Beyonce & Jay-Z Married?

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LOS ANGELES, Dec 8 (Reuters) Is it just a celebrity birthday bash, or a smoke screen for a secret wedding between two of the hottest talents in the recording industry -- Beyonce and Jay-Z? A spokesman for the R&B songstress yesterday denied reports surfacing in gossip columns and the Internet this week that she and her rap star-turned-music executive boyfriend planned to quietly tie the knot this coming weekend.

A spokeswoman for Jay-Z told Reuters she had no knowledge of impending nuptials for the couple.

Beyonce, 25, who rose to fame as a charter member of the R&B group Destiny's Child, said recently that she and friends were merely planning a birthday party for Jay-Z, who turned 37 on Monday.

Nevertheless, paparazzi were placed on high alert in the Caribbean after the New York Post reported on Wednesday that a planned four-day birthday bash was an elaborate ruse designed as a cover for a secret wedding.

According to the Post, guests were invited to a party aboard a yacht anchored off St Barts, from where they would be ferried to the nearby island of Anguilla for a wedding ceremony to be held at a luxury resort called Cap Juluca.

If such an event were in the works this weekend, Beyonce would have little time for a honeymoon. She is scheduled to appear on Monday night for the Beverly Hills premiere of her latest film, ''Dreamgirls,'' a musical loosely based on the story of Diana Ross and the Supremes.

Beyonce, also credited by her full name Beyonce Knowles, has been dating Jay-Z for about three years, and they performed together in the music videos for two of her hit singles, ''Crazy in Love'' and ''Deja Vu.'' The Brooklyn-born rapper, whose real name is Shawn Carter, also serves as president of the seminal rap label Def Jam Records.