Free Republic

Kristen Stewart: Um, sweetie? You don’t need to screw the director once you’ve already gotten the part. Also, the perma-stoned look is so 2004.

When Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., chastised Jay-Z and Beyonce in a TV interview for their recent trip to Cuba, he especially criticized Jay-Z for his adoration of Che Guevara. “I think Jay-Z needs to get informed,” Rubio said. “One of his heroes is Che Guevara. Che Guevara was a racist. Che Guevara was a racist that wrote extensively about the superiority of white Europeans over people of African descent, so he should inform himself [about] the guy that he’s propping up.” Jay-Z, Carlos Santana, and Johnny Depp — who have all been spotted in Guevara t-shirts in the last decade...

President Barack Obama wants you to know that he did not help his BFFs Beyonce and Jay-Z get visas for their Cuban vacation. The first couple of R&B took a trip two weeks ago to Havana, upsetting several lawmakers who were concerned with how they got permission to go to the country that Americans can only visit for educational or cultural purposes. Last week, the U.S. Department of Treasury confirmed that the pair had permission from the government to go to Cuba. After the backlash, Jay-Z released “Open Letter,” a song ripping those who criticized their vacation. In one of...

I just want to return to Beyonce and Jay-Z. Jay-Z released a rap today, I know the other day you said that Treasury was the one that cleared their trip, he suggested that he got White House permission – that he personally spoke with the president. I’ll just quote: “I turned Havana into Atlanta. Boy from the hood, I got White House Clearance. Obama said chill you gonna get me impeached. You don’t need this expletive anyway, chill with me on the beach."

And we, ladies and gentlemen, because we're on the cutting edge here for low-information voters and citizens, have a couple of sound bites -- excerpts, if you will -- of Mr. Z's latest rap offering. In one of these bites, Mr. Z refers to the president, saying that Obama told him to chill. (doing Obama impression) "You gonna get me impeached, dude." And Mr. Z is not happy that the president told him to chill. And Mr. Z makes the comment that he never had any use for politicians, they never did anything for him. I'd not heard this,...

President Barack Obama told Jay-Z he was worried the rapper's controversial trip to Cuba would cost him the White House ... this according to Jay-Z. Hova just released a new rap, in which he addresses all of the drama surrounding his trip to Cuba last week with his wife Beyonce. In the song, titled "Open Letter," Jay says ..."Politicians never did s**t for me ... except lie to me, distort history.” He continues, "Obama said chill ‘You gonna get me impeached' ... We don’t need this s**t anyway chill with me on the beach.'" Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2013/04/11/jay-z-obama-cuba-rap-impeached-open-letter/#ixzz2QBAU6Y2Y Visit the TMZ...

The White House said Thursday that President Obama "absolutely" did not aid Jay-Z and Beyoncé in obtaining travel licenses to visit Cuba. On Wednesday night, the rapper released a song that bragged about the trip and included the lyrics "boy from the hood but got White House clearance." The lyrics also say Obama told him "chill, you gonna get me impeached." But on Thursday, White House press secretary Jay Carney said dismissively "it´s a song." "I guess nothing rhymes with Treasury, because Treasury offers and gives licenses for travel and the White House had nothing to do it

Treasury Dept: Beyoncé, Jay-Z Took ‘Educational’ Trip To Cuba By Olivier Knox Singer Beyonce, center holding camera, walks with her husband, rapper Jay-Z, right of her, as they tour Old Havana, … Sure enough, Beyoncé and Jay-Z may have 99 problems but the State Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Ain't One. OFAC, which enforces sanctions against Cuba, assured Republican Representatives Maria Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen in a letter Tuesday that the pop power-duo's recent trip to the island on the occasion of their fifth anniversary had the governmental green light. The Florida lawmakers had written to the Treasury...

Despite a long-standing ban on tourist trips to Cuba, Jay-Z and Beyonce were recently spotted on the island, sparking outrage for many Cuban-Americans and prompting a letter from two Florida Republican Congressmen to the Obama administration. NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell reports....

