THE FACTS
Michelle Williams recently had a photoshoot with celebrity photographer Derek Blanks.

THE SPIN
Michelle Williams has now joined other celebs and celeb-adjacents (almost doesn’t count) who have gone to fame Atlanta photographer Derek Blanks for his trademark alter ego shoot.

On the shoot, Derek told the YBF the concept is based on Michelle being judged as both a Christian artist and secular artist–showing how people are judgmental in and outside of the church.

The purple is her true self, but the yellow images convey how she actually feels.

Or something.

Here are the rest of the pics:




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YOUR SPIN: What do you think about Michelle’s photo shoot?  Tell us here.

Image courtesy of theybf.com

(*The views contained herein are solely the views of their respective authors, and do not express the views of TV One. TV One does not take responsibility for their content.)

THE FACTS
A songwriter has sued Beyonce claiming she stole lyrics for the Destiny’s Child single, “Cater 2 U.”

THE SPIN
In 2006 a man claimed Beyonce copy and pasted his lyrics for the man-serving anthem, “Cater 2 U.”

And now that a judge has allowed the case to be heard before a jury, the Queen Bey herself will take the witness stand next month in Chicago.

Chicago songwriter and performer Rickey Allen says it’s his song, and he copyrighted the song – also entitled “Cater 2 U” – back in the mid 1990s. He says he’s performed the song for years and has updated the copyright multiple times, most recently in the 2000.

Via the Chicago Sun-Times:

When Allen’s song says: “I want to rub you down,” Destiny’s Child asks: “Want a foot rub?”Is this another frivolous suit or are those lyrics too close for comfort?

Allen’s lyrics say: “The tub has hot steam rising,” and “I’m waiting to soak your body through.”

The Destiny’s Child song offers to: “Let me run your bath water.”

“Do we say [Beyonce's] responsible for copying? Yes. But there’s no such thing as innocent copying, even if it’s unintentional,” said Allen’s lawyer, Matt Wildermuth. “The jury will decide the notion that these are simple coincidences.”

Allen says he passed a copy of his “Cater 2 U” to Chicago remixer Maurice Joshua, and the two planned to collaborate on a demo.

That never happened, Allen says. But Joshua later spent several hours in a session with Destiny’s Child recording a different song, according to court papers. Joshua says he never had a copy of Allen’s work.

Early Monday morning, Beyonce’s band mate, Michelle Williams got her digs in, tweeting:

Good Morning!!!! Hmmmm….you know you’ve made it when you’re sued every year! Work hard and get your own coins!

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YOUR SPIN: What do you think? Is it a coincidence?  Tell us here.

Image courtesy of theinsider.com

(*The views contained herein are solely the views of their respective authors, and do not express the views of TV One. TV One does not take responsibility for their content.)

 
THE FACTS
The New York Post’s “Pop Watch” blog has questioned Beyonce’s songwriting claims.

THE SPIN
First off, the blogger behind the post, Ryan Brockington, called Beyonce a bitch at the end of the entry, so already, I was a bit irritated by the entry.

But for argument’s sake, let’s talk about the blogs claims.

They’re alleging that Beyonce is a liar for claiming to write songs that she truly didn’t pen.

Their first example was Chrisette Michele revealing that the track “Ego” was originally meant for her. Chrisette didn’t write the song herself, she only said she was offered it. So in short: Shut up, blogger.

The second example was Beyonce’s songs “Radio,” “Scared of Lonely,” and “Sweet Dreams.”

The producer of “Scared of Lonely,” Rico Love, said to Michelle Williams on video chat, “”I did ‘Radio‘ and ‘Scared Of Lonely,’ but I co-wrote ‘Scared Of Lonely’ with Solange, Lashawn Daniels, and Crystile.”

The blogger – clearly channeling his inner Scooby Doo and the Mystery Machine – points out that the writer didn’t mention Beyonce though she’s credited as a songwriter.

A-ha: She’s a lying woman. Stone her.

Yeah, yawn.

Here’s the thing: A lot of these artists claim to be songwriters, but don’t always write a thing. Some, like Beyonce, serve as vocal arrangements, which points to part of the song’s composition, and thus, receive a songwriting and production credit. Others, like Beyonce, can demand credit based on their name alone.

I myself have heard of new song writers looking for placement with Beyonce’s last album being told Beyonce demands a certain amount of publishing upfront (and it’s substantial) or they could “be paid handsomely” to politely remove their name from the song altogether.

YOUR SPIN: The practice isn’t new, but does any of this change your mind about Beyonce or do you think she needs to stop being given so much credit for songs she didn’t sit down and write herself in total?  Tell us here.

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Image courtesy of aceshowbiz.com

(*The views contained herein are solely the views of their respective authors, and do not express the views of TV One.  TV One does not take responsibility for their content.)