Alicia Keys fired up after her Black Ball's success

Alicia Keys was "still buzzin' " at bedtime over the Black Ball, the annual fundraiser for her Keep a Child Alive foundation.

The Grammy-winning singer was riding high till late in the night off the success of her charity event. Around midnight, a trio of tweets from the elated star included: "Forever grateful to everyone who cares about @keepachildalive !!! And every 1 @keepachildalive For EVERY DAY!!Sending love and light!!!"

Keys raised $401,500 at the ball and auction held Thursday night at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom, according to Hello magazine. Big-ticket items including a dinner party with Edward Norton and Naomi Watts, which went for $25,000, and a lifetime membership to all Donald Trump golf properties, at $180,000.

Keys' Keep a Child Alive foundation was created to  provide care and treatment for those with HIV/AIDS in Africa and India, focusing in particular on the care of children orphaned or abandoned because of AIDS.

The spirit of the late George Harrison was felt at the event as Keys honored him onstage for helping "people change their view of how to act as humanitarians." USA Today reports that Olivia Harrison accepted the award for her husband, saying, "How can you say no to Alicia?"

There were many other celebrities who couldn't say no: Keys' husband Swizz Beatz (of course), Serena Williams, Tyra Banks, Queen Latifah, Richie Sambora and Usher, as well as Gary Clark Jr., who with Keys performed Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps."  Norah Jones was there for a duet with Keys, who concluded the night's entertainment by performing "I Gotta Feeling" with Black Eyed Peas'  Will.i.am.

That's a fair amount of excitement. No wonder it was hard to settle down for the night -- even with that year-old baby boy at home. Keys wrapped her late-night tweets with: "Read something that I loved today... 'Where there is Love, there is no question!' Sweet dreams! ;-)"

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Ryan Seacrest, Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga still dead -- do you know why? [poll]

-- Amy Hubbard

Photo: Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz at Thursday's Black Ball. Credit: Peter Kramer / Associated Press

Oprah Winfrey's long goodbye: Maria Shriver, Tom Cruise, Tyler Perry and more pay homage [Pictures]

For Oprah Winfrey, the beginning of the end was announcing in November 2009 that her long-running "The Oprah Winfrey Show" would be calling it quits after 25 years on the air. Following a supersized final season and trickling, teary-celeb tributes, the end is almost here.

Taping "Oprah's Surprise Spectacular," her third-to-last show in Chicago, Winfrey hosted tons of famous names who came to pay homage to the queen of daytime television. 

Maria Shriver, Madonna, Tyler Perry, Usher and famous couch-jumper Tom Cruise all graced the stage in front of thousands of fans at Chi-town's United Center. It was an event worth getting out of jury duty to witness.

"You have given me love, support, wisdom and, most of all, the truth," Shriver told Winfrey. "And I know I’m not alone in receiving those gifts from you."

A rather fitting performance came from Beyonce, clad in a tuxedo unitard, belting out her new tune "Run the World (Girls)." Atop a glowing podium fit for a female president, Beyonce flipped her hair and sang out, "My persuasion can build a nation."

Oprah can relate. Another female music tribute came from pint-sized Broadway vet Kristin Chenoweth, who performed with scores of formally dressed Morehouse College grads. 

Power couple Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith came by, as did Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Katie Holmes, Queen Latifah,  Diane Sawyer and Michael Jordan (click the pics to see more photos from the star-studded event).

We were surprised and delighted to see Winfrey's longtime beau Stedman Graham trot out on stage; we imagine he has an insight or two after so many years with the mogul. 

So might Maya Angelou, who appeared with Alicia Keys. As did Dakota Fanning, Jerry Seinfeld, Jamie Foxx, Rosie O'Donnell and John Legend via satellite. 

Other performers included Patti LaBelle, featuring Josh Groban, Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin.

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— Matt Donnelly
twitter.com/MattDonnelly

Photos: Oprah Winfrey with Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, top, and Tom Cruise, right, during the taping of "Oprah's Surprise Spectacular" in Chicago. Credits: John Gress / Reuters.

Ryan Seacrest, Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga still dead -- do you know why? [poll]

Celebrities who staged their own digital deaths last Wednesday are still "dead" on Twitter and Facebook, with a little less than $300,000 raised at 9:30 a.m. PST Monday toward their $1-million goal -- the magic number that will bring them back to social-media life.

A commenter noted the campaign that celebs such as Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Ryan Seacrest, Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Usher and more are participating in is not just about the money, but also about awareness of the issue that has them sworn off social media.

So -- the money part's not there yet, but is the awareness coming along? No Googling before voting in the poll! And if you vote "yes," please tell us in comments what you believe the issue to be. Check out previous posts linked below for more info on the effort.

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As celebs stay 'dead,' Digital Death campaign cuts minimum pledge

Lady Gaga, Ryan Seacrest and more swearing off social media for charity

-- Christie D'Zurilla

Photos: Ryan Seacrest, left, did not tweet from KIIS-FM's Jingle Ball 2010 at Nokia Theatre in L.A. on Sunday. At right, the picture of his "digital death." Credits: Angela Weiss / Getty Images, left; BuyLife.org, right.

 

As celebs stay 'dead,' Digital Death campaign cuts minimum pledge

Lady Gaga, you've been marked down.

With celebrities still "dead" on social media three days into a charitable campaign some thought would be a quick hit for a million bucks, Keep a Child Alive has cut its minimum Digital Death donation in half, to $5.

Wednesday and Thursday, $10 was the least a supporter could pledge to bring the likes of Usher, Ryan Seacrest, Kim Kardashian, Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Hudson and Serena Williams back to Twitter and Facebook.

Even with the cut, as of 2 p.m. PST Friday, Alicia Keys' campaign was still short about $800,000 of the million bucks being sought in the interest of helping AIDS victims in Africa and India -- and that's after being stalled in the high $100K range Thursday.

Danny Bonaduce spoke out Wednesday, calling the campaign "emotional blackmail," even though he deemed the cause a good one.

Any bets on how long it'll be till the celebs participating all pool their cash and split the difference, so they can get back to conducting business on social media?

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Danny Bonaduce: ‘Emotional blackmail’ for World AIDS Day

Lady Gaga, Ryan Seacrest and more swearing off social media for charity

-- Christie D'Zurilla

Photo: Lady Gaga's Twitter stream had only donation requests as updates Dec. 3. Credit: Twitter.com

Lady Gaga, Ryan Seacrest and more swearing off social media for charity

While the notion of quitting Twitter and Facebook cold turkey is strange and terrifying to some, a handful of powerful celebs are doing it for charity -- including Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Hudson and Ryan Seacrest.

The effort is fronted by singer and new mom Alicia Keys, for her cause Keep a Child Alive. The massive sign-off, or so-called "digital death," will remain in effect until donations reach $1 million.

"It's so important to shock you to the point of waking up," Keys said. "It's not that people don't care or it's not that people don't want to do something, it's that they never thought of it quite like that."

In addition to not touching the social networking sites, stars including Kim Kardashian and Keys' husband Swizz Beatz will present "final tweet and testament," videos in which they explain the charity's message while lying in coffins (a not-so-subtle reference to the concept of digital death). 

Funds will be raised via text message donations and bar-code technology through the organization's Buy Life campaign. 

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-- Matt Donnelly
Twitter.com/MattDonnelly

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photo: Ryan Seacrest in his official Buy Life campaign shot. Credit: BuyLife.org

Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz have a baby boy

Singer Alicia Keys and her husband, rapper-producer Swizz Beatz, a.k.a. Kaseem Dean, welcomed a baby boy Thursday in New York, People reports.

The baby's name is Egypt Daoud Dean, the couple's rep said.

Mary J. Blige offered congratulations via Twitter, saying, "I'm So excited 2 Congratulate my brother @therealswizzz and @Aliciakeys on there New, baby, boy!!!!!!!"

Mom, 29, and dad, 32, got married in Corsica in July with Deepak Chopra officiating. Egypt is their first child together; Swizz has two other sons and a daughter.

-- Christie D'Zurilla

Photo: Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz at a charity event in New York on Sept. 30. Credit: Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images

Related dispatches from the Ministry of Gossip:

Alicia Keys marries Swizz Beatz, Deepak Chopra officiates

Alicia Keys is hiring a blogger -- must have passport, wallet

Alicia Keys is pregnant! And engaged!

Alicia Keys is pregnant! And engaged!

Leave it to Alicia Keys to produce two hits in one beat. 

According to People.com, Keys is pregnant! Wait. There’s more! She’s also engaged to rapper Swizz Beatz. Hmm … wonder if she’ll call both of them “My Boo.”

The couple, who have been together since 2008, are expected to wed in a private ceremony later this year, reps confirmed to the magazine. 

It will be Keys' first trip down the aisle — and their first child together. Swizz Beatz has two sons from previous relationships. 

In addition to Keys, Swizz Beatz (a.k.a. Kasseem Dean) has worked with artists such as Beyoncé, Jay-Z and Gwen Stefani. 

Keys is currently on her Freedom Tour in Europe. Pregnancy rumors began swirling when images of Keys rockin' a slight baby bump on stage began to surface. And the poofy white D&G dress she sported at the Keep a Child Alive Black Ball at London’s St. John’s, Smith Square, on Thursday didn’t help. 

Forget trying to sleep with a broken heart. Try sleeping with a pregnant belly. Good luck, Alicia!

-- Yvonne Villarreal

Photo: Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys. Credit: Dave Allocca / Associated Press

Want the headlines? Follow the Ministry of Gossip on Twitter (we're @LATcelebs), or Like us into your news feed when you visit our Facebook page. 

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It's a boy for Robin Thicke, Paula Patton; Brett Favre is a grandfather

Three-time Grammy winner Robin Thicke and his "Precious" actress wife, Paula Patton, are parents, People reports. Julian Fuego was born Tuesday night. 

Pop & Hiss reported Tuesday that Thicke had pulled out of the night's Staples Center show with Alicia Keys; on stage, Keys shared the baby news, which was greeted with applause by the audience.

Thicke is the son of two actors, Alan Thicke and Gloria Loring. Paula, 34, and Robin, 33, met in their teens and married in June 2005.

Kicking it up a generation, let's head into grandpa territory -- NFL star Brett Favre and his wife, Deanna, have announced the April 2 birth of their first grandchild, Parker Brett, to eldest daughter Brittany. Dad's name wasn't revealed, but was, according to Grandpa, doing fine.

Brett, now 40, was only 19 when Brittany was born in 1989, and Deanna was 20; the Favres married in 1996, and had a second child, Breleigh Ann, in 1999. If he returns to the NFL next season, it would be his 20th as a pro quarterback -- wonder if he still has that rocking chair?

-- Christie D'Zurilla

Photo: Robin Thicke and pregnant wife Paula Patton arrive at the Academy Awards on March 7, 2010. Credit: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images.

Babies, babies, everywhere -- and then they grow up. Click here and scroll down to read more. Want the headlines? Follow us on Twitter (we're @LATcelebs) or become a Ministry of Gossip fan on Facebook.

Alicia Keys is hiring a blogger -- must have passport, wallet

Missed out on the chance to blog for Lil Wayne? Perhaps consider Alicia Keys as an alternative employer.

Faded Youth reports that Keys is hiring a head blogger to "help spread her voice beyond music" on the budding website I Am a Super Woman -- IAAS.com for short, unfortunately; the correct acronym takes you to a different group of party people. (Perhaps they're hiring as well? We didn't ask.)

Gosh, the job sounds exciting: "You will be the main voice of the website aiming to motivate and encourage women all over the globe!"

In addition to blogging experience, the successful candidate must have ...

PREACH IT! How to drive like a rapper in 2010

I am in the market for a new car, something that can capture the raw power and celestial grace of my 1995 Toyota Tercel in the heady color of Wild Mint.

So of course I paged Macky Dancy of Dancy Power Automotive Group, considered to be the go-to place when a star wants to buy a car. People like Alicia Keys and Busta Rhymes and Nas go to him for cars. Until now, the ultimate star car has been the Rolls Royce Phantom, and there were rumors going around that the Phantom might go electric in 2010, so I figured I would just, you know, pick up one of those. And maybe find out what Jay-Z might be driving in 2010.

The answer surprised me.

The actual dream celebrity car for 2010 is a far cry from what you might think ...