Beyonce: ¿es una diva o tiene los pies sobre la tierra?

I’m here in London to meet with Beyonce in what turns out to be the same week reports leak out about the “diva demands” supposedly written into her current tour contract  – including $900 titanium drinking straws and red toilet paper at every venue. Thinking back to the three previous times I’ve interviewed her for various film roles, she was so sweet and down to earth, it’s hard to imagine this is true. After all, tabloid claims that she demanded $6,000 worth of imported cigars and booze for hubby Jay-Z at the Super Bowl were denounced by an NFL spokesman as “pure pulp fiction.”

On the other hand I hear that the day before, she cancelled all interviews, even for journalists who had flown in from around the world just for her. Our time slot is set for 5 p.m., but the day begins with the arrival at 7 a.m. of her sound and production team (to put up reflectors and lights to ensure she would look her best in photographs) and 6 burly security guards who request velvet ropes. "What for?" we ask.  "Oh crowd control, of course. People tend to get very excited and lose control when they see Beyonce."  Seriously? Do they not realize that the people going through the room will be seasoned professionals after all, who interview A-list celebrities for a living, and trust me, are not that impressed. And those kids outside the hotel entrance with autograph books? They aren’t waiting for Beyonce – they’re Trekkies hoping for a glimpse of the Star Trek cast in town for the U.K.premiere…

Finally and with no ropes in place, Beyonce arrives an hour and a half late but without any star attitude at all and she’s surprisingly forthcoming in response to personal questions as well as her new animated fantasy film Epic in which she voices the very NON-Diva Queen Tara. She glows when she talks about her 16 month old daughter Blue, admitting that at first it was challenging for her to deal with both her career and motherhood. “After giving birth there’s a moment of rediscovery when you are making sure you still have your goals and still take care of yourself as a woman,” she says. “That was something I struggled with----making sure I was still this strong woman and also making time for my child and balancing the two.”

http://www.cinepremiere.com.mx/29400-beyonce-diva-or-down-to-earth.html