BEYONCE UNVEILS OVERSEAS TOUR SCHEDULE December 12, 2008

 

Beyonce has released her itinerary for a month-long European leg of her world tour in support of “I Am … Sasha Fierce,” her third solo album.      

       The jaunt kicks off April 26 in Zagreb and will hit such cities as Budapest, Prague, Paris and Madrid before wrapping May 31 in Belfast.      

       Designer/director Thierry Mugler will serve as the creative advisor and costume designer on the “I AM…” tour, which will hit North America in the summer.      

       Having already debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200, “I Am … Sasha Fierce” has spawned No. 1 hits in Norway, Sweden, South Africa, Korea, Brazil and Denmark, reports Billboard.      

       Here are Beyonce’s European tour dates:

April 26: Zagreb (Arena)
April 28: Vienna (Stadthalle)
April 29: Budapest (Arena)
April 30: Prague (O2)
May 2: Rotterdam, Holland (Ahoy)
May 5: Paris (Bercy)
May 6: Strasbourg, France (Zenith)
May 7: Antwerp (Sportpalais)
May 8: Berlin (O2)
May 10: Herning, Denmark (MCH Arena)
May 11: Gothenburg, Sweden (Scandinavium)
May 13: Stockholm (Globen)
May 15: Cologne, Germany (Arena)
May 16: Zurich (Hallenstadion)
May 18: Lisbon (Atlantico)
May 19: Madrid (Palacio Desportes)
May 20: Barcelona (Palau St. Jordi)
May 23: Birmingham, England (NIA)
May 25: London (02)
May 27: Manchester, England (MEN)
May 29: Dublin (02)
May 31: Belfast (Odyssey Arena)

BEYONCE, SOLANGE CANCEL BENEFIT CONCERT December 9, 2008

Beyonce and her sister Solange have canceled their planned Houston concert to benefit victims of Hurricane Ike due to “a set of irresolvable scheduling conflicts,” according to a press release.       

       The one-hour “Beyonce and Solange: Hope for the Holidays” benefit concert was to take place Dec. 9 at Houston’s House of Blues.       

       The Knowles sisters’ concert was supposed to debut on the Fuse network on Dec. 21, and was intended to benefit the Gulf Coast Ike Relief Fund to aid Texas victims of Hurricane Ike.

GABRIELLE UNION SHOCKED BY SASHA FIERCE December 8, 2008

 

“I’ve known her since she was a teenager!” actress Gabrielle Union tells People.com of her close friend Beyonce. But the singer’s on-stage persona, dubbed “Sasha Fierce,” has remained a virtual stranger to the actress.       

       “Beyoncé is quiet and reserved, very Southern, sweet and polite,” Union told People at Ideal Bite’s “Best in Green” Awards on Thursday. “If someone told me that girl was gonna go on stage and do the kind of performances that she does, and be so fiery, and this quintessential and iconic entertainer, I’d be [in disbelief], like, ‘Yeah, okay!’ “       

       Beyonce, whose dual personality is expressed in her new album “I Am…Sasha Fierce,” stars with Union in the upcoming “Cadillac Records.”       

       “It’s been nice to see that her music and her lifestyle choices and her acting choices have all evolved as she’s gotten older,” says Union, adding that Beyonce’s marriage to Jay-Z has not changed the entertainer one bit.      

       “They were good to each other before, they’re good to each other now,” Union noted. “They seem very happy when they’re around. As long as there’s more smiles than frowns, I suppose that’s the key.”       

Beyonce & Jay-Z

       Beyonce, meanwhile, tells Elle magazine that at times her marriage with Jay-Z can be a “power struggle,” because both superstars have their own careers and millions of dollars.       

       “If I didn’t respect someone and they didn’t have that strength, then I would be bored,” the 27-year-old tells Elle in its December issue. “I wouldn’t be attracted to them.”      

