Thanks to our friends over at nochelatino, see below some of the best Latin Party Pics of 2010!

Are you ready for a great New Years eve night?  Do you want to share a better pic?

For the rest of the pics, click here

Club Promenade- 215 West 28th Street Between 7th and 8th Avenue

10pm- 4am

Knock Out Ent., GQ Promotions. The SplachLife Ent. present a grand event fit for the hip-hop masses. After devouring a delicious turkey if you are in New York, throw on your finest garments and head to Promenade along with The Knockout Boys to party it up with Brooklyn’s finest- Fabolous! Fab will be hosting and performing, so learn those “Throw It In The Bag” lyrics (You don’t want to be the only person not singing along!)

New York Jets All-Star safety Kerry Rhodes, had his 3rd annual “Bowling With The Stars” celebrity event on Monday November 2, 2009. Comedian Kevin Hart hosted the charity event which benefits educational and financial advancement for today’s youth.

This year’s festivities consisted of a black tie VIP dinner and silent auction at STK, NY. Attendees included celebs such as Tyson Beckford, teammates Braylon Edwards, Darelle Revis, radio personality Egypt, and many more.

Following the lavish 5-star dinner was a celebrity bowling party (which I attended) at Lucky Strike Lanes and Lounge Luxe Suite, NY. The guest list consisted of, but not limited to: funny man, Kevin Hart, Vivica A. Fox, D.L. Hughley, Tyson Beckford, and DJ Clue. Funk-Master-Flex kept the party going on the ones and twos, it was certainly the talk of New York!

Not to mention the wonderful gift bags that were handed out, special thanks to GoodGirl PR and all other contributers. You know people LOVE free stuff. [Laughs]

A great way to start the work week, if I do say so myself…

-Brandyn Orlando

Photo Credit: Shareif Ziyadat of Wire-Image

Halloween is no longer associated with just ghouls and goblins.  On Friday October 30th, this holiday was officially spiked with a little sexy as Maurice Hennessy, an 8th generation member of the Hennessy family co-hosted an intimate tasting of Hennessy Black signature cocktails to honor the 25th birthday of Top Model & Actress Eva Marcille Pigford and introduce the “Black Masquerade.” 

The event took place at the Moet Hennessy USA office in New York City with attendance by Eva Marcille Pigford’s fiance actor Lance Gross, SRC/Universal recording artist O’Neal McKnight, Pittsburgh Steelers Lamarr Woodley, TV & Radio Personality Egypt and MTV T3rs VJ L.Boogs.

The “Black Masquerade,” an exclusive Halloween beverage was also the featured mixed drink of choice during Eva’s private birthday celebration on Halloween Day.

Today’s hottest celebs rock the flyest clothes, drive the paparazzi wild, and make controversy the new “it” factor. But, before these trendsetters started shopping at Louis Vuitton and chowing down on calamari they were struggling to find their place in the entertainment world. Through their bumpy transitions, a little money in the bank, and help from a good publicist today’s attention getters have made an even better name for themselves. Check out the GIANT alterations that made these lack luster appearances pop into household stars.

Monday was far from mundane as MVD Inc, Belvedere Vodka and GIANT Magazine took over the downtown district to celebrate the release of Fabolous’ highly anticipated album, Loso’s Way. Idris Elba, Ryan Leslie, Keri Hilson, Vanessa Ferlito and Adrienne Bailon were just a few of the guests in attendance who partied the night away to the sounds of DJ Clue and DJ Cassidy.

This past week, HBO and Belvedere presented “Dinner With Bevy”. The event was held in the intoxicating and vibrant city of Miami. Amongst the swamp of bronzed gods and goddesses, a  constellation of stars came out to play.  Guests ranged from Directors Lee Daniels and Robert Townsend to Athletes.  Baltimore Ravens Terrell Suggs and NBA All Star Dwayne Wade.  Other guests included Micheal Beach, Eric LaSalle, Gabrielle Union and Tamara Tumie.

What, or who, I hear you ask; could bring out such an array of stars to the same place, none other than the heavenly body which is Sanaa Lathan.  Ms Lathan is the Jury Ambassador of the 13th Annual American Black Film Festival; an occasion which is both a celebration and reinforcement of the hard work being exhibited within black cinema, an art form that constantly pushes to champion the beauty and diversity in African American culture.

Sanaa Lathan was honored for her diligent nature and hard work in helping promote such positive images. The event was hosted by, you guessed it, “Style Maven” Bevy Smith.  Guests dined in the grand private dining room of the Mondrian Hotel; the beauty cuisine was proved custody of Asia De Cuba, and was just as exquisite as the guest of honor.

Hakeem Balogun

Recently gracing the cover of the July ’09 issue of GIANT, Mr. Cannon talks his definition of power, Barack Obama and his “unorthodox” marriage to Mariah Carey in this behind the footage of his photoshoot.

