An older image of Beyonce and Jay-Z

The New York Daily News has an article today alleging that Beyonce is pregnant, and that’s the real reason for her “quickie nuptials” to Jay-Z last Friday. We still have yet to receive any official confirmation of a wedding from the couple or their reps, but some random details have leaked out about the ceremony, including a photo of Beyonce’s alleged bouquet. It’s super tacky and reeks of Tina Knowles. The Daily News seems to think Beyonce’s got a bun in the oven, and that’s the real reason the longtime couple finally tied the knot.

Did a pregnancy send Jay-Z and Beyoncé running down the aisle? Buzz is building that this weekend’s quickie nuptials were actually a shotgun wedding. It would be the second for the Knowles’ family: At just 17, Beyoncé’s little sis, Solange, wed boyfriend Daniel Smith in the Bahamas after learning she was pregnant.

While reps for both J and B are neither confirming nor denying baby talk, the diva has indicated in the past that she’d like a big family: “I want to get married, and I really want a family. In a perfect world I’d have two boys and a girl.”

[From Rush & Molloy]

That seems like a whole lot of speculation to me. First off, we have no reason to believe it was a quickie wedding. Just because the press wasn’t informed about it doesn’t mean it hasn’t been in the works for months. It seems like the fact that it was a small ceremony that happened 3 days after they got their marriage license makes people think it was a hastily made decision. Jay Z and Beyonce have always kept their relationship really low profile. It’s quite likely they’ve been engaged for a while.

The way Beyonce and her mom go all-out on everything (some would say to a ridiculously tacky extent), I highly doubt they’d rush a once-in-a-lifetime event like Beyonce’s wedding. I think based on the Daily News’ evidence, we could accuse just about every bride of being pregnant.

Beyonce and Jay-Z in 2006
Beyonce and Jay-Z are married, according to a source quoted in People Magazine. There was some speculation that these two weren’t getting married and were just having a party, but if it wasn’t a wedding they sure went to a lot of trouble and expense, including taking out a marriage license on April Fool’s day. Here are the details that are known so far, thanks to People, E! Online, In Touch, and OK!

• The wedding is said to have taken place at Jay-Z’s Tribeca penthouse apartment last night.
  

• Guests included Beyonce’s mother and father, her sister, Solange, and her former Destiny’s Child band members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, who posted a goofy youtube video yesterday that lent some credence to the “wedding hoax” rumors.
  

• George Clooney, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Chris Martin were also in attendance. (George’s attendance was reported by E! Online’s The Hum, who note that he was at the right time and place to suggest he was also going to the wedding.)
  

• Candelabras, long white candles and white orchids were seen being delivered at lunchtime. People reports that from 50,000 to 60,000 white orchids were imported from Thailand.
  

• A cake was delivered around 3 p.m., it is described by E! as “a large white cake box that was a couple of feet wide and a couple of feet deep.”
  

• A white tent was erected on the roof of Jay-Z’s apartment.
  

• Guests were instructed to wear white.
  

• Guests started arriving at 7:00 pm and the party lasted well into the early morning, with guests only starting to leave at 2:00 am.
  

• The roman numeral IV was a theme of the night, as both Beyonce and Jay-Z’s birthdays fall on the fourth. Jay-Z’s birthday is 12/4/69 and Beyonce’s is 9/4/81. They have matching ring finger tattoos of the numeral IV that they reportedly had done in France on 12/4/07. Jay-Z’s chain of clubs is called 40/40. The date yesterday was 4/4/08.
  

• Guests were told not to bring in cell phones and surrendered their phones to their drivers.
  

• DJ Cassidy provided the music for the evening.
  

• Jay-Z moved into the building last week, and a resident says he was warned that there was going to be “a large party on the roof” Friday night.
  

• In Touch says that Beyonce and Jay-Z are planning a second wedding in France on May 4.
  

• Jay-Z is on tour with Mary J. Blige and has concerts scheduled in Greensboro, NC and Washington, DC this weekend. His North American tour does not wrap until May 8, so it may be some time before these two can go on a honeymoon. That may also make the rumored second wedding in France difficult.

There is no official confirmation yet from anyone, but it seems like it’s just a matter of time. Good for Beyonce and Jay-Z for marrying sort-of under the radar while managing to have a party for their friends that was virtually press free. We’ll have to see if any wedding photos come out and if that story that Beyonce’s dad was trying to broker a deal for exclusive pictures was true.

