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LOS ANGELES (AP) — BEYONCE’S SURPRISE DATE: Beyonce made a big
announcement that practically upstaged the MTV Video Music Awards –
and she did it without saying a word.
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The 29-year-old superstar announced her pregnancy on the red carpet
by cupping her stomach in an “I’m expecting” sort of way. Wearing a
blond ponytail and flowing red gown, she used her hands to show the
tiniest beginnings of a baby bump.
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A publicist for the pop star confirmed the pregnancy to The
Associated Press Sunday.
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Beyonce and Jay-Z were married in 2008. This will be their first
child together.
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Jay-Z offered a (much smaller) surprise of his own Sunday: He
performed alongside Kanye West on the VMA stage.
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Beyonce took the stage herself later in the show, telling viewers,
“I want you to feel the love that’s growing inside of
me.”
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At the end of her performance, she unbuttoned the sequined blazer
she was wearing and rubbed her tummy on stage. The camera cut away
to Jay-Z, who beamed a broad smile.
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RECORD ADVERTISEMENT: Lil Wayne is taking advantage of his Video
Music Awards performance by dropping his anticipated new album the
very same night.
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The tattooed rapper closed the Video Music Awards with tunes from
his new album as an ad blinked on the bottom of the screen reading:
“Be the first to download `Tha Carter IV’ on iTunes.”
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The album was to be released digitally at midnight on Aug. 29 and
in stores later that day.
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“There’s only one man brilliant enough to piece this plan
together,” rapper Drake said as he introduced Lil Wayne.
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Wayne opened with the melodic “How to Love” before tearing off his
shirt and jumping around during “John,” which borrows heavily from
Black Sabbath’s familiar “Iron Man” riff.
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Fellow rapper Rick Ross called Wayne’s strategically timed album
release “big for hip hop.”
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“The strategic moves we’ve been seeing in the last few months, from
the release of “Watch the Throne” and the pop-up stores, etcetera,
I think it’s big for hip hop and it’s only going to continue to
open doors for biggest numbers and bigger profits and a bigger
future,” Ross said.
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WHAT A DRAG: It was ladies’ night at the Video Music Awards, as
Katy Perry, Adele, Beyonce and Lady Gaga were among the top
performers and winners. But Gaga, and later Nicki Minaj, were also
tuned into their masculine sides.
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Gaga opened MTV’s Video Music Awards dressed in drag as her male
alter-ego, Jo Calderone, who sports short dark hair and smokes
constantly. She/he sat down at the piano and performed Gaga’s
latest single, “You and I.”
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The envelope-pushing artist (who wore a dress made of meat to last
year’s VMAs) remained dressed as Calderone throughout the night.
After accepting the award for best female video for “Born This
Way,” Calderone came into a backstage press room smoking a
cigarette and drinking what looked like whiskey. She stamped the
cigarette out on the carpet before posing for photos.
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Asked what she can express as Calderone that she can’t as Gaga, she
replied, “I don’t understand the question.” She said Gaga asked
Calderone to come in her stead, saying, “If you really love me,
you’ll go instead of me and you’ll get in that
spotlight.”
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“So I did,” said Calderone, describing himself as a guy from New
Jersey whose family hails from Palermo, Italy.
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“I’m not a singer or a model or an actor or anything. I’m a guy,”
she said. “I’m just a guy, you know, and I just wanted to show my
girl how much I love her, that’s all.”
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Earlier in the evening, Nicki Minaj, winner of the hip-hop video
award, said her new album will feature her inner male artist,
Roman.
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“He’s a boy that lives inside of me,” Minaj said. “He’s a lunatic
and he’s gay.”
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BRITNEY TRIBUTE: Britney Spears has made many memorable appearances
at the Video Music Awards (that liplock with Madonna, dancing with
a snake to “Slave 4 U”), and she was honored for them with the
Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.
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Lady Gaga, dressed in drag as her male alter-ego, presented the
moon man trophy to a smiling Spears.
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“One of my biggest inspirations was Britney Spears,” Gaga said.
“Britney taught me how to be fearless. She taught us all how to be
fearless. She’s a pop-music legend and the industry would not be
the same without her.”
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Gaga’s male Jo Calderone character then lingered, apparently hoping
for a kiss from Spears, but Spears demurred.
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“I’ve done that already,” she said.
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Dancers performed a medley of Spears’ most popular songs, iconic
outfits and signature dance moves.
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“This award means so much to me,” she said. “Especially on the
night before Michael Jackson’s birthday. He had such a huge
influence on me.”
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But other celebs at the Video Music Awards said Spears was their
big influence, including teen superstars Selena Gomez and Justin
Bieber.
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“She’s been a huge inspiration to me,” Gomez said. “I just think
that she doesn’t really take no for an answer. A lot of people try
to bring her down and maybe judge her too quickly, and she still
makes a comeback and she’s still hot.”
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Bieber called Spears “an icon,” saying, “She opened the doors for
young people to do what they love.”
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– AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen can be reached at“text-decoration: none; color: #000066;” href=
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Beyonce performs at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday Aug.28, 2011, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
“> Beyonce performs at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday Aug.
28, 2011, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
