The music mogul is thought to be keen on acquiring the 'Single Ladies' hitmaker's services for five series as he searches for a "big name" celebrity to replace axed former judges Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul in order to improve the Fox show's ratings.

A source told MediaTakeout.com: "He wants a big name female star on the panel. Mariah [Carey] is good, but she's not that hot today. "He wants Beyonce because that would immediately give him the bounce needed to beat 'American Idol'."Meanwhile, Randy Jackson thinks Mariah would be an "amazing" US 'X Factor' judge and he hasn't ruled out the possibility of her joining the show.

The 'American Idol' panellist - who manages the 'Hero' singer - told reporters: "She'd be amazing. I mean, I manage her, so of course I'm going to say that. She'd be amazing. "I don't know if that's ever going to happen. Look, Simon's one of the smartest people I know. I'm sure he he's got some very interesting ideas up his sleeve."Despite Randy being a judge on rival show 'American Idol', he would have no problem with the brunette beauty joining US 'X Factor'.

He added: "She's her own person. She can of course do whatever she wants and she always will do that. "Simon's one of my dearest friends in the world."But Randy - who sits on the 'American Idol' panel alongside Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez - admitted he was "sad" to see Paula, Nicole and host Steve Jones axed from 'X Factor'. He explained: "I have not spoken to Paula. We texted back and forth. I'm sad to hear about what's going on with that show. All of those people are dear friends of mine."

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Pop star Beyonce looks set looks to be honoured with a monument in her hometown of Houston, Texas. Developers at Armdeonce Ventures are designing a statue which will highlight the singer's life and showcase memorabilia from her career. Ceo of the company, Marcus Mitchell, tells My Fox Houston, "Our biggest thing is a lot of people get honoured when they die, so our goal is to why not honour people why they're still here? We felt as though it’s her time to be honoured. We wanted to construct, like, a massive hall so as the doors open, if you donated to the monument, you'll have a separate nameplate.

"There will be clips of Beyonce with Destiny’s Child and wardrobe like a mini museum. We’ve gotten support from the city of Houston, from the mayor."Proceeds from the site will be donated to a number of charitable organisations, including Music for America and Beyonce's Survivor Foundation, which offers relief to victims of natural disasters. Bosses are hoping to unveil the project on 4 September (12) - the same day as Beyonce's birthday.

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Beyoncé Knowles has paid tribute to the soul legend Etta James, who lost her battle with leukaemia on Friday last week.

The Love On Top star, 30, who played the role of a young Etta James in the 2008 movie Cadillac Records, hailed the 73-year-old as ““one of the greatest vocalists of our time”. "This is a huge loss,” Beyonce said. “Etta James was one of the greatest vocalists of our time. ”I am so fortunate to have met such a queen. Her musical contributions will last a lifetime."

British singer Adele has also paid tribute to Etta in a post on her own website, writing: "What a lady Etta James was. She was the ultimate original. Her voice was breath taking and her songs are reflections we all recognise in some way or another. "Its an honour every time I hear her voice. I saw her at BB Kings in New York a few years ago, and it was something I will remember forever. Thank you to Etta James. And I send all my love to her family and friends xxxx."

Etta was one of the most influential and critically acclaimed singers of the last century, with a musical career that spanned almost six decades. The multiple Grammy Award winner, often dubbed The Matriarch of R&B, moved seamlessly from styles including blues, jazz and soul.

Notoriously feisty in both her private and personal life, James slammed Beyoncé in 2009 after the singer performed her most famous hit, At Last, at the inauguration ball for president Barack Obama.

Speaking from the stage of Seattle's Paramount Theatre, the outspoken singer said: "You guys know your president, right? You know the one with the big ears? Wait a minute, he ain't my president. He might be yours; he ain't my president.

“But I tell you that woman he had singing for him, singing my song — she's going to get her a** whupped."Etta later apologised for the comments, suggesting she was simply upset not to have been asked to perform the song herself.

The 73-year-old passed away at a hospital in California following a long battle with leukaemia on Friday last week. Family members, including her husband Artis Mills and sons Donto and Sametto, were at the singer’s side during her last moments.

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Beyonce Knowles feels "fortunate" to have met Etta James. The singer-and-actress portrayed the legendary singer in 2008 movie 'Cadillac Records' and says she always remember Etta fondly following her death earlier today (20.01.12).

She said in a statement: "Etta James was one of the greatest vocalists of our time. I am so fortunate to have met such a queen. Her musical contributions will last a lifetime. "Playing Etta James taught me so much about myself, and singing her music inspired me to be a stronger artist. When she effortlessly opened her mouth, you could hear her pain and triumph. Her deeply emotional way of delivering a song told her story with no filter. She was fearless, and had guts. She will be missed."

