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Beyoncé Gave an Incredibly Powerful Speech to Hurricane Harvey Survivors in Houston


In the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Beyoncé, a born-and-bred Houstonian, has made a commitment to support charities that support recovery efforts in Texas through her foundation, BeyGOOD. Bread of Life, Greater Houston Community Foundation, and Texas Southern University have all been on her organization’s list for giving, but residents of Houston got another form of outreach on Friday: a visit from Queen B herself.

Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, and Beyoncé’s mother Tina Knowles Lawson showed up at St. Johns Church in Houston at a BeyGOOD event to support victims of the hurricane. Beyoncé spoke about how the church was her home, delivering a powerful message to all Houstonians impacted by the storm.

“You are such an incredible example of what light and love is,” Beyoncé told the crowd. “And this today is a celebration of survival. Y’all are my family. Houston is my home. And I thank God that y’all are safe, that your children are safe. The thing that really matters is your health and your children and your family and God.”

“And I just to want to say I love you. I am so, so thankful to God that I feel blessed so that I can bless other people. And I ask you guys to continue to do that for other people.”

The Knowles-Carters also served meals to survivors.

Other celebrities have also rallied to the cause: the Kardashians, Miley Cyrus, President Donald Trump, Sandra Bullock, Taylor Swift, and others have all pledge to donate substantial sums to relief efforts. It’s great to see such an outpouring of support to help those who have been affected by the hurricane from those in a position to donate.

To join in Hurricane Harvey relief efforts—no matter where you live!—check out this list of organizations working to provide much-needed tampons, pads, and diapers to those displaced by the storm.

Related Stories:
–Miley Cyrus Pledges $500,000 to Help Victims of Hurricane Harvey
–This Woman Is Inspiring People to Donate to Harvey Relief—By Sending Them Cat Photos
-[The Kardashians Are Donating $500,000 to Hurricane Harvey Relief](/story/kardashians-donating-500000-to-hurricane-harvey-relief



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Taylor Swift's Video Director Says Beyoncé Copied 'Bad Blood,' but Where Are the Receipts?


I love Joseph Kahn‘s music videos. If you’re unfamiliar with his work, he’s helmed some of the most important pop clips in history—Britney Spears’ “Toxic,” Lady Gaga’s “LoveGame,” and all the best videos from Taylor Swift’s 1989 album. He also directed Swift’s most recent video, “Look What You Made Me Do.” The man is talented—insanely talented. The “Womanizer” video is literally why I’m gay.

But goddamnit, Kahn’s talking is getting in the way of my love for his videos. First, he tweeted about how cultural appropriation is “hot” and actually not bad at all. Then, he came for the BeyHive, which is just a fundamental mistake in 2017. And now he’s pitting Swift and Beyoncé against each other for no reason at all.

Let’s back up: When Swift teased her “Look What You Made Me Do” video before the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards, people started saying she ripped off Beyoncé’s Formation era. Of course, the comparisons went away after Swift dropped the full video. Truthfully, they’re not really that similar—which Kahn said in a (very rational) tweet right before the video was released.

His latest comments about the situation, however, are not rational. Instead of putting the Bey vs. Taylor fire out for good, Kahn chose to say this in his recent interview with the Los Angeles Times:

“[‘Look What You Made Me Do’ is] not ‘Formation’ at all. They try to say she’s wearing a black
crop top and Beyoncé wore a black crop top. But they don’t realize in
2015 in ‘Bad Blood,’ Taylor Swift was wearing a black crop top. I
really do think, by the way, that Beyoncé copied ‘Bad Blood.’”

Um, what? Beyoncé copied the “Bad Blood” video? How? When? Hold up, let me conduct a thorough receipt investigation:

Still looking. Stand by.

Almost done.

There are none. At no point in Beyoncé’s Lemonade did she throw on a red wig and recruit a group of Victoria’s Secret models to wage an intergalactic war against Selena Gomez’s bob. She didn’t wear latex or knee-high boots and stomp around while Lena Dunham smoked a cigar. She didn’t have a kiki with three Hailee Steinfelds. Where is Kahn getting his info? Taylor Swift Fan Theory Tumblr?

