It’s been seven years since Jay-Z announced he was bringing the New Jersey Nets back home to New York during his 2003 “Fade To Black Concert” at Madison Square Garden. On Thursday (March 11), Nets co-owner Hov, an assortment of New York politicians and executives from the Nets came to Brooklyn for a groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the team’s future home, the Barclays Center. The Brooklyn Steppers Marching Band led the way into the press conference, which took place at Brooklyn’s Atlantic Yards. Jay walked in with Beyoncé, standing out in a crowd that included the Reverend Al Sharpton, New York Governor David Paterson and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg … During the conference, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz also hinted he wanted Jay-Z to convince LeBron James to play for the Nets when he goes into free agency this summer. The Jiggaman innocently shook his head no as if he didn’t know what he was talking about and put his hands up. Sharpton said he came to the press conference for one reason only: “Jay-Z promised me if I came I would have the opportunity to sit next to Beyoncé,” he joked. “And you see where they are sitting me,” he continued, noting that B was sitting in the crowd, not with the people such as himself who were speaking. Sharpton, also a Brooklyn native, noted that the first black major league baseball player, Jackie Robinson, took the field in Brooklyn, and now the borough’s team has a black co-owner. “We’ve gone from Jackie to Jay-Z,” Sharpton said. “Where we cannot only play the game but own the game.” Finally, Hov himself came to the podium. “What I stand here and represent is hope for Brooklyn, New York City. I’m a son of Brooklyn, I’m from Marcy projects.” Jay said. “I think about growing up in Brooklyn in the Marcy projects and shooting jump shots, thinking I can make it to the NBA. Now I stand here as an owner of team that’s coming back to Brooklyn. The pride in that, and bringing that dream so much closer for people, brings me so much pride I get a little nervous about it. But I’m very happy, very excited about this day. And we did it again Brooklyn — shout out to [Notorious] B.I.G.” After the conference, Jay-Z and company officially broke ground, breaking out the hard hats and lightly shoveling dirt. The confetti rained down. “It was a long process,” Jay said after the ceremony, with his “Empire State of Mind” playing in the background. “It’s a sensitive one. I’m from the people. I’m for the people. I could never be opposed to the side of the people. But this project, when you look at the numbers at the end of the day, was so overwhelmingly in favor of the people: the job creation, the housing that’s being built. It was difficult; you had to tread through that process lightly. But we’re here, it’s a fantastic day and it’s a celebration. It’s a beautiful day in Brooklyn and the hope that’s represented — on a small scale — is the same I felt when I saw Obama run for president: That we can be a part of something so grand.”

First Beyoncé puts her name on a cosmetology school to help troubled youth turn their lives around and now Jay-Z is lending a hand to get the NJ Nets back to NY. It really looks as if B-Jay are becoming quite the entrepreneurial philanthropists. I wonder where else these two will pop up … and under what circumstances. Are B-Jay out to take on Brangelina as the saviors of the world? Stay tuned!

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]

Your girl B is lookin’ sassy, yes? These photos have a bit of a harder edge than the photos we saw last week … they are lovely tho. Additionally, a video from this House of Deréon promo ad campaign photoshoot has made its way to the Internets for our viewing pleasure. Check it out in full after the jump …

The president of Brooklyn has declared Beyonce an official Brooklynite. Borough President Marty Markowitz said Beyonce is a Brooklynite by marriage and by moxie. Beyonce’s husband, Jay-Z, is from Brooklyn. The superstar visited the New York City borough Friday for the opening of the Beyonce Cosmetology Center at a residential substance abuse treatment center. The Phoenix House offers programs for residents in carpentry, building maintenance, computer technology and culinary arts. Beyonce said she thought it also should have more programs geared toward women. She said her mother’s Houston salon helped so many people feel good about themselves and better their lives. Beyonce first spent time at Phoenix House when preparing for the role of Etta James in the 2008 film, Cadillac Records.

While I certain the haters will have something snarky to say about Beyoncé opening up a beauty school but I think it’s really fantastic that she would want to be a part of such an important place for troubled people. Beyoncé is a role model to so many people … here, she can also be an inspiration for rehabilitated folks to turn their lives around. After the jump, check out a few photos of B, mama T and others at the ribbon-cutting ceremony at The Phoenix House yesterday …

It’s very clear that the important kind of beauty comes from within … and Beyoncé is deffo one of the beautiful ones. I love that she decided to put her name on this place. Well done, B.

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]

Granted, the flying photos are a bit cheeseball but you cannot deny that Beyoncé looks good, y’all. I love the first photo … she looks beautiful. While I cannot take her House of Deréon nonsense very seriously, I can appreciate that B does know how to market her brand. Beautiful pics. Yes?

