Lindsay Lohan isn’t the only star to give an extensive interview to The Sun this weekend. Jay-Z, arguably one of the biggest musical acts in the world, sat down for a long, highly political interview with The Sun. Sidenote: What gives? The Sun is a crappy rag. Why all the love? Back on topic: I think Jay’s point is that he wants to reach the British people and tell them they’ve got to stand up and be heard and have their votes counted. Which is a bit rich, because Britain consistently has a higher voter participation rate than America. In 2008, American voter participation barely cracked 60%. So… no American should ever give England a voting-rights lecture. Ever.

But Jay-Z isn’t just going with a Get Out the Vote message. Oh, no. He’s also trying to convince the British that they need “new blood” and that there’s a reason “People are calling it Broken Britain.” Um, once again, Jay - if Britain is “broken” than America has been smashed, pissed on and set on fire. Here’s more:

HE helped get the first black man into the White House - and now JAY-Z reckons he knows how to fix Broken Britain too. The power to bring change, he says, in in our own hands. The US rapper who picked up a Brit for Best International Male Solo Artist on Tuesday tells The Sun in an exclusive interview that change will only come if people use their vote at the next election.

However, he reckons neither GORDON BROWN nor DAVID CAMERON have the charisma of PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA. Jay-Z said: “Everyone needs new blood once in a while. And Britain needs it to shake up the country. People are calling it Broken Britain, so there’s obviously a problem.”

“Someone needs to reinvigorate and galvanise the country and give it something to believe in. That means a leader with charisma to get the youth out to vote. The rise of the BNP is also a problem. Power is dangerous in the hands of the wrong person and it’s up to the people to get them out of there - which goes back to voting.”

“We have to use that power. We can’t just sit back and not vote - that’s dangerous. I’ve never met Brown or Cameron but Britain needs to look at America and Obama to see how he did it. He connected with the young and gave them something to believe in. He made references to rap and let the kids know they were accepted. Before Obama, people in my neighbourhood were disillusioned. They thought nothing would happen no matter who was in office. But Obama changed that and really connected with people. He heard us and so we voted. Britain needs a leader who can do the same, who understands the youth and deals with their needs and what they have to say.”

Jay-Z - real name Shawn Carter - is a close friend of the President and worked on his election campaign, holding several free concerts to help his campaign register voters.

Despite a recent backlash against Obama, the 40-year-old music mogul believes his first year as President has been successful, stressing the importance of his healthcare plans.

He says: “Obama’s meeting a lot of resistance but I think he’s doing fine. We all knew the job he was taking on. He may have been dealt the worst hand ever in American politics. What I admire about him is he’s taken it on head-on. Who can say no to healthcare with a clear conscience?”

“Britain has a National Health Service to be proud of but in America, people have lost people in their lives because they didn’t have the proper healthcare. A friend of mine who is 41 just went to the doctor for the first time to get a check-up. That was the first time in his life he could afford health insurance. It shouldn’t be happening.”

“Making music is my love. It’s not arduous, not a task, and it’s not a job. I’m making music, touring the world and playing in front of people. It’s unreal. Britain is like my second home. I have a real connection here with the place and the people. I like Britain’s honesty, and the sarcasm - my sense of humor is dry so it blends well.”

[From The Sun]

Ugh. Yeah. I usually like Jay a lot, but I found this interview very sanctimonious. Maybe he didn’t really say this stuff - it doesn’t really sound like him, you know? Beyond that, Jay also appeared on Jonathan Ross’s BBC show, and he told/joked with Ross that he (Jay) was the was the one to invent Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” dance. EW raved about this interview clip, but I thought it was terribly dull:

This is Rihanna on Saturday night, at Clive Davis’s annual pre-Grammy party. Last year, it was after Clive’s party that Chris Brown beat the hell out of Rihanna - so many media outlets ran stories about Rihanna - One Year Later. Personally, if everyone was going to be writing about me and I knew it, I would try not to look like a puffy Poodle. But that’s just me.

Maybe Rihanna thought everyone was going to be talking about her, but at the actual party, Rihanna’s thunder got stolen by none other than Barbara Streisand. Gatecrasher has more:

Barbra Streisand’s happy days are here again: The legendary songstress was all the talk Saturday night at Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy party at the Beverly Hilton in L.A.

