Beyonce and Jay-Z were told they would need to walk to meet their chauffeured car due to streets being shut down in DC last night for security reason. Beyonce refused to walk four blocks and convinced the Secret Service to make an exception to let her car through just to pick her up.

The Secret Service had a bigger job than protecting the Obama family last night.

After Jay-Z finished rehearsal for his pre-inaugural concert, he and wife Beyoncé found out police had shut down streets around the Warner Theater. Cops told the star couple they’d have to walk four blocks to meet their driver.

“Beyoncé wouldn’t walk in high heels in the cold,” says our spy. “The cops wouldn’t budge, but the Secret Service agreed to let the driver pick Jay and Beyoncé up, bring them to their hotel so they could change, and get them back to the theater.”

How cold was it? Before he went on, Jay-Z was supposed to leave his hand prints in a block of cement destined for the theater’s star-studded sidewalk. But the cement froze.

New York Daily News

Sure, it was really cold. Cold enough so Beyoncé should have been equipped with appropriate clothing to walk in the open air. As far as the high heels go, if you can dance in them, you can walk in them.

You could maybe understand Beyonce’s inability to walk if people had been around or she had a schedule to keep to and didn’t want to be delayed by autograph hunters, but the reports describe the streets as being ‘shut down’ so I guess that wasn’t likely.

Beyonce sang at an inauguration ball tonight, where she performed the Etta James classic ‘At Last’ for President Obama and First Lady Michelle. Beyoncé recently played Etta in biopic film Cadillac Records, and performed the song live at the Fashion Rocks event, and I have to say that she absolutely nailed it. She might be a diva who flouts security measures, but she does have the pipes to back it up.

Beyonce is shown performing at the inauguration concert on 1/18/09. She is also shown with Jay-Z at the inauguration yesterday. Credit: Newscom

Beyonce appears to be trying to rival Paris Hilton in the bad pet owner department. This past summer, the singer left her dog, Munchie, at her record label’s office in New York. Presumably it was supposed to be for a short time, not for life. However two season later she has yet to pick up her pooch, and he’s still living there. Columbia’s employees have been forced to take him home on weekends, and he’s leaving puddles all over the office. Beyonce, however, cannot be bothered.

Beyoncé’s dog – the lamely named ‘Munchie’ – has been unceremoniously dumped at her record label. Until recently, the Shih Tzu was living the red carpet life. Munchie (once named America’s Most Eligible Pet by a US magazine) was all about quaffing Cristal and Being Seen and stuff. These days, however, Munchie is reduced to camping out on the floor at New York’s Columbia Records building. A source in the press department said: “Munchie has effectively taken up residency. Beyoncé left it here towards the end of last summer and hasn’t returned to pick it up.” Last summer. That’s got to hurt. Give a mutt a break.

“Everyone realises that Beyonce has been incredibly busy recently recording and promoting her Sasha Fierce album. But the whole team will be glad when she eventually takes charge of the dog for herself again.” Well it sounds like stress is taking its toll on the pooch. The source said: “Puddles of liquid are appearing all over the office.” The dog has also turned into something akin to a school tortoise. “Staff are taking turns to take Munchie for walks and take it home on the evenings and weekends.”

[From Musictoob via Digital Spy]

Beyonce might want to reprioritize a bit. I’m not saying her career isn’t important, but if she can’t manage to notice that she’s forgotten about a living, breathing creature, perhaps it’s time to find Munchie a new home. The poor dog is now just wandering around an office.

I can’t help but wonder what attempts Columbia has made to remind Beyonce about the dog. Obviously it’s her responsibility to keep track of him, and she couldn’t have just forgotten about the pooch altogether. But for the sake of their employees, I’d think they’d want to solve this mess as soon as they can. Beyonce has said on more than one occasion that she’s not ready for kids. I think this is proof positive that she’s right.

Here’s Beyonce at the NY Premiere of ‘Notorious’ at Loews Lincoln Square in New York City on January 7th. Images thanks to Splash.

Beyonce isn’t usually the first star that comes to mind when you think loving and sweet. She has a bit of a prima donna reputation and, if you asked a few of the long line of former Destiny Child members, doesn’t take criticism or competition well. So it would have been perfectly reasonable to expect that Beyonce would go all pissed-diva on Kanye West when he said that Rihanna was the best thing to happen to her because Rihanna made her step up her music.

