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Entertainment
Star-filled night of Glamour
Rihanna accepting her award at Glamour magazine’s 2009 Women Of The Year Awards at Carnegie Hall in New York on Monday. (AP Picture)
Published on: 11/11/2009.
NEW YORK - Even for a venue as grand as New York's Carnegie Hall, there was a pretty dazzling concentration of star power at Glamour magazine's Women Of The Year Awards.
Pop star Rihanna was there, in the most body-hugging of gowns. Tennis star Serena Williams was there, too, in a bright red, one-shoulder number. Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones were presenters; so were Katie Couric and former president Bill Clinton.
And there were not one but three Beatle wives.
But the biggest ovation at Monday evening's award ceremony went to the 81-year-old poet Maya Angelou, whose soaring words on the power of womanhood brought many to tears and nearly everyone to their feet.
Women, Angelou told the crowd in her speech, "are rainbows in the clouds".
"I am grateful to be a woman," said Angelou, who won the lifetime achievement award. "I must have done something great in another life." As for the men: "You have to write your own poem," the poet said to laughter, including from Clinton, the man who had called upon her to recite poetry at his inauguration.
The annual Glamour Women Of The Year Awards always honours a group of eclectic women, and this year was no exception.
One of the evening's most emotional moments was the award to paediatrician Jane Aronson, who works to better the lives of orphans overseas and founded the Worldwide Orphans Foundation. She was in tears after Couric introduced her, even more so when surprised onstage by a group of her "kids", children from foreign countries, now adopted by American families.
"You know I've never had a surprise party," she said. "Until tonight."
She got a standing ovation, as did the Iranian women of the One Million Signatures Campaign, introduced by CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour. The women are working toward gender equality in Iran.
Model Iman, who presented Rihanna's award, referred to the singer's ordeal early this year, when she was assaulted by boyfriend and fellow singer Chris Brown. Rihanna initially returned to Brown but said last week that she regretted it, because it sent the wrong message to her fans. Brown has pleaded guilty to felony assault.
"Now I am even more impressed with her dignity and courage," Iman said, noting that Rihanna would serve as a role model to victims of domestic violence.
Other honorees recently in the headlines were Laura Ling and Euna Lee, the American TV journalists who were arrested in North Korea and sentenced to 12 years' hard labour after briefly crossing the border from China.
They were pardoned in early August after a trip to Pyongyang by Clinton, who also mentioned the ordeal in his remarks, calling the day of their release one of the happiest of his life.
Also honoured was fashion designer Stella McCartney. Her dad, Paul McCartney, wasn't there, but Stella was shocked to see three Beatle wives presenting her award: Yoko Ono, widow of John Lennon; Olivia Harrison, widow of George; and Ringo Starr's wife, Barbara Starkey.
Tyra Banks presented the award to tennis champion Serena Williams, who also addressed the young women in the crowd: "You can do whatever you want to do. The most important belief is self-belief."
Maria Shriver was honoured for her work on various women's issues, among other things. The first lady of California also produced a documentary this year on Alzheimer's disease, which afflicts her father, Sargent Shriver.
And actor Michael Douglas presented the award to Susan Rice, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, who was also lauded via video by President Barack Obama. (AP)
11 comment found!
Rihanna : 11/12/2009
Rihanna girl you are the bomb. Grace and poise fuh days. Dat dress rocks. You've put Barbados on the lips of the world. The haters can go to hell. Luv you Rhi. Rihanna forever
Star-filled night of Glamour : 11/11/2009
What is wrong with some of you bajans? Take off your rose color glasses, and learn to read, listen, and comprehend, and not be so gun-ho to spout stupidity. If Rihanna had open her mouth and instead of using the proper english words, she had use bajan dialect she will still be ridiculed by the bunch of you. She did not put on an american accent, which I am very proud of, she spoke in her bajab accent, and use the correct words. Why she she speak dialect. Would you people have felt better if she had use words such as, " wanna, dem, da, dis, fa, ginelon etc? please give me a break. As for her speaking out about the abuse that happen to her, only you small minded people that have nothing else better to do other than to critique her, should know that she was lauded here in the USA for her strength, poise, and maturity, for speaking about her ordeal with domestic abuse. Because of her interview, many women, came forward to say that it had happen to them, even other celebs came forward and spoke out for the first time about abuse happening to them or family members. You people need to get a life, and educate yourselves, stop living in glass houses and throwing stones. She will continue to excel, and we will continue to love and respect her for the strength, that she has gain from such an ordeal. Imagine her own fellow bajans ridiculing her. PLEASE GET REAL PEOPLE
hate : 11/11/2009
Some of you people have so much hate in you it comes out in you words.What comes out the mouth is what is in the heart.It is sad to see the way we think.Rihanna I wish you all the best. Because she speak a little bajan don't mean she is not educated.
