ABFF 2011 Recap

If you are a director, producer, actor, or simply a person wanting to break into the film industry, the American Black Film Festival was the place to be. Starting July 6 and ending July 9, people from all over the world enjoyed four days of classes, screenings, networking, and fun!  Tons of celebs like Robert Townsend, Bill Duke, and Michael Elliot came out to support not only by walking the red carpet for premiers, but by teaching and answering plenty of Q&A's through their masterclasses and symposiums.  The festival’s main venue was at the Ritz Carlton on South Beach, but movie screenings took place at the Colony Theater, the Fillmore and the Jackie Gleason Theater. 

In the Hive opened the 15th Annual American Black Film Festival at the Colony Theater this year. The movie stars Micheal Clarke Duncan, Loretta Devine, Vivica A. Fox and Jonathan "Lil J" McDaniel (from That's So Raven). The movie is based on the true story of Vivian Saunders and the real life experiences of those who attended and taught at a special school in North Carolina.  Saunders started an alternative school for teenage gang bangers, drug dealers, and young fathers 14-15 years old to provide a safe place for troubled boys.  In addition, ABFF Founder Jeff Friday and In the Hive Producer Robert Townsend, Bill Duke, Reagan Gomez, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Mekhi Phifer and many more came out to the screening.  Later on that night ABFF attendees partied the night away at club Play which was sponsored by NBC's  new show, "The Playboy Club."

Day two of the festival opened up with 2011 NAACP Image Award winner for 'Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture,' Michael Elliot. On July 7, students obtained priceless knowledge from Elliot's "From Script to Screen" master class, presented by the Writers Guild of America, West. In his class, Elliot taught amateurs as well as seasoned writers the business side of developing and promoting a screenplay. Elliot also revealed his "7 Secrets to creating interesting real, and multi- dimensional characters" and provided invaluable tactics to launching careers in screenwriting in addition to de- mystifying the industry's standard 3-Act structure for movie scripts.  

Elliot's writing credits include the films: MTV's Hip-Hopera: Carmen (2001) staring Beyonce, Like Mike (2002) staring rapper Bow Wow,  Brown Sugar (2002) staring Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan, and Just Wright (2010) staring Queen Latifah, Common, and Paula Patton. Since his first script sale in 1998, he has sold over 25 projects to studios and networks. 

Later that day there was a screening of the twenty-seven minute long documentary, "The Enduring Significance of Boyz n the Hood." Afterwards the film's Oscar nominated writer/ director John Singleton had a Q&A session which was moderated by Trina Robinson of NBC Miami. This year marks the movie's 20th anniversary. Singleton  not only spoke about the significance of his movie 20 years later, he gave amateur screen writers helpful advice.

"When writing your script, articulate your script in a different way. You must know how to write. If you don't know, learn. No one can tell your story like you can. That's why Boyz N The Hood was so successful. It was so specific, everyone could relate."

Singleton revealed during the Q&A that he was merely a collage student when he wrote Boyz N The Hood in a computer room of USC School of Cinematic Arts.

"I just wrote about my surroundings, my friends, and how Los Angeles was in the 80s and 90s. While it was new to Hollywood, it was definitely something people growing up in any hood could relate to." 

The movie stars Cuba Gooding Jr., Ice Cube, Morris Chestnut, and Lawrence Fishburne  and  will be re-released in Blu-ray on July 19th. 

Actor/director/writer Bill Duke's actor's boot camp, sponsored by the Film Life Foundation also started on the second day of ABFF. The 3- session "Actors Boot Camp," July 7-9, led by Duke was one of the highlights of this year's festival. Throughout the session, Duke taught the craft of acting and offered insightful tips on building a career in the field. During the course there was an actual role play exercise whereby select attendees received an opportunity to perform a prepared monologue or scene (reading material provided by ABFF) before the class under the direction of Duke. Bill Duke has helped shape other A-list actors such as Taraji P. Henson, Anthony Anderson, and Shemar Moore. Duke first broke into TV in the early 80s directing episodes of well known TV shows (Miami Vice, Cagney & Lacey and Hill Street Blues) and went on to divide his time between appearing in front and behind the camera in the films, Predator, A Rage in Harlem, Deep Cover, and Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.    