But Beyonce fought cold with warmth and just started gushing about her former Connect Four partner and the woman long considered her rival.

“I love Kanye,” she told radio DJs Ed Lover and Free on Power 105.1 FM. “It’s all from a good place.”

The artist also known as Sasha Fierce didn’t stop there with her praise, however, going on to confess, “I love Rihanna, I think she’s fantastic and she’s done an incredible job. I love all her records.”

[From OK! Magazine]

Another person she can’t stop gushing about is Justin Timberlake. Last weekend on Saturday Night Live, Timberlake donned a leotard and heels and played a backup dancer in her “Single Ladies” video sketch. According to Beyonce, Justin went through the choreography just twice before he had it nailed, and then just played it up for laughs.

And not to leave the little people out, Beyonce also expressed her admiration for the female dancers in the actual “Single Ladies” video. The two dancers with her are very long-legged, muscular women who not everyone believed were both women.

“That is so silly man, that is silly,” she says. “Both of the girls are dancers, they’re ballet dancers, and their bodies are unbelievable, just pure muscle. So I mean I guess people were feeling like, her body is just so strong. But that is crazy!”

[From OK! Magazine]

It’s so sweet how marriage has softened Sasha Fierce. Her next album will have to be called Sasha Saccharine.

Beyonce is shown last night at Gotham Magazine’s Gala at Espace in NY. Credit: PNP/WENN

Beyonce has confessed that she is simply not ready for children, but when she is, she’s going to make sure she’s able to give them the time they need.

So does she plan to start the Carter-Knowles dynasty any time soon? ‘One day,’ she says. ‘I’m really patient. I wasn’t in a rush to get married. I’m not in a rush to have children. Because I work so much, I’m just not ready yet. I have a nephew, my sister’s son – it’s his birthday today and after this interview I’m going to Houston to see him. I was there in the delivery room when he was born. I had begged my sister, please don’t make me, ‘cos it’s going to traumatise me. But she talked me into it – and I was right! I’m scared of that! I mean it was amazing, and I cried when he was born. And I can’t believe that we as human beings have the power to create another human being. But it’s hard. It’s a lot of work and you have to be ready to be responsible for another human being. And I guess I want to be so good at it. I want to make sure that I’m ready so I can give my focus to my kid. When it happens it’s supposed to happen and it will. You know, I over-analyse everything, and I want to be the best at it, and maybe that’s just me being an over-achiever. I just wish I was better at everything.’

Telegraph

Beyonce might be using her perfectionism to try and be the best mother ever, but if that’s where she’s going to put her focus then at least she’s putting it in the right place. After having three people ask me when I’m returning to ‘real, full time work’ this week (my youngest of three just turned one) I kind of appreciate Beyonce saying that having children is actually a lot of work.

She also shares this story about her mother’s parenting style.

‘There have been times where my mom has literally smacked me in my face. When I was 19 – when I was confused and wondering what am I doing, who am I? – we were in the record store, my mom and dad were both there, and my song was playing, and I was feeling like hot stuff. She was asking me something and I started singing while she was talking to me. And there were some really cute guys in the store who were noticing me, and I was like, “Oh, yeah! I’m hot!” And my mom said, “I’m talking to you.” And I kept singing. And so she smacked me – slapped me in my face, so hard. And my dad said, “What are you doing?” Because I didn’t get spankings growing up. They didn’t believe in that. My mom said, “She thinks she’s hot stuff ‘cos her single is out. Nobody cares about that! You are still my child. I brought you into this world, I can take you out of it! Now go sit in the car.” But it was the best thing she could have ever done to me because for the first time I realised I was losing sight of what was important.

Telegraph – read the full interview here

I don’t believe inhitting your kids, it’s actually illegal in my country, but I can’t help but wonder if this is why Beyonce has turned out so normal. If a few other teenage stars had been given limits things might have turned out a little differently. Did Lynne Spears ever mention telling her daughters to keep their egos in check?

