Jay-Z is coming to the defense of his friend and colleague, Rihanna, in the wake of her alleged violent attack at the hands of boyfriend Chris Brown.

While speaking with reporters during NBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix, Ariz., the hip-hop mogul, who first signed Rihanna to his label during his tenure as President of Island Def Jam back in 2004, pleaded with the media to handle the situation – and those involved – with sensitivity.

“It’s not a sound bite. This is a real situation,” Jay-Z told reporters. “If you can’t have compassion for others, just imagine it being your sister or your mom or someone like that. Then think about how you should talk about that.”

In urging the press to handle the story with care, Jay-Z also reminded everyone that despite the fact Rihanna is a global superstar, she is still just a 20-year-old woman.

“I think we all should just support her. She’s going through a tough time,” he added. “You’ve got to realize she’s a young girl, as well. She’s very young.”

Over the weekend, Rihanna’s father spoke to People about his daughter – and said the public may soon hear her side of the story.

“She will be alright,” Ronald Fenty said. “At some point, she will speak out. I hope she will stand up for women all over the world.”

Beyonce Knowles hates going to parties.

The 27-year-old singer – who is married to Jay-Z – admits she dislikes attending social gatherings because she always feels like the other guests are spying on her.

She said: “I don’t really go out much. If I wasn’t a celebrity then I don’t know how I would feel, but it’s not that much fun for me – it feels like I’m in a cage and everyone is watching.”

However, Beyonce does still attend some special events and has particularly fond memories of one New York party.

She added: “Whitney Houston had a birthday party years ago. She sent the girls in Destiny’s Child personal invitations. We didn’t even know she knew us, so we were ecstatic.”

“We put our money together and flew to New York, dressed up and went to the party and we met her. She was such a beautiful person, it was an unforgettable moment.”

Beyonce Knowles has learned marriage is ”more than a dress.”The “If I Were a Boy” singer, who tied the knot with rapper Jay-Z earlier this year, is inspired by her parents’ happy marriage and is willing to work hard to ensure her relationship survives.

She said: “I learned that it’s a lot of hard work, that it’s more than a dress.”

“My parents are tighter now than ever, but they’ve been through it all.”

“There were times when they were together, times when they were apart.”

The 27-year-old star recently insisted her feelings for the hip-hop mogul are “real” and they aren’t interested in flaunting their love in public.

Beyonce, who has been pictured wearing a $3.8 million engagement ring, explained: “What Jay and I have is real. It’s not about the interviews or getting the right photo op. It’s real.”

The couple dated for around five years before finally getting married.

Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z have been named Hollywood’s highest-earning couple.

The married pair topped the list compiled by Forbes magazine after collectively making $162 million between June 1, 2007, and June 1, 2008.

Hip-hop star Jay-Z pocketed $82 million from a 10-year deal with Live Nation, while Beyonce raked in $80 million from film, fashion and publishing deals.

Clinical psychologist and celebrity researcher Jim Houran said: “Naturally powerful people tend to gravitate toward other powerful people.”

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith finished second place in the list, with earnings of $85 million.

Will was responsible for $80 million of the couple’s fortune, most of which came from his roles in box-office hits “I Am Legend,” “The Pursuit of Happyness” and “Hancock.”

Together the three movies made $1.2 billion at the box office, making Will Hollywood’s most bankable star.

British couple David and Victoria Beckham were third with $58 million. The soccer star has made $50 million since his highly-publicized move to the Los Angeles Galaxy team.

Although his salary from the club stands at $5.5 million, he boosted his income twofold by taking a cut of the team’s ticket, merchandise and sponsorship sales. David made a further $35 million through endorsement deals.

Victoria earned $8 million thanks to her hugely successful Spice Girls reunion tour and clothing lines.

Other stars to make the top 10 include Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban and Eva Longoria and Tony Parker.

The list takes into account money made from film, TV, and music projects, business ventures, endorsement deals and fashion lines.

Forbes magazine’s list of Hollywood’s Top-Earning Couples, top 10:

1. Jay-Z and Beyonce – $162 million
2. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith – $85 million
3. David Beckham And Victoria Beckham – $58 million
4. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill – $35 million
5. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie – $34 million
6. Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann – $30 million
7. Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani – $28 million
8. Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman – $25 million
9. Tony Parker and Eva Longoria – $22.5 million
10. Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart – $22 million

Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z have reportedly splashed out on a new house.

The newlyweds have purchased a home in Scarsdale, a quiet New York suburb close to where they got married last month.

The colonial-style house has reportedly been under construction for six months and the 15,000 sq ft property is situated on two acres of land.

Quiet Scarsdale is very different from where the couple’s current home is – a penthouse apartment in New York’s trendy TriBeCa district.

The first indicator that the couple were planning to marry came when they registered for a license in Scarsdale in April.

Shortly after applying for permission to wed, Beyonce and Jay-Z exchanged vows in a private ceremony at a chapel in Scarsdale Village.

Reports then emerged that the former Destiny’s Child star may be pregnant.

Last year, Beyonce insisted she wouldn’t pressurize 38-year-old Jay-Z into having children, saying: “You can’t rush a man into anything whether it’s a relationship, marriage or having children. When he’s ready he’ll let you know.”

A host of stars including newly weds Jay-Z and Beyonce Knowles turned out to see the Joe Calzaghe-Bernard Hopkins fight in Las Vegas in the early hours of the morning.

Arnold Schwarzenegger also took a break from governing California to attend the light heavyweight bout at the Thomas & Mack Center.

However, Welshman Calzaghe had some home celeb support from actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, with Tom Jones also performing before the main event.

Whether that was what saw Joe through in his time of need is debatable – as was the result.

The undefeated champion was named a split-points victor after originally being knocked by 43-year-old Hopkins down in the first round

The “Dreamgirls” star earned nods for top female R&B artist and video of the year for “Irreplaceable.” Beyonce’s collaboration with Shakira on “Beautiful Liar,” was also nominated for video of the year, Billboard reported.

She was nominated for best collaboration for two duets with Jay-Z — “Deja Vu” and “Upgrade U.” She also is under consideration for the viewer’s choice award.

Earning three nominations each were Jennifer Hudson, Ciara, Akon and Gnarls Barkley. Garnering two nominations were Robin Thicke, the late Gerald Levert, Ludacris, Diddy, Ne-Yo and Mary J. Blige.

The BET Awards also will present the lifetime achievement award to Diana Ross and the humanitarian award to actor Don Cheadle.

This year’s ceremony will be televised live June 26 from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

For the first time in the show’s seven-year history, fans can vote on which song they want to hear by one of the show’s featured performers, who will be announced in the coming weeks. Comedian-actress Mo’Nique returns for the third time as host of the event.

Jay-Z could be fired as the CEO of Def Jam records after making huge pay demands.

The rapper – who was hired by L.A. Reid, the chairman of Island/Def Jam, two years ago – has his contract up for renewal this year. But bosses have baulked at his outrageous cash demands.

A source told the New York Daily News newspaper: “Jay is asking for several million as a base salary plus big bonus ‘bumps’ on records that do well. Reid isn’t going for it. They’re miles apart.”

Since taking the position Jay-Z has invigorated the company by signing a host on young artists, including Rihanna and Ne-Yo, while his own album “Kingdom Come” has been a huge worldwide success.

Insiders claim Reid is questioning how much time the rapper can devote to the label now he has come out of his own self-imposed music retirement and is touring again.

The singer’s other time-consuming business interests include his chain of 40/40 nightclubs and stakes in clothing label Rocawear, the New Jersey Nets basketball team and a Champagne concern.

Reid is also rumored to be jealous of the attention and respect the rapper receives.

A source said: “When Jay walks into a meeting, he sucks the air out of the room. Even without trying.”

“At the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame awards, Jay and L.A. were sitting at the same table. But it was like L.A. was invisible.”

However, Reid denies there is any friction between him and Jay-Z. He said: “We really love Jay.”

“He’s so important to our company, there’s not much we wouldn’t do to keep him here, money being the least of them.”

“People at other labels may wish there was trouble. If you put the two of us in a room with an artist we want, we will sign that artist.”

“It’s very hard to turn us down. I hope to work with him for many, many years. He’s magical. I need him.”

Reports started to surface this week that Beyonce Knowles, superstar singer and star of the upcoming Dreamgirls, and Jay-Z, one of the most successful rappers ever, are planning a secret wedding in the Caribbean next week. The rumors surfaced when Jay-Z and Beyonce Knowles were overheard at STK, a restaurant in New York City, talking to record executives about a four-day party in St. Barts aboard a yacht to mark the Kingdom Come rapper’s 37th birthday (which was this past Monday), but some have suggested that it’s not just a b-day party, but a cover for a wedding.

Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z have been an item for four years now and a source told The New York Post, “Beyonce is throwing Jay a four-day birthday party, but it’s really a wedding.”

The Post goes on to report that friends and family were told to have passport applications filed by last Friday to witness the exchange of superstar vows and that the party will begin on a yacht, but guests will then be taken to Anguilla for the ceremony, which will supposedly take place at Cap Juluca, a five-star resort that the couple supposedly visited earlier this year to scope out for their big day.

It’s interesting that this news comes this week, just after the first real rumors of a break-up for Beyonce and Jay-Z started to circulate, although those rumors were based mostly on lyrics from a new song on Kingdom Come, “Lost One,” in which Jay-Z raps “I don’t think it’s meant to be, B/ For she loves the work more than she does me/ And, honestly, at 23, I would probably love my work more than I did she/ So we ain’t we, it’s me and her.” It’s worth noting that Beyonce is 25 now and maybe Jay-Z was rapping about an old split or rift between the couple that appears to have now been mended.