On her birthday, Beyonc & eacute; will release her 'B'Day'

On her birthday, Beyonc & eacute;will release her 'B'Day'
NEW YORK -- Beyonc & eacute; Knowles will celebrate her 25th birthday with the release of "B'Day," her second solo album.
The album will be released internationally on her birthday, Sept. 4, and in the United States on Sept. 5, Columbia Records announced recently.
"B'Day" has all new music co-produced, written and arranged by Knowles, the record label said. The first single, "Deja Vu," features Knowles' boyfriend, rap mogul Jay-Z, as a guest artist.
Knowles, who fronted R & amp;B girl group Destiny's Child, won five Grammy Awards for her top-selling solo debut, 2003's "Dangerously in Love."
She stars opposite Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy in the Hollywood adaptation of the Broadway musical "Dreamgirls," slated for release Dec. 25.
'American Idol' winnersigns record contract
NEW YORK -- Taylor Hicks has taken step two on his "American Idol"-fueled career, signing the record contract that comes with winning the hit talent competition.
The gray-haired crooner inked a pact with music mogul Clive Davis in conjunction with 19 Recordings Unlimited, the label managed by "American Idol" creator Simon Fuller, it was announced Wednesday.
The 29-year-old Alabama native's recording of two songs -- "Do I Make You Proud," which he performed on the show's finale, and a soulful cover of the Doobie Brothers classic "Takin' It to the Streets" -- will be released in stores and through digital outlets June 13.
With Davis' guidance, Hicks is expected to release a full-length album later this year.
In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Davis, who has molded the careers of previous "Idol" winners, said he thinks Hicks has charisma and a unique singing style that will help him establish his pop audience.
"He definitely has his own sound," Davis told the AP. "He does have that gift, you know who it is when you hear him."
Lisa on 'Saved by the Bell'sues tabloid over story
LOS ANGELES -- Lark Voorhies, who played Lisa Turtle in TV's "Saved by the Bell," has sued The National Enquirer for libel over an article that included claims she had a drug problem.
The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, was filed Tuesday in Superior Court.
The lawsuit says Voorhies, whom it describes as a "famous and popular actress," lost several "potential acting and hosting jobs" after the tabloid published a June 2005 article that said she was hospitalized for a cocaine addiction.
Her doctor wrote a letter confirming that she had no addiction and was not hospitalized for drug abuse, the lawsuit said.
The tabloid story was "patently false and heinous," and humiliated her, the actress stated in her lawsuit, which alleges libel, invasion of privacy, unauthorized use of her image, name or voice and other claims.
Today's birthdays
Actor Milo O'Shea is 81. Actor Stacy Keach is 65. Rock musician Charlie Watts is 65. Singer William Guest (Gladys Knight & amp; The Pips) is 65. Actor Charles Haid is 63. Composer Marvin Hamlisch is 62. Movie director Lasse Hallstrom is 60. Actor Jerry Mathers is 58. Actress Joanna Gleason is 56. Actor Dennis Haysbert is 52. Comedian Dana Carvey is 51. Actor Gary Grimes is 51. Rock singer Tony Hadley (Spandau Ballet) is 46. Singer Merril Bainbridge is 38. Rapper B-Real (Cypress Hill) is 36. Actress Paula Cale is 36. Actor-comedian Wayne Brady is 34. Actor Wentworth Miller is 34. Rock musician Tim Rice-Oxley (Keane) is 30. Actress Nikki Cox is 28. Actor Justin Long is 28. Actor Deon Richmond is 28. Rhythm-and-blues singer Irish Grinstead (702) is 26. Rock musician Fabrizio Moretti (The Strokes) is 26. Country singer Dan Cahoon (Marshall Dyllon) is 23.