Here’s a video of Gwyneth Paltrow and her husband Chris Martin arriving at the wedding. Gwyneth covers her face with her hand while Martin hunkers down, and the paparazzi surround and follow them like zombies hungry for brains. Thanks to OK! for posting this.

Beyonce’s sister Solange arriving at the wedding, thanks to WENN.

There are reports all over Manhattan that Beyonce and Jay-Z may be tying the knot today. A party of some sort is definitely happening at Jay-Z’s apartment – though it could be to celebrate his recent $150 million deal with Live Nation. Evidence includes a white tent that’s been set up on the roof of the building, flowers and candelabras that have been delivered (some left out on the curb, letting People magazine get quite the snapshot), and AV equipment delivery. Several of the couple’s friends are in the city, including Beyonce’s former Destiny’s Child band mates Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland, who for some stupid reason mention in a YouTube video that they’re staying at the Four Seasons in Manhattan right now. Other famous friends in NYC are Jermaine Dupri, Kanye West , Diddy, and Pharrell Williams. But to be fair, it’s New York City, no podunk nowhere. It’s not exactly weird that a lot of celebrities are here this weekend.

Jay-Z is breaking out the bubbly at his place Friday night for a big celebration. The big question is whether it’s to mark his rumored wedding to Beyoncé Knowles, or his $150 million deal with Live Nation. “Jay has invited some close friends, including Diddy, to his apartment in New York,” a source told the Daily News. “He hasn’t said if it’s for his wedding.”

Several sources close to the families of Knowles, 26, and Jay-Z, 38, said they knew nothing about a ceremony. There have been several false marriage reports going back at least two years. That hasn’t stopped Beyoncé’s dad, Mathew Knowles, from stringing along at least one celebrity weekly with the offer of wedding pics for sale.

“Mathew first started talking about wedding photos on Monday,” a magazine insider told The News. “He said, ‘How much are you offering?’ There has been a back-and-forth since then, but he has not revealed the date. He is definitely talking about there being wedding pictures.”

[From the New York Daily News]

Well that’s classy. Always a good dad, and always a good manager, right? Supposedly the event will be attended by 30 guests. Which seems small for a wedding, but certainly happens – especially when you’re trying to keep things private. What does seem odd is that the guests were all told to wear ivory, according to VH1 and several other websites. I’m pretty sure that the number one etiquette rule for a wedding guest is not to wear white. In fact I think it’s one of the few rules people still pay attention to. And Beyonce doesn’t seem like the kind of girl to let anyone steal her thunder – certainly not on her wedding day. So although there’s a ton of evidence that Beyonce and Jay may be getting hitched today, that one little detail makes me think they might be pulling one over on us.

Here’s a photo of the tent erected atop of Jay-Z’s building today. Splash notes: “Amid rumors of a wedding between Jay Z and Beyonce Knowles, a tent has been erected on the roof abutting jay Z’s apartment. According to US reports, behind the tent is an all-white interior.” Thanks to Splash for the image.

Update: Us Weekly is reporting that a reverend and his wife were seen entering Jay-Z’s building. I don’t pretend to have any idea how Us Weekly knows the guy is a reverend.

Jay-Z seems to really have the world in his hands right now. The rapper/music mogul filed for a marriage license with longtime girlfriend Beyonce Knowles on Tuesday, and since then things have only gotten bigger and better for him. The Associated Press has reported that Jay is about to sign a $150 million deal with Live Nation, which will include both CDs and concerts. Jay-Z was reportedly in great spirits, celebrating at a Toronto club last night.

He was definitely in a celebratory mood before and after his show last night in Toronto. “Jay-Z was not with Beyonce but looked so happy he could have burst,” says an observer at Toronto’s popular bistro Sotto Sotto, where he ate a pre-concert dinner with a bunch of guy friends. Later, he partied well into the night at Toronto’s downtown club Lobby, where he was laughing, chatting up his guests and waving his arms to the music.

[From People]

Jay-Z isn’t just a rapper, he was also the president of Def Jam records for three years. Live Nation has also inked deals with Madonna and U2, but Jay is their first foray into hip hop. The numbers are pretty astounding, considering his last album had just so-so sales figures.

But the arrangement would also position Live Nation to participate in a range of new deals with Jay-Z, one of music’s most entrepreneurial stars, whose past ventures have included the Rocawear clothing line, which he sold last year for $204 million, and the chain of 40/40 nightclubs.

