Already a Billboard chart-topper, featured on her father’s emotional song, “Glory,” in honor of her “magic” birth after Beyonce suffered a miscarriage, her parents are eager to share their gift with the world:

“We welcome you to share in our joy,” read a hand-written note on HelloBlueIvyCarter.tumblr.com. “Thank you for respecting our privacy during this beautiful time in our lives.” — The Carter Family

See below for pictures of Blue Ivy!

It’s absolutely not true that she’s the godmother, King said. She’s friends with them, of course, and likes them both very much. She’s working on sending them a baby gift. She hasn’t even had time to send a baby gift because she’s been away.

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Previously published results from Bryan Lessard, a 24-year-old researcher at Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, were recently announced on the species that had been sitting in a fly collection since it was captured in 1981 – the same year pop diva Beyonce was born.

He says he wanted to pay respect to the insect’s beauty by naming it Scaptia (Plinthina) beyonceae.

Lessard said Beyonce would be “in the nature history books forever” and that the fly now bearing her name is “pretty bootylicious” with its golden backside.

“Bootylicious” was the title of a song by Beyonce’s previous group, Destiny’s Child.

It’s unknown if the rare species is a bloodsucker like many female horse flies. Lessard says he was unable to find any live specimens when he went looking in 2010 in northeast Queensland’s Atherton Tablelands, where it was captured three decades ago. However, at least one member of the public has alerted him that he was recently bitten by what’s locally called the “gold bum fly.”

The description of the fly was earlier published in the Australian Journal of Entomology, but the results were announced last week.

Lessard says he hasn’t heard from Beyonce, who recently gave birth to her first child, but he is a fan and hopes she will take his scientific gesture as a compliment. He also said the name was picked to help draw attention to the importance of his field and the need for more researchers to catalog and study insects.

Horse flies are “vital pollinators of native plants, not just in Australia, but all over the world,” Lessard said. “It’s extremely important to name all the undescribed species so we can measure our human impact on the environment and hopefully protect it for future generations to enjoy.”

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There has been no approval from the hip-hop power couple, but none of the dispensaries have received legal notice as of yet.

A day after the Jay-Z and Beyonce’s baby was born, Jay-Z released a song, titled “Glory,” for free download. The Brooklyn rapper touches on his love for his wife and newborn, and the baby girl’s cries can be heard in the background.

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1)  Is this the second coming of Baby Jesus? No, it’s not. When Blue Ivy Carter was born, I expected the North Star to shine prominently and for Three Wise Thugs to show up at the Manhattan hospital looking for her.  I’m really, really hopeful that the Carters themselves don’t buy into the idea that the birth of their child is the most significant event in human history.

2) Shutting down an entire hospital wing? Give me a break: Some of us can partially understand the need to protect the Carter family from an ever-so-hungry media salivating over the chance to get just one photo or video clip.   But if any of the reports are true about Beyonce and Jay-Z shutting down a massive chunk of the maternity ward, then I am angry for the other parents.  The last thing I’d want to see if I were trying to deal with the stress of a newborn child are bulky security guards telling me where I can come and go.  This is silly, disrespectful and pretentious.

3) The lies and rumors: Did Beyonce have a surrogate?  Did they rent out private helicopters to fly in custom-made, solid-gold baby booties?  The rumors about this child’s birth have been beyond outrageous, and I’m sure that a few years from now, Blue Ivy will be amused to read about how crazy the world went over her birth.  By then, she’ll be 100 percent celebrity, wearing sun glasses  to kindergarten, and sporting a weave as long as her body.  Children are already born thinking that they are the center of the universe.  This poor child actually has reason to believe it.

4)  The lies in response to the lies and rumors: Beyonce and Jay-Z have announced that they had a natural birth, but they never really explained the video where Beyonce’s stomach dropped like my grandmother’s face when my daughter got her first tattoo.  The family has maintained their “silent, yet mysterious” disposition on almost every front, seeming to want the attention that their child is getting, while pretending to dislike it.

5)  Blue Ivy’s million-dollar-marketing plan: Beyonce used her pregnancy to steal the show at the MTV Music Awards the way a single man borrows his neighbor’s puppy to pick up pretty girls.   Then, of course, Jay-Z had to release a song right after the baby is born.   Pretty soon, Blue Ivy will be in the studio busting rhymes with her daddy; well actually, Jigga did use her voice on the audio already.  So, put that on the “already did that” list.  The only thing left is for Kanye West to bust into the maternity ward and demand that everyone acknowledge that Blue Ivy is, in fact, cuter than the other babies.  Kanye’s latest outburst has been scheduled for next week.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and founder of the Your Black World Coalition.  To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.

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They had received two complaints about Manhattan’s Lenox Hill Hospital, one made anonymously, the other from someone who had learned about the matter through the media, a health department spokesman said. Officials reviewed the complaints and dismissed them Wednesday night, spokesman Jeffrey Gordon said without elaborating.

The hospital, a popular choice for the rich and famous from late philanthropist Brooke Astor to “30 Rock” star Tina Fey, said it was conducting its own probe.

Beyonce gave birth to the couple’s baby, Blue Ivy Carter, at the hospital on Saturday.

Media reports said Beyonce and Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, paid $1 million to take over a floor and their security guard blocked parents from the neonatal unit for hours. The hospital denied the reports, saying the couple paid the standard rate for an executive suite without disclosing what that is.

One new mother, Rozz Nash-Coulon, told The Associated Press that her twins, born Dec. 28, were in the neonatal unit and, starting Friday, intense security measures made it a struggle to see them as guards directed hallway traffic.

“Once they checked in there was high security everywhere,” she said Monday. “It looked like the president was on our floor. The hospital’s security cameras were taped over. Internal windows from the hallways into the ward were blacked out.”

The hospital’s executive director was heading up its own inquiry into the complaints, hospital spokeswoman Barbara Osborn said. The hospital was interviewing parents who had children in the newborn wing when Jay-Z and Beyonce were there, she said.

“We have spoken to seven out of the 10,” she said. “None have reported being stopped from seeing their babies.”

