Her First Fragrance: Beyoncé Heat
Beyoncé’s first fragrance, Beyoncé Heat, doesn’t arrive in stores until February, but the singer says her fans already love it — and she loves it, too! “I’m so happy with it,” the singer tells WWD. “I’ve been working on it for a while now. I was on tour for a year, and I have meet-and-greets with fans. I’ve never in my life gotten so many compliments. Coty has their own testing, but that was my testing! The fans loved it. They were like, ‘I love that, I’m getting that, why isn’t it out right now? I need it!” The singer took inspiration for the fragrance’s name from previous tours, explaining, “A lot of my performances have had fire involved, so we thought ‘Heat.’ Also, red is one of my favorite colors, as is gold.” The singer looked to the past for the bottle’s design. “I wanted something with an antique yet modern feeling,” she said. “Even with my wardrobe, I always try to find things that have a little bit of something vintage, yet still timeless and classic.” Beyoncé, who has been the face of Tommy Hilfiger’s True Star and Giorgio Armani’s Emporio Diamonds fragrances, said it was the first time she started from scratch on a project. “Everything, from the bottle design to the name and the ideas for the commercials–that’s me. When I commit to something, I do it 100 percent,” she said. Beyoncé Heat, with top notes of red vanilla orchid, magnolia, neroli and blush peach, will include eaux de parfum in three sizes, as well as a sparkling body lotion, priced between $39-$59. Look for it in department and specialty stores, like Macy’s. Read more about Beyoncé at WWD.com.
Beyonce's mom files for divorce
Beyonce’s mother Tina has filed for divorce from the superstar's manager father Mathew Knowles. Stylist Tina Knowles began legal proceedings to put an end to her 29-year marriage in Harris County, Texas last month, according to TMZ.com. The reason behind the split has yet to be revealed, but the news comes just weeks after Mathew was targeted in a paternity lawsuit from Los Angeles resident Alexsandra Wright. Pregnant Wright, who works in the name-branding business, claims Beyonce's dad is the father of her unborn child, which is due in spring 2010. The Knowles wed in 1980 and have two children: the Crazy In Love hitmaker and her younger sister Solange.
In Thicke of it
Robin Thicke returned to his roots for his new album-release party, hosting the bash at Butter, where he celebrated his first album seven years ago. The crooner, who was full of surprises at the soiree, treated stars including Usher, Michelle Trachtenberg and John Legend to a full concert, taking over a stage with a 10-piece band and pulling Leighton Meester from the audience to join him in singing "Somebody To Love" as her beau, Sebastian Stan, cracked up. While Thicke performed, Beyoncé and Jay-Z held court at a table with Andre Balazs, who brought along a blond guest. "Beyoncé was really enjoying the performance. She sang along to Robin's songs and smiled and clapped as Leighton performed while drinking Svedka martinis," said a spy. Butter owners Scott Sartiano and Richie Akiva had another reason to celebrate: They're opening an outpost of the Lafayette Street hot spot next year in Charlotte, NC.
Beyonce joins the fun
Beyonce took the interactive vibe of "Fuerza Bruta: Look Up" to heart Saturday night, trying to learn the choreography during the high-energy dance spectacle's "murga" section, where dancers stomp on large platforms. And when a large piece of silver material was pulled over the heads of the audience, the singer gleefully ran under it, mingling with the performers and fellow show-goers. Our spies said Beyoncé's more sedate hubby, Jay-Z, smiled throughout the show but didn't try to get in on the act.
Jay-Z's a popular boss
Jay-Z and Beyoncé were in fine spirits at the holiday party for the rapper's Rocawear label at Hudson Terrace the other night. We hear the staff's Christmas gift to him was a video spoof of his hit single, "Empire State of Mind" -- starring his assistants, secretaries, interns and designers. "The couple stood and cheered and took time to pose for pictures and sign autographs for everyone's kids," says a spy. "They were pretty great."
Billboard's top 20 artists of the year
Taylor Swift is forced to share a stage with Kaye West again. This time, she'll probably like the experience a bit better. Swift and West are side by side as Top Female and Top Male Artist of the Year on Billboard's year-end charts.Amy, Beyonce, Kanye, made decade's best albums
The first decade of the new millennium produced some amazing albums, CDs that should go down with the best works of art. You might not find those albums on this list — which doesn't mean this list isn't the best of the decade.Sightings
THAT Beyoncé flew DJ Jus-Ske to the Dominican Republic as a surprise for Jay-Z's birthday and for the party Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz threw for their album release at Boom Boom Room.
Beyonce talking Vegas shows with Wynn, but no deal
Wynn Las Vegas officials say they're in preliminary talks with Beyonce to bring the superstar singer back to the Las Vegas resort.Tropical b-day treats
Beyonce pulled out all the stops for her husband Jay-Z's 40th birthday party at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic. The 60-odd guests at the '20s-themed fete included Kanye West and girlfriend Amber Rose, Sean Combs and girlfriend Kim Porter, Alex Rodriguez and Kate Hudson, Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys, Warner Music chief Lyor Cohen and designer Tory Burch, plus DJ Cassidy, who spun for the party. "Diddy gave a toast," says our insider. "Jay-Z's friends also put together a video saying how much they love him." The festivities, which featured synchronized swimmers, fireworks and an impromptu performance of "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z and Keys, lasted until 5 a.m. The next day, our source said, Beyoncé presided over a surf-and-turf brunch for guests at the luxury villa where she and Jay-Z were staying.
THE 52nd ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARD Nominations
"THE 52nd ANNUAL GRAMMY® AWARDS," LIVE JAN. 31, 2010, ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK.
"I Am...Sasha Fierce" - Beyoncé
"The E.N.D. " - The Black Eyed Peas
"The Fame" - Lady Gaga
"Big Whiskey And The Groogrux King" - Dave Matthews Band
"Fearless" - Taylor Swift
"Halo" - Beyoncé
"I Gotta Feeling" - The Black Eyed Peas
"Use Somebody" - Kings Of Leon
"Poker Face" - Lady Gaga
"You Belong With Me" - Taylor Swift
"Poker Face" - Lady Gaga & RedOne, songwriters (Lady Gaga)
"Pretty Wings" - Hod David & Musze, songwriters (Maxwell)
"Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" - Thaddis Harrell, Beyoncé Knowles, Terius Nash & Christopher Stewart, songwriters (Beyoncé)
"Use Somebody" - Caleb Followill, Jared Followill, Matthew Followill & Nathan Followill, songwriters (Kings Of Leon)
"You Belong With Me" - Liz Rose & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration:
"Ego" - Beyoncé & Kanye West
"Knock You Down" - Keri Hilson, Kanye West & Ne-Yo
"Run This Town" - Jay-Z, Rihanna & Kanye West
"I'm On A Boat" - The Lonely Island & T-Pain
"Dead & Gone" - T.I. & Justin Timberlake
Did Beyoncé-Honoring Soul Train Make a Single Lady of Braxton?
