Beyonce Knowles’ manager/father has fired back at “ridiculous” public comments Aretha Franklin has made about his daughter’s Grammy Awards performance on Sunday. Franklin, who is known throughout the world as the Queen of Soul, raged after Beyonce introduced her duet partner, Tina Turner, as “the queen” during the Los Angeles awards show. The R.E.S.P.E.C.T. singer has since accused Beyonce and the Grammy Awards writers of making “a cheap shot for controversy.” That comment has angered Beyonce’s father Mathew Knowles, who has lashed out at Franklin for being so precious. In a statement released on Wednesday , Knowles blasts:

“Beyonce referred to Tina as a `queen’. Not queen of gospel, queen of soul, queen of blues, Queen of England. “I consider my wife a queen and sometimes call her that. Does Aretha have a problem with that?”

Aretha Franklin has lashed out at Beyonce Knowles for giving Tina Turner her Queen of Soul tag at the Grammy Awards on Sunday (10Feb08). The R.E.S.P.E.C.T. singer, who was honoured with the Grammy MusiCares Person of The Year award, was stunned when Beyonce introduced her duet partner as the Queen of Soul. Franklin is known throughout the world at the Queen, and she felt more than a little snubbed. And, in a brief statement, Franklin snaps, “I am not sure of whose toes I may have stepped on or whose ego I may have bruised between the Grammy writers and Beyonce, however I dismissed it as a cheap shot for controversy.”
- Contact Music

Superstar songwriter Ne-Yo had Shania Twain and Faith Hill in mind when he wrote Beyonce Knowles‘ biggest hit IRREPLACEABLE. The song became the biggest hit of 2007 and is a favourite to land the coveted Record Of The Year at Sunday night’s (10Feb08) Grammy Awards - but it almost became a country anthem. Ne-Yo wrote the tune with Norway’s Stargate duo Tor Hermansen and Mikkel Eriksen, and now Hermansen has spoken out about their initial plans for the hit. He tells VH1.com,

“Nobody expected it to be the phenomenon it was, it surprised everyone. For one, it crosses every boundary… and it’s a song people from all walks of life can enjoy. “When we wrote it with Ne-Yo it was done first with a male vocal, and we thought, ‘This is more of a female vocal part.’ We liked it and so did Ne-Yo, but he said, ‘Who will cut this?’”

Ne-Yo, who felt the song could be a massive country hit, favoured Twain or Hill, but Hermansen suggested Knowles because he’d recently been penning tunes for her. The rest, as they say, is history.
- Contact Music

Usher
As yet untitled, due spring

What’s the Deal: “There’s a lack of substance in music right now,â€? says R&B hitmaker Usher. But his fifth album has the cure: positive-message songs, like the pro-gentlemen “Chivalry,â€? and “Here I Stand,â€? about “the valor of a man.â€?

Why We’re Excited: Planned collaborators include Jay-Z, Ludacris, Beyoncé and T-Pain. “I am the consummate entertainer,â€? Usher says. “I’m going around the globe to work with the greatest.â€?

Behind the Music: Married, with a lil’ Usher on the way, the bedroom bandit insists he’s changed: “I’m stepping away from the out-all-night, find-a-woman-and-leave-when-it’s-through type of dude. You can only spend so much time in the club, you dig?�

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Yay much?

Aida is a musical drama in two acts based on Giuseppe Verdi’s Italian-language opera by the same name, which is in turn based on a story by Auguste Mariette. The musical was produced by Hyperion Theatricals, a unit within Disney Theatrical, with music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice, and book by Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls, and David Henry Hwang.

The Mouse is reportedly already in talks with this pop diva, trying to convince Ms. Knowles to make ‘Aida’ her follow-up project to ‘Dreamgirls,’� says the site, adding, “Starring in the movie version of this Tony Award-winning musical should be a no-brainer for Beyoncé. Particularly since the show’s title role has proven to be such an effective showcase for chart toppers like Toni Braxton and Ms. Knowles’ fellow ‘Destiny’s Child’ survivor, Michelle T. Williams.

In the story, a Nubian princess is captured by an Egyptian captain, Radames. He soon falls in love with her and saves her from a life of hard labor and instead gives her as a handmaiden to the Egyptian princess Amneris, his future bride. Set against a backdrop of loyalty, betrayal, and forbidden love, Aida is the story of three people who are forced to make difficult choices that will alter history forever.

According to dancer Tyrell Washington, Beyoncé will be performing “Get Me Bodied� at Tuesday’s BET Awards. Washington will be dancing with B and her crew at the awards. She is rumored to be performing the song with a “special guest.� Guess we’ll have to wait till Tuesday to find out who that guest is. Place your bets.

Rap-Up.Com

R&B Singer, Beyonce Knowles, left a fan heartbroken, when she refused to sign a portrait of herself that took him well over 80 hours to paint.

Artist Paul Stillwell, who took to painting to deal with his mum’s death, had painted the ‘Destiny’s Child’ star in the cover of her ‘Dangerously in Love’ album.

Stilwell wanted to get the singer’s autograph on his work and he traveled all the way to London to meet her, when she visited the country for her Wembley concert.

“I traveled 100 miles to London and waited outside her hotel for five hours. … When she came out I showed her my painting and said, ‘Beyoncé, will you sign my painting?’ She said, ‘No, sorry,’ and walked away,â€? the New York Daily News quoted him, as saying.

The artist said that he was ‘devastated’, when the 25-year-old walked away without even considering his request.

He added that it took him more than three days to make the portrait and Beyonce did not even want to spare 2 seconds to sign on it.

“I was devastated, as the painting took me over 80 hours to paint and I had put my whole heart and soul into it. I was shocked that she wouldn’t take two seconds of her time to sign her name on it,” he added.

Sounds to me like someone has a lot of time on their hands. In all honesty- he couldnt expect for Beyonce to autograph his painting by just waiting outside her hotel. Beyonce (like any other person) is a busy woman and cannot always sign everyone’s autograph. Man these European tabloids and blogs can be quite harsh.

Rumor is that…. Jay-Z reportedly proposed last week during a holiday in Cannes - and Beyoncé said yes. She said:

Beyonce was quoted as saying-

I want to get married and really want a family - in a perfect world I’d have two boys and a girl. You know someone loves you by the way he treats you and respects you. Me and Jay respect each other.

http://www.dirtyrottengossip.com/Gossip/Beyonc-JayZ-Are-Getting-Hitched/

 I thought this was very funny… rumors rumors rumors…