Shortly after Bill Duke's boot camp, five finalist got to screen their films for "The 14th Annual HBO Short Film Competition" at the Colony Theater. The finalist include: "Fig" by Ryan Coogler, "For Flow" by Jason Camp, "Page 36" by Nelsan Ellis, "Salvation Road" by Ka'ramuu Kush, and "The Turtle & the Nightingale" by Gershon Hinkson. All finalists had the opportunity to compete for the $20,000 sponsored by HBO. Other film awards presented include: Grand Jury Prize for Best Film, Grand Jury Prize for Best Actor, Grand Jury Prize for Best Director, Grand Jury Prize for Best Screenplay, Best Documentary, and a special presentation by American Airlines.  

The ABBF held its 15th Anniversary Party at LIV nightclub. It was put on by Team Sizzle and familiar faces like Chef G. Garvin, Melyssa Ford, Terrell Suggins of the Baltimore Ravens were spotted. 

Melanie Fiona provided entertainment for the evening by performed hits like "Give it to me right" and "And It Kills Me" and her newest single "The Time."

Day three of the festival started with Robert Townsend's master class, "The Ultimate Pitch." Designed for those seeking to break through to the next level, acclaimed producer/director Robert Townsend discussed his technique for pitching ideas: from concept to development, through the various stages of re-writes, pitching to executives at studios, and give advice on how to close the deal with clarity, precision, and confidence. As an added bonus, Townsend also listened to pitches from class attendees and helped critique, refine and further developed those presented in session. One lucky attendee will be handpicked to get his or her idea fully developed with Townsend, and then go on to pitch it to a Hollywood studio. 

Later that day there were several film screenings at the Colony Theater, it was day 2 of Bill Duke's acting camp, the Gold Peak Tea Splash Party hosted by Chef G. Garvin, and "A Conversation With Paula Patton moderated by Kevin Frazier.

Kevin Hart's "Laugh at My Pain" also premiered July 8, at the Colony Theater (courtesy of Codeblack Entertainment). Laugh at my Pain, 90 city tour is one of the most successful comedy concerts in history with over $15 million in ticket sales. 

Directly after Kevin Hart's screening, Michael Baisden's "Do Women Know What They Want" was also screened at the same theater. After 18 years of writing books and discussing relationship topics, Baisden takes the conversation from the studio to the streets to find out what women want both inside and outside of the bedroom. 

Day four of the festival kicked off with an examination of Robert Townsend's web series "In the Hive" and NAACP's Bond Project, "Builders of the Next Dream. There were also more screenings, it was the last day of of Bill Duke's actor boot camp and for those inquiring about the inner workings of the reality TV world, they had the opportunity to go to a symposium entitled, "The Business of Reality TV." 

"Trinity Goodheart"  staring Eric Benet and Erica Gluck also premiered on the last day of ABFF. The film centers around a 12 year old girl played by Erica Gluck on a mission to unite her disjointed family. 

The HBO 14th Annual Short Film Competition closed out the festival. ABFF announced the winners of their independent film awards at the Fillmore/ Jackie Gleason Theater on July 9, 2011. The ‘ABFF Honors‘ event was hosted by actors Regina King and Anthony Anderson.

The Grand Jury Prize for Best Film was handed to ‘The Tested,’ directed by Russell Costanzo. The award was presented by actress Jasmine Lewis and Alisa Joseph. VP, Marketing and Communications at Wachovia, A Wells Fargo Company, the winner receives film stock valued at $5000.

Accepting the award for producer Melissa Miller were Miss Black USA 2010 Nigerian beauty/actress Osas Ighodaro and Yolanda Rodgers-Howsie, Co-Chair, Arts and Letters Commission of Delta Sigma Theta.

The Grand Jury Prize for Best Performance by an Actor was a tie with Persia White for her performance in ‘Dysfunctional Friends,‘ and Lonyo Engele for his performance in ‘David is Dying.’  The award was presented by actress Terri J. Vaughn and Mark Pitts, VP and General Manager of Coffee and Tea for Coco-Cola. The prize includes $5000 sponsored by Gold Peak Tea.

