During the opening pyrotechnics-infused number of Beyonce Knowles’s St. Louis concert on Sunday night, one of the fireworks fell into the first row of the audience, injuring two concertgoers. The victims were rushed to the hospital, and luckily their injuries were fairly minor, and they’re both expected to make a full recovery.

After the concert was over, Beyonce jetted to the ER at Barnes-Jewish Hospital to visit the injured. She spent about 45 minutes talking to the two people.

Soon after the concert, Knowles arrived at the hospital, said head nurse Darryl Williams. “She was just very concerned about the people injured in the audience,” Williams said. “It was unannounced and we kept it very low-key so that she could spend time with them.” Knowles, 25, met with the fans for about 45 minutes. “I just thought it was a great thing for someone of her stature to do,” Williams said.

[From USA Today]

I’m sure the visit was out of the goodness of her heart, and had nothing to do with avoiding negative publicity or a lawsuit or anything. It really did seem to turn the publicity around; all of the headlines are positive, like “Beyoncé visits two fans hurt by fireworks,” “Beyonce Visits Injured Fans In Hospital,” “Beyonce Treats Injured Fans to a Hospital Visit in St. Louis.” All make her sound so charitable for taking time out of her busy schedule. I’m sure it really was just to check on them. Somehow, considering a lot of the things written about Beyonce (ie Beyonce only looks out for Beyonce) I seriously doubt the visits were anything but a PR move.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Here is Beyonce at the release party for Kelly Rowland’s “Ms Kelly” Album. Proceeds from the event went to Lifebeat: The Music Industry Fights AIDS. Beyonce looks like a wax version of herself, but that’s nothing new. Thanks to SplashNews.

Is there such a thing as a facial expression coach? Surely there are acting coaches who can help celebrities perfect their smile for the red carpet. You know who I’m referring to - poor lemon face Renee Zellwegger. She’s just got to train herself to stop making that sour pout. Her dress, undoubtedly Carolina Herrera, is safe and decent. She looks like she’s going to a cocktail party instead of an awards ceremony.

And Beyonce is ready to play Vegas in that metallic number. Somehow Cate Blanchett makes that lace assymetric black dress with the skinny belt work. She takes calculated fashion risks and unlike - say, Gwen Stefani, she usually pulls them off.

Jennifer Love Hewitt looks like she’s going to the prom in that copper number with the big bow, but I have to say her hair and makeup look gorgeous. It looks like smoky metallic eyes and neutral lips are in. Cameron Diaz didn’t get the memo.

Pictures from Gossip Rocks.

It used to be that fashion magazines counseled sternly and menacingly against wearing sandals or pumps with an ankle strap. “It interrupts the line of the leg!” “It creates instant cankles!” “It ruins a long, lean look!” To be perfectly honest, a fear of ankle straps threw its dark shadow onto my footwear shopping expeditions for several years.

Fast forward to 2006. Style “rules” are a little more lax than they once were (for example, “avoid anything worn in the 1980s” used to be a pretty firm one, but we all know what happened there), and the ankle strap appears to be making a comeback. A few wardrobe tips to keep in mind if you purchase a pair:

- This is a look best pulled off by those with slim calves. If yours are more robust, recall that no outfit has ever been ruined by a nice pump.

- A thin ankle strap is more forgiving than a thick one (only very tall and lanky Gisele Bundchen types should attempt an ankle “cuff”, as pictured here on Mischa Barton).

- More women can wear an open-toe shoe with an ankle strap (a la Beyoncé here) than a closed-toe one, so when it doubt, go for the shoe that lets you show off your pedicure.

- Do not wear opaque tights. Too many blocks of solid color; not enough “leg” feeling.

- Do not wear a skirt that hits lower than mid-thigh.

- Do not wear anything remotely frumpy as a top or jacket (ankle straps can quickly turn a conservative jacket into a horror of dowdiness).

To see several ankle strap “don’ts” in action at once, take a look at this shot of actress Marg Helgenberger at the premiere of Blood Diamond. Yep, that about sums it up.