Although Rihanna — who had her scary altercation with ex-boyfriend Chris Brown right after Davis’ 2009 event — arrived at the bash all smiles and in an outlandish turquoise number, the 67-year-old Babs stole the show.

“It’s rare for Barbra to show up to pre-Grammy parties, so this was a huge surprise,” a music insider tells us. “No one could stop talking about her being there. Everyone thought that all eyes would be on Rihanna, but no one could care less after Barbra showed up.”

The reason for her presence was twofold: The fete celebrated Universal Music bigwig Doug Morris, a longtime pal of Streisand’s, and we hear she’s about to make a big return to the pop music scene.

On the heels of her No. 1 album “Love Is the Answer,” which was released in September, Streisand (above with Davis) is rumored to have signed up for Quincy Jones’ highly anticipated rendition of “We Are the World.”

The famous producer would only hint that she’d be joining, but he did confirm that he’s aiming to record the track this week. While Babs is sure to be the headlining name on it (all proceeds will go toward the relief effort in Haiti), Jones confirmed that Smokey Robinson will lend his vocals, and dropped another hint — that fans may get to hear the crooning of wacky songstress Lady Gaga.

But not even that name, nor a little diva-esque moment from Mary J. Blige, could detract much from the Babs buzz.

Blige made a scene when, ironically, she was about to perform “No More Drama” for the A-list crowd. While Jane Fonda (who’s dating veteran music producer Richard Perry), Jon Bon Jovi and Leonardo DiCaprio watched, Blige reportedly told her musicians to stop and angrily demanded, “Can we get the right music for Mary J. Blige?”

Performers who seemed a little more graced by Streisand’s presence included Jennifer Hudson, who performed “People” and “The Way We Were” in the legend’s honor.

[From Gatecrasher]

This has nothing to do with the Clive Davis party, but some people were wondering if the little boy that Jay-Z and Rihanna brought up when they won a Grammy was their love child. For real? My first theory was that it was some relative of Jay-Z’s or Beyonce’s, and my second theory was that this was the ever-gossiped about alleged lovechild Jay had with some random woman several years ago. Anyway, it turns out the kid is Beyonce’s nephew Julez, the son of Solange. Julez and Jay seem tight, so that was really sweet and cool of Jay to bring him up.

So, what’s the consensus about Rihanna and Jay-Z? Are they “just friends” or collegues, or are they hooking up? Have they hooked up in the past? Are they attracted to each other? Would Jay cheat on his wife Beyonce? I don’t really know the answers to any of those questions, I only have my assumptions. My gossipy guess is that they aren’t currently hooking up, but they may have in the past, like a one-shot deal or something.

In any case, the rumors about Jay and Rihanna’s alleged hookups have swirled for years, and Rihanna is denying that sh-t. She even claims one specific hookup rumor was all around Barbados! It’s a good one too:

RIHANNA was so embarrassed by rumors she landed her record deal by embarking on a sexual relationship with JAY-Z, she couldn’t look him in the face.

Stories surfaced alleging the Umbrella beauty was more than just the rapper’s business acquaintance when she first made it into the industry.

And even Rihanna’s close friends in her native Barbados believed she’d jumped into bed with the hip-hop mogul to seal the deal - but she insists the false stories left her cringing.

She says, “It was like: ‘Of course she had to give Jay-Z oral sex to get that deal.’ That rumor was everywhere in Barbados and it was so disgusting. It made me feel really weird. I would even be weird around Jay-Z. I wouldn’t be able to look him in the eye.’

“One day, he called and he was like, ‘Yo, you can’t buy into these rumors. You can’t let people move you with anything they say.’ The rumors got very funny to me after that.”

[From Contact Music]

Yeah, I doubt Jay made her go down on him for a record deal. I think Jay looks at her like one of his investments, his protégé, his kid sister. But here’s another little interesting note: when I was searching around for pictures of the two of them in the same frame, I found something weird - they are very, very conscious of being photographed together, whether they’re staying at the same hotel, or leaving a club or going into an event, they are rarely captured together in the same “candid” moment. Now, they appear in each other’s videos and all, so it’s not that big of a deal, but it did strike me as weird. Like they’re trying too hard to make it look like there’s nothing to talk about.