She confirmed that security cameras were briefly taped over when the Carter family was being moved, “but only when a security guard was present” on the fourth floor, where the neonatal unit is located. She declined to say why they were taped over.

She said that other parents at the unit did notice “enhanced security.” But she said none felt restricted from accessing the unit or any other at the hospital.

Jay-Z confirmed the birth of the couple’s daughter in a song released on his social website Life and Times on Monday.

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People keep asking: What does Blue Ivy mean? What kind of father will Jay Z be? Will Beyonce be able to stop dancing and acting long enough to be a good mother? How long will it take her to get the baby weight off and hit the mic again? The internet is virtually aflame with talk about Blue Ivy Carter. Only a new baby by President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle could top this hype. None of that is what interests me though.

Call me old fashioned but, I’m just happy to see a Black couple that took the traditional route to family for a change. I’m not passing judgement on any lifestyle choices that anyone makes. I believe folks need to live their life the way they see fit. Still it has been a long time since I have seen a Black man love and marry a Black woman, and get such a massive response when they have a child. In fact, I have never seen such excitement about the birth of a Black child in America.

When I speak to kids today, they enjoy talking about many things in their future. However, they almost never talk about love. They talk even less about marriage. Few aspire to a life where monogamous Black love is a reality. Hopefully Jay Z and Beyonce’s marriage, and the arrival of Blue Ivy can instill more faith in our young Black boys and girls about the power of the Black family. I feel like the Black family is in a deep state of crisis (American families are as a whole). So anything that any celebrity might do to confirm the value of the Black family, is something I will champion.

For this reason alone, I’m very happy for Jay Z and Beyonce. I am lucky enough to have been married to a wonderful Black woman for 16 years now. We have three kids together, and I would not want my life any other way. There is no cheating, or violence in our household. We don’t curse one another, or call one another names when things get intense. I’m not bragging. I’m blessed and I know it.  It is nothing to be arrogant about. As time has gone on most of the Black marriages I’ve seen come together have fallen horribly apart. Its unfortunate and sad to watch. Watching any love fall apart is hard though. The number of Black married couples I personally know today (not counting my parents generation), can be counted on one hand. Its pretty wild. But I live in California. I can imagine that in New York or Atlanta the number of married Black families are much more abundant.

Love is not easy on its own. Black love in America, is purely a trial by fire. It must be very hard for them to cultivate the love they have. The pressure of whatever good and bad is in their relationship is enough stress on its own. To have everything you do magnified and scrutinzed by the media is something I can’t even begin to comprehend. Yet they have done it. Not only that they have done it with a class, and grace possibly unmatched in recent years. Rather than get too excited about what these two do, or do not do as parents, I’m reminded to focus on the love in my life. My wife,  and my kids.

So, while everybody else charts astrological graphs and rants about the potential career of  Blue Ivy, I will celebrate something else. I will toast to the beauty of their love, and the power of the Black family they represent. May they be showered with all the joy and protection The Creator can provide. Congratulations to Jay Z, Beyonce and Blue Ivy. Stay blessed y’all.

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Reportedly checking in under the name “Ingrid Jackson” on Friday evening, Beyonce is said to have rented out the entire fourth floor for $1.3 million the New York Daily News reports.

Security was said to be uber-tight, as cameras were covered with tape and staff were mandated to give in their cell phones to stop any possibility of Mother and baby photos being leaked.

Soon after the birth, fellow celebrities began congratulating the new family. Rihanna tweeted:

Welcome to the world princess Carter! Love Aunty Rih.

While Russell Simmons tweeted:

Congrats to my good friends Beyonce and Jay-Z.

While many media outlets have publicly speculated whether Beyonce was pregnant from the time she secretly married Jay-Z in April 2008, the Grammy Award-winning singer finally announced she was with child at MTV’s Video Music Awards:

Many fans celebrated the coming of Beyonce and Jay’s bundle of joy, but skeptics blew the Internet up with rumors of Beyonce employing a surrogate Mother for her child rather than actually being pregnant herself. In early December, Beyonce denied those fake pregnancy rumors in her interview with Katie Couric, saying:

I’ve been really conscious and I’ve been trying my best not to lose control because I’ve met so many people who say, ‘My second baby, my third baby, I learned my lesson,’ ” she said, calling her pregnancy “exciting.” “I haven’t been going crazy. I know that it’s important that I don’t lose myself.”

In weeks to come, we’ll see if Beyonce and Jay-Z will follow suite with fellow celebrity parents Melanie Brown and Stephen Belafonte or Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony on selling their baby pictures to magazines. If their aforementioned secret wedding is any indication, though, we’re guessing it may be a long time before we get a glimpse of the couple’s newest addition.

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According to the UK Daily Mail:

Beyoncé is said to be moments away from giving birth to her first child.

And the appearance of the star’s mother Tina, 57, sister Solange, 25, and nephew Julez in the city has certainly added weight to the report.

Nurses at New York’s St Luke’s Roosevelt hospital have allegedly been told to prepare the labour suite for the arrival of a celebrity VIP.

But the New York Post reports that Beyonce was spotted this past weekend during holiday party-hopping:

While St. Luke’s Hospital was reportedly on high alert last night, piquing suspicion that Beyoncé might give birth there, the pregnant singer apparently stopped by one more party before she went into labor. On Friday, she and husband Jay-Z were spotted at SoHo hot spot W.i.P. for a bash celebrating youth arts program Creation Nation and its Creators Club, which will meet weekly in the space. Beyoncé — who reports say is nine months pregnant — and Jay-Z were spotted sitting tight in a VIP booth and fielding greetings from friends. Beyoncé was overheard saying that her pregnancy was “the best Christmas present possible.” Our witnesses report that the rapper “was very attentive to his wife, at one point getting up to get her some water.” Beyonce has publicly announced that her baby is due in February. But reports have speculated that the diva might be due as soon as this month after she’d said during a video shoot in late September that she was then six months pregnant.

Stay tuned to NewsOne for more breaking reports.

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The couple first filed for divorce in 2009 after Matthew was given a paternity suit from another woman. After a DNA test, the child turned out to be his.

