Manhattan’s Hammerstein Ballroom was glittering last night—and it wasn’t just the reflection off Spike Lee’s hat. Alicia Keys and a very pregnant Padma Lakshmi hosted Keep A Child Alive’s 6th Annual Black Ball last night, entertaining a room full of stars with musical assistance from John Mayer and Chris Martin. Among the celebs in attendance were Usher, David Bowie, Iman, Adrien Grenier, Nick Cannon and Halle Berry, whose sequined, cut-crazy dress fit right in with Spike’s hat. Watch them all hobnob in the gallery below.
Our headline may sound a little over the top, but is it really? A crowd of around 17,000 Michael Jackson fans who were packed into L.A.’s Staples Center — plus an estimated billion people watching worldwide on live television — were given the show of a lifetime today. The event is already being billed as the first worldwide memorial service. Some highlights:
We watched Michael Jackson’s casket, gold-plated and covered in red flowers, being carried into the Staples Center and placed in front of the stage. (Watch the clip above and the whole M.J. memorial at VH1.)
We listened to Queen Latifah read a touching poem by Maya Angelou.
We listened to basketball great Magic Johnson talk about the “greatest moment” of his life: Eating a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken with Michael Jackson. (We never knew the Gloved One was so, um, average.)
We watched Brooke Shields, who struggled to speak through tears, say that Michael Jackson was “pure, non-jaded and a lover of life.” Rumored to have dated Jackson in the 80s, Brooke described becoming friends with the King of Pop when she was 13 years old and how the two bonded over being child stars.
We listened to Smokey Robinson, who wrote several songs made famous by Michael, read condolences from both Diana Ross and Nelson Mandela.
We watched Motown founder Berry Gordy say that Michael Jackson was “the greatest entertainer that ever lived.”
We watched a heartfelt, soulful rendition of “Never Dreamed You’d Leave in Summer” by Stevie Wonder, who proclaimed that he wished he “hadn’t lived to see this day.” We watched riveting performances by Mariah Carey, Lionel Richie and Jennifer Hudson.
We also watched Usher’s performance of “Gone Too Soon” (co-written by M.J. himself) start off shaky with a gasp for air and end in tears.
We listened as the Rev. Al Sharpton addressed Michael’s kids directly, saying: “Wasn’t nothing strange about your dad, it was strange with what your daddy had to deal with.” We’re not sure about that one, but we’ll let it pass.
We watched a stage full of celebrities and children sing “We Are the World,” the song written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie in 1985 and used to help fight famine in Africa.
We watched Michael Jackson’s weeping little daughter, Paris, say that that “daddy has been the best father that you can ever imagine and I just want to say that I love him so much” — easily the saddest moment of the day. Ugh. (Watch Paris Jackson speak here).
And we watched Michael’s big brother, Jermaine Jackson, sing and cry at the same time, which looked like a difficult feat to us.
Then again, we shed a tear or two while blogging — and that’s not easy to do, either.
TheFABlife has scored tickets to Michael Jackson’s memorial in Los Angeles, and we’re teaming up with PopEater to live blog the event. Our blogger, Libby Keatinge, will be twittering from the front row of the Staples Center. Participate in our live blog now while watching the live stream above.
The memorial includes performances by Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Stevie Wonder, John Mayer and Smokey Robinson. Plus, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III will eulogizing the King of Pop.
Usher’s wife, Tameka Foster, claims she is shocked by her husband’s motion to file for divorce. In the Too Much Information department, Raymond says that she believed their marriage was on solid ground because the two of them had been “intimately together as husband and wife as recently as June 6.” Thanks for that.
Usher filed for divorce on June 12, citing that the marriage was “irretrievably broken.” In 2007, Usher called off their wedding in the first place, only to change his mind a week later, so clearly he’s a man with reservations about the relationship. The couple was married in August of that year and have two sons. [Source: USA Today; Photo: WireImage]
Usher Raymond separated from wife Tameka Foster months before the birth of their second child, according to divorce documents filed by the singer. The pair, married in August of 2007, have “continuously lived in a bona fide state of separation” since July 2008, the same month Vibe published a cover story about his life as a husband and father: “The swagger I possess now definitely comes from my wife.”
