5th Annual KCA Black Ball with Justin Timberlake and Alicia Keys

On November 13, 2008, Empire Entertainment was again proud to support Keep a Child Alive and serve as producer of their 5th annual fundraising event, the Black Ball, which was generously underwritten by the Condé Nast Media Group.

Hosted by Co-founder Alicia Keys and KCA Global Ambassador IMAN, the event saluted humanitarians in the fight against AIDS such as actress and advocate, Queen Latifah, followed by extraordinary performances including Alicia Keys, Justin Timberlake, Daughtry, Adele and others. Over 1200 guests including Tyra Banks, Clive Davis, Russell Simmons, John Mayer, Timbaland, Cynthia Nixon, Zoe Kravitz, Swizz Beatz, Michelle Williams, David Bowie, Elijah Wood, Padma Lakshmi, and Jessica Alba attended to support KCA in their fight against the global AIDS pandemic.The evening began with a cocktail reception and gallery exhibit of the "Museum of Dreams," a setting designed and conceptualized by KCA's Earle Sebastian and David Stark Design. The "Museum of Dreams" was designed to highlight everyday things that Westerners take for granted but that represent the hopes and prayers of African children and families with HIV/AIDS.

Following cocktails the guests then entered into a breathtaking "African Dream" inspired Hammerstein Ballroom where they enjoyed a delicious dinner menu designed by Aquavit's Marcus Samuelsson and served by Hudson Yards Catering. Powerful video and emotive graphic messages on projection screens and in centerpiece bell jars coupled kept the focus of the evening on the burning needs in Africa. During dinner an auction of once in a lifetime experiences was held led by Christies auctioneers Tash Perrin and Hugh Edmeades. Lot's included a "God Save the Queen" poster signed by artist Jamie Reid which was the subject of a bidding war between Queen Latifah and John Mayer who ended up paying $100,000 each. Other lots included a trip to Africa, Muhammad Ali's boxing gloves and one week on Richard Branson's private Necker Island.

Following dinner was the honoree program. The evening's honorees were Jackie Branfield, Simon Fuller and Queen Latifah. Jackie Branfield is the founder and director of Operation Bobbi Bear, which protects sexually abused children from social and judicial neglect while preventing further abuse and HIV infection in South Africa. Simon Fuller, creator of American Idol and Idol Gives Back, raised over $76 million for charity last season alone and has mobilized the American people to take action on a variety of causes and issues. Queen Latifah has shown incredible dedication and leadership in speaking out about HIV/AIDS through her long careers in film, music and advocacy. At the conclusion of the honoree program, Alicia Keys introduced the world to Noah - a 15 year old, HIV positive musician from Rwanda, who sings in his community to educate people about HIV prevention and whose dream was to come perform at the Black Ball. His dream was fulfilled and the audience went wild for his incredible performance. Following Noah, Alicia Keys and her incredible band backed a series of moving performances by artists that included Emmanuel Jal, Daughtry, Adele and finally superstar Justin Timberlake who electrified the audience with "Until the End of Time," "My Love," "Lovestoned", and "Another Day in Paradise" in a stunning duet with Alicia Keys.

All told, the Black Ball event raised over $2.4 million for AIDS affected children and families in Africa. Once again, Empire Entertainment served as overall event producer for the Black Ball and managed all aspects of the event including site selection and contracting, logistics, catering, décor, talent management and coordination, production, security and onsite management, collaborating with Keep a Child Alive and other partners and donors. Empire Entertainment is proud to serve as partner of Keep a Child Alive in saving lives and raising awareness in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa. Keep a Child Alive is an innovative charitable organization dedicated to providing life-saving anti-retroviral treatment, care and support services to children and their families with HIV/AIDS in Africa and the developing world. To learn more and donate, please visit www.keepachildalive.org