Warning: Performing at the 2009 Soul Train Awards can be hazardous to your marriage.Beyonce announces album plans for 2010
During the last U.K. stop of her "I Am..." tour at the Trent FM Arena in Nottingham, England, Beyonce announced that she plans to release a new album next year.Winners at the American Music Awards
Soul-R&B: Female artist: Beyonce
Beyonce's bags get own hotel room
Beyonce proved her superstar status in Britain earlier this week - she hired an extra hotel suite to store her designer stage outfits.Historian says Beyonce 'stupid'
Beyonce has come under fire for her lack of knowledge about ancient Egypt - by the country's Indiana Jones.ABC AIRS BEYONCÉ AND PAUL MCCARTNEY SPECIALS ON THANKSGIVING (11/26)
On Thanksgiving night, November 26, the ABC Network will air back-to-back hours from two of the world's biggest music stars, Beyoncé and Paul McCartney. Both specials will incorporate rarely seen footage of Beyoncé and Paul McCartney, revealing interviews from the artists and their unique musical performances.2010 People's Choice Awards nominees
Nominees for the People's Choice Awards are out, and the people choose vampires.Beyonce bountiful in Berlin at MTV Europe Awards with 3 wins
Berlin loves Beyonce.Islamic critics call Beyonce tour 'insolent sex party'
As Egypt gears for pop diva Beyonce Knowles' first performance in North Africa, Islamic conservatives are branding her show an "insolent sex party" that threatens the Muslim nation's "social peace and stability."Beyonce preps live discs, ABC special
Beyonce will later this month release a live concert DVD and companion CD, and a new song, "Video Phone" featuring Lady Gaga.'Single Ladies' is Tom Hanks' song of 2009
Tom Hanks is down with the single ladies.Gaga Channels Beyoncé for Their Video Collaboration; Becomes "Gee-Yoncé"
Is Lady Gaga abandoning her wacky fashion sense? No, thankfully, but for her video collaboration with Beyoncé, the zany dresser channeled the sexy and sleek style of the R&B pop princess — so well, she was nicknamed “Gee-yoncé” during the making of the video. Paparazzi photos from the “Video Phone” shoot show Gaga in an outfit that looks in line with Beyoncé’s sleeker style — a white strapless leotard, matching opera gloves and long, flowing hair. “When I was doing her video with her, she called me, and she said, ‘What do you want to do?’” Gaga revealed in an interview with New York’s Z100 radio station on Tuesday morning. “And I’m like, ‘I don’t want to show up in some frickin’ hair bow and be fashion Gaga in your video.’ I said, ‘I want to do you.’” In the same interview, Gaga said she just wanted to “do my version of Beyoncé, so the whole time I was learning the choreography they were calling me Gee-yoncé.” “Video Phone” is Beyoncé’s next single from the album “I Am…Sasha Fierce.” Gaga also mentioned that she and Beyoncé are working on music together, but did not elaborate on the details. We can’t wait for that to happen!
Beyonce, Maxwell, Keri Hilson lead Soul Train noms
With four nominations each, Beyonce, Keri Hilson and Maxwell head the list of nominees for the Soul Train Awards.Beyoncé Bails on Malaysia Gig
Seems like Sasha Fierce isn't putting up much of a fight.Beyonce recording with Lady GaGa
Beyonce is set for another major musical collaboration - she's working on a secret project with Lady GaGa.2009 American Music Awards Nominees
The ceremony will be broadcast live on Nov. 22.
Beyoncé
Lady Gaga
Taylor Swift
Beyoncé
Keyshia Cole
Keri Hilson
I Am…Sasha Fierce, Beyoncé
The E.N.D., Black Eyed Peas
Number Ones, Michael Jackson
Beyoncé Says Kanye West Was "Standing Up for Art"
Beyoncé says Kanye West was "standing up for art" when he swiped the mic from Taylor Swift at the MTV VMAs.Sightings
After taking in the Grizzly Bear concert recently at the Williamsburg Waterfront Park, Jay-Z and Beyoncé were back in the Brooklyn neighborhood – and hipster hangout – for dinner. The two were spotted dining out at Marlow & Sons, where they sat "alone, cuddling in a corner," a source tells us.
Multitasker Beyonce thrives on hectic pace
Beyonce may be the hardest-working woman in showbiz.Beyonce's dad in paternity suit
Beyonce's manager/father is at the centre of a new paternity case, filed by a 30-something Los Angeles woman.Beyonce wins two MOBO awards each
British bands JLS and N-Dubz shared the limelight on Wednesday with U.S. star Beyonce after all three acts won two MOBO awards each celebrating black, urban music.
Best Newcomer - JLS
Best R&B/Soul Act - Keri Hilson
Best Hip Hop Act - Chipmunk
Best Video - "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)"/Beyonce
Best International Act - Beyonce
Best Song - "Beat Again"/JLS
Best Album - "Uncle B"/N-Dubz
Beyonce, Aerosmith to play at Abu Dhabi F1 race
An entertainment promoter says Beyonce and Aerosmith will headline concerts at the first ever Formula One race in Abu Dhabi.Beyonce won't be 'naughty girl' at Malaysia show
Beyonce Knowles has sung about partying like a "naughty girl," but Malaysians can expect her to be on her best behavior for a concert in this Muslim-majority country next month, the event's organizer said Thursday.McEntire praises Beyonce's professionalism
Kanye West, be glad Reba McEntire wasn't at the MTV Video Music Awards.2009 MTV Europe Music Award Nominees
Best Song: - Beyonce/Halo; Black Eyed Peas/I Got A Feeling; David Guetta featuring Kelly Rowland/When Love Takes Over; Kings Of Leon/Use Somebody; Lady Gaga/PokerfaceTry 2 - Beyonce to perform in Malaysia
Beyonce Knowles says she will perform in Malaysia in October, two years after canceling a show in this conservative Muslim-majority country after protesters threatened to disrupt the concert because of her sexy image and clothing.Beyonce sued by Abercrombie & Fitch over fragrance
A battle between the pop star and the fashion brand just turned fierce.Kate Winslet, Michelle Obama make People's best-dressed
British actress Kate Winslet lead the pack of People magazine's 10 best-dressed women of 2009, with U.S. first lady Michelle Obama chosen for "best accessible glamour."Beyonce To Create a Signature Scent!
Competition in the celebrity fragrance market just got a little fiercer. WWD reports that Beyonce has officially signed a deal with Coty Inc. — the same company who is responsible for Halle Berry, Sarah Jessica Paker and Gwen Stefani’s scents — to produce her own perfume. “For me, fragrance reflects a woman’s attitude and unique sense of style,” Beyonce told WWD. “While I love various perfumes, I haven’t found a scent that truly personifies me as a woman. Working with Coty, I was able to turn my ideal fragrance into a reality by creating an alluring and sophisticated fragrance; one that’s reflective of my inner power.” And while this is Beyonce’s first shot at creating a scent, the superstar singer has fronted fragrance campaigns such as Tommy Hillfiger’s True Star in 2004 and Emporio Armani’s Diamonds fragrance in 2007. No details on what her scent will smell like, but Beyonce’s fragrance is set to hit stores this spring. We can’t wait to smell it — and see the ad campaign!
List of video music award winners
A list of winners of the MTV Video Music Awards.Beyonce, Eminem Win VMAs as Kanye Rains on Taylor Swift's Parade
Beyonce, Eminem, Britney Spears and Taylor Swift all won Moonmen at Sunday's 2009 MTV Video Music Awards — the latter much to the chagrin of Kanye West. But what's an award show without some controversy from the rapper?Sighting
BEYONCÉ and Jay-Z getting into supercar prototype Devon GTX on Newtown Lane in East Hampton.
We Hear...