Beyonce is shown performing on “Strictly Come Dancing,” the UK’s version of “Dancing With The Stars” on 11/10/08. Credit: WENN

There was hot competition to play the role of Wonder Woman in the upcoming Justice League film, with several actresses suggested for the part. Kate Beckinsale, Lauren Graham, Megan Fox, Sandra Bullock, and Catherine Zeta Jones are some of the names that have been suggested.

The film will feature Australian model Megan Gale cast as the woman with the world’s best accessories, although former Wonder Woman Lynda Carter says an unknown 20-year-old should have been cast. Depending on the success of the film a movie spin-off is likely, and Beyonce thinks a black Wonder Woman is in order, starring herself of course:

“I want to do a superhero movie and what would be better than Wonder Woman?” Beyonce told the Los Angeles Times.

“And it would be a very bold choice. A black Wonder Woman would be a powerful thing. It’s time for that, right?”

Beyonce will soon be seen playing singer Etta James in the film Cadillac Records, and she is also starring in the thriller Obsessed.

“After doing these roles that were so emotional I was thinking to myself: ‘Okay, I need to be a superhero’,” Beyonce said.

“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.”

Stuff.co.nz

Hollywood remakes like to stay true to the original, at least physically, think Daisy Dukes ass or Starsky and Hutch’s facial hair, but here I think you have a costume to work for the role. Beyonce could totally pull this off, in her Sasha Fierce mode, of course.

The reason for the hot competition for this role is that there are less leading roles for women in action films. So often they get to play the wife or girlfriend, or occasionally a sidekick. They don’t often get to tote guns and do the fun stuff, particularly in a comic book role. The movie is likely to establish the actress a being an A-list star and lead to spin offs, as well as excellent merchandise.

Beyonce is shown performing at the World Music Awards on 11/9/08 (credit: Fame) and outside her hotel in London on 11/10/08. (credit: WENN)

Tuesday night was an incredibly emotional evening for many Americans. Knowing you are witnessing history is a deeply profound feeling – especially when it’s such a needed change. I was truly touched to see the joy on people’s faces, as well as the deep displays of emotion.

Several celebs have said how excited and happy they were to watch Obama being declared the next president of the United States. Both Diddy and Beyonce said they cried that night – and I’m sure they’re one of millions.

Mr. Bad Boy himself, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, could not keep it together when Barack Obama was announced President-elect Tuesday night. “I was straight up crying,” he confesses. “I was with my kids. It was a beautiful thing. I just thank God my prayers were answered.” A greater gift? It happened on his 39th birthday.

“I don’t know why God blessed me by having my birthday [on Nov. 4], but we’re here to celebrate 80 percent of Obama being elected and 20 percent my birthday,” Diddy told reporters Wednesday night at a celebration sponsored by Ciroc Vodka at Mansion nightclub in New York.

[Beyonce] Knowles watched the election results at home with friends and family – while wearing a blue suit and tie with matching red, white and blue stilettos. “I’ve never been so patriotic!” she said. And, like Diddy, she was moved to tears. “I fell asleep crying and smiling at the same time … I woke up with mascara running and a smile on my face!”

Should Obama require her services, the singer is game: “Whatever they want – if they need me to volunteer, they need me to sing, I’m there and I’m ready.” But what is most important, Knowles said, is that the newly elected president has provided inspiration for African Americans.

“My nephew, who is 4, when we say, ‘You can do whatever, you can be whatever,’ it’s not cliche,” she explained.

[From People]

I heard a lot of people echoing that sentiment: that it was very powerful to be able to say to their children, “Anyone can grow up to be the president” and it was true. I think I was most moved by Jesse Jackson. He was clearly deeply overcome with emotion and was shown weeping in Grant Park throughout the night.

Tuesday’s election was the second most watched TV event this year – with the Super Bowl being the first. 40 percent of American households tuned in. The general public seemed to be much more involved and passionate in this election than in many others in recent years. The Huffington Post has some great pictures of people’s emotional reactions on Tuesday night.

Thanks to everyone who voted.

The list of celebrities that Carrie Underwood doesn’t respect must be getting pretty long. Yesterday she told website Just Jared that she thinks celebs should keep their politics to themselves, and she doesn’t respect them if they publicly support a candidate.