TMZ reports:

The final decree of divorce was issued last month in a Texas court, and according to documents — obtained by TMZ — Beyonce’s mom refiled on August 30. Tina’s first swing at the divorce was in November 2009 … but the matter was dropped in 2010 when they were both no-shows for court.

Read More At TMZ

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The suit, filed in April, accuses Knowles of a ““bad faith breach of contract so callous that, on what appeared to be a whim, she destroyed Gate Five’s business and drove 70 people into unemployment, the week before Christmas.”

Beyoncé’s lawyers countered that she had every right to walk because Gate Five had not secured financing for the project by a mid-November 2010 deadline.

Read more at the Grio.

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Knowles told Couric that she is keeping the due date a secret for the newborn baby’s safety.

VIDEO:

“The truth is, it’s safety. I just want to make sure I can have a peaceful day. And I want to make sure my child is protected.”

Read more at EurWeb.com

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In perhaps the most socially poignant of the parodies, Ramsey’s ”Student Loan Countdown,” highlights the trouble many U.S. college students have paying back their college loans.

In the parody, Ramsey sings:

“Oh, should I stand out on Wall Street?
would that even help me?
Not sure what I should do. Barack are you listening?
Oh, can I get a forebearance?
No help from my parents
I’m doing this on my own
Sallie Mae I can’t pay off my student loans.

Read more at Good.is

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When the story first surfaced in 2007, Jay-Z denied having any connection.

“There is no truth to these ridiculous rumors,” the rapper’s rep told AllHipHop.com.

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The rap mogul is notorious for guarding his private life. He quietly married his megastar wife Beyonce in 2008 and kept news of her pregnancy under wraps for four months until she unveiled her baby bump during an MTV awards show last month.

Read more at The New York Daily News.

“OMG Beyonce just made a huge announcement on the #vma carpet! #baby!!!!!” MTV tweeted, along with a Twitpic of Knowles holding her stomach.

MTV wrote:

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Beyonce’s other inspiration comes from her gal-pal actress Gwyneth Paltrow, who also published a cookbook. The singer has previously said that she is not the greatest cook, but is taking tips from her mom.

Read More At HuffingtonPost.com

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If you are not among the thousands of people who have already purchased Beyonce’s new CD, 4, here is your chance to win a copy! All you have to do is:

1) Follow @NewsOneOffical on Twitter

2) Tweet this message:  I just followed @NewsOneOffical to enter for my chance to win Beyonce’s new album “4″ RT. Enter for your chance to win! http://bit.ly/iDSVyA

3) Answer one of our daily trivia questions on Twitter by replying to that tweet.

Five (5) winners will be selected at random from the entrants. See contest rules here.

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“I feel like now, at least with my career, I’ve kind of broken barriers and I don’t think people think about my race,” Beyoncé said.

“I think they look at me as an entertainer and musician. That’s how I look at people…it’s not about color and race and I’m happy that’s changing.”

Beyoncé, like many other modern Americans, may be on to something. As beaten down as the argument may be, President Obama’s election encapsulated where America stands in terms of race.

Racism is certainly no where near where it was 45 years ago. But can a post-racial society ever exist? America’s ever-changing history suggests so.

With the rising Black middle class, the election of a Black president and a plethora of Black “firsts,” the argument that race no longer matters as much holds legitimate weight. African-Americans, at least those far-removed from the post-slavery, Jim Crow age, do not approach race in the manner that was once cringing and defensive.

Today more than ever Blacks, let’s say in their twenties, do not have much reason to navigate life along the color line. Many young, middle class African-Americans, like myself, have generally lived a life uninhabited of racial prejudice — with the exception of sporadic smears found in politics.

According to a poll conducted by Gallup, 77 percent of Americans approved of Black-White marriages. Similar data was used by Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson in his book “Disintegration” to theorize that America is slowly, but surely entering an age of race acceptance.

But I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the reality that racism is still prevalent in this country. In fact, Gallup showed, in 2008, that 78 percent of Blacks felt racism was widespread. However, I speculate that data had a lot to do with the frequent racial attacks on Obama during that time. However, another study conducted by The Washington Post shows hope. According to the poll, 20 percent of Blacks believed racial equality was achieved, and another 36 percent believed it will soon be achieved.

From my personal experiences, I think race is gradually becoming something of the past. Black entertainers, athletes and professionals like Beyoncé have been able to transcend race, and enter spheres where their race doesn’t matter as much as their contribution to society does. The cadence of racism will not cease until we can engage the conversation honestly and earnestly. When we participate in racial discourse with oversensitive ills, we miss out on an opportunity to grow as a nation.

In essence, race matters far less. But just how far can its social acceptance take us? I’d say pretty far. How far, exactly, is up to us.

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According to the NY Post, Columbia Records executives are expecting the worst, as they have grown concerned with the lack of hit songs her fans are used to. Beyonce was allegedly asked to return to the studio to re-record new tracks for the album, but refused.

The Post reports that execs have been having “quiet discussions” to reunite Destiny’s Child, the world’s top-selling female group, and have them in the studio as early as October to record a new album entitled “Family Reunion.”

Beyonce’s first single “Run The World (Girls)” failed to reach chart-topping status, and even worse, her album recently leaked before its release date on June 28.

Sources, however, suggests that former Destiny’s Child member, Kelly Rowland, may not be so eager to return to the group just yet, as her solo-career has met significant success. Her single “Motivation” reached #1 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop chart, and she recently booked a judging gig on the UK’s Ex-Factor talent competition.

A Columbia rep for Beyonce has denied all allegations.

Read More At NYPost.com

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Writer Kia Miakka Natisse has tackled the topic today of Beyonce and the hot-button issue of her skin complexion.

Beyonce has been criticized for her skin looking lighter on magazines before, but it seems to have reached the album cover level now. She even appeared in Blackface on one cover which garnered controversy as well.

The whole Beyonce “lighter skin” issue began when a former member of Destiny’s Child said that Matthew Knowles forced them to tan to leave Beyonce as the lightest.

Read more at TheGrio

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Washington — Now kids who need extra exercise can get their dance moves straight from Beyonce as she’s joined the First Lady’s “Let’s Move” obesity campaign.