<p>A former Weather Underground radical who spent 22 years in prison for an armored-car robbery that killed two cops and a Brinks guard now reportedly holds a prestigious adjunct professorship at Columbia University’s School of Social Work.</p> <p>The New York Post reports that Kathy Boudin’s return to respectability after her 2003 parole occurs a week before the release of Robert Redford’s “The Company You Keep,” a movie loosely based on the $1.6 million heist.</p>

Beyoncé and her hubby, Jay-Z, recently jetted off to Cuba to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary. Whilst touring Old Havana, the couple needed a body guard to keep the locals at bay, who were all storming for a chance to catch a glimpse of the famed pair. (

This is a tale of two black women in Cuba... One a victim of apartheid in Cuba, the other a beneficiary of apartheid in Cuba. The first is Sonia Garro, born and raised in Cuba. She is currently residing in a Castro prison for the crime of demanding respect for human rights and the freedom to express her views. After being violently arrested, she and her husband (who is also black) have been held for more than a year by the Castro dictatorship without charges and without a trial. The world for the most part does not know who she...

It is rare that I venture into using profanity, almost always it's censored to some degree, I don't think it works to do that today.The occasion calls for it, Rush couldn't avoid it when he brought it up either.

t's being reported that Adele and Beyonce have been booked to rock The White House on Michelle Obama's 50th birthday. That should be some party . . . It's hard to believe that the politics of the sequester have worked out the way the Obama administration intended. Even their usually-reliable friends in the media have been skeptical, as this report from ABC News demonstrates: Budget Cuts Shut Down White House ToursJonathan Karl concluded the report by noting that the President took a 20-car motorcade to travel a short distance to eat with Republicans -- and suggested that next time he...

President Barack Obama and Michelle used to talk frequently about how the White House was the “people’s house.” In fact, the White House website now carries this quote from the First Lady: “It’s the ‘People’s House.’ It’s a place that is steeped in history, but it’s also a place where everyone should feel welcome. And that’s why my husband and I have made it our mission to open up the house to as many people as we can.” So much for that nonsense. The same week that President Obama’s administration announced that due to sequestration, White House tours would be...

hip-hop music manager Michael “Blue” Williams, the head of Family Tree Entertainment, has his way, New Yorkers will be able to trade guns for Beyonce tickets.

An 'unflattering' picture of Beyoncé performing at the Super Bowl's halftime show has transformed into a fully-fledged meme; one to rival McKayla Maroney's now-iconic 'Not Impressed' scowl. After Beyoncé's publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure, emailed Buzzfeed earlier this week to ask that the site 'respectfully change' several images of her client to 'some better photos' from the halftime show, her attempt backfired in epic proportions. Buzzfeed published the email, and in the Internet phenomenon known as the Streisand Effect, one image in particular circulated so virulently it became an instant meme.

Media mogul Donald Trump slammed Beyonce's Super Bowl performance as 'ridiculous' and inappropriate. Appearing on the 'Howard Stern Show,' Trump said the singer was too 'suggestive' for a national audience. 'When Beyonce was thrusting her hips forward in a very suggestive manner, if someone else would have done that it would have been a national scandal,' Trump, 66, said. 'I thought it was ridiculous ... I thought it was not appropriate.' Trump said he thought it was strange that no one else has criticized her for her scandalous dance moves. 'There's been no mention of it,' he said. 'So obviously,...

After Beyoncé's Super Bowl halftime show, we posted this piece about how fierce she was. Then this email came in. In what world are these shots unflattering

Beyoncé's daring leather ensemble at the Super Bowl last night has sparked anger from some parents who believe it was too racy for prime time television. Several viewers took to Facebook and other social networking websites to suggest that the performer's costume, by fashion designer Rubin Singer, looked a little too 'S&M'. Beyoncé was 'over the top trampy,' according to one mother commenting on the Today show's Facebook page. 'I was embarrassed to watch it with my 9 year old son,' she wrote. Conservative talk show host Laura Ingraham tweeted sarcastically: 'Very family-friendly dancing S&M by Beyonce. What every girl...

Boomer Esiason, the former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback and co-host "The NFL Today" on CBS, said Beyonce's halftime performance may have been responsible for the 34-minute blackout during Sunday's Super Bowl between Baltimore and San Francisco. “Beyonce blew the electric in the Superdome twice, I’m told, during her rehearsals during the week," Esiason said on Monday on his radio show. Esiason recalled there was a buzzing sound in the Superdome shortly after Beyonce's halftime show. On his "Boomer & Carton" radio show, Esiason said about "five or six minutes prior to" the "the breaker going," Kevin Harlan, a CBS announcer who...

