BEYONCE KNOWLES NEWS, INTERVIEWS & UPDATES



News for 2/27/2006


The following article appeared in the December 2005 issue of Ebony Magazine





Beyoncé Knowles Gets Bit By the Acting Bug

Source: Sandra Kraisirideja


Swathed in sparkling jewelry made with combinations of rubies, diamonds, and pink diamonds, Beyoncé Knowles looks dazzling in a pink halter dress, but beyond her beauty is an actress hungry to show the world what she can do. Knowles understands her acting roles have been as eye candy in zany comedies like Austin Powers in Goldmember and The Pink Panther, but she hopes to break that typecast this year. Knowles may have to wait until the release of Dreamgirls for that chance, but for now she's happy to promote her role in Steve Martin's update of the "Pink Panther" franchise. The film opens Feb. 10.

To play the role of a pop superstar suspected of murder by bumbling French inspector Jacques Clouseau (Martin), Knowles deadpanned that she didn't want to play another part like that because she just wouldn't have the time to do the research. When she heard from director Shawn Levy--who cast her in the Disney show, The Famous Jett Jackson--however, that she would be playing opposite Martin and Kevin Kline, as Clouseau's power-hungry boss, she changed her tune.

"I'd told myself I would always work with the best people, people I can learn from," Knowles told ComingSoon.net. She spent two weeks in New York and one week in Paris filming. "I laughed the whole time on the set and I'm happy I'm in it," she added.

Knowles, who has taken some acting classes and would like to pursue acting as a real career, said she was able to learn more about the profession from Martin. "In between takes he goes from being this wacky, unbelievable character to becoming Steve Martin and working with the director and changing things," because he also wrote the script. "I'm a songwriter and a performer, so I respect that," Knowles said.

On stage Knowles affects the part of seductress with ease, but when she's not performing she can appear demure and almost shy. With acting she's learning to transfer what she does on stage, to the screen. "I can come out of my shell when I'm on the stage. Now I'm learning in films I can do the same thing with different characters," she said. (Read More...)



News for 2/14/2006


Knowles Is Tickled 'Pink' to Be Acting

By Daniel Fienberg
Zap2It.com


LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com)- When she discusses her most enriching acting experiences, Beyonce Knowles is hesitant to discuss her appearance on a little Disney Channel comedy called "The Famous Jett Jackson." However, her director on that project -- "Cheaper by the Dozen" mastermind Shawn Levy -- remembered Knowles when he was casting "The Pink Panther."

"He called and told me about Xania -- that she was an international superstar and singer -- and at first I thought, 'I don't want to play another part like that, because I don't have time to do the research,'" Knowles takes a long pause to make it clear that she's joking. "Then he told me Kevin Kline and Steve Martin were gonna be a part of it and I said, 'I gotta do it.'"

Thanks to a delayed release, "The Pink Panther" is now positioned to kick off a transitional year for Knowles. It's year that will see her final live performance with Destiny's Child (at the NBA All-Star game in Houston) and that will she hopes will validate her acting ambitions as well, culminating with the release of "Dreamgirls."

"I think it's very ambitious even for me to start acting, because I didn't have to, I didn't need to," she says. "I just wanted to challenge myself and learn and I admire people like Barbra Streisand and Diana Ross who took that risk and were really good at it."

Knowles' "Panther" co-star Steve Martin, who admits he lives in a "insular world," was surprised and delighted by his less experienced colleague.

"She was a little shy. But, you'll find a lot of people with enormous talent are really shy and that's how they got the enormous talent, this was 'I'm not going to sit here in this corner, I'm going to stand up and sing.' And she had a very simple operation going. There wasn't 84, y'know, members of an entourage or something. She was totally professional and a sweetheart."

The respect was mutual.

"[Steve] is so professional and so serious and he's been doing it for a long time and you can just see that in his mannerisms," Knowles explains. "When he's in between his takes, he goes from being this wacky, unbelievable character, to becoming Steve Martin and working with the director and changing things and writing the script. I'm a songwriter and a performer, so I respect that and hopefully one day I'll do that."

Knowles takes minor exception, though, to Martin's contention that she's shy. She makes it clear that there's a large difference between the sex kitten she plans in concert and in her videos and the real Beyonce Knowles.

