The Beautiful Ones

BET threw a bash to kick off their new series "Real Life Divas," a show that profiles black women who are movers and shakers in the prospective fields. Naturally, the people who came out for this party were among the "drop dead gorgeous" crowd, including the queen of gorgeous, former supermodel Iman. They had the premiere party Thursday. Here are some selected pictures courtesy of WireImage.

The ageless Iman. Mind you, Iman doesn't rock the runway anymore, but she always looks prepared to bust out a good supermodel stomp to put the young girls to shame. And look at the tight black dress she is rocking. Prêt-à-Porter, indeed.

Iman and Beverly Johnson, yet another fashion model who doesn't seem to understand this whole "aging" deal where you get older looking, not older fierce. I would like whatever these two women are having, please!

Beverly Johnson and actress Cicely Tyson. Grandma is in love with the leopard print and it's trying to devour her whole. No, Grandma Cicely, no! Take fashion tips from Ruby Dee and Eartha Kitt! Less is more!

Derek J., some sort of TV personality. He is rocking a red leather man purse and bright yellow gloves. What the fug is going here? And he stole one of Michelle Obama's flower pins AND he's rocking the "man cleavage" with too many top buttons unbuttoned? And the chain belt? Andre Leon Talley would not approve! (Or maybe he would. I can never tell with that brother.)

One of the show producers Crystal McCrary. Her face is lovely, but at first you're like, what is up with that giant leather poncho-like jacket. But then things go from ...

Frumpy to ...

Fabulous! That is quite a sexy use of black lace and gray. I'd love to see it with a short business-like black jacket. McCrary is pictured her with the other show producers, Nathan Williams and Sean Johnson.

McCrary with one of my favorite former models, Veronica Webb.

Writer, blogger, pundit Keith Boykin.

Designer Rachel Roy looking a bit over layered but I like it. Well ... I like parts of it. I'd still let her dress me. I'm feeling the snakeskin pumps and the black skirt and sleeveless top, but not the turtle neck or the long sweater. Basically, she looks hot. And not in the sexy way, but like she should be melting under the lights.

Mmmm ... Taimak Guarriello. You can be my Bruce Leroy anytime.

BET's Julissa Bermudez. I love it. I hate it. The outfit is a perfect disaster. Like I love dresses with pockets, but this looks like a half pocket and the skirt looks like a rumpled toga. The jacket is street tough. But the skirt is high waisted, with a wide belt giving it an 1980s feel. I like the black. I just don't know what's going on here. A little help, anyone?

Actor Derrin Henson looks delicious. Where has this man been all my life? Why did I not know who he was? Then I looked at his IMDB page and realized I'd seen not one thing he'd ever been in. ("Stomp the Yard?" Methinks not.) But they're making a Tekken movie and he's playing "Raven?" Does this mean I have to pretend to care about Tekken again because I divorced Tekken and the man who played it constantly more than seven years ago.

"Barker Beauty," Deal or No Deal suitcase carrier and actress/model Claudia Jordan. Love the dress, love the belt. But she's a Barker Beauty. I'd only expect the best.

BET Shrugged: Hudlin Is Gone, But Crap Remains

Producer/filmmaker Reginald Hudlin left his perch as BET's president of entertainment this week and I felt nothing.

Hudlin, and his older brother Warrington, were born and raised in the Metro East in Centreville, Ill. near East St. Louis, so I've always tried to keep an eye on their careers. In Hudlin's three years with BET I can't really have a response because there is simply no response for a network that devoid of substance. Hudlin brought a few things to the table, but at the end of the day, this is America and BET is owned by Viacom.

Bring on the reality shows that are clones from other Viacom reality shows on MTV from five years ago!

"From the moment he joined the BET family, Reggie infused our program development with incredible creativity, energy and passion," BET chairman/CEO Debra Lee said in announcing Hudlin's departure.

Under Hudlin, BET launched 17 of the top 20 highest-rated shows in the network's 28-year history, including "Lil' Kim: Countdown to Lockdown," "American Gangster," "Baldwin Hills," "Sunday Best," BET's first scripted series "Somebodies" and the network's highest-rated series ever, "Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is." (The Hollywood Reporter)

I realize that the crappiness of BET is not entirely Hudlin's fault. The BET Sux Movement existed before they got rid of Donnie Simpson and "Video Soul." And the BET Sux Movement will not stop just because Hudlin left. This is just another battle of class and commerce in the black community.

Bougie black people complain that BET is degrading and part of the problem. BET says it's just putting on what people want to watch. BET is owned by Viacom which wants to make money, so BET throws on stuff to appeal to the lowest common denominator in order to rack in the most viewers. Voila! Crap on television for bougie, churchy and all variety of black people who don't like the term "video ho" to complain about.

Probably the most un-PC thing my mother says is something she heard often as a kid growing up -- If you don't want a black person to know something, put it in a book.

It's harsh and not funny, but reflects the huge problem we have with anti-intellectualism in our community. It's the same anti-intellectualism that runs through all of American culture, but feels like a pandemic in the black community. Throughout my life I've met people who are out-right hostile to the notion of "having an open mind" or "reading for pleasure." And until Barack Obama started running for president, I didn't know a lot of people who followed politics with any degree of seriousness.

Or voted with any degree of seriousness, for that matter.

Now, I don't know how you make being smart sexy to people because even white people struggle with that. But they have an advantage in the fact that there's simply more of them. All of the smart, quirky ones can just buy a Mini Cooper, move to a loft apartment in any American city and go hang out at the nearest, locally-owned coffeehouse with a copy of "The Kite Runner" and The New York Times and nerd mack for days over some chai tea and the latest Norah Jones, Jack Johnson or Dave Matthews Band CD.

They can just pretend the NASCAR, Toby Keith, hockey moms with monster trucks rallies, troglodyte-cum-philistine crowd doesn't exist. They can stick their fingers in their ears and go "la-la-la" when someone tries to tell them the earth is only 6,000 years old.

Us black people, we're a minority -- we need each other. To get folks voted into office. To get all sorts of things done. There's not as many of us in general, so there are even less nerdy, buppie, boho, bougie, snobby people running around. And heaven forbid anyone having a different opinion. Sacre bleu!

Even if you know some other college educated, chai tea sipping Negroes to kick it with, chances are if you are interested in worshiping Jesus or going to any event featuring some kind of athletics, barbecue, dancing, soul or hip hop music you are going to have to deal with some folks who may think you're a pompous, know-it-all who doesn't know a damn thing about what's hot in the streets.

The only way to (almost) completely circumvent this unpleasantness is to immerse yourself fully in the alabaster diaspora of White Liberal Guilt Land, aka "Trendy-Part-of-the-City, USA," being the "token" black guy/gal at the sushi bar or yoga studio or coffeehouse.

And this is why educated black people hate BET so much. Because we have this fantasy that if BET were either A) cleaned up or B) taken off the air, maybe we could get the entire race "off the pole." It seems silly that if most black people are middle class why is there still a need to push this fetishization of urban crime and poverty onto our kids?

Oh yeah. That fetish makes money. Lots of money. Especially when sold to the non-black people who can't get enough of it. The market has decided which part of blackness it wanted and it wanted to see less Wynton Marsalis. More Soulja Boy.

That said, Hudlin plans to return to his roots as a film producer. All I ask is that he be more responsible with that power than Tracey Edmonds.