Raymond is requesting all tax files and financial reports, any gifts or cards he sent Foster that might reflect on his conduct and any reports she may have received via “surveillance or investigation.” Did Tameka sic a PI on him? Even if these two agree on joint custody, it sounds like they’re set for one heck of a battle over his cash.
Usher has filed for divorce from his wife Tameka Foster after almost two years of marriage. The couple has two children together — 18-month-old Usher V and 6-month-old Naviyd — but that wasn’t enough to keep them together. Sources claim the pair have been leading separate lives for a while now, with rumors dating back to May that a split was on the cards.
Usher and Tameka’s relationship faced troubles early on when it was reported that his mom Jonetta didn’t approve of her son’s girlfriend, who is eight years older than him. The superstar then fired his mom as his manager in 2007 — and a few months later Usher and Tameka called off their first wedding ceremony. So hardly the most surprising split, then. But it’s still sad. [Photo: Splash News Online]
The NY Post is reporting that Usher has been spotted out with a new lady friend on his arm, while not wearing his wedding ring. The “mystery woman” is supposedly an Island Def Jam employee named Grace Miguel, and she accompanied the married singer to the Malibu Country Market last week. The pair also apparently hit up the Sunset Marquis Hotel together on Thursday night.
Usher was married to Tameka Foster in 2007, and the couple has two kids together. It might be time for Usher to offer up some more confessions, eh? [Photo: FilmMagic]
Usher - singer/dancer/father extraordinaire - bashedChris Brown’s allegedly abusive tendencies earlier this week, then quickly turned around and changed his tune. “I apologize on behalf of myself and my friends if anyone was offended,” he said in a statement. “The intentions were not to pass judgment and we meant no harm. I respect and wish the best for all parties involved.”
What Usher didn’t reveal was what brought around his sudden change of heart. We now know that the singer supposedly retracted his statement out of respect and support for Rihanna, and her idiotic decision (in our opinion) to stand by her man. “Everybody loves Rihanna,” said one of her friends. “They don’t necessarily want her with Chris, but the second it was clear she was back with him, all of her friends rallied around her, stopped saying bad things about Chris. It might be what they’re thinking, but more than anything she needs support. And that’s what she’ll get.”
Rihanna’s friends need a little lesson from the girls of The Hills. When one of those airheads dates a dud, they make sure she knows her choice stinks in the most passive aggressive way possible. Someone’s gotta let Rihanna know that she could be ruining her life, right? [Photo: Splash News Online]
Usher should be ashamed of himself. Chris Brown’s career may be kaput following the beating he gave girlfriend Rihanna, so the poor guy decided to do a little jet skiing. Usher saw the photos, and chastised Brown for not “showing a little bit of remorse” in a video clip. The nerve! How unfair of Usher to hit a man while he’s down. Oh wait.
“The comments made during a recent recording session amongst friends were taken out of context and blown out of proportion,” Usher said in a statement. “I apologize on behalf of myself and my friends if anyone was offended. The intentions were not to pass judgment and we meant no harm. I respect and wish the best for all parties involved.”
Actually, Usher should be concerned if they’re taken in context, with Johnta Austin boxing behind him while Jermaine Dupri laughs his ass off. Out of context, it’s hard to imagine why anyone would be offended by his suggestion that abuse suspects keep the public vacationing to a minimum.
Most celebrity acquaintances seem determined to be as diplomatic as possible over Chris Brown’s abuse charges, but photos of the singer jet-skiing in Miami have inspired one of Brown’s most famous rivals to call the guy out. Usher gave his two cents in a behind-the-scenes video shot by producer Jermaine Dupri, even hinting at the infamous photo of Rihanna’s bruises leaked by TMZ.
I’m a little disappointed in this photo…after the other photo? C’mon, Chris. Have a little bit of remorse, man. The man’s on jet skis? Like, just relaxing in Miami?
Usher’s serious mood was undercut by singer Johnta Austin, who shadowboxed to Dupri’s audible amusement during Usher’s remarks. Ironically, Austin appeared with Brown and Bow Wow on the single “Shortie Like Mine” in 2006.
