Tyler Perry and Chris Rock were two of the men honored during the 2nd annual Steve Harvey Foundation Gala at Cipriani, Wall Street, last night (April 4, 2011) in New York City. During the gala, patrons dined on steak and Chilean sea bass while Steve Harvey explained the importance of teaching boys how to be men.
Before the gala started we caught up with Tyler Perry, who was speaking about the Tyler Perry vendetta that left him without an Oscar nod this year. The talented director said, “There is no vendetta. There are millions and millions and millions and millions of people who’ve been with me since the very beginning who are still with me. So no, there is no vendetta. Nobody is angry and nobody is upset, I won’t buy into that, I’m living positively. I don’t get into that.”
Tyler’s “For Colored Girls” was left off this year’s Academy Awards nomination list, in what some are calling a snub. Tyler Perry replied, “The Oscars are political, they have their committees, they do what they do, they let who they want to play what they want to play. I don’t know how to play the game, maybe one day I’ll understand it. But I never will play the game!”
Tyler continued saying, “What is important to me more than anything is that I can make a movie like “For Colored Girls” that sat on the shelf for 35 years and now a whole new generation can see it.”
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Once the event got started, Steve Harvey got rather passionate about the future of youth saying that just because they successfully move out the hood doesn’t mean they are safe, because “Crime got car keys!”
He later went on to point out that, “When you take a boy’s dreams from him then he ain’t got nothing to shoot for. Then he just ends up shooting.”
The highlight of the evening was when Chris Rock arrived, straight from his rehearsal for his new Broadway play, “Motherf**ker And The Hat,” to take the mic from his “elder” Steve Harvey and riff for 15 minutes. After Steve made one of the greatest introductions one could imagine, saying “motherf**ker” 47 times, Chris paid his boy back by paying homage to one of his heroes.
With Chris’ wife standing by his side, Chris spoke about how Steve does amazing charitable work, but also makes money in ways that Chris could never have imagined. “He makes movie money on the radio! He’s in his slippers in his house in Dallas, thinking he’s in the studio somewhere.” Chris later went on to praise Steve’s wife, Marjorie, calling her the “good wife,” which left the room in stitches. The two heavyweights in comedy did not disappoint and neither did the audience, which helped raised over $600,000 for the Steve Harvey Foundation.
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Chris Rock and Steve Harvey raise money for the Steve Harvey Foundation.
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Angela Simmons and Russell Simmons attend the Steve Harvey Foundation Gaga at Cipriani in New York City.
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Actor Boris Kodjoe, TV personality Cynthia Bailey and guest attend the 2nd annual Steve Harvey Foundation Gala at Cipriani in New York City.
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TV personality Stephen A. Smith attends the 2nd annual Steve Harvey Foundation Gala at Cipriani in New York City.
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Steve Harvey, Marjorie Harvey and Chris Rock attend the 2nd annual Steve Harvey Foundation Gala at Cipriani in New York City.
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Steve Harvey attends the 2nd annual Steve Harvey Foundation Gala at Cipriani in New York City.
