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      Queen Latifah and Vibe magazine joined forces to celebrate black Hollywood in view of this year’s OSCAR ceremony by hosting the First Annual Queen Latifah Vibe Hollywood Gala last Saturday in Hollywood.

      We arrived a little early to the swanky event at the Republic restaurant and lounge and approached the individual with “THE LIST.” (The list bears all caps because there’s ALWAYS drama with it. Can somebody please come up with a better system, because I almost had to shed tears to get my “confirmed” plus one in; but I digress.)  Once we were approved for entry, we walked up the red carpet and were greeted at the door by servers offering a choice between Champagne flutes of Moet, snifters of Hennessey, or Belvedere Martinis; I thought to myself, “This is gonna be aaiight!”  So, thinking I’m relatively fly, LA chic, as we call it, I confidently opted for the Moët & Chandon's Nectar  (warning: this drink is smooth enough to suck down like flat soda, but drinking 5 glasses or more WILL cause slurred speech, migraines, and loss of balance whether you’re a pregnant woman or a career alcoholic).

      We proceed through the door and find that we’ve stumbled upon a little piece of paradise, which we should’ve expected given there was a plate of braised lamb chops, perfect presentation and all, sitting outside on the table holding “THE LIST.”   There was food everywhere, the décor was very elegant, the plasma screens were on, etc…all the trappings of an upscale affair. And, again, I thought to myself, “This is gonna be the jump off!”  I’m now standing with my flute of Moet, eating a seared Ahi tuna appetizer chatting with my embattled “plus one” and we see a beautiful female approaching.  So we’re jubilantly saying “Awww snap, it ain’t like this is it?!?!”

      Well, it turns out that it wasn’t  “like that,” because she says to us, “what door did you come in?”  I naively began to direct her, thinking she was trying to step out for a moment, but she proceeded to ask to see my wristband for the party.  Somewhat deflatedly I showed her and asked what the situation was.  She then said, “And they let you in here wearing that?” and stormed off.  Turns out that I missed the memo on the dress code and became the “bad element” for the evening, hence the five – or more – glasses of Moet.  (Mind you, as the party got thick, my look was replicated several times over; but the damage was already done.)  I was traumatized.

      But, after the liquid confidence kicked in, the chafing dishes were heated, and all the guests began to arrive, the initially uptight affair did indeed turn out to be “the jump off.”  The DJ was off the hook, spinning some of the most nostalgic oldies he could find and some of today’s hottest joints, and the celebrity quotient was pretty high.  Of those we rubbed elbows with were Sallie Richardson (Antoine Fischer), Kym Whitley (Oh Drama!), Tracee Ellis-Ross (Girlfriends), Kimora Simmons, Kandy Alexander and Adam Rodriquez (CSI Miami), Dawn Robinson (EnVogue), Jaleel White (Family Matters), T.I., Marcus Paulk (Roll Bounce), Tequan Richmond (Everybody Hates Chris), James Lesure (Las Vegas), Lynn Whitfield (Madea’s Family Reunion), Naughty by nature, Niecy Nash (Clean House), Erika Alexander (Living Single), Vincent Brown (Naughty By Nature), Glenn Plummer (South Central), Dorian Gregory (Soul Train), Jasmine Guy, and Fatima.  There was a brief Queen Latifah sighting, but her entourage whisked her off to VI-VIP (I guess it wasn’t enough that the party was already exclusive) and she wasn’t seen again.

      All in all, redemption did occur in the end for the inaugural Pre-Oscar jump off.  The venue was first class, the food and beverage were top-notch, and the DJ had the dance floor blazing all night.  I actually look forward to next year’s installment – I’ll just make sure I have my tailor on speed dial for that one.