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Fourth Annual GM Ten Celebrity Fashion Show: 1 Night 2 Live
L.A. is a very attractive place. Some may say almost
too attractive: the lights, the glitz, the money, the fame, the cars
and of course the makeup! I can go on and on. Yet, attraction is
subjective and cannot be analyzed. And since I was coming from an
all-star weekend with my crew, who all flew to San Francisco for
NBA All-Star weekend, I knew that my time in L.A. would have to be
overkill. So when Rob, AKA Bobby Lotto, gave me a ring after I landed
at LAX – of course the first question asked was, “What
type of hardware you working with?” Thanks to the folks at
General Motors (GM) I was delighted to say with authority, a Caddy
XLR!
I love the West Coast. So much so that my family may purchase a
condo there or something. My energy is always in unison with whatever
is popping off at the time. This time it was a glamorous fashion
affair put on by GM to benefit the non-profit P.S. Arts. The key
ingredients were a red carpet, a cadre of GM vehicles including the
seductive Cadillac Cien Concept, a bevy of heavy hitters such as
Jamie Foxx, Vivica A. Fox, Wesley Snipes, Regina King, David Spade,
Flex Alexander, John Salley, Derek Luke, beautiful models, a runway
and sizzling performances by those dudes from Chi-town, Kanye and
Common.
Before touching down in Hollywood I needed to get “Hollywood” for
the big evening. It was like a soap opera, I literally had “one
night to live.” Steve was already rocking the Evisu jeans so
I knew I couldn’t go that route. Plus I needed that $300 sacrifice
for other necessities. Therefore, I went with a pair of Sean Johns
and my tangerine-striped, spring wear button-up I snagged in Italy
with wifey. The cool cap and suede jacket topped off the attire.
Next, was picking up the whip, which just happened to be a 2005 Cadillac
XLR. The silver convertible bullet was high-tech at its finest. To
my disappointment, Cali rainstorms kept me from dropping the retractable
roof and showing off my true nature. If you were not aware, the XLR
is Cadillac’s finest piece of work to date. It gets out with
a motivated 4.6-liter Northstar V8, starts up with a remote control
key (it only needs to be in the vicinity) and includes a touch screen
DVD navi with voice recognition. My time in the vehicle was well
spent. When I rolled up to the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel with the
$76,000 “American Beauty” I felt like “Him.” Yeah “Him,” the
mysterious “who’s that?”
Back at the 4th Annual GM Ten the lights were definitely on. Everyone
was stepping large and laughing easy. Camera crews were fighting
for position like a bunch of killer bees. A few distinctive GM rides
complemented the red carpet, such as a strawberry customized Chevy
SSR, the scientific Cadillac Cien Concept and Sixteen Concept, and
the beastly Chevy Kodiak Pickup by Monroe Truck Equipment. Now it
was time to become one with the celebs and accomplish my mission;
to get at Foxx and run with a few interviews. I felt like a gas and
began to fill my presence with every inch of space given. First things
first, a candid conversation with the GM ambassador of the West Coast,
Mike Jackson, who leveraged his energies into such a powerful event.
Says Jackson, “If you go back into history you’ll see
that GM has always been the style leader as it relates to automotive
design. We have to change the way people feel about our company and
products.”
Inside, the fashion show was brilliant! The drinks were on the house
and the love of life was emanating throughout. And this was on a
Tuesday! Imagine how L.A. does it on Fridays. On the runway, GM paired
a certain vehicle with a certain model of similar demeanor. At least
that’s how I took it. India.Arie strutted with Josef Statkus
and a 1923 Oldsmobile; Jamie Foxx rocked the new Hummer H3 with Dolce & Gabana;
Regina King rolled with a red Convertible Corvette and Roberto Cavalli,
and Vivica A. Fox did Elie with a Saab 9-7X SUV -- all while tracks
from Biggie, 50 Cent and more electrified the celebrity audience.
Afterwards, Kanye and Common exchanged def-defying flows for a “hi-def” performance
well worth the wait in the heavy evening rains. In the interim, I
chatted with Derek Luke about his vehicles of choice. Cool and calm,
he seemed to be more humble than most and had no high flyers to brag
about. He did, however, seem ecstatic when we talked about his role
in Antoine Fisher with Denzel. Moving on, Flex enjoys his Escalade
EXT, Chrysler 300C and Range Rover and stated that he doesn’t
need super expensive rides. Foxx spoke on the love for his Escalade
-- especially since it’s very family oriented and has beautiful
lines.
On my way out I bumped into Blade himself, aside from all the vehicle
hoopla, we chatted on the history of Kemet (Egypt). Interesting enough
Snipes bowed when he noticed my “Eye of Heru.” What an
honor I thought. Who needs the Black Amex when you have peace in
your life? Afterwards, I reflected on how many more nights I had
to live. Many! After all, GM seems to have a stronghold on every
entertaining showcase out there. Don’t worry, Automotive Rhythms
will definitely keep you posted like the mailman! For more pics and
info, visit
(www.FindYourStyle.com).
Jamie Foxx |
K. Rawlins & Derek Luke |
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Aisha Tyler
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Kanye West Performs
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Vivica Fox & the Saab 9-7X
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Farnsworth Bentley & guest
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Joy Bryant
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K. Rawlins & Jamie Foxx at the GM 10
Fashion Show
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India Arie
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Eric Dickerson, model & Marcus Allen
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Jamie Foxx & the Hummer H3
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Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon
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K. Rawlins and the Cadillac Cien
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The Models
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