Beyonce and Jay-Z are not getting married this weekend in a lavish ceremony on the island of Anguila, as we reported earlier. It was supposed to be a surprise ceremony to follow Jay-Z’a 37th birthday party, but the party is finished now and their reps say there’s not going to be a wedding:

The New York Post trumpeted on Tuesday that the star couple were bound for a “rap wedding” disguised as a 37th-birthday party. The paper said that after boarding “a yacht in St. Barts,” the guests “will also be ferried over to Anguilla for the wedding at Cap Juluca.”

The couple actually won’t be anywhere near Anguilla, our sources vouch. What’s more, they’re already back from the birthday party.

Here’s what really happened:

Monday night, right after Beyoncé walked the red carpet at the New York premiere of “Dreamgirls,” she shanghaied her unsuspecting rap-star boyfriend to an airport where she’d chartered two customized 757s. (One had a 20-seat movie theater.)

Waiting were about 20 of their closest friends, including Beyoncé’s Destiny’s Child sista Kelly Rowland and music and marketing honchos like Lyor Cohen, Steve Stoute and Kevin Lyles.

After an in-flight feast prepared by two chefs, the gang touched down in St. Martin, where everyone boarded a 270-foot yacht.

For the next two days, Jay and his friends did the biggest of pimpin’. Two helicopters were on standby, and the lobster and Champagne - Jay-Z’s own Ace of Spades vintage - flowed. There was swimming, snorkeling and even a four-man minisub to take guests on deep-sea explorations.

“The party must have cost $1 million a day,” estimates one source.

The revelers finally returned yesterday morning. Jay stopped off in Miami for the Art Basel fest, where he was said to be considering a $7 million painting.

That must have been some party. Everyone was speculating that Beyonce was motivated to have a wedding by the fact that she’s being upstaged by Jennifer Hudson’s role in their firlm “Dreamgirls.” Now it’s said that producers are gunning for Beyonce, not Hudson, to be nominated for an Oscar.

Meanwhile that document that we published from MediaTakeOut that claims that Beyonce is 32, not 25, seems to have been altered. Reader betsy found that another person on the list was born in 1981 according to Texas Birth Records, available online. We were able to verify online through an ancestry site that Beyonce is listed as being born in 1981, not 1974.

Header image is from this spring and was found at Haute Gossip.

Media Take Out, an African-American entertainment site that has a lot of exclusives saying celebrities are gay, cheating, and/or involved in various scandals, claims to have official evidence proving that Beyonce is 32 years old. (Their current cover story involves a risque photo of what looks like Eve getting oral from another woman. It was supposedly taken qhile she was an exotic dancer. The picture is covered in the right places, but is still NSFW.)

Two months ago I ran an old video by Destiny’s Child in which Beyonce was supposedly 16. She didn’t look 16 to me, although commentors were kind of split as to whether she was older. Some people said it was the makeup that made her look more mature but others claimed it was a common practice in the entertainment industry and would not surprise them.

The evidence from Media Take Out is a blurry list of births from the Texas Department of Health dated 1974, which would make Beyonce 32, not 25. They say it’s an official birth record sent to them by a government worker in Texas. It’s labeled a statistics list and isn’t a birth certificate, but it could still be accurate:

December 5. Over the past few weeks, MediaTakeOut.com has received hundreds of emails from people asking us to confirm Beyonce’s true age. In an attempt to find the truth, we spoke with dozens of insiders - all of whom believed that Beyonce was being truthful about her age.

But yesterday MediaTakeOut.com received a tip that proved to be explosive. The tipster, who claimed to work for the Texas Department of Health, faxed over what appears to be Beyonce’s official birth records. The document (a portion of which is below) shows that a Beyonce Giselle Knowles was born to a Mathew Knowles and Celestine Ann Beyonce on September 4th, 1974. If this document is accurate, that would mean that Beyonce is actually 32 years old.

Beyonce’s official biography claims that she was born on September 4th, 1981. It also claims that her mothers maiden name is “Beyince”, and not “Beyonce” as the below document shows.

Beyonce’s parents are named Matthew and Tina Knowles, so if this is real it could be the proof that she’s older than 25.

