A slew of A-list talent has signed on to kick off next week’s presidential inauguration festivities. The official organizing committee announced today that “We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial,” which will air Sunday on HBO, will feature performances from the likes of Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Bono, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Josh Groban, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, will.i.am and Stevie Wonder.

Jamie Foxx, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah and Denzel Washington will read historical passages at the two-hour free event. HBO will televise the celebration at 7 p.m. on an open signal, so it will be accessible to anyone with cable or satellite television.

“This is a great opportunity to capture an historic event in a very meaningful setting,” said producer and director Don Mischer, whose past credits include the Olympic ceremonies and Super Bowl halftime shows. “We will have the statue of Abraham Lincoln looking down on our stage and a crowd of hundreds of thousands of people lining the mall — a tableau any director would relish.”

Beyoncé Daily will be posting her performance as soon as it airs!

Here are a few more outtakes from Elle Magazine, the January 2009 issue. They’re tagged and we have most of them in high quality but there are a few we didn’t have. Check them out!

We apologize for the delay – the Beyonce` – Europe / UK “I AM…” VIP packages will now go on sale Friday, January 16th at 10am GMT.

You will be able to purchase at www.Ticketmaster.co.uk

For those who have purchased tickets – yes you WILL be able to upgrade to one of the exciting packages.

Thank you for your patience.

Details of VIP packages for B’s new world tour, I Am…, have been released! Check them out below! Prices have not been announced yet, I know…I want them too. But they’re great nonetheless! I know I’m definitely getting the I Am…BEYONCE package! Can’t wait! Details will be posted on B’Daily as they become available.

To all of Beyoncé’s dedicated fans, THANK YOU for your patience and loyalty. We have been working hard to create exciting opportunities for Beyoncé’s ultimate fans to experience the upcoming “I AM…” World Tour. We invite you to be a part of this extraordinary tour by selecting from one of the custom designed “I AM… VIP” Packages below:

“I AM…BEYONCÉ” – MEET & GREET PACKAGE
Includes:

Front Row Ticket (or VIP Barricade ticket in GA markets)
Photo with Beyoncé
VIP entrance
Pre-show hospitality
Access to private VIP room
Specially selected luxury dinner buffet
Complimentary bar providing a selection of quality wines, beers and soft drinks
Crowd free merchandise booth
Exclusive gift bag (including tour book and more)
Collectible laminate and/or wristband
One year membership to the official BEYONCÉ fan club
Onsite event management staff

“I AM… FIERCE” – ON-STAGE PACKAGE
Read More!

For the last two weeks, I’ve been attempting to blog about Beyonce’s twin set of new videos, but much to my chagrin, the embeddable versions keep getting pulled from the Internets. (The Crafty Ms. Knowles must want us all to pay for viewing privilege over at iTunes; apparently, when she sings “If you ain’t gettin’ money, then you ain’t got nothin’ for me,” she means it.) But today (finally!), I’ve found said videos living legally (I think?) at YahooMusic. So, YAHOO! Let’s discuss which is better: My favorite song from I Am…Sasha Fierce, or the best song from I Am…Sasha Fierce. And no, those are not one and the same.

First, my favorite, “Diva,” a track that’s already No. 64 on the Top 100 Most Played list on my iTunes, because in all honestly, I have a mental illness that makes me hit the repeat button on this track, then annoy friends and loved ones by randomly (and sometimes inappropriately) asking (in my best Beyonce drawl): “Where yo BOSS at?” The video has the production values of the clearance bin at Family Dollar, and yet somehow it works. Ever since I first heard the hypnotic chorus — “Diva is a female version of a hustler. Of a hustler. Of a, of a hustler.” — I fully expected to see a trunk full of mannequins, Cylon-y fringed sunglasses, and angry-lady dancing on display in the accompanying video. (Good thing B provides the dictionary definition of “Diva,” too, since her own take on the word is beautiful nonsense.) Where yo BOSS at, people?

Then, there’s “Halo,” an absolutely glorious and perfectly produced track that should be as big a hit as “Irreplaceable” and “Crazy in Love.” Still, it’s a little odd to me that the highest-quality track from …Sasha Fierce gets a video that’s lit so aggressively, I can barely make out whether B’s paying homage to Flashdance or trying to give me a seizure. Still, I’m not mad at Solange’s sister. Once that chorus kicks in for the final time, with its sweeping strings and percussion and B’s glorious vocal, my innards turn to processed maple syrup, and I lose the ability to constructively criticize. Does this woman ever make a musical misstep? (I smell pancakes!)

HBO will televise Barack Obama’s inaugural kickoff ceremonies at the Lincoln Memorial on Jan. 18, in what is being billed as a star-studded event with top performers from music and entertainment.

No entertainment has been announced for the fete, although sources have indicated that Barbra Streisand, Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé and Stevie Wonder have been approached about performing some time during the four days of events planned for Obama’s inaugural.

More people are hitting up YouTube to watch Beyonce videos than any other artist, including MTV staples Soulja Boy, Rihanna, the Jonas Brothers and Chris Brown, according to the Associated Press.

Her clip for “If I Were a Boy,” where Beyonce imagines life if gender roles were reversed between her and her boyfriend, has been watched by more than 34 million on the video-sharing site.

Her other recent song, “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)” – featuring Beyonce dancing in a black leotard and heels – has drawn at least 22 million views and inspired dozens of copycats – including a popular toddler named Arianna.

Beyonce has spoken about how bowled over she is by all the imitations and met some of the dancers. She also joined the “Saturday Night Live” parody of the video with Justin Timberlake and cast members Andy Samberg and Bobby Moynihan. (That video has also been watched by millions online.)

The singer and her record label, Sony/BMG, are hoping her latest video, “Diva,” has similar success. Released on Dec. 24, it returns Beyonce to the simple style of her and two dancers in a plain setting — this time an empty warehouse. It has drawn less than one million viewers on YouTube so far.