(Carter Family)

Beyonce and Jay-Z have released the FIRST photos of baby Blue Ivy Carter!

The highly anticipated shots were put online late Friday.

PHOTOS BELOW

RELATED – Beyonce Steps Out for First Time Since Baby (PICS)

“We welcome you to share in our joy,” wrote music’s First Family. “Thank you for respecting our privacy during this beautiful time in our lives.”

Check out the happy family below!

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(Carter Family)

(Carter Family)

(Carter Family)

(Carter Family)

(Carter Family)

(VEVO)

Jay-Z and Kanye West have debuted their highly anticipated video for “N***as in Paris.”

The pulsating, kaleidoscopic video splices together live concert footage, eye-popping imagery, and even a scene from Will Ferrell’s ice-skating movie Blades of Glory.

The hip-hop titans famously performed the anthem 10 or 11 (reports vary) consecutive times at a Los Angeles concert on their Watch The Throne tour.

Two warnings: There’s explicit language, and the video has been identified as a possible trigger for epileptic seizures.

That sh*t cray.

Check out the video below!

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Proud parents Beyonce and Jay-Z are already protecting their brand-new baby, Blue Ivy Carter, in ways most moms and dads never need to consider.

The superstar couple has filed an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to trademark their daughter’s name.

Their request comes after at least two other people sought to profit off of Blue Ivy’s name in the days immediately following her birth.

PHOTOS – Beyonce Makes First Appearance Since Giving Birth

According to the Washington Post, Beyonce’s BGK Trademark Holdings company filed the application on January 26.

On January 11, a fashion designer named Joseph Mbeh submitted his own application for “Blue Ivy Carter NYC”; nine days later, a separate entity attempted to trademark “Blue Ivy Carter Glory IV” for fragrances.

Both filings were denied, with the Patent and Trademark Office ruling that the name belonged to a “very famous infant.”

Beyonce and Jay-Z’s own application is pending – but expected to be approved.

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(GettyImages.com)

Jay-Z performed at Carnegie Hall on Monday, his first live show since welcoming daughter Blue Ivy Carter into the world last month.

Jay-Z’s special guests included Nas and Alicia Keys.

The show benefited the United Way and the rapper’s own Shawn Carter Foundation.

One special moment from the night: Jay-Z sang “Glory,” the song written in honor of Blue Ivy’s birth.

Check out the video below!

(We’ll try to have an even better one soon.)

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(MediaTakeOut)

Jay-Z and Beyonce “have chosen Oprah Winfrey to be the godmother” of their new daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, reports an extremely excited MediaTakeOut.

The site — which repeatedly claimed Beyonce was NOT pregnant less than two months before she gave birth — insists the couple chose Winfrey because they ”wanted to give the ‘godparents’ role to people NOT ALREADY related to them by family.”

MTO adds that because Winfrey “has become a CLOSE PERSONAL friend to both Jay and Bey,” the choice was an obvious one.

“Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that the new GODMOTHER is the most POWERFUL WOMAN IN THE WORLD not named MICHELLE OBAMA!!!” gushes “MediaFakeOut.”

Well, it’s a nice thought.

But unfortunately, the blog is just as clueless about Blue Ivy Carter now as they were before her birth.

Winfrey’s best friend Gayle King debunked the rumor on “The Early Show” Friday, saying, ”It’s absolutely not true that she’s the godmother.”

King noted, “She’s friends with them, of course, and likes them both very much,” but added, ”If it’s true, it is news to her… she was heading to South Africa when the baby was born.”

Check out the video of King busting the rumor below.

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(CNN)

Asked about how Beyonce and Jay-Z should handle the first photos of baby Blue Ivy Carter, Jessica Alba said they’d of course make the “best decision” for their family – but did explain why she and husband Cash Warren opted to sell 2008 pictures of their own first child.

“We just wanted to control the experience,” Alba, now a mother of two girls, told CNN interviewer A.J. Hammer.

She explains, “We put the money that the picture made into a bank account for [daughter] Honor to do whatever she wants to with… We didn’t want it to be like a weird thing when we were walking out of the house for the first time.”

The nuisance of paparazzi definitely played a role.

“If there’s a price tag on your child, which is so bizarre, people will go to crazy lengths [to snap the first picture],” says Alba. “We wanted to avoid that hysteria.”

Check out the video below!

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Jay-Z’s 40/40 club in New York was shut down for health code violations after inspectors uncovered a number of major problems just one day after the venue reopened.

The city’s Health Department gave the club 69 violation points following a Thursday inspection that discovered inadequate refrigeration, mishandling of food, and a host of other issues.

A restaurant gets a “C” grade when it hits a score of 28 or higher.

One worker was spotted mixing salsa with his bare hands, and raw, perishable food was found at temperatures far higher than permitted by officials.

The violations were first reported by the New York Post.

There’s some dispute over whether 40/40 is actually shuttered – the Health Department’s website lists it as “closed,” but club personnel insist it was open again by Friday night after no disruption of business.

Earlier this week, Jay-Z and a number of high-profile revelers relaunched 40/40 after a pricey renovation.

Gossip Cop will have updates.

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(GettyImages)

An alleged “WORLD EXCLUSIVE first interview” with Beyonce following the birth of her daughter is fake.

The Star UK claims the superstar spoke “exclusively” with the tabloid after she and Jay-Z welcomed baby Blue Ivy Cater into the world, but a rep confirms that she gave no such interview, and that Star UK‘s much-buzzed about scoop is totally illegitimate.

In the supposed “interview,” Beyonce is quoted as saying she had an “instant connection” with her new daughter and describing what it was like to hold Blue Ivy for the first time.

Meanwhile, Star UK is insisting the interview is genuine, telling Access Hollywood that it was obtained “from a reporter in the U.S.” who supposedly cobbled together the quotes from conversations with Beyonce before and after the birth.

But that’s simply not true.

Beyonce has not given any interviews to Star UK since giving birth.

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(GettyImages)

Beyonce’s birth and stay at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York caused the state’s Health Department to launch an investigation.

The probe began after the Health Department received complaints from families who claimed they were mistreated at hospital, as a result of Beyonce receiving VIP treatment.

Two families alleged that they were kept from seeing their newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit because they were barred by security guards from entering that area of the hospital.

The guards were not hospital employees, but instead extra security men hired by Beyonce and Jay-Z while she was at Lenox Hill giving birth to Blue Ivy.

The singer and rap mogul also had the hospital cover its security cameras with tape.

Peter Constantakes, a spokesman for the Health Department acknowledged to the New York Daily News, “We have received complaints,” and noted, “Whenever we receive a complaint, we look into it.”

Ultimately, The Health Department reviewed the complaints and dismissed the investigation, but the hospital will still do a probe of its own.

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(GettyImages.com)

Baby Blue Ivy has gone home!

Beyonce and Jay-Z took their new bundle of joy home on Tuesday, confirm Lenox Hill Hospital officials.

The couple’s large black Mercedes van was spotted exiting the Upper East Side facility early this morning.

On Monday, the superstar duo released an official statement on the arrival of their daughter, saying, “Her birth was emotional and extremely peaceful, we are in heaven.”

Earlier that day, Jay-Z had also released a new song,  “Glory feat. B.I.C.”, celebrating his baby’s birth.

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(GettyImages.com)

Beyonce and Jay-Z have released an official statement on the birth of their daughter, Blue Ivy Carter.

It reads, “Hello Hello Baby Blue! We are happy to announce the arrival of our beautiful daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, born on Saturday, January 7, 2012.”

“Her birth was emotional and extremely peaceful, we are in heaven,” say the couple.

They add, “She was delivered naturally at a healthy 7 lbs and it was the best experience of both of our lives.”

The superstars conclude, “We are thankful to everyone for all your prayers, well wishes, love and support.”

Earlier on Monday, Jay-Z put out a new track called “Glory feat. B.I.C.”

The song celebrates his daughter’s birth, and even includes audio of her crying.

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(GettyImages.com)

Jay-Z has released a brand-new track featuring… his brand-new daughter!

“GLORY feat. B.I.C.” was just posted to the rapper’s website, along with the simple message: “Life just got REALLY good.”

The song features the sound of little Blue Ivy Carter crying.

It also contains the revelation that Beyonce had previously suffered a miscarriage before.

But the song is mostly devoted to Jay’s sheer delight in welcoming his daughter (and now musical collaborator) to this world.

How’s that for a fast entry into the family business?

Listen to the track below!

Check out PHOTOS of Beyonce out and about in New York!

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LISTEN:

Glory – Jay-Z feat. Blue Ivy Carter by Warhol2011

(GettyImages.com)

Beyonce and Jay-Z are parents!

Music’s most famous couple welcomed a baby girl on Saturday and named her Blue Ivy Carter.

Gwyneth Paltrow, a close friend of the new mom and dad, tweeted on Sunday morning, “Welcome to the world Blue! We love you already.”

Rihanna also took to Twitter to wish the newborn the best. She wrote, “Welcome to the world princess Carter! Love Aunty Rih.”

The little girl’s real aunt, Solange Knowles, weighed in, too. “The most beautiful girl in the world,” she tweeted.

Earlier on Saturday, Gossip Cop noted that Beyonce had checked into New York’s Lenox Hill Hospital.

Beyonce announced she was pregnant at the MTV Video Music Awards in August.

It’s worth noting that last week’s rumors about Beyonce entering St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital to deliver her baby were proven false when, still pregnant, she enjoyed New Year’s Eve out in Brooklyn with Jay-Z.

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(GettyImages.com)

According to the New York Daily News, Beyonce has checked into Lenox Hill Hospital and is set to give birth.

Reps for the singer and her husband, Jay-Z, have not returned requests for comment.

The newspaper reports that Beyonce checked into the hospital under the name “Ingrid Jackson,” and confirmed with an employee that a woman by that name was in a “labor room.”

At the moment, there is no independent verification.

Gossip Cop is working to confirm the Daily News report.

It’s worth noting that last week’s rumors about Beyonce entering St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital to deliver her baby were proven false when, still pregnant, she enjoyed New Year’s Eve out in Brooklyn with Jay-Z on Saturday.

Gossip Cop will have updates.

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(GettyImages.com)

Beyonce and husband Jay-Z celebrated their last New Year’s Eve as a family of two with a special dinner in Brooklyn on Saturday.

The couple, who are expecting their first child, dined at Buttermilk Channel, leaving before the clock struck midnight.

The sighting put to rest rampant speculation that Beyonce had already given birth.

The stars later joined Beyonce’s sister Solange Knowles at her New Year’s party, where Jay-Z provided the champagne.

“Shout out to my sister for being THE cutest pregnant woman ever,” Solange tweeted after the festivities.

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(WhoSay)

Fans get an intimate look at Rihanna‘s private life in a new clip of home movies narrated by Jay-Z.

Away from the rigors of her tour and the high drama of videos like “We Found Love,” the singer is seen relaxing and reminiscing with family in Barbados.

“There’s nothing like family,” intones Jay-Z. “These are the people who make you who you are.”

It’s pretty compelling footage of some unguarded moments featuring one of the biggest stars in the world.

Check out the video below!

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Rihanna on WhoSay

(MediaTakeOut)

We don’t know how to break this to MediaTakeOut, but… Beyonce is pregnant.

The superstar and Jay-Z are (really) expecting their first baby.

She’s even designing her own maternity line.

It’s not a hoax. It’s not fake. It’s not a publicity stunt.

Beyonce is pregnant, and she’s set to give birth in February.

But for some reason, MediaTakeOut keeps posting stories that suggest Beyonce is either fabricating or somehow exaggerating the pregnancy.

The site charges that she wore a “prosthetic baby bump” to fool people at the MTV VMAs.

It’s declared that it’s “not humanly possible” for Beyonce to look the way she looks.

