Hosted by actors Sanaa Lathan and Anthony Mackie, the 43rd Annual NAACP Awards went down on Friday evening (February 18). A slew of celebrities hit the stage in Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium to present the various award nominees, perform a song or two or to accept an Image Award.
Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer cleaned house and swept up 2 out of the 3 awards for their hit box office film, The Help. Actors Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte presented the President’s Award to the Black Stuntmen’s Association. Samuel L. Jackson presented George Lucas with the Vanguard Award for his work on the motion picture, Red Tails. Jennifer Hudson and Ne-Yo performed “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” in tribute to the movie director.
Jennifer Hudson won the Outstanding Album and Outstanding Music Video award for her album & single, “I Remember Me.” Traccee Ellis Ross and Regina King won awards for their roles on Reed Between the Lines and SouthLAnd, respectively.
As far as performers, Jill Scott & Lenny Kravitz rocked the house. Kirk Franklin sang a bit of “The Greatest Love of All” and Yolanda Adams performed the spiritual song “I Love the Lord, He Heard My Cry” in tribute to the late Whitney Houston. PEEP SOME OF THE PERFORMANCES HERE.
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- Anthony Mackie & Sanaa Lathan host awards
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- Viola Davis accepts award
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- Yolanda Adams performs
Singer and reality TV star Fantasia Barrino, 26, is slated to play the late legendary gospel singer Mahalia Jackson (aka The Queen of Gospel). The film will be based off of the 1993 book Got to Tell It: Mahalia Jackson, Queen of Gospel. 
The CAA-repped Barrino, who’s biggest post-Idol gig to date was playing Celie in the Broadway version of The Color Purple, will portray Jackson on her journey from abject poverty in New Orleans to her rise as a global figure in gospel and early supporter of Martin Luther King, Jr. The singer died in 1972 at the age of 60.
