DC Urban LifeStyle Magazine

As we mentioned there were several Inaugural Balls going on in the city to celebrate the re-election of President Barack Obama.  Among them, the Illinois State Ball held at the Renaissance Hotel in NW, DC.  The Ball's theme featured the best that Chicago has to offer: from a staging of the Chicago State Fair complete with cotton candy, corn dogs and sheep (yes, sheep), to photos of great Chicagoans (although we didn't see any pictures of Oprah ), to the multi-room live entertainment, this Ball was alive and kicking. Being that Chicago is the town that President Obama claims as his home, several attendees expected him to make an appearance.   Suffice it to say that even well into the early morning hours, the president had not made an appearance (he did have early a.m. Inaugural events the next day, you know), but that didn't stop attendees from celebrating his re-election. Here are a few more pics we shot on the night.

Grammy®, Tony®and Emmy®-award winning artist/activist Harry Belafonte will be the featured guest on an upcoming installment of SiriusXM's "Town Hall" series, intimate gatherings with iconic entertainers and figures sitting down with a studio audience of SiriusXM listeners. Belafonte in his younger years with the great Miriam Mekeba. Hosted by longtime civil rights activist/SiriusXM host Joe Madison , “SiriusXM’s Town Hall with Harry Belafonte” will take place at SiriusXM's New York City studios. Belafonte will take a variety of questions from the audience, discussing his remarkable life and career. Topics will include his close friendships with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela—and his personal involvement with the ending of apartheid and release of Mandela after twenty-seven and a half years of incarceration—being the first artist in industry history to sell over one million records with the release of his album Calypso; his Grammy, Tony and Emmy

Times:  Friday, Jan 25th @ 7pm Sat, Jan 26th @ 5pm

Several Inaugural Balls took place across the DC Metro area honoring the re-election of our 44th president, Barack Hussein Obama. We have a few pics from the balls we attended.  Check them out.   B. Smith and Omarosa on the Red Carpet at the Move The Dream Forward ball that featured Patti LaBelle and hosted by Angela Bassett. Actor Boris Kujoe on the Red Carpet at the Move The Dream Forward ball that featured Patti LaBelle, hosted by Angela Bassett. Singer Elle Varnen on the Red Carpet at the Move The Dream Forward ball that featured Patti LaBelle and hosted by Angela Bassett. Lance Gross on the Red Carpet at the Hip Hop Inaugural ball that saw rappers MC Lyte and Doug E. Fresh take home Lifetime Achievement awards. The event also featured performances by  Marsha Ambrosius  (one-half of the girl group, Floetry), Yo Yo , and a duo beat box mini rap concert with funny man Wayne Brady  joining Doug E. Fresh on stage for a rendition of Marvin Gaye's What'

Looking for some Inaugural social events and activities? Check our event collage below and then see our list of official and unofficial Inaugural Balls .

BET held its annual BET Honors awards show last evening at the historic Warner Theatre where excellence at its best was the theme of the evening. The network honors African Americans who excel in their chosen fields. After last year's Honors featured an appearance by First Lady Michelle Obama, the 2013 honorees include former WNBA great and US Olympian Lisa Leslie who took home the honor for Athletics, while artist and performer Chaka Khan was honored with the award for Music.  Clarence Avant , known for the godfather of Black music won the honor for Entrepreneur of Year.  Avant, known for brokering several multimillion dollar music deals, said while accepting his award, "I make do speeches, I make deals." Touche, Mr. Avante.  Touche. TD Jakes, pastor of the Texas mega-church The Potter's House , took home the honor for Education while actress Halle Berry rounded out the honorees with her award for Service for her work with several charities, among the