And now, as her due date draws ever closer and MTO’s nonsense looks more and more foolish, the site is still desperately insisting that Beyonce is running some kind of belly scam.

In a “WORLD EXCLUSIVE” today, MediaTakeOut claims to have stunning new pictures of “Beyonce’s STOMACH… And It’s All LUMPY… Like A Sack of Potatoes!!”

Yes, that’s actually the new MTO premise: There’s something fishy about Beyonce’s lumpy bump, because it looks like she’s carrying a sack of potatoes.

“Then again, maybe this is just another OPTICAL ILLUSION,” speculates the site.

Gossip Cop thinks MediaFakeOut is confusing delusion for illusion.

It’s probably time for MTO to own up to past mistakes and just admit that Beyonce is pregnant.

That way, we could avoid wild theories that describe her “lumpy” belly as potato-like.

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(GettyImages)

Beyonce‘s longtime friend and former Destiny’s Child bandmate, Kelly Rowland, let slip that the singer and her husband Jay-Z are having a baby girl.

While attending Cosmopolitan‘s “Ultimate Women of the Year Awards” in London on Thursday, Rowland noted how “excited” she is for parents-to-be Beyonce and Jay-Z, before blurting, ”I have no idea what I’m going to buy Beyoncé at the baby shower because Jay is going to buy that little girl every single thing possible. She won’t be spoiled, but she will be very well looked-after.”

Whoops.

“That little girl…”?

“She won’t be spoiled…”?

“She will be very well looked-after”?

Gossip Cop reached out for a confirmation from Beyonce’s spokeswoman, but apparently she’s not as chatty as Rowland.

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(GettyImages)

Madonna has absolutely no friends, reports Star, which claims the singer’s former bevy of A-list pals “have turned their backs on her!”

A so-called “source” for the tabloid says, “She used to have a huge group who adored her. But now Gwyneth Paltrow, Stella McCartney, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Kate Hudson, Fergie and everyone else have dumped her.”

How come?

According to the alleged insider, it all started when Madonna “got a little too flirty” on one occasion with Paltrow’s husband, Chris Martin.

“When Gwyneth’s relationship with Madonna soured,” explains the source, “She got her friends in that circle to dump [Madonna] too.”

The mag asserts the “Like a Prayer” singer is “really lonely,” and was recently “banned from Stella’s 40th birthday party and dad Paul‘s wedding.”

Actually, Star is just really desperate for material, so it decided to rehash an old story about a supposed feud between Madonna and Paltrow, which wasn’t true then and still isn’t true now.

A rep for Madonna tells Gossip Cop the tab’s tale is “ridiculous,” noting, “She was just with Stella McCartney,” and doesn’t even know Beyonce, Hudson or Fergie.

Oops.

Check out a PHOTO GALLERY of Madonna through the years!

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Will Smith just became a minority owner of the Philadelphia 76ers, his hometown basketball team.

The Philly native, along with his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, were announced as part of the group of investors (led by billionaire Joshua Harris) who just acquired the franchise from Comcast-Spectacor.

The NBA Board of Governors voted unanimously to approve the sale.

It’s not been reported how large a stake the Smiths will have.

Celebrity ownership in the NBA is nothing new – Jay-Z has a share of the soon-to-be Brooklyn Nets.

The league itself, of course, is in a midst of a lockout that has already nixed the first two weeks of the 2011-12 season.

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(GettyImages)

Kanye West and Jay-Z are being sued for allegedly sampling music from blues and soul singer/producer Syl Johnson.

Johnson claims in court papers filed in Illinois Federal Court that West and Jay-Z took a portion of his 1967 tune “Different Strokes,” without compensation or credit, for their song “The Joy,” featured on their album “Watch the Throne.”

Johnson contends West had initially sought to sample “The Joy” for his album “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” but it never worked out, and then misappropriated it for his collaboration with Jay-Z.

The soul and blues musician is no stranger to suing other artists for allegedly taking his compositions. Among those who have been caught in his legal crosshairs are Wu Tang Clan and Kid Rock, who eventually had to cough up cash to Johnson.

