Variety: It’s not that Beyonce does things that other stars don’t, it’s just that she does them on a level that few of her contemporaries can match, and 2013 has been a banner year in Beyonce exceptionalism. Other stars sign brand endorsement deals for a quick paycheck — Beyonce gets Pepsi to pony up $50 million for a “creative content development fund,” whose purpose seems to be whatever Beyonce wants it to be. When HBO airs a two-hour documentary on her life, she gets to direct it herself. When she goes on a summer stadium tour, it surpasses $50 million in grosses after the first 30 dates. When Beyonce plays the Super Bowl halftime show, she sets Twitter records and the stadium’s power grid goes dark in response. When she gives birth to a daughter with husband, Jay Z, it becomes the hip-hop generation’s “Baby Ricky” moment.