The Grand Jury Award for Best Screenplay,sponsored by Team Sizzle Worldwide, was given to Jeta Amata for his film, ‘Black Gold.’ The award was presented by Team Sizzle owner and NFL player Terrell Suggs and actress Elise Neal.

The Grand Jury Prize for Best Director was given to Stephen Lloyd Jackson for his film ‘David is Dying.’ The award was presented by Dave Fitzwater, Regional Sales & Marketing Manager Cadillac SE Region at General Motors, and actor Laz Alonso. 

The HBO Short Film Award was given to ‘FIG,’ which was directed by Ryan Coogler. The $20,000 grand prize award was presented byOlivia Smashum and Lucinda Martinez-Decir of HBO.

In the first ever GMC Faith and Family Screenplay Competition, the winner was David Martyn Conley of St. Louis for his feature film screenplay entitled, ‘Raising Izzie.’ The $5000 Grand Prize award was presented by singer Eric Benet and De Etta West.

This year’s HBO Star Project two grand-prize winners are Tiffany D. Hobbs of Dallas and Sheaun McKinney from Los Angeles. The award was presented by Kendra Carter, Director of Talent Diversity Initiatives, NBC Universal Casting, actor Mekhi Phifer, and Debra Langford, Vice President, Inclusion and Business Diversity, NBC Universal.

The second annual national ‘Rising Icons’ award was given to the talented actress Naturi Naughton. Sponsored by Grey Goose vodka, the award was presented to her by actress Mari Marrow and Grey Goose Brand Manager Chauncey Hamlet.

The award for best documentary was given to ‘Brown Babies,’ directed by Regina Griffin. The award was presented by actor Dennis Smith and a CNN spokesperson.

In celebration of his success, and in recognition of his great talent, producer, director, and actor Keenen Ivory Wayans was honored with the Entertainment Icon Award at ABFF Honors.

Keenen’s credits includes writing and producing films from Eddie Murphy’s RAW, The Five Heartbeats, Scary Movie, and White Chicks. Before they were stars, he also gave comedians like Jim Carey, Jamie Foxx, and David Alan Grier a place to showcase their talent with his skit comedy show In Living Color.

Past honorees have included Spike Lee, Melvin Van Peebles, and Lee Daniels.

Before accepting the award, the audience heard plenty of funny stories and saw clips of his Keenen’s work on from his longtime friend Robert Townsend and his brothers, Damon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, and nephew Damien Wayans. As a surprise, Keenen’s junior high school teacher came on stage and spoke how gifted Keenen was that far back and she knew he would take those talents to greater heights.

For more information go to www.abff.com. 

EMMY AWARD-WINNING PRODUCER & DIRECTOR KEENEN IVORY WAYANS TO BE HONORED AT THE 15TH ANNUAL AMERICAN BLACK FILM FESTIVAL (ABFF)

Jeff Friday, CEO of Film Life Inc. is pleased to announce Emmy Award-winning producer/director Keenen Ivory Wayans as honoree at the landmark 15^th Annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF).  In recognition of his success in the film and television industry for nearly 25 years, Wayans will be honored with the Entertainment Icon Award at the festival’s culminating event, ABFF Honors, taking place on Saturday, July 9, at The Fillmore Miami Beach - Jackie Gleason Theater in Miami, FL.   Keenen Ivory Wayans’ award presentation will be the highlight of ABFF’s annual awards show, where the festival’s independent film awards are presented and artists are saluted for their achievement in cinema and passionate portrayal of stories about people of color.  Past honorees have included Morgan Freeman, Lee Daniels, Spike Lee, Robert Townsend, Russell Simmons and Halle Berry.

Originally noted for his infamous stand-up routines, Keenen Ivory Wayans was the first from his famed comedic family to gain notoriety. After years of performing on the circuit, in 1987 Wayans produced and co-wrote the hugely successful feature film Eddie Murphy Raw, catapulting his career to the next level. Having established himself as a talented entertainment visionary, Wayans followed up with a successful string of hits including the indie film Hollywood Shuffle and the classic parody of “blaxploitation” films, I’m Gonna Get You Sucka. 