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Beyoncé Knowles gave “Extra’s” AJ Calloway backstage access to her final, I Am… Sasha Fierce concert in Trinidad, where he caught all the raw moments, talked future babies and her plans for the next few months. “Sasha Fierce is done,” Beyoncé says of her alter ego. “I killed her.” Her Sasha persona will be no more now that she’s finished with her tour. The singer shared a list of things she now wants to accomplish during her break. She told AJ that she’s not going back to work until everything is checked off her list! Items on her to-do list include “learning to paint and cook, and to do Broadway shows and museums. And learn just to be at home and just watch television.” Beyoncé and rapper/producer hubby Jay-Z have been married for almost two years, and while there are no immediate plans for a baby, she does say, “Eventually. When it happens it happens… I definitely want a family. I’m too close to my mother, I have the best mother, you know. I can only hope the relationship I have with my mother, I can have with my kids whenever I decided to have them.” AJ asked if Jay-Z also wanted kids, to which Beyoncé replied, “You gotta ask Jay.”

I guess Beyoncé finally got tired of sharing the spotlight with Sasha so she had to kick girlfriend to the curb … actually, I bet it was more like B shoved Sasha down the stairs, picked up her broken body, loaded it into her car which she then set on fire and then drove off a cliff. Sasha Fierce got too big for her own good, y’all … Beyoncé ain’t gonna share the limelight anymore ;) As fierce as Sahsa Fierce really was, I’m glad she’s dunzo … the alter-ego thing is tired … be Beyoncé, that’s fab enough. Peace out, Sasha … you were fun while you lasted :D

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The official opening of Rio Carnival may be three days off, but Beyoncé got the party started early as she took to the streets to film a new video clip. The pop star put on a dazzling display in the Brazilian city as she paraded around in a sparkling two-piece costume and huge headdress. She was joined by Alicia Keys, who also wore a dramatic feathered helmet with her silver costume. The pair are currently filming a clip for their duet Put It In A Love Song, which features on Alicia’s recently released album, The Element Of Freedom. Earlier, Beyoncé put her best moves on show as she danced on the stairs of a disused bus in a Carmen Miranda inspired number. She took over the Praca Maua square as she pranced around in a green and blue playsuit. Alicia also worked on scenes while surrounded by improvised buildings, washing lines and inquisitive children. She performed on the roof of a house in the shadow of Christ The Redeemer in the shanty town of Morro Santa Marta in Rio De Janeiro. She was also spotted filming one segment in Rio’s Dona Marta slum. It became renowned worldwide after Michael Jackson went there to film the 1996 video They Don’t Care About Us. It’s the first time the pair have collaborated despite being friends for quite some time. Alicia is also close with Beyoncé’s husband Jay-Z, and the pair worked together on the 2009 hit Empire State Of Mind.

What a great idea for a music video … and these costumes?! Amazing!! This is just the sort of video I think Beyoncé does very well but it’s not the sort of video you’d expect from Alicia. I’m glad that her collabo with B has brought this out of her. After the jump, check out a couple other photos from the Brazilian set of this music video …

This video sounds really fantastic … I cannot wait to see the final product. Love it!!

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin; Source]

This Catch the Fever event was held in NYC, NY last night and, as you can see, B was all smiles. You may recall that the commercial we saw last weekend for Beyoncé Heat features the song Fever and the phrase Catch the Fever … and now we learn the event was called Catch the Fever … so I gotta wonder why she didn’t call the damn stuff Fever in the first place. I suppose there is already a fragrance called Fever so Beyoncé had to go with Heat or something like that. Confusing. In the end, it really boils down to what the perfume smells like. I suppose there is a certain segment of the population that might want to smell like Beyoncé’s Heat. Are YOU a part of that segment of the population?

[Photo credit: Wireimage]

I know Imogen Heap is taking a lot of flak for her weird outfit but A.) she always dresses weird so what’s the big deal and B.) her dress was a very special one that was broadcasting a live Twitter feed from her followers so that they could be with her at the Grammys last night. She gets snaps in my book. There was a lot of love, a lot of crazy mess and a lot of divas on the red carpet last night … which is pretty standard fare, I think. After the jump, check out a few photos from the show itself and find out who else took home Grammophone tropies from the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards last night …

