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Inside Lea Black's Star-Studded Black Gala
Aretha! Courtney! Housewives! All about her 20th-anniversary bash.
Leave it to the Blacks to throw a party for the ages—especially when there's an anniversary to toast!
For the 2014 edition of their annual Black Gala (held October 25 at Miami Beach's exclusive Fontainebleau Hotel), Real Housewives of Miami star Lea Black and her husband Roy celebrated with a star-studded guest list—and an epic performance by Aretha Franklin.
The one and only Swizz Beatz at the #blacksgala!
A photo posted by Lea Black (@leablackmiami) on Oct 10, 2014 at 7:31pm PDT
Housewives past and present were in attendance, including Lisa Hochstein and Karent Sierra. But the room was also dotted with other celebrities, including Courtney Love, Nick Loeb (Sofia Verga's ex), Elaine Lancaster, Gloria Estefan, Swizz Beats, and rapper Flo Rida.
Great running into @florida__ at tonight's #Blacksgala #music #miamibeach #smiles
A photo posted by Karent Sierra (@karentsierra) on Oct 10, 2014 at 8:02pm PDT
The clear highlight of the evening: an electric performance by the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, who performed classic tunes in front of around 750 guests, according to Gossip Extra. Guests also sipped a cocktail in her honor: the Respect was a creation made of pineapple and blackberry juices, club soda, Grey Goose vodka and lime, according to the site.
A photo posted by Karent Sierra (@karentsierra) on Oct 10, 2014 at 6:14pm PDT
The annual bash, which raises money to support programs for at-risk youth through the Consequences Charity and Foundation, was delayed this year. But for a good reason: Lea revealed earlier this month that they moved the date six months so that they could book Aretha for the event.
But Lea's hard work paid off—and she put plenty of blood, sweat, and tears into making it happen. "It’s overwhelming," she previously said of planning the party. "I’d say for three months out of the year it’s a full-time job for me. It’s just a huge amount of commitment and work and effort that’s behind the scenes that people just don’t see!"
[Source: Gossip Extra]