THAT Jay-Z will host the 10th-anniversary party of his publicist Ron Berkowitz's firm, Berk Communications, at 40/40 on Wednesday with such guests as Beyoncé, Tiki Barber, Elton Brand, Lance Bass and Robert Iler
Project Runway All-Star Sues Over Beyoncé's Tour Togs
Beyoncé's I Am… extravaganza is a tour de force. It also just became a tour de fierce.Billboard names Beyonce as 'Woman of the Year'
The year's not even over, but Billboard already knows who its woman of the year is — Beyonce (Bee-AHN'-say).Beyonce bodyguard questioned over paparazzi clash
A personal bodyguard of Beyonce Knowles has been questioned in Croatia after being caught on film clashing with a cameraman in the coastal resort of Dubrovnik.Beyonce's bodyguard, Croatian cameraman come to blows
A visit by Beyonce to the Croatian coastal resort of Dubrovnik reportedly ended with one of her bodyguards exchanging blows with a local journalist.Sighting
PAUL Shaffer dining at Nello after being interviewed by Vanity Fair's George Wayne about his new book, "We'll Be Here for the Rest of Our Lives," and bumping into Queen Latifah, Jay-Z and Beyoncé
Beyoncé to Guest Star on America's Best Dance Crew
Season 4 of MTV’s “Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew” features a second episode on Sunday, Aug. 16, spotlighting but one artist — Beyonce, who’ll be seen throughout in taped personal messages to each crew. Her appearances reveal instructions on which of her songs they’ll dance and what will be their specific challenge.Man accused of Jay-Z, Beyonce threat
A Detroit man has been charged with sending letters threatening to kill celebrities, including Beyonce and Jay-Z and former football star Jerome Bettis.Beyonce, Lady Gaga top MTV music award nominees
Pop stars Beyonce and Lady Gaga on Tuesday each earned nine nominations for next month's MTV Video Music Awards, more than any other artist, while Britney Spears continued her musical comeback with seven nods.Beyonce and friends to rock Formula 1 night race
Formula One's only night race is expected to be louder and more melodic this year with the appearance of Beyonce and other global music stars at the first "F1 Rocks" concert, organizers said on Tuesday.Sighting
Beyoncé, enjoying a late-night dinner with hubby Jay-Z at LAVO Italian Restaurant and Nightclub in Sin City. The low-key couple, dressed down in jeans and sweatshirts, ate in a corner booth at 11:30 p.m., following her concert at Encore Las Vegas. The next night, the rapper returned to the East Coast for his 80 minute headlining performance at the All Points West Music & Arts Festival at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, N.J. Meanwhile, Courtney Love was spotted backstage at the festival with daughter Frances Bean, popping her head into the press tent but then getting camera shy and running away.
Concert Review: Beyonce - Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto - July 20, 2009
Pop-R&B diva Beyonce lived up to her on-stage alter-ego -- Sasha Fierce -- last night at the Molson Amphitheatre.Sighting
Tom Cruise, doing the famous "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" dance at Beyoncé's concert at L.A.'s Staples Center. "Everyone was laughing and taking pictures," a concertgoer tells us of the scene. When the actor originally arrived – sans wife Katie Holmes, who is filming her new movie in Australia – he waved and smiled at fans who stood up and cheered when they saw him walk in. Cruise then settled in next to the sound booth where he sang (and danced!) along all night.Despite glitzy gimmicks, Beyonce connects with fans
Beyonce recently topped Forbes' list of the richest stars under 30, but she clearly is not hoarding the money: A ton of it must have been spent on her latest spectacle of a tour."Soul Train" vaults opened for DVD deal
Fans of television's long-running "Soul Train" will now have the chance to purchase DVDs of the pioneering dance show.Beyonce's "Fierce" Clothing Line Goes Back-to-School
America’s high schools are about to get a lot more stylish come fall. In partnership with her mom Tina Knowles and their existing design label House of Dereon, Beyonce plans to launch her junior apparel label, Sasha Fierce for Dereon just in time for back-to-school, reports WWD. The brand’s name, of course, plays off the singer’s on-stage alter ego, and will encompass everything from sportswear to shoes, jewelry and eyewear. And while the main collection includes more simple staple pieces, like a one-shoulder dress, a bodysuit, jackets and jeans, the collection’s accessories, Tina reveals, “are really over the top.”
Sighting
Beyoncé and Jay-Z, double-dating with Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin at Madeo Restaurant in Beverly Hills. The couples met for dinner after the BET Awards and were "definitely having a good time and laughing," an onlooker tells us. At one point, the group switched seats so the ladies could sit next to each other in the booth while the guys sat on the outside.
2009 BET Award winners
Best Female R&B Artist
Beyoncé Knowles (Winner)
Keyshia Cole
Keri Hilson
Jennifer Hudson
Jazmine Sullivan
Beyoncé Knowles – If I Were a Boy
Beyoncé Knowles – Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It) (Winner)
Jamie Foxx f/ T-Pain – Blame It
T.I. f/ Rihanna – Live Your Life
Kanye West – Heartless
Angela Basset
Rosario Dawson
Taraji P. Henson (Winner)
Jennifer Hudson
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
Keri Hilson - Turnin Me On (f/ Lil Wayne)
Lil Wayne - A Milli
Soulja Boy Tell'em - Kiss Me Thru The Phone (f/ Sammie)
T.I. - Live Your Life (f/ Rihanna) (Winner)
T-Pain - Can't Believe It (f/ Lil Wayne)
Kanye West - Love Lockdown
Sighting
JAY-Z and Beyoncé catching The Roots at the Highline Ballroom after Lenny Kravitz's daughter, Zoë, opened
Beyoncé Tips Her Hat to Michael Jackson
Still reeling two days after Michael Jackson's death, the music industry's biggest names are paying tribute to the King of Pop.Beyoncé on Michael Jackson
Beyoncé called Jackson's death a "tragic loss" on a "terrible day."BEYONCE BACKOUT STUNS CLUB
A PULLOUT by Beyoncé Knowles has a Manhattan clubowner threatening a million-dollar lawsuit.Beyoncé: Bootylicious, Yes; Bootleggers, No.
Safe to say Beyoncé isn't crazy in love with these guys.2009 Teen Choice Award nominations
Surfboards (in lieu of trophies) for the 11th annual event will be distributed during a two-hour special on Aug. 10 on Fox. Fans, ages 13-19, can vote for the winners at TeenChoiceAwards.com.
Anne Hathaway vs. Kate Hudson, Bride Wars
Hugh Jackman and Liev Schreiber vs. Weapon XI, X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Beyonce Knowles vs. Ali Larter, Obsessed
Robert Pattinson vs. Cam GIgandet, Twilight
Chris Pine vs. Zachary Quinto, Star Trek
Beyoncé
Jamie Foxx
Jennifer Hudson
Ne-Yo
T-Pain
"Crush," David Archuleta
"Halo," Beyoncé
"Lovebug," Jonas Brothers
"How Do You Sleep," Jesse McCartney
"Love Story," Taylor Swift
"Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)," Beyoncé
"If This Isn’t Love," Jennifer Hudson
"Mad," Ne-Yo
"Kiss Me Thru The Phone," Soulja Boy Tell 'Em feat. Sammie
"Love Lockdown," Kanye West
I Am…Sasha Fierce, Beyoncé
The Fame, Lady Gaga
One of the Boys, Katy Perry
Fearless, Taylor Swift
Carnival Ride, Carrie Underwood
Miley Cyrus
Megan Fox
Vanessa Hudgens
Beyoncé Knowles
Blake Lively
Beyonce to be among performers at BET Awards
Beyonce will perform at the Black Entertainment TV Awards.Beyoncé Gets Fierce With George Michael
Forget careless whispers. Last night at London's O2 arena, there was nothing but screaming and thunderous applause.Angelina's New Title: Most Powerful Celebrity in the World
Watch out, Oprah! This year Angelina has the power.Sightings
BRIT FIX: Jay-Z and Beyoncé, hanging over Memorial Day weekend at the London outpost of Amy Sacco's Bungalow 8.
Beyonce accosted by fan
Bodyguards at Beyonce's London concert on Monday night were thrown into a panic after a fan squeezed past security checks in an attempt to reach the superstar and her husband Jay-Z.Beyoncé: In the Running for an Oscar
Beyoncé's dream of winning an Oscar helps keep her in shape.Beyonce on Her Style Status: "I Don't Know If I'm Fashion Obsessed"
From her collection of outrageous shoes to her bevy of designer bags, Beyonce clearly loves fashion — but don’t call her obsessed just yet. “I don’t know if I’m fashion obsessed,” she tells Britain’s Mirror. The singer, who also helps mom Tina Knowles design their House of Dereon collection, gets a bit more fashion conscious while working, but for her day-to-day life, she goes casual. “When I’m at home I usually wear the same thing every day. I have my straight-leg jeans and a pair of Christian Louboutins and a little jacket and a white shirt,” says Beyonce. And what about all those “it” bags? “I get sent about 15 designer bags a month. I can only imagine how much they cost. Even I wouldn’t buy some of them,” she admits. Lucky girl! Check out the rest of the interview at mirror.co.uk where Beyonce dishes on her workout regime, meeting the Obamas and more.
