The rumors can finally be put to bed. LeToya Luckett and Beyoncé are cool.

The Destiny’s Child members saw each other for the first time “in years” backstage at Sunday’s BET Awards. There had been rumors that Beyoncé’s father-manager, Mathew Knowles, tried to have LeToya banned from the awards show, but B’s actions spoke differently.

“We did get a chance to see each other backstage and it was really cool, hadn’t seen her in a while,” LeToya told DJ Skee on KIIS FM’s “New Music Show.” “She went out of her way to get around security to basically say, ‘Hey girl.’ It was cool.”

The “Not Anymore” singer said she would love to collaborate with her former bandmate. “I would love to do a song with B. She’s just an amazing person and we already know how talented she is. I don’t even need to go into that.”

When Beyoncé released “I Am …Sasha Fierce” last year, the double album received a lot of attention, not all of it good. Times pop music critic Ann Powers focused on her alter ego and found Beyoncé’s explanation, via press release, somewhat confusing.

“Sasha Fierce,” Beyoncé announced, is “the party girl…she is but I’m not. She’s my alter ego. I’m finally revealing who I am.”

Powers observed: “For Beyoncé to say that an identity she is not is ‘revealing who I am’ is a contradiction.” And, Powers continued, “Her misplaced worries about authenticity cause Beyoncé to make some unfortunate missteps (mostly into the puddle of excess) that often affect artists in mid-career.”

Nonetheless, for all of us who have heard “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” so many times it feels like elevator music, the Sasha Fierce thing is working out pretty well for Beyoncé.

And now we have Sasha Fierce, the clothing line. Women’s Wear Daily is reporting that Beyoncé and her mother, Tina Knowles, plan to launch a new junior apparel label, Sasha Fierce for Deréon….just in time for… back to school.

Mothers of teenage girls will undoubtedly be more than thrilled to see tight (fake) leather jackets, bodysuits and “destructed jeans with mesh and lace details lining the ripped material.”

The collection, Women’s Wear reported, was “inspired by Beyoncé’s stage presence” and includes sportswear, outwear, handbags, footwear, eyewear and jewelry. And did we mention lingerie?

The line has been picked up by Macy’s, among other stores.

While P. Diddy, The Game, Usher, Chris Brown, Mario Winans and Boyz II Men recorded Michael Jackson tribute song, Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z choose to remember the late singer on-stage when 2009 BET Awards is kicked off on June 28. Joining them to pay tribute to Michael at the event are other performers which include Ne-Yo and The-Dream.

Beyonce and the other BET musical acts actually have rehearsed their songs for weeks, but they are willing to change the numbers in a bid to honor Michael. “To change it up in three days is something that’s not easy but they’re all willing and looking forward to it,” the awards’ producer Stephen Hill told Associated Press. “There’s a direct line from Ne-Yo to Michael Jackson. There’s a direct line from Beyonce to Michael Jackson. There’s a direct line from Jay-Z to Michael Jackson. I think they’ll want to pay tribute in their own way.”

Beside those singers, other musicians such as Usher and Justin Timberlake who didn’t plan to attend the gala ceremony, are rushing their way to Los Angeles to join their fellow celebs for this tribute. “We’re adding on. We’re trying to do the numbers we had already planned and we’re trying to add on, so it may be a longer show than we anticipated,” Debra L. Lee, Chairman and Chief Executive of Black Entertainment Television (BET) promised.

“This is going to be the first gathering of people who really cared for and were influenced by him since his death. It’s a tall order for us but we have every intention of paying respect to Michael Jackson,” Stephen commented. Then, Debra added, “There’s no artist that’s going to want to get up there and talk about themselves. They’re going to want to talk about Michael. We want to give out the awards, we want them to have their moment but it’s going to be more geared toward Michael Jackson.”

This year’s BET Awards, which nominations list includes Lil Wayne and T.I., will be conducted at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles starting from 8 P.M. EST/PST with Jamie Foxx as its host. Beside Beyonce, Jay-Z, The-Dream and Ne-Yo, MAXWELL is also lined up to sing at the bash. After the event is wrapped, an after-party will be held and hosted by Queen Latifah.

As the crowd filtered into the Wachovia Center tonight to see Beyoncé Knowles, the arena was filled with the songs of Michael Jackson.

One after another - “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” “Thriller” - they paid tribute to the singer, who died Thursday and who left a profound mark on Knowles’ career. Halfway through the show, she made the debt explicit.

“If you know anything about me, you know that the reason I’m here is because of Michael Jackson,” she said. “He taught me just about everything I know.”

Her confident stage persona cracked for just an instant, and her voice caught ever so slightly as she said, “He was my hero.”

Knowles followed with a version of Jackson’s “I Can’t Help It,” coaxing those in the audience to raise their voices along with hers. As the song neared its peak, she built one vocal run on top of another, climaxing by singing, “Thank you, Michael” - words that echoed back at her from the back rows.

Knowles has never been shy about acknowledging Jackson’s influence. In 2006, while presenting him with a World Music Award, she said: “If it wasn’t for Michael Jackson, I would never have ever performed. He’s made such an impact on my life and every performer’s life.”

Last year, as part of her “Sasha Fierce” alter ego, she began sporting a titanium “roboglove” on one hand, emulating — consciously or not — Jackson’s rhinestone-studded glove.

Jackson, a consummate singer and dancer who shifted identities with every new album, exploited the then-nascent medium of music videos to blur the line between art and endorsement; his videos were commercials, and his famed 1984 Pepsi commercial doubled as promotion for his music.

Knowles has taken the full-court-press media strategy to greater lengths, in the process signing a deal with the same soda company as her idol.

Last night, Nia Evans, 15, of Wilmington, wore a homemade T-shirt that read, “Michael Jackson will live forever.”

“Michael Jackson was hip-hop and I love him and he’s gone,” she said while waiting in line with her mother.

“He was the icon of the old decades,” she said, casting a glance at her mother, “and Beyoncé is the icon of this decade.”