Below are Jay-Z and West’s “The Joy” and Johnson’s “Different Strokes.”

Listen and let us know what you think.

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“The Joy”

“Different Strokes”

(GettyImages.com)

Beyonce‘s due date is in February.

The pregnant superstar revealed on Australia’s “Sunday Night” that she and Jay-Z are expecting their first child in four months.

“I’m very grateful that God has blessed me with the biggest gift any human being can have,” she said. “Right now is the time, and I’m so happy.”

She and Jay-Z have been together for 10 years, marrying in 2008.

Check out the video below!

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(MediaTakeOut)

Beyonce is pregnant, and MediaTakeOut is still having a really difficult time with the news.

The site continues to promote its bizarre theory that the superstar is going out in public with a prosthetic belly to make it seem like she’s “more” pregnant than she actually is.

Consulting precisely zero physicians, the MTO experts announce, “It’s Not HUMANLY POSSIBLE to Grow A Bump THAT BIG… THAT FAST!!!”

MediaTakeOut illustrates its “point” by showing photos of Beyonce wearing a loose-fitting outfit at an event in Houston yesterday (see pic below).

“We’re not sure WHAT is going on with Beyonce… but she was out yesterday with her Prosthetic PUMP again,” alleges the outlet, adding, “We told y’all that we BELIEVE she’s pregnant… why she gotta EXAGGERATE IT though…”

We’re not quite sure how MTO concluded from these photos that Beyonce is engaged in an elaborate fake-out in which she wears special equipment to fabricate the stage of her pregnancy… but, as a source close to Beyonce tells Gossip Cop, it’s “absolutely ridiculous.”

Check out PHOTOS of Beyonce showing off her baby bump in NYC!

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(MediaTakeOut)

(GettyImages.com)

VH1 has selected what it considers the “100 Greatest Songs of the ’00s,” a list sure to generate plenty of debate.

The #1 spot is occupied by “Crazy In Love,” Beyonce‘s huge 2003 hit with hubby Jay-Z.

OutKast (“Hey Ya!”), Lady Gaga (“Poker Face”), Eminem (“Lose Yourself”) and Kelly Clarkson (“Since U Been Gone”) round out the Top 5.

After that, the eclectic rankings get mighty interesting.

See the full list below!

The VH1 special, hosted by Pete Wentz, airs over five nights, starting next Monday, October 3.

What do you think of the picks?

1. Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z, “Crazy in Love”
2. OutKast, “Hey Ya!”
3. Lady Gaga, “Poker Face”
4. Eminem, “Lose Yourself”
5. Kelly Clarkson, “Since U Been Gone”
6. Kanye West featuring Jamie Foxx, “Gold Digger”
7. Justin Timberlake featuring Timbaland, “SexyBack”
8. Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys, “Empire State of Mind”
9. Mariah Carey, “We Belong Together”
10. 50 Cent, “In Da Club”

11. Rihanna featuring Jay-Z, “Umbrella”
12. Black Eyed Peas, “I Gotta Feeling”
13. Green Day, “American Idiot”
14. Gnarls Barkley, “Crazy”
15. U2 , “Beautiful Day”
16. Beyoncé, “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)”
17. Coldplay, “Clocks”
18. Christina Aguilera, “Beautiful”
19. Destiny’s Child, “Bootylicious”
20. Britney Spears, “Toxic”

21. Jay-Z , “99 Problems”
22. Alicia Keys, “Fallin’”
23. P!nk, “Get the Party Started”
24. Missy Elliott, “Get Ur Freak On”
25. Nelly, “Hot in Here”
26. The White Stripes, “Seven Nation Army”
27. Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris, “Yeah!”
28. Madonna, “Music”
29. Foo Fighters, “The Best of You”
30. Gwen Stefani, “Hollaback Girl”