Update: Thanks to commentor Betsy for pointing out that these documents are Photoshopped:

The Texas birth index also lists that Benjamin Wade knowles…the name above beyonce’s…was born in 1981, so the commenter above is correct that the year 1974 has been altered. everyone on that list…including the not famous ones, was born in 1981. nice try by MediaTakeOut. I assume their sounrce altered the document, but shame on them for not checking in out using the free resources easily available to anyone.

Jennifer Hudson of “American Idol” fame is generating Oscar buzz with her amazing upcoming role in “Dreamgirls.” Beyonce plays a backup character in the film adaptation of the musical and is second fiddle to Hudson. Beyonce denied that there’s any rivalry between her and Hudson, but people are saying that her comments show otherwise. She told reporters that she wanted to play Hudson’s central role of Effie, of course, and wish she could of gained the 20 pounds required for for the role:

“I knew that the character that I played wasn’t the star,” Knowles, 25, told reporters on Saturday about knowing full well that her Diana Ross-esque role of Deena Jones was less meaty than Hudson’s part as Effie White – a part that is already getting Hudson Oscar buzz. “She wasn’t the underdog. She didn’t have the struggle and the pain and the dramatic scenes that Effie had, and I was fine with that.” Taking the role was about proving herself as an actress. “I’m already a star. I already have nine Grammys. Everyone knows I can sing,” Knowles said. “I did this because I wanted people to know that I can act and I can play someone so different from myself.” “Because I’m a star they just automatically assume that I’m not humble enough to sit down and take a back seat, which I am.” But the R&B star did admit that she would have liked to have sung Effie’s song, “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” a showstopper that, in large part, helped get Jennifer Holliday a Tony Award for best actress for the original 1981 Broadway version of Dreamgirls. “I mean,” said Knowles, “I wish I could’ve gained 20 pounds and played Effie.” Asked if she’d really have packed on the weight for the part, Knowles said, “Yes. I absolutely would have, but Bill (Condon, the movie’s writer-director) didn’t even believe that I could be Deena. So imagine if I would’ve said, ‘Bill, I want to be Effie.’ “ And Knowles has high praise for Hudson’s portrayal of Effie. “Jennifer Hudson had such a pressure, first of all, never being in a film and never have done an album and still having to live up to those expectations,” said Knowles. “She did incredible.”

It does sound like Beyonce is calling Hudson fat, and is suggesting that Hudson got the role because she’s heavier. Hudson did actually gain 20 pounds for that film according to Wikipedia, so Beyonce might not have meant it as harshly as it came off.

Commentor kailie2 notes that Beyonce’s rumored wedding to Jay-Z next weekend may be her attempt to gain back the spotlight dominated by newcomer Hudson’s sheer talent.

That’s a pretty good theory considering how much praise and publicity Hudson is getting:

Hudson, taking over the role of Effie played on stage by Jennifer Holliday, is in charge of “Dreamgirls” from her opening scene, blowing away Grammy-winner Beyoncé Knowles, Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx and anyone else who gets in her way.

When she sings “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” - one of the most heartfelt cries of pain ever written for a musical - Hudson inscribes her name on an Oscar.

“Dreamgirls” is out in the states tomorrow, 12/6. Here’s the trailer:

Header image found at Bossip.

When I read about the latest wedding rumors for Beyonce and Jay-Z I had to look up the last rumor that they were going to be married. They were said to be planning a huge wedding on the island of Anguilla this November. Obviously that didn’t happen, but this time they’re still said to be planning a wedding in Anguilla to take place right after Jay-Z’s 37th birthday party:

“Beyoncé is throwing Jay a four-day birthday party, but it’s really a wedding,” said one source. Guests, including family and close friends, were told to have passport applications filed by last Friday so they can attend the bash on a yacht in St. Barts. But insiders said the guests will also be ferried over to Anguilla for the wedding at Cap Juluca, a five-star resort with Moorish villas. Another spy said Knowles and Jay-Z had toured the site earlier this year and approved it for their nuptials. Reps for Knowles, Jay-Z and Cap Juluca didn’t return calls or e-mails. The rapper/mogul has dated the lovely Knowles, now bigger than ever with her star turn in “Dreamgirls,” for four years.

