BET Awards Nominations 2012: Beyonce! Jay-Z! Kanye!
Nominees for the 2012 BET Awards nominees were announced Tuesday, with Kanye West leading the pack, scoring a whopping seven nominations.
West earned not one but two Video of the Year nods for hits "N!ggas in Paris" and "Otis" ... Kim Kardashian must be so proud of her fake boyfriend.
Beyonce came in a close second with six nods, including Best Female R&B Artist alongside Mary J. Blige and Rihanna. Jay-Z got five nominations.
The video nominees are Beyonce for "Countdown," Bey again for "Love on Top, "Jay-Z and Kanye for "N!ggas in Paris," Jay and Kanye again for "Otis," and Usher for "Climax."
Do you realize what this means?
Kanye will likely interrupt Beyonce, or himself, to proclaim that Beyonce had one (or two) of the best videos of all time. It'll be awesome and awkward.
Other artists up for BET Awards in various categories include stars Drake, Lil Wayne, J. Cole, Big Sean, A$AP Rocky, Rick Ross and Young Jeezy.
Nicki Minaj is set to perform on the show hosted by Samuel L. Jackson July 1.
Oh, and Chris Brown will lip-synch live at the ceremony as well. Burn! Follow THG on Twitter and go wild with the death threats, Team Breezy.
[Photo: WENN.com]
Jay-Z Praises President Obama, Says Opposing Gay Marriage is Discrimination
Jay-Z says he strongly agrees with President Obama's support of same-sex marriage, equating opposition to gay equality with discrimination.
In a recent interview with CNN, the rapper said he believed supporting gay marriage, as Obama did last week, was "the right thing to do."
“I’ve always thought it as something that was still holding the country back,” Jay-Z said, referencing the fact that it's not recognized nationwide.
“What people do in their own homes is their business and you love whoever you love. That’s their business. It's no different than discriminating against blacks."
"It’s discrimination plain and simple.”
In Philadelphia to announce a two-day music festival in early September, Jay-Z sat down with CNN's Poppy Harlow to chat about broader issues.
Asked if he felt Obama, dubbed the first gay president by Newsweek, could be hurt politically by this, the music mogul and new father shrugged.
"It's really not about votes," he said. "It's about people."
Jay also said he sees America's moribund economy as an opportunity: "You know, for a long time, you know, we had it pretty good in America," he said.
"We were floating on this high. Well, we were hiding some of the troubles that we were going through. So, I just see this as a test of our character."
"I think we'll get there and we test the resolve of Americans. Just to remind us that we have that fight. We haven't had such a fight since the Great Depression."
Jay-Z Intends to Spoil Blue Ivy Carter
In Sunday's episode of Oprah's Master Class: Special Edition on OWN, Jay-Z opened up about his baby girl ... and how he intends to spoil her rotten!
The 43-year-old rapper and entertainment mogul admitted to Oprah Winfrey that he frets over his daughter Blue Ivy Carter's super-luxe upbringing.
"Well, I mean, everyone imagines they'll be a great dad," he confided.
"Until they're teenagers and they're saying, 'Get away from me, Dad. You're embarrassing me!' Right? Everyone imagines that, right?"
Jay and Bey are clearly in love - with one another, and Blue Ivy.
The star says he has plenty of examples of child-rearing to draw from.
"I imagine I'll take things I learned from my mom and things I've learned from raising my nephews and apply that," he continued, joking: "Then at the end of the day, I just know I will probably have the worst, spoiled little kid ever."
Better to be overly attentive than neglectful, right?
Indeed, wife Beyonce, 30, is already sparing no expense for her baby, now four months old. Just imagine when she learns to ask for stuff!
Who is the Richest Man in Hip-Hop?
Jay-Z, Diddy and 50 Cent released "I Get Money (The Forbes 1-2-3 Billionaire Remix)" in '07, a celebration of their inclusion atop Forbes Hip-Hop Cash Kings list.
Five years later, the same three artists are in a more exclusive group - the Forbes Five, a list of hip-hop's wealthiest moguls - though no longer 1-2-3 in that order.
Which of the three earns the most? And who else made the Top 5?
Diddy is the closest to becoming a billionaire, with a net worth of $550 million. The Bad Boy Records founder has been a mainstream mainstay for 15 years.
Thanks to his knack for self-promotion and outside business deals with Ciroc vodka, Sean John, Enyce, Blue Flame and other tech startups, he gets money.
A lot of it. And he's not even done. Diddy signed a deal with Comcast to launch cable channel Revolt in 2013. He'll own the channel outright. Cha-ching.
Jay-Z is #2 at $460 million. Unlike his fellow Forbes Five members, he still churns out music and goes on tour, most recently with pal Kanye West.
He sold his Rocawear clothing label for $204 million in 2007, signed a 10-year $150M deal with Live Nation in 2008, and co-owns the New Jersey Nets.
There's also his 40/40 Club chain, his ad firm Translation, cosmetics company Carol's Daughter and other businesses too numerous to list. Very rich.
