Read Page 1 of the BV BuzzOur ImageAward show season in Hollywood has finally come to a close. (Thank God, because I am tired!) Each year, I travel with General Motors to the NAACP Image Awards, where this year they introduced their new GMC Acadia. I dashed all around Tinseltown in the new Acadia with a group of media peers from Sister 2 Sister (
Jamie Foster Brown and
Calvin Terrell), Precious Times (
Marilyn L. White and
Vern Goff), AllHipHop.com (
Chuck Creekmur and
Steve Julien), Black Noir (
Flo Anthony) and several other respected outlets.
After dinner at my favorite Beverly Hills restaurant, Crustaceans -- where
Ron Artest and several players from the Sacramento Kings dined as well -- I went to the NAACP Pre-Show Party at Boulevard 3. All of the shows sponsors -- Harley Davidson, Sprint, Best Buy, etc. -- had displays and made presentations during the opening soiree.
Michael B. Jordan ('All My Children'),
Michael K. Williams ('The Wire'),
Victor Williams ('King of Queens'),
Gary Sturgis ('Daddy's Little Girls'),
Brian J. White ('Stomp The Yard'),
Kadeem Hardison ('A Different World') and
Duane Martin ('All of Us') were among those in attendance. (I kept asking: "Where are the female celebrities?")
The day of the show, we had brunch at the über-hip Asia de Cuba Restaurant inside the Mondrian Hotel, where I bumped into super-producer
Rodney Jerkins. Afterwards, it was off to the Shrine Auditorium for the actual Image Awards. The show was live for the first time ever, which is a great thing because a taped award show can last forever!
I had one of the best seats in the theater, right next to the door where they walked talent to their seats. Comedienne
Sheryl Underwood, who in addition to being on the 'Tom Joyner Morning Show' is the new co-host of 'Cliff Winston & Company' on Los Angeles' new V 100 FM, sat right next to me and kept me in stitches the entire show. In addition to being able to speak to everyone from
Columbus Short ('Stomp the Yard') to
Anika Noni Rose ('Dreamgirls') while they walked past, we got to heckle a few folks too. For example, when
Judge Greg Mathis walked to his seat, Underwood offered: "If you got the Hennessy, I got the condoms." He laughed hysterically! Comedian
Michael Colyer polled the audience after
Bill Cosby's acceptance speech to see if anyone in attendance knew what he was talking about. It too was a classic moment!
The NAACP Image Awards post show was held at The Highlands nightclub at the Hollywood & Highland Complex. I understood why NAACP President and CEO
Bruce Gordon resigned the Monday following the show after seeing one of the NAACP board members -- she was quick to yell "I am the vice president of the board!" -- almost come to blows with one of the corporate sponsors over a mix-up with some tables in the VIP.
The weekend of events capped off with a Celebrity Golf Tournament at the Lost Canyons Golf Club in Simi Valley, Calif.
Dennis Haysbert ('24'),
Kevin Frasier ('Entertainment Tonight'),
Terry Crews ('Everybody Hates Chris') and legendary golfer
Lee Elder were among the participants.
BuzzworthyIs
Tyrese Gibson dating
Cameron Diaz? Not quite. But the reports that the two party hopped and were dancing at the after-hours club Xenii are definitely true. The two also attended
Steven Spielberg and
Jeffrey Katzenberg's party at The Beverly Hills Hotel and then headed off to
Harvey Weinstein's personal gathering at a small club off of La Cienega and Melrose Blvd in West Hollywood. Many of you have e-mailed asking me about Gibson's girlfriend, who is expecting a child by the singer/actor/rapper this summer. I'm told that the two are still together and are genuinely happy despite the reports of domestic violence that surfaced months back. I spoke directly to Gibson about the Diaz rumors last week. "I still got love for the sistas! Cameron and I are only good friends," he offered.
Speaking of Diaz, the actress had a fling with two-time Oscar nominee
Djimon Hounsou a few weeks back. Now Hounsou has hooked up with
Russell Simmons' ex-wife, Baby Phat CEO
Kimora Lee. Photos of the two making out in a both at a Los Angeles hotspot have been all over the web. Simmons apparently approves of his ex's new beau. "I don't know what they're doing, but he's a nice guy. She'd better be happy. He's one of the sweetest guys in the world," he told People magazine.
Can't Say Names...Extra, extra! An A-list Hollywood star won't be talking to 'Extra!' anymore! Sources tell me that this female superstar was outraged by an apparent sabotage campaign recently waged by the news magazine series. She's now told her handlers: "Never again!"
BV SceneOscar winner
Forest Whitaker and singer
Mary J. Blige leaving Sidebar, the quaint bar inside the Beverly Wilshire Beverly Hills hotel...
Chris Gardner, the subject of 'The Pursuit of Happyness,' leaving the gym at the Beverly Wilshire Beverly Hills hotel ... Producer
Timbaland dropped $1,700 on designer shades while shopping in Solstice at the Galleria Mall in Houston. The Virginia-bred beatmaker, who stopped to pose for pictures with employees, was in town performing with
Justin Timberlake...
Susan L. Taylor leaving Crustaceans in Beverly Hills after dinner... Singer
Brian McKnight sporting jeans, a fitted t-shirt and flip-flops with white socks while blocking two gas pumps with his silver, convertible Bentley at a Chevron in Culver City ...
Sharon Osbourne and
Suge Knight at the famous Sunday brunch at Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills.
