When Beyoncé initially released her surprise, self-titled offering several weeks ago, there were more than a few calling her "King" Beyoncé for the way she executed a masterful power move. Some men thought "Queen" was the lessor moniker. But how foolish they were. Like the Queen of England, Egypt and so many females who have reigned with a vengeance, Beyoncé is a force – female or male – to be reckoned with.
After a third straight week at the top of the Billboard charts, The Hollywood Reporter says she is on track to have one of the longest reigning No. 1 releases ever. Industry insiders say the set has sold around 250,000 copies for the week ending Dec. 29. The offering sold 991,000 copies in its first 10 days on the charts, according to SoundScan. Long live the Queen.
You would think that everybody in the world is feeling B’s surge to the top of the charts, but that wouldn’t be true. The song "XO" is currently under fire by, of all people, NASA for using an audio clip of the voice of mission commentator Steven Nesbitt during the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986. Knowles has since told ABC News of her intentions in using audio clip.
"The song 'XO' was recorded with the sincerest intention to help heal those who have lost loved ones and to remind us that unexpected things happen," the singer told ABC News on Monday. "So love and appreciate every minute that you have with those who mean the most to you."
The surviving members of the families of the astronauts that lost their lives also released a statement.
"We were disappointed to learn that an audio clip from the day we lost our heroic Challenger crew was used in the song 'XO,'" June Scobee Rodgers, the widow of STS-51L commander Richard "Dick" Scobee and founding chair of the Challenger Center for Space Science Education, wrote in a statement released Monday. "The moment included in this song is an emotionally difficult one for the Challenger families, colleagues and friends."
Don’t be surprised if a civil suit or behind the scenes settlement of some sort pops up somewhere down the line. The only way to massage hurt feelings these days appears to be with dollar signs.
