Beyonce, Jay-Z welcome baby girl

NEW YORK: Music royalty Beyonce and Jay-Z are the proud parents of a baby girl named Blue Ivy, media reports said Sunday, breaking the news of one of the biggest celebrity births in years.

Pop diva Beyonce, 30, gave birth by caesarian section on Saturday night in a private wing of the Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan with rapper Jay-Z, real name Shawn Carter, by her side, E! Online reported.

Initial reports had the baby's name as Ivy Blue, but those close to the couple confirmed later it was the other way around. The Houston Chronicle, Beyonce's hometown paper, was alone in spelling it Blu Ivy, without the "e".

The Twitterverse was abuzz as celebrities and fans alike delighted in news of the star couple's first child.

Beyonce’s wake-up call for astronauts

Singer Beyonce delighted America’s astronauts on the final NASA shuttle mission with a special message and girl-power tribute. Beyonce recorded a touching wake-up call for the crew of shuttle Atlantis and gave a memorable shout-out to the sole female astronaut on the mission, Sandy Magnus.

The singer piped in her hit song Run The World (Girls) over the spacecraft’s sound system and told the group, “Good morning Atlantis. This is Beyonce. Sandy, Chris, Doug, and Rex, you inspire all of us to dare to live our dreams...

“This song is especially for my girl, Sandy, and all the women who? ve taken us to space with them, and the girls who are our future explorers.”

Beyonce follows in the footsteps of Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Elton John, who have also recorded wake-up calls for NASA. –TOI

Beyonce serenades Glastonbury to a close

GLASTONBURY: US soul diva Beyonce on Sunday brought Britain's Glastonbury festival to a flamboyant finale with a greatest hits and covers set before of 100,000 sun-baked revellers.

The Bootylicious singer, whose husband Jay Z played a famous set at the 2008 festival, performed her solo repertoire, hits from her time as a member of Destiny's Child and an eclectic mix of cover versions.

The crowd helped the superstar through "Say my Name", "Survivor" and "Independent Women" along with her interpretations of the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams", Alanis Morisette's "You Oughta Know" and "Sex on Fire" by the Kings of Leon.

Addressing the massed ranks, the singer said: "I want you all to know right now you're witnessing my dream.

"I always wanted to be a rock star and tonight we are all rock stars," she added. "I still can't believe I'm performing at Glastonbury."

Earlier in the day, veteran singer-songwriter Paul Simon took to the main stage to perform hits "Diamonds on the soles of her shoes" and "You can call me Al", with a huge crowd seemingly unperturbed by his illness-affected voice.

British rapper turned soul crooner Plan B cemented his reputation as one of the country's hottest talents with an epic early evening set on the main Pyramid Stage.

"I came here in 2000, broke in, and watched Cypress Hill on the main stage," the singer told BBC. "To perform there and look from the other side was mental."

Despite a wet start to festivities on Thursday and Friday, the weather gods smiled on the 170,000 ticket holders with unbroken sunshine greeting artists performing at the farm in Somerset, south west England, on Saturday and Sunday.

Rockers Coldplay occupied the coveted Saturday night headline slot, while Irish megastars U2 kicked off proceedings at the world's largest performing arts and music festival with a two-hour set on Friday.

Crowd violence marred the band's debut Glastonbury performance as security guards stamped out a protest against the rockers' tax status.

As the band came on stage, campaign group Art Uncut inflated a 20-foot (six-metre) balloon emblazoned with the message "U Pay Your Tax 2."But as they tried to release it over the crowd, a team of security guards swooped into the crowd and tackled them to the ground before confiscating the balloon.

"Bono is well known for his anti-poverty campaigning but Art Uncut is accusing him of hypocrisy," campaigner Charlie Dewar said.

The group highlighted U2's decision to switch their tax affairs from Ireland to the Netherlands to pay less tax following a change in the law in 2006.

On a sombre note, the body of Christopher Shale, chairman of West Oxfordshire Conservative Association, was discovered Sunday morning in a portable toilet in the festival's VIP backstage area.

British Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha said they were "devastated" to hear of the death of their "great friend". (AFP)

Beyonce Knowles to be honoured with Millennium Award

Beyonce Knowles is all set to be honoured with the Millennium Award at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas.

Knowles will attend the prize giving on 22 May (11) at the Mgm Grand Garden Arena, reports Contactmusic.

