The first family — President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle, the first daughters Sasha and Malia, as well as Grandma Marion –  attended the official unveiling of the brand new Dr. Martin Luther King  National Memorial in Washington, D.C. Sunday (Oct 16).

The dedication ceremony, held at the Washington Mall, was also attended by notable figures like Al Sharpton, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Cicely Tyson, Diahann Carroll, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and others.

The ceremony was originally scheduled to take place on August 28th, but was postponed due to Hurricane Irene.

“Nearly 50 years after the March on Washington, our work — Dr. King’s work — is not yet complete,” President Barack Obama noted in his speach. “Progress was purchased through enduring the smack of billy clubs and the blast of fire hoses. It was bought with days in jail cells and nights of bomb threats.”

President Obama continued, “Let us not be trapped by what is. We can’t be discouraged by what is. We’ve got to keep pushing for what ought to be. [Dr. King] will stand for all time, among monuments to those who fathered this nation and those who defended it. A black preacher, no official rank or title, somehow gave voice to our deepest dreams and our most lasting ideas.[...]I know we will overcome. I know there are better days ahead. I know this because of the man towering over us.”

The 33rd Annual UNCF Evening of Stars gala was held Sunday evening (Aug 14) in Pasadena, CA and featured red carpet appearances from Keke Palmer, Pooch Hall & Coby Bell from “The Game,” Lance Gross, Tatyana Ali, Musiq Soulchild, David Banner,  and many others.

During the ceremony, R&B acts like Musiq Soulchild, Miguel, Ledisi, Erykah Badu, Estelle, Jill Scott, Marsha Ambrosius and more, including music legend Patti Labelle, hit the stage and performed.

Check out 30+ pics of celebs at the 2011 UNCF Evening of Stars gala below:

The 2011 BET Awards were held Sunday night (Jun 26) in Los Angeles, California at the Shrine Auditorium … and the show, hosted by actor/comedian Kevin Hart, featured appearances/performances from Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Taraji P. Henson, Drake, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Gladys Knight and many many more celebrities.

Take a look at over 30+ pictures from the show and backstage in the press room below:

Here is the second batch of green carpet photos from Sunday night’s (Jun 26) BET Awards.

The Ford sponsored green carpet, setup outside L.A’s Shrine Auditorium, featured appearances from Justin Bieber, Drake, Willow & Jaden Smith, Wiz Khalifa & Amber Rose, Keri Hilson, Bruno Mars and many others.

Check out over 30+ pictures from the red carpet of the BET Awards below:

CLICK HERE FOR PART 1!

International singer Usher was spotted over in Paris, France Tuesday afternoon (Jun 1) at the Hyatt Vendome hotel promoting his new album Raymond v. Raymond, which has so far peaked at 51 on the French Albums Chart. Over here in the U.S., Raymond v. Raymond, the sixth album from the R&B singer, sold over 329,000 copies in its first week and peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart. His international hit “OMG” (featuring Black Eyed Peas front man Will.i.am) is being well received both here in the States and all over the world. So does this mean Usher’s back? Sure does sound like it!

Singer Ciara attended the closing of Marina Abramovic’s “The Artist is Present” event, hosted by Givenchy at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Actress Zoe Saldana posed backstage at the 2010 Crystal + Lucy Awards: A New Era at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Century City, California.

Gucci Mane recorded an episode of BET’s 106 & Park in New York. His new music video premiered this week.

Destiny’s Child alum Letoya Luckett was seen on the red carpet of the premiere of her new movie “Killers” in Hollywood. She has a supporting role in the new film. Meanwhile, her other movie, “The Preacher’s Kid,” recently went to DVD.

Actor Ashton Kutcher and his wife, actress Demi Moore, were also spotted on the red carpet of the “Killers” movie premiere in Hollywood.

Over in Beverly Hills, legendary singer Natalie Cole and R&B/Neo-Soul artist Ledisi attended the Society of Singers annual tribute gala.

Actor/rapper Common posed on the red carpet of LA Times Magazine’s “Rock & Style: A Night of Music & Fashion” event in Hollywood.

Rapper The Game hosted a breakfast at The Pink Teacup in NYC.

UK singer Taio Cruz (who achieved success in the US with his hit single “Break Your Heart”) took this picture with Def Jam CEO L.A. Reid and rapper Ludacris at the party celebrating the U.S. release of his new album hosted by Z100 and MySpace Music at the Canal Room in New York.

Two of the Kardashian girls (Kourtney and Kim) attended the 94th Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Sunday afternoon (May 30) in Indiana.

And Model Jessica White and Russell Simmons were on hand for the 2010 Angel Wings Foundation Dinner at Georgica Sunday evening in Wainscott, New York.

The star-studded 52nd Annual Grammy Awards went down last night (Sun. Jan 31) in Los Angeles at the Staples Center. And the red carpet was swarming with celebrities, including Beyonce, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Usher, Mya, Drake (who arrived with his mother), Akon (rocking a Lady Gaga t-shirt), Britney Spears (who reportedly made a last-minute decision to attend), Jennifer Hudson and tons more.

Continue reading for 50+ pictures of celebs walking the red carpet before making their way into the Staples Center for the biggest night in music…

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES / WIRE IMAGE

Singer/actress Mary J. Blige was honored Wednesday night (Jan 27) in Hollywood at the Essence Black Women in Music event at the Sunset Tower Hotel in Hollywood. She and actress Taraji P. Henson posed for a few pics together on the red carpet of the event.

Also in attendance were MJB’s husband Kendu Isaacs, record exec. Antonio “L.A.” Reid (who presented Blige with her award), Ludacris, Gabrielle Union and more. More pics below and when you continue reading…

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES / WIRE IMAGE

The 2009 Soul Train Awards, hosted by Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard, were held earlier this month (Tues. Nov 3) at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta and were aired last night (Sun. Nov 3) on BET. We posted the arrival photos shortly after the show was recorded at the beginning of the month and here are the pictures from inside the show!

Folks like Robin Thicke, Ludacris, Keri Hilson, Fantasia and more performed. Trey Songz and Toni Braxton opened up the show with Braxton’s new single “So Yesterday” and ended their performance with a big ol’ passionate smooch on the lips! Toni says it was all planned and her husband knew about it well in advance so any speculation about that causing the separation between she and her husband is reportedly false.

Anyway, continue reading for the rest of the photos!

Some of the big names in urban entertainment hit up the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta Tuesday evening (Nov 3) to attend the 2009 Soul Train Awards.

Here are some pictures of celebrities like Robin Thicke, Monica, Keri Hilson, Musiq Soulchild, Angie Stone, Estelle, the ladies from the Real Housewives of Atlanta and more walking the red carpet before making their way into the building for the show.

Continue reading for more!

PHOTOS: WIRE IMAGE / GETTY IMAGES / FREDDYO