Celebrities, industry tastemakers, models and music mavens hit up the official launch party for Hennessy Black last night (May 5) in New York City. New to the finer spirits market, Hennessy Black marks the cognac brand’s approach to doing liquor “differently.”

GIANT was on the scene and checked in with some of our favorites girls including Kim Kardashian and Ciara and saw a performance from Swizz Beatz and dance troupe The Jabbawockeez.  

Check out Swizz performing and Kim Kardashian showing off her nails below. 

A year ago Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon surprised everyone with their secret wedding in the Bahamas. Last night the power couple celebrated their Anniversary with an intimate dinner at the Palms Resort and Casino Las Vegas. Some of the guest included L.A. Reid, Chris Lighty, BET’s Stephen Hill and Ronda Cowan, Andre Harrell, Keanan Thompson, Sanaa Latham, Tyrese Gibson, Floyd Merriweather, Sanaa Hamri and Affion Crockett. Cannon made a poetic toast to his beautiful wife telling everyone “she is the love of my life.” The menu for the seated dinner included steak and lobster followed by a cake with two love birds on top. After the dinner, the party was moved to Club Moon where Cannon presented Carey with a home video of their last year togehter — complete with an accompanying M.C. soundtrack. Then the roof of the nightclub opened up and hundreds of balloon were released into the sky as Tony!, Toni!, Tone!’s” “Anniversary” played. The couple shared tears of joy and lots of kisses. Then Cannon jumped on the turntables and deejayed the night away. Viva Las Vegas!!! Happy Anniversary Nick and Mimi. 

Last Night Directors, Musicians, and Style Mavens got together for the 8th Annual Tribeca Film Festival Opening party at the State Supreme Court. Film Festival begins tonight with the premiere of Woody Allen’s new flick “Whatever Works”. Check attendees in their fabulous garbs.

At last night’s installment of “Noisemakers” with Peter Rosenberg, the hip-hop equivalent of “Inside the Actor’s Studio,” Q-Tip shared amazing stories about A Tribe Called Quest’s ascension from high school talent shows to international stages.

The event was a rap-nerd’s heaven; a hip-hop history lesson for even the most informed old-school heads in attendance. Thankfully the evening didn’t devolve into a The Low End Theory vs. Midnight Marauders death match, and instead consisted of hilarious impersonations, amazing stories and background on some of the greatest hip-hop records ever recorded.

Here are some of the gems from last night:

1. Tip revealved that he made the beat for “Bonita Applebum” at the age of 15.

2. After the dissolution of Leaders of the New School, Busta Rhymes was on the verge of joining ATCQ! He ended up going solo, but not without Tip’s help. He explains below.

In the above clip he also imitates Busta’s animated performance of “Scenario” on the Arsenio Hall Show (seen below).

3. Tip put on the late J-Dilla. Many already know this, but last night Q shared how he was introduced to Dilla and how he then proceeded to turn all of hip-hop onto the Detroit beat-making legend. Peep the video below.

4. In addition to Dilla and Busta, Q-Tip helped launch the careers of Mobb Deep’s Prodigy and Havoc.

5. The Low End Theory was sonically inspired by NWA’s Straight Outta Compton, which in turn inspired Dr. Dre’s The Chronic.

6.”I Left My Wallet in El Segundo” was on the first demo tape A Tribe Called Quest ever recorded. That demo prompted a bidding war between Def Jam, Geffen and Jive.

7. Tip kicked it with De La Soul and The Jungle Brothers back when he was still in high school and those groups were just breaking. As Peter Rosenberg said, “These are rap super heroes. You’re talking about hanging out with MC Serch and DJ Red Alert! And that was nothing for you. That was just Saturday!”

For a generation of Tribe stans, last night’s “Noisemakers” was a revealing look at one of the best emcee/producers of all time. Tip offered an exclusive inside look at a group that changed hip-hop with their dominant bass lines, catchy jazz samples and live instrumentation. Whether or not you are/were a fan of ATCQ, they pioneered a brand of hip-hop carried into the present by The Roots, Common, Mos Def and others.

Tip famously spit on “Electric Relaxation,” “I couldn’t drop dimes cuz she couldn’t relate,” but luckily last night we could and he did. Even hip-hop’s nerd-in-chief, ?uestlove, left amazed.

-Lukas Brekke-Miesner

A pregnant Kelis partied this weekend in Los Angeles with her husband Nas. The hip-hop couple were hosting a birthday party for friend Damon Peruzzi.

Check out the pictures of Kelis with her baby bump in the gallery below. 

Source: TheYBF

Chris Paul recently threw a party for the launch of his new kicks at Republic Nightclub in New Orleans, LA. See which celebs hit up the event here!

Click here to read GIANT’s exclusive interview with Chris Paul!