Honestly, this is all just so dumb. Swift and Kahn silenced the Beyoncé copycat haters when they released the “Look What You Made Me Do” clip in full. The video is 100 percent original—and good! I watch it 20 times a day, minimum. The work speaks for itself.

However, these quotes will spark another war between the fandoms—and we’re creating more drama between two female artists where there really isn’t any. The criticisms of Swift’s new video were valid when we only had a five-second preview of it, but they’re not anymore. And neither is the notion that Beyoncé’s main inspiration for Lemonade was a nunchucks-wielding Cara Delevingne. Let’s not make any more bad blood.



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Beyoncé Celebrated Her Birthday With a Queen B-Inspired Geode Cake


PHOTO: Kevin Mazur/NARAS/Getty Images

Beyoncé rang in her 36th birthday, known to the rest of us mere mortals as “Bey Day,” with a geode cake fit for a queen.

The gem-inspired cake—that began gaining popularity in 2016 for its Instagrammable marbled effect—was created by local Philadelphia bakery Cake Life Bake Shop and delivered to the Made in America festival, where Beyoncé was performing and, by default, celebrating her big day. According to Philadelphia Magazine, the team at Cake Life had no idea they were making a cake for Bey herself when the project was first commissioned. Lilly Fischer, the shop’s co-owner, reportedly got a “mysterious” request to create a black and yellow layer cake in the popular geode style that was to be delivered to the music festival. She apparently did a bit of digging, and eventually realized who the request had come from.

“It was pretty amazing,” Fischer told the magazine. “Everyone here knows that I love Beyoncé…pretty much the whole week we just blasted Beyoncé.”

When it came to creating the confectionary masterpiece, Fischer and her team had total “creative freedom” with the design. They created a three-tier honey and lavender flavored cake and decorated it with edible sugar crystals and gold crown-shaped cookies inspired by Bey’s 2017 Grammys’ performance, Philly Mag reports. TBA on how much the cake cost (“a pretty penny,” was all Fisher would reveal).

The gem of a cake wasn’t the only epic birthday treat Bey received on September 4: In honor of her special day, her family and closest friends—including Serena Williams, Michelle Obama, and Kelly Rowland—recreated the iconic hat-and-braids look from her Formation video to raise money for Hurricane Harvey relief. And in case that wasn’t enough, hubby Jay Z led the Made In America crowd through a massive rendition of “Happy Birthday” before it was time to dig into the geode.

If Beyoncé herself were ever recreated in cake form, this would 100% be it. We are not worthy.

Related: Jay-Z Just Revealed the Meaning Behind Rumi and Sir Carter’s Names



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A New Beyoncé Music Video Is Coming, So Get in Formation


Beyoncé has a habit of jumping back into the music industry when it desperately needs her. After a string of disappointing pop albums by all your faves in 2013—let’s not talk about Britney Jean—Beyoncé released her surprise, self-titled album and subsequently slayed America. Three years later, after the blissful high from Rihanna’s ANTI wore off, she blessed us with Lemonade. And now, rumor has it she’s doing it again. Right as Taylor Swift decided it was a good idea to start rapping, news breaks that a new Beyoncé music video might be on the way. Get in formation! Ring the alarm! Other Beyoncé lyric reference!

In a new interview with La Presse, acclaimed director Michel Gondry revealed that one of his upcoming projects is a “clip for a Beyoncé song.” Unfortunately for the BeyHive, though, that’s all he said. There’s no word yet on the song’s title, release date, or if it’s a single for a new album. It could easily just be a one-off or track for a movie, like “Check on It.” Sidebar: Remember “Check on It?” The song Beyoncé did for the 2006 Pink Panther remake, which she also starred in? What a time to be alive!

So why haven’t we been blessed with this mysterious Bey project yet, you ask? “[The video] hasn’t been released because she had her twins,” Gondry told La Presse. (Beyoncé welcomed Sir and Rumi Carter in June 2017.) “But the is finished and it’s very, very good, I think.”

We don’t even have to see the video to know it’s more than “very, very good.” This is Beyoncé we’re talking about, people. She makes music videos on her downtime just for shits and giggles, and they turn into viral sensations. (Please see: “7/11.”) The visuals on both Beyoncé and Lemonade literally transformed music video-making; this new clip will undoubtedly move the dial forward, again, in some way. Let the countdown—eh?—begin.



