NEW PICS: WORLD PREMIERE OF 'MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA.'

The worldwide premiere of Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa took place last night in Westwood, California. Celebrities in attendance included Will & Jada Pinkett Smith with their youngest son Jaden and daughter Willow; Chris Rock along with his wife Malaak and their two daughters; Cedric the Entertainer and his family; Toni Braxton with her husband Kerry and their two sons Diezel & Denim; Sherry Shepard and her family and more.

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa which stars the voices of Pinkett Smith, Rock, Cedric the Entertainer, Ben Stiller and David Schwimmer, hits theaters November 7th.

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PICS: BERNIE MAC'S FINAL FAREWELL DRAWS OUT THOUSANDS TO STAR-STUDDED PUBLIC MEMORIAL IN CHICAGO.

Bernie Mac's wife, Rhonda, is comforted in front of a large poster of Mac, which she embraced before the start of a memorial service for the comedian.

Thousands of fans of late comedian Bernie Mac streamed into a South Side memorial service Saturday to hear Hollywood and political celebrities remember a Chicagoan who made people laugh on both TV and the big screen. Mac's fellow Original Kings of Comedy brought the house down as they broke down in tears, unable to contain their grief. In the same sentence, Cedric the Entertainer, Steve Harvey and D.L. Hughley would flip a joke, causing the crowd to scream in laughter. "This dude is a very popular guy," Cedric said of Mac. "You know y'all were like `let me get four tickets to the funeral!' He's still the hottest ticket in town." Hughley recalled Mac's well-known taste in clothes. "Bernie would wear colors that crayon hadn't even invented," he said. Rev. Jesse Jackson told the audience "Bernie Mac is a serious funnyman" who loved his family and cared about the tomorrow's youth. Jackson recalled that Mac recently told students at Crane High School that they should "live above their circumstances" and not "self-destruct." "Between birth and death is a dash," Jackson said. "But between that dash between birth and death, he made a statement."

Oprah Winfrey, Sen. Barack Obama. Rep. Maxine Waters and the O'Jays sent their condolences. "Michelle and I were so deeply sad to hear about your loss. ... He ... (made) us laugh and laugh hard," read Obama's statement. Obama went on to write that Mac could say things others couldn't. "Bernie Mac will be sorely missed," he wrote. Actor Andy Garcia, who starred with Mac in "Ocean's 11," sent along remarks, saying "I'll see you upstairs." Don Cheadle, another actor from that film, was in attendance. The White Sox organization delivered a #1 jersey with Mac's name on it to his widow, Rhonda. Comic and actor Chris Rock also took the stage.

As part of the acknowledgments, they aired a tribute to both Mac and Hayes, playing snippets of some of Mac's famous comedy routines -- the profanity was bleeped out -- over some of Hayes' more famous compositions. Inside the church, rows of burgundy-colored soft cushion chairs were set up in front of the stage. On either side of the stage, two large projector screens flashed photos of Bernie Mac's life. The photos showed film stills from Mac's career, red carpet photos from events like the Golden Globes and private moments with friends and family members. The crowd inside cheered and clapped when new celebrities arrived. People took photos and hugged celebrities that they were able to call over.

Some people slept outside overnight to guarantee a place inside the 10,000-seat House of Hope at 752 E. 114th St. Doors opened at 10:30 a.m. for a memorial that began about a half-hour after its scheduled noon start.

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SOURCE: CHICAGOTRIBUNE.COM

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VIDEO CLIPS: CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER, D.L. HUGHLEY, STEVE HARVEY, FMR. CASTMATES SALUTE BERNIE MAC ON LARRY KING LIVE.

Hey guys! Sorry about the lack of updates. I'm thisclose to kicking my funky-ass, slow-ass, need-to-be-replaced computer up against my wall!! I intend to update the blog a lot more this week, but in the meantime I thought some of you all would like to see the following videos of Bernie's fellow Original Kings of Comedy: Cedric the Entertainer, D.L. Hughley and Steve Harvey (via satellite from Atlanta, Georgia) paying tribute to him on Larry King Live last night. Actors Kellita Smith, Camille Winbush, Jeremy Suarez and Dee Dee Davis, Bernie's co-stars from his self-titled sitcom as well as Ashton Kutcher, who starred alongside Bernie in the 2005 film Guess Who? also paid heartfelt tributes to the man who left us way too soon.