The singer has created a Swizz Beats remixed version of her hit song Get Me Bodied to serve as the beat for what’s being called the “Let’s Move! Flash Workout” video.

Read more at TheRoot

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The Grammy-winning singer and her father have parted ways “on a business level,” publicist Yvette Noel-Schure told The Associated Press in a statement.

“I am grateful for everything he has taught me,” Beyonce said in the statement. “I grew up watching both he and my mother manage and own their own businesses. They were hardworking entrepreneurs and I will continue to follow in their footsteps.”

She didn’t say what led to the split, but her father said in a separate statement to the AP late Monday that the decision was mutual.

Knowles has managed his daughter since she debuted as a teen in the multiplatinum-selling group Destiny’s Child in the late 1990s and throughout her superstar career as a solo artist.

Knowles oversaw all aspects of Beyonce, from music to movies to fashion and more. Her career includes 16 Grammy awards, top-grossing movies “Dreamgirls” and “Obsessed,” fashion ventures and lucrative endorsements.

The 29-year-old has released three multiplatinum albums – “Dangerously In Love,” “B’Day” and “I Am … Sasha Fierce” – and has 12 Top 10 hits on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, including five No. 1s. Destiny’s Child had 11 Top 10 hits on the Hot 100 chart and six No. 1s.

During Beyonce’s teen years in Houston, Knowles prepped her, her friend Kelly Rowland and two others for a rising career as an R&B girl group, and Destiny’s Child released its self-titled debut in 1998. Their sophomore album, “The Writing’s On the Wall,” came a year later and garnered multiple hits and two Grammys, but the success also shook up the band and Destiny’s Child became a trio with Beyonce, Rowland and Michelle Williams.

The three also released solo albums, all managed by Knowles. He launched his own label, World Music Entertainment, via Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music.

Rowland parted with Knowles as her manager in 2009 and Williams followed a year later.

In the statement, Beyonce stressed her devotion to her father on a personal level.

“He is my father for life and I love my dad dearly. I am grateful for everything he has taught me,” Beyonce said.

Knowles also got personal in his statement.

“Business is business and family is family. I love my daughter and am very proud of who she is and all that she has achieved. I look forward to her continued great success,” he said.

Knowles and Beyonce’s mother, Tina, divorced in 2009 after 29 years of marriage. Tina Knowles worked as a stylist for Destiny’s Child and continues to style her daughter. Together they launched a clothing line, House of Dereon.

Noel-Schure didn’t comment on who Beyonce’s new manager would be.

Knowles said his plans include focusing on his label’s work in gospel and inspirational music, where he said the company has made a “tremendous investment.”

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Beyonce caused a bit of controversy this All-Star Weekend when pictures leaked of her spread for L’Offciel Magazine in which she is in blackface.

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The African themed spread depicts Bey with “blackened skin,” symbolizing her getting back to her roots.

For more photos check out the gallery below:

Check out the video at TheUrbanDaily

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The 29-year-old Beyonce was surprised to learn she is in her first trimester of the pregnancy. She had wanted to finish another album but was overjoyed, the U.S. magazine said.

One of the music world’s most influential and wealthy couples, Beyonce and Jay-Z, 40, whose real name is Shawn Carter, were married in a secretive ceremony in New York in 2008.

The rapper is set to release a memoir in November called “Decoded,” while Beyonce earlier this year completed a world tour promoting her 2008 hit studio album, “I am…Sasha Fierce.”

Read entire article at ABC.com

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If you haven’t read my favorite book of all time, Toni Morrison’s Tar Baby, then click off this post and find something else.

This isn’t the post for the arrogantly ignorant to turn opinionated.

But if you hate Beyonce just because, well, a lot of people hate Beyonce… stay. If you’ve read Tar Baby that is.

You’re probably already outraged that I’ve mentioned Toni Morrison and Beyonce anywhere within 10,000 words of each other, but if you’ll allow me to, I’ll make my point.

Tar Baby, as the initiated know, is the story of a top young model named Jadine that’s burned out in her game so she drops in on the aunt and uncle that raised her while they continue in the employ of a rich white couple in the Caribbean.

While Jadine’s on the island, a fugitive named Son is hiding in the same house with her, her aunt and uncle, and the white couple.

Son sneaks into Jadine’s room at night and fantasizes about her.

Ultimately caught, Son’s candor and earnestness impress the older white man who invites Son to stay, and against all of her own conventional wisdom, Jadine falls for Son.

Because of the chance that some of you folks might not have read Tar Baby and are still reading this post, I’m not gonna play spoiler and tell you what Son’s done that’s made him a fugitive, but I will round out the cast and give you a director.

As Son I wanna see Larenz Tate—and it would be about time. This would be the best role for that brother since he got jerked by not even garnering an Oscar nod for Menace II Society.

As Jadine’s aunt and uncle, Ondine and Sidney, I want Phylicia Rashad and Louis Gossett Jr. (Lou’s got an Oscar. Don’t front on him).

For the older white couple, gimmie Dustin Hoffman and Diane Keaton—two favorites.

And to direct this chumpie gimmie Woody Allen.

*Breathe Deep*

Calm down, I know you’re screaming for my head on a pole, but follow: Woody Allen is the master of getting females Oscars. He got Diane Keaton 1, Diane Wiest 2, Mira Sorvino 1, and Penelope Cruz 1.

Also remember: the last time a Jewish man directed a movie based on a book by a Black woman, Steven Spielberg’s take on Alice Walker’s The Color Purple garnered 11 Oscar nominations.

Mad respect to Alice and Steven, but they can’t touch Toni and Woody.

And like her or not, who better than Beyonce to play a burned out superstar that’s experiencing a midlife crisis in her mid twenties?

So let’s go, girl!

Buy those rights!

It’s Oscar time!

Beyonce may be receiving a call from Oprah soon and it isn’t to be featured on her talk show. Oprah, who endorsed the ‘No Texting While Driving’ campaign, is probably upset that her friend Beyonce ignored the rules, as she was recently pulled over for texting while driving.

From BitchieLife.com

But even beauty and a superstar status couldn’t get the singer out of a ticket with the NYPD. As a result, Beyonce, who recently obtained her driver’s license, received what us regular folks would have gotten, a $100 ticket.

