Jay Z, Beyonce and Drake score most BET Awards nominations

Beyonce and Jay-Z perform ''Drunk In Love'' at the 56th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California January 26, 2014.

(Reuters) - Music's power couple Jay Z and Beyonce, and rapper Drake led the BET Awards nominations announced on Wednesday with five nods each, followed by R&B singer Pharrell Williams and hip-hop singer August Alsina with four.
Jay Z and Drake will vie for best male hip-hop artist along with Future, J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar. The two will also battle it out for video of the year with other nominees Beyonce, Chris Brown and Williams.
Beyonce also earned nods for best female R&B/pop artist and best collaboration, with husband Jay Z on "Drunk in Love," as well as nominations for video of the year for "Drunk in Love" and her song "Partition."
"This year's nominees represent the best of our culture," Stephen Hill, BET's president of music programming and specials, said in a statement.
The annual BET Awards began in 2001 to celebrate African-American and other minorities in categories spanning music, film and sports. The awards will be presented live on the cable TV network BET, Black Entertainment Television, which is part of Viacom Inc, on June 29 from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.
In the film category, Oscar nominees Angela Bassett and Oprah Winfrey as well as Gabrielle Union, Kerry Washington and Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong'o scored nods for top actress.
Oscar nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor, Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker along with Idris Elba, Kevin Hart and Michael B. Jordan will compete for the best actor award.
Tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, basketball players LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Blake Griffin and boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. earned nominations in the sports category.
(Reporting by Patricia Reaney; Editing by Eric Kelsey and Nick Zieminski)

New York hotel probes video leak of apparent Jay Z family fracas

Jay Z and Beyonce Knowles arrive at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala Benefit celebrating the opening of ''Charles James: Beyond Fashion'' in Upper Manhattan, New York, May 5, 2014

(Reuters) - A New York boutique hotel on Monday said it was investigating how a recording of a security video that purportedly shows rapper Jay Z being attacked by his sister-in-law, R&B singer Solange Knowles, was leaked to a website.
The video posted by celebrity website TMZ.com appears to show the 27-year-old Knowles, younger sister of Beyonce, charging and striking Jay Z several times in an elevator at the Standard Hotel in New York's Meatpacking District before being restrained.
Beyonce looks on in the three-and-a-half-minute video without audio, which quickly became an internet sensation, sparking several parody videos and photos.
The three are seen dressed in clothing that they had worn to the Met Gala benefit on the night of May 5. But representatives for all three did not immediately respond to requests for confirmation of the incident.
The hotel, the venue for a post-gala party, promised to prosecute whoever was behind the recording, calling it a breach of security and guest confidentiality.
"We are investigating with the utmost urgency the circumstances surrounding the situation and, as is our customary practice, will discipline and prosecute the individuals involved to our fullest capacity," the hotel said in a statement without naming Jay Z, Beyonce or Solange Knowles.
The Standard Hotel, which has locations in Los Angeles and Miami Beach, Florida, is controlled by hotelier Andre Balazs' Standard International management company.
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Mary Milliken and Marguerita Choy)

Kim Kardashian, Beyonce named most powerful moms

Kim Kardashian, Beyonce and Victoria Beckham have been named among the 50 Most Powerful Moms of 2014.
The trio, along with other famous faces including Christina Aguilera, Kerry Washington, Shakira, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Sandra Bullock, have been recognised by Working Mother magazine in their annual list as parents who "inspire us to keep striving for bigger and better."

The publication selected mothers across eight categories, Entertainment/Literature, Fashion/Tastemakers, Finance/Business, News/Advertising, Politics, Retail/Manufacturing, Philanthropy and Tech/Science, and recognises those who "have demonstrated the talent, business acumen, innovative spirit and sheer guts to make a formidable impact on the world in so many compelling ways."Jennifer Owens, the editorial director of Working Mother Media, said the "formidable" group of women on the list are prime examples of people being able to juggle their careers with family life.
She said: "The 2014 list of 'Most Powerful Moms' is a formidable group of women who manage to balance high-octane careers with caring for their families. From tastemakers to titans, these moms are a thriving group of women who revel in the payoff of integrating their work and motherhood lives."

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