1. 8 Apr


    Last week, Mr. and Mrs. Shawn Carter celebrated their fifth anniversary by visiting Cuba, along with their mothers and a small entourage of bodyguards. The power couple better known as Beyoncé and Jay-Z did what you’d expect of tourists to the historic capital of a tropical island: Walked around Old Havana in summer clothes, taking pictures (her) and smoking cigars (him); dined out in restaurants (even though, less typically, police had to be called to keep crowds of fans at bay) and on rooftop terraces; and danced to some of Cuba’s famous music. But tourism, of course, is prohibited under America’s 50-year-old trade embargo against communist Cuba. And living it up on “Cuba or, as the informed refer to it, ‘the island prison,’” makes Beyoncé and Jay-Z “useful idiots extraordinaire,” says A.J. Delgado at Mediaite. “While dining, partying, and enjoying the best Havana has to offer, Beyoncé and Jay-Z not only legitimize and support the repressive regime, with both their presence and their cash, but turn a blind eye, cruelly, to the perils and languishing of the Cuban people.” This is especially galling because they are “proud African-Americans,” and Cuba is “notorious for relegating its black population to second-class status, or worse.” How were Beyoncé and Jay-Z able to visit Cuba?

    Last week, Mr. and Mrs. Shawn Carter celebrated their fifth anniversary by visiting Cuba, along with their mothers and a small entourage of bodyguards. The power couple better known as Beyoncé and Jay-Z did what you’d expect of tourists to the historic capital of a tropical island: Walked around Old Havana in summer clothes, taking pictures (her) and smoking cigars (him); dined out in restaurants (even though, less typically, police had to be called to keep crowds of fans at bay) and on rooftop terraces; and danced to some of Cuba’s famous music.

    But tourism, of course, is prohibited under America’s 50-year-old trade embargo against communist Cuba. And living it up on “Cuba or, as the informed refer to it, ‘the island prison,’” makes Beyoncé and Jay-Z “useful idiots extraordinaire,” says A.J. Delgado at Mediaite. “While dining, partying, and enjoying the best Havana has to offer, Beyoncé and Jay-Z not only legitimize and support the repressive regime, with both their presence and their cash, but turn a blind eye, cruelly, to the perils and languishing of the Cuban people.” This is especially galling because they are “proud African-Americans,” and Cuba is “notorious for relegating its black population to second-class status, or worse.”

    How were Beyoncé and Jay-Z able to visit Cuba?

     

  2. 11 Feb


    Cartoon of the day: David Fitzsimmons, © 2013 Cagle Cartoons More toons

    Cartoon of the day: David Fitzsimmons, © 2013 Cagle Cartoons

    More toons

     

  3. 22 Jan


    The 13 most hilarious reactions to Beyonce’s lip-syncing scandal

    The 13 most hilarious reactions to Beyonce’s lip-syncing scandal

     

  4. 6 Nov


    Obama bling.  Here, 8 surprisingly fashionable pieces of presidential merchandise

    Obama bling. 

    Here, 8 surprisingly fashionable pieces of presidential merchandise

    (via beyonce)

     

  5. 13 Jul


    Science and celebrity collide. When an Arkansas State University biologist discovered a parasitic Caribbean crustacean that sucks blood from fish, he named it Gnathia marly out of “respect and admiration for [Bob] Marley’s music.”

    This isn’t the first time taxonomists have pulled inspiration from celebrities. A rare horse fly (above) was named after Beyonce for its defining feature: “A big gold butt.”

    See 6 species named after famous people

    (Source: theweek.com)

     

  6. 9 Jan



    Good day, bad day: January 9

    GOOD DAY FOR:

    Explaining yourself
    After much speculation, the world finally has some explanation for why Beyonce and Jay-Z named their newborn baby “Blue Ivy Carter.”

    BAD DAY FOR:

    Keeping your promises
    So much for new beginnings. Today is the day when, statistically, most people will give up their New Year’s resolutions, and it’s only been nine days.

    And more winners and losers of today’s news cycle

     

  7. 19 Oct


    A week after being accused of plagiarism for her music video “Countdown,” Beyonce is once again being criticized for copycatting. This time, critics say the video for her single “Love on Top” is too similar to the clip for “If It Isn’t Love” by ’90s R&B group New Edition. Both videos feature group dancing behind mic stands in a warehouse, placing New Edition in the company of a long list of artists who Beyonce has drawn uncanny inspiration from.


     

  8. 30 Aug


    boston: Beyonce’s baby news bigger than bin Laden - Twitter’s PR team sent out a tweet on Monday that Beyonce’s pregnancy news at the MTV VMAs hit a new record, launching 8,868 Tweets per second on the popular micro-blogging site.

    boston:

    Beyonce’s baby news bigger than bin Laden

    - Twitter’s PR team sent out a tweet on Monday that Beyonce’s pregnancy news at the MTV VMAs hit a new record, launching 8,868 Tweets per second on the popular micro-blogging site.