Just watched the haftime show. Watched it with someone who knows about larynxes and that kinda stuff. I was told that she lip-synched. "No observable laryngeal movement."

New York - It is routinely billed as the Greatest Show on Earth - but this year it has become a platform for far more than footballers, cheerleaders, and the infamous half-time show. Beyonce performs the National Anthem during the halftime show press conference ahead of the NFL's Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans, Louisiana, Jan 31, 2013. Photo: Reuters/Jim Young In the past few weeks the Super Bowl, the centrepiece of American sport, has taken on a distinctly political feel. Social issues such as gay marriage, gun control, racial equality, and poverty in Ethiopia have all been put on the...

Her phony warbling made Chuck Schumer look like a fool — but she hasn’t apologized to him for it. The New York senator angrily admitted yesterday that the pop queen has not called him to say sorry after she turned last week’s inaugural bash into an unexpected Milli Vanilli concert by lip-syncing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” “I have not heard from her before, during or after,” a testy Schumer told The Post after he was asked if Beyoncé had called him to give a musical mea culpa. “She did not talk to me at all. I didn’t say any words to...

The diversity warriors, with no sense of humor and short on irony, keep looking for victims in all the old places. President Obama, advertising his inaugural address as a call to unity and a "coming together as one people," rounded up the usual suspects as if nothing in America had changed since Seneca Falls, Selma and Stonewall. The suffragettes at Seneca Falls in 1848, the marchers at Selma in 1965 and the resisters at the Stonewall Inn in 1969 all led the way toward tolerance, but the president spoke of their sacrifice as if frozen in a time warp of...

There's no rational reason to care whether Beyonce was lip-syncing or really singing when she performed at the presidential inaugural Monday. But the disclosure was troubling nonetheless. It's not that we were all cheated, exactly. No one paid to stand outside in the cold to watch the ceremonies (though presumably the well-connected and the sponsors had no trouble getting bleacher seats). It's that Beyonce looked overwhelmed with emotion as she belted out the national anthem, giving the impression that her performance reflected her excitement about Obama being re-elected, or better yet, just pride in American democracy. The fact that she...

In case you missed it, it turns out Beyonce lip synched the National Anthem at the inauguration.Only when Democrats are in power...and they wonder why people think they don't like America! How can they like a country they can't even respect?I

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Marine Corps is backing off statements that Beyonce lip-synced the national anthem during her performance at President Barack Obama's inauguration. The Marine Corps issued a statement Tuesday saying it determined that a live performance by the Marine Band was ill advised because there was no opportunity for Beyonce to rehearse with the band. Marine Corps spokesman Capt. Gregory Wolf says no one in the band is in a position to know whether Beyonce's vocal performance was live or pre-recorded. Earlier a spokeswoman for the Marine Band told news outlets the band was notified at the last...

So not only did Beyoncé lip sync her performance, but she essentially forced the Marine Corps band to pretend to be playing their instruments. Kristin DuBois, a spokesperson for the band, said "the Marine Band did perform live throughout the ceremony but we received last-minute word that Beyoncé wanted to use the recording.” Jessica Chasmar of the Washington Times writes: The Marine Corps Band has confirmed that it, along with Beyonce Knowles, faked Monday’s national anthem at President Obama’s second Inaugural. Band director Colonel Michael J. Colburn conducted the Star-Spangled Banner energetically, but the band members were actually mimicking blowing...

Halfway through her rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" at President Barack Obama's inauguration on Monday, Beyonce dramatically did away with the earpiece that singers use to hear themselves and their bands in a live setting. One viewer likened it to the gutsy move Luke Skywalker made in the dramatic chase scene in the original "Star Wars," tweeting: "Taking out the earpiece is Luke turning off the targeting system in the Death Star trench." But now a rep for the United States Marine Band says Beyonce was not even singing the song live. She was lip-syncing. The rep said that...

Beyoncé did not sing the national anthem live at President Obama’s inauguration. Millions of viewers around the world were stunned by the singer’s spectacular rendition of the anthem but The Times has learnt that she was lip-syncing to a pre-recorded backing track. A spokeswoman for the Marine Corp Band Kristen DuBois said it was standard procedure to record a backing track and Beyoncé decided shortly before her performance to rely on the studio version rather

<p>Beyoncé sang the national anthem at yesterday’s inauguration ceremony for President Obama and received overwhelming praise for her performance, ranging from Business Insider (“It was just amazing”) to TMZ (“f*cking awesome”). Beyoncé’s Instagram photo of herself in a recording studio with members of the Marine Corps Band.</p>

R'n'B-pop diva Beyonce Knowles, "American Idol" winner Kelly Clarkson and Grammy Award-winning artist James Taylor are just some of the artists tapped by re-elected U.S. president Barack Obama to perform the country's most patriotic songs during his upcoming inauguration ceremony on January 21. Beyonce is chosen to deliver the U.S. national anthem "The Star Spangled Banner", Kelly is selected to sing "My Country 'Tis of Thee" and James is invited again to perform "America the Beautiful".

During the Presidential campaign it became quote apparent that Barack Obama was a big fan of Jay Z and Beyonce. As of September 14 Obama had tweeted more about Beyonce and Jay Z than he had about Benghazi. Just one of President Barack Obama’s last 47 tweets from his official campaign account mentioned the crisis unfolding in the Middle East or the four Americans who lost their lives in a fiery attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya on Tuesday. Among the tweets sent out by Obama’s Twitter account included a chance to win tickets to an Obama event...

With election day now upon us, Beyoncé had some kind thoughts to share about Barack Obama. The R&B superstar posted a handwritten letter on Monday to the president on her website praising his leadership and expressing her support, one day before Americans go to the polls to decide whether to grant him a second term. "Everyday we see your heart and character, inspiring all of us to give more of ourselves," wrote Beyoncé. "You are the leader to take us from where we are to where we need to be."

While thousands in New York and New Jersey struggled in the devastating aftermath of Sandy, some celebs couldn’t stop the party. Giuseppe Cipriani and son Ignazio threw a lavish bash at Cipriani 42nd Street on Wednesday night, as Halloween was canceled across the region and downtown Manhattan remained cloaked in darkness. Stars including Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Dita Von Teese, Jay-Z and Beyoncé joined the bash, which Cipriani reps say went on until well after 5 a.m. and was not for charity. One guest told us, “The Ciprianis put a lot of effort into the party, bringing in DJs who...

Amidst the frenetic schedule of the presidential campaign, President Barack Obama has revealed his key role in giving first-time dad Jay-Z advice on child rearing. The Commander-in-Chief, speaking to Cleveland radio station Z107.9 on Friday, called the rap mogul and his superstar wife Beyonce 'good friends' and dished on what the first couple and the showbiz powerpair talk about when they spend time together. Calling the Grammy Award-winning duo 'down to earth folks,' the President said isn't blinded by their glitz and makes sure the rapper is doing his fair share to help his wife with their new baby.

Beyoncé is one of the biggest stars in the country, a beautiful singer at the top of her profession. She isn't an A-list movie star... yet. Her work in the celebrated "Dreamgirls" didn't make that happen, nor did appearances in "The Pink Panther," "Obsessed" or "Austin Powers in Goldmember." Clint Eastwood could have changed all that. The actor/director wanted Beyoncé to star in his planned remake of "A Star Is Born." Any Eastwood project is instantly Oscar bait, and his track record suggests he could have transformed the stunning chanteuse into an A-lister with just one film. Now, we'll never...

President Barack Obama attended a fundraiser at Jay-Z's 40/40 Club in Manhattan that featured a champagne tower of 350 bottles worth $105,000 - more than twice the median household income of an American family. The tower of $300-a-bottle Armand de Brignac Brut Gold, known as 'Ace of Spades' because of its label, is a permanent fixture at the club. 'It’s floor-to-ceiling gold bottles in the entire space,' a 40/40 representative told the New York Post. 'It’s beautiful—breathtaking. It’s the first thing you see when you walk in. The median income for an American family was $51,413 in 2011. $105,000: The...

So today, I’ll let everyone else rave about Big Guy’s 2nd, 3rd, or 10th visit with America’s most ill-humored comedian... And they’re all talking BO’s fundraiser at Jay-Z’s 40/40 club in Manhattan where 100 lucky 1 percenters paid $40k to hear Big Guy tell them how Lady M is just like co-host Beyoncé (voted People’s Magazine “Most Beautiful Woman” this year! Beyoncé, not Lady M, Beyonabitch!)... The most beautiful woman in the world gets bodied for ObamaInstead, I’d like to spend a little time on something not getting the amount of media play that it deserves. No, not the secret...

WASHINGTON — Nix the flags and the podium. Cue the opulent 18-foot tower of gold-bottled French champagne. When President Obama addresses an elite roster of hipsters and multimillionaires, including hosts Beyoncé and Jay-Z, in New York tonight, he will do so next to a custom-designed tower of $800-per-bottle champagne that dominates the main room at Jay-Z’s 40/40 nightclub. The 350-bottle champagne tower — designed by Jeffrey Beers — is a monument to Jay-Z’s favorite bubbly, Armand de Brignac, which is known colloquially by rappers, clubgoers and connoisseurs as Ace of Spades because of its gold-spade label. “It’s floor-to-ceiling gold bottles...

Obama Fundraiser With Jay-Z And Beyonce Features “Floor-To-Ceiling” Tower Of 350 Gold Champagne Bottles Costing $800 Each, White House Bans Photos Of Event… Now why would they ban photos of an event like this?Via New York Post: Nix the flags and the podium. Cue the opulent 18-foot tower of gold-bottled French champagne.When President Obama addresses an elite roster of hipsters and multimillionaires, including hosts Beyoncé and Jay-Z, in New York tonight, he will do so next to a custom-designed tower of $800-per-bottle champagne that dominates the main room at Jay-Z’s 40/40 nightclub.The 350-bottle champagne tower — designed by Jeffrey Beers...

Barack Obama is one busy man. The President of the United States made his second appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman since taking office. After chatting with Dave, POTUS hit up Jay-Z and Beyoncé's $40,000-per-person fundraiser at The 40/40 Club in New York City.

Here’s everything we know so far, and everything we’re likely to know for the foreseeable future as the State Department has announced a “no further questions” policy. Not that the MSM would ask any questions likely to embarrass Big Guy anyway. Lessons learned: 1. It’s wrong to politicize lethal attacks on our embassies if you’re running against Big Guy. 2. The best way not to politicize this is to keep calm and carry on as if nothing happened; i.e., continue to skip daily intelligence meetings and attend all previously scheduled fundraisers. 3. This “volatile situation” in the Mid-East is not...

Wow! Embassies are burning across the Middle East, butt don’t worry; we will not be distracted from our primary mission: And as I understand it there are a couple of major initiatives under way to ensure we achieve our goal. One will be held on Tuesday at Jay-Z’s nightclub in Manhattan; and Jay-Z will be there! Along with Beyoncé, who has always been a “big fan” of BO and MO’s. BiBi was not invited as it’s really an event exclusively for mutual fan club members... ...I hate to interrupt this commercial for an important message, butt I see that “insurgents”...

I usually don't email you -- but I have an amazing invitation I have to share. Jay and I will be meeting up with President Obama for an evening in NYC sometime soon. And we want you to be there! Until midnight tonight, if you pitch in $15 or whatever you can, you'll be automatically entered to be flown out to join us. I've had the honor of meeting President Obama and the First Lady a few times -- and believe me -- it's an opportunity you don't want to miss. Don't worry about the airfare and hotel, it's taken...

Beyonce is the star of President Obama’s latest campaign ad. In the spot – released online Monday – the singer reads a letter she wrote in April that praises First Lady Michelle Obama. In the letter Beyonce praises Mrs. Obama as “the ultimate example of a truly strong African-American woman”. “No matter the pressure and the stress of being under the microscope she’s humble, loving and sincere. . . she builds and nurtures her family while also looking out for so many millions in so many ways,” says the Grammy-winning performer. How did the campaign get Beyonce to do this?...

(ThyBlackMan.com) recently read an article in which Russell Simmons defended Gwyneth Paltrow in her use of the word "n*gga" to define her time in Paris with Jay-Z, Beyonce and the rest of her "n*ggas." Gwyneth Paltrow, like most "down-ass" white girls who get very comfortable around black folks, caught herself slipping into territory that only the bravest white people go. I stand with Russell in that Gwyneth Paltrow is not entirely to blame. At worst, we can blame Gwyneth Paltrow for not being sensitive enough to realize that Jay-Z and Kanye West are not ambassadors of the black community who've...