Mar. 5, 2007

Hollywood Swingin'

Oscar time in Hollywood is the most glamorous time of year to be in California. You can feel the excitement from the moment you hit the tarmac at the Los Angeles International Airport. Black Hollywood represented to celebrate our multiple Oscar nominees (Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy, Will Smith and Forest Whitaker) and those other Hollywood power players various organizations decided to honor.

I stay at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills pretty regularly, but Im willing to bet that hotel had not seen as many black people in one night as both Black Enterprise Magazine and Marilyn L. Crawford of Primetime Omnimedia (she wore $1 million in jewelry by Elizabeth Taylor) held its pre-Oscar bash in the hotel ballroom, and Giant magazine and General Motors' had a pre-Oscar salute to Jennifer Hudson in the hotel's penthouse on the same night. It was like the five-star hotel turned into 'Soul Plane: The Hotel,' though everyone looked dapper and no one acted a fool!

Black Enterprise recognized the Top 50 Hollywood Powerbrokers at its fine soiree. I arrived about the same time as Vogue editor-at-large Andre Leon Talley, who wanted no parts of the red carpet and photo line. "Oh, no photos, no photos and definitely no red carpet. I'm just a guest, just a guest," Talley ordered, in his signature Euro-British accent. One good laugh to start off my night and I knew it was going to be a good one!

You name it and they were at this party! Folks like honoree Eddie Murphy and girlfriend, Tracey Edmonds, Russell Simmons, Robert Townsend, Vivica A. Fox, Flex Alexander with wife Shanice, Taraji P. Henson, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Eva Marcel Pigford, Bill Maher, Chris Brown, Shondrella Avery, model Liris Cross and Judge Glenda Hatchett were among the many in attendance. I was introduced to Dallas Cowboy Terrell Owens during the event by his new publicist. He was nice at first and then he learned that I was a personality on the 'Tom Joyner Morning Show' and it was like 'Jekyll and Hyde.' "I don't like Tom Joyner! They joked about my grandmother on the air," he exclaimed, before turning his back to me. Shocked, his publicist looked at me and offered: "Sorry? I guess he won't be taking a photo."

Across the way in the hotel's other tower, Ludacris (the extremely personable rapper that I met for the first time), Hill Harper, Malinda Williams with boyfriend DJ D-Nice, Omarion, Prince's protégé Tamar, Keith Robinson, Bai Ling, Janet Jackson, Pat Boone, Kadeem Hardison, Jackie Earle Haley, MC Lyte, Dylan McDermott, Marques Houston, Henry Simmons and comic Earthquake came to celebrate Hudson. Giant magazine's bash was hosted by Jamie Foxx and when 'Dreamgirls' star Hudson arrived, she checked herself out in a floor-length and immediately started dancing.

Ebony magazine and Lincoln honored Forest Whitaker, Janet Jackson, Herbie Hancock and Halle Berry during its pre-Oscar bash at the Jim Henson Studios. Shaun Robinson ('Access Hollywood') and Kevin Frasier ('Entertainment Tonight') hosted the affair, which began with a performance by a band and dancers. The biggest laugh of the night came when there was a mix-up in awards leaving Whitaker with Hancock's trophy, and Hancock with Berry's. The hilarious clip even made 'Access Hollywood' the next night. Nonetheless, Mary J. Blige, Raven, Eriq La Salle, Anthony Anderson, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Sinbad, Verdeen White of Earth Wind & Fire, Bow Wow, Boris Kodjoe with wife Nicole Parker, Nikki Micheaux ('Lincoln Heights'), Jermaine and Jackie Jackson, Florence LaRue of the 5th Dimension, Kim Fields and Bill Bellamy were among the many in attendance.

I ran into Terrell Owens again at the Ebony bash and apparently after a tongue-lashing from his publicist the night before, he realized that he shouldn't have taken his frustration with Tom Joyner out on me and made nice. He then asked if I could introduce him to the newly-brunette, bestselling author Karrine Steffans, who spoke to me moments before I re-encountered the football star. Later that night, a television personality-I promised not to mention her name-introduced Steffans to Fonzworth Bentley who was there with girlfriend, actress Faune Chambers. There was an awkward exchange between the two-he claimed he'd never met her before and she offered to refresh his memory as to when and where. All I know is that everyone got silent and then Bentley assured Steffans he wasn't interested and that he wanted to "work the room with his lady, since I'm here for her tonight" before walking away. It was a WHOLE LOT! I thought that would top the night until I got to the valet and learned that they had lost my keys to the Nissan Z that Nissan loaned me for the weekend. I won't even relive the experience by explaining it to you.

I stopped by the wrap-party for the forthcoming film 'This Christmas,' which is being produced by Will Packer and Rob Hardy who produced 'Stomp the Yard.' The Screen Gems film stars Regina King, Chris Brown, Loretta Devine, Keith Robinson, Laz Alonso, Sharon Leal, Columbus Short and Mekhi Phifer. They all attended the private party at the soul food restaurant Memphis on Hollywood Blvd. Also in attendance were Niecy Nash, Kym Whitley, Nicci Gilbert of Brownstone, J. August Richards, Datari Turner and newcomer Andre Pitre (who is currently starring in David E. Talbert's 'Love in the Nick of Tyme').

Read Page 2 of the BV Buzz