Kerry Washington, Paula Patton, Shonda Rhimes, Octavia Spencer, & Pam Grier to be Honored at the 5th Annual Essence Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon

NEW YORK, Jan. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, ESSENCE is pleased to announce the 5th annual ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon honoring the industry's most exciting African-American talent—both in front of the camera and behind-the-scenes in Hollywood. Taking place on February 23, 2012 at the Beverly Hills Hotel, ESSENCE will celebrate five extraordinary women who have left an indelible impression with their work within the film and television industries: Kerry Washington (Vanguard Award), Octavia Spencer (Breakthrough Performance), Pam Grier (Legend Award), Paula Patton (Shining Star Award) and Shonda Rhimes (Visionary Award presented by Lincoln).  This star-studded event commemorates ESSENCE magazine's annual Hollywood issue and in honor of the fifth anniversary, Essence.com is giving fans exclusive access to all the red-carpet celebrity style, action and interviews via live stream from 11:30am to 12:30pm PST and re-airing that evening at 9:00pm EST.

"Black women actors, writers, directors and producers still lack diverse opportunities in Hollywood and, unfortunately, are often overlooked during awards season," commented ESSENCE Editor-in-Chief Constance White. "The ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon exists to provide a fitting tribute to the brilliant talent and accomplishments of African-American trailblazers like Kerry, Pam, Paula, Octavia and Shonda and celebrate their collective work as an inspiration for generations to come."

Since its commencement in 2008, ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood has honored Halle Berry, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Angela Bassett, Queen Latifah, Taraji P. Henson, Viola Davis, Jennifer Hudson, Zoe Saldana, Mary J. Blige, Gabourey Sidibe, Jurnee Smollett, Ruby Dee, Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson, Loretta Devine, Gina Prince-Bythewood, and Suzanne de Passe.  As one of the most highly anticipated events during Oscar week, this A-List event has hosted some of Hollywood's elite, including Tom Cruise, Will Smith, Amy Adams, Samuel L. Jackson, Forest Whitaker, James Cameron, and Laurence Fishburne, among many others. 

Stay tuned to Essence.com for highlights and behind-the-scenes access to ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood.  Follow us on Twitter @essenceonline #EssenceBWIH.  Join in the discussion on Facebook.

Sponsors for the ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon include presenting sponsor Lincoln, as well as partner sponsors ING, L'Oreal Paris and Smartwater.

About the ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood honorees:

Kerry Washington:
As the recipient of the Vanguard Award, Kerry Washington has built an impressive list of credits starring in award winning, critically acclaimed films such as The Last King of Scotland opposite Oscar Award winner Forest Whitaker and Ray for which she won "Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture" at the NAACP Image Awards. In 2010, Washington made her Broadway debut in David Mamet's provocative hit Race with James Spader and David Alan Grier. Washington appeared with Matt Damon, Josh Brolin and Sean Penn in Howard Zinn's documentary The People Speak. In addition to earning praise for her accomplishments within her acting career, Washington was appointed by President Barack Obama to the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities in November of 2009. She will next be seen in We the Peeples with Craig Robinson, 1000 Words with Eddie Murphy, and The Details with Toby Maguire. Kerry is set to star in the Scandal, the Shonda Rhimes drama for ABC, which premieres in April 2012.   

Octavia Spencer:
Octavia Spencer is enjoying a triumphant Awards Season, based on her stellar work in the Oscar-nominated film, The Help, opposite Viola Davis, Emma Stone and Bryce Dallas Howard. Her critically acclaimed performance has garnered her a first-time Oscar nomination for "Best Actress in a Supporting Role" as well as a Screen Actors Guild nomination for "Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role."  She recently won the Golden Globe Award for "Best Supporting Actress-Motion Picture" and the Critics Choice Award for "Best Supporting Actress- Motion Pictures." Spencer is a 15 year veteran who has appeared in several award winning films which include A Time to Kill, Never Been Kissed, Big Momma's House, Spider-Man, Coach Carter and Seven Pounds.  In 2009, Entertainment Weekly named Spencer one of the 25 Funniest Actresses in Hollywood. Spencer's upcoming projects include the independent feature film Smashed which recently premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and Diablo Cody's untitled directional debut opposite Russell Brand and Julianne Hough. 