Click here to see the gallery from the GIANT photo shoot!

Philippe on Manhattan’s Upper East Side is the place where all of the luminaries of music, fashion, film and media meet and eat. Chef/Owner Philippe Chow ran Mr. Chow for 27 years before opening his own restaurant in New York City and in Miami at The Gansevoort South along with his partner Stratis Morfogen. Chow takes traditional Chinese food and adds a modern and unique twist to the cuisine. Note: The chicken satay is to DIE for. Philippe is minimal, cozy and all about the delicious dining experience, of course the celebrities sightings adds to its mystique. Check out some of the famous patrons who dine at Philippe.

Last night (February 24) Time Warner Cable and Target hosted a screening of HBO’s The Black List Vol. 2 at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem. Among those in attendance were Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Maya Rudolph and documentary producer Elvis Mitchell, among others.

The Black List Vol. 2 will air nationwide on HBO on Thursday (February 26).

The House of Hennessy was the place to be NBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix. After a star-studded Superbowl party, Hennessy did it again in Phoenix with appearances from Christina Milian, Akon and Jadakiss, among others. Check out all the party photos below:

Grace Sun showed her Fall 2009 Collection of women’s wear at a party sponsored by GIANT at the L Gallery in downtown Manhattan. The event (which also celebrated Sun’s birthday) was hosted by Sun’s sister Julie Chang, Entertainment Reporter for Fox 5 New York News. Grace Sun Designs’ beautiful and easy-breezy separates are sold at Barney’s New York and Neimen Marcus and worn by celebs like Heidi Klum. Sun showed three groupings of her new collection (red, blue and pewter) in a gallery style installation while attendees sipped on cocktails and swayed to the beats of DJ Ampz. Check out some of the magic.

Happy Birthday Grace!

New York’s Soho district was alive with art lovers on Wednesday evening. Celebrities, art enthusiasts and a who’s who from the city’s art scene gathered to attend Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation’s 2009 Gold Rush Awards. The multi-media fundraising event, hosted by MTV’s Sway and presented by artist and foundation co-founder Danny Simmons, honored music and art program founders Beverly Bond and Sonja Okun, and writer/ curator Franklin Sirmans. Notable guests Grammy winner Estelle, actor Jamie Hector, and photographer Jamel Shabazz socialized while rapper Talib Kweli and DJ Cassidy rocked the evening’s music.

Russell Simmons’ Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation is presenting The 2009 Gold Rush Awards on February 10th in New York City. Simmons, his brother, Danny and Derrick Adams created the event in celebration of giving back to the artistic community and as a way of engaging young people in art and culture. The evening’s honorary hosts are Deitch Project’s Nicola Vassell and P.R. honcho Chris Chambers. Talib Kweli (above) will perform and MTV’s Sway, Estelle, AntiPop Consortium and DJ Cassidy will all be in the house. The gold themed cocktail party will honor Beverly Bond (deejay and activist), Sonja Okun (community organizer) and Franklin Sirmans (author/curator). GIANT is the media sponsor. For more info./tickets go to: www.rushartsgallery.org

Check out who will be at the Gold Rush Awards:

Tampa was the hot spot for Super Bowl XLIII and no one did it bigger than House of Hennessy and GIANT Magazine; creating an endless party all weekend long with three back-to-back events: Hennessy Splash Poolside Soiree, The BIG Game Viewing Party and the Hennessy 3rd Annual Game Over Celebration.

This was the destination to find a slew of athletes, actors, artists and top models.  Celebrity guests received a pair of limited edition Hennessy Celebration Hi-Top’s including Cuba Gooding Jr. DJ Irie, Rick Ross, DJ Khaled, Fabolous, Willie McGahee, and The-Dream (who performed for a crowd including the likes of Vida Guerra and Playboy playmate Amber Camprisi). Co-host’s and NFL all-stars Dwight Freeney (Indianapolis Colts) and Cato June (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) invited additional star players Warren Sapp, New Jersey Jet Ty Law and many more!  Even a few of the Steelers celebrated another grand win here, proving this venue to be THE only place to be!

Eve dines at Crustacean and gets caught diggin’ deep for some gold. Plus: Halle Berry, Ray J, Mary J. Blige and Dennis White.

Hip-Hop superstar Jay-Z dropped in as an unannounced surprise during Young Jeezy’s Inaugural celebration at Washington, D.C.’s Love Night Club on Sunday January 18, 2009.  Jay-Z, along with his wife Beyonce and her younger sister Solange, sang along to the Trap Star’s songs before perfoming his own verse on Jeezy’s “My President” remix. The crowd ate it up as they got into the inaugural moment and energetically waved their mini-American flags.

The event, which kicked-off the creative collaboration between Young Jeezy and Belvedere Vodka, was hosted by Big Tigger and also featured performances from other hip-hop icons T.I. and Akon.

