Scene in the Tropics

Mary J. Blige, Justin Bieber, Robin Thicke headline BET Haiti telethon in Miami hosted by Queen Latifah & Diddy

   
There are tons of parties and events going on during Super Bowl weekend, but none more important and worthy of our attendance than BET Network's SOS Saving Ourselves: Help for Haiti benefit at the American Airlines Arena on February 5. Hosted by Queen Latifah, Pharrell Williams,  and Sean Combs, the nationally televised concert and telethon will benefit several organizations providing immediate relief in Haiti including Yéle Haiti, CARE and Project Medishare. The three-hour telecast will air live on BET, Centric, MTV and VH1 beginning at 8 p.m. and will include appearances and performances by Mary J. Blige, Justin Bieber, Robin Thicke, Wyclef, Lil Wayne, Drake, Keri Hilson, Pitbul, Akon, Ludacris, Chris Brown, Monica, Kirk Franklin, Nas, Damian Marley, Busta Rhymes, India Arie and more to be announced.  In addition to the musical performances, the event will feature some heavy hitter celebrities answering phones during the telethon. Among them: Trey Songz, Common, David Banner, Missy Elliott, Gloria Estefan, Pete Wentz, Chrisette Michelle, Jeremih, The Dream, Jason Derulo, T-Pain and Sean Kingston. BET selected Miami as host city "given its close proximity to Haiti and [the fact that it] is home to the largest population of Haitian Americans." BET is also involved with George Clooney's telethon airing Friday. Tickets to the benefit concert will be available on Ticketmaster.com and at the American Airlines Arena box office. No word on how much they will be, or on whether Kanye West, banned from Clooney's benefit, was invited to this one or if he'll just have to purchase tickets like the rest of us. Tickets, incidentally, are $400, $200, $100, $30 and $20 and are available at 1-800-745-3000 and at Ticketmaster.com or here.
 

Exclusive video of Chris Brown at Club Play

Video/Club Play

Chris Brown did show up and did perform at Club Play Friday night after all. And so did some of his closest friends and fans, including Young Jeezy, Selita Ebanks, Bow Wow, Michael Beasley, Cool 'n' Dre, Mario Chalmers, DJ Clue, Antoine Walker, Stephen Jackson and Quincy Combs, Diddy's 19-year-old son with ex Kimberly Porter.

Diddy hook up with Naomi Campbell?

Diddy and Naomi Campbell were seen at Club Space late Saturday night early Sunday morning, checking out DJ Erick Morillo. According to our spy, they were "partying their asses off." The duo was also seen earlier in the night at LIV, where Victoria's Secret model Doutzen Kreos was with boyfriend DJ Ruckus and cousin Lenny Kravitz sipping on Belvedere cocktails and Veuve Cliquot. According to a spy, "Naomi didn't stop dancing from the moment she arrived."

The business of being Diddy, or whatever he calls himself these days

In town for tonight's Fontainebleau extravaganza, Sean Puffy Diddy P. Diddy Combs spent his Friday afternoon not gawking at Vicky's Secret models at the FB, but rather,  conducting a meeting at the Gansevoort South---in their ballroom, strangely--for something having to do with his role as Ciroc pitch man. Also spotted milling around town today, Molly Simms.

Kim Porter's Baby Diddy Gives the Gift of Bling

On November 10, two of Diddy’s personal stylists walked into C. Madeleine's looking for “outrageous and unique” pieces of jewelry for Diddy’s girlfriend Kim Porter. According to his stylists, Porter was attending Diddy’s private birthday celebration that night at a private home on Star Island . He wanted to surprise her with something special and vintage--and lord knows Diddy has an affinity for vintage as attested by his penchant for sampling other peoples' music. After a few hours in the store, the stylists purchased a fabulous one of a kind vintage gold bracelet from owner Madeleine Kirsch’s personal collection. A source on the scene said the stylists were blown away by the store and promised to stop by with Diddy and Porter in the near future. The price of the bracelet was not disclosed, and as far as we know, it never belonged to another musician. Diddy done good!

Diddy Done Wrong

One of our spies was happily strolling out of Wild Oats when she noticed a massive Bentley backing into the first space, reserved for strollers and pregnant folk. "I was thinking, what a jerk, they better have babies in that monster," says the spy. Not so much. "The passenger window is down and I am determined to comment until I got closer and saw it was P. Diddy. There wasn't a kid in the car and his driver ran into the store to fetch while Diddy waited in the front seat." As for our spy chiding Diddy for his parking violations, well, "I chickened out. I should have talked some smack."

Diddy alert

IIn case you didn't get enough of Diddy larger than life ego, he may show up at the Sanctuary Hotel Hurricane Katrina benefit on Sunday, October 2. We hear that if Diddy's in town, he will definitely be there, as may Pharrell Williams. In case you were wondering, because we know you were.

Chicken

At GIGI Bistro in the Design District, where the Left Bank takes an urban detour, chef de cuisine Ricky Lopez not only cooks up fantastic steak au poivre avec frites, but great stories of his days as the personal chef for Sean P. Diddy Combs on Star Island. Combs, it seems, will only eat chicken--at every meal. Even breakfast, when he would eat grits--and chicken.

Diddy Do Wha?

It's the Beverly Hillbillies Miami Style!  Star Island's very own Hatfields and McCoys are Rosie O'Donnell and her neighbor, Mr. Combs. One night not so long ago, you may have noticed fireworks coming from the exclusive isle -- we definitely did. So did Rosie, whose neighbor, Diddy, was shooting them off around 10 p.m., according to Rosie on her addictive blog rosie.com. "Puffy-P. Diddy-Sean John my neighbor here in Miami had a fire works show right in his backyard," Rosie writes. ''How fun. I had 4 crying kids and a puppy who peed himself whimpering in terror. Sounded like a war zone, downtown Baghdad, a subway in London, a hotel in Egypt and on and on." OK, well we just thought it sounded like a party we weren't invited to.