His first undertaking with Live Nation is his current 28-date tour with Mary J. Blige, his biggest live outing in more than three years. After that, Live Nation envisions integrating the marketing of all Jay-Z’s entertainment endeavors, including recordings, tours and endorsements. “I’ve turned into the Rolling Stones of hip-hop,” Jay-Z said in a recent telephone interview.

[From the New York Times]

Jay-Z definitely earns his reputation as not just a good performer but a great businessman. The Live Nation deal includes funding for Jay’s own business ventures in a company called Roc Nation, which will include music publishing, talent grooming and management, along with his own label. They’ll contribute $25 million over the course of five years to it. The timing of the wedding license is interesting, considering all these great things are happening to Jay-Z in such quick succession. Makes you wonder if he had some agreement with Beyonce, like “Once I get my next record deal figured out, we’ll get married,” or something. No matter what, it seems like congratulations are in order.

Here’s Jay-Z arriving for The Late Show with David Letterman on March 31, 2008 in New York. Images thanks to PR Photos.

People reports that sources say that Beyonce and Jay-Z registered for a marriage license on Tuesday morning in Scarsdale, NY, which would give them 60 days to get married in the state under that license. Beyonce’s rep had no comment and there is no further information about it.

Singer Beyonce, 26, and rapper and media mogul Jay-Z, 38, have been together for over five years and this isn’t the first rumor that they were about to tie the knot. In early March there was a story that Beyonce and Jay-Z were out at Butter Nightclub in NY and that Beyonce stashed what looked like a giant diamond engagement ring in her purse when witnesses spotted it.

Back in January there was a rumor that these two were secretly married at Georgio Armani’s house in Paris over the Christmas holidays. They were each seen with matching ring finger tattoos around that time that seemed to signify some kind of commitment.

The NY Daily News reports that Jay-Z was seen meeting up with Beyonce’s younger sister, Solange, in Miami recently, with a source claiming the meeting was about asking her family for permission to marry.

If this is true congratulations to Jay-Z and Beyonce. It would also be nice if they got married in a low-key ceremony without a lot of guests or a huge party. Either way is great for them, but it would be a pleasantly surprise if they got married under the radar.

Another week, another “Beyonce and Jay-Z are engaged or about to be married” story. Back in January, there was a rumor that they were secretly married at Georgio Armani’s house in Paris over the Christmas holidays. Both Jay-Z and Beyonce were sporting new matching ring-finger tattoos of the numeral IV, so people thought it must be symbolic of some kind of commitment, marriage being the logical assumption. Beyonce was rumored to be pregnant at that time, too, and that didn’t pan out. It seems like a lot of stories are spread about these two based on conjecture.

The singer and media mogul have been together for five years and despite all the rumors they haven’t split up, gotten engaged, or secretly married as far as we can tell.

Now there’s a story that Beyonce was seen out with a giant sparkling diamond ring on her left ring finger, but that she quickly stashed it in her purse when witnesses noticed it:

Beyonce, 26, and her longtime beau, Jay-Z, 38, had tongues wagging at Butter nightclub in NYC on Feb. 18. “She was wearing a huge diamong ring on her ring finger,” says an eyewitness. “When she noticed that I and some others noticed the rock, she quickly hid her hand behind her left elbow. Then she reached behind her to where her bag was, and after placing her hand in her bag, the ring disappeared!”

[From Life and Style, print edition, March 10, 2008]

Maybe she does have a big old diamond ring, but who knows if Jay-Z bought it for her or if it means that they’re engaged. JayBird noted in her post about their supposed “secret wedding” over the holidays that they’ve been in a stable relationship for a while and it seems to work well for them. If they want to get married or not that’s their decision.

Jay-Z was rumored to have had a fling with Rihanna back when she first hit the scene, but he was also mentoring her music career and those type of rumors are only natural given their working relationship. Rihanna supposedly got pissed at Jay-Z at a party after the Grammys this year and had words with him. But Jay-Z mocked Rihanna’s accent when he was presenting at the Grammys, and it seems likely that she was mad at him over that and it wasn’t a lover’s spat or anything like that. She was at the party with Chris Brown. Rihanna recently addressed the rumors that she was having an affair with Jay-Z, saying that it made her uncomfortable that people thought that, and that Jay-Z told her just to ignore the stories.

Jay-Z is about to embark on a 25-city tour with Mary J. Blige starting March 22. They will play five separate dates in NY alone. Tickets for the first four performances sold out within hours.

Beyonce is shown at the Grammy Awards and at the Sony Grammy After Party on 2/10/08, thanks to PRPhotos.

