Ne-Yo Performs…

9:36 p.m…

One of the surprises I held off on telling you yesterday was that Michael Jackson was rumored to be making a special appearance to celebrate Thriller’s 25th Anniversary. MJ is irreplaceable, but Ne-Yo did a pretty good job

BET Honorees… 

9:42 p.m…

This is always my favorite part at award shows. They just brought up all the honorees onstage together at once. Tyra, Congresswoman Waters, Alicia, Dr. West, Mr. Parsons and Mrs. Howroyd.

The show was pretty good overall. I’m looking forward to seeing what it’ll look like on TV. At the risk of being redundant, make sure to tune in BET to watch the 1st Annual BET Honors on February 22. And make sure to leave us some comments. Until next time…

[http://www.bet.com/specials/tbh08]

–C.C.

Gladys Knight… 

9:20 p.m…

Ok, so Gladys Knight just got on stage and wow! She got some pipes on her. Not that it’s breaking news or anything, but it’s pretty impressive to hear it live. Oh, I’m loving this! Some elder folks to my right are getting down like it’s 1979. Gladys didn’t get a unanimous ovation, but the post-performance cheers she received were pretty loud.

 Maxine Waters & Kerry Washington

9:24 p.m…
So Congresswoman Maxine Waters just walked onstage to receive the “Public Service Award” from Kerry Washington and she’s just as funny as Parsons and Howroyd.

9:34 p.m…

Congresswoman Waters’ speech is running 10 minutes plus, but she’s really dropping some jewels right now. She’s addressing the perpetual conflict between youths and their elders.

“We say that they don’t have wisdom. Of course they don’t they’re young and you didn’t have it either,” she offered.

[http://www.bet.com/specials/tbh08]

–C.C.

Richard Parson & Danny Glover

8:55 p.m…

So Richard Dick Parsons is being honored next. I wonder if he’s Karyn’s daddy of Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air fame. If so, I wonder if she’s here. Oh, guess not. Danny Glover just said Mr. Parsons is from “doe or die Bed Stuy Brooklyn.” I think Karyn is from Cali.

John Legend Performs…

But that’s besides the point. Mr. Parsons is presently being awarded with the BET Honors ‘Corporate Citizen Award” and John Legend just took the stage. He’s performing “Ordinary People” and is just murdering it. It’s interesting to see how the more mature folks in the audience seem to enjoy a performer as young as Legend. They’re either singing along or giving him the same look the ladies were giving Idris Elba earlier.

9:05 p.m… 

Interestingly, aside from Cedric, the funniest people have arguably been the non-artistic folks like Parsons and Janice Bryant Howroyd. They got jokes.

[http://www.bet.com/specials/tbh08]

–C.C.

Stevie Wonder Wows The Crowd…

8:32 p.m…

See, this is what I was talking about yesterday. People just gave a standing ovation to Stevie Wonder and all the man did was walk onstage to take his seat at the piano. I doubt you’ll get to see that part on TV. Guess what? He got another standing O, a long one at that, the second he ended his performance.

8:35 p.m…

Lucky for us. I’m not sure what went wrong, but Stevie has to do a repeat. “From the top Stevie,” said one of the producers. Some guy to my right immediately cheered, “yes!” People love them some Stevie. I may have been on the balcony. But I could still see the back-up singers’ facial expression when Stevie was breaking it down. They were just in awe.

Alicia Keys… 

Alicia loves her some Stevie too.

“I’m rarely speechless. I can talk my way in and out of every situation. I mean, Mr. Stevie Wonder,” Keys said during her acceptance speech. “How many times have I played that song ["As"] in particular? That’s my song.”

[http://www.bet.com/specials/tbh08]

–C.C.

Blair Underwood…

8:23 p.m…

Ok, Idris may just have some competition from Blair Underwood. The ladies in the audience are daydreaming again.

8:28 p.m…

If you’ve never been to an award show, jump on the next opportunity. It’s interesting to see the production aspect, the way they cue in applauses. These guys just jumped on stage and put together a two-piano set in the flash. Earlier, they had a comedian doing stand-up to kill time. I didn’t catch the guy’s name, but he did a good job. Other times the band just plays.

[http://www.bet.com/specials/tbh08]

–C.C.