Beyonce, T.I. lead BET Awards nominees with 5 each
For Beyonce and T.I., No. 1 is followed by five — BET Awards nominations, that is.Beyoncé: The Obamas Made Me Cry
Even Sasha Fierce, it seems, has moments of weakness.Beyoncé Imposter Tricks Vienna Museum
The Albertina Museum in Austria got an exciting call on Tuesday: A manager for Beyonce Knowles said that the star was on her way over.Box Office Totally Obsessed with Beyoncé, Larter
The fight card: Beyoncé Knowles vs. Ali Larter. The result: Hollywood wins.
17 Again, $11.7 million
Fighting, $11.4 million
The Soloist, $9.7 million
Earth, $8.6 million
Monsters vs. Aliens, $8.5 million
State of Play, $6.9 million
Hannah Montana: The Movie, $6.4 million
Fast & Furious, $6.1 million
Crank: High Voltage, $2.4 million
Beyoncé Dances to Stay Fit
Beyoncé Knowles's curves are in all the right places – thanks to hours of dancing and online shopping!Beyonce 'not ready' for kids
Beyonce is in no rush to build a family with her hip-hop mogul husband Jay-Z - insisting she's "not ready" to halt her career to have children.Beyoncé Laughs Off Recording Hoax
Grammy Award winning singer and actress Beyonce Knowles has a plan to settle down in a couple of years and have some children with her husband, hip hop mogul Jay-Z, do less touring and -- debut on Broadway.Beyoncé Laughs Off Recording Hoax
Beyoncé Knowles good-naturedly shrugged off the alleged soundboard recording of her shrieking her way through "If I Were A Boy" from a November 2008 Today show concert.Beyonce's dad fumes over aired vocals
Beyonce's father/manager has lashed out at critics doubting the singer's vocal ability - after an "altered" recording of the star screeching along to one of her hits was aired on radio.Q&A with Beyonce
Beyonce says one of the toughest parts of summer tour has been condensing more than a decade's hits into a two-hour show. Judging from a recent photo shoot, figuring out how to perform them in Thierry Mugler's elaborate, over-the-top costumes is just as difficult.Beyoncé Takes Sasha Fierce on the Road
Forget a summer vacation – Beyoncé is spending hers on the road. The singer will kick off the U.S. leg of her "I AM …" world tour in New York on June 21.Jennifer Aniston Earned $27 Million in 2008
Who needs a man when you've got cash?Beyoncé Gets Animated in Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!
Beyoncé is officially part of a new girl group.Beyonce takes a shine to Nick's 'Wubbzy!'
In making her voiceover debut, Beyonce Knowles chose a good cause: pleasing her 4-year-old nephew. Daniel Julez Smith, Jr., son of Solange Knowles, is a big fan of Nickelodeon's Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!. Now his aunt will provide the voice for Shine, lead singer of a girl group.Sightings
FAIR GAME: Beyoncé Knowles, in NYC, playing Rhythm Heaven on her new Nintendo DSi, while filming commercials for the product, which launches on April 5.
Destiny's Child to reunite?
R&B superstars Destiny’s Child are set to reunite to record one final album, according to U.S. reports.Kids' Choice Awards winners
Favorite Song: Beyonce, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)."
Live Review: Beyonce in Edmonton
Why on Earth would Beyonce choose Edmonton to be the first date of her new world tour?Beyonce slams weight gain reports
R&B superstar Beyonce has slammed critics for suggesting she is struggling with a weight issue after she was pictured out in New York showing off a more rounded figure.10 reasons to love Beyonce
With Britney Spears taking her sweet time getting back up to the top and Rihanna's unfortunate assault case with boyfriend Chris Brown bringing her down, there's only one female pop star we can rely on these days: Beyonce Knowles.Sightings
BEYONCE Knowles and Kelly Rowland gossiping while getting their eyebrows shaped at the Damone Roberts Salon on Fifth Avenue
BOWERY BRA
WHEN Beyoncé popped into Patricia Field's Bowery boutique where The Post snapped her emerging from a shopping visit the other day, she wasn't shy about throwing some real money around, recession or not. Our source reports that "she spent $11,000 in just 20 minutes." Mrs. Jay-Z made sure to pick up the essential evening wear including "a black, diamond-studded bra."
Beyoncé Admits: At Home, I'm A Slob!
Sure, she always looks put together on the red carpet, but Beyoncé Knowles says she's hardly that way at home.Oscar Scoop: Beyoncé, Zac Efron & More to Sing
Host Hugh Jackman won't be the only star singing and dancing at Sunday's Academy Awards.Top 20 best-selling albums of 2008 globally
01. COLDPLAY - "Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends"
02. AC/DC - "Black Ice"
03. Various Artists - "Mamma Mia! The Movie Soundtrack Featuring The Songs Of ABBA"
04. DUFFY - "Rockferry"
05. METALLICA - "Death Magnetic"
06. LEONA LEWIS - "Spirit "
07. AMY WINEHOUSE - "Back To Black"
08. Various Artists - "High School Musical 3: Senior Year"
09. LIL WAYNE - "Tha Carter III"
10. RIHANNA - "Good Girl Gone Bad"
11. MADONNA - "Hard Candy"
12. BEYONCE - "I Am... Sasha Fierce"
13. PINK - "Funhouse"
14. GUNS N' ROSES - "Chinese Democracy"
15. BRITNEY SPEARS - "Circus"
16. JACK JOHNSON - "Sleep Through The Static"
17. IL DIVO - "The Promise"
18. TAYLOR SWIFT - "Fearless"
19. JONAS BROTHERS - "A Little Bit Longer"
20. Various Artists - "Camp Rock"
Beyonce, Hudson win Image Awards
It was a dreamy night for a couple of "Dreamgirls." Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson both glided away with trophies Thursday and wowed the audience with individual performances during the 40th annual NAACP Image Awards.Beyonce, Stevie Wonder, will.i.am to perform at Image Awards
Fox TV says Beyonce, Stevie Wonder and will.i.am are among the performers set for the NAACP Image Awards.Paltrow, Cox help raise money for cancer
Beyonce hugged Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg chatted up Jay-Z at a fundraising dinner honouring Gwyneth Paltrow and Courteney Cox at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.James: Beyonce jabs only jokes
Etta James says she was joking when she said she "can't stand Beyonce" and would "whip" the singer for performing James' song "At Last" at an inaugural ball for President Barack Obama.22nd Annual Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards Nominees
Dwayne "Don't Call Me the Rock" Johnson will host the slime-happy awards bash, to be telecast live from Los Angeles on March 28. As always, kids will vote on the winners of each of the 18 categories online beginning March 2.
Katy Perry, "I Kissed a Girl"
Rihanna, "Don't Stop the Music"
Chris Brown feat. T-Pain, "Kiss Kiss"
Beyoncé, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)"
Beyoncé
Miley Cyrus
Alicia Keys
Rihanna
Feud Fest: Etta James Has No Love for Beyoncé
Valentine's Day is nearly a week away—where is the love in Hollywood?2009 Essence Music Festival has much to celebrate
The Essence Music Festival has plenty to celebrate this year.Sightings
GOOD FASHION: Beyoncé, wearing a Public Library T-shirt, sales of which benefit The Samburu Project, a nonprofit helping to improve Kenya's access to clean water.