Apparently the saying “once a diva, always a diva” really is true. Okay I don’t know that that’s actually a saying, but based on some Grammy awards behavior, it should be. Not only did singer Natalie Cole go off on Amy Winehouse for winning five awards, which she called “undeserved,” but now Aretha Franklin has gone off on Beyonce Knowles for calling Tina Turner “The Queen.” Apparently Aretha is “The Queen” and to call anyone else such a royal term is absolute heresy.

When Aretha Franklin is unhappy, she does not mince words. On Tuesday, the longtime Queen of Soul slammed Beyonce Knowles’ intro to Tina Turner at Sunday’s Grammy Awards, in which Knowles called Turner, not Franklin, “the queen.”

“I am not sure of whose toes I may have stepped on or whose ego I may have bruised between the Grammy writers and Beyonce,” Franklin said in a statement issued by her publicist. “However, I dismissed it as a cheap shot for controversy.”

[From the AP]

Um, Aretha, this is the biggest deal in your world, not the world. No one else noticed. Come on, issuing a press release? Doesn’t that make you the one who’s trying to stir up controversy? I think everyone was way too busy focusing on your outfit, which was about five inches south of where the rest of us would have liked it.

I don’t know Beyonce, but instinct tells me she didn’t actually write the little into speech. The sentence in question was, “Ladies and gentlemen. Stand on your feet and give it up for the queen.” While Aretha has long been known as the Queen of Soul, Beyonce just called Tina Turner the queen. She could have meant the queen of cheesy fries for all any of us know. I don’t think it’s anything to get into a major statement-issuing tizzy over. I’m pretty sure that these king and queen titles we give to musicians aren’t actual designations of royalty or anything. They’re just fun honorifics. Besides, if you keep freaking out like that, you’re going to get a completely different nickname, and it won’t be nearly as flattering.

Here’s Aretha Franklin at the Musicares Person of the Year Benefit on February 8th. Images thanks to PR Photos.

Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z have been pretty quiet about their five-year relationship from the start. It’s also been rumored for at least the last four years that the two were about to get married. Now several media outlets are reporting that they already exchanged vows at Giorgio Armani’s Paris home over the Christmas holiday. It seems that the best evidence is a lot of information from “insiders,” and the fact that they both returned home with matching tattoos on their ring fingers of the Roman numeral IV. Considering how long they’ve been together and Beyonce’s frequent statements about wanting a big family, this could very well end up being true.

She may have some of the most diva-ish demands on the circuit but friends claim Beyoncé Knowles has wed long time love, Jay Z, in a low key Paris wedding. Insiders say the couple finally tied the knot during a romantic break in the French capital, claiming they are now ‘blissfully happy’. One source says the pair both tattooed personal inscriptions on their wedding fingers to mark the ceremony.

They ‘Didn’t want all the attention that usually follows them around, they just wanted it to be intimate and romantic. It was lovely and they are both blissfully happy. They thought the tattoos would be a lovely personal touch’, the insider reveals.

[From Metro.co.uk]

I would love – just for once – if an “insider” would reveal their true identity. It really would be cause for a celebration. The “insider” was right about the tattoos, so there might be a chance they really did get married. Considering how low-key they’ve been about their relationship, it would make sense for that same mentality to apply to their wedding. On the other hand, it’s hard to imagine someone with Beyonce’s diva reputation not doing it up really big and splashy.

The Sunday Mirror is reporting that Beyonce might already be pregnant. I can’t really spot a visible bump, but I don’t claim to be an expert in that department.

Since her secret wedding last month, Beyonce Knowles has been glowing even more than usual. And friends are suggesting the marriage isn’t the only thing she has kept under wraps. Sources close to the Crazy In Love singer have hinted there could be double celebrations – as she and husband Jay-Z get set to have their first baby.

A friend said: “Beyonce is giving nothing away. She’s always been close to her parents and open about wanting a large family of her own one day.” Beyonce, who starred in the 2006 hit movie Dreamgirls, once said in an interview that she wouldn’t pressure her children to become singers. She said: “We’ll let our children make their own decisions. What if they are tone deaf? You never know.”

The friend added: “Beyonce and Solange have been brought up with strong Christian beliefs. Part of that belief is to be married before having children.”

[From the Sunday Mirror]

Of course Beyonce’s rep gave the old, “We don’t comment on private stuff” line. Which always makes me wonder exactly what it is they’re paid to do. Probably just to tell the rest of us they have nothing to say. Beyonce and Jay-Z have been together for so long – and the marriage/baby rumors have been swirling for almost as long – that it’s hard to guess if/when they got married. They seem pretty happy and stable in their relationship. Jay Z recently stepped down as the president of Def Jam records. He said that he was going to focus more on his other endeavors – maybe starting a family is one of those.