Rihanna and Jay-Z performing at the ‘Africa Rising’ festival in Abuja, Nigeria on August, 11 2008. Additional picture of Rihanna on November 23 in New York. Credit: WENN

Here’s Jay-Z on the cover of the December issue of Gotham. Unfortunately for all of us, he’s not talking about Miley Cyrus and how hurt he is that Miley doesn’t listen to his “pop music”. No, Jay is talking babies. Specifically, how he and wife Beyonce are starting to feel the baby itch.

Jay goes off in kind of a Zen way about his perspective on life: “Making music is art… It doesn’t change who you are as a person. It doesn’t mean you’re entitled or you’re above the law. You still treat people as human beings. It doesn’t change the laws of the universe. Life has a balance and for every action there is a reaction. So if you put negative energy in, negative energy comes back to you. You have to live your life within the laws of the universe and I haven’t lost sight of that. You have to be close with your foundation and the people who know you best because they’ve known you for so long that they can see the changes in you,…Fame is such a deadly drug that you can’t see the changes because you are so consumed by it. You need a close-knit group of friends and family to make sure you stay grounded.” Here’s more from Jay:

Her song “Single Ladies” is an Internet hit among dancing babies and now, Beyoncé’s working on a tot of her own. That’s according to get this Jay-Z, B’s notoriously tight-lipped hubby, who spilled the baby beans himself.

While chatting up Gotham mag editor in chief Cristina Greeven Cuomo, the rapper let it slip that procreating is high on the duo’s priority list right now.

That’s big news from hip hop’s sneakiest couple, who wed secretly on a Tribeca rooftop and rarely even wear their own wedding rings in public.

It’s also a change in attitude for Beyoncé, who admitted on “The View” in April that while she was interested in motherhood, she was in no hurry to hit the birthing room after seeing the process upclose when her sister Solange did it.

“I definitely want one, but I’m not ready for all of that,” she said then. “I don’t think a person should see that before her time. It was a little much. But I’m so in love with my nephew, and every time I see him I’m like, God, he’s just amazing.”

But the kid-friendly 28-year-old, who’s made more than 40 Make-A-Wish Foundation fulfillments, is ready to summon her inner Sasha Fierce and go for it. And all that, um, practice must be lighting a fire for the couple, married since April 2008. Backstage Thursday at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Berlin, where both got awards, the husky rapper held his beaming wife in a big bear hug, When she got up to the podium, Beyoncé (photo l.) said, “There is only one person I want to thank, and that is Jay for putting a ring on it.” And did she ever thank him with a big red lipstick smack on the neck for all to see as the two left a nearby nightclub in the wee morning hours.

All this action must be doing wonders for Brooklyn-born Jay-Z’s already healthy self-esteem.

“I don’t dislike anything about myself,” he told Gotham. “I know this sounds a little arrogant, but I really accept what God has given me. I’ve got a short temper, but I work on controlling it. I can say inappropriate things because I believe them to be true and sometimes that can be hurtful to others. But I think in the long run it is more helpful.”

And while Beyoncé is more than happy to collaborate with her man, even Jay gets rejected sometimes when it comes to musical partnerships.

“[Two-man band] MGMT turned me down,” he admits.

[From The New York Daily News]

I suppose I should mention all of those rumors that Jay-Z is already father to a son around the age of… something like three years old? Something like that. I can’t keep up with all of the rumors about Jay (most of which I tend to think are false), but the whole “he has a secret son” is one that might be true. Allegedly, the baby-mama is a video model/performer named Shanelle (no last name, I guess), and just as allegedly, Jay paid her $1 million to keep his name off the birth certificate. I suppose the scandal here is that Jay supposedly fathered this child when he and Beyonce were dating, so the kid is “proof” that all is not well between Jay and Beyonce. I don’t really know. Even if it is true, I do hope Jay and Beyonce start having babies - just because I think that’s what they really want.

Thanks to Cover Awards for the Jay-Z cover. He is also shown performing in Fresno on 11/7/09 and in Berlin with Beyonce on 11/6/09. Credit: WENN.com

For those of us who listen to the radio on occasion, Miley Cyrus’s nasal twang is getting too much play. Her song “Party in the U.S.A.” is everywhere on pop stations, and if you’re lucky enough to not have that God forsaken song stuck in your head for a whole day (”Swingin’ your hips like yeah”…ARHH!), consider yourself one of the chosen few. This particular song got its worldwide debut at the Teen Choice Awards several months ago, by the way. Yes, it’s that song. The song that Miley sung while pole dancing. Seriously.

Anyway, there’s a break or whatever in parts on the song where Miley’s demon twang belts out “And the Jay-Z song was on!” repeatedly (note: she also sings/demon-twangs “And the Britney song was on!” at one point too). I didn’t really think anything of these Britney and Jay-Z shout-outs because, really, Britney and Jay-Z songs are always on the radio, and they’re now as emblematic of modern American music, so whatever. I didn’t really think about it that much. Apparently Miley didn’t either - and when this interviewer dude asked her about Jay-Z’s music, Miley was all, like, you know, like, whatever, and um…like, “I’ve never heard a Jay-Z song… I don’t listen to pop music.” Seriously. Like. Um. Demon Twang. Like.

It appears that a Jay-Z song wasn’t on!

Miley Cyrus — whose hit song, “Party in the U.S.A.” includes a line about her nodding her head to one of the rapper’s tracks — says she doesn’t know which of his songs inspired the lyrics.

“I’ve never heard a Jay-Z song,” the singer, 16, said in an interview before her Halloween concert — in which she was dressed as Pocahontas — in Louisville, Kentucky this past Saturday. “I don’t listen to pop music.”

Then how did it get in her song — which was recently No. 1 on the Top 40 charts?

“I don’t know, I didn’t write the song, so I have no idea,” she said of the tune, which was written by a songwriting team of Dr. Luke, Claude Kelly and Jessica Cornish. “Honestly, I picked that song because I needed something to go with my clothing line. I didn’t write it and … I didn’t expect it to be popular, originally. It was just something that I wanted to do, and I needed some songs and it turned out for the best.”

Although she said “Party in the U.S.A.” is “not even my style of music,” she is thankful for its success.

“I’m really blessed for it to have done as well as it has. Totally blessed,” she said. “God has definitely put me in an amazing position with amazing people.”

Later, when asked about an artist she has heard before — her father, Billy Ray Cyrus — the Hannah Montana star says she has no plans to shout out any of his songs, like the 1992 hit, “Achy Breaky Heart.”

“No, no thank you,” she said. “That’s like covering a Jay-Z song. That’s not going to happen.”

[From Us Weekly]

So Miley doesn’t listen to “pop music” and that’s why she’s never heard a Jay-Z song. And yet, in the interview, she’s talking about Britney Spears’ music. So, basically, Miley is, like, dumb as a friggin’ doornail. I have to admit though, I didn’t watch the full video, I only skimmed it because her voice is so grating and I really want to try to smack her for a variety of reasons. Instead of just bashing Miley for everything, I will give her credit for one thing - she’s very polite to the guy interviewing her, and his kids. The guy comes across as a bit of a pervert, though. Miley doesn’t seem to notice. She probably thought “He reminds me of my daddy!” Here’s the video:

In the header, Miley Cyrus is performing in concert at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois on October 27, 2009. Credit: WENN.

Jay-Z is worried about his friend and protégé Rihanna. Even though there were rumors Jay and RiRi were getting busy, I tend to think Jay is like an overprotective brother to Rihanna - and this story seems in line with that. Apparently, Jay is worried that Rihanna has been partying too much, staying out too late, and generally losing her “professional edge”. Jay is concerned that RiRi has been in a “downward slide” ever since Chris Brown beat the crap out of her - so Jay has assigned a bodyguard to look after her, according to the Enquirer.

Rapper Jay-Z thinks success has gone to Rihanna’s head - so he’s hired a bodyguard to watch over his chart-topping protégé.

The Grammy-winning hip-hop artist “invested his heart and soul into transforming Rihanna into a superstar,” an insider told The ENQUIRER.

“Now he’s outraged because she’s out clubbing most every night. He thinks she’s losing her professional edge.”

Music mogul Jay-Z plucked Rihanna from obscurity in2004, signing her to his former record label Def Jam.

She scored huge hits with “Umbrella” and “SOS,” but in February, the 21-year-old Barbados-born singer made worldwide headlines after a brutal attack by her former boyfriend, Chris Brown.

Her behavior since then has Jay-Z, so concerned that he recently assigned one of his own bodyguards exclusively to Rihanna, said the source.

“Jay-Z’s take is that Rihanna’s been on a downward slide ever since the Chris Brown beating,” the source said.

“He wants to keep an eye on Rihanna to make sure she doesn’t wind up in trouble. He’s unhappy that she appears to prefer partying to making music.”

After the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 13, Rihanna partied up a storm at New York City hotspots 1OAK and Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club. Days before, she was seen throwing back shots at M2 Ultralounge in the Big Apple.

Wonder if the party guard’s joining in the festivities?

[From the National Enquirer]

I tend to think there’s a lot of truth to this story. Rihanna has been out a lot lately - there are new photos of her entering or exiting clubs on a daily basis, she gets into all of the hot fashion shows, and she seems to think her job is “fashion trendsetter” rather than “working pop star”. I do think that Jay’s interest is probably as much financial as it is brotherly - after all, Rihanna is still a product Jay’s trying to successfully market. I also think Jay’s got a right to be concerned - I’m kind of worried about Rihanna too. I think she didn’t deal with the Chris Brown situation properly, and I worry that the two of them are still in contact. Perhaps that’s another reason the bodyguard was hired - to keep Rihanna away from douche bag abusers, because that girl obviously has horrible judgment on that front.

Rihanna is shown at the Jean Paul Gaultier and Karl Lagerfeld shows in Paris on 10/3 and 10/4/09. Credit: WENN.com

Oprah has never been known to encourage or celebrate hip-hop or rap artists. Within the past few years, there was even a somewhat significant backlash against Oprah in the male-dominated hip-hop/rap community. From what I remember, Ludacris started the backlash by talking openly about how Oprah treated him when he came on the show to promote Crash.

Back in 2006, Ludacris said: “She edited out a lot of my comments while keeping her own in. Of course, it’s her show, but we were doing a show on racial discrimination, and she gave me a hard time as a rapper when I came on there as a rapper. Initially, I wasn’t even invited on the show. After the taping, she pulled me into a room and we had a five-minute conversation. What I got was that by having rappers on her show, she feels like she’s empowering in them. I don’t see why (comedians) Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle, who I am huge fans of, it’s OK for them to go on Oprah. They speak the same language as I do, but they do it through comedy, so I guess that’s acceptable to her.”

After that, several artists spoke out against her, notably 50 Cent. He told the Associated Press that Oprah “caters to older white women. Oprah’s audience is my audience’s parents. So, I could care less about Oprah or her show.” I tend to think 50 Cent and Ludacris have very valid points, especially 50 Cent‘s observation about Oprah‘s audience. As for Luda, he knew that it was her show, and she could do whatever she wanted, but he was still peeved at the double standard for rap artists.

Oprah was obviously aware of the criticisms, and it didn’t seem to bother her. But now she’s reached out to the current “godfather” of hip-hip, Jay-Z. While she takes pains to say that she doesn’t listen to his music, she does pour on the compliments:

Look out, Beyonce! Another Hollywood A-lister is a big fan of your man — or at least the way he smells.

On a recent call with her best friend Gayle King on Sirius Satellite Radio’s Oprah Radio, Oprah Winfrey dished about her favorite mogul.

“Jay-Z is my new best friend!” the talk show host said to Gayle while discussing her recent two-hour interview with him for her magazine, O. Admitting that she’s not a huge fan of his music, Oprah does reveal what about him does have her hooked.

“He was so charming and delightful — and he smelled so good,” she says. “It’s the kind of thing where you hug a guy and the scent is sort of buried in them,” she explains. “When we went to the second location I could still smell him on me it was like, ‘oh my, this is wonderful!’”

Jay has reason to take scent seriously. In addition to heading up music labels, a club, a sports team and the Rocawear clothing line, Jay-Z is also a perfumer, having already produced the scent Rocawear 9 IX.

And next month Oprah — and all Jay-Z fans — will have even more reason to celebrate when he launches X Rocawear fragrance in celebration of the label’s 10th anniversary. Listen here to hear more of Gayle’s interview with Oprah.

[From People]

I’m surprised it took this long for Jay-Z and Oprah to become friendly. They’re kind of doing the same thing in different fields - building empires. Will Oprah’s audience be freaked out by her closeness to Jay? I doubt it. Even my mom knows Jay-Z, and she likes him too. She told me at lunch recently that she thinks he seems “nice” and she informed me that Jay is “the godfather”. Hand to God, she said that. I think she heard it on NPR.

Jay-Z is shown on 1/7/09. Credit: Fame Pictures. Oprah is shown on 12/7/09. Credit: PRPhotos

Wendy Williams is a small beep on my radar. I know she started getting press when her New York radio show really took off, and she does a lot of celebrity interviews and has her hands on a lot of juicy gossip - much of which might be totally false. Wendy’s trying her hand at television again. This time it’s not just VH1 airing her radio show or whatever, someone actually gave Wendy a talk show. Wendy was promoting the show to Popeater when it seems like she confirmed the rumor that Jay-Z pulled rank at the BET Awards to get Chris Brown uninvited. According to Wendy, Chris Brown is “finished”. Wendy also talks about how Kate Hudson and Jennifer Aniston need some “counseling”, and how she now finds Shia LaBeouf “quietly devastating and sexy.” My favorite part is when she’s talking about Megan Fox - Wendy quotes Judge Judy and says “Beauty fades, dumb is forever.” I seriously hope that’s Megan’s new tattoo:

Popeater: Do you think there’s too much attention being paid by the media to Michael Jackson’s death?
WW: Yea, but we can’t forget about Goldie Hawn being upset — as I am too — about Kate Hudson and Alex Rodriguez! I need to talk to someone about this!

What don’t you like about it?
I don’t like them together. Given that she has Ryder and everything, I feel like Kate introduces men to her child too early. Alex Rodriguez also just got out of a marriage, but they always say don’t monkey-bar from one relationship to another.

Well, there was Madonna in between.
Yea, but Madonna gets it. I don’t think she was looking to fall in love. We gals of a particular age, Madonna is older than me, but still, Madonna’s not looking to have any more kids. Kate is still young and tight and has a chance to go along and make a new family with somebody. Why would you want such used goods? I like Alex, he’s cute and adorable and I wouldn’t kick him out of bed, but he’s a one night stand. I wouldn’t introduce him to my child and mother! And before Kate, I think we need to counsel Jennifer Aniston.

I heard you have a bit of a crush on Shia LaBeouf?
Well all of a sudden, he’s hot. When Rihanna was dating him, that’s when I first took note. And maybe it was the angle of the pictures shot, but I was just like ‘Eww!’ You don’t sport him on your arm, you just hang out with him. I couldn’t figure it out because he didn’t look that hot to me. Now, all of a sudden I saw him with Megan Fox and there’s something about him that’s very quietly devastating and sexy. Though I’ve heard she’s back with Brian Austin Green, which means she just did him (Shia) for the tour and left him on the side.

What do you think about Brian Austin Green dating Megan?
I mean, he was there when she was just Megan from the Midwest or wherever she’s from. Now that she’s Megan Fox, I think she might want to sow her wild oats, and unfortunately, she makes him look like a sucker. There, I said it. She’s not being quiet about sowing her oats. It’s one thing where it’s like ‘Baby, you’re this big star, I can’t go with you to promote ‘Transformers,’ whatever happens overseas stays overseas. Then, here she is practically climbing up Shia LaBeouf’s leg in this red dress. That was extremely disrespectful. If I were a man, that would cancel all hope of getting back together.

Even if it’s someone like Megan Fox?
Excuse me! I’m a fan of Judge Judy, and like she says, ‘Beauty fades, dumb is forever.’ Very disrespectful.

OK, let’s play a bit a word association. I’ll say a celebrity, you give me the first things that pop into your mind.
Michael Jackson: Dead, and rest in peace.
Britney Spears: Brunette, and she looks good!
Chris Brown: Finished. Listen, Mike! My hopes for any sort of comeback was for the Michael Jackson tribute at the BET Awards, but from what I understand, Jay-Z didn’t even want him in the building. I think everyone will forget about it (the Rihanna beating), but everyone will forget him too. Here it is, pop culture forgets everything. If Chris Brown wanted to make an immediate comeback, the BET Awards was the way to do it. He does have a chance to get back in and do something, but he has to have a spec-tacular party song. It’s gotta be good for hip-hop and Top 40, for all colors and all ages.

[From Popeater]

Is it weird that I’m totally with Wendy on all of this? She’s got Megan Fox down exactly, I think she’s got Madonna figured out, and the Kate Hudson stuff is right on. The only thing she might have wrong is Chris Brown - I don’t think he’s in any way finished. If anything, beating Rihanna made Chris Brown a household name, and there’s a very real possibility he’s going to be a big star for years to come. Unless Jay-Z meets him in a dark alleyway.

Wendy Williams is shown on 5/20/09 and 6/17/09. Credit: WENN.com

One of Michael Jackson’s biggest fans in the music industry didn’t make it to Sunday night’s BET Awards, in which many prominent artists paid tribute to Michael. According to several reports, Chris Brown was supposed to take part in one of the Jackson tributes, but ended up not even showing up for the event. According to a statement from Brown’s rep to Page Six, Brown “was never confirmed to perform.” This contradicts both the same Page Six report, and Gatecrasher, who claim that Jay-Z pulled some major rank to ensure that Brown would be nowhere near the Jackson tributes. It seems that for Jay-Z, Brown is still persona non grata because of the Rihanna situation. Jay famously called Brown “a walking dead man” after Brown beat the hell out of Rihanna, and even though Brown pled guilty and got probation, Jay is holding the grudge. Gatecrasher is also reporting that BET producers and Rev. Al Sharpton had a lot to say about Chris’s involvement:

Chris Brown was a no-show at Sunday night’s BET Awards because producers pulled his performance at the last minute.

According to several insiders, Brown’s appearance was considered risky business on a night honoring Michael Jackson. The “No Air” singer is facing negative publicity after pleading guilty to the February assault of his ex-girlfriend Rihanna.

One source says Brown’s absence came at the insistence of the Rev. Al Sharpton. “Al made such a fuss to the BET executives that they pulled Chris,” says our insider, who adds that Jay-Z also had a hand in the decision. “Jay is a big name in the BET community, and he was very vocal about his displeasure with Chris attending the ceremony. He didn’t want Chris anywhere near the awards so close to the court’s ruling.”

Brown isn’t taking the public dis on the chin, either. “He’s furious,” a pal of the singer tells us. “BET asked him to perform and waited until the last minute to tell him it was off. He’s pretty shocked and outraged right now.”

Both BET publicists and Brown’s camp say the singer was never confirmed for the show.
Meanwhile, Rihanna’s absence from the event was just as noticeable as Brown’s. But while her ex fumed, the “Umbrella” singer was busy hanging out with her crush, Orlando Magic forward Rashard Lewis, in NYC. Says a rep for the beauty, “Rihanna was never meant to attend [the BET awards].”

Also expected at the ceremony were Usher and Justin Timberlake; both bowed out of the event but agreed to take part in a later tribute to Jackson on BET.

[From Gatecrasher]

Page Six also has Jay “threatening to pull out of the show if Chris was involved, so BET dropped Chris.” I actually think this is great, and props to Jay and whoever else pulled rank to ensure that Chris couldn’t attend. First of all, Chris’s presence would have pulled focus from the attempt to honor Michael Jackson. Secondly, Chris Brown should have some career blowback after the Rihanna incident. Well done, Jay.

Every year, Parade reveals its list of top celebrity earners in its “What People Earn” issue. This year, the list includes everyone from Jennifer Aniston ($27 million) to Tiger Woods ($110 million) and John Grisham ($25 million). Check out the full compilation below:

Jennifer Aniston $27 million
Alex Rodriguez $34 million
Kelly Ripa $8 million
Britney Spears $2.25 million
Patrick Drempsey $3.5
Tiger Woods $110 million
John Grisham $25 million
Rod Blagojevich $177,400
Will Ferrell $31 million
Sarah Palin $125,000
Chelsey Sullenberger $100,000
Beyonce $80 million
Taylor Swift $5.5 million
Carolyn Murphy $4.5 million
Jay-Z $82 million
Barbie $3.3 million
Michael Bloomberg $1 million
Tyler Perry $125 million
Danica Patrick $7 million
Rush Limbaugh $38 million
Tina Fey $4.6 million

from [Parade]

Parade doesn’t do a good job of explaining how they came to these numbers; I assume they are 2008 figures, and take into account the salaries the celebrities were supposed to receive directly (that is, no royalties were taken into consideration).

There are some surprises on the list, including Britney Spears’ lowly $2.25 million (though this may be due to her meltdown and absence from the entertainment scene last year). Even Taylor Swift was able to beat out Britney’s earnings. And I know Tyler Perry’s movies do well at the box office, but geez. $125 million is a lot of dough.

And talk about a power couple: Beyonce’s $80 million along with Jay-Z’s $82 million should make them a nice little nest egg when, and if, they decide to retire.

Say what you will about whether or not celebrities deserve the salaries they get; it’s always interesting to be able to compare the salaries of the celebrities themselves.

Photo credit: PRPhotos