Beyonce fans will see a new side of the R&B star with the release of her new studio album on November 18. The singer’s latest will be a double-disc set, according to Entertainment Weekly. But fans could be getting more than just Beyonce on the 17-track release. While the ballad-oriented first disc will be reportedly titled “I Am… Beyonce,” the dancefloor-ready second disc is reportedly rumored to be titled “I Am… Sasha,” after the singer’s on-stage alter ego. And a new Web site, WhoIsSashaFierce.com, is asking fans to call in if they think they know Sasha’s identity for the chance to win a $500 grand prize and a personal message from Sasha – whoever she may be. Beyonce isn’t the first to face off against herself on an album – T.I. tried a similar tactic on 2007’s “T.I. Vs. T.I.P.” Her new CD, the follow-up to 2006’s “B’Day,” will also be offered as a single-disc version priced $4 or $5 less than the double disc, according to Entertainment Weekly. The star recorded over 70 tracks for the album, telling fans on her MySpace page, “I have taken the time so I can create my sound. I have poured my heart and soul into it. It is my baby.” She will also reportedly be releasing a video disc in February with clips for every song along with a Spanish-language version of the album – not to mention a 110-date world tour that’s set to launch in April.

Brills! Beyoncé really knows how to capitalize and I know I, for one, am looking forward to this new bunch of songs. While I have a very hard time believing Beyoncé’s claim that she really recorded “60 to 70″ songs for her new album, I am starting to believe that she prolly did record a large number of tracks … resulting in this double disc idea. Offering a cheaper single-disc option is also quite brilliant. After the jump, check out the tracklisting for the double-disc album I Am … and see a few photos from Beyoncé’s appearance on TRL earlier this week …

I Am … Beyoncé:

Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)
Radio
Diva
Sweet Dreams
Video Phone
Hello
Ego
Scared of Lonely
Why Don’t You Love Me

Man … I can tell just by the titles that the songs on the Sasha disc are gonna be slammers. I may give Beyoncé interminable grief for her split-personality nonsense but I am deffo more of a dance diva Sasha fan than a ballad crooning Beyoncé fan.

Here are a few pics of Beyoncé at TRL this week:

It should also be noted that Beyoncé revealed that she will be among the performers on the TRL Finale Show that is scheduled to air in November … which will, most likely, time perfectly with the release of her double album. Brills. Beyoncé is just brills. Sooo … are y’all excited for a double disc? Which of the two do you think you’re gonna prefer?

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]

Start the countdown clock on MTV’s countdown era: “Total Request Live” will soon shut down after 10 years on the air. The music video show will conclude in a two-hour special on a Saturday afternoon in November, Dave Sirulnick, executive producer of “TRL”, said Monday. He stressed that the show wasn’t ending for good, but felt now was the right time to give it a break after an unprecedented run on the cable music channel. “We want to close this era of ‘TRL’ in a big celebratory way, and 10 is a great number,” Sirulnick said. “And 10 is the number that ‘TRL’ counted down every single day for 10 years, and we hit this 10th (anniversary) and we thought, ‘You know what? This feels like the right time and let’s celebrate it and let’s reward it. And let’s let it have a little bit of a rest for a minute.’ Let it catch its breath! Been working hard — for 10 years!” “TRL” debuted in September 1998 and became the splashy center of the teen pop music scene with Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, N’Sync and other acts. From its heydey until 2008, it’s been a destination for musicians, movie stars and celebrities promoting their new music, movies and other projects. Sirulnick said “TRL” — which airs weekday afternoons from MTV’s Times Square studio — lost some luster as it aged. It peaked in 1999 with 757,000 viewers tuning in daily, according to Nielsen Media Research. “It becomes more of a mainstay and more of an institution than — pardon the pun — the new kid on the block,” Sirulnick said. For the finale, Sirulnick said he hopes to celebrate with many of the “folks who helped make ‘TRL’ what it is — whether that’s Justin (Timberlake) and his guys in N’Sync, the Backstreet Boys, Britney, Eminem — I think we would love to see all of them here.” That includes former host Carson Daly. In a statement, Eminem said: “I’m going to miss ‘TRL.’ … Where else will I be able to start feuds, defend my honor vigorously and act like an angry teenager on national TV? Oh wait … The VMAs!” MTV found a replacement of sorts with “FNMTV.” The show debuted over the summer in a 15-episode run hosted by Pete Wentz, bassist for rock band Fall Out Boy. Taped in Los Angeles, it aired Friday nights and televised exclusive music videos and performances by such diverse acts as Slipknot and the Jonas Brothers. MTV said it was bringing “FNMTV” back for another run in mid-November. Like last time, there will be no video countdown with the 10 viewer favorites.

No offense to Pete Wentz and his new MTV show but … FNMTV, I watched TRL, I knew TRL, TRL was a friend of mine. FNMTV, you’re no TRL. This news is so sad to me … not only have some very important events in modern pop culture taken place on the TRL stage, live in front of the youth of the nation … but I have a few very personal, very important memories thanks to MTV and TRL. I remember that on my first visit to NYC in 2001 Sarah and I made a point to be in front of the MTV Studios in Times Square so that we could watch TRL being taped live for broadcast. I was still teaching at the time and was in NYC on Spring Break. In the crowd on the street I was zoomed in on by one of the cameras (I was wearing a striped scarf from the GAP, apparently it caught the cameraperson’s eye) coming back from commercial break and pretty much every kid at my school saw me on TV. Needless to say, I was immediately deemed the “coolest teacher” in the school (I also came home with at t-shirt from the MTV Store that read “Carson, can I come up?” which immediately negated my new cool factor). TRL was also the place where I got to meet and take a photo with Madonna, deffo one of the coolest moments in my life:

And early on in my relationship with David, we attended a taping of TRL together … the one where Nelly Furtado debuted her new video for her song Promiscuous. At that moment, David and I agreed that the song would be a monster hit … and, of course, it was. It was at that taping that I got to give a trademark TRL “shout out” to “all my Pink peeps out there” and my face was broadcast on the massive LCD screen in Times Square … yes, I have a few really great TRL memories. I’m very sad that the show is ending. I must admit, I do not watch it as fervently as I used to — and maybe that is the reason why the show must end (ie. sagging viewership) … which is sad.

I do hope the show will be revived in some way in the future. All MTV needs is another Carson Daly to breathe new, fun life into the show … maybe after a short break, it can come back better than ever. I, for one, will miss TRL very much.

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