Sightings
DC's posh Mandarin Oriental Hotel has become an essential celeb-sighting stop. Guests spied power couple Beyoncé and Jay-Z chilling in the piano lounge.Beyoncé Sings Out at Obama Inaugural Celebration
Barack Obama and his family had a star-studded – and musical – introduction to Washington, D.C.Beyonce to sing 'At Last' for the Obamas
Beyonce has revealed the song she plans to serenade the Obamas with in their first dance as America's first couple — and no, she won't be telling the president to "put a ring on it."Beyonce to sing for Obama dance
Beyonce will sing for Barack and Michelle Obama's first dance on inauguration night.Beyonce, Wonder, Springsteen at inaugural event
Judging by the lineup, Sunday's inaugural celebration for Barack Obama at the Lincoln Memorial is a coveted gig for music's top names.Billboard Single Review
ARTIST: BEYONCE
SINGLE: HALO
Score one for Sasha Fierce. When last competing with her alter-ego, Beyonce opened up her double album "I Am ... Sasha Fierce" with the two-sided single "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" and "If I Were a Boy," designed to be promoted separately for R&B/rhythmic and pop radio outlets, respectively. Looks like Sasha had different ideas: "Ring" crossed to pop and spent a month at the Billboard Hot 100 summit, while "Boy" rivaled with a No. 3 peak. The competition continues as Beyonce's pop-hued "Halo" now competes with Sasha's "Diva." The former has a mainstream pop sound, with subtle R&B undertones that should carry it to the top of the charts. Comparisons could be made to Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love" (also co-written by Ryan Tedder), but this "Halo" hangs high on its own merits. Sounds like Beyonce and Sasha will again be at a draw in this singles battle. But they win either way.
THE 40th NAACP IMAGE AWARDS NOMINATIONS
Outstanding Female Artist
• Alicia Keys (J Records)
• Beyoncé (MusicWorld/Columbia Records)
• Jennifer Hudson (Arista)
• Mariah Carey (Island Def Jam)
• Rihanna (Island Def Jam)
• “If I Were A Boy” – Beyoncé (MusicWorld/Columbia Records)
• “Single Ladies” – Beyoncé (MusicWorld/Columbia Records)
• “Spotlight” – Jennifer Hudson (Arista)
• “Superwoman” – Alicia Keys (J Records)
• “Yes We Can” – Will.i.am (Will.i.am Music Group/Interscope)
• “Greenlight” – John Legend (Columbia Records)
• “Single Ladies” – Beyoncé (MusicWorld/Columbia Records)
• “Spotlight” – Jennifer Hudson (Arista)
• “Superwoman” – Alicia Keys (J Records)
• “Yes We Can” – Will.i.am (Will.i.am Music Group/Interscope)
• Jennifer Hudson – “Jennifer Hudson” (Arista)
• Kanye West – “808 & Heartbreaks” (Island Def Jam)
• Ne-Yo – “Year of the Gentleman” (Island Def Jam)
• Seal – “Soul” (Warner Bros. Records)
Taylor, Beyoncé Open 2009 on Top
Taylor Swift haters have nothing to fear but Fearless itself.
1. Fearless, Taylor Swift
2. I Am…Sasha Fierce, Beyoncé
3. 808s & Heartbreak, Kanye West
4. Twilight soundtrack, various
5. Dark Horse, Nickelback
6. Circus, Britney Spears
7. A Different Me, Keyshia Cole
8. Intuition, Jamie Foxx
9. Now That's What I Call Music! 29, various
10. All Wrapped Up, various
Jackson's Fury Over Knowles Comment
Beyonce Knowles has reportedly upset fellow pop star Janet Jackson by implying that her family were not from a high-class background.Beyonce, Lady Gaga lead U.S. singles chart
Beyonce logged a fourth week atop the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart Friday, while near-record digital sales drove dance-pop singer Lady GaGa to the No. 2 slot.Beyonce music videos dominate YouTube, including 'If I Were A Boy'
A number of high profile musicians have made enormous dents on YouTube: Soulja Boy, Rihanna, the Jonas Brothers and Chris Brown among them.Beyonce leads singles chart for third week
Beyonce logged a third week at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart with "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," a tune from her latest chart-topping album.Beyonce back in control of US singles chart
Beyonce assumed control again of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on Thursday with "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)."Hilton, Kutcher among MySpace friends' leaders
Zach Braff, Kim Kardashian and Selena Gomez have more in common than their celebrity status: According to MySpace, they're among the stars with the most friends on the social network.Sightings
JAY-Z and Beyoncé lunching at the Palm Court restaurant at the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo
Beyoncé Is No Sasha Fierce, Says Pal
They costar in the new film Cadillac Records, but Gabrielle Union and Beyoncé go way back.Music revs up this 'Cadillac'
Though the music in Cadillac Records hums along powerfully, the film could use a tune-up.
Stars: Jeffrey Wright, Adrien Brody, Mos Def, Beyonce Knowles
Director: Darnell Martin
Distributor: TriStar Pictures
Rating: R for pervasive language and some sexuality
Running time: 1 hour, 49 minutes
Opens Friday nationwide
Beyoncé on Keeping Her Relationship with Jay-Z Strong
Marriage for Beyoncé and Jay-Z can be a "power struggle," according to the singer – especially when both superstars have their own careers and millions of dollars.Beyonce rings up new No. 1 single
Beyonce notched her fifth solo No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on Thursday, one more than she scored as a member of Destiny's Child.Nominations for the 51st Grammy Awards
R&B: Female vocal performance
Heaven Sent ,Keyshia Cole
Spotlight ,Jennifer Hudson
Superwoman, Alicia Keys
Need U Bad, Jazmine Sullivan
Beyonce to perform at Essence Fest in New Orleans
Beyonce is the first artist lined up for next year's Essence Music Festival in New Orleans.`Cadillac Records' plays song you've heard before
Darnell Martin could have made an entire movie about Muddy Waters. Or Etta James. Or Chuck Berry.T.I. fends off Beyonce
Rapper T.I. started a fifth nonconsecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Live Your Life" featuring Rihanna. But Beyonce was nipping at his heels with two songs.ON-SITE RESEARCH
BEYONCÉ spent some time in a drug rehab facility last year - but not for an addiction of her own. The squeaky-clean singer wanted to research her role as drug-ravaged R&B legend Etta James in the upcoming movie, "Cadillac Records," and spent lots of time talking to recovering addicts at Brooklyn's Phoenix House. As a result of her experience, next week's premieres of the film in New York and Los Angeles will benefit Phoenix House.
Beyoncé: I Am... Bigger Than Nickelback, David Cook
Apparently, it takes two Beyoncés to beat a pair of rock studs.Whose Idea Was Beyoncé's Shiny Robot Glove?
See? I told you. The Cylons. They look like us now.Beyonce and co-stars spread the word about 'Cadillac Records'
The best part about working for Beyoncé Knowles?Beyonce says her parents' marriage prepared her
Beyonce says her parents prepared her for the hard work of marriage.Beyoncé: Too Traumatized for Babies?
