Fashion Spotlight: Golden Globes 2012

I'm not sure just how many of my readers watched the 2012 Golden Globe Awards this weekend, however, I know my fashionistas are dying to see what the Hollywood starlets wore on the red carpet, so lets get straight to business and see WHO was wearing WHO!


Angelina Jolie looked amazing in her Atelier Versace cream silk gown with burgundy accents 

 

Charlize Theron in Dior



Claire Daines looked lovely in her white/black gown that draped the red carpet.  The up do and red lip was a nice pop of color.



Dianna Argon in Giles

Emma Stone in Lanvin

Rachel Evan Wood in Gucci Premiere. Beautiful color and detail!

  

Lea Michelle in Marchesa



Madonna's gown was beautifully ornate and the color and fabric was very rich. Thumbs up.



Michelle Williams' dress was very simple, much like her understated style off the red carpet. I like it.  It works for her.



Nicole Ritchie looked happy and healthy in her metallic beaded gown. Kudos!

Sarah Hyland in Dolce & Gabbana

I'm kind of on the fence with Sarah Michelle Gellar's blue and white Monique Lhuillier tie-dyed gown.  I'll let the BornTooBlog readers decide.

Zoey Deschanel's gown was pretty bland as far as design, but the colors matched her skin well.

Fortunately, I am happy to report that there weren't many train wrecks on the red carpet as I assumed there would be.  The attendees wowed in bold hues, as always, and forest green seemed to grace the silhouettes of many attendees that night.  Many attendees exercised some restraint when it came to design and flare with a minimalist factor.  Overall, I believe the ladies looked superb in the pictorial above.  Share your thoughts!!!!

FASHION WEIGH IN

Who do you think looked the best that night?

Who stole the show?

Who's styling surprised you for the better or worse?

BET Presents: Black Girls Rock!!!!

Last night I had the pleasure of viewing the taping of the Black Girls Rock Award show that aired on the BET Network and was hosted by the beautiful duo, Tracee Ellis Ross and Regina King, who both looked AMAZING!  Hell, everyone looked amazing as the big names and not so big names, as well as the young and old, graced the red carpet at the Studio Museum in Harlem.

BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Inc. was founded in 2006 as a non-profit organization that "seeks to build the self-esteem and self-worth of young women of color by changing their outlook on life, broadening their horizons, and helping them to empower themselves."  In doing this, founder, DJ and former model, Beverly Bond, created an award show to honor and celebrate the brilliance of black women both with celebrity and without. 

Last night Black Girls Rock honored none other than political activist and Black Panther, Angela Davis, with the Icon Award.  I literally had tears in my eyes when I looked at Ms. Davis and realized that her struggle for freedom and civil rights was not too long ago, yet we still have so much to do.  Ms. Davis looked lovely and gave a riveting acceptance speech about the power that lies in every single black woman across the world.

Gospel great Shirley Ceaser was also honored with the Living Legend Award for her remarkable career in music as well as her spiritual work as a pastor in North Carolina.  Academy Award Nominee Taraji Henson was also one of the younger awardees who was highlighted with the Star Power award for her work on and off the big screen.  Other awardees included Laurel Richie, President of the WNBA who received the Shot Caller award and Tatyana Ali, who received the Young, Black & Gifted Award.

Performances were made by newcomer Elle Varner, Estelle, Melanie Fiona, Erykah Badu & Mary J. Blige, Mary Mary as well as a poignant poem rendered by the incomparable Ms. Jill Scott.  Overall the show was very enjoyable and enlightening as they highlighted the youth that were also making a difference in their communities.

Now, enough of the talk about the awardees, the performers and the hosts...in true BornTooBlog fashion, lets get down to the red carpet:


Black Girls Rock Founder Beverly Bond looked classy in her all black sleeveless ensemble and peep-toe pumps.  The hair and makeup are beautiful.

Newcomer Elle Varner showed her funky/spunky side with a colorful, one-shoulder silk dress.  The up do adds a nice touch.

Jill Scott looked AMAZING after her significant weight loss in her all black fit with the curly fro to boot.  She looks great.



La La Vasquez looked STUNNING in her long-sleeve creme gown with the side slit, showing some leg.  The pink lip pops against the cream fabric.  This was my fav ensem of the night!!!!



Laurie Ann Gibson rocked in a gold and black Versace-esqe tank dress and peep-toe booties.

Mary J. also opted for an ALL BLACK ensemble.

  

Mary Mary



Melanie Fiona shined in a silk backless cocktail dress with pink pumps.  I'm loving the color and Ms. Fiona's new haircut.  She looks great!



Co-host Regina King showed off her ripped bod in a red strapless number. 

 

Shanell (Lil' Wayne's ex-boo) - NO WORDS except a *side eye*

 

Taraji Henson sort of disappointed me with this ensemble.  The makeup and hair ages her, but she is a true beauty nonetheless.