Continuing his success and adding acting to his credits, Wayans broke new ground in television with the Emmy Award-winning Fox comedy series In Living Color. The series single-handedly is credited with launching the careers of such A-list actors Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Lopez and Damon Wayans. The show also introduced the television audience to brothers Shawn and Marlon Wayans. 

“Keenen Ivory Wayans is a trailblazer in the truest sense of the word,” states ABFF founder Jeff Friday. “In fact, very few people in the industry have provided such a dynamic platform in cultivating such notable talent and revolutionizing comedy and comedic television. Beyond that, Wayans has proven to be an amazing mentor to his family by nurturing the careers of his siblings in the industry, and we are proud to bestow him with the festival’s highest distinction, especially on our anniversary year.”

Wayans other film credits include The Five Heartbeats with Robert Townsend; A Low Down Dirty Shame; Most Wanted; The Glimmer Man; the hit “coming of age in the ‘hood” movie Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, in which brothers Shawn and Marlon starred; the nearly $120 million worldwide grossing film, White Chicks; followed by Little Man and most recently, Dance Flick.

In 2000, Wayans wrote and directed the international box office smash hit Scary Movie, a parody of slasher movies, for Dimension Films.  The movie went on to break several box office records including biggest opening for an R-rated movie and highest grossing film for an African American director.  The film grossed over $300 million worldwide and led to a successful sequel, Scary Movie 2, which Wayans wrote, directed and produced.

FILM LIFE, INC.’S 15th ANNUAL AMERICAN BLACK FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES THE 2011 STAR PROJECT WINNERS AND FINALISTS WITH FIRST-TIME SPONSORSHIP BY NBCUNIVERSAL

Tiffany D. Hobbs of Dallas and Sheaun McKinney of Los Angeles are Winners in Competition that Underscores Commitment to Discovering New Talent One Grand Prize Winner will Receive a Walk-on Role on NBC’s Daytime Drama “Days of our Lives”

Film Life, Inc., announced that the grand-prize winners of its 15th annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF) Star Project are Tiffany D. Hobbs of Dallas and Sheaun McKinney from Los Angeles. Sponsored by NBCUniversal, the program is an international acting competition designed to spotlight emerging multi-cultural talent. 

The ABFF Star Project was launched in 2009 as part of the common goal to encourage serious pursuit of the craft by providing a platform for undiscovered actors while supporting their career advancement.  In addition to Hobbs and McKinney, the finalists also included two female entrants, Osa Ighodaro (The Bronx, N.Y.) and Kim Pettiford (New York City) as well as two males, Donald George (Los Angeles) and James Holloway (New York City).

The two grand-prize winners will receive all-expense-paid trips to Miami, Fla., to this year’s ABFF convention from July 6-9. 

Star Project entrants were required to submit two videotaped monologues: one of their choice, and one selected by NBCUniversal and ABFF.  The Star Project Jury was comprised of an esteemed panel of accomplished actors, directors and casting executives.

 

This year’s Star Project mentor is Kendra Carter, Director of Talent Diversity Initiatives, NBCUniversal Casting.

 

“We at NBCU are honored to work to with the ABFF as the primary sponsor of this year’s Star Project,” said Carter.  “There are so many young and diverse artists out there who deserve a chance to showcase their talents and vision with a program that will nurture and boost their early careers.”       

 

Hobbs began acting, dancing and singing at the age of 3.  In 2009, she was accepted to the attend Southern Methodist University’s (SMU) prestigious three-year Master of Fine Arts graduate acting program on full scholarship.  To date, Hobbs has been cast in the lead role in numerous SMU campus production, including Carise in “La Dispute,” Mrs. Gibbs in “Our Town,” and Gloria in “You Never Can Tell.”  She is currently in Santa Rosa, Calif., in rehearsals for the Summer Repertory Theater’s productions of “Hairspray,” “Company” and “The Piano Lesson.”  Hobbs will be entering her final year in graduate school at SMU in the fall.