Beyoncé Knowles says married life is "great" – but she's still in no rush to have kids.Beyonce coming a bit more 'Fierce'
With a new album and two movies on the horizon, it appears the Season of Beyonce has begun.Beyoncé Would 'Love' to Perform at Obama's Inauguration
As Barack Obama's inauguration draws closer, all eyes are on potential performers for the big event. If they're looking for volunteers, Beyoncé Knowles will happily raise her hand!Beyonce Uses Youtube To Improve Performances
Singer Beyonce Knowles uses video sharing website YouTube to critique her own performances. The Crazy In Love hitmaker has sold more than 63 million albums worldwide but can't resist tearing apart her performances when she watches them back.Beyoncé 'Still Can't Believe' Justin Was Her Backup Dancer
Beyoncé is in awe of Justin Timberlake after he played one of her backup dancers on Saturday Night Live last weekend.Beyonce is tender, sassy on 'Sasha Fierce'
Beyoncé, I Am … Sasha Fierce
*** (out of four) DUAL CHALLENGE
At a time when celebrities invite TV cameras into their bathrooms without batting an eyelash, Beyoncé Knowles — or Mrs. Jay-Z, though she's not likely to sign any autographs that way — is that rare public person who demands privacy, and who understands its old-school allure. On I Am … Sasha Fierce, Beyoncé, like David Bowie and Mariah Carey before her, unleashes an alter ego, and uses it to both open her heart and maintain her dignity.
-Consider: Broken-Hearted Girls, Scared of Lonely (deluxe edition)
Beyonce swoons and grinds on her third CD and try at concept album
On Beyonce's new album, the 27-year-old singer-diva-icon gives her on-stage, bump-n-grind alter-ego Sasha Fierce co-billing.Billboard CD review: Beyonce
ARTIST: BEYONCE
ALBUM: I AM . . . SASHA FIERCE
Beyonce devoted half of the tracks on this double-disc set to her feisty alter ego Sasha Fierce (think "Single Ladies"). But, it's the classic, more timeless R&B songs on the "I Am" portion of the album that seem like a much-welcomed stretch for the singer. Lead single "If I Were a Boy" is the first taste of Beyonce's newfound love for powerful ballads, as she croons about reversing gender roles. On "Halo" she sings in a lower register than usual over big drums and an epic piano pattern and belts emotively ("I don't want a broken heart/And I don't want to play the broken-hearted girl") on the Babyface-penned "Broken-Hearted Girl." Songs like "Video Phone," with its repetitive, vibrating beat, and the thumping "Diva," a collaboration with Sean Garrett, don't break new ground but more than provide the radio-ready dance tracks for which Beyonce, er, Sasha Fierce, is beloved.
Beyoncé: I Didn't Want to Marry Too Young
Beyoncé, who has always been tight-lipped about her marriage to Jay-Z, is finally giving some insight into her thoughts about tying the knot.SHE'D BE WONDERFUL
BEYONCE Knowles is serious about trying to become the next "Wonder Woman." The LA Times reports the singer has already met with reps from DC Comics about starring in the flick, due out in 2011. "A black Wonder Woman would be a powerful thing. It's time for that, right?" she says. Knowles, who once pranced around in her underwear in an "Austin Powers" picture, has her work cut out for her if she hopes to squeeze into Lynda Carter's iconic red, white and blue bathing suit. "I would definitely have to keep it right for that costume," she says.
Beyoncé Debuts New Album Online
Good news, Beyoncé fans: You don't have to wait until Nov. 18 to hear the R&B singer's new album, I Am . . . Sasha Fierce. All 16 tracks from the double album are streaming right now on the singer's official MySpace page.Nominees for the 2009 People's Choice Awards
This year's ceremony will air on CBS on Wednesday, Jan. 7.
Amy Adams
Drew Barrymore
Beyonce
Orlando Bloom
Chris Brown
Chace Crawford
Miley Cyrus
Leonardo DiCaprio
Zac Efron
America Ferrara
Ryan Gosling
Jake Gyllenhaal
Anne Hathaway
Scarlett Johansson
Angelina Jolie
Alicia Keys
Keira Knightley
John Krasinski
Shia LaBeouf
Blake Lively
John Mayer
Eva Mendes
Daniel Radcliffe
Rihanna
Taylor Swift
Justin Timberlake
Carrie Underwood
Usher
Milo Ventimiglia
Pete Wentz
Kanye West
Reese Witherspoon
Beyonce on offers for wedding pics: 'Ridiculous!'
Beyonce insists she would have never considered selling photos of her hush-hush wedding to Jay-Z to a glossy celebrity magazine. Still, the singer acknowledges that she was amazed at the amount of money that was offered.Beyoncé's Style Inspiration: Her Mother
Beyoncé's sense of style comes from a source close to home – her mother Tina, who owned a hair salon and taught the young Beyoncé how to dress well and save money.Beyoncé: I Want to Play Wonder Woman
Already a superstar, Beyoncé now has her eyes set on becoming a superhero.Beyonce Opens Up About Destiny's Child Split
Superstar Beyonce Knowles has opened up about the controversial split of the original members of pop group Destiny's Child, insisting she's not to blame for the break-up.Beyoncé Knowles Is a 'Fierce' Etta James
Her next album, out Nov. 18, might be entitled I Am... Sasha Fierce, but Beyoncé Knowles, 27, has another alter ego these days: blues veteran Etta James.Beyonce gushes with pride after Obama election
Attention, Mr. president-elect: Come Inauguration Day, Beyonce is at your service.Beyonce Happy To Fly Economy Class
R&B star Beyonce Knowles has no problem flying economy - as long as she has some breathing space. The Crazy in Love singer, who is married to rapper Jay-Z, has amassed a multi-million dollar fortune at the age of 27. But Knowles admits she is no stranger to no-frills flights and claims her only trouble is surviving the journey unnoticed.Beyonce's Romance With Jay-Z Is Not Perfect
Beyonce Knowles insists married life with rap mogul Jay-Z is "not perfect" because they experience the same problems as normal couples. The Crazy In Love hitmaker wed Shawn 'Jay-Z' Carter in April, but she admits they have had their fair share of disagreements during their six-year romance.Beyonce Coy About Nervous Breakdown Comments
Beyonce Knowles has spoken out about a recent magazine article in which she revealed she almost suffered a nervous breakdown, insisting she may have been misquoted.T.I., Beyonce lead U.S. singles chart
Rapper T.I. claimed the top two spots on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart for a second week on Thursday, while R&B singer Beyonce surged to No. 3 with her 10th top 10 solo single as a solo artist.Sighting
Beyoncé, surprising the crowd at Power 105.1's annual Powerhouse concert at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J., by joining hubby Jay-Z onstage. The R&B star offered up an energetic dance number to her new hit "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" – then flashed her own wedding band. Earlier, Beyoncé kicked off her night with an event at Bloomingdale's, where she promoted her movie Cadillac Records.
Beyonce would like to be known as "Sasha Fierce"
Just like the "Seinfeld" episode where George wanted everyone to call him "T-Bone," Beyonce Knowles would like to be known by a bold new name.Celebrities can coax youth to vote, study shows
Initiatives by celebrities like Beyonce Knowles, Christina Aguilera and Sean "P.Diddy" Combs to persuade young people to vote have been successful, research showed on Tuesday.Beyoncé: Gaining 15 Lbs. to Play Etta James Was Tasty
Beyoncé reclaimed her bootylicious curves (and then some!) to play soul singer Etta James in the upcoming film Cadillac Records.Billboard singles review
ARTIST: BEYONCE
SINGLE: IF I WERE A BOY
For the past three years, Beyonce's solo career has flurried in and out of focus, with a series of oddball singles, one-off collaborations and curious strikeouts ("Ring the Alarm," anyone?). The 27-year-old is obviously now paying attention to dominant muse Rihanna -- 10 years her junior -- who has effortlessly played dominoes with the charts during the same period by playing the melodic field: dance, pop, R&B and yes, even ballads. Two singles head to radio from Beyonce's upcoming third album, "I Am." "Ladies First" is standard screech-thump fare, but "If I Were a Boy" is Beyonce's most affecting offering since "Listen" from "Dreamgirls." Her vocal performance is breathtaking: exquisitely emotive, mournful and mature.
Beyoncé Reveals Two Very Different Sides in Her New Videos
Britney Spears isn't the only superstar with a new music video. Beyoncé released two of her own Monday, for her new, vastly different – yet revealing – songs "If I Were a Boy" and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)."We Hear...