"I don't say I'm shy anymore," she says. "I'm just kind of quiet and calm and I observe and I like to, when I'm not working, just blend in, but I guess I can kind of come out of my shell when I'm on the stage and now I'm learning in films I can do the same thing with different characters."

"The Pink Panther" opens on Friday, Feb. 10.



News for 2/1/2006


Beyonce Can't Contain 'Dreamgirls' Enthusiasm

By Daniel Fienberg
Zap2It.com


LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com)- A certain promotional etiquette dictates that stars talking up one upcoming movie are reticent to discuss future projects in more than a passing sentence or two ("It looks great and I can't wait to see how it turns out" or "It's very different, a real change of pace of me"). Not so for Beyonce Knowles and "Dreamgirls," which just began production.

Chatting with the press about "The Pink Panther," Knowles can't quite contain her "Dreamgirls" enthusiasm.

"I am so excited about it I can't even talk, because my voice just starts shaking because I'm so happy," Knowles says. She isn't kidding. Her voice really does shake. "I've been hearing about 'Dreamgirls' since I was 15. I've never seen it, because I was born the year it was on Broadway, but I've seen the bootleg. I've been hearing about Deena and everything about her, because my choreographer's obsessed with her. And they told me they were doing this movie and I said, 'Oh my God, I have to have this movie.' And at first they weren't sure if I could play the part, because I haven't done anything like it on film and I knew I could do it, I just never had the chance to do it."

For a certain fan base, "Dreamgirls" has long been the holy grail of musical adaptations, a fantasy project for producers, directors and stars alike. "Chicago" scribe Bill Condon was finally given the keys to the vehicle and attracted big-name stars including Knowles, Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy. Based loosely on the rise of The Supremes, "Dreamgirls" will feature Knowles in the Diana Ross role, the character of Deena.

"I'm finding myself and I get to play a character with range," Knowles explains. "I'm 15 in the beginning and I grow up to be 36 and in the beginning the beginning there's nothing glamorous about Deena and she kind of butterflies into this diva and I have dramatic scenes and emotional scenes and very funny scenes and it's all these colors and I'm so excited because people are gonna get to see me act for the first time."

Knowles has made a swift, but carefully plotted, transition from Destiny's Child featured performer to solo singer to burgeoning movie star. Her big screen progression has seen her put in the requisite time as a good-natured foil in comedies like "Austin Powers in Goldmember" and "The Pink Panther." She's sure she's ready for the big step that "Dreamgirls" represents.

"Every movie I do, I learn a little bit more and after going on auditions and not getting some movies and getting some movies and having more life experiences and having a couple acting classes, I realized I am an actor and I can really do this right," she says.

"Dreamgirls," already generating hopeful Oscar buzz, won't be out until the end of 2006, but "The Pink Panther" hits theaters on Friday, Feb. 10.



News for 12/31/2005


The following article appeared in the November 2005 issue of Vanity Fair Magazine





The following article appeared in the October 2005 issue of Essence Magazine





News for 12/13/2005


No wedding plans for Beyoncé — yet

R&B star denies reports she will marry rapper mogul Jay-Z in spring

The Associated Press


LAKEWOOD, Calif. - Beyonce could be found in a Los Angeles-area department store over the weekend. But she sure wasn't there to pick out items for her wedding registry.

"I have no wedding plans," she told AP Television News, smiling, then breaking out into her trademark huge laugh. "No, I'm not rushing."

Then just where have all those reports been coming from — predicting a summer ceremony for Beyonce and superstar hip-hop artist and producer Jay-Z?

"They've been saying it about every celebrity forever," she replied, shaking her head. "It's not personal. They just do it to everyone.

"I'm 24 years old!" Beyonce added, laughing big again.

Of course, not every 24-year-old attracts a crowd of 3,000 when she drops into a fragrance department. But such was the case Sunday at the Lakewood Robinsons-May store as Beyonce made a rare retail appearance to promote her second signature fragrance, Tommy Hilfiger's True Star Gold.

"I had True Star originally," she said. "And it was a reflection of my true self, of Beyonce. It was really private, and not overbearing. And this is True Star Gold. Gold is my favorite color, and it, basically, is a reflection of 'Sasha,' who is my personality on the stage. You can see in all the ads: I have the hair blowin', the fierce makeup, the smoky eyes, the mic. It's more sexy. It's more outgoing. It's the type of fragrance you would wear if you had a hot date or you're going out, having a 'Sex and the City' night with your girlfriends."