 

McKinney has appeared in professional commercial, TV and feature-film projects.  His film and television credits include “Know Thy Enemy” for Lionsgate, “Bahama Hustle” for Maverick Entertainment and “Burn Notice” for USA Network.  He has also expanded his repertoire in co-writing and producing while starring in his own Web-based show "Make It Happen," for which he has received many accolades and is looking to shop around to networks later this year.  McKinney attended Miami-Dade College and received an Associate in Arts degree in theater education.

 

In addition to the winners’ free trip to the ABFF convention in Miami, the Star Project winners will be presented before the festival audience during its culminating event -- the ABFF Honors on July 9.  Additionally, one grand-prize winner will be granted a walk-on role on the award-winning NBC daytime drama “Days of our Lives” and will have the opportunity to audition before a leading casting director. 

HBO is the festival's founding and premier sponsor.  Other sponsors to date include: Grey Goose and Team Sizzle Worldwide (premier sponsors); the gmc Television Network, Cadillac, American Airlines, Gold Peak Tea and Wells Fargo (official sponsors); The Nielsen Research Company, Nickelodeon, NBCUniversal, Codeblack Entertainment, Grab Networks and CNN (supporting sponsors); the Miami Beach Visitor & Convention Authority and The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (host sponsors); CBS, Stella Artois, Writers Guild of America West, SAGIndie and FOX Searchlight Pictures (diversity partners). Media sponsors include Black Enterprise, “The Michael Baisden Show” and Uptown (official level); AOL Black Voices, Heart & Soul, Automotive Rhythms, Monarch and Precious Times (supporting level). 

Established in 1997, the core mission of the ABFF is to promote cultural diversity within the motion picture industry.  Through its film showcases and special contests, it annually introduces the top echelon of emerging artists to the film and television industry.

 

The 15th Annual American Black Film Festival Announces Its “Master Class” Lineup With Acclaimed Industry Experts Michael Elliot, Bill Duke and Robert Townsend

Spike Lee's Master Class - ABFF 2010 Film Life, Inc. has announced its lineup of the highly acclaimed Master Class series to be held during the 15th annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF) in Miami, Florida, July 6-9, 2011. Designed to incorporate a variety of disciplines such as screenwriting, producing, directing, acting, film scoring and cinematography, this year’s workshop series will be led by renowned industry experts Michael Elliot, Bill Duke and Robert Townsend. Pre-registration is available through June 3 at www.ABFF.com and on-site registration opens July 6. The first in the series scheduled to take place July 7, “From Script to Screen” will be led by 2011 NAACP Image Award winner for ‘Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture,’ Michael Elliot. Known for such films as, Brown Sugar and Just Right, Elliot will teach novice and seasoned writers alike creative as well as the business side of developing and promoting a screenplay. A self-taught writer who learned the craft by studying his favorite films and successfully sidestepping Hollywood's barriers-to-entry without a manager or agent, Elliot will provide festivalgoers with a comprehensive crash course. He will also reveal his “7 Secrets to creating interesting, real and multi-dimensional characters” and provide invaluable tactics to launching careers in screenwriting in addition to de-mystifying the industry’s standard 3-Act structure for movie scripts. “From Script to Screen” is presented by the Writers Guild of America, West. Elliot’s writing credits include films: MTV's Hip-Hopera: Carmen (2001), which launched the film career of Beyonce Knowles; Like Mike(2002), which starred rapper/actor, Bow Wow; Brown Sugar (2002), which starred Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan; and Just Wright (2010), which stars Queen Latifah, Common, and Paula Patton.  Since his first script sale in May of 1998, he has sold over 25 projects to studios and networks. The 3-session “Actors Boot Camp,” July 7-9, led by veteran actor/director/producer/writer Bill Duke is one of the highlights of this year’s festival. Sponsored by the Film Life Foundation, it is targeted for the serious actor. Having taught and collaborated with the best in the business, Duke has helped to shape and mold such A-list actors as Taraji P. Henson, Anthony Anderson and Shemar Moore. Throughout the session, Duke will teach the craft of acting, provide precious insight into the business of entertainment and offer insightful tips on building a career in the field. The highpoint of the course will be an actual role play exercise whereby select attendees will get an opportunity to perform a prepared monologue or scene (reading materials provided by ABFF) before the class under the direction of Duke. Bill Duke first broke into TV in the early 80s directing episodes of well known TV shows (including Miami Vice, Cagney & Lacey and Hill Street Blues) and went on to divide his time between appearing in front of the camera and behind it on films such as Predator, A Rage in Harlem, Deep Cover and Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit. Bill Duke began his drama training at Boston University followed by NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and the American Film Institute. To round up the master class series, registered ABFF attendees will learn how to pitch their film or television show idea with Robert Townsend’s “The Ultimate Pitch,” July 8, one of Hollywood’s most successful filmmakers. Designed for those seeking to break through to the next level, acclaimed producer/director Robert Townsend will discuss his technique for pitching ideas: from concept to development, through the various stages of re-writes, pitching to executives at studios, and give advice on how to close the deal with clarity, precision and confidence. As an added bonus, Townsend will also listen to pitches from class attendees and help critique, refine and further develop those presented in session. One lucky attendee will also be handpicked to get his or her idea fully developed with Townsend, and then go on to pitch it to a Hollywood studio. Over the years, Robert Townsend has created a unique and diverse body of work covering various genres: comedies, Hollywood Shuffle; musicals, The Five Heartbeats; fantasy comedies, The Meteor Man; sit-coms, The Parenthood; and epic dramas, 10,000 Black Men Named George. Currently Mr. Townsend is busy at work with seven projects in various stages of development and completion. HBO is the festival's Founding and Premier Sponsor.