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Michelle Obama Dressed Up as Beyoncé for Bey's Birthday, and It's Absolute Perfection


Today is Beyoncé’s 36th birthday, and those inside and outside of the Beyhive are paying due homage to Queen B—hubby Jay Z even got an entire music festival crowd to sing “Happy Birthday” to her. (To be honest, we’re just surprised it wasn’t a spontaneous effort.) There was one birthday surprise lurking on the singer’s website, though—and it involves a not-insignificant group of women in Bey’s inner circle dressed up in one of the singer’s most iconic “Formation” looks. One of them just so happens to be former FLOTUS, and close friend, Michelle Obama. And she nailed it.

We know what you’re thinking, and no, a more perfect celeb friendship does not—and will never—exist. The Obamas and Carters, after all, have a history that goes deep—to the point where a video clip of Barack Obama referencing Bey’s impending twins went viral because Twitter surmised that he’d possibly just revealed their gender. And you have to be really tight with the Carter camp to get that kind of intel. Beyoncé and Michelle Obama have even been known to party together (which, where was our invite to this?)—and who can forget all the way back in 2008, when Queen B sang “At Last” at Barack’s first inauguration? Or when they collaborated on then-FLOTUS’ famous “Let’s Move” campaign? Or B’s letter to Michelle in 2012, saying that she was proud Blue Ivy had Michelle to look up to?

(Puts away tissues.)

Anywho, in honor of Bey’s b’day, this photo series was released on the singer’s website, and it’s the closest thing to perfection this good green Earth has ever seen. Ready for this?

Here’s Michelle:

Jay Z’s mom, Gloria Carter, also got in on it.

Beyoncé’s mom, Tina Knowles Larson, showed up for the shoot, too.

As did Serena Williams.

Even Blue Ivy makes an appearance, which we CANNOT handle.

It’s all too much, to be honest. But that’s exactly how Bey’s birthday should be, right? See the rest of the absolutely fantastic doppelgängers—including former Destiny’s Child members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams—on Beyonce.com.

Related Stories:
–Beyoncé Is Kicking Off Her Birthday Weekend With the Whole Crew
–This Video of Beyoncé and Michelle Obama Partying Together Will Make You Jealous
–An Entire Music Festival Crowd Just Paid Their Birthday Respects to Beyoncé



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An Entire Music Festival Crowd Just Paid Their Birthday Respects to Beyoncé


Beyoncé Giselle Knowles Carter turns 36 today, which means the Beyhive is buzzing. There’s no word yet on how Bey, hubby Jay Z, or their three kids—Blue Ivy, Rumi and Sir—are officially celebrating her big day; however, we do know that last night, the family was in Philly. The occasion? Budweiser’s Made In America Festival, where Jay Z headlined a set.

Not missing an opportunity to celebrate, Jay Z told the crowd, “Shout out to Beyoncé. Beautiful Bey is in the house tonight. Happy birthday, my love!” before leading everyone in singing the chorus from Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday.”

In video captured at the event, we can see Beyoncé smiling as the crowd properly celebrates the queen she is, with fellow former Destiny’s Child member Michelle Williams standing beside her. Earlier, Bey and Blue Ivy got their grooves on while Jay performed.

Beyoncé’s sister Solange was also a performer at the festival, which meant that basically the whole crew was together for what must be a very special birthday weekend.

Check it out:

Perhaps the person who most enjoyed the weekend, though, was Cardi B. The “Bodak Yellow” rapper got this picture out of the festival. In other words, she hath been anointed:

Beyoncé, a Houston native, made headlines earlier this week for her response to the destruction wrought by Hurricane Harvey. After initially posting her prayers for Texas on Instagram, the singer made a statement to the Houston Chronicle about her plans to help affected Houstonians through her BeyGOOD initiative.

Less importantly, she was also dragged into the sturm and drang over Taylor Swift’s new video.

Here’s hoping Beyoncé and her family have a wonderful weekend celebrating. Maybe we’ll get a party pic with Rumi and Sir’s inevitable new playmate, Serena Williams’ daughter? After all, if anyone’s going to have a power-clique birthday, it’s Queen B.

RELATED: Beyoncé Is Kicking Off Her Birthday Weekend With the Whole Crew



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