BEYONCE AND JAY-Z WON’T SELL THEIR NEW BABY’S PICTURES: Despite the rumors, Beyonce and Jay-Z’s first baby did not make its debut on New Year’s Eve. But when the little bundle of joy recently arrived, you didn’t catch a glimpse of their baby on the cover of a celebrity weekly.
“They are one of the most private couples, and we have made several offers to their people about running exclusive images of mother and baby, but no one has responded,” an editor recently reported.
Today, some celebrity babies are splashed across the covers of weekly magazines before they’ve even opened their eyes. Often when such a deal is made, the contract stipulates that the baby cannot be seen in public for a few weeks before and/or after the magazine hits the newsstands.
“If Beyonce and Jay-Z do decide to share their child with the world, they will probably go the same route as Tom Cruise and Katie [Holmes],” the editor noted. “Instead of selling the images to a weekly publication, they would give them away for nothing to lock in a cover of a monthly like Vanity Fair. But knowing this couple, it is unlikely we will ever see a staged picture of the child.” A spokesperson for Vanity Fair declined to comment.
Brad and Angelina broke the record when they sold images of their twins, Knox and Vivienne, for upwards of $12 million, with the understanding that the proceeds would be donated to charity. Other celebrities who have sold baby pictures include Jennifer Lopez, Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Alba, Jamie Lynn Spears and Tori Spelling. However, Beyonce and Jay-Z are so private that after their 2008 wedding, they refused to even confirm they had tied the knot.
“Everyone reached out to the couple to buy wedding pictures and they refused,” an industry insider revealed. “They have an estimated net worth of over $700 million. It’s not like they need the money.”
Nevertheless, Beyonce and Jay-Z are very pleased to have their first child. “We are happy to announce the arrival of our beautiful Blue Ivy Carter, born on Saturday, January 7, 2012,” they wrote. “Her birth was emotional and extremely peaceful, we are in heaven. She was delivered naturally at a healthy seven pounds, and it was the best experience of both of our lives. We are thankful to everyone for all your prayers, well wishes, love and support.”
Personally speaking, I’d like to congratulate Beyonce and Jay-Z on the birth of their first child.
DON CHEADLE’S NEW “HOUSE OF LIES” MAKES A STRONG TV DEBUT: According to Deadline.com, the new dark comedy “House of Lies,” starring Don Cheadle, recently debuted on a Sunday night with 1.03 million viewers at 10 p.m. It was in line with the network’s recent series premiere of drama “Homeland,” which opened with 1.08 million in October. However, “Homeland” had a bigger lead-in, and for the night over three plays, “House of Lies” amassed 1.38 million viewers, 13 percent higher than the opening-night viewership of “Homeland.” (Showtime had a free weekend, but the ratings for its series include only subscribers.)
With online and on-demand sampling, Showtime estimates that some 1.2 million sampled the pilot episode of “House of Lies.” In terms of comedy series debuts, the show landed between Showtime’s two most recent debuts, “The Big C” (1.15 million) and “Episodes” (768,000).
Congratulations, Mr. Cheadle, and may you have continued success with your “House of Lies” TV series.
COMMON’S “HELL ON WHEELS” SEASON 2 AMC RELEASE IS SET: I was recently informed that AMC is set to announce a second season of its Old West drama “Hell on Wheels.” Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that the cable network is expected to announce a formal renewal of the freshman series starring Anson Mount and Common very soon.
The program, which revolves around the building of the first transcontinental railroad, became AMC’s second-highest original series premiere when it launched in November behind the net’s zombie hit “The Walking Dead,” drawing 4.4 million total viewers and an impressive 2.4 million in the key 18-49 demographic.
The western now marks the fifth of six original series to stretch beyond their first seasons as AMC continues to find success with scripted fare, joining “Walking Dead,” “Mad Men,” “Breaking Bad” and “The Killing.” In addition, the series has proven a valuable property internationally.
FYI: The “Hell on Wheels” season 1 finale is set for Jan. 15.
BRITISH ACTRESS NAOMIE HARRIS IS THE LATEST JAMES BOND GIRL: You may not have heard, but it was speculated months ago that British actress Naomie Harris had been signed to play James Bond’s foil, Miss Moneypenny, in the upcoming James Bond film, “Skyfall.” It has now been confirmed that Harris will play an M16 field agent named Eve.
“I’ve been doing yoga three times a week, stunt driving and firing machine guns-which I discovered I had a real taste for. I’m raring to go!” read a statement from Harris.
“Skyfall” will be the James Bond franchise’s 23rd installment.
Harris gained a fan following when she appeared in the thriller “28 Days Later” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Here’s wishing Harris a lot of success in the new James Bond “Skyfall” film.
Here’s wishing you and yours a wonderful week ahead.