THAT Beyoncé was decked out in navy-blue Carolina Herrera for the cover of The New York Observer's new glossy fashion mag, Observer Style, peering through a diamond-studded monocle
Beyoncé Finally Opens Up About Secret Wedding
Six months after marrying Jay-Z, Beyonce is at last revealing details about their top-secret wedding.Beyoncé's Double Debut
After recording more than 70 songs for her upcoming album – due out Nov. 18 – Beyoncé debuted, count 'em, two new singles on the radio Wednesday morning.Beyoncé Records More Than 70 Songs for New Album
Beyoncé may have more than an album on her hands – she may have a box set.MTV Europe Music Awards Nominations
Between September 29 and November 2, MTV viewers will be able to vote for the winners of each category at www.mtvema.com.
- Alicia Keys
- Beyonce
- Chris Brown
- Kanye West
- Lil Wayne
Sightings
Beyoncé and Jay-Z, turning heads and inspiring audible murmurs as they made their way through the VIP balcony at Santogold's show at The Fillmore NY @ Irving Plaza. Flanked by a personal security detail, the couple walked up to the edge of the balcony, taking in the late-night show and rocking out to the singer's hits like "L.E.S. Artistes." Jay-Z sported his shades indoors, and his wife wore her hair up in a tight bun.
B'Day Set for New Beyoncé
Mark your calendars.Couple Watch
Beyoncé, smiling while surrounded by friends and, of course, husband Jay-Z at a party for the Artful Dodger Collection at New York's Chelsea Art Museum. As they were led to their table, everyone at the bash stopped to get a look at the power couple. But the two were very mellow, sitting next to each other the entire time and bopping their heads to the music while still wearing their shades. Beyoncé did perk up when they played her song "Upgrade U," which features a cameo by her hubby, a partygoer tells us. Meanwhile, the deejay spun some Jay-Z hits too – and he seemed amused by one particular mashup. Noticeably missing from view: Beyoncé's $5 million wedding ring, though Jay-Z was sporting a band of his own.
Beyoncé Shows Off $5M Engagement Ring
Jay-Z sure knows how to pick the bling!Beyoncé: 'I Wanna Be Iconic'
Forget mere celebrity. Beyoncé says she aspires to icon status.Mariah, Miley, Beyonce join voices to fight cancer
What would it sound like if 15 of the hottest female singers joined voices? The answer will be revealed Sept. 2.L'Oreal denies lightening Beyonce's skin in ad
Cosmetics giant L'Oreal is denying it lightened Beyonce's skin tone in an ad.Urban, Beyonce Help NFL Launch Season in New York
Keith Urban will perform in New York City's Columbus Circle during an NFL kickoff party. Several other artists are expected to appear at the Sept. 4 concert that coincides with the season opener between the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants later that night. While in New York, Urban will also perform at this year's Fashion Rocks concert scheduled for Sept. 5 at Radio City Music Hall. The concert, set to air Sept. 9 on CBS, will feature Beyoncé, Black Eyed Peas, Chris Brown, Duffy, Justin Timberlake, Kid Rock, Mariah Carey and Rihanna.
Timbaland to 'Shock' with Beyoncé & Rihanna
It's back to the studio for Timbaland – and once again, he's inviting along some friends.Fashion Rocks Announces Big-Name Lineup
Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Fergie and Mariah Carey!Destiny's Child To Reunite?
Former Destiny's Child star Kelly Rowland is sure the girl group will stage a comeback next year. The trio split up in 2005, with Rowland, Michelle Williams and Beyonce Knowles all going on to forge successful solo careers.Beyonce added to passport probe
U.S. officials fear singer Beyonce Knowles' passport has been improperly accessed, making her the latest celebrity to be targeted by crooks.Beyoncé Hosts Dance Party for Sister's 22nd Birthday
These ladies know how to celebrate! Beyoncé Knowles threw a dance party for Solange's 22nd birthday Monday night that brought out pals Ludacris, Ne-Yo, Mario and Destiny Child's Michelle Williams.2008 Teen Choice Award Nominees
This is the 10th annual incarnation of the adolescent-friendly kudos, which spreads the wealth among film, TV, music, comedy, sports and fashion. Fox will broadcast the two-hour bonanza Aug. 4.
Beyoncé
Chris Brown
Rihanna
T-Pain
Usher
2008 Forbes Celebrity 100 Power List
Rank Name Pay ($mil) Web Hits Press Mentions TV Mentions
1 Oprah Winfrey 275 2 5 1
2 Tiger Woods 115 12 1 3
3 Angelina Jolie 14 1 9 15
4 Beyonce Knowles 80 3 32 14
5 David Beckham 50 10 3 18
6 Johnny Depp 72 17 19 36
7 Jay-Z 82 6 43 41
8 The Police 115 15 20 51
9 J.K. Rowling 300 23 27 64
10 Brad Pitt 20 4 8 7
11 Will Smith 80 26 39 32
12 Justin Timberlake 44 5 24 17
13 Steven Spielberg 130 34 23 60
14 Cameron Diaz 50 13 50 45
15 David Letterman 45 42 34 10
16 LeBron James 38 32 13 13
17 Jennifer Aniston 27 21 67 49
18 Michael Jordan 45 38 45 29
19 Kobe Bryant 39 28 18 24
20 Phil Mickelson 45 87 12 23
21 Madonna 40 15 20 67
22 Simon Cowell 72 65 47 40
23 Roger Federer 35 40 2 26
24 Alex Rodriguez 34 51 7 6
25 Jerry Seinfeld 85 79 72 38
26 50 Cent 150 69 68 88
27 Kanye West 30 8 28 28
28 Celine Dion 40 27 44 54
29 Bruce Willis 41 45 41 47
30 Dr. Phil McGraw 40 82 55 2
31 Tom Cruise 13 7 10 9
32 Jay Leno 32 41 36 5
33 Sean "Diddy" Combs 35 19 59 30
34 Stephen King 45 33 54 86
35 Miley Cyrus 25 11 49 19
36 Kimi Raikkonen 44 53 14 90
37 Jeff Gordon 32 73 26 11
38 Ronaldinho 37 24 6 98
39 Shaquille O'Neal 32 36 29 34
40 Judge Judy Sheindlin 45 99 88 4
41 Howard Stern 70 52 90 68
42 Tyler Perry 125 94 83 80
43 Fernando Alonso 33 30 4 92
44 Leonardo DiCaprio 45 68 65 77
45 Donald Trump 30 48 40 12
46 George Lucas 50 66 74 85
47 Keira Knightley 32 37 42 82
48 Jerry Bruckheimer 145 96 94 96
49 Nicolas Cage 38 56 51 70
50 Spice Girls 21 14 37 25
51 Matt Damon 21 39 31 20
52 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 31 84 25 37
53 Bon Jovi 25 18 48 59
54 Jennifer Lopez 7 9 35 22
55 Ben Stiller 40 77 75 72
56 Kevin Garnett 29 67 30 55
57 Nicole Kidman 13 22 16 39
58 James Patterson 50 95 84 100
59 Rush Limbaugh 33 57 73 56
60 Reese Witherspoon 25 49 70 61
61 Maria Sharapova 26 61 15 69
62 Ryan Seacrest 31 72 79 33
63 Gwen Stefani 27 25 69 76
64 Daniel Radcliffe 25 62 52 74
65 Alicia Keys 15 20 53 46
66 Gisele Bundchen 35 74 99 94
67 Gwyneth Paltrow 25 50 62 78
68 Tyra Banks 23 47 81 53
69 Serena Williams 14 64 17 43
70 Eva Longoria Parker 9 31 58 21
71 Ellen DeGeneres 20 60 64 35
72 Sarah Jessica Parker 18 54 66 50
73 Katherine Heigl 13 63 61 31
74 Regis Philbin 21 91 71 8
75 Tom Clancy 35 78 96 99
76 Rachael Ray 18 80 80 16
77 Cate Blanchett 12 44 22 62
78 Heidi Klum 14 46 78 57
79 Carrie Underwood 9 35 63 44
80 Jon Stewart 14 58 60 51
81 Justine Henin 12.5 75 11 58
82 Judd Apatow 27 88 76 97
83 Kate Moss 7.5 29 33 81
84 Patrick Dempsey 13.5 83 77 66
85 Charlie Sheen 20 86 87 63
86 Drew Carey 12 90 89 27
87 Steve Carell 5 81 56 42
88 Lorena Ochoa 10 92 38 75
89 Jonas Brothers 12 55 86 84
90 Howie Mandel 14 100 98 65
91 Wolfgang Puck 16 98 91 83
92 Zac Efron 5.8 70 85 79
93 Annika Sorenstam 11 93 46 89
94 Ashley Tisdale 5.5 43 95 91
95 Gordon Ramsay 7.5 76 57 93
96 Jennifer Love Hewitt 5 59 93 71
97 Lauren Conrad 1.5 71 100 95
98 Vanessa Williams 4.5 89 92 48
99 Tina Fey 4.6 85 82 73
100 Paula Deen 4.5 97 97 87
Snoop to Beyoncé: 'Make Some Babies'
After a decade of marriage and three children later, rapper Snoop Dogg has a few words of advice for new husband and wife Jay-Z and Beyoncé Knowles.Beyonce For Bond Track?