Click here to read more

Click here to see gallery of hot pics of the week

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It’s a tribute to the Grammys’ success at becoming more a musical spectacle than an awards show that on the night she made history, Beyonce was just another face in the crowd.

Pop’s reigning diva earned six Grammys on Sunday, more than any woman on a single night of the 52-year-old awards show. Her anthem “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)” was song of the year. But she didn’t come onstage to accept that — her collaborators said she was prepping for a performance — and four of her other awards came during the non-televised pre-show.

The Grammys’ four biggest awards were split four ways: 20-year-old country chanteuse Taylor Swift won album of the year; family rockers Kings of Leon won record of the year for “Use Somebody”; and the Zac Brown Band was named best new artist.

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The Grammys in recent years have tried to emphasize the music more than the awards, particularly by pairing younger performers with veterans. This year, producers nailed it, with a double album’s worth of memorable performances.

Among the best were the Black Eyed Peas, who sang “I Gotta Feeling” with a stage filled with what looked like dancing tomatoes and robots. Lady Gaga was predictably over the top, singing “Poker Face” and getting tossed into a bucket of fire before emerging singed and combining forces with an equally dirtied and bemused Elton John.

Green Day turned its “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” into a soaring beauty by joining the cast of a new musical based on its “American Idiot” album. Opera singer Andrea Bocelli held his own with a powerful, and heart-breaking rendition of “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” done for the benefit of Haitian earthquake victims.

An acrobatic Pink turned her “Glitter in the Air” into a Cirque de Soleil-like performance, hanging suspended over the audience as she sang. “That was amazing,” an impressed Keith Urban said after she was done.

Memorable pairings included the white-haired, white-bearded and white-hatted Leon Russell joining the Zac Brown Band; Maxwell and Robert Flack singing a silky-smooth “Where is the Love”; and Stevie Nicks, looking like a protective mom, joining Swift on her “You Belong With Me” and Fleetwood Mac’s “Rhiannon.”

An arresting performance of “Forever” and “Drop the World” with rappers Lil’ Wayne, Drake and Eminem was rendered virtually incomprehensible by craters of silence inserted by CBS censors. And the 3-D tribute to Michael Jackson proved overrated, with Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Smokey Robinson and Carrie Underwood looking like they’d joined a production number from “American Idol.”

RELATED: Beyonce In Preliminary Talks To Do Vegas Show

Swift, who won four Grammys, was the night’s most visible winner. She beamed during her duet with Nicks, and seemed thrilled in her two acceptance speeches — while staying poised enough to thank her record company for letting her write her own songs, and express pride at bringing the album of the year prize to Nashville.

“This is for my dad,” she said. “Thank you for all the times you said I could do whatever I wanted to do.”

Beyonce was low-key during her one time onstage to accept her sixth trophy of he night, for best female pop vocal on the ballad “Halo.” She offered thanks to her fans for their support.

Stagecraft was smooth; Lady Antebellum singer Hillary Scott, hit in the head by a falling curtain, calmly brushed it aside without missing a note.

Host Stephen Colbert followed the new model of awards show hosts: coming out in the beginning for a handful of jokes then disappearing — except to accept a Grammy of his own, for his surrealistic Christmas musical.

He bemoaned the absence of Susan Boyle from Grammy night.

“You may be the coolest people in the world,” Colbert said, a barely amused Jay-Z looking on, “but this year your industry was saved by a 48-year-old Scottish cat lady in sensible shoes.”

I received word this week that Beyonce, Denzel Washington, Alicia Keys and other black celebrities are participating in the “Help for Haiti” telethon, set to occur on January 22.  I thought it quite admirable that Knowles, Washington and other celebs are willing to be first in line to help the Haitian people.  The death and devastation occurring in Haiti is unimaginable, and one cannot help but wonder how Haiti so quickly became a hell on earth.

The problem is that Haiti was a hell on earth long before the earthquake ever hit:  Over 65% of its citizens are unemployed, half are illiterate, and 12% of their babies don’t even live past the age of one.  The rates of poverty and disease are made worse by the fact that the government has only $1 billion dollars per year to spend on its entire population.  In comparison, Bill Gates earns a billion dollars about once every three months.

RELATED: MTV Denies Banning Kanye From Haiti Relief Telethon

Haiti doesn’t need our sympathy, it needs our long-term support.  They don’t need charity, they need a path to prosperity.  As we raise hundreds of millions of dollars to help the Haitian people, perhaps this is the time to make some long-term investments in the nation that might pay off for the children of Haiti.  The country could use investments in infrastructure, roads, electricity and education, for this is the only way that Haiti is going to find a path toward financial independence.

RELATED: Smile Of Rescued Haitian Boy Captivates The World

I want to hear this chant coming from celebrities like Beyonce Knowles, Denzel Washington and others who’ve been so generous during this time of crisis.  When they speak to Wyclef, they should help him find the necessary experts to come together with a long-term plan for Haitian economic prosperity.  We’ve got to seize the moment and turn the current Haitian nightmare into a dream for Haiti’s future.  The time to move is NOW.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.

From The Huffington Post

Beyonce performed in St. Barts at one of the most star-studded New Years Eve bashes this year for the likes of Lindsay Lohan, Russell Simmons, her husband Jay-Z, Usher and Jon Bon Jovi–and the family of terror-happy Libyan dictator Moammar Gaddafi footed the bill.

No confirmation on just how much Hannibal paid Beyonce for her private performance, but bloggers are putting the number around $2 million.

Click Here For More

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LAS VEGAS — Wynn Las Vegas officials say they’re in preliminary talks with Beyonce to bring the superstar singer back to the Las Vegas resort.

Wynn Resorts spokeswoman Jennifer Dunne says there’s no deal yet, despite published rumors of a lucrative, long-term contract.

Beyonce appeared at the resort from July 30 through Aug. 2 this year while filming a concert DVD. Her shows helped boost visitation to Wynn and its sister Encore Las Vegas resort during a typically slow tourist season in Las Vegas.