When I saw the first few words of Kanye’s latest blog entry on WeSmirch (a gossip news aggregate where I get a lot of stories) I thought he was talking about a video game. He said “When I was in Europe I would play this game for hours and hours… it helped me zone out.” It sounds like he’s talking about World of Warcraft, but he’s lauding how relaxing and mind-numbing it is to play the classic board game Connect Four, in which you take turns with another player dropping colored discs into a grid until one of you gets four in a row.

West blogged for the first time since the tragic death of his mother, Dr. Donda West, after plastic surgery in early November. He titled the entry “Thank you all for your support,” but didn’t mention the tough time he went through or his mother’s passing. He just talked about how he loves to play Connect Four. He also included these pictures playing with Beyonce, and said she kicked his ass in the game nine times in a row. He did beat her once though.

Ironically, Kanye and Beyonce were at the opening of Jay-Z’s 4040 club and casino in Las Vegas. There were plenty of high stakes games, gourmet food and expensive drinks these two millionaires could have enjoyed that night, but instead they were involved in a marathon Connect Four game outside of the action.

When I was in Europe I would play this game for hours and hours… it helped me zone out. Everybody would get envolved… Derrick Dudley (Common’s manager) and Consequence were the best other than me… I beat Lexi… Don C beat Jay… Tony Williams beat Common… but every now and then people would speak of this legendary connect 4 champion……….. BEYONCE!!! I had 2 play her!…so last night at Jay’s new 40/40 club in Las Vegas (which is sidebar, crazy big w/ 24krt gold flooring, Black Jack tables, $500 slot machines,the biggest projection screen in the universe and the best turkey burgers I’ve ever had in my life) she beat me 9 times in a row! (and I didn’t even spaz lol) here’s a photo of the only game I won!

[From Kanye West's Blog]

Kanye has also performed since his mother passed, openly breaking down on stage when singing “Hey Momma,” but hasn’t said anything about it publicly except to issue a statement asking for privacy. He seems to be moving on with his life and enjoying the simple things again. Welcome back Kanye. Oh and Wikipedia says that you can win Connect Four if you place your first chip in the middle column, but it seems more complicated than that.

There’s a rumor that Kanye, 30, plans to marry his fiance Alexis Phifer, 31, after the holidays.

Update: Here’s the Connect Four commercial from the 80s. I remember this so well! (Yes, I’m old.) Thanks so much to commentor Max for mentioning it:

Beyonce may be many things – talented, a good dancer, even bootylicious. But it seems in Nevada, residents have deemed her offensive. A bikini-clad Beyonce is featured on a Clear Channel billboard for radio station KWNZ, and resident Pamela Keeney doesn’t like it.

‘‘It’s obscene,” [resident Pamela] Keeney told the Reno Gazette-Journal. ‘‘I have my two little grand kids coming over here, and they don’t need to be seeing that. You can change the channel on the TV, but you can’t change that.”
A Clear Channel respresentative did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Scott Seidenstricker, manager of KWNZ, said the photograph of Knowles is part of a series that also includes singers Gwen Stefani and Justin Timberlake.

‘‘The billboards were taken from publicity shots and this is the way those people perform,” Seidenstricker said. ‘‘So to show them in a jogging suit probably wouldn’t be the right thing.”

Mohave Daily News

So, maybe performing in a jogging suit wouldn’t be the “right thing,” but is performing in a bikini any better? It could be a nice jogging suit, with sparkles.

A forty foot image of a woman’s armpit would be offensive in anyone’s book. Particularly when it is blocking scenic mountain views. Do you really need a billboard with a picture of Beyonce to advertise music?

Actually, in this case Beyonce is advertising a radio station, and a picture of the announcers probably would be by far less appealing than a picture of Beyonce. There’s a reason people say “that’s a face for radio.” It’s because they’re mean.

This isn’t the first time Beyonce has been told to get some more clothes on – she cancelled a Malaysian concert in October as they have a strict dress code for female performers.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Header image from the Reno Gazette-Journal by Tim Gunn. Resident Pamela Keeney is shown, and the photo credit on the Reno Gazette-Journal reads: “Pamela Keeney doesn’t like the bikini-clad image of singer Beyonce Knowles on a billboard near her home off West Fourth Street, saying that it teaches boys to disrespect women.”