Speaking of, this period marks the beginning of a new chapter for Beyonce, who has officially gone solo after selling more than 40 million CDs as one-third of Destiny's Child.

Beyonce said her current life doesn't feel much different from when she was with the group. In fact, Beyonce said she's regularly on the phone with bandmate Michelle Williams, and Kelly Rowland will be over for Christmas.

"I don't think I'm going to feel it until I have an album coming out," Beyonce said. "Because when I go into the studio and I have to decide the singles and the videos and all of that by myself, when I have that pressure and I'm going to have to perform by myself — that's when it's gonna hit."

In February, we'll see Beyonce back on the big screen in a remake of comedy classic "The Pink Panther," co-starring Steve Martin and Kevin Kline. Later in 2006, Beyonce will star in "Dreamgirls," a screen adaptation of the Broadway-musical smash.

She'll play "Deena," the Diana Ross-like character in a musical inspired by the triumphs and tragedies of The Supremes. In the film, Deena will age from 16 to 30. "I get to really show a range and really get to act for the first time," Beyonce said.

In the meantime, she's going home for the holidays. "My mother is cooking," Beyonce noted with a smile. "So, I'm trying to watch my weight because I know when I get home I'm gonna probably gain five pounds, because I'm gonna eat that food five days in a row. I always eat it for a week after she cooks it. I can't wait."



News for 11/27/2005


The following article appeared in the September 2005 issue of InStyle Magazine





News for 11/21/2005


The following news item appeared in the September 19, 2005 issue of People Magazine





News for 10/24/2005


Beyonce's Skin Color Causes Controversy


LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Beyonce Knowles is beautiful and bootylicious, but is she "too black"?

Pop culture magazine Radar claims that the singer/actress' cover shot for the recent Vanity Fair appears to have been lightened, an allegation Knowles' spokesperson denies.

"There are very fair-skinned black people in this world, and Beyonce is one of them," says Yvette Noel-Schure in an interview with "Access Hollywood."

Vanity Fair also adds that the photo was "absolutely not" manipulated to whitewash the performer's skin tone. Generally, magazines use retouching to cover blemishes or enhance certain aspects of their photographed subjects.

"Doom" star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson also weighed in on the controversy.

"If you lighten Beyonce's skin, at the end of the day it doesn't matter because she's still gorgeous and makes great records," he says. "It would be different if you just made her white."

Knowles, 24, is a Grammy-winning artist that has starred in "Austin Powers in Goldmember" and "The Fighting Temptations" on the big screen. She's wrapped filming on the upcoming "The Pink Panther" with Steve Martin and has signed on to star in DreamWorks' adaptation of the Broadway musical "Dreamgirls."



News for 4/11/2005


Beyonce May Be Condon's 'Dreamgirl'


LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Destiny's Child singer Beyonce Knowles is eyeing a role as a member of another girl group.

The 23-year-old entertainer is in talks to star in DreamWorks' upcoming adaptation of the Broadway musical "Dreamgirls," report news sources.

The stage hit -- which many accept as the thinly veiled story of Diana Ross and the Supremes -- centers on three friends who take their singing act as the Dreams from their amateur beginnings in Chicago to national stardom. In-fighting, jealousy and heartache create division in the ranks over time, leading to impassioned songs such as "I Meant You No Harm," "When I First Saw You" and "And I am Telling You I'm Not Going," which some may remember was sung by "American Idol" reject Tamyra Gray.

"Dreamgirls," featuring music by Henry Krieger and a book and lyrics by Tom Eyen, hit Broadway in the early '80s. The original cast included Jennifer Holliday, Obba Babatunde, Cleavant Derricks, Loretta Devine, Ben Harney and Sheryl Lee Ralph. "Dreamgirls" also won the 1982 Grammy for the best cast show album.

Oscar-winning "Gods and Monsters" writer Bill Condon will direct and adapt the project for the big screen. Condon last directed "Kinsey" and has experience with adapting musicals, having scripted 2002's "Chicago." Production is tentatively set to begin in the fall in Los Angeles.

Beyonce and the other Destiny's Child members -- which have varied since the group's inception -- have won two Grammys: for the best R& B group vocal performance for 2000's "Say My Name" and 2001's "Survivor." She is currently spending time touring with the group.