Beyonce sang in the Encore Theater, where country star Garth Brooks plans to play a series of solo acoustic shows starting on Friday. Brooks’ deal puts him in Las Vegas 15 weeks a year for possibly the next five years.

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Beyonce Leads Grammy Nominees With 10 Nods

Abercrombie & Fitch Sues Beyonce Over “Sasha Fierce” Fragrance

LOS ANGELES – Beyonce has enough Grammy nominations for her and Sasha Fierce.

The omnipresent diva garnered the most Grammy nominations on Thursday with 10 nods, including nominations for album of the year for “I Am … Sasha Fierce,” song of the year for her anthem “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)” and record of the year for “Halo.”

Country crossover sensation Taylor Swift wasn’t far behind Beyonce, getting eight nominations, including album of the year for her multiplatinum sophomore disc “Fearless”; song and record of the year for her hit, “You Belong With Me.”

Another diva was also nominated in all three categories: Lady Gaga. The eccentric entertainer, who had five nominations overall, garnered a best album mention for her debut CD, “The Fame,” while her “Poker Face” got nominations for record and song of the year.

Other nominees for album of the year included the Black Eyed Peas “The E.N.D.” and Dave Matthews Band’s “Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King.”

The Black Eyed Peas were also nominated for record of the year for their feel-good song, “I Gotta Feeling,” while the Kings of Leon were nominated for “Use Somebody.”

The Kings of Leon hit was also nominated for song of the year, as well as Maxwell’s comeback hit, “Pretty Wings.”

The Black Eyed Peas, Maxwell and Kanye West got six nominations each, while Jay-Z and DJ David Guetta got five.

The country act the Zac Brown Band was nominated for best new artist, along with R&B siren Keri Hilson, rockers MGMT, the punk duo the Ting Tings and the rock group the Silversun Pickups.

The nominations for the Grammys, to be held Jan. 31, were unveiled as part of a prime-time CBS special. It was the second year in a row that the Recording Academy revealed a handful of its 109 nominees during a televised concert; in the past, they had been announced during a morning news conference.

But Wednesday’s special gave nominees the chance to perform, such as the Black Eyed Peas, who sang their ubiquitous hit, “I Gotta Feeling,” as well as provided face time for CBS’ stars, like LL Cool J, the rapper-actor who is the star of “NCIS: Los Angeles.”

Other performers on the show included Nick Jonas and The Administration, Maxwell and Sugarland.

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Lil Wayne Tops 2009 Grammy Nominations

2009 Grammy Recap

CENTRIC announces a prestigious list of nominees to be recognized in the Network’s first special, CENTRIC PRESENTS: 2009 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS SHOW. Grammy Award-winner Beyonce, R&B diva Keri Hilson, and soulful crooner Maxwell lead the pack with four nominations each. Hosted by Academy Award-nominated actors Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, the return of the Soul Train Awards promises to be a soulful music event acknowledging R&B music’s finest. Taping at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday, November 3, the show will premiere on both CENTRIC and BET in a special simulcast on Sunday, November 29 at 9:00 PM*.

The show will honor the longstanding careers and musical influences of legendary artists Chaka Khan, Charlie Wilson, L.A. Reid and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds in special music tributes. The special will also showcase a Motown Records 50th Anniversary musical celebration. The show will also recognize the outstanding musical work of selected artists in ten prestigious music categories and will honor the phenomenal star power and showmanship of the late Michael Jackson with the special Entertainer of the Year Award.

Featuring a star-studded lineup of performers, including Toni Braxton, Trey Songz, Erykah Badu, Robin Thicke, Fantasia, Ryan Leslie, Chrisette Michelle, Raheem DeVaughn, Karyn White, Boyz II Men, Ledisi, Chico Debarge, Angie Stone, Brian McKnight, Ginuwine, Melanie Fiona, and Johnny Gill among others, the show is guaranteed to take viewers on a soul-stirring ride. The CENTRIC PRESENTS: 2009 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS brings the Love, Peace and Soul with an unforgettable evening showcasing the present and future to celebrate the past.

Click here for the full list of nominees.

SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK – Fierce is the battle against a pop diva’s perfume.

Abercrombie & Fitch the apparel chain known for its racy marketing and casual look, has sued Beyonce Knowles to try and stop the singer from launching a new line of fragrances.

In a federal lawsuit filed on Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio, Abercrombie claims a fragrance under the singer’s “Sasha Fierce” label “poses a likelihood of confusion” with the retailer’s own “Fierce” brand.

In English vernacular “fierce” means “cool” or “fabulous.”

Media reports say Knowles, the former Destiny’s Child frontwoman whose hits include “Single Ladies,” “Crazy in Love” and “If I Were a Boy,” plans to start selling a fragrance in early 2010 in partnership with perfumers Coty Inc.

Abercrombie said such confusion could deprive it of control over a trademark it has used since 2002, and perhaps cost it sales. The lawsuit seeks to halt potential trademark infringement, unfair competition and deceptive trade practices.

But on Wednesday, Coty executives said they do not intend to name the fragrance after Beyonce’s alter-ego — Sasha Fierce — and hence it would pose no threat to Abercrombie’s product.

“The terms Fierce and Sasha Fierce are not being used as names of a Beyonce fragrance,” read a statement from Coty.

Click here to read more.

[SOURCE: Yahoo News]

There’s a school of thought that suggests that your first instinct or first response is always the truest. In that light, there’s almost nothing that anybody can ever do that he or she should feel compelled to apologize for. I mean sure, you could apologize if you did something by accident like if you ran over somebody’s cat or if you did something that was misinterpreted by others, you could apologize for giving them the wrong impression, but if you do something intentionally-premeditated especially-there’s almost no out for anybody to believe that you could really be sorry for it.

The past week has seen three major apologies for three actions of dubious regret. First, South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson screamed out “You Lie!” after President Obama explained that his proposed healthcare plan wouldn’t cover illegal aliens. Wilson has since apologized.

Then, tennis superstar Serena Williams apologized for threatening to shove a ball down the throat of a line judge that had first ruled that Serenea had committed a foot fault on a serve, then penalized Serena a point for unsportsmanlike conduct, causing her to lose the match.

