Guest Writers

Kleopatra's Ringside Report:
By Eugenia Wright

The NAACP Awards 2010 post party gala at The SLS Hotel

Event planners in this town are going to have to work real hard to plan their next big Hollywood affair if they want to top the recent NAACP Awards Post-Party held at the SLS Hotel. This lavish party, I have to say, was the crème de la crème with a cherry on the top. It was hmmm hmmmm good.

Upon arrival, the scene was limousine city as the sleek shiny black mobiles lined up and down La Cienega Blvd, slowing traffic to a crawl. Their passengers were some of Hollywood's finest. I could see the traffic jam 10 blocks away easily, but it was unavoidable, I was driving right smack into a commuter asteroid. Luckily I was able to maneuver and get into the parking lot by circumventing the line and forming another route to the entrance. From the time I arrived, I saw a non-stop parade of stars beginning with Dave Fennoy (voice over actor) who was the announcer for the NAACP Award show, followed by a quick chitchat with Rocky Carroll (you may remember him from the TV series Rock), and I had a chance to speak with television and stage actor Richard Gant. Shortly after, renaissance Pop music hottie Tionne Williams arrived (later in the evening he proved to be

Mr. Popularity among the ladies), the exotic and sultry Portuguese speaking Guadalupae (former Miss Brazil) aka "Lushus." It was bisou bisou peck on the cheek to cheek and then time to check in by- passing all those hoping to access the party without tickets or credentials. These hopefuls planned on using their charm alone to get in. Trust me, it does work. Once inside, there were many more stars beginning with actress Monique Coleman and actress Naturi Naughton (remember she played Lil' Kim in the unforgettable film Notorious), but my eyes were roving in another direction like to the different food service areas and there were many. What to eat? Well, everything. I saw lots of steak and prime rib and shrimp with noodles and crab cakes. I was so busy looking at the food, I forgot to check out the décor or run a style file atmosphere log as I usually do. Let's suffice by saying that it was tres elegant to the max, chi-chi to the nth degree. Luxury beyond, period.

Just when I thought I was in the center of all the activity, I decided to scope a little further, I passed through the gourmet galley (you could see the steam rising from the fresh stir fries and sushi) where celebrities and guests were also posted enjoying the hot food straight from the kitchen (just how I like it), to an area that led to a beautiful outdoor Euro designed terrace that offered many bar stations, and all drinks amigos were complimentary. Sounds great, eh? In this outdoor setting I ran into music producer Kashif, rapper Lazarus the new group Skyline, comedienne/ actress Beth Payne (who promised to get out to more red carpet events), and the President of the NAACP Beverly Hills Chapter, Ron Hasson. I couldn't stop telling Ron, what a wonderful affair it was in between my bites of shrimp and rice a roni. Ron stopped to pose for shots for my photog with Tionne. At that point, I made a B-line to the bar for a non-alcoholic fruitling drink. Just as I was about to sit down and get comfy at one of the sponsors tables, Larry Hilton Jacobs (who played the father in The Jacksons) came over and gave me a warm hello. I've known Larry for years. He's an exceptional actor. I became a fan of his work when he starred in the teen cult classic film Cooley High. ‘Member that one? After a brief respite to nourish, drink and restore, I made my way to the far end of the ballroom towards another room, which turned out to be a second ballroom on the same floor. There, hundreds of guests had gathered to dance to today's popular hip hop/dance music. It was oooon (!!!) party over here; tuxedos and long stream lined gowns were a second thought as die hard partygoers danced feverishly the night away, ruining their trop cher designer outfits all for the sake of fun. The money spent for beaded Versace and Beverly Hills salon hair coifs down the drain.

Between the food and the dancing, I did take a moment to speak to debonair R&B singer Norwood Young, threw a kiss to Debbie Morgan, chatted with the lovely Niecy Nash, getting more beautiful all the time with her new role as celebrity co-host on ET/The Insider (also boasting a super sexy bod, thanks to Jenny Craig) and Claudia Jordan who by the way is always a stunner makeup or no makeup. On this night Ms. Jordan was dressed in a shimmering turquoise and she was the perfect picture of poise and grace. I remember her lavish birthday party with friends at Blvd. 3, very well. I was also very happy to see Detroit's Judge Craig Strong who flew in just to attend the awards and after-parties. I ran into him the following day (look out for my next party report).

Other stars and notables at this sizzling party included: Omarosa Manigault Stallworth, Aundrae Russell, Andre Pitre, Elise Neal, Anthony Hamilton, Quinton Aaron, Freda Payne, Herb Bohannon, Jason "6'9" Barnes, Jackie Cox, columnist Jawn Murry, Pamela Baker and if I've forgotten anyone, please pardone' moi.

The NAACP post party 2010 put the stopper and topper to all parties. I'm taking out my pad and paper and writing down notes because they had the formula for the throw down of the year.

Stay tuned for my next party report. You don't want to miss it. (Photo: Actress/comedian Neicy Nash and Pop/R&B singer Tionne. Photo Credit: Donald Carraway)