Pam Grier:
A legend in every sense of the word, Pam Grier was the first African-American female to star as the lead in an action film becoming the face of early 1970s Blaxploitation movies like Jack Hill's Coffy, Friday Foster, Sheba, Baby and her most notable role Foxy Brown.  Grier's career spans over five decades including television guest appearances on popular shows like Miami Vice, Martin, The Cosby Show, The Wayans Brothers Show and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. In 1997 she stared in the title role of Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown, a film that partly paid homage to her '70s Blaxploitation movies. She was subsequently nominated for a Golden Globe Award for "Best Actress-Motion Picture" and for the Screen Actors Guild Award for "Best Actress Motion Picture" for her performance for Jackie Brown.  Between 2002-2008, Pam appeared in six seasons of the Showtime series The "L" Word and 2010 began appearing in a recurring role on the hit science fiction series Smallville.  She also appeared in the films Just Wright starting Queen Latifah, Larry Crown written, directed and starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts, and the Film Mafia with Ving Rhames.   She is set to film Man With Iron Fists directed By RZA and Eli Roth.  In early 2010, Pam along with Andre Cagan wrote her memoir, Foxy: My Life in Three Acts, a New York Times Bestseller. Her memoir won Best Memoir Award from the African American Literary Organization.

Paula Patton:
As the leading lady in the newest Tom Cruise blockbuster Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Paula Patton has taken Hollywood by storm.  Landing her first acting role in 2005 alongside Will Smith and Eva Mendes in the movie Hitch, Paula went on to appear alongside Outkast members Andre Benjamin and Big Boi in Idlewild.  In 2006 she starred in the science-fiction thriller Deja Vu, starring Denzel Washington and Val Kilmer.  Paula appeared in the film Mirrors, alongside Kiefer Sutherland in 2008 followed by the critically acclaimed movie Precious, where she was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture," Critic's Choice Award for "Best Acting Ensemble" and a Screen Actors Award for "Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture."   In 2010 she starred in the movie Just Wright alongside Queen Latifah and Common followed by leading an all-star cast in the movie Jumping the Broom in 2011 which included Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, Tasha Smith, Meagan Good, Gary Dourdan and new comer Laz Alonso.  Patton recently wrapped the independent film Disconnect also starring Jason Bateman, Alexander Skarsgard and Andrea Riseborough.

Shonda Rhimes:
Shonda Rhimes, the creator and executive producer of ABC's hit series Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice, is still continuing to be hailed by audiences and critics around the world. Rhimes has garnered several awards including "Television Producer of the Year" by the Producers Guild of America, the Golden Globe for "Outstanding Television Drama" and several NAACP Image Awards for "Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series" for her work on Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice.  Aside from her success with network television, Rhimes wrote the Disney feature film Princess Diaries 2: A Royal Engagement, and co-wrote the HBO produced movie Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, which won numerous awards including a Golden Globe and a Best Actress Emmy for star Halle Berry's portrayal of Dandridge.  Rhimes is also the creator and executive producer of the upcoming ABC midseason drama Scandal.

About Essence Communications Inc.:
Essence Communications Inc. (ECI) is the number one media company dedicated to African-American women, with a multi-platform presence in publishing, live events, and online.  The company's flagship publication, ESSENCE magazine, is the preeminent lifestyle magazine for African-American women; generating brand extensions such as the Essence Music Festival, ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood and Black Women in Music, Window on Our Women and Smart Beauty consumer insights series, the Essence Book Club, Essence.com, and ventures in digital media (mobile, television and VOD). For 41 years, ESSENCE, which has a brand reach of over 8 million, has been the leading source of cutting-edge information and specific solutions relating to every area of African-American women's lives.  Additional information about ECI and ESSENCE is available at www.essence.com.

SOURCE Essence Communications, Inc.

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