Below are clips from Larry King's Special Tribute to Bernie Mac which aired last night at 9 p.m. on CNN. Thanks to Nadia for throwing them my way!

In Part 1, watch D.L., Cedric & Steve reveal how they learned of Bernie's passing.

In Part 2 of the special tribute, Ashton Kutcher, who says he felt privileged and honored to even get to know Bernie Mac, explains his reasons why he believes Bernie would want us to celebrate his life, instead of grieve for him. Also check out Cedric's Mac Man imitation!

WATCH PART 3 HERE. AND CLICK HERE TO WATCH PART 4 OF THE SPECIAL TRIBUTE WITH THE CAST OF 'THE BERNIE MAC SHOW.'

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Harvey, who was in Chicago when Bernie passed, but still nursed a beef with the late comedian that stemmed from Bernie landing a role in the Ocean 11 film series that garnered him crossover success--a role Harvey once said should have gone to him instead, told King that the late Richard Pryor, who died of a heart attack in 2005, had a big influence on the Mac Man. "You know, (MAC) was a storyteller. Pryor was the king of storytelling and in a very special cultural way. You know, Pryor, just like Bernie, whether you grew up in his neighborhood or you were around his lifestyle, he painted the picture and made you see it. And I don't see how Pryor couldn't have been an influence. He was an influence on all of us." Hughley added a bit of humor during the hour-long tribute when he told King that the one thing he loved about Bernie was his swagger. Hughley said, while on tour, he and the other guys couldn't wait to see what Bernie would wear each night because he always seem to wear suits in colors that even [Crayola] crayons hadn't invented yet! My heart went out to D.L. after hearing him say how much it saddened him that he never got a chance to tell Bernie how much he meant to him. The last time they talked was when Bernie was doing promo for Ocean's 13 and again several months ago.

Anyhoo, when King asked Cedric about Bernie's plans to retire, the comedian insisted he had no such plans....although in 2007 the Mac Man told late night show host David Letterman that he planned to hang up his acting shoes after shooting The Whole Truth, Nothing but the Truth, So Help Me Mac. Cedric explained to King that Bernie was keen to return to TV after previously starring in The Bernie Mac Show and UPN comedy Moesha. "I had spoken with him probably in the last, you know, maybe about the last three weeks. And he was definitely talking about producing some more movies. And he planned on producing some other movies. He had even looked at doing television again." Harvey added, "Bernie was too big out there. He was too big on stage. For Bernie Mac not to tell jokes again, not to stand on the stage with a microphone, a bar stool, a spotlight and a bottle of water, I can't even see that, you know?"

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PICS: MARTIN LAWRENCE, NIA LONG, ESSENCE ATKINS, TATYANA ALI, TAYE DIGGS & OTHER CELEBS AT HOLLY ROBINSON-PEETE'S 'HOLLYROD' EVENT.

A plethora of celebs gathered at a private residence last week in Malibu, California to support actress Holly Robinson-Peete and her husband Rodney Peete's 10th Annual DesignCure Benefit for the HollyRod Foundation fund-raiser party. Celebs in attendance (I've posted 2 different events) included: Essence Atkins, Taye Diggs, Kel Mitchell, Keith Robinson, Tatyana Ali, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Ricki Lake, Lela Rochon, Nia Long, Earvin 'Magic' Johnson and his wife Cookie, John Salley and his wife, Barry Bonds and his wife Liz, Sugar Ray Leonard, James Ingram, Cathy Hughes, Cedric the Entertainer and his wife Lorna, Vanessa Williams, Jimmy Jam and his wife Lisa, Martin Lawrence and his longtime girlfriend, Eriq LaSalle, Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon, Chef Garvin, Judge Mathis and wife.

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