Happy Anniversary, Beyonce & Jay-Z!
One of the entertainment world's most popular and beloved couples, Beyonce and Jay-Z, celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary - on 4/4 no less.
The ultra-private music moguls launched a special Tumblr page on Thursday, featuring personal pics, and Beyonce also re-launched Beyonce (dot) com.
Here's one of the never-before-seen Jay-Z and Beyonce pictures they posted.
Besides an artful gallery of stylish photos, the multi-media site includes sections on Bey's music catalog, upcoming concert dates, latest news and more.
Somewhat unexpectedly, the power couple's first foray into Tumblr came earlier this year, shortly after the birth of their daughter Blue Ivy Carter.
When she turned four weeks old, Jay-Z and Beyoncé shared the first pictures of their baby girl, and have kept her under wraps since when stepping out.
Congratulations to the couple on their anniversary, and the new arrival!
Tournament of THG Couples Quarterfinals: Jay-Z & Beyonce vs. Prince William & Kate Middleton!
Welcome back to the first annual Tournament of THG: Couples Edition, where fans vote on the most popular celebrity couple in the entire universe!
The concept is simple: Pick your favorite of the two pairs in each poll. Done. YOUR VOTES will determine the winners of this tournament showdown.
After eight hotly-contested first-round fights, the quarterfinal bracket is set. Tuesday, Robsten jumped ahead of JT and Jessica Biel in a #1/#9 matchup.
Wednesday, the Obamas (#4) took on Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds (#12). Today, it's a battle royale: #3 Jay-Z and Beyonce vs. #6 Prince William and Kate Middleton!
Cast your votes in this sure-to-be-close matchup below!
This poll is now closed! Here were the results:
24.0%
76.0%Tournament of THG Couples Edition: Jay-Z & Beyonce vs. Jason & Molly Mesnick!
Welcome back to the first annual Tournament of THG: Couples Edition, where fans vote on the most popular celebrity couple in the entire universe!
The concept is simple: Pick your favorite of the two pairs in each poll. Done. YOUR VOTES will determine the winners of this tournament showdown.
So far, Robsten and the Obamas are on cruise control, while Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel and Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds hold narrow edges.
Today's battle: Our #3 seeds, Blue Ivy Carter's parents, Jay-Z and Beyonce, up against #14 seeds and sole Bachelor success story, Jason and Molly Mesnick!
An unconventional matchup, sure. But a cute one! Cast your VOTE BELOW:
This poll is now closed! Here were the results:
50.4% 49.6%Blue Ivy Carter: First Photos!
Welcome to the world, Blue Ivy Carter.
Granted, the first offspring of mega couple Beyonce and Jay-Z arrived on January 8, but her first photos only surfaced online today, courtesy of the rapper's blog, Life + Times. Look at happy mother and adorable daughter below:
At first, of course, there was a question over what the baby's name actually was, but Beyonce and Jay-Z have most definitely made it very clear: they've already moved to trademark the moniker Blue Ivy.
A tad pretentious? Sure. But how can we find any fault in something really to someone so cute?!? Just look at the tyke again:
Beyonce, Jay-Z Move to Trademark "Blue Ivy"
She's already a mogul, this one.
Blue Ivy, Beyonce and Jay-Z's baby's name, may soon be trademarked as well. It does have instant brand recognition, and her business-savvy folks are all over that.
Blue Ivy Carter's parents filed an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office protecting the little girl's name for possible use on a future line of baby goods.
Why the rush? There was no time to waste, apparently.
Two Blue Ivy wannabe entrepreneurs already had applications shot down, and no matter how many White House visits Bey and Jay had enjoyed, they'd still have to go through the office's first-come, first-served process like everyone else.
However, a surge in applications is usual when a new name or phrase explodes into the lexicon, and because it's the office's job to sort things out, they try to anticipate trends, subsequently fast-tracking applications inspired by names in the news.
Still, one Blue Ivy earned the trademark before Beyonce was even pregnant: The Blue Ivy clothing store in Wisconsin got unknowingly lucky in early 2011.
They can be expecting a fat check in the near future.
[Photo: WENN.com]
Is Oprah Really Blue Ivy's Godmother?
Some reports surfaced earlier this week that none other than Oprah is the godmother of Beyonce and Jay-Z's newborn baby girl, Blue Ivy Carter. But is it true?
It is not. Oprah is not the godmother.
She may be a fairy godmother in a non-official sense - she did send baby Blue an entire trunk full of books already - but she hasn't been given any title.
Winfrey's BFF Gayle King said: "Let me just say, if [this] is true, it is news to her. You know, she was heading to South Africa when the baby was born."
A separate source close to the power couple's camp also tells E! News that this is not true, and that Media Takeout was wrong (in a stunning revelation).
Again, no need to worry, though, as Oprah's close to Beyonce and Jay-Z, so Blue Ivy should still get first dibs on Winfrey's annual Favorite Things list.
YOU get a gold-plated stroller!!!
[Photos: WENN.com]