50 Cent Gets A Perm???!!!!!

A perm 50???? Really??!!! Is this is official transformation into Curtis Jackson?  I'm not sure what this man is going through but he is out of control with this abomination on his head...smh.

Recap of Spring Fest and Best of the Best 2011

The biggest names in reggae, hip-hop, R&B, dancehall & soca converged in Bicentennial Park for two days of music, food & fun!

The longest running Memorial Weekend destination event, Best Of The Best celebrated its 5th year with two huge music festivals held without incident on Saturday, May 28th and Sunday, May 29th at Bicentennial Park in downtown Miami.

Day one, dubbed Spring Fest, featured the best of the best in contemporary R&B and Hip-Hop, including Miami native Rick Ross, Chris Brown,Trey Songz, Drake, Keri Hilson, Lloyd, Jeremih,Miguel, Marsha Ambrosius (formerly of the duo Floetry), Travis Porter and Big Sean. Nationally syndicated radio personality and comedian Rickey Smiley hosted the event with Russ Parr.

Without further adieu, here are the recaps of a few performances according to my good friend Kevin Ross.

"Lloyd performed his smash hits "All around the world," and "Lay It Down." Towards the end of his performance he brought out Ace Hood to perform "Hustle Hard." Great performance.

Despite the Chicago Bulls losing the series against the Miami Heat, Jeremih came to Miami representing Southside Chicago heavy and was extremely thankful for his fans. Songs like "I'm A Star" and "Birthday Sex" showed his talent as well as his dedication to keep R&B alive.

Chris Brown was hands down the best performer of the night! Not to take anything away from other artists, but the energy he brought was undeniable. Brown even brought a young lady from the crowd on stage for his steamy, almost rated R performance of "Take You Down." 

Miguel definitely put on a phenomenal show. Everything from the choreography, to his light up mic stand kept the crowd fully engaged. "All I want is you," and his current smash record that has everyone buzzing, "Sure Thing" had the audience rocking & singing in harmony. This performance was nothing shy of great! 

Travis Porter hit the stage and had the girls "shakin what their mama's gave em" when they opened up the show with the song "Bring It Back". For some reason this group reminds me of a younger version of the Ying Yang twins... only there's three of them. After they performed "Make It Rain," the group brought out Big Sean to perform "Dem Girls." 

Big Sean performed the song "Gang Bang" from Wiz Khalifas mixtape Cabin Fever. He also brought out Trae Tha Truth to perform "Phone numbers" together.

Rickey Smiley's crazy sense of humor never fails to make even the most serious person die of laughter. Smiley brought out his friend Juicy to sing Kelly Rowland's "Motivation" which definitely had the audience gasping for air they were laughing so hard!"

Dancehall icon, Shabba Ranks rocked the house on day two alongside some of the top acts in Reