Blue Ivy Carter First Pictures (Beyonce & Jay-Z must be proud!)

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Beyonce Skin Color: Accused of Lightening Face in Photos

Looking lighter than usual in photos being used to promote her latest album, last year's '4,' Beyonce has raised concerns that she is trying to play down her natural skin color.


While pregnant women are sometimes anemic, and anemia can leave sufferers looking pale, the controversial new photos were taken before the 30-year-old pop superstar was with child, the Daily Mail reports.

In the shots, Beyonce sports blonde locks, red lipstick and a crocheted, barely-there outfit while reclining on a leopard-print couch. Her complexion is rather fair, but as experts told U.K. newspaper the Sun, it could be the result of studio lighting.



Or it could be something more sinister. In 2008, the cosmetics company L'Oreal was accused of lightening Bey's skin tone in advertisements, and last year, after the 'Love on Top' creator was spotted on the street looking particularly white, writer Yasmin Alibhai-Brown charged Beyonce -- the daughter of a black father and mixed-race mother -- with "betraying all black and Asian women."

In a letter to the Daily Mail, Alibhai-Brown wrote, "Too many black and Asian children grow up understanding the sad truth that to have dark skin is to be somehow inferior."



Beyonce has not commented on the controversy, perhaps because the only color on her mind these days is Blue Ivy -- the name of the daughter she and husband Jay-Z welcomed earlier this month.

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Beyonce's Hospital Room -- Like a 5-Star Hotel

Beyonce's Hospital Room -- Like a 5-Star Hotel

Lenox Hill Hospital constructed a suite for VIPs which looks like a Four Seasons penthouse ... and the room was christened Saturday when Beyonce gave birth.

TMZ has obtained photos of the room where Blue Ivy came into this world, and it's baller. There are 4 flat screen TV's, state of the art electronics, a kitchenette, nice art, mahogany walls and plush furnishings. And take a look at the bed where Jay Z got some shut eye!

Sources connected with the hospital tell TMZ ... the suite was not constructed specifically for Beyonce, but it was always intended that Beyonce would be the first patient to use it.











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The 7 Most Amazing Things about Beyonce

Golden Globe nominee & future Oscar winner BEYONCE talked with W Magazine about her 7 favorite looks that shaped her career.

TELEPHONE

“Gaga is my girl! I’m her biggest fan. When I first saw her perform, I actually called her and said, ‘You are great!’ That was before her popularity hit, and we had a natural connection. Later, she asked me to do her video, and I said, ‘I trust you, Gaga. I’ll do whatever you want me to do.’ I played a bad, bad girl. When I put on the Bettie Page wig, I got into the character. I started researching Bettie Page and tried to channel her pinups and poses. The video ended up being very much like Quentin Tarantino’s movies. He gave us his blessing, even loaned us the car with pussy wagon written on the side from Kill Bill. My mom said, ‘Do you have to use that car?’”



CRAZY IN LOVE

“I had just turned 21, and this was my first solo video. I wanted to be a female version of James Dean and wear an iconic white T-shirt and jean shorts. I always think about wearing something a fan could buy and make her own; as a young girl I remember seeing so many artists, and then I’d try to dress like them. I sewed zippers on my jackets to be like Michael Jackson.

I’m wearing red pumps in the video. As a child I trained myself to dance in very high heels. At 13, in Destiny’s Child, we were told to wear heels, but at first we couldn’t walk in them. We couldn’t keep our knees straight. But we learned, and that became the image of Destiny’s Child: so young and so glamorous. Now I have a rule that my dancers have to wear their heels when I’m wearing my heels. They say, ‘Please take your shoes off, Beyoncé.’ At home, I’m always barefoot. And I have a heavy walk without heels. When they hear me thumping through the house, they say, ‘Oh—Beyoncé’s up!’”

DEJA VU

“We shot this in New Orleans right after Hurricane Katrina, and the choreography was almost tribal in my mind. There’s something spiritual about Louisiana, where my family is from, and I thought of Josephine Baker. She had a way of dancing that was almost possessed. I used her as a reference and combined her with Brigitte Bardot. My hair, the bustier: It’s very Bardot. I love to mix things that you wouldn’t put together—like Baker and Bardot. They both had that French influence, which is really strong in Louisiana.”

SASHA FIERCE ALBUM ART

“I’m wearing a gold-plate breastplate by José Barrera. It was difficult to put my arms down, which is why they are up in the picture. The gold handpiece was made for me—it’s kind of like my futuristic Michael Jackson glove.

Sasha Fierce was born during the ‘Crazy in Love’ video. I’m naturally a shy person, and I was used to performing in a group, where it’s about female camaraderie—we were all going through the same things at the same time. As Sasha Fierce, I was on my own. It was about letting go, about showing my sensuality in a new way: I became Sasha Fierce.”

SINGLE LADIES

“My mom made the one-shouldered bodysuits the night before the video. Again, I wanted to wear something that any fan could wear. I’m obsessed with Bob Fosse, and I always saw the look of this video as very simple, very Fosse-inspired. It was one of the hottest days on record in New York, and we didn’t know it at the time, but we were shooting in an old porn studio. I began to get suspicious because every dressing room had a theme. I was in the jungle room, and I realized they had made a porno in there. There was no air-conditioning in the studio and that added to the drama—we were shiny and sweaty.”

WHY DON'T YOU LOVE ME

“I was still thinking about Bettie Page, and wanted to do something that was inspired by her. This video was a secret: I paid for and codirected it and didn’t tell my label or my management. The clothes and jewelry are from my closet, the wigs are mine, and I did my own makeup. We did eight looks in one day in this great house that belonged to a producer who worked with Dorothy Dandridge. He had pictures of her on the wall, so her spirit is in the video, too. I love Super 8 film and wanted to get those saturated colors. It’s a different drama—the tears and martinis and cigarettes. I wanted to channel the past for the present.”

RUN THE WORLD

“This is the power stand, the next chapter of my life. I do this job because it makes me high and inspires people. In the video, most of all I wanted to show that I’m proud to be a woman. I had read about powerful African men who have hyenas as pets, and I wanted to create a world where women run the world, so in the video I have these hyenas as pets. I’m wearing a Givenchy Couture gown and I’m holding these crazy hyenas. There’s dirt on the dress, but I’m still pure and regal. I wanted to push the theatrics to make a point: Women rule.”

xxx

Forbes Magazine: Highest Paid Musicians

25. Rihanna ($29 million)

The Barbados-born singer grossed $1 million per night in 38 shows over the past 12 months; added more with strong sales of new album Loud, digital singles and endorsements with CoverGirl, Secret and others.



24. Kenny Chesney ($30 million)

The sexiness of his tractor aside, Chesney has a lot to sing about this year. He grossed nearly $40 million on 24 shows in support of his new album, Hemingway’s Whiskey.


23. Rascal Flatts ($34 million)

The country stars grossed $45 million on 61 shows over the past 12 months, adding to their coffers with heavy radio play and endorsements from JC Penny and others.


18. Muse ($35 million, tie)

The Britain-based rock group grossed $76 million on 63 shows in the last year and has landed songs on all three Twilight soundtracks--leading bassist Chris Wolstenholme to say: "You have to take every opportunity ... and sometimes you have to sell your soul."


18. Tim McGraw ($35 million, tie)

A jack of all trades, McGraw made big bucks in 2010 despite his label's decision to delay his new album. In addition to a lucrative tour, McGraw starred in Country Strong with Gwyneth Paltrow and his line of cologne is among the best selling celebrity scents.


18. Beyoncé Knowles ($35 million, tie)

The Houston-born diva ranks unusually low on our list because she didn't tour or release an album this year. In the absence of new music revenue, business-focused Beyoncé cashes in on clothing line Dereon and endorsement deals with L'Oreal, DirecTV, General Mills and others. For more on the business of Beyoncé and husband Jay-Z, check out Zack’s new book Empire State of Mind.


18. Sean "Diddy" Combs ($35 million, tie)

Music now accounts for less than 20% of earnings for the artist formerly known as Puff Daddy, thanks to big stakes in clothing lines Sean John and Enyce, record label Bad Boy and marketing firm Blue Flame. But it's his Ciroc vodka deal that led Forbes to estimate his net worth at $475 million. Under terms he struck with beverage giant Diageo, Diddy gets an annual cut of profits plus a big piece of the pie (likely nine figures) if Ciroc is ever sold.


18. AC/DC ($35 million, tie)

Scotland-born and Australia-bred, AC/DC continued to shake audiences all night long, grossing nearly $60 million on the road.


17. Jay-Z ($37 million)

The Empire State of Mind rapper out-earned wife Beyoncé for the first time since their 2008 nuptials, thanks revenues from the tail end of a world tour, endorsements and a broad portfolio of business interests. For more, check out Zack’s business-focused biography of Jay-Z.


16. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers ($38 million)

Some acts seem to have an infinite shelf life on the road, and Tom Petty is one of them--the bulk of the band's annual take comes from 46 dates over the past 12 months.


15. Brad Paisley ($40 million)

Country star had a banner year, thanks to strong touring backed by sponsorships from Chevy, Skinny Water, and Sea Ray boats.


14. Katy Perry ($44 million)

Perry's album Teenage Dream is one of nine in history to boast four chart-topping singles. No stranger to business, Perry shills for Proactiv, Adidas and Ubisoft, and has her own perfume line, Purr.


13. Taylor Swift ($45 million)

Country or pop? Either way, there's no question that Swift is a moneymaking machine: new album Speak Now was certified triple-platinum barely a month after its October release; touring grosses some $750,000 per night.


12. Usher ($46 million)

The R&B crooner credited with discovering Justin Bieber had quite a year himself, playing a lucrative concert tour to support his extended play album Versus while picking up a pair of Grammy awards.


11. Toby Keith ($50 million)

It’s not just music that makes money for this country star: Keith also profits from an endorsement deal with Ford, a mezcal line and a restaurant chain called I Love This Bar And Grill.


10. Dave Matthews Band ($51 million)

Still touring after the success of 2009’s Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King, the band grossed over $1 million per night over the course of 68 shows in the past 12 months.


9. Justin Bieber ($53 million)

At age 17, Bieber is the youngest on the list, raking in cash from an international tour, new album, biopic Never Say Never and even a perfume line.


8. The Eagles ($60 million)

The ageless rockers continue to take it to the limit -- especially on the road, where they make the bulk of their money.


7. The Black Eyed Peas ($61 million)

The business-friendly rockers grossed $68 million on 62 shows around the world over the past 12 months and added to their coffers with lucrative endorsement deals with Samsung, Pepsi, Honda, Verizon, Chase and others.


6. Paul McCartney ($67 million)

The former Beatle could just sit back and collect checks -- he's the most commercially successful songwriter in the history of popular music, according to Guinness World Records -- but the road beckons. McCartney grossed $130 million on a mere 30 shows over the past 12 months.


5. Michael Bublé ($70 million)

The Canadian crooner rode a lucrative concert tour, heavy radio play and strong album sales all the way to a spot among music’s top five earners.


4. Lady Gaga ($90 million)

The Queen Monster grossed $170 million on 137 shows in 22 countries over the past 12 months. Though high production costs significantly reduced that sum, Gaga rakes in additional cash for heavy radio play, recorded music sales and endorsement deals from Polaroid, Virgin Mobile, Monster Cable, Viva Glam and others.


3. Elton John ($100 million)

Sir Elton has sold 250 million records worldwide over the past 30 years and isn't slowing down, grossing $204 million on 102 live shows in the past 12 months. The Rocket Man still has time for family. With partner David Furnish, he welcomed surrogate son Zachary in 2010; Lady Gaga is the tyke's godmother.


2. Bon Jovi ($125 million)

Who says you can't go home? Bon Jovi opened New Jersey's New Meadowlands Stadium with three consecutive sold out concerts last May and another in July. The band grossed $200 million playing 74 shows over the past 12 months and released a greatest hits album. Frontman Jon Bon Jovi was named to the White House Council for Community Solutions by President Obama.


1. U2 ($195 million)

The ageless rockers are wrapping up the most lucrative tour in the history of music: By the time U2's two-year trek ends this summer, the band will have sold $700 million worth of tickets over two years and played to more than 7 million people.



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BEYONCE IV promo shoot!

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