One of the benefits of being married to an R&B/pop star is the new found access to the family photo stash. Swizz Beatz got his hands on a picture of Alica Keys when she was seventeen years old, looking ready for the high school prom/school photo album, and posted it as his Twitter background, for all to see.

It’s official, on Saturday, Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz exchanged wedding vows on the coast of Southern Italy. The picture up top says it all: it was pretty much the ending of any romance movie. Swizz Beatz (via Twitter) summed up the moment with one word: “Wowwwwwwwwww.”

Miss Info has all the particulars..

Last night, the Queen Bee, Lil Kim took the stage at M2 Mansion in NYC, which attracted a cast of characters and adoring fans that know and love her from the indelible Bad Boy era. It has to be nice to still have name recognition in the industry — Lil Kim was a big hit on Dancing with the Stars — but for her actual music career to be on a flat line? That’s something else. Her last album The Naked Truth was released nearly five years ago. Wiki word is in 2009 Kim was working with the Trackmasters (Poke and Tone), but the project crumbled over creative differences.

On December 18, Alicia Keys was on hand at M2 Mansion in NYC for a release party for her stellar new album “The Element of Freedom.” If you don’t have it yet, you need to get off your computer and beat a path to Target/Walmart/Best Buy or pop a tab, click up an online shop and fill a shopping cart. Point is: forget the freebies, good music deserves better dollars (especially these days) and Alicia Keys cooked up something phenomenal for these cold winter months.

On a completely non-musical angle I can tell you listening to the album I wasn’t sure if Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz were still making their lo-pro relationship happen. Oh sure, throughout the album there is the sound and feel of a woman smiling in the glow of a new love, but who that love is I felt was up for question.

While Jay-Z’s star shines brighter and wider year after year, deep within my soul - when BP3’s on pause - I see this and wonder, “Where and what’s up with Dame Dash?” Occasionally you’ll see him on a random YouTube video that bubbles to the top of your playlist. I’ll say it, those things are hard to watch. There’s the guy that used to brag about poppin tags daily, never wearing the same pair of sneakers twice, reduced to keeping it basic - “white tee for me.” Hey, they do come 3 to a $7.99 pack. Easy to keep fresh.
I joke, but it’s not funny. This is the man who served his opinions with big scoops of confidence and bravado, at ear deafening levels, mostly fighting for his crew. No matter what the problems were between Dame Dash and Jay-Z over the years, there is no doubt he lived and breathed Roc-A-Fella.

So he gets kicked off Fantasy island. Is the black list so thick he can’t make any moves?

The second biggest fallout from the BET awards (the first being BET’s off-key MJ tribute,) was Chris Brown being pushed out of the night’s events by Jay-Z. You know the story - “Chris Brown Cut from BET Awards by the Ultimate Hustlers.” Even though it was one night, Chris Brown’s performance had the potential to wave off some of the negative vibes surrounding him since he used Rihanna’s head like a pinata.

Dame Dash, who found out the hard way about Jay-Z’s hustle game, was asked what he thought about Chris Brown getting chopped: “He’s 17 20”

I forget where I was, but earlier this week there was a picture of Janet Jackson looking like a cousin of the Klumps. You know, that weird 300 pounds she manages to pack on and then shed in six months time? Anyway, yesterday Janet Jackson and Jermaine Dupri were caught in the frame of a pap’s lens as they left the Waverly Inn in NYC.

On Tuesday there was an invite only birthday bash for Universal Motown Records president Sylvia Rhone (on the right). There were a stack of pictures snapped, but this one just screams who’s that girl? Well, only if the name Yo-Yo rings any bells.

Last year, Kanye caused a ruckus when he revealed that he doesn’t listen to hip-hop, when at rest, and considers his new music and direction to be electro-pop. Actually, E.P. is my description, feel free to thief it Mr. West. Well Diddy is a fan of Kanye’s music and is going in that direction too.

On Monday he told MTV that hip-hop has slipped into a recession and it’s time for a new sound. He’s making bold moves.

We all know the name, but guaranteed, if Kenneth Cole passed you on the street you wouldn’t give him a passing glance. Ok, some women.. and men (hah!) might. → By the way, Kenneth Cole is on the left. The smiling, hat wearing guy is Joey Pants.

Last night at his Fifth Avenue store in New York, Kenneth Cole launched his new book “Awearness: Inspiring Stories About How to Make A Difference.” The book is a collection of eighty-six stories and conversations by some well-known people and others not so much, who have been inspired to do their part to make meaningful social change.

Each chapter highlights a different issue, from political activism to the environment, homelessness to education. By the final page, dozens of small change/big impact ideas have been presented. Take a look at the cover.. and click it for some excerpts.