BET Awards Pics

I had the opportunity to accompany a client out to LA for the awards. After a nearly 2 hour delay taking off from DC, I landed just in time to drop off my bags at our hotel, change and head straight into a meeting with some LA based clients. It was a good thing I tried to con some after show tickets from my well-connected client, because if I didn't I wouldn't have known that the doors to the Shrine Auditorium, where the show took place, was set to close at 4:30pm! Eek! It was 2pm when I was told this and still had not picked up my tickets from will call.
I wrapped up the meeting and had my LA partner drop me to the will call window where there were plenty of people there trying to purchase tickets. Got dropped off at the hotel to discover my client was missing! And of course, she had accidentally left her phone back in DC so there was no way to call her and give her the news that we only had 1 hour to get ready. No time to try on the different outfits the stylist had picked out for us both! I opted for a satin dress that was a designer copy of a dress rapper Eve was photographed wearing last year. Luckily, by the time I was done showering and putting on my make up she showed up. We called a cab and headed to the show.

We had to get in line with the non-celebrities who walked the red carpet. We had to go through a metal detector It was a phenomenal event production wise. Our seats were in the nose-bleeder section on the third level balcolny. At 5:00, when the doors were closed, we noticed plenty of empty seats in the lower level balcony rows. We "upgraded" ourselves and found great seats with a better view. With my 10X optical lense camera, I knew I would be able to take great pics. Oh speaking of pics, I was one of 20 people out of about 500+ that I could see who were able to successfully sneak in a camera. My client wrapped it in a shawl and stuck it under a pile of cds in her handbag and we were lucky enough to not get caught. That would explain the blurry pics below as I did not wait until the camera would focus before snapping. I was anxious that one of the security guards may have confiscated the camera.
This is Ludicrious and some other rapper guest performing on TPain's performance.
Black Hollywood's latest "it" girl Lauren London with P.Diddy. Still plugging his new vodka.
Here is Fergie performing with a bare backed and quite eh hem "buff" and toned Nelly. *sigh* Fergie was awesome.
Me, looking all red-carpet ready at the hotel lobby.
After Al Green was awarded his Lifetime Achievement Award, he brought the house down singing his hits and bringing the audience to the floor. He messed up later and ended the act before allowing his tribute singers, Anthonly Hamilton, Jill Scott and Maxwell to do the finale. Doh!
Keyshia Cole braved the heights and performed high atop a perhced platform. Was a great photo opp. Her singing was horribly off tho.
Alicia Keys shocked the audience by bringing out famous girl bands from the past, SWV, En Vogue and TLC. That was one of the best performances for the night.
Here she is with TLC (minus the Late Left Eye). I was not loving their choice of outfits, but whatever...
So they pulled Lisa Lisa from whatever couch she was sitting in eating bon bons to make a joke about the BET awards being the only place you could have a Lisa LIsa and Mary Mary, the latter being the two-girl gospel group and the former being an R&B powerhouse from the 80s.

P.Diddy hosted the official afterparty. The entire production of the show was phenomenal and we didn't have time to go home and change because our contact was waiting at the historic Roosevelt Hotel with our tickets to the after party. After almost sneaking on the red carpet, we went thru a second metal detector and into the party. there were like 10 buffets, a VIP room, A dancefloor, and several off side rooms.

We made some connects, collected and exchanged a few cards and took some photos. The crowd was a mix of BET execs, employees, B -Z list stars, and a host of hoochies. The thing about LA, no matter if you are white, black, Latina or Asian, the hoochie mamas all looked the same in long flowy hair (or weave) and a short shirt dress with heels and fake boobies. A few A listers came thru as well.

Among the folks I saw there: Delish, Danity Kane, Wil.I. Am, Joe, Melinda from Soul Food, Golden Brooks from Girlfriends, Day 26, some professional football an basketball players like Kenyon Martin, Tocarra, Lisa Raye, Boris Kodjoe and others.

I met "the Haitan" from Heroes. Im a fan of the show but didnt recognize this was him until after I had gotten home and looked up his name. duh!

Me and John Sally and Boris Kodjoe *sigh* dreamboat. I had a wonderful opener after telling him I was a fan of his work, we're both African. I congratulated him on his child and he told me he had two now. I told him I had three and he had to catch up. He was a cool and very laid back.
Ashanti and LL Cool J...

ME and Chekezie from American Idol


There were acrobats in these bubbles on the water...about three of them
Poolside was the happening spot. Everyone who is anyone was hanging there.
the client and Joe