Author: Jason

Congratulations to Lady Gaga and Beyoncé! Being this high without a video is a pretty big accomplishment. Click HERE to request Telephone and Put It In A Love Song.

She’s a genius. She’s one of the greatest artists I’ve ever worked with. And just me being a big fan it was like a humbling experience to see how professional she was. Artists like Beyonce, Usher and Fantasia and those type of power vocalists, they don’t just sing a song – they perform it. And that’s the difference, she performs your record, you know? She took her heels off, went into the booth and sang the song, and it was like I was watching the show.

Beyoncé appeared at the 40/40 After Party last night. Check out the pictures below.

03.02 – 40/40 After Party

EDIT: Updated with HQ pictures.

Superstar and cultural icon Beyonce, ended her 2009 “I AM…” World Tour with a sensational live concert in the Caribbean on the island of Trinidad on February 18, 2010. The “I AM…” World Tour launched in Edmondton, Canada on March 29, 2009 and spanned across Europe including stops in Austria, Spain and The United Kingdom. Beyonce’s first of four sold-out shows at London’s 20,000-seat O2 Arena, Europe’s largest in-door concert venue, inspired the Telegraph.co.uk to headline its review: “Beyonce Knowles raised the bar for what can be done in an arena show at the O2.” The North American leg of the “I AM…” World Tour kicked off in New York’s famed Madison Square Garden on June 21, 2009 and came to a close with a sold-out four-night residency at Encore at Wynn Las Vegas on August 2. During this stint, the powerhouse filmed her “I AM…YOURS An Intimate Performance At Wynn Las Vegas” DVD, which later went on to become the number one music DVD in the country. The ABC Television Network aired an edited version of the DVD as a Thanksgiving Night one-hour special. During the North American leg of the “I AM…” World Tour, Beyonce co-sponsored food drives as part of a Show Your Helping Hand™ initiative, a national hunger relief campaign created by General Mills’ Hamburger Helper® in partnership with Beyonce and her Survivor Foundation. The campaign goal was to help Feeding America deliver more than 3.5 million meals to local food banks.

Upon the completion of several tour dates in Australia, Beyonce was honored with the coveted Billboard Woman of The Year Award at a ceremony held in New York City on October 2, 2009. The “I AM…” World Tour continued with shows in Japan and additional dates in The United Kingdom, including two sold-out shows in Ireland at Dublin’s O2 Arena, before concluding in South America and the Caribbean. The “I AM…” World Tour which critics have called “spectacular” and “dazzling” was also named the world’s #1 concert attraction by Billboard Magazine’s Hot Tour rankings. Last month, Beyonce broke the record for most Grammy® wins by a female artist in a single year taking home six awards, including “Song of the Year” (for “Single Ladies”). The wins brought her career Grammy® total up to 16 (13 as a solo artist and 3 with Destiny’s Child.) According to The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Beyonce is the artist with the most total certifications over the past decade, with a total of 64. The certifications include cumulative album, digital song, master ringtone, and music video certifications. Beyonce also has the most master ringtone certifications for a female solo artist with 19 and the highest certified master ringtone for a female artist with “Irreplaceable” at 3x multi-Platinum. She received her very first Gold album award for her Grammy® Award winning debut solo album, “Dangerously in Love” on July 29, 2003. “Dangerously in Love” is currently 4x multi-Platinum.

What the critics had to say:

“Beyonce has a breathtaking need to entertain.” – Ben Ratliff of The New York Times

“In a dazzling, flawless performance…Beyonce Knowles captivated a massive and enthusiastic crowd with her music, her moves, her humility and her humanity.” – Peter Taylor, Trinidad & Tobago Express

“Beyonce twisted all the theatrics into her musical performance flawlessly, demonstrating her many talents as an artist.” – Chantal Eustace, Vancouver Sun

“Beyonce is all the singers at the same time. She has strong voice, exciting songs and refined esthetic on stage. And she is bold! She has Madonna’s expertise, Britney’s pop energy, MIA’s global antenna, Voice of the Great American Black Singers, and Whitney Houston’s moments. She is not only a singer, she is a performer. And very, very good.” – Thiago Ney, Folha De S. Paulo

“Looking like a goddess in gold, Beyonce masterfully bewitched the 18,000 strong crowd with an amazing performance…” – Jay Hanna, Perth Now

“Pure dynamite.” – Segundo Caderno, O Globo,

“For song after song and dance step after dance step, the Bootylicious star delivered a mind blowing performance…” – Deborah McAleese and Lauren Mulvenny, Belfast Telegraph

“Beyonce raises the bar for what can be done in an arena show at O2.” – Tom Horan, Telegraph UK

Since news is a little slow now that Beyoncé’s on break, I thought I’d post one of my personal favorite interviews from around the beginning of the I Am Sasha Fierce era. Enjoy!

Remember Me writer Will Fetters was in New York this weekend to promote his romantic drama, which stars Pierce Brosnan, Chris Cooper, Lost’s Emilie de Ravin, and Robert Pattinson, but he also chatted about the remake of A Star is Born, which is on his list of upcoming projects. Seems demand for the young writer is growing; he’s also adapting the Nicholas Sparks novel The Lucky One for the screen, in what seems an appropriate follow-up to Remember Me.

