Partyhopper

I've known Beyoncé since she was a teenager, and I've seen a lot of fabulous costumes changes over the years. I remember gowns that were personally fitted by the likes of Giorgio Armani and Donatella Versace but also outfits that were bought at the mall and came from Contempo (B. has always been a fan of mixing high and low.) But even I wasn't prepared for the daring look she rocks in the new video for "Upgrade U": She dresses up as Jay-Z. And in a behind-the-scene moment from the shoot, she swaggers from her trailer to the set, all blinged out, waving her fingers and boasting in a husky voice: "Yo! I'm Jigga!"

Beyonce in "Upgrade U"

This is just one of the eight videos that Beyoncé's dad and manager, Mathew Knowles, recently screened for me at Sony Studios. (The B'Day Anthology Video Album will be available April 3rd exclusively at Wal-Mart.) Her other upcoming clips are for the songs "Suga Mama" (in a sure-to-be controversial scene, she gets into character by smoking), "Get Me Bodied" (she's bound to start a dance craze with the number she performs with her sister Solange and Kelly and Michelle from Destiny's Child) and, of course, "Beautiful Liar," her bellydancing duet with fellow superstar Shakira.

I've always been impressed with Beyoncé's work ethic, but this time she really outdid herself: She filmed all eight videos—and endured endless hours in hair and makeup—in a mere two weeks. Even Madonna never attempted anything this ambitious.

-- James Patrick Herman