Besides her musical career, Beyonce has been busy with films, including "Austin Powers in Goldmember," "The Fighting Temptations" and the upcoming "The Pink Panther" with Steve Martin.



News for 2/21/2005


Beyonce Booked for Big Night at the Oscars

By Carla Hay


NEW YORK (Billboard) - Beyonce may not be nominated for any Academy Awards, but she will be the main musical attraction at this year's Oscars ceremony. The singer will perform three of the five tunes nominated for best original song.

Josh Groban and Beyonce will perform "Believe" at the 77th annual ceremony, set for Feb. 27 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.

"Believe," written by Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri, is from the film "The Polar Express." It was performed by Groban on the movie's soundtrack.

Beyonce will step in for Minnie Driver to sing "Learn to Be Lonely," the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Charles Hart tune from "The Phantom of the Opera." Driver performed the song on the film's soundtrack. Accompanied by the American Boyschoir, Beyonce will also sing "Look to Your Path (Vois Sur Ton Chemin)" from "The Chorus (Les Choristes)."

Counting Crows will do their song "Accidentally in Love" from "Shrek 2." Rounding out the nominations lineup, Carlos Santana and Enrique Iglesias will perform "Al Otro Lado del Rio" from "The Motorcycle Diaries."



News for 10/26/2004


The following article appeared in the October 2004 issue of Elle Magazine





News for 3/8/2004


Knowles and Reno Joining The Pink Panther

Source: Variety


MGM is in talks with Beyonce Knowles to play the chief suspect in a diamond heist in The Pink Panther and has signed French star Jean Reno (Ronin) to play Inspector Clouseau's traveling companion, reports Variety.

Steve Martin plays the comical French detective as he bumbles through the investigation to find the legendary "Pink Panther" diamond ring.

Reno will play his driver Ponton, who's secretly an undercover cop assigned by the boss to keep an eye on Clouseau. Knowles is eyeing the role of Xania, a pop singer whose suddenly dead boyfriend owned the rock.

The film, which began with a Len Blum script, is now prepping after Martin turned in a polish of the script. Shawn Levy (Cheaper by the Dozen) is directing.



News for 2/10/2004


Beyoncé Knowles Confirms Superman Talks

Source: Superhero Hype


You heard it first at Superhero Hype!, and now singer/actress Beyoncé Knowles herself has confirmed that she is up for the role of Lois Lane in Warner Bros.' new Superman adaptation, to which McG is attached to direct.

She tells Extra, "I hope so. Everyone pray that happens for me." We'll have to wait and see what the studio decides to do with the casting.

Superhero Hype! had also learned from the same source that Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp was being eyed for the role of Lex Luthor in the film. There's been no further confirmation of that at this point.

Beyoncé can next be seen on Sunday night at the Grammy Awards, where she has the opening act with Prince. Johnny Depp's next film, the thriller Secret Window, hits theaters on March 12.



Diva Beyonce Wins Five Grammy Awards


By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY
AP Music Writer


LOS ANGELES (AP) - Luther Vandross and Coldplay stole some of hip-hop's thunder at the Grammys, but rap funksters OutKast still won album of the year for "Speakerboxxx-The Love Below" and Beyonce took home a record-tying five trophies.

Despite a tightly scripted show devoid of outrageousness or spontaneity _ a marked contrast to today's pop scene _ Janet Jackson's Super Bowl breast flash at the hands of dance partner Justin Timberlake remained the major subplot Sunday night.

CBS and Jackson offered conflicting reports about why she was not at the show, which was televised on a five-minute delay to avoid anything like the Super Bowl incident.

CBS need not have worried _ the already staid Grammys were even more conservative than usual. Curses or cleavage were in short supply, with the exception of Christina Aguilera's dangerously low-cut pink dress.

"I know it's been a rough week on everybody," said Timberlake, stifling a self-deprecating laugh while accepting the best male pop vocal performance award for "Cry Me a River." He brought his mother as his date. "What occurred was unintentional, completely regrettable, and I apologize if you guys are offended."

Vandross, recovering from a stroke, won for best song, best R&B album and best male R&B performance for "Dance With My Father"; and best R&B performance by a duo or group with vocals for "The Closer I Get to You," a remake he did with Beyonce.

It was the evening's most sentimental victory _ the R&B crooner's first win in a major category in his 20-year-plus career. He was unable to attend, but sent a videotaped message, his first public remarks since his April 2003 stroke.