R&B star Beyonce Knowles has reportedly been approached to replace Amy Winehouse and record the theme song for the forthcoming Bond movie, 'Quantum Of Solace'.Jay-Z and Beyonce Buy Marital Home
Superstar couple Shawn 'Jay-Z' Carter and Beyonce Knowles have bought their first house as husband and wife - in the same New York county that they wed in last month.Staying Dry
FUELING rumors that her wedding to Jay-Z was a shotgun-style marriage, Beyoncé has been steering clear of the sauce. The hip-hop queen, who often enjoys a flute of champagne, abstained from any alcohol whatsoever at the Kanye West after-party at 1Oak last week. "Beyoncé only drank water," said our onlooker. As for the baby rumor, her reps previously told us they would perform an ultrasound and get back to us. We're still waiting.
Beyonce To Become A Desperate Housewife?
R&B superstar Beyonce Knowles is reportedly in talks to join the cast of TV hit Desperate Housewives. The singer/actress' manager father Matthew Knowles has allegedly already landed the Crazy In Love hitmaker a guest appearance on the programme, but according to reports, he is looking to secure Beyonce a more prominent role.Eating For Two?
BEYONCÉ Knowles still won't confirm her April 4 wedding to Jay-Z, so there was no chance yesterday she'd confirm she's pregnant. But pals of the tight-lipped newlyweds say the songbird is expecting the couple's first child. "She has gained a lot of pregnancy weight," a source said. "When she gains weight, she normally does the Def Jam detox, but not now." A rep for Beyoncé said, "I don't know if she's pregnant. Let me perform an ultrasound and get back to you."
Burger Panic
AFTER a night of red carpet glamour at the Metropolitan Museum, newlyweds Beyoncé and Jay-Z headed out for burgers and fries. "Pop Burger had just closed," said a source. "There was a loud knock on the door, and Jay and Bey, who was still in her ball gown, were at the door with their Maybach waiting." The East 58th Street spot opened its doors and bagged up cheeseburgers and fries, which the famished duo took to go.
Jay-Z Toasts A-Rod & Beyoncé Boogies in N.Y.C.
Newlyweds Jay-Z and Beyoncé partied with New York Yankee and new dad Alex Rodriguez in New York Tuesday night, where they playfully continued to dodge questions about their April 4 wedding.Beyoncé Makes Surprise Appearance at Jay-Z Show
Newlyweds Beyoncé and Jay-Z briefly shared the stage on Friday at New York City's The Heart of the City concert, after the rapper jokingly made fun of his wife's hit song "Crazy in Love."Newlywed Beyoncé Returns to Recording Studio
Beyoncé, who married Jay-Z nearly a month ago in New York City, returned to the studio this week to record new material, PEOPLE has learned.Kelly Rowland Still Keeping Mum on Beyoncé Wedding
The marriage license has been filed – as PEOPLE first reported last month – but Kelly Rowland is still playing coy when it comes to Beyoncé Knowles's hush-hush wedding to Jay-Z.Beyoncé and Jay-Z's Wedding Ring Mystery
Beyoncé and Jay-Z are officially Mr. and Mrs. There's no doubt about it since the filing of their signed marriage license was made public.Beyoncé & Jay-Z File Signed Marriage License
Beyoncé and Jay-Z are mum, but their paperwork is doing the talking for them: The couple filed their signed wedding license Friday in Scarsdale, N.Y., PEOPLE has confirmed exclusively.
Jay-Z and Beyoncé: Acting Like Newlyweds
They've yet to confirm their April 4 nuptials, but Beyoncé Knowles and Jay-Z are certainly acting like newlyweds.Rihanna Shocked (Shocked!) by Jay-Z & Beyoncé's Wedding
Like many of Jay-Z and Beyoncé Knowles's friends and colleagues, Rihanna had no idea about the happy couple's hush-hush nuptials last week.Solange On Beyonce As A Mom
First came Crazy in Love, then came the hush-hush marriage – could the baby carriage be far behind?We Hear...
THAT Beyoncé Knowles, mom Tina, and sister Solange, got their eyebrows sculpted by Damone Roberts at his new Fifth Avenue salon.
Beyoncé Wears Huge Rock at Jay-Z's Atlanta Show
Beyoncé and Jay-Z may not be talking about their wedding, but her bling certainly seems to be.Can Jay-Z, Beyonce buck post-wedding sales slide?
As Jay-Z and Beyonce celebrate their first week of marriage, they may want to consider that power marriages in the music industry can hurt record sales.Mary J. Blige's Concert Shout-Out to Jay-Z & Beyoncé
Mum was the wedding word from Jay-Z as he hit the stage in North Carolina on Saturday – a day after a friend says he married Beyoncé Knowles – revealing nothing about a ceremony and wearing no ring.Beyoncé, Jay-Z Hip-Hop to the Altar
First comes crazy in love, then comes marriage.Media swarm around rumored Beyonce-Jay-Z wedding
Rumors of a marriage between hip-hop mogul Jay-Z and singer-actress Beyonce drew swarms of media to the street outside his penthouse on Friday, even as speculation swirled about the possibility of a hoax.Beyoncé and Jay-Z: Wedding Prep Under Way?
For Beyoncé and Jay-Z, April showers brought flowers – and a possible wedding. On a rainy Friday in New York City, crews delivered floral arrangements, candelabras and a tent into Jay-Z's Tribeca apartment building.Kelly Rowland & Michelle Williams Coy About N.Y.C. Stay
In a new YouTube video posted late Thursday night, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams goof around at a hotel in Manhattan. But if the singers are in town for Beyonce's rumored wedding, they're not saying.Beyoncé & Jay-Z 'Looked Happy' Getting Marriage License
Beyoncé and Jay-Z arrived at Scarsdale Village Hall shortly after it opened at 9 a.m on Tuesday to get their marriage license. "It was just the two of them," an eyewitness tells PEOPLE. "They were very polite and smiling as they filled out the paperwork. They were holding hands for a while. They looked really happy."Jay-Z, Beyoncé Teaming Up at the Altar?
Either Jay-Z's love has gotten the best of Beyoncé, or the crazy-in-lovebirds are playing one heck of an April Fools' joke on the world.