Earlier today, Beyonce's former Destiny's Child bandmate Kelly Rowland also paid tribute to Etta, after she died at the age of 73 following a battle with leukaemia. She tweeted: "CLASSIC. ONE OF A KIND. PURE SOUL. ETTA JAMES! Thank You for gracing us with your incredible talent & presence! (sic)" Etta had been diagnosed with leukaemia in 2010, according to her long time friend and manager, Lupe De Leon, and died in hospital in Riverside, California.

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Shortly after news of Etta James's passing broke out, condolences began to pour in. All kinds of celebrities from music's big names to TV stars took to Twitter and other media to remember the life and legacy of the R&B icon. Among those were singers Aretha Franklin, Beyonce Knowles and Christina Aguilera.

Paying tribute to Etta, 69-year-old Aretha has nothing but praises for the music legend. In a statement she released to the press, the "Respect" hitmaker gushed, "Etta James was one of the great soul singers of our generation. An American original! I loved 'Pushover,' 'At Last' and almost any and everything she recorded. When Etta SUNG, you heard it!"

Queen Bey, who starred as Etta in 2008's "Cadillac Records", wrote on her website that the 73-year-old's passing is "a huge loss". She continued on, "Etta James was one of the greatest vocalists of our time. I am so fortunate to have met such a queen. Her musical contributions will last a lifetime."

"Playing Etta James taught me so much about myself, and singing her music inspired me to be a stronger artist. When she effortlessly opened her mouth, you could hear her pain and triumph. Her deeply emotional way of delivering a song told her story with no filter. She was fearless, and had guts. She will be missed."

"The Voice" judge and mentor Christina, in the meantime, shared her thoughts on the late "At Last" hitmaker in a statement to MTV News. "Etta James was a force to be reckoned with," she took note. "A true gift to music and a woman of great spirit and courage."

"Her raw tone and the passion she put forth on a record spoke to me at a very young age and has continued to influence and inspire me throughout my career. She will NEVER be forgotten, her voice will forever live on and she will inspire talent for generations to come."

Other singers mourning the loss of Etta on Twitter included Pink and Flo Rida. "RIP to the late and great Etta James. Your voice and your fight inspired me and many. I love that through recordings,people can live forever," Pink wrote on her account. Flo said on his, "I'm deeply saddened by the passing of the Great Etta James and I will be forever grateful for the gift she Blessed me with."

As for the other celebrities, "Glee" star Amber Riley tweeted, "RIP Etta James :( such a unique & beautiful voice." Nigel Lythgoe, the executive producer of "American Idol", recalled, "One of the #IDOL finalists just sang 'I'd Rather Go Blind' yesterday. We were saying how great Etta James was and now we've lost her." He noted in another tweet, "She was inspirational to many young singers."

Burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese wrote, "Sad to hear we've lost the great Etta James. #nowplaying All I Could Do Was Cry/ I Would Rather Go Blind," while comedienne Roseanne Barr said, "Etta James-Rest In Peace, dear lady-read her book 'A Rage to Survive' -great american feminist."

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Beyonce Knowles is one of the musicians who dominate nomination list for the 43rd Annual NAACP Image Awards. Along with fellow female artist Jill Scott, the R&B diva, who just welcomed her first daughter with Jay-Z, scores a total of five nods.

Queen Bey is up for Outstanding Female Artist, competing against Jill, Jennifer Hudson, Ledisi and Mary J. Blige. She's also vying for Outstanding Music Video that puts her once again in a battle against Jill, J-Hud and Mary J. in addition to fighting Adele.

The new mom receives her two other noms in Outstanding Song and Outstanding Album. She's pitted against Jill, Adele, Cee-Lo Green and Kirk Franklin in the former category, and faces off Jill, J-Hud, Chris Brown and Lupe Fiasco in the latter.

For Outstanding Male Artist, Breezy is listed as a contender along with Cee-Lo, Anthony Hamilton, Bruno Mars and Common. In Outstanding New Artist, meanwhile, Diggy Simmons is fighting against Mindless Behavior, Wynter Gordon, Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. and Committed.

Other nominee is Drake. The Canadian rapper is nominated for Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration, thanks to his duet with Mary J. in "Mr. Wrong". They are up against Boyz II Men, Sounds of Blackness, The Roots and Cee-Lo ft. Melanie Fiona.

2012 NAACP Image Awards will air Friday, February 17 on NBC at 8 P.M. ET. Continuing its tradition celebrate "the accomplishments of people of color," it will also honor the best in movie and TV.