Beyonce said this summer that she wasn’t ready for marriage, and that she’s not the type of girl who always dreamed about a lavish wedding. If this news is true it looks like she’ll be getting one, anyway.

Jay-Z somehow managed to play seven shows in just 24 hours, starting at 6:00 AM in Atlanta and spending 30 minutes on each stage. He took his private jet around the states, also performing in Philadelphia, Washington, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. Beyonce was seen at his California show, but did not perform.

Something which might seem impossible to complete was piece of cake for one the most successful rappers of all time. Jay-Z celebrated his official return in the music business by performing a seven 30-minute-gig marathon across the US.

The star kicked off his one-day tour in Atlanta on Saturday, where Hova was scheduled to give a concert at 6 a.m., when most people haven’t eaten their breakfast. Next in line were Philadelphia, Washington, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. The mini-tour ends up in Las Vegas on early Sunday.

Together with his staff, Jay-Z crossed the states in his luxurious private jet from city to city making the best of his return. At least 100 people were waiting outside Atlanta’s Centerstage for the first concert. There were another hundred inside already in the mood for his performance.

“First of all, y’all crazy,” Jay-Z said to the crowd before he started to play. “I know I’m already crazy. But y’all crazy.”

30 minutes later, the rapper took off in a limo escorted by police until embarking on the plane. Before 10 a.m., the plane arrived in Philly where even more fans awaited his show. The line around the Electric Factory, in the 400 block of North Seventh Street, began forming hours before the 9:30 a.m. concert.

“I wish I had got here at 5 a.m. so I could’ve been the first person in line,” said Karima Dennis, 24, a housekeeper for the Park Hyatt at the Bellevue.

“Everything went smooth,” said Keith McPhee, whose Mack Productions handled the local end of production. “Jay’s flight was only five minutes late. He loved his set, and Philly turned out. You never know, Philly being Philly.”

The trip continued and as he reached his next stop at Howard University in Washington, almost 150 students were waiting for the convoy and 1500 more looked eager to hear him sing.

“I know y’all already downloaded it … but y’all gotta go and pick up the album on Tuesday,” he said while the crowd rapped along.

Jay-Z’s new album, “Kingdom Come,” is out tomorrow. At least one reviewer says it doesn’t flow like it should and the beats are too basic, but that there are some decent tracks and Jigga is showing his maturity. Some people claim it’s not up to his old work, but that it’s still better than most of the rap that’s out now.

Beyonce and Gwyneth are new BFFs, and hung out together and partied in London for Gwyneth’s 34th birthday. They shopped, went to dinner, saw Jay-Z perform, and then hit a club afterwards. Gwyneth’s husband Chris Martin even joined Jay-Z on stage during his performance at Royal Albert Hall while Gwyneth let loose and sung backup.

[from Beyonceworld.net]

London’s The Mirror said that Beyonce and Gwyneth talked about music and babies at the after party, but they’re making that shit up and running a story based on the photographs:

They all obviously had a great time and enjoyed themselves on Gwyneth’s birthday.

Thanks to BeyonceWorld.net for these pictures.

Update: Jay-Z was the first hip hop artist to headline at Albert Hall. He will play Paris tonight and Milan tomorrow.

“Lightweight” in the image caption above is not a literal reference to either Beyonce or Gwyneth’s weight, and just refers to the fact that Beyonce is visibly drunk in the pictures, while Gwyneth just looks tipsy.

Beyonce’s “B-Day” is at the top of the US charts, and she claims to have turned 25 on her b-day this year. I’ve always thought it was strange that she’s only 25, because she looks at least a few years older to me.

She supposedly made this video with Destiny’s Child in 1998 when she was at the tender age of 16, but she looks at least 19 to me. Maybe she just filled out early. What do you guys think? Screenshots of Beyonce from the video are below.

Thanks to Bashful Messages for sending me this video of Beyonce and asking if she’s being truthful about her birthdate. She asks: