Beyoncé
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Beyonce leaves a downtown office building in New York wearing colorful pants - March 22, 2012.

Beyonce arrives at the Greenwhich Hotel for Obama's re-election campaign fundraiser and then leaves the Nobu restaurant after dinner - March 19, 2012, New York City.

Beyoncé out in New York City on March 19, with her mom, committee member Miss Tina Knowles, and her mother-in-law Ms. Gloria Carter to attend an intimate cocktail party with First Lady Michelle Obama. The reception is a fundraiser for President Obama’s re-election campaign. Last year Beyoncé worked closely with the First Lady on Lets Move to fight childhood obesity.

Beyoncé is taking more than the recommended six weeks maternity leave. But come Memorial Day, the world's hardest-working mother will be right back at it when she plays a series of special intimate shows at Atlantic City's newest attraction. Four months after giving birth to Blue Ivy Carter, B will play a trio of exclusive shows to help launch the $2.4 billion Revel entertainment center on May 25, 26 and 27. The singer's first shows since 2011 will take place in the smoke-free Revel's signature performance space, Ovation Hall, which was designed by a team of Cirque du Soleil veterans. The 5,050-capacity space features an unobstructed view for every patron and a state-of-the-art immersive sound system. (Tickets for the shows go on sale on April 6 at 10 a.m.)

Beyonce and Jay-Z are teaching their newborn Blue Ivy Carter some expensive habits! They’ve already taken the toddler to a fancy dinner at Nobu in New York on Friday night. The Carters, who are very protective of their little darling by covering her up, slipped out the back door, but they couldn’t elude paparazzi. [+ 8]

Blue's a chip off the old block! With the recent early burst of warm spring weather in NYC, Beyonce has been spotted out and about frequently with daughter Blue Ivy Carter, 2 months. But the instantly famous baby's actual face hasn't been seen since her mom, 30, and dad Jay-Z shared intimate family pics of their newborn with the world on Feb. 10. So who does little Blue look like lately? According Grammy-winning singer Melanie Fiona -- Jay-Z, 43, is her co-manager -- it's her papa! "Beyonce says Blue changes every day and looks just like Jay now," Toronto native Fiona, 28, recently told Us Weekly. The R&B singer (her album The MF Life drops March 20) adds that fatherhood has her pal Jay (real name: Shawn Carter) completely blissed out. "He's in a good mood all the time!" she says. And mama Beyonce, 30, is just as ecstatic. "She just is so happy. I've seen Bey like 3 times since she's had the baby," Fiona explains. "And she's just glowing and she's saying is the best, and she just loves it!"

Singer Beyonce enjoyed yet another stroll with her baby girl Blue Ivy Carter strapped to her chest in New York City, New York on March 13, 2012.

Alexandra Burke has revealed that she took inspiration from Rihanna and Beyonce when filming her new music video for her new single, 'Elephant'. Having been told to be “fiercer” by her promotion directors, the star, who won the X Factor in 2008, told MTV that she decided to channel the 'Rude Boy' singer and 'Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) hit maker. Speaking about the shoot, Alexandra, who is rumoured to be dating footballer Jermain Defoe, said: "I actually watched Rihanna to channel that. I watched her video for 'Wait Your Turn', which was something that inspired me. Plus, you just know that anything by Beyoncé is inspiring full stop. I did try and channel Rihanna and Beyoncé’s videos (in order) to be fierce and you know, they’ve got that swag so it’s always good to watch them for inspiration. "The song needed that as well because you’re telling a guy to get lost. It was a fun video and one that I’ve never really done before."

About a month after Whitney Houston's death, her namesake school in East Orange has received donations totaling $39,568 in honor of the late popstar. The biggest single check came in from Sony Music for $25,000, according to Felicie Desroches, an accountant in the district business administrator's office. Jay-Z and Beyonce made the second largest contribution — $10,000 — to the school. The check came from Shawn Carter, Jay-Z's birth name, and listed a Miami address, Desroches said. She said a typed note on memo line of the check stated, "On behalf of Jay-Z and Beyonce." Late last year, the celebrity couple were reportedly scoping out real estate on Miami Beach - a $12.5 million mansion that previously was Ricky Martin's pad. Principal Henry Hamilton said he plans to use the money to set up a college fund for students and to update the school's perfoming arts equipment. Just days after Houston died, her family requested that all donations be directed to Whitney E. Houston Academy, an unassuming brick front school on Dodd Street in East Orange that focuses on the performing arts. Houston, 48, was found dead at a hotel in Beverly Hills on Feb. 11. The donations are being put into a separate bank account for the school, which has about 420 students in grades pre-kindergarten to eight.

Having one of the world’s biggest music stars as your sister might be something of a tough act to follow, but Solange Knowles is emerging from Beyoncé’s shadow. While the Single Ladies singer has raked in awards and millions of dollars and has an A-list husband in Jay-Z, her younger sister has been quietly building her own reputation and is ready to step into the spotlight with a new album, her third. Solange, 25, told ES Magazine she has learned from her sister and they have always been “super-close”. She said: “I grew up seeing my sister in the studio. I would go to recording sessions and take notes.” New York-based Solange toured the world as a dancer with Destiny’s Child, the girl group that made Beyoncé, 30, a star. She has also written albums for the likes of Kelly Rowland and four songs for her sister. Solange, who had her son, Julez, when she was 17, reveals that Beyoncé, who gave birth in January, comes to her for advice on looking after daughter Blue Ivy. She added: “You know, my sister and I truly are best friends.”

Beyonce totes her daughter Blue Ivy Carter in a baby carrier as she and her mother Tina Knowles take a stroll through Manhattan on a sunny afternoon - March 12, 2012.

New parents Jay-Z and Beyoncé enjoyed a rare night out to celebrate R&B singer Robin Thicke’s 35th birthday. The superstar couple joined Thicke for a three-hour feast at Meatpacking restaurant Catch, along with friends including Russell Simmons and music mogul Andre Harrell. With a party of 20, backed by a wall of security guards, crooner Thicke kept the mood intimate and handed over his own iPod playlist to the two-story restaurant, where it was played throughout. Our spy says Jay-Z kept it casual, donning a T-shirt and baseball cap, while a glam Beyoncé was “glowing with motherhood” and showing off a svelte figure post-pregnancy, “Beyoncé was showing off Blue Ivy’s baby pics, and the talk at the table was all about the joys of parenting,” we’re told. One diner at a nearby table got into the spirit and sent Thicke a $30,000 bottle of Ace of Spades Rosé to help him and his guests celebrate. Notables at other tables that night included Chris Burch and twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss.

Signing Beyonce
T.H.: I met Beyoncé when she was 16. My brother Andy was helping me with musicians, working with marketing, and he had set up a fashion show with Macy’s. He said there is this group called Destiny’s Child. They’re teenage girls, they sing really well and we can get them to do the music for the show, so we booked them. When I met Beyoncé, I said to Andy, “She is going to be a star.” Her voice was incredible; she had a great look and just total confidence. A couple years later, she became “The Beyoncé,” and we used her as the face of our fragrance. She was wonderful to work with.

It was Sunday "fun day" for Beyonce and Jay-Z: The new parents enjoyed a concert by R&B singer The-Dream in New York. The top music couple jammed to the singer-songwriter in the VIP section of SOB's, a small club that houses a few hundred people. The-Dream co-wrote and co-produced Beyonce's massive hit "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)." He also worked his magic on Rihanna's "Umbrella," Justin Bieber's "Baby" and "Touch My Body" by Mariah Carey. He performed a number of his own hits Sunday night, including "Shawty Is a 10," ''Falsetto" and "I Luv Your Girl." He'll release his fourth album, "Love IV MMXII," later this year. The Grammy winner thanked the crowd for coming out, saying: "I know some of ya'll got kids at home." Beyonce and Jay-Z have a daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, who was born in January.

A covered up Blue Ivy Carter was seen with her mother yesterday (March 8) in Prospect Park Brooklyn in New York City.

Sleigh Bells have recorded an acoustic cover of Beyonce's single 'Irreplaceable' – scroll down to the bottom of the page and click to listen. The US duo unveiled their own version of the track, which originally featured on Beyonce's second studio album 'B'Day' and was released as a single in 2006, on Zane Lowe's Radio 1 show yesterday evening (March 6). Sleigh Bells teamed up with Beyonce for a collaboration last year after the pop megastar was impressed by their track 'Kids' but the project, which was put together by producer Diplo, has never been released. However, guitarist Derek Miller told NME that he hadn't given up hope of working with the singer in the future, stating: "Obviously we're massive fans of her and she's a living legend. I'd love to actually work with her someday when I actually get some creative input. I wouldn't say that it failed, it just feels like it never really happened."

Beyonce‘s father Mathew Knowles made a recent appearance on UK talk show Lorraine, and spokes of how he dotes on his granddaughter. Asked about being a grandfather, Mathew, 61, said: “Solange, my youngest daughter has Julez, my grandson who I love, he’s seven years old, he’s at school and then there’s Blue Ivy. I was with Blue Ivy two days ago, I had her in my arms and was singing a song I used to sing to Beyonce and then after I finished singing the song she kind of went, ‘Ahhhh.’”

Rihanna has admitted that she is in competition with fellow singer Beyonce as she claims women are naturally jealous of each other's success. The 24-year-old Bajan star made an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show in which she addressed talk of the endless competition between herself and other musicians such as Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Beyonce. "There will always be a competition," she told Jonathan. "That is why I feel like women are becoming so dominant in music right now because we are very competitive beings and we cannot stand to see another woman do better than us. That bothers us a lot." "As much as guys have egos, our egos are a little bigger, we are just a lot better at hiding them."

Pitchfork: When Switch and Diplo worked on your first album, they weren't that well-known. But now Switch is working with Beyoncé and Diplo is doing songs with Usher. It's like pop has caught up to what you guys were doing.
S: When my first record came out it was some weirdo shit on the side. Five years later, it's mainstream. It's cool because maybe more people will be ready to hear what we're doing now. But it's also challenging because I keep having to come up with better shit with way less. I remember when Switch went to work on Beyoncé's record. I actually had done some writing with Beyoncé before that-- I played her "Pon De Floor" video and she was like, "That's amazing." But I was working with Switch at the time and I was just like, "OK Switch, we're working tomorrow?" And he was like, "Actually, I'm working with Beyoncé." And I called up Jay Brown and said, "I introduced you to Switch," and he was like, "Loyalty to the Roc." I was like, "Loyalty to the Roc?! All right, will you manage me?" That's not really how it went down, but I switched management to Roc Nation several months later. Obviously, Jay-Z is a total visionary, and they have a great sense of how brands should work now. Because music is a brand-- I'm a brand, among other things. I mean, records don't really sell much. I'm an artist who wants to do many things.

Pitchfork: So did you introduce Beyoncé to "Pon De Floor", which she later sampled on "Run the World (Girls)"?
S: I'm the first person that showed her the video for sure. Beyoncé's awesome. You can see her trying to grow and push boundaries while not leaving her audience behind. She wants to learn what else is going on in music, while all want to be huge pop stars. It's like: "Let's switch!" Well, not really. I've thought about that a lot, and I could easily be like, "Can someone write me a huge pop song so I can be like fucking Rihanna?" I tried writing with a big pop writer for this album, but I just can't do it. I have to write my lyrics. I'm only going to do music if I enjoy it and I'm proud of what I'm doing. Nowadays, people just churn out these records, but they're not really making art. They're making pop records. There's a difference. And I think a lot of young people who didn't grow up with a whole lot of real music don't know the difference.

Today global superstar Beyonce reveals the judging panel for the "End Of Time" Remix Competition. Ongoing now for over two weeks, the competition seeks to find the best remix of the #1Urban and Pop Club single from the singer's critically acclaimed album, "4." The grand prize winner will take home $4,000 USD and the opportunity to have his/her remix appear on an upcoming Beyonce release. Over two thousand entries have been uploaded to SoundCloud, the leading social sound platform with over 10 million registered users, since the competition was announced on February 8. The competition is opened to 25 countries including, Australia, Brazil, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. A complete list of rules can be found at www.beyonceonline.com. The judges joining Beyonce represent some the music industry's most influential producers, performers and DJs. The international panel of judges: British musician Isabella Summers of Florence & The Machine, Dutch music producer and DJ Afrojack, the duo DJ and producing team from Poland, WAWA, New York premier DJ Jus-Ske and Oscar-winning producer and composer Giorgio Moroder. The SoundCloud community will vote on entries and the top 50 ranked eligible remixes will be reviewed by this newly announced panel of judges, including Beyonce. Fans can still vote for their favorites remixes to make it into the Top 50. All eligible entries will be judged on the basis of originality, creativity and musicality. The entrant with the highest overall score will be the grand prizewinner. The competition closes at midnight (US EDT) on March 8, 2012.