"I wish I could be with you there tonight. I want to thank everyone for your love and support," said a weak-looking Vandross. "And remember, when I say goodbye it's never for long, because" _ and he sang a line from oen of his many hits _ "I believe in the power of love!"

Beyonce turned out to be the queen of the ball, tying a record for female artists with her five awards. But she won none of the top categories of song, record or album of the year.

The moody British rock band Coldplay, up against four hip-hop nominees for record of the year, won for their song "Clocks."

Rockers Evanescence won best new artist in an upset over rapper 50 Cent _ who briefly walked onstage as Evanescence accepted their award.

"Thank you, 50," said Evanesence's Amy Lee as the rap star smiled for the camera.

Rock singer Warren Zevon, who rushed to complete a final album before his September death from lung cancer, won his first two Grammy Awards. June Carter Cash also won two posthumous awards, and her husband Johnny Cash and former Beatle George Harrison were also honored after their deaths.

The 46th annual awards show began at 4:55 p.m. _ five minutes before airtime _ with Prince performing "Purple Rain," marking the 20th year of the groundbreaking song and movie.

Beyonce, wearing a tight dress with a feather skirt that fleetingly revealed her pink panties, joined Prince on his hits and then sang her own "Crazy in Love," which won two trophies _ for best R&B song and best rap/sung collaboration. Her boyfriend, Jay-Z, won two awards for collaborating on that hit.

Beyonce also won best female R&B performance and best contemporary R&B album for "Dangerously in Love," and best R&B performance by a duo or group for her song with Vandross.

Her five trophies tied a record set by Alicia Keys, Norah Jones and Lauryn Hill for the most Grammys won by a female artist.

"This is unbelievable. Performing was enough for me," an excited Beyonce said.

OutKast, nominated for a leading six Grammys, won three: best album, best urban/alternative performance for "Hey Ya!" and best rap album for "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below." It was the first rap album to wi most of the awards in top categories

Other multiple winners included Jack White of The White Stripes and Eminem, with two each, and bluegrass singer Alison Krauss, who had three.

Timberlake was all over the awards, performing on several songs and winning two trophies. CBS said in a statement that it had reservations about allowing him and Jackson to appear as planned, but ultimately "respected the Recording Academy's wishes to produce the program they originally intended."

CBS said it agreed to allow Timberlake and Jackson as long as they apologized on the air for their Super Bowl stunt.

But a statement from Jackson's camp said CBS and the Grammys first asked her not to attend, then reversed themselves and re-invited her, but she chose not to attend.

"She was never uninvited," insisted Jason Padgitt of the publicity firm Rogers & Cowan, which represents the Recording Academy. "She was always invited to be here and she chose not to be."

The incident bubbled beneath the surface all night. "I don't want to have the same thing happen that Janet had done," Aguilera said while accepting the award for best female pop vocal performance in a dress cut so low, CBS briefly imposed a graphic across her chest. "But, uh, if I can keep it together ..."

Pharrell Williams, who along with Jay-Z and OutKast also had six nominations, won his first Grammy during the pre-telecast ceremony for his production work with Chad Hugo as white-hot hitmakers The Neptunes. They have produced songs for artists ranging from Justin Timberlake to Jay-Z in 2003 alone.

The Neptunes weren't even nominated last year, because the record companies they produced hits for forgot to put them on the ballot.

"I was a little upset last year," Pharrell acknowledged during his acceptance speech. He also used the opportunity to stand up for friends Jackson and Timberlake. "What happened at the Super Bowl was a bit much, but I happen to know both of those people ... and they've done great things to support people around the world."

Cash, and director Mark Romanek, won for best short form music video for the haunting song "Hurt." Cash's wife, who died a few months before him in 2003, won best traditional folk album for the posthumous release "Wildwood Flower" and best female country vocal performance for "Keep on the Sunny Side."

The most unusual winners were former President Bill Clinton, former Soviet Union president Mikhail Gorbachev and Sophia Loren, who won best spoken word album for children for their reading on "Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf/Beintus: Wolf Tracks."



News for 2/5/2004


The following interview appeared in the January 2004 issue of InStyle Magazine





News for 1/11/2004


The following article appeared in the November 2003 issue of Ebony Magazine





The following article appeared in the September 2003 issue of Savoy Magazine