 

Tatyana Ali looked young and chic in this creme-colored beaded gown.



Tracee Ellis needs a bra on with this dress. o_O  She looks fresh faced and chic, but not glam enough in my opinion for the affair.  Her other outfits on stage were much more FAB!

To all those who saw the show, I would love to hear your feedback.\

To those who have not seen the show, you can catch footage, bios, pics and performances here:

http://www.bet.com/shows/black-girls-rock/2011.html

For more information on the non-profit organization Black Girls Rock, click here:
http://blackgirlsrockinc.com/live/

BET Awards 2011 Recap

This year's festivities were hosted by top comedian Kevin Hart, who made sure to constantly remind the audience that no one inside or outside the venue was safe from his comical jabs. His act pointed to the fact that celebs have too many "yes-men" in their camps instead of "no-men", which he explained, were real friends that would tell you the truth instead of what you want to hear. After he commenced to going in on Ne-yo, Diddy, Busta Rhymes, Rick Ross, Jamie Foxx and more, he featured a spoof of the 'housewives' reality show craze with a series of skits featuring Bobby Brown, Nelly, Nick Cannon and Jermaine Dupri as the Husbands of Beverly Hills. The skits were silly and entertaining as they poked fun of the caddy riffs between the stars from Shaunie's Basketball Wives reality show.

Everyone seemed the most excited to see performances from Chris Brown, Alicia Keys and Beyonce who performed via satellite from the UK. The celebs showed up and showed out on the red carpet with a myriad of fashion looks. From chic and glam to sporty and sexy, leaving no fashion stone unturned.

Some highlights of the show were definitely Kelly Rowland's performance of her #1 hit, Motivation with Trey Songz. Kelly sizzled on stage as she donned a black ensemble that didn't show much skin, but clearly showed her curves while she busted out & changed up the look by shedding some fabric during the set. This was right before she slithered over to Trey Songz and started breaking it down and droppin' it to the floor #GoTeamKelly. I'm super proud of her & still routing for her as I recently explained in a previous BornTooBlog post http://borntooblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Kelly%20Rowland

Chris Brown's performance was pretty entertaining as he brought out Lil' Wayne and Busta Rhymes to perform their smash hit, Look At Me Now and lets not forget Mary J. Blige's nostalgic review of the songs that made her who she is today. Not to mention her emotional performance with R&B diva, Anita Baker, where they sang Rapture, the Anita Baker classic that got Mary her deal. BET was sure to keep the nostalgic vibe going when they brought out all five of the actors who played The Dells in The Five Heartbeats movie, alongside After 7, the group responsible for the popular remake of the "Nights Like This..." song off the movie's soundtrack. It was good seeing the fellas reunited & looking like they just shot the cult classic movie last month.

In true BET fashion, both the old and new were highlighted as a testament to the fortitude of black music as BET honored Patti LaBelle with a Lifetime Achievement Award with performances by Cee-Lo Green, fully equipped with his signature Patti hair sprayed wig, Marsha Ambrosius and gospel great, Shirley Ceaser. Pictures from Patti's hay day proved once and for all who was the original diva in a blast from the past pictorial of fashion ensembles only Rihanna, Madonna, Beyonce and Lady Gaga could love! And keeping up with the new, BET featured up-and-coming artists like Mali Music and Kimberly Nichole.

Awards and accolades touched every base as up-and-coming superstars and Hollywood Royalty Jaden and Willow Smith were acknowledged for their recent work and the impact they've already made in the music and movie industry. Steve Harvey was honored as the humanitarian of the year for his charity efforts and work in the community.

Oddly enough, no award show is free from mishaps as this year's awards experienced an embarrassing snafu when the #1 fan accidentally awarded first Rihanna, then later, Drake with the fan award instead of the actual winner, Chris Brown. Leaving some wondering if it was done on purpose as a publicity stunt or a way to get Chris Brown infuriated...again. I mean, besides, who wouldn't get perturbed by first being snubbed on camera by his notorious ex-girlfriend and the new rapper that she is now allegedly dating, only to then later have to appear on stage right before the show ended to make the correction. Yikes! Lol as they often say, "you just can't write this stuff", or can you? *wink*

The most lackluster performances came from Rick Ross, Lil' Wayne and Drake as they performed their popular hit, "I'm On One" and again from Rick Ross who performed with a number of artists throughout the night like Ace Hood and DJ Khaled. I'm just going to say that rappers these days need to step up their performance game. Their lazy and uneventful performance is the main reason I do not pay my money to see rappers perform in concert these days.

It was a jam packed show so I definitely couldn't touch on everything, but for more information on the big winners, performances, looks backstage and more, go to http://www.bet.com/shows/bet-awards/2011.html

NOTE: a pictorial of the night's fashion winners & losers up next!