'BEYONCE: YEAR OF 4' TELEVISION SPECIAL

MTV and BET highlighted the release of Beyoncé's highly-anticipated new album 4 by taking viewers on a journey through B's artistic process in a half-hour television special entitled “Beyoncé: Year of 4." The documentary is the story of Beyoncé’s return after disappearing from the public eye for over a year.  Watch above.

MARK HALPERIN CALLS PRESIDENT OBAMA "A DICK" ON NATIONAL TV

Mark Halperin, Time Magazine Editor-At-Large and a senior political analyst for MSNBC, has been suspended by MSNBC after he called President Obama "a dick" on the MSNBC news show Morning Joe today.

Halperin was asked by the Morning Joe hosts to analyze President Obama's news conference Wednesday, and because he thought he could depend on the networks seven-second delay, Halperin was completely candid saying, "I thought he was kind of a dick yesterday." 

Everyone soon realized that the comment aired due to a technical difficulty, and the suits went into damage control. A few hours after Halperin's remark, MSNBC issued a statement saying that Halperin would be "suspended indefinitely" for his remarks. Halperin also issued an apology stating:

I believe that the step they are taking in response is totally appropriate. Again, I want to offer a heartfelt and profound apology to the president, to my MSNBC colleagues, and to the viewers. My remark was unacceptable, and I deeply regret it. 

Obama pleaded in his 2008 victory speech, "Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long." I'm so over the Obama-haters i don't know what to do! He has been disrespected time and time again, but continues to maintain his dignity and HIS SWAG. 

FIRST LOOK AT KIM ZOLCIAK'S NEWBORN SON

Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kim Zolciak gave birth to her son, Kroy Jagger Biermann, back on May 31st.

In the upcoming issue of Life&Style, Kim shows off her precious boy for the first time explaining, "I'm just so crazy in love with K.J. I'm always kissing his big old lips." It will be interesting to see if she will allow cameras to document her baby boy much on season four of RHOA. 

Kim is still with her partner, Atlanta Falcons defensive end Kroy Biermann, and the couple is considering marriage.   

imagery: David Christensen/Life&Style

TRANSFOMERS LEADING MEN ROCK GREY TO 'DARK SIDE OF THE MOON' PREMIERE

Dark Side of The Moon leading men Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson, and Josh Duhamel all rocked power grey suits for the Times Square premiere of latest Transformers installment. I'm sure all this coordination wasn't a coincidence. Although each of the actors looked GQ at the premiere, who do you think rocked their grey suit best?

Online Surveys & Market Research

imagery: Getty

AROUND THE NET

[CRUNK + DISORDERLY] has exclusive pics of Fantasia & Antwaun Cook reunited and on vacation in Barbados!

Versace is doing a collection for H&M. [STR8NYC] has the rundown on this fashion collabo.

Click over to [KID FURY] to see pics of Kanye West, Dwayne Wade, & Usher at Paris Fashion Week.

Miss Gabourey Sidibe's appearance on Chelsea Handler? No worries. [COTTEN KANDI] has the interview.

[CARLTON JORDAN] has the dish on Tia Mowry's newborn baby & her upcoming Style Network reality show. 

Concrete Loop founder, Angel Laws, recently dropped her book Angel's Laws of Blogging. Read more about this incredible project at [ANGEL ON FIRE]. 

BEYONCE ENJOYS CREATIVE FREEDOM ON '4'

To say that Beyoncé is growing tired of the up-tempo, rump shaking music that catapulted her into solo stardom is Captain Obvious after listening to her new album 4. Filled with mid-tempos and ballads, 4 shows B's musical evolution and the fact that she wants the spotlight on her voice.

B has always loved ballads and mid-tempos (i.e. "Dangerously In Love" & "Me, Myself, & I"), but it was "Irreplaceable" taken from her sophomore album, B-Day, that proved that she could make mid-tempos AND enjoy commercial success. 

Although  it was clear to me that B was ready to change up her musical direction, she knew what fans expected of her.  Therefore on I Am...Sasha Fierce, Beyoncé made a dual disc and the I Am half of that album is very much in line with what we are presented with on 4. 

"If I ain't got nothing, I got you. If I ain't got something, I don't give a damn, Cause I got it with you," Beyoncé belts on 4's first track, "1+1," which she's taunted as her favorite song from the album.  

KELLY ROWLAND PERFORMS "MOTIVATION" AT BET AWARDS

Kelly Rowland gave the first televised performance of her #1 summer smash, "Motivation," tonight at the 2011 BET Awards. To say she killed it is an understatement, it was more of an assassination. She worked the single by performing a mash-up with Trey Songz to "Love Faces."  Check out their performance below and let me know your thoughts! 

KIM KARDASHIAN LEAVING THE GYM IN SHAPE-UPS

Kim Kardashian was spotted leaving Studio City fitness center this morning wearing some Sketchers Shape-ups (she reps the brand) and clutching her favorite Hermès Birkin bag. 

On a side note, am I the only one who tends to chuckle when i see everyday people walking around in these shoes? 

imagery: L. Alley

AMY WINEHOUSE GOES BACK TO DRUNK

When i first started blogging, one of my favorite celebs to write about was Amy Winehouse and her inebriated antics.  Then, all of a sudden, the fun stopped. She started washing her weave, threw the stained flats away, and got a boob job! 

