ARETHA FRANKLIN SHINES IN THE HAMPTONS

Christie Brinkley

Rosie Perez

William Wilkerson Jr. And Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin and her boyfriend William Wilkerson Jr. walk to the Ross School to prepare for her concert the other day in East Hampton, New York. Aretha looked smart in a shiny pastel blue skirt suit accessorized with a pearl necklace, and she walked arm in arm with her beau as they headed into the famed school. Also spotted watching the hit concert was actress Rosie Perez who was all smiles for our Buzz Foto photographer. Supermodel Christie Brinkley was also seen dancing the night away and enjoying a nice dinner.
Photos By: Iris Zimmerman/BuzzFoto

PEEBLES HOST PRE-PARTY FOR ART FOR LIFE

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THE HAMPTON'S

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THE ART FOR LIFE GALA

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Aretha Franklin And Katrina Peebles

Russell Simmons With Katrina And Don Peebles

Real Estate Developer and Author Don Peebles with his wife Katrina, hosted the pre-party for Russell Simmon’s Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” ART FOR LIFE gala at their Bridgehampton estate. Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin was in attendance and danced the night away with hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and guests to her famed songs. Recently Don and Katrina Peebles hosted and underwrote the ART FOR LIFE gala at their ultra luxury development, The Bath Club, in Miami Beach. That evening Peebles Corporation CEO, Don Peebles was honored for his immense efforts and philanthropic work to create entrepreneurial workshops for youth in conjunction with his books entitled, The Peebles Principles and The Peebles Path to Real Estate Wealth, being released this September. Other honorees included, Grammy Award winning artists, John Legend, Wyclef Jean and TV personality Suzy Orman. Peebles Corporation CEO, Don Peebles is a frequent guest on CNBC and will be appearing on the Big Idea with Donny Deutsch this Thursday.

Todd Shapiro With Sean 'Diddy' Combs

Peebles Photos By: Patrick McMullen

Sean Combs Photo By: James Edstrom

ARETHA FRANKLIN PISSED AT BEYONCE

The Queen Of Soul Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin is pissed off at Beyonce for giving Tina Turner her Queen of Soul title at the Grammy Awards last Sunday. The legend, who was honored with the Grammy MusiCares Person of The Year award, was shocked when Beyonce introduced her duet partner as the Queen of Soul. Franklin is known throughout the world at the Queen, and she felt more than a little snubbed. And, in a brief statement, Franklin snaps, "I am not sure of whose toes I may have stepped on or whose ego I may have bruised between the Grammy writers and Beyonce, however I dismissed it as a cheap shot for controversy."

ARETHA FRANKLIN TO GET NAACP AWARD

Aretha Franklin

Singing legend Aretha Franklin is to become the fourth recipient of the National Association For The Advancement Of Colored People Vanguard prize at the 39th annual Image Awards.The honor is given to stars whose "groundbreaking work" increases "understanding and awareness of social and racial issues". Past recipients are Steven Spielberg, Stanley Kramer and Prince. Franklin will get her award at the Image Awards on February 14th.

Photo By: James Edstrom

MERCEDES BENZ POLO CHALLENGE OPENS

Andrew Borrok with Michelle Rodriguez

Debra Messing with Polo winner

Debra Messing and Reggie Jackson with Polo teams

Opening day at the Mercedes-Benz Polo Challenge at JetOne Jets field was one of the best so far with over 2,300 guests. Host Debra Messing was just one of the many celebrities that attended, including, Aretha Franklin, B Smith, Beth Ostrosky, Emmy winner Rita Cosby, Page Six icon Richard Johnson, Bijou Phillips, Danny Masterson, Debra Messing, James Lipton, Jeffrey Chodorow, Katie Lee Joel, Kelly Klein, Kim Raver, Leven Rambin, Nacho Figueras, Ralph Lauren, Reggie Jackson, Samantha Cole, Vito Schnabel, and Wilmer Valderrama. Other guests included Michelle Rodriguez with real estate mogul/chef Andrew Borrok, Madame Tongs and Prime 103 restaurant owner Jean-Luc Kleefield, Biba Boutique owner Barbara Blatt, Dr. Andrew Mark Klapper, Celebrity Trainer Radu, Nello Summertimes Nello Balan, and Core Development Group CEO Josh Guberman.

Rita Cosby with Richard Johnson and James Edstrom in the T-Mobile Sidekick Lounge

Some of the sponsors included alice & Olivia, St. Regis, Jaeger-LeCoultre Watches, The Trump Organization, Ocean Independence, Charter Yachts, 88 Greenwich, T-Mobile, Ralph Lauren, BluFish Concierge, Evian Spring Water, Amstel Light/Heineken and Zino Platinum Cigars.

Reggie Jackson with Jet One winning Horse

Photos By: James Edstrom

JENNIFER HUDSON MAY PLAY ARETHA FRANKLIN IN MOVIE ON HER EXCITING LIFE

The Queen Of Soul Aretha Franklin

Jennifer Hudson is in line to play Aretha Franklin in a movie about her life. Aretha, who has been approached by several movie studios about taking her story to the big screen, has revealed that Jennifer has been suggested for the starring role. Aretha told Access Hollywood : "Well, I don't know. I'm not sure. The producers want to know how I feel about it, about her playing me. What I'd like to see is three different people playing me."Although Aretha remains unconvinced about the Oscar-winning actress suitability for the role, she has seen other possible candidates. She said: "There's a young lady who opened the tribute show in Los Angeles that the United Negro College Fund gave me who was very good and I've heard another little girl who was quite good. Perhaps someone playing me from the age of 25 to about 40 and then someone else beyond that."Aretha also doubts that movie bosses will find anyone who can match her vocal prowess. She explained: "There may even be a little lip synching here and there. We've gotta go with some of these records I made through out my career. They were classics and some of it will be verbal but not vocalised in its entirety."A musical production based on the life of the soul singer is already in the pipeline, with auditions planned for Detroit in May. Aretha will be involved in casting, and will choose people to portray "key members" from her family and friends.