       As for starting a family with Jay-Z, 39, Knowles said: “I’m terrified of having a child. No way! I’m terrified of delivering a child because I saw my nephew being born. That traumatized me. I’m only 27. I’ve got time.” Read more about Beyonce in Elle, here.

KANYE’S ‘HEARTBREAK’ DEBUTS ON TOP December 5, 2008

 

Kanye West scored his third straight No. 1 album on The Billboard 200 as “808s & Heartbreak” debuts in the top slot above contenders “Chinese Democracy,” the long-awaited return of Guns N’ Roses, and a surge from Taylor Swift’s “Fearless.”      

        West’s Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam set moved 450,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. It’s the artist’s lowest debut sales frame since his first album, “The College Dropout,” bowed with 441,000 in 2004.      

       His last release, “Graduation,” began with 957,000 at No. 1 last year, while sophomore set “Late Registration” checked in with 860,000 at No. 1 in 2005.

 

       Swift’s “Fearless” and GNR’s “Chinese Democracy” are No. 2 and 3 respectively, followed by Beyonce’s “I Am … Sasha Fierce” (Music World/Columbia), which drops 1-4 in its second week with 257,000.       

       Ludacris debuts at No. 5 with “Theater of the Mind” (DTP/Def Jam) at 213,000. It’s the first time one of the rapper’s albums debuted anywhere but No. 1 since 2001’s “Word of Mouf” bowed and peaked at No. 3.       

       Meanwhile, Beyonce’s track “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)” has become the singer’s fifth solo No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart – one more than she scored as a member of Destiny’s Child.      

       The single climbs one notch to the top, swapping places with T.I.’s “Live Your Life.” Another Beyonce song, “If I Were a Boy,” held at No. 3, and another former T.I. chart-topper, “Whatever You Like,” held at No. 4. Newcomer Lady GaGa’s “Just Dance” featuring Colby O’Donis rose two places to No. 5.

 

       Top debut honors went to Kanye West’s “See You in My Nightmares” featuring Lil Wayne, which started at No. 21.

SOLANGE AND BEYONCE TO PERFORM TOGETHER December 3, 2008

 

Music-themed cable channel Fuse celebrates the holidays with a Knowles sisters’ intimate hometown performance – “Beyoncé and Solange: Hope for the Holidays,” a concert to benefit the Gulf Coast Ike Relief Fund.

 

       The effort aids Texas victims of Hurricane Ike through the Survivor Foundation, a Knowles family charity helping people in need.       

       The event will take place in Houston at the House of Blues on Tuesday, Dec. 9. Fuse will air the concert as a one-hour special on Sunday, Dec. 21, at 10 p.m.      

       “It is an honor for our family to be able to give back to our hometown with a holiday concert that will air on Fuse,” said father and manager Mathew Knowles. “Tina grew up in Galveston and still has family and friends there and we’re fortunate to bring Beyoncé and Solange together to support the efforts of The Gulf Coast Ike Relief Fund through the Survivor Foundation.”

BEYONCE TO HEADLINE ESSENCE MUSIC FEST December 3, 2008

 

Beyonce was announced Tuesday as the first artist confirmed for next year’s Essence Music Festival, which returns to New Orleans July 3, 4 and 5, 2009.        

       Dr. Juanita Bynum and Roland Martin will host seminars, and an all-star tribute will take place for Bishop T.D. Jakes, the magazine revealed. As in past years, musical performances are slated for the New Orleans Superdome and empowerment seminars are set to take place at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

 

       In celebration of the event’s 15th anniversary, organizers will offer a 15% discount on select tickets from December 1, 2008 through January 31, 2009. 

 

       “As we plan the Essence Music Festival’s 15th anniversary in New Orleans next July, we are looking to create an environment that celebrates our history and looks to our future,” said Michelle Ebanks, president, Essence Communications Inc.  “We invite everyone to join us as we mark this milestone occasion with friends old and new.”      