The Billboard Millennium Award will recognise Beyonce''s career achievements and influence in the music industry. Previously, Billboard named Beyonce its Woman of the Year in October 2009, and Top Female Artist of the Decade in December 2009.

The show will be a star-studded affair - Rihanna, the Black Eyed Peas, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Cee Lo Green, Nicki Minaj, Pitbull and Taio Cruz are among the performers at the awards.

Beyoncé, Jay-Z to perform at royal wedding?

Beyoncé and Jay-Z have reportedly been asked to perform at the royal wedding reception.
Prince William and Kate Middleton are said to be big fans of the married entertainers and the Daily Star Sunday reports that the pair have accepted the offer.

"Both William and Kate are massive fans of Beyoncé and Jay-Z," a source said. "They really wanted to make their big day even more special and what better way than by getting pop royalty to perform at the party?

"Will and Kate will have an official reception for hundreds of dignitaries before throwing a less formal bash for loved-ones. They both wanted to ditch traditions and make it more personal for them.

"Jay-Z and Beyoncé are both in Europe at the moment while she promotes her new single 'Run The World (Girls)'. So it's highly likely they have taken up the Royals' offer. After all, who would turn down a once-in-a-lifetime gig like that?"

It was recently reported that beer had been banned from the big day.

Beyoncé in controversial photoshoot

Beyoncé has caused controversy by darkening her face for a recent photoshoot.

The singer, who is married to rapper Jay-Z, wore African-inspired clothing and blackened her face with make-up for the L'Officiel 90th anniversary issue in order to pay tribute to African musician Fela Kuti.

According to E! Online, the magazine has defended the pictures, saying: "The designs are all reflective of the African influence on fashion this season. As for the artistic make-up, the inspiration came from several African rituals during which paint is used on the face. We find the images beautiful and inspiring."

Some readers have found the images offensive, with one African American reader complaining to the Atlanta Post: "As a fan of Fela Kuti, a man who was passionate about the freedom of Blacks/Africans throughout the Diaspora, I'm not quite sure as to how blackface pays tribute to him.

"I'm not quite sure as to why she would agree to do a photoshoot that associates her with one of the most deeply rooted racist images in American history."

Beyoncé named highest-earning artist

Beyoncé has been named the highest-earning music artist of 2010.

The 'Single Ladies' singer, who claimed to be on a career hiatus this year while she works on her new album, was listed ninth in the Forbes Highest Hollywood Earners Of 2010 list.

The star is estimated to have earned $87 million over the last 12 months from a number of high-profile endorsements and her 'I Am... World Tour', which saw her play over 100 live shows and gross $103 million.

Television host Oprah Winfrey topped the magazine's tally - which also included sportsmen and film directors - having amassed a $315 million fortune in the last year. Avatar creator Jamed Cameron finished second with $210 million.

Further down the list, Britney Spears and Lady GaGa came in at 13 and 14, having earned $64 million and $62 million respectively.

Beyonce Knowles struggle with spiked stilettos

On her 110-city world tour Beyonce Knowles is putting her feet through hell since she refuses to take the stage without her spiked stilettos.

The R&B star admits she struggled in the painful designer high heels for the first few dates of her tour and now she only realizes what she’s doing to her feet and legs while she’s relaxing after a concert.

She tells Self magazine, “When I come home and take them (shoes) off, I’m like, ‘Oh my God! I wish I could just chop my feet off!’ But while I’m dancing, I’m thinking of the choreography.

“I don’t think about my feet until I’m trying to go to sleep and they’re throbbing.”

Beyonce, Jay-Z top Hollywood rich list

Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z, who together made 108 million pounds, topped the list of the top ten power couples released by America's Forbes magazine.

While actor Will Smith and wife Jada are on second number with earnings of 56.6 million pounds, David and Victoria Beckham have been named the third richest couple in Hollywood after earning 38.6 million pounds in the past year, reports dailymail.co.uk. Beckham, 33, earned a salary of 3.6 million pounds from Los Angeles Galaxy but more than doubled that from merchandise and sponsorship revenues. Another 23.3 million pounds of the total came from lucrative endorsement deals with Motorola, Adidas and Pepsi, among others. Meanwhile, Victoria, 34, generated another 5.3 million pounds thanks to her cut of the Spice Girls reunion tour and products including sunglasses, perfume, couture clothing and DVB jeans. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, the year's most talked about pair, only managed fifth place with joint earnings of 22.6 million pounds.