Rihanna's Dress... : 11/11/2009
Looks like a sky scraper / Olympic torch merge. I LOVE IT!!! she's hot as always.
: 11/11/2009
Rhianna said here she was always a role model for young people. Hmmmm!!!! What role model with guns tatooed on her arm and neck ?????
Rihanna : 11/11/2009
You go girl!Keep driving those envious,hate-filled,small-minded people into a rage.Make them have a bad day, and sleepless nights. Drive them nuts.Send a few down to 'Jenkins'.
: 11/11/2009
To: "Ri - Woman of the Year". A vote was cast, Rihanna was not just handed the award. Others thought the award fitting. Haven't you even gotten a raise of pay which others at your place of employment thought you did not deserve. Enough said. She did try to better mankind (young ones following behind and even some of us adults) by speaking out and was rediculed by some of her own.
Woman Power : 11/11/2009
Good going Rihanna.. The world is proud of you and your decision to come out and address what you went through as a vitim - thank you for honesty. You are indeed a hero and we all applaud your courage and determination. It is hoped that the emotional wounds will heal as quickly as the physical scars....... Love you Rihanna
Glamour...... : 11/11/2009
......and Rihanna, quite glamarous you are. Love that dress. Thanks so much for standing up for so many of us who were/are afraid to speak out about domestic violence. I read all the comments and am deeply ashamed of some of the negative criticism. Rihanna was born and bred in Barbados and she is supposed to speak in her native tongue. (I enjoyed listening to her). While her grammar could have used slight brushing up - just remember she is still a bit immature (irrespective of how she performs on stage, or whatever) and could have been experiencing a bit of fright. We are so good at praising others from other nations and not our own. Half of you who criticised, I am sure, have experienced some sort of abuse - verbally, mentally or physically. Be advocates for the cause and do not allow it to happen again. Make this a better world for those coming behind us. My hat is off to you Rihanna
Ri...woman of the year??? : 11/11/2009
For what?.... Why????? In the company of those working so hard to better mankind...Maya Angelou, Susan Rice, Maria Shriver, Jane Aronson. Please are you kidding. She's an insult to this category of women. Her award has to be given because she's just very pretty. Not because she's done anything positive. But the award does say "Glamour"
THERE ARE NON CELEBRITY WOMEN MORE DESERVING : 11/11/2009
The only women mentioned who I think deserve awards are paediatrician Jane Aronson, "who works to better the lives of orphans overseas and founded the Worldwide Orphans Foundation" and the Iranian women who are fighting for gender equality in Iran. I don't understand why Rihanna was selected. If a concerned bystander had not called the police after hearing her scream, the world would have never heard that the Chris Brown beating incident had occurred. Even after the world found out about the incident, she still got back with him. It wasn't until people like Oprah Winfrey publicly talked about the incident and many people said she was stupid and not setting a good example for young women that she saw the writing on the wall and broke up with him. After that she waited many months to speak out on the issue (when her new cd was to be launched). If being beaten by a man is the only criteria for getting a woman of the year award, millions of women around the world should get the award each year. Serena Williams famously cussed out a tennis official in a most vulgar fashion recently. I wonder why she got an award? There are thousands of non celebrity women who are much more deserving of a woman of the year award than most of the women mentioned.
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