[Taylor Swift], known for her blonde curly mane, had been expected to dominate the music industry’s top awards. But she was overshadowed by R&B singer Beyonce, who won six awards including song of the year — the most won by a female artist at a single event. Both were eclipsed for record of the year by Tennessee rock band Kings of Leon, who were the surprise honorees for their pop-radio hit “Use Somebody.” In winning album of the year, Swift broke a record held since 1996 by Alanis Morissette, who was 21 when she won for “Jagged Little Pill,” an album with decidedly more adult content. Swift also was the first solo female country winner ever of the award, and the first female pop winner since Celine Dion won in 1997 for “Falling Into You.” “I just hope that you know how much this means to me … that we get to take this back to Nashville,” said Swift … Kings of Leon, long more popular internationally, finally achieved mainstream success in the United States last year with “Use Somebody.” Brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill and their cousin Matthew Followill also won a pair of Grammys in the rock field for the song, taking their career haul to four. Country combo the Zac Brown Band was named best new artist as expected. The Atlanta-based group becomes the first band to win the award since 2005 … The televised ceremony was packed with diverse performances, since 100 of the 109 categories were announced during a low-profile ceremony earlier in the day. Mary J. Blige and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli earned a standing ovation for their version of “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” performed as a fundraising tribute to earthquake-ravaged Haiti. The song was scheduled to go on sale at iTunes immediately afterwards. Swift dueted with Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks for a version of the band’s “Rhiannon.”

Because of the 3D aspect, I thought the MJ tribute was the best performance of the night but I gotta give it up to P!nk and her Cirque du Soleil-ness for putting on a very fun performance. It’s easy to make fun of someone suspended from bedsheets in an open arena but I’m so impressed that she can handle the theatrics AND sing live (and well) all at the same time. I’m not the biggest P!nk fan but I give her props for her fun performances. That being said, she needs to come up with something new already … she did this hanging from the rafters bit back at the MTV VMAs last September. The show was pretty interesting, overall. It did drag towards the end but … HELLO, we got 3D. I was fine with it. Click HERE for a full run down of the major Grammy Award winners last night … did YOUR faves win awards? Were you overall happy, upset or meh about the show itself?

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]

The Grammys rode the 3-D wave Sunday with a special-effects-laden tribute to the late Michael Jackson in an awards show that featured many big spectacle moments. Jackson’s children, Prince Michael, 12, and Paris, 11 appeared after the tribute to accept a lifetime achievement award for the pop star, who died in June of a prescription drug overdose. Carrie Underwood, Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson and Usher performed in the tribute, mingling their voices with the voice of the late King of Pop against the backdrop of a 3-D film featuring Jackson’s 1995 eco-friendly “Earth Song.” Free 3-D “Grammy” glasses were distributed at Target stores nationwide so viewers could watch the show in 3-D from their living rooms. Part of the Jackson film shown during the Grammys aired in the recent documentary “This Is It” which was shot during rehearsals for Jackson’s comeback tour and showed the pop star looking fit just days before his death in June 2009. Jackson had intended the environmentally themed song and film to be part of that tour, which was supposed to have begun in July 2009. He was considered one of the most commercially successful entertainers of all time whose music and videos transformed the art and broke down racial barriers. The clip features a lush forest through the eyes of a young girl.

I hope you hung on to your 3D glasses because uploaded video clips of the Earth Song performance will (kinda) appear in 3D if you watch them on your computer :) In addition to the technologically fitting tribute performance last night, MJ’s children Prince Michael Joseph and Paris Michael Katherine appeared on stage to accept the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award which was awarded to MJ posthumously during the show:

After the jump, check out video of MJ’s kids accepting his award on stage, check out a backstage photo of Prince and Paris posing with their little brother Blanket AND bust out those 3D glasses, yo, you can watch Earth Song in 3D right here on the blog …

It’s amazing how much MJ’s kids have grown up in the past few months. Paris, especially, looks like a young lady already! The clip of Prince accepting the award is really sweet, check it out:

Beyonce has set a record for the most wins by a female in one night at the Grammys as she won six awards, including best female pop performance and song of the year for her anthem “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It).” Beyonce was Sunday night’s top nominee with 10 nods. Her wins also included best contemporary R&B album for “I Am … Sasha Fierce.” Beyonce had previously been tied for most wins by a female at a Grammys with Alison Krauss, Norah Jones, Alicia Keys, Amy Winehouse … She won the songwriting trophy along with three writers for her omnipresent anthem “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It).” The superstar also won best R&B contemporary album for “I Am … Sasha Fierce” among her other awards, and still had the opportunity to win the evening’s remaining top award — album of the year. Beyonce wasn’t on hand to accept her early trophies: She was preparing for her dramatic onstage rendition of “If I Were A Boy,” one of several hits from her top-selling third CD.

Well, we know now that Taylor Swift ended up nabbing the Album of the Year award but Beyoncé really did make a killing last night. At least she was nice enough to share the wealth, not only with Swift but also with Kings of Leon (who won Record of the Year for their massive hit Use Somebody). I think Beyoncé has proven herself as a force to be reckoned with … here’s hoping the best is yet to come. I firmly believe she will enjoy future award show nights just as big (or bigger) as last night’s haul at the 2010 Grammy Awards. There is still a lot of Grammy stuff to talk about … we’ll get to that a little later in the day. But first, a question … who do you think had a bigger night last night … Beyoncé or Taylor Swift?

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]