Carrie Underwood has a message for Oprah, Diddy, Elisabeth Hasselbeck and even Heidi and Spencer: Don’t publicly back candidates for office.

“There is someone I do support, but I don’t support publicly,” she tells TV Guide, as excerpted by Just Jared. “I lose all respect for celebrities when they back a candidate.

“It’s saying that the American public isn’t smart enough to make their own decisions,” she goes on. “I would never want anybody to vote for anything or anybody just because I told them to.

“Music is where you go to get away from all the BS,” adds Underwood, who recently apologized for saying ex Tony Romo still calls her. “Whether it’s from politics or just the world around you, music should be an escape.”

[From Us Weekly]

I think it’s fine to keep your political opinions to yourself, but it is just as okay to shout them from the roof. Music is no one thing. It shouldn’t just be an escape. That’s one of many things it can be. It can also be about a cause, about a change, and moving people towards action. That’s pretty much the opposite of an escape.

Underwood would probably have a big problem with Beyonce, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, and Diddy. All of them have shown up in Philadelphia encouraging people to vote for Obama.

“Everyone is excited and it’s time,” the singer tells PopEater. “I feel like we have grown so much as a nation and we will continue to grow because of Mr. Obama.”

Beyoncé’s admiration goes beyond just the Democratic candidate himself, and extends to his entire family. “I have had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Obama, his wife and his children, and they are the American dream,” she says. “They are so elegant, so classy, so intelligent and everything that I want to be. They make me really proud of my country.”

The Grammy winner’s husband Jay-Z has already been a strong supporter of the campaign, performing at Obama benefits and rallies across the country.

[From OK! Magazine]

Jay-Z and Diddy both talked about how important Pennsylvania is to Obama, and encouraged everyone to get out and vote today.

“John McCain desperately needs Philadelphia, but you can tell him ‘You cannot have Pennsylvania,’” said Jay-Z.

But McCain does have a chance to win Pennsylvania’s 21 electoral votes, if voter turnout is low in urban centers like Philadelphia.

The star-studded cast of this block rally is determined to make sure that doesn’t happen.

They’re working hard to get new voters to the polls.

“It’s about the youth vote, it’s about the long lines and getting them prepared. The youth vote will decide the next president of the United States,” said Sean “Diddy” Combs. “They said we wouldn’t come out, they said we wouldn’t vote, but we’re going to shock the world tomorrow.”

[From ABC Local]

I remember actress Patricia Heaton complaining several years ago about how hard it is to be a conservative in Hollywood. Certainly they are in the minority, and I understand why a lot of people there would simply prefer to avoid political discussions completely. But I think Underwood’s assertion that celebs speaking about political issues that matter to them somehow makes them unworthy of respect is rather extreme. I seriously doubt many people who were going to vote for McCain will switch their vote around because Jay-Z and Beyonce like Obama.

Here’s Carrie at The American Idol Grand Finale 2008 in LA in May. Images thanks to Fame.

The women of the Knowles family are legendary divas. The kind that are best left together only at Thanksgiving dinners and occasions where lots of other people are around to calm them down and not give in to their demands. Unfortunately little sister Solange Knowles will be joining big sister Beyonce on her upcoming 110-date round the world concert tour.

Solange had made a big deal about carving out her own identity in the music world and would freak out if anyone even mentioned Beyonce to her. Clearly she’s learning to take what she can get, since I’m guessing people are going to have a lot to say about her big sister on her own tour.

Last week, Mathew Knowles broke the news that Beyoncé will embark on a 110-date world tour that will begin in April 2009 and trek through Canada, Europe, the U.S. (with a one-week stint in Las Vegas), Mexico, South America, Japan, Africa, and Australia. But what you didn’t hear was that Beyoncé won’t be the only Knowles on the road.

Discussions are under way for Solange to join her big sis’ on tour. After seeing the elder Knowles rock arenas, fans would be able to go to a more intimate location and watch Solange perform at an official “after-party.” Specific details have yet to be announced.

Beyoncé is scheduled to release her third album I Am… on November 18th, while Solange’s sophomore release SoL-AngeL and The Hadley St. Dreams is available now.