Janice Bryant Howroyd

7:56 p.m…

The show has just gotten deeper. Sure, it’s great to honor popular artists, but I’m learning something here. When I first read the list of honorees, I didn’t know much about Janice Bryant Howroyd and by the whispers I overheard, neither did some of my fellow audience members.

Upon watching the clip, introduced by Vivica A. Fox, I found out that she started her own company Act 1 Group, which is now worth $500 million, with $1, 500. The company has 90 offices and employs 300 staffers. But even more impressive is Howroyd’s $10 million contribution to the University of Southern California, the school two of her children attended. Impressed attendees stood up when Howroyd made it to the stage to accept the BET Honors Entrepreneur Award.

Brian McKnight Performs…

McKnight did a good job, but Howroyd sure stole the show with her acceptance speech. I thought I was in church for a second. “Baby, I tell you in private, but I have no problem telling in front of the whole world. I married you cause I love you. You keep me feeling good 24/7,” Howroyd said to the crowd’s delight. “I’m gonna hurry up, cause I don’t want them to sing me off like they sang me on.”

[http://www.bet.com/specials/tbh08]

–C.C.

Idris Elba…

7:38 p.m….

Let’s face it, fellas. Idris Elba is the man. Dude is on stage right now and I can overhear “I love him” and “awwwwww” left and right. I mean, I’m looking around and I’m seeing grown women, hand on their hearts, just staring at the British actor. Hilarious! It’s like they forgot that he’s here to kick off the Tyra Banks tribute.

 Tyra Banks

“She’s an independent woman that has done immesily well,” Elba told BET.com about Tyra earlier in the evening. ”She’s an icon for a lot of people. People look up to her, she contines to give back and lead. She’s a role model to a lot of women in the world and I think that’s important.”

7:43 p.m…

Wyclef Jean Honors Tyra…

Clef is [paying tribute to Tyra] now and he’s expectedly doing his thing. By the time he gets to Carl Carlton’s “Bad Mama Jama,”most are on their feet and Clef has made it down to the front rows to briefly interact with the crowd.

[http://www.bet.com/specials/tbh08]

–C.C.

Friday January 11, 2008 – 1:10 p.m…

So now that John Legend is off I’m here killing time, looking on as the production crew makes adjustments for the next performer. I vow to be a fly on the wall for you guys. Minus the fact that I can’t sit in the front row, take photos of female performers (not camera ready) or use my flash, I got you, people.

5 Minutes later…

What is it with jackets? Some random all-access badge wearing lady just asked me, “is this your jacket?” I guess somebody missplaced theirs. It couldn’t be Debra Lee’s though. I see her rocking the fly leather joint over there. Oh well! I wonder who’s next.

Debra Lee (BET Chairman/CEO) 

–C.C.

Friday January 11, 2008 – 12:55 p.m…

It was too good to be true. There I was sitting in the second row at Washington, D.C.’s Warner Theater as John Legend performed his classic “Ordinary People” for the 1st Annual BET Honors. To my left ladies, Idris Elba and Blair Underwood. To my right fellas, Kerry Washington and Keyshia Cole. Shoot, I even had better seats than Jill Scott (right behind me).

But you know that couldn’t last. I quickly got word that I had to move my *ss back some ten rows for production reasons I suppose. And oh, did I mention that it was rehearsal and not the actual show? I was just sitting next to Idris and them’s reserved seats.

Wishful Thinking… 

 Somebody’s name is misspelled…

 Here you go ladies…Idris Elba In The Sheet

There goes Blair…

I did manage to get a close look at Legend though. Minutes after stepping offstage, dude was right under my nose signing what appeared to be release forms. “No, I don’t wanna be on camera,” Legend told a rep. So much for that interview, uh? Moments later he looked my way hurriedly searching for his jacket. He looked pretty pissed when he momentarily thought I was sitting on it. I wasn’t. But I guess that’s why they moved me in the first place.

Nice Jacket, John!

If the actual show is anything like the rehearsals, the BET Honors should be pretty good. The list of honorees includes Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Dr. Cornel West, Janice Bryant Howroyd, Alicia Keys, Tyra Banks and Richard Dick Parsons. You’ll have to tune into the telecast on February 22nd to get the full story. In the meantime, I got a few more hours at rehearsals , so I’ll make sure to drop a few more hints before it’s all over.

–C.C.