Beyonce Knowles | The New York Observer

Box Office Breakdown: Beyonce Goes Wild, The Soloist Falls Flat

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 08:51:56 -0400

That glow you see at the top of the box office probably has something to do with Beyoncé’s halo. The recording star scored her biggest non-Austin Powers opening yet, helping the ridiculous Obsessed bring in $28.5 million to top a crowded field that included three other newcomers. Considering the film was only expected to bring in half that number, this qualifies as one of the more shocking debuts in a year that has been...

The Academy Awards Go Disney

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 08:38:30 -0500

We're not sure if you realize this, but the Oscars are this Sunday! We'd say they snuck up on us, but since the awards season is now longer than a pregnancy, we'd be lying to you if we did. The Hugh Jackman-hosted 81st annual Academy Awards were supposed to be cloaked in secrecy, but fortunately for us, producers Bill Condon and Laurence Mark are leaking information out faster than Scooter Libby and Dick Cheney...

HBO Announces Lineup for Inauguration Celebration; Includes Historical Readings by Jamie Foxx, Queen Latifah, Denzel Washington

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 14:48:48 -0500

Last week, members of President-elect Barack Obama's Inaugural Committee announced that they had chosen HBO to televise the opening ceremony of the inauguration, which will take place at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday, Jan. 18, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Today, HBO announced its lineup for the ceremony—dubbed "We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration"—which the premium cable network will make available for free to nonsubscribers.

According...

Opening this Weekend: Beyonce Sings, The Punisher Sucks and Tricky Dick Fights a Foppish Brit

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 08:33:48 -0500

We've had something on our minds since sitting through box-office smash Four Christmases last weekend. How young is too young to see a PG-13? We realize that with its slapstick humor, baby vomit and distinctive lack of swear words, Four Christmases could be considered a "family film". But mixed in with all the holiday cheer are jokes about public sex, pot brownies, cougars and home pregnancy tests. Worse, Mr. Vaughn actually tells his nephews that Santa...

Morning Memo: Mary-Kate Olsen Not Pregnant; Sienna Miller and Balthazar Getty Still On; Donald Trump "Fuming" at Brother

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:30:28 -0500

Rumors of a Mary-Kate Olsen pregnancy, which started when her weight "shot up to 102 pounds" (!), are not true, according to the actress's rep. [Us Weekly]

According to a bunch of well-dressed people, the Lower East Side's Chloe 81 is becoming the "Biggie to [the] Beatrice's Tupac." [Grub Street]

Sienna Miller and Balthazar Getty are not back together because it turns out they never broke up in first place. [P6]

Beyonce and Adrien Brody seem...

Tina Knowles 'Twisted Beyoncé's Arm' to Play Etta James

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:09:22 -0500

“Beyonce has the voice and she’s got the attitude,” declared the rap artist Akon at the Monday night premiere of Cadillac Records, a film about the rise of Chess Records and its recording artists in which Beyonce Knowles plays the blues singer Etta James.

Curiously, the venue selected for the premiere was the AMC Loews on East 19th Street, a relatively tiny theatre where celebrities like Adrien Brody, Mos Def, and P....

Si-Bling Rivalry

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 16:59:06 -0500

A lifelong Manhattanite, Janis Savitt remembers being in Bloomingdale’s as a child with her mother and seeing a showcase with a little saw in it—one of the jeweler’s key tools. “Mom, find me a jewelry lesson place in New York!” little Janis implored.

Today fans of Ms. Savit’s designs include Beyoncé, Elton John and the teenagers trawling Soho. “I work with Michael Kors, I work with Ralph Lauren, I work with Vera Wang. This is...

Queen B

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:38:19 -0500

On a recent sunny autumn afternoon, Beyoncé Knowles—singer, actress, full-time superstar—was sitting coiled on a sofa in the penthouse suite of the Soho Grand hotel. The “hottest chick in the game” (as she is referred to in verse by her longtime paramour, Jay-Z) looked young, fresh-faced and wholly honey-hued, with minimal makeup and her dark golden hair long and curly down her back.

When she’s onstage, no one owns it quite like the 27-year-old Ms....

Fashion Roundup: The Met Loves Sarah Jessica Parker; Beyonce Loves Obama; Everyone Loves Comme des Garcons for H&M

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:09:39 -0500

Sarah Jessica Parker lent her voice to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the audio guide to Costume: The Art of Dress, which will be available to visitors starting November 25. “Walking through the galleries listening to Sarah Jessica Parker’s narration will bring a sense of discovery and delight to the experience," said museum curator-in-charge Harold Koda. [WWD]

A reminder: Rai Kawakubo's Comme des Garcons collection for H&M arrives in stores Thursday, November 13....

Should CDs Get Early Retirement?

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:24:09 -0500

Last week we wondered whether or not healthy CD sales of AC/DC’s Black Ice might harbor some good news for the lowly compact disc. Well, the Aussies’ platinum record—and a slew of other successful releases by Bruce Springsteen, T.I., and Metallica—still weren’t enough to stop a dramatic slide in CD sales last month. According to Coolfer (via rollingstone.com), sales dropped 19.4 percent compared to last October. Even worse, sales dropped 20.4 percent in September...

Solange, Farewell!

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 08:50:55 -0400

Solange Knowles, like so many young people today, is an avid blogger! Recently, to accompany her posting of a song titled "F#@k The Industry" (scandalous!), Ms. Knowles wrote the following:

"Unfortunately I'm in an industry where diversity is not celebrated the way it should be. When some people see and hear something different it feels foreign to them and they don't like that. Everyone has a choice of what they like and that's a beautiful...

Fashion Roundup: Alexander McQueen in Talks With Target; Michael Kors and Gossip Girl; Did L'Oreal Lighten Beyoncé's Skin?

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 17:07:35 -0400

Alexander McQueen is reportedly in talks to design a line for Target. [Vogue UK]

Michael Kors has agreed to appear in an upcoming "fashion week-themed" episode of Gossip Girl after the show's producers told him, "You are very Gossip Girl." [WWD]

Alexandre Herchcovitch Band-Aids are the new "It" accessory. [Times]

L'Oreal is being accused of digitally lightening Beyoncé's complexion for its new ad; they allegedly whitewashed her face to be several shades lighter. [NY...

Conde Nast Wants Employees to 'Rock' On Their Own Dime [Update]

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:21:29 -0400

In his profile of Condé Nast chairman Si Newhouse on Sunday, The Times' Richard Pérez-Peña noted:

Some extravagances have been curtailed, but no one in the business disputes that Condé still spends far more money than its competitors. Magazine publishers and editors in chief haul in $400,000 to $2 million in salary and bonuses, current and former executives say, and many executives have clothing allowances in the high five...

Morning Memo: Anna Wintour Shvitzes in Florida While Vogue Intern Sean Avery Says the Gig is No Sweat

Mon, 26 May 2008 08:55:41 -0400

Vogue intern and New York Ranger, Sean Avery, says the magazine is "a real, tight-knit family," and he hasn't had to fetch a cup of Starbucks yet! [Intelligencer]

Drea De Matteo was overheard saying that one of NBC's better known spin-off disasters, Joey, ruined her career. [P6]

Fair-skinned Anna Wintour, who traveled to Miami last week for Karl Lagerfeld's Channel Cruise show, doesn't deal well with humidity and heat. [P6] ...

Morning Memo: Has Keith McNally Found His Beatrice? David Lauren, You Beast!

Tue, 13 May 2008 09:39:11 -0400

Heatherette boys Richie Rich and Traver Rains may not be breaking up after all. [Fashion Week Daily]

After not being invited to Jenna Bush's wedding over the weekend, Lauren Bush's boyfriend, David Lauren (Raph's son) decided that the best way to spend his weekend would be to flirt with Greenwich magazine staffer Jennifer Danzi and ask for her number. That'll change the Bushes' opinion of him! [P6]

Most important news of the...

Morning Memo: Wedding Bells For Jay-Z and Beyoncé; Zac Posen Waxes On

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 08:35:38 -0400

Jay-Z and Beyoncé really did get married on Friday! Well, we think. Mary J. Blige supposedly confirmed the news to her fans while performing in North Carolina over the weekend and witnesses have been leaking details to US Weekly and People.com. [NY Daily News]

Socialites coping with recession: Ivanka isn't the type of person to buy Ferraris and large hats, Claire Bernard will walk her own dog, Arden Wohl thinks it's one big lie. [Intelligencer]

Former...

Morning Memo: 'Carrie Bradshaw' Moves to Brooklyn; Sarah Jessica Parker is Staying in the Village, Though

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 07:53:35 -0400

Manhattan has gotten too expensive even for Carrie Bradshaw. Sarah Jessica Parker tells The Daily News that the outer boroughs is where it's at now for young things trying to imitate the idealized lifestyle her character once advertised. [NY Daily News]

Ladies and gentlemen, Robert DeNiro's extravagant Greenwich Hotel is now open. Rich and famous only please, no regular folk. [NY Daily News]

Tinsley Mortimer makes an appearance on the cover of Page Six...

Milanese Mayhem: Beyoncé Blocks Versace-Bergdorf Sale, Sneezes At GQ Party

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 15:40:19 -0500

Over at Milan Fashion Week, Bergdorf Goodman’s fashion director of men’s wear, Tommy Fazio, was “unceremoniously asked” to give up his front-row seat at Saturday’s Versace runway show. Why? Because of Beyoncé, of course!

According to a dispatch posted on T Magazine’s Web site today, Mr. Fazio was forced from his seat by a “clipboard Nazi,” who needed the chair for a member of the 26-year-old...

Spotted Pig Oinks At Supper Club Founder's Tale of Hangin' With Jay-Z

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 17:28:18 -0500

Last week Tamsin Lonsdale, founder of the upscale social networking service The Supper Club, described a recent experience at the Spotted Pig.

“We were having a very civilized dinner,” she recalled to the Transom, “and suddenly, uh, the music got cranked up, and there were 50 movers and shakers on the dance floor, and Jay-Z and Beyoncé were hanging out with us.”

On Tuesday, Dec. 10, a witness who was at the Spotted Pig that legendary...

No Matter What People Say, Beyoncé Leads a Quiet Life

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 17:45:24 -0500

There’s no question—Beyoncé Knowles enjoys a truly ridonkulous lifestyle. What with Jay-Z as your man, hotness as your bod, Sirens as your voice and gold buillon as your pennies, it must feel like the sun rises and sets in your gilt bidet. So don’t let this American Express commercial make you think any differently. Nobody—no matter how radical your ways and off-the-hook your style—should be forced to live like the woman in this minute-long...

Glug, Glug … Globes!

Sun, 21 Jan 2007 19:00:00 -0500

Laurence Mark, producer of Dreamgirls, carried his Golden Globe in one hand as he made the congratulatory rounds at the Paramount party following the Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles on Monday night. He managed to hug well-wishers with one hand while holding the statue in the other. “Someone said to me, ‘It’s the same amount of weight that Beyoncé had to lose for this,’” he joked (20 pounds, so the story goes). He...

Dreamgirls Wakes Up

Sun, 03 Dec 2006 19:00:00 -0500

“She killed it!” excitedly exclaimed a male audience member, filing out of the Loews theater on 34th Street on Nov. 21, after an early screening of Dreamgirls, the $70 million–plus joint release from Paramount/DreamWorks.

He was referring to Jennifer Hudson’s rendition of the iconic Broadway torch song “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” five mellifluous, molto vibrato minutes that have suddenly catapulted Ms. Hudson, 25, an erstwhile failed American Idol contestant...

Dreamgirls Wakes Up

Sun, 03 Dec 2006 19:00:00 -0500

“She killed it!” excitedly exclaimed a male audience member, filing out of the Loews theater on 34th Street on Nov. 21, after an early screening of Dreamgirls, the $70 million–plus joint release from Paramount/DreamWorks. He was referring to Jennifer Hudson’s rendition of the iconic Broadway torch song “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” five mellifluous, molto vibrato minutes that have suddenly catapulted Ms. Hudson, 25, an erstwhile failed American Idol contestant and...

The Transom

Sun, 10 Sep 2006 20:00:00 -0400

The English Roses The Range Rover Sport was the official car of this year’s Hampton Classic Horse Show, held in the wake of Tropical Storm Ernesto on Labor Day weekend. WASP-y Hamptonites think it the car of the English landed gentry. Really, it’s the car of choice for tawdry footballers’ wives in London suburbs. And Third World dictators. Although the Met Costume Institute exhibition AngloMania just closed, the fever still rules in the Hamptons....

Jay-Z and Beyonce: Busboys Say They Wed!

Wed, 05 Jul 2006 13:55:54 -0400

On Saturday, July 1, rumors flew about Martha's Vineyard. Busboys and waiters everywhere said that Jay-Z and Beyonce were getting married on the island. Locals said they saw an enormous tent being erected on Sunday on Chappaquiddick, a small island barely attached to Martha's Vineyard and accessible by ferry. Throughout the weekend, industry worker types said things like, "I got a buddy who was hired to put up tents," but nothing as concrete as an engraved...

Damon’s Home Base

Sun, 12 Feb 2006 19:00:00 -0500

Before Johnny Damon heads down to Tampa in two weeks for spring training, the formerly scraggly centerfielder needs to take care of his Manhattan living arrangements. But instead of moving into a ritzy building where other Yankees dwell, the $52 million man is looking to join the beautiful people in celebrity-packed One Beacon Court. On Feb. 3, Mr. Damon’s offer was accepted on a $5.9 million apartment, according to a source with knowledge...

Beacon Bounty

Wed, 02 Nov 2005 12:33:00 -0500

For $30.5 million, one wealthy buyer can look down on the endless list of celebrities who have already purchased condos at One Beacon Court. The 8,000-square-foot, full-floor spread on the 55th Floor is now on the market. Currently the ritzy building's most expensive apartment was sold to record mogul Alan Meltzer for $27 million. The growing list of the notable names includes Beyonce, Brian Williams, former G.E chief executive Jack Welch, and recently, current...

Fashion Week Wrap-Up: In Sum, My Bum Hurts

Sun, 20 Feb 2005 19:00:00 -0500

A horrible new disease is afflicting the fashion crowd. Some are calling it "bleacher butt"; some are calling it "fashion fanny." Either way, it's not so pretty. There is one principal symptom: Your posterior flattens out dramatically. Two distinctly rectangular edges form on either hip. The overall look reminds me of the early 1960's, when women used to wear panty girdles under tight slacks, thereby acquiring a square butt. It's very Bauhaus.

The origins of...

Power Punk: Jay--Z

Sun, 14 Dec 2003 19:00:00 -0500

Mr. Roc-A-Fella Center: Records, clothes, movies, vodka, sneakers, endorsements; Beyoncé's sweetheart

Shawn Carter, a.k.a. Jay-Z, a.k.a. Jigga, a.k.a. HOVA-as in "Jehova, god of rap"-says his solo effort, The Black Album , will be his last for at least two years. He writes in the current Vibe : "I can honestly say I'm bored with hip-hop …. I truly did this rap game to death. No one can be mad at me for putting it...

Destiny's Child: Above & Beyoncé … Afrika Bambaataa: The Body Electro

Sun, 20 May 2001 20:00:00 -0400

Destiny's Child: Above & Beyoncé

It's a strange but true phenomenon that some of the most progressive and downright weird music these days is sitting at the top of the charts. Thanks to the competitive nature of both hip-hop and R&B, the Billboard Hot 100 can read like a who's who of futuristic experimentalism and composerly sophistication. If you're not convinced, listen–really listen –to the spacey Eastern minimalism of Timbaland's production on Missy Elliott's "Get...