In one of his last performances before he has to report in for his year long jail term next month T.I. performed some of his classic songs like “What You Know” and “A.S.A.P” before delving into the catalog of his latest album Paper Trail. The Southern rapper also made some comments about his upcoming sentence and addressed his critics.

Celebrities Isaiah Washington, Ashanti, Nelly, Bow Wow, Tracey Edmonds, Wale, Teyana Taylor and Kevin Liles also made appearances at the event.

Check out the gallery below to see all of the stars.

- Pharoh Martin

While millions of people celebrated Barack Obama’s Presidential Inauguration in Chocolate City, some New Yorkers kept it local and did their own thing. Pepsi hosted a Black Tie Blue Jeans Downtown Inaugural Ball at La Esquina, Serge Becker’s Mexican underground eatery. In Big Apple style Maxwell, Universal/Motown’s Sylvia Rhone, Artist Francesco Clemente, fashion advocate Bethann Hardison, Sean John’s Dao-Yi Chow, DJ Victor Calderone and many other taste makers basked in the glow of this historical moment. The menu: Delicious Mexican food, Don Julio Tequila, Pepsi floats (yes, the yummy mix of vanilla ice cream and soda) and hip hop beats by DJ Reach. What more could you ask for when celebrating one of the most important days in our lives? Caption: Happy Obama Day!

Check out my snapshots of the evening.

Though President Obama, VP Joe Biden and their wives will only make brief appearances at 10 of the balls, here’s a list of the hottest looking inaugural galas that you may want to check out if you’re in the D.C. area.

Neighborhood Inaugural Ball – Washington Convention Center (Jan 20.)

President Obama will host the first-ever “Neighborhood Inaugural Ball” with tickets available free or at an affordable price. It is the first official inaugural ball of its kind to be held during a presidential inauguration.

Green Inaugural Ball -  Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW. (Jan. 17)

Featuring organic food and drink, LED lighting, entertainment audio-visual production will be created to minimize environmental impact and keep the party’s carbon footprint light. Wyclef Jean will also be performing. Tickets: $500 and are available here.

Lincoln 2.0 Inaugural Ball -  Smithsonian American Art Museum, 8th and F Sts. NW. (Jan. 18)

Takes place in the landmark building where Lincoln celebrated his own inauguration in 1865. Proceeds benefit The American Art Museum and The American Experience Foundation, a charity that develops national programs to educate the public about the arts, culture, American democracy and unique heritage of Washington, DC. Tickets: $375 and are available here.

HBCU Inaugural Gala Ball - Sequoia at Washington Harbour, 3000 K St. NW. (Jan. 19)

Sponsored by Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Tickets: $300 and are available here.

Africa Aspire Inauguration Night – A Celebration of Change for the World -  Smithsonian Museum of African Art, 950 Independence Ave. NW. (Jan. 20)

The celebration will include African cuisine, music and cultural presentations. Black Tie or traditional attire. Tickets: $500 and are available here.

We The People –  Hyatt Regency Washington, 400 New Jersey Ave. NW. (Jan. 20)

The ball is an initiative by a group of volunteers who worked as part of the “grass roots movement” supporting Senator Barack Obama’s campaign. Tickets: $295 and are available here.

Inaugural DC Ball - Old Post Office Pavilion, 1110 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. (Jan. 20)

Set to benefit Metropolitan Police Boys & Girls Clubs, the entertainment will feature Washington DC’s legendary Godfather of Go-Go Chuck Brown. Tickets: $150-250.

We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration – The Lincoln Memorial  (Jan 20.)

In celebration of Obama, performers scheduled for the event include: Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Heather Headley, John Legend, Usher and Stevie Wonder. Free and open to the public.

To see a complete list of all of the Inaugural Balls taking place in Washington D.C. from Jan. 16 to Jan. 20, click here.

Check out the photos from last night’s Bad Boy reunion at the NYC premiere of Notorious!

For more Notorious, check out our behind-the-scenes video of the cast at our photoshoot here!

Nina Sky and Fila recently teamed to unveil their Melrose sneaker line… and what better way to do that than with a swanky party! Peep all the fun pics below:

All work and no play makes GIANT staffers… Well, let’s just say we let loose last night for the GIANT holiday party. Shout out to our neighborhood pub Antarctica for hosting the madness. Pics below.

Invite-only parties can be a determination of popularity depending on what side of the offer you’re on. Alexis Maybank and Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, founders of Gilt Groupe, the private online community that grants member-only access to 36-hour online sample sales, joined forces with Bevy Smith—style maven, TV personality, freelance writer, and host of eponymous exclusionary dinner parties—to introduce their site to the fashion world of ATL. Last Wednesday, at the Spice Market in the Midtown W Hotel, the three queens of exclusivity brought out the best while paying homage to the city’s style and flair.