This past weekend, Winehouse was turning old tricks again when she arrived late for a concert in Serbia, and that wasn't the worst of it. Similar to performances of past when she was clearly under the influence, Winehouse displayed come erratic behavior and even need help getting through her song "You Were So Far Away":

...the last time i  saw an artist let a background singer sing a difficult part of their song, Whitney was handing the mic off at the end of "I Will Always Love You."

After this performance, the Winehouse camp canceled the remainder of her European tour (this was the first show). I bet Amy could care less judging from her body language at the end of this set when she threw her hands up and walked off stage in agitation.

WILLIAMS SISTERS RETURN TO TENNIS FOR WIMBLEDON 2011

2011 has been a year marked with injury for both Venus and Serena Williams, but it is no surprise that the sisters stage their grand return to the courts at their favorite tournament, Wimbledon.  Seen above leaving their training session at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, i find it astonishing how dominate the sisters have been on the grass. Ronald Atkin puts it in perspective on wimbledon.com:

The 2011 Championships will be the 12th since the Millennium year of 2000 and only twice in the previous 11 has a Williams failed to walk away with the Venus Rosewater Dish, that glittering symbol of supremacy in the women's game. Venus has won Wimbledon five times, Serena four. 

Venus made her debut during Day 1, rocking a trendy jumpsuit and dominating her opponetnt Akgul Amanmuradova 6-3, 6-1. Serena will hit the courts during Day 2. 

I am SO excited to see both Venus and Serena back on the courts, but i do have a bias when it comes to Wimbledon.  

DIRK NOWITZKI CELEBRATES WIN WITH LIL' WAYNE & TREY SONGZ

 

After the The Dallas Mavericks captured their first championship Sunday, MVP Dirk Nowitzki celebrated at Club LIV in Miami with Mavs fans Lil' Wayne and Trey Songz. Must feel nice to get that ring after 13 years in the game! 

OBAMA FOCUSES ON GETTING PEOPLE BACK TO WORK

Earlier today, President Obama went on the offense in North Carolina in preparation for the first debate featuring the major Republican presidential candidates.

Speaking with his jobs council in Durham to discuss different ideas for jobs creation, the President announced a program to train 10,000 new American engineers every year as part of his plan to boost long-term economic growth. Obama explained:

"Today, the single most serious economic problem we face is getting people back to work. We stabilized the economy, we prevented a financial meltdown and an economy that was shrinking is now growing. But, I'm still not satisfied. I will not be satisfied until everyone who wants a good job that offers some security has a good job that offers security."

Tonight, there is no doubt that the seven GOP hopefuls will take the stage and attack Obama where he's most weak: unemployment and the state of the economy. I'm interested to see who will emerge from the pack as the favorite though.

Something is telling me that this election is going to get messy...sooner than later. 

YELAWOLF'S "DADDY'S LAMBO" VIDEO PREMIERE

Yelawolf is from my hometown of Gadsden, AL, plus his music goes hard. #WINNING Check out the video for his first single, "Daddy's Lambo," above.

AROUND THE NET

[CONCRETE LOOP] has coverage from the 2011 CFDA Fashion Awards attended by Kanye, Lady Gaga, Kerry Washington, plus a host of our favorite models.  

Lil’ Wayne covers Tupac’s 1996 hit “Hail Mary” during his MTV Unplugged set at [POP CULTURE FIX].

Click over to [CRUNK + DISORDERLY] to see how a 'bad bitch' will get you through the check out line quickly.

[STR8 NYC] has the final version of Kanye's "Monster" video featuring Rick Ross, Jay-Z, & Nicki Minaj.

Click over to [MUSIC, GOSSIP, & MORE] to see Jada Pinkett-Smith's stunning Uptown Mag cover.

KELLY ROWLAND AT X-FACTOR AUDITIONS

Kelly Rowland was spotted, in all her flawlessness,  leaving her hotel in Glasgow's West End en route to X-Factor auditions.  Last week, Kelly was confirmed as a judge on the upcoming season of the original X-Factor which airs in the UK. 

Not only does the singer have a #1 hit in the US with "Motivation," but she also scored her eight Top 10 single in the UK this week when her collaboration, "What a Feeling," with Italian Dj Alex Guadino debuted on the charts at #6.  Go, go, go, go!

imagery: PacificCoastNews.com

ROMEO TAKES IT OFF AT THE 2011 MTV MOVIE AWARDS

Fresh off a successful run on Dancing With the Stars, Romeo made an appearance at the 2011 MTV Movie Awards. He even indulged the fans who wanted to get a better look at what was under his shirt:

Yeah, yeah...give the fans what they want.  But see, if Percy "Master P" Miller was going to sell a little ass, he would do so appropriately.  Percy wouldn't be wearing Calvin's...he'd have his No Limit draws on! 

BASKETBALL WIVES SEASON 3 CAST ANALYSIS

Check out a spot-on cast analysis one of my favorite Quicksters sent over to me after checking out last week's season premiere of Basketball Wives:

Click "Read More" to see the rest of the run down.

QUICK JAM: "SAVE ME SAN FRANCISCO" TRAIN

You haven't seen many updates to QCU this week because I'm attending a work conference in San Francisco.   Since Tuesday, I've literally been learning and networking during the day, then partying like a rock star by night.  There's been no time to blog. 

However, as i return from my second consecutive night out at Johnny Foley's, (they have a dueling piano bar!) i feel compelled to share a song that's become a favorite of mine since I've landed in the Bay Area. Train's "Save me San Francisco" perfectly captures the heart of the city and if you are a fan of their monster hit "Hey, Soul Sister" you'll be a fan of this track as well.