       General admission daily tickets are available for $51, $67 or $79; floor seats are $92 and $121; Gold Circle tickets are $173; all plus applicable service charges.  Note: the 15% discount only applies when tickets are purchased for all three days and does not apply to floor or Gold Circle tickets.  To purchase tickets, visit www.ticketmaster.com or call 800-277-1700.

 

       For additional information about ticket sales, accommodations and the latest news about the Essence Music Festival, visit www.essencemusicfestival.com.  

BEYONCE’ COVER GIANT MAGAZINE December 2, 2008

Sasha works the sex kitten stance on the December 2008/January 2009 cover of Giant Magazine and your girl was spotted at the NYC Premiere of Cadillac Records with Jay-Z  last night. 

T.I. KEEPS ‘SINGLE LADIES’ AT ‘BEY’ December 1, 2008

 

Beyonce’s current hit “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) sold 204,000 digital downloads last week, but it wasn’t enough to remove T.I. form his perch atop the Billboard Hot 100.

 

       The rapper’s “Live Your Life” featuring Rihanna begins a fifth non-consecutive week at No. 1, followed by the 28-2 rocket of “Single Ladies,” and Beyonce’s other current single “If I Were a Boy” holding steady at No. 3.      

       T.I.’s former No. 1, “Whatever You Like,” slips 2-4. Katy Perry’s “Hot N Cold” drops 4-5, Kanye West’s “Love Lockdown” rebounds 9-6 and Lady GaGa’s “Just Dance” featuring Colby O’Donis powers 16-7.      

       Pink’s “So What” drops 5-8, as Ne-Yo’s “Miss Independent” improves 11-9 and Akon’s “Right Now (Na Na Na)” falls 8-10 to round out the top tier.      

       On Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, “Single Ladies” begins a second week at No. 1. As previously reported, Beyonce scored her third-straight No. 1 debut on The Billboard 200 with “I Am … Sasha Fierce,” which sold 482,000 copies.

Aretha & Diddy hook up; Mariah not happy with Nick; Beyonce learns from parents November 28, 2008

 

How about this? Lady Soul and Diddy are hooking up! No, not that way, but to launch a new “American Idol” style show. That’s right, according to WENN, Aretha Franklin and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs are combining forces to find talented R&B and hip-hop stars. But, unlike “AI,” the winner of their new venture will be decided by them – not the public. “The country will not vote. It will just be me and Diddy voting for who the next star will be,” says Franklin. Look for the show sometime in 2009.

 

     *Mariah Carey reportedly is not happy with hubby Nick Cannon’s candid comments about the couple’s no-sex-before-marriage pact. The older Mariah, who wed the younger Cannon in April, feels he went too far when he told the world the pair waited until their wedding night to have sex for the first time, reports Starpulse. She says, “Why did he tell that story? I didn’t want him to let everybody know that.”

 

     *Talking to Giant magazine, Beyonce said she prepared for the potential challenges in her marriage to Jay-Z after watching her mother Tina and father Matthew struggle and overcome their differences as husband and wife. “My parents are tighter now than ever, but they’ve been through it all,” she said. “There were times when they were together, times when they were apart. I learned that it’s a lot of hard work, that it’s more than a dress.”

BEYONCE’S ‘SASHA’ DEBUTS AT NO. 1 November 28, 2008

 

Beyonce’s new double-disc “I Am … Sasha Fierce” has entered the Billboard 200 this week at No. 1, shifting a healthy 482,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

 

      The set’s grand opening, fueled by first singles “If I Were a Boy” and “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” were higher than the 317,000 first week sales of her 2003 solo debut, “Dangerously in Love,” but lower than 2006’s “B-Day,” which moved 541,000 in its initial week.

 

      Elsewhere on the Billboard 200, former 112 member Slim’s solo debut, “Love’s Crazy” (M3 Productions/Asylum) starts at No. 32 with 27,000.

 

       At 9.45 million, sales this week are up 6% from last week but down 32% from the same week last year (13.96 million).