Last, rap kingpin Kanye West apologized for snatching the microphone during 19 year-old country singer Taylor Swift’s MTV VMA acceptance speech and suggesting that the real winner of the award should have been R&B star Beyonce Knowles.

Of those three apologies, the only one that I truly believe in is Serena Williams’. I was actually happy to see Serena finally indulge herself by losing it. John McEnroe’s boorish behavior has been celebrated for decades and both Williams sisters have been treated far worse by the sport of tennis than McEnroe ever was.

Just as quickly though, Serena seemed to remember that she had young fans that she was disappointing by letting her emotions get the better of her and equally importantly, Kim Clijsters had just won the match and it would have been in bad form not to put away her petty issues and congratulate the winner.

As for Joe Wilson, his “apology” was about as politically motivated as the feigned emotional outbreak that caused him to say “You Lie!” in the first place. Meanwhile, Kanye enjoys reading any word written about him for whatever he does; crime or apology.

So are celebrity apologies ever genuine? By my count, probably about 33% of them are.

Anybody that thinks that Kanye West’s “protest” of country singer Taylor Swift winning the Best Female Video award over Beyonce at last night’s MTV VMAs was really about Beyonce and not all about him, is even crazier than he is.

Kanye has all the trademarked traits of the psychopath; he can’t see outside himself and I even suspect that those sunglasses he wears have little mirrors on the inside.

The guy’s a nut.

WATCH the tomfoolery here:

We give him a pass because he’s a brilliant musician, but he always seems to want more than a pass. The guy seems to need our undivided attention, even when the subject, topic, idea, notion, night, event, or gathering has absolutely nothing to do with him.

“George Bush doesn’t care about Black people.” But Kanye, you do? It’s not like your girlfriend is Alek Wek, my brother. And the night had been going so smoothly too.

Madonna got up on stage and gave what she thought, I’m sure, was a moving verbal tribute to Michael Jackson. Then I stopped paying attention for a while. Then, I think, Beyonce performed. Then I stopped paying attention again. Then Jay-Z and Alicia Keys closed the show with Hov’s Blueprint 3-issued glowing tribute to the Big Apple, “Empire State of Mind“. Some nutty girl leaped up on stage at the end of that performance, but by then the novelty had worn off.

Luckily for us all, Beyonce showed the kind of class we’ve come to expect from any Black woman who’s been studying Michelle Obama and welcomed Taylor Swift up to the stage after Beyonce herself took the Video of the Year honors. This was Beyonce’s way of giving Swift her “moment”.

You can bet your last money that Kanye didn’t care about any of that, however. By that point in the show, he had already assured that by pulling a “Joe Wilson“, he’d be today’s number one topic of discussion. Despite myself, I even had to write a blog about him.

I hope he’s happy.

This 27 year-old cat at my Factotum-like night gig hates Beyonce. He hates her songs, he hates her movies, he thinks she sucks.

“You just think she’s hot,” I say offhandedly. He is incredulous. I decide to explain.

“Beyonce is awesome,” I say. “She’s a great actress and her music is incredible. She’s easily one of the most talented women alive right now. Thing is, she’s only ‘ok’ looking. Anybody that doesn’t like her hates her because they think she’s beautiful.”

“That’s not it,” the 27 year-old cat protests. “She doesn’t make music for men. I don’t think any dudes like her music.”

Ignoring the insult, I petition for a second opinion. I ask a 24 year-old cat.

“Dude, do you like any Beyonce music?” I ask.

“ONE song!” demands the 27 year-old cat. “Can you name even one song that you like by her?”

“Uh…” stammers the 24 year-old cat, “Upgrade U?”

“Ha!” I mock. Then returning to the 27 year-old cat, I add “You just think she’s hot.”

“I don’t think she’s that hot,” the 27 year-old cat protests.

“Sure you do,” I say. “The fact is though, when she came out, she wasn’t even the hottest member of Destiny’s Child, Kelly was. (First on the left) I didn’t even know who Beyonce was until the next album.”

“Kelly’s not hotter than Beyonce” says the 27 year-old cat. I’m shocked.

“Beyonce’s got a better body” says the 24 year-old cat.

“Ok”, I concede, “Even if the bodies make it a push, Kelly’s still got a prettier face.” They both disagree.

“Well name somebody hotter than Beyonce,” I say.

“Alicia Keys, Keyshia Cole…” The 27 year-old begins.

I get suspicious.

“Can either of ya’ll name one dark-skinned girl that you think is hotter than Beyonce?”

(silence)

“Ya’ll are buggin’,” I say. “I can name at least 10 dark-skinned girls that are hotter than Beyonce off the top of my head.”

“Do it!” the 27 year-old cat challenges.

Now I have a problem. It’s not that I can’t name 10 dark-skinned chicks that I know that are indeed hotter than Beyonce, but picking 10 that the media has made famous enough for them to know might be a little tricky. I go for it anyway.

• 1. Gabrielle Union is unanimous.
• 2. Everybody also agrees with Naomi Campbell.
• 3. I’m alone with a pre-crazy Lauryn Hill.
• 4. The 27 year-old cat offers Tamron Hall and I co-sign.
• 5. I stick with Kelly Rowland.
• 6. The 27 year-old cat agrees with Malinda Williams but the 24 year-old is silent.
• 7. Jill Marie Jones is literally jumped on by all three of us.
• 8. When I offer Buffie the Body, the 27 year-old cat screams “You shoulda said her FIRST!”
• 9. My offer of Tasha Smith is greeted with indifference.
• 10. The 24 year-old cat offers Serena Williams and I co-sign immediately. The 27 year-old cat can’t however because he was the first one to call her ugly in another blog I’d done.

Any other suggestions?

From The Houston Chronicle

A man accused of sending death threats to stars including hip-hop supercouple Jay-Z and Beyonce has been arrested and charged by police in Detroit, Michigan.

Leon Desmond Barrett is alleged to have written more than a dozen letters between December 2006 and April this year (09) and sent them to celebrities including former American footballer Jerome Bettis.

According to police, some of the hand-written notes referred to a reported dispute between Barrett and Bettis’ family, with one stating, “We do not want to have a gunfight with them but if we have to, we will. I guess it (sic) going to be another Virginia Tech. massacre all over again in Detroit.”