He inadvertently confirmed that Nick Cassavetes is doing the Star remake, although the rumors about Beyoncé and Russell Crowe are still just that. Fetters said, “I am doing A Star is Born remake with Nick Cassavetes, also for Warner Brothers… I was with Nick on Thursday. As far as I know, there’s no contracts or anything, but Nick wants [Beyoncé] and I think Russell Crowe is another name that’s starting to circle, but there’s no contracts, there’s just talks so far.”

He also said, “If it’s not Beyoncé and Russell, it will be that age range, I would imagine. That’s who it’s written for… It’s not going to end up having Zac Efron and someone… It’s going to be that age range [as before].”

Beyoncé Knowles gave “Extra’s” AJ Calloway backstage access to her final concert in Trinidad, for the I Am… Sasha Fierce world tour. He caught all the raw moments, talked future babies and her plans for the next few months. The singer shared a list of things she now wants to accomplish during her break. She told AJ that she’s not going back to work until everything is checked off her list! Items on her to-do list include “learning to paint and cook, and to do Broadway shows and museums. And learn just to be at home and just watch television.” Beyoncé and rapper/producer hubby Jay-Z have been married for almost two years, and while there are no immediate plans for a baby, she does say, “Eventually. When it happens it happens… I definitely want a family. I’m too close to my mother, I have the best mother, you know. I can only hope the relationship I have with my mother, I can have with my kids whenever I decided to have them.” AJ asked if Jay-Z also wanted kids, to which Beyoncé replied, “You gotta ask Jay.”

Beyoncé and Jay-Z watch from courtside during the second half of the NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas, Texas February 24, 2010.

02.24 – Courtside in Dallas, Texas

A new track has just surfaced titled Baby You’re The Only Man. Sounds like it was a leftover from the Dangerously In Love album. Tell us what you think!

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Alicia and Beyoncé recently filmed the video for their duet “Put It in a Love Song” in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Sporting fashions that draw upon ethnic prints and playful skirts, the two divas played up the colorful energy of the South American city. “Put It in a Love Song” is set to premiere on March 8.

The organization that hands out gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards has just confirmed what you probably already assumed: Beyoncé was the hottest music artist for the past decade. The Recording Industry Assn. added up all the certifications that it awarded from 2000 through 2009, not just for albums, but for all the music configurations that they track-albums, digital songs, master ringtones and music videos. The Washington, D.C.-based organization gave an artist credit for one “unit” when a title went gold, a second when it went platinum, a third when it went double-platinum, and so on. The RIAA counted only titles that were released from 2000 to 2009, so catalog product didn’t affect the rankings. Beyonce came out on top for the decade with 64 certifications. Eagles were the top group for the decade, with 48. Michael Jackson was the top male solo artist, with 44.

Beyonce’s total of 64 certifications includes 20 for digital songs, 19 for master ringtones, 13 for music videos and 12 for albums. Her top title overall was her 2003 debut album, Dangerously In Love, which has been certified four times platinum. The album spawned the #1 hits “Crazy In Love” (featuring Jay-Z) and “Baby Boy” (featuring Sean Paul).

Whitney Houston has returned to centre stage, for the first time in 10 years. She has every reason to smile. Her latest album, I Look To You, and tour, Nothing But Love, are about strength, optimism, gratitude and love. “My intention is – I want the people to feel that it’s coming from my heart,” Houston says. “At one point in time, I almost decided that I didn’t want to be in it anymore. “The music had changed, the industry had changed, the quality had changed. And I didn’t like it.” However, Houston felt encouraged by two things – supporters pleading for her to get back in the game and a new generation of powerhouse singers.

“Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson and Beyoncé – they stirred my curiosity about coming back and making a record. But that’s only one part of the industry,” Houston says firmly. “To actually sing, perform and have people come to hear a real voice, a God-given gift, is really important to me.”

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) today released a tally of the decade’s highest Gold and Platinum award achievements. Beyoncé has won the most certifications this DECADE.

Most total certifications (includes cumulative album, digital song, master ringtone, and music video certifications):

Male solo artist: Michael Jackson – 44 (Sony/Epic)
Female solo artist: Beyonce – 64 (Sony/Columbia)

Most master ringtone certifications:

Male solo artist: T.I. – 15 (WMG/Atlantic/Grand Hustle)
Female solo artist: Beyonce – 19 (Sony/Columbia)

Highest certified master ringtone:

Male solo artist: Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop” – 5x multi-Platinum (Universal/Cash Money, 2008)
Female solo artist: Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable” – 3x multi-Platinum (Sony/Columbia, 2006)

After her sold out “I AM…” World Tour, international superstar Beyoncé marks the last date of the South American leg of the tour by donating 300 tickets to lucky fans in Trinidad. The fans will be chosen by The United Way of Trinidad and Tobago and the tickets will be distributed on the morning of Thursday, February 18, 2010. Beyoncé will perform in Queen’s Park Savannah the evening of February 18 with local soca star Machel Montana on the bill as the opening act. Beyoncé recently extended her 2009 “I AM…” World Tour to South America for a series of live concerts that began February 4, 2010 at Parque Planeta in Florianópolis, Brazil. The two-week run took the entertainer from Brazil to Argentina, Chile and Peru. She played to her biggest live concert audience ever in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where a crowd of 60,000 fans gathered.