[From Rap-Up]

I cannot even imagine the kind of dramatics and hysterics that are going to come from this. It will be legendary. It will be the epic stuff that movies are made about twenty years later. I imagine a lot of House of Dereon clothes will be thrown out windows and lit on fire during fights. Along with the traditional hair pulling and crystal vase throwing.

They’re probably both lovely in their way, but Beyonce and Solange strike me as the kind of sisters that need their space. Definitely not the kind who should be working together in any way, shape, or form. Solange used to work as a backup singer for Destiny’s Child back in the day, and that seems to have created some resentment. But if nothing else I’m sure it’ll also create some great gossip.

Here’s Beyonce at the MTV Studios in New York City on October 14th. Images thanks to Fame. Header of Solange presenting her second album at a private concert in Madrid yesterday. Images thanks to WENN.

In Touch estimates that Beyoncé’s wig collection is worth $1 million. Her engagement ring is worth $5 million, it’s not such a stretch to calculate that her wigs are worth 1/5th of that. eyoncé’s wigs are mostly handcrafted and custom made for the star out of real human hair. Some single wigs are worth $10,000 each, and since she changes her hair as often as she changes her clothes, her wig collection is valued at a mint. It’s not all wasted though. Beyoncé donates her worn pieces to an organization that provides wigs for chemotherapy patients.
$80

Beyoncé is guaranteed to always have the coolest hairstyle – she keeps a climate-controlled closet stocked with finely crafted hairpieces. “Beyonc&eacute’s wigs are worth a fortune,” the singer’s friend reveals, noting that some cost more than $10,000. “The majority of them are custom-made from real hair and she’s probably got $1 million worth of stunning wigs. It’s part of the reason why she always looks gorgeous.” Since she updates her looks frequently, the insider adds that Beyoncé donates many of her castoffs to a charity that supplies wigs to women going through chemotherapy.

[From In Touch, print edition, October 6, 2008]

Beyoncé and her husband of nearly six months, Jay-Z, made over $80 million each last year, making a million dollars worth of wigs seem pretty tame in comparison to their earning power.

The 27 year-old singer is one of the first performers confirmed for the MTV European Music Awards, to take place in Liverpool, England on November 6th. The first two singles off Beyonce’s currently untitled third solo album will be released in October.

Here are some of the many wigs Beyonce has worn over the last year. A few of them look like she got her money’s worth.

Photo credit: WENN

50 Cent seems to need a primer in Famous Celebrities 101. Wouldn’t it be great if that were a real class? 50 and rapper Jay-Z have always had a bit of a rivalry going on. Enough that I’m pretty sure Fiddy knows Jay-Z’s basic history. But according to a recent interview he gave, Jay-Z wasn’t even famous (at least by 50’s standards) outside of the U.S. until after he married Beyonce Knowles.

If we didn’t know better, we would say 50 Cent must have been living under a rock for the last 10 years (well, either that or he’s letting his ego cloud his judgment just a little tiny bit). The Get Rich or Die Trying star has just made the outrageous claim that rap rival Jay Z wasn’t all that famous until he married Beyoncé Knowles!

That right, he thinks that Jay ‘the most famous rapper in the world ever’ Z has only been a celebrity since April, despite the fact he had his first international hit in 1998.

“I’m a big fan of Jay-Z,” 50 told MTV.com, “but outside of the States and hip-hop circles, no one really knew who he was until he married.”

Come on Fiddy — surely some of the people who bought 50 million+ of Jay’s records outside of the US must know who he is.

[From OK!]

If that was meant to be a diss it failed miserably. 50 just came off as ignorant instead. Jay-Z isn’t just a famous rapper; he’s also an extraordinary businessman. He was the head of Def Jam records, made a $150 million concert deal with Live Nation, and co-founded RocaWear. Surely that ups his profile and sets him apart from other rappers a bit.

I doubt marrying Beyonce did a thing for his international fame, considering how tightly the two tried to control information about the event. I think 50’s just as good a rapper, but I can’t think of a reason in the world that he’s better known overseas than Jay-Z.

Here’s 50 Cent at the “Righteous Kill” premiere on Sept. 14th in London with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. Images thanks to Fame.