Read The Whole Story

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Diss songs have been around for as long as there’s been recorded music so it’s wrong to think that it’s something that rappers started. Jazz, blues and country stars all took subliminal shots at each other. The Beatles took shots at the Rolling Stones and once they broke up, dissed each other.

Of course hip hop, giving you more words per bar than any other musical form, elevated the diss song to an art all its own. Before the actual diss song however, there were battle raps. Rappers would face off against each other, spit their best lyrics then wait for another rapper to spit his own in self-defense. Grandmaster Flash does a good job of chronicling these heady days in his autobiography and I’m old enough to remember attending some in person. BET even took to airing a segment called “Freestyle Friday” just to capture the rap battle phenomenon.

Established rappers however, are like nuclear capable countries; nobody’s gonna risk going it hand-to-hand. They all prefer to bomb from a distance.

The modern era of diss records owns its existence to Boogie Down Productions and the 1986 song “South Bronx“. Making an effort to claim the birthright of hip hop after what he’d viewed as a similar attempt by Queens rapper MC Shan, head BDP rapper KRS-One turned the song “South Bronx” into a shot-filled attempt to do just that. And just in case anybody didn’t feel insulted enough, KRS then recorded “The Bridge is Over” which left no doubt as to how he felt about Queensbridge and all its denizens.

Of course, since these recordings and their poorly received responses by MC Shan, there’s been literally thousands of diss records and responses. Some MCs (like 50 Cent) have even made diss songs their staple.

Some of the great diss songs in history have been LL Cool J’s “To Da Break of Dawn“, Tupac’s “Against All Odds” and Nas’ “Ether“-a song so scorching, that its title became a verb synonymous with destruction; as in “you just got ‘Ethered’”.

Friday I watched a clip of rapper The Game dissing Jay-Z and Jay’s wife Beyonce. I remember thinking how going after a wife should be considered “out of bounds” but since Jay himself had gone after Nas through the mother of Nas’ child, nothing was out of bounds. Then I thought of Tupac and Biggie and how it can be argued that each ultimately died because of diss records.

The question becomes then; in making diss records, is there a line you shouldn’t cross?

Shakespeare wrote, “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown”, and not since Leon Spinks was briefly champion of the heavyweight division in 1978 has a top ranked dude looked so utterly baffled as to how to conduct himself as Lil Wayne.

This past year, not only has Wayne had to deal with standard rapper BS like drug and gun charges, but he’s made some bizarre personal choices as well. Already a father of two by two different women, the rapper reportedly now has another two children on the way and dueling prospective baby mamas in actress Lauren London and singer Nivea. Now, while this is certainly Wayne’s personal business and even biblical in a “King Solomon” kinda way, it’s also gotta be a bit of a distraction for a man that wishes to stay at the top of his game.

And not even Wayne’s professional career has made too much sense as of late. After inexplicably recording a song entitled “Whip It Like a Slave,” he appeared on the BET Awards this past Sunday night and as April Silver so brilliantly pointed out, by performing a song about wanting to sex every girl in the world while there were adolescents running around on stage, he actually flirted with encouraging pedophilia!

Now, if being the top dog since last year’s BET Awards has been Wayne’s psychological hurdle, he should be able to rest a little easier-he’s no longer king. As usual, the BET Awards were the coronation for a new top rapper. The only difference was that this time, despite a token attempt to retain the throne by Wayne, a injury-hobbled grab for the ring by Drake, and a desperate attempt by Hov to be the first man to regain the throne since it bounced around a lot between 86-92, this championship was actually decided off-stage. The new king just sat back and watched the whole show with his queen: regal and in control.

Exactly who’s had a better year than Kanye West? His most recent album, “808s and Heartbreak” was sensational. His song “Amazing” was selected by the NBA as the soundtrack to this year’s playoffs. And every guest appearance he’s made recently, be it on the remix of Beyonce’s “Big Ego“, on The Dream’s “Walking on the Moon” or on Keri Hilson’s “Knock You Down“, has been blistering. Paraphrasing poet Nikki Giovanni, as far as this past year is concerned: even Kanye’s mistakes have been perfect.

So get well, Wayne. As fans, we’re not allowed to dissect a man’s life, only his art. And what’s scary now is that at this point, the only two paths that seem to be available to you are the way of Bob Marley, or the way of the Ol’ Dirty Bastard.

Smokey Fontaine and I go through this every year. We bicker like children over the socio-political implications of the annual BET Awards. I think last year’s show picked our current president. He thinks it was ‘ok’.

One thing we do seem to agree on, though, is that the best rap performance is usually a coronation of the at-the-minute top rapper in the game. In 2001, Jay-Z had the gall to actually debut the song “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” and killed it. In 2003, 50 Cent blew the doors off the show with “What Up Gangsta”. Last year, Lil Wayne sang something; but it was good.

And I can’t deny that I wasn’t waiting for this moment again, as part of the numbing process. I was hoping that maybe Drake would do something interesting, but he just sat there, rapping from a stool like an old man. I also hoped that Hov would cut his “DOA” performance short to kick his lead verse from the remix of “You Rock My World” but I was disappointed. Lil Wayne didn’t disappoint me any more than he has of late, which was completely.

Other offenders on this horrible night were Beyonce. By showing up on stage in an all white gown, she had me gassed to think that she was gonna refigure Diana Ross’ “Missing You” tribute to Marvin Gaye for… you know, but she sang “Ave Maria” and I wanted to throw some kind of magical shoe that could pass through my television screen and conk her on the head.

But there was good, of course. Much good. Maxwell was brilliant and single-handedly brought back the double-breasted suit. Ne-Yo freaked his version of “The Lady In My Life”. The OJays were great with the exception of not singing “I Love Music“, “Love Train” or “Cry Together“.  And Jamie Foxx was a competent host and funny and he was also the only one that gave us what we needed all night long. Then Janet Jackson showed up to reclaim what was hers.

After that, we went back to mourning. I must admit, it was an almost impossible task trying to both celebrate and grieve at the same time and on only three days notice.

But it was done.