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Former Destiny’s Child singer Beyoncé has been receiving lots of kind words from her former band mates in regards to her new baby daughter, Blue Ivy Carter. Blue Ivy was delivered naturally on January 7 in a New York City hospital and friends of Jay-Z and Beyoncé have spoken of how gorgeous the baby girl is.

Michelle Williams explained, "She is absolutely gorgeous. We were all in love. Beyoncé and Jay-Z have already settled into their role of being parents, and it's just awesome to see." However, fellow Destiny’s Child band member Kelly Rowland was a little bit more tight lipped about Blue Ivy Carter, when asked which of the parents she looks like.
 
Kelly added, "That will be something that everybody will have to experience the same way I did. That's for her parents to disclose, not myself." There had been a lot of rumours about when Beyoncé gave birth, with many claiming that she had her baby on New Year’s Eve but these rumours were revealed to be false when Beyoncé went into labour on January 7. Jay-Z and Beyoncé then revealed that they had decided to name their daughter Blue Ivy Carter.

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Contrary to recent report, Beyonce Knowles hasn't done any interviews after giving birth to her baby daughter. Words ran wild on Tuesday, January 17 that the "Love on Top" singer gave her first post-baby Blue Ivy interview to Star U.K. magazine, but her representative was quick to set the record straight.

Responding to the spreading online story which headline reads, "Beyonce World Exclusive first interview", a representative for the singer wife of Jay-Z told Access Hollywood that it is "completely made up". Asked about the legitimacy of the interview, the rep simply stated, "Absolutely not."

An editor for Star U.K., however, insisted, "It is not made up or fictitious at all." The editor explained, "We bought the interview from a reporter in the U.S. who conducted the interview with Beyonce before the birth. The reporter then obtained the 'top-up' info after the birth, which we believe to have been signed off by a girl on her LSM team."

Despite the editor's claim that the story was made up from two interviews, Star U.K. didn't made any reference to it in the article. In fact, the first line of the story reads, "Talking exclusively to Star in her first interview since giving birth, Beyonce Knowles told us she had an 'instant connection' with her daughter Blue Ivy."

In the so-called first interview, Queen Bey was quoted as describing her feeling after giving birth to Blue Ivy. "Nothing can describe the feeling," she reportedly said. "You have the instant connection once you know your child is growing inside you, but when you hold it for the first time, the words can't be found."

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Shortly after Beyonce Knowles gave birth to her first child with Jay-Z, words came out that her tight security prevented other parents to see their newborns. The "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" hitmaker, however, insisted in an interview with Star magazine, "It wasn't the case."

"As usual, certain things have been made up or exaggerated but that seemed to be the story of the pregnancy," said the 30-year-old as quoted by British paper Metro. She explained, "Security was very tight but not just for the sake of it. It was for the security of our daughter - that was always the most important thing and everybody involved made it such a safe and smooth process."

During the chat, the "Love on Top" singer also opened up about how she felt when holding baby Blue Ivy for the first time. "Nothing can describe the feeling," she gushed. "You have the instant connection once you know your child is growing inside you, but when you hold it for the first time, the words can't be found."

Though her daughter has become the most talked-about baby of the new year, Queen Bey is adamant to give her little girl a "normal" life. She said, "At home, she'll be part of a normal, loving family with a loving mom, a loving dad, a loving aunt and loving grandparents, just like any other kid."

As for her husband's involvement in taking care the baby, the R&B diva said, "He will change diapers, of course he will. He is going to be a very hands-on father." She explained, "He has already said publicly that providing isn't love. Love is being there. Love is doing the little things for your child."

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Beyonce Knowes and Jay-Z have made a $100,000 donation to the New York hospital where they welcomed daughter Blue Ivy into the world. The couple - who became parents for the first time last Saturday (07.01.12) - are said to have given a "very large" financial offering to Lenox Hill Hospital before the singer checked in to the facility's brand new "executive suite".

An insider told RadarOnline.com: "Jay Z and Beyonce made a very large donation to Lenox Hill Hospital several months ago - the donation was at least $100,000."The superstar pair have already splashed out more than $1.5 million on lavish gifts for their newborn daughter, including a $600,000 rocking horse, a $15,000 high chair and a $30,000 playhouse.

A source recently explained: "They're really pulling out all the stops - the two of them have been spending like there's no tomorrow! Together they've bought a Swarovski-studded high chair by Carla Monchen for $15,000, and a Fantasy 'posh tots' coach carriage crib for $22,000. "Jay-Z bought Beyonce a solid gold handmade Ginza Tanaka rocking horse for $600,000. They've even splashed out on a $30,000 magical windmill playhouse for the garden and a mini Bugatti car, too."

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