31. Amy Winehouse, “Rehab”
32. Maroon 5, “This Love”
33. Johnny Cash, “Hurt “
34. Janet Jackson, “All For You”
35. John Mayer, “Daughters”
36. *NSYNC, “Bye Bye Bye”
37. Britney Spears, “Oops!…I Did It Again”
38. Miley Cyrus, “Party in the U.S.A.”
39. Adele, “Chasing Pavements “
40. Fall Out Boy, “Sugar, We’re Going Down”

41. R. Kelly, “Trapped in the Closet”
42. Train, “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)”
43. Katy Perry, “I Kissed a Girl”
44. Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Californication”
45. Eve featuring Gwen Stefani, “Let Me Blow Ya Mind”
46. Kid Rock & Sheryl Crow, “Picture”
47. Christina, Lil’ Kim, Mya, Pink, “Lady Marmalade”
48. Kings of Leon, “Sex On Fire”
49. Lady Gaga, “Bad Romance”
50. Taylor Swift, “You Belong With Me”

51. Natasha Bedingfield, “Pocketful of Sunshine”
52. Shakira feautring Wyclef, “Hips Don’t Lie”
53. Blink-182, “All the Small Things “
54. Norah Jones, “Don’t Know Why”
55. The Killers, “Mr. Brightside”
56. DMX, “Party Up (Up In Here)”
57. Mary J. Blige, “Family Affair”
58. Jason Mraz, “I’m Yours”
59. Justin Timberlake, “Cry Me a River”
60. Ke$ha, “Tik Tok”

61. Kelis, “Milkshake”
62. Avril Lavigne, “Complicated”
63. Andrew W.K., “Party Hard”
64. Jennifer Lopez featuring Ja Rule, “I’m Real (Murder Remix)”
65. Aaliyah, “Try Again”
66. Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell, “Drop It Like It’s Hot”
67. Leona Lewis, “Bleeding Love”
68. Ludacris featuring Shawnna, “Stand Up”
69. Evanescence, “Bring Me to Life”
70. Chris Brown featuring Juelz Santana, “Run It!”

71. Colbie Caillat, “Bubbly”
72. Jet, “Are You Gonna Be My Girl”
73. Nelly Furtado featuring Timbaland, “Promiscuous”
74. Chamillionaire featuring Krayzie Bone, “Ridin’”
75. Gavin Degraw, “I Don’t Want to Be”
76. T.I. featuring Rihanna, “Live Your Life”
77. Nickleback, “How You Remind Me”
78. Plain White T’s, “Hey There Delilah”
79. Enrique Iglesias, “Hero”
80. Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz featuring Ying Yang Twins, “Get Low”

81. Bruce Springsteen, “The Rising”
82. Matchbox Twenty, “Unwell”
83. D’Angelo, “(Untitled) How Does It Feel”
84. Linkin Park, “In the End”
85. Macy Gray, “I Try”
86. Aerosmith, “Jaded”
87. The Darkness, “I Believe in a Thing Called Love”
88. Fountains of Wayne, “Stacy’s Mom”
89. M.I.A., “Paper Planes”
90. Mystikal, “Shake Ya Ass”

91. Creed, “With Arms Wide Open”
92. Flo Rida featuring T-Pain, “Low”
93. Ok Go, “Here It Goes Again”
94. Daughtry, “It’s Not Over”
95. James Blunt, “You’re Beautiful”
96. Pussycat Dolls featuring Busta Rhymes, “Don’t Cha”
97. Shaggy, “It Wasn’t Me”
98. 3 Doors Down, “Kryptonite”
99. Carrie Underwood, “Before He Cheats”
100. Sisqò, “Thong Song”

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(GettyImages.com)

Jay-Z will welcome the NBA’s Nets to Brooklyn in a big way.

The rapper, a partial owner of the team, will perform a string of concerts at the Barclays Center when it opens as the basketball squad’s new home in 2012, he announced on Monday.

Local reports put the number of Jay-Z shows at eight, although that has not been confirmed.

The basketball team will be renamed the Brooklyn Nets when they move to the borough from New Jersey next year.

Jay-Z and his wife Beyonce will have welcomed their first baby by then.

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(GettyImages.com)

Lil Wayne‘s “Tha Carter IV” smashed the single-week iTunes album sales record set last month by Jay-Z and Kanye West‘s “Watch the Throne,” needing only four days to hit the 300,000 downloads mark.

“Watch the Throne” sold 290,000 units through iTunes in its first full week.

The outstanding iTunes debut for “Tha Carter IV” comes despite the material leaking online ahead of its release date, and even though, unlike “Watch the Throne,” Lil Wayne’s album was made available through a wide range of outlets – not just iTunes – from Day One.

Even more impressively, “Tha Carter IV” is tracking toward more than 850,000 copies sold overall (digital and physical combined), which would be the biggest first-week sales for a male artist since his own “Tha Carter III” in June 2008.

Official first-week numbers will be published on Wednesday.

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(GettyImages.com)

Beyonce has had quite an exciting week!

After announcing she was pregnant with her first child at the MTV Video Music Awards last Sunday, the “1 + 1″ singer and Jay-Z jetted off to Venice, Italy to celebrate her 30th birthday.

The superstar couple dined at a romantic restaurant in the City of Water on Sunday, her actual birthday, and continued the celebration today by sunning on the luxurious yacht “Odessa.”

Gwyneth Paltrow, who’s in town to promote her new movie Contagion at the Venice Film Festival, and singer Erykah Badu dropped by the ship to help Beyonce ring in the big 3-0.

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(GettyImages.com)

“Beyonce Baby Puts Marriage Back on Track,” reads a headline from the National Enquirer, which claims the singer’s pregnancy is “shoring up her rocky marriage to rap mogul Jay-Z.”

According to an alleged “insider” for the tabloid, “Preparing for the baby has put their marriage back on track after some recent turbulent times.”

What “turbulent times”?

The mag claims that while Beyonce was on tour in Europe this summer, “Jay-Z was spotted partying in the Big Apple with model Selita Ebanks on July 20 and at the club 1Oak with a bevy of beauties on July 8.”

“Beyonce called Jay out on his party-boy behavior,” claims a supposed source, who says, “She told him that as a father-to-be he needed to act like a family man. After a heart-to-heart, Jay-Z committed himself totally to Beyonce and their baby.”

It’s awfully convenient that the Enquirer hadn’t “committed” itself to this premise until after Beyonce and Jay-Z announced the pregnancy, only bringing up allegations of ”turbulent times” now that the baby supposedly fixed everything.

The magazine is using the couple’s happy news to revise history and create scandal where none existed.

A source close to the couple tells Gossip Cop that Beyonce and Jay-Z’s marriage was “never off track.”

Actually, the only thing off-track, once again, is the Enquirer‘s reporting.

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(GettyImages.com)

Beyonce‘s baby news during the MTV Video Music Awards set a new Twitter record.

According to the company, traffic spiked at 8,868 tweets per second at 10:35 p.m. ET on Sunday, making Bey’s on-stage belly rub bigger than the final seconds of the Women’s World Cup (7,196 TPS), Osama bin Laden‘s death (5,106 TPS), the William and Kate nuptials (3,966 TPS) and other peak moments of the Twitter age.

The VMAs have made social media a major part of the festivities over the last few years, with the promotion of Twitter throughout the broadcast, the show’s history of “buzz” moments and the demographics of MTV’s core audience making for the perfect tweet storm.

But MTV’s success wasn’t just online.

12.4 million people tuned into the telecast, giving MTV the biggest viewing audience in network history.

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Beyonce‘s just-revealed pregnancy could impact another “birth.”

Now that she and Jay-Z are expecting their first child, Beyonce will likely need to delay filming on the Clint Eastwood version of A Star Is Born, which had been slated to begin early next year.

There’s been no indication, though, that Beyonce intends to drop out of the project.

Previous versions of the story have included the 1976 Barbra Streisand-Kris Kristofferson film.

No male lead has been chosen to play opposite Beyonce.

Despite Perez Hilton‘s characteristic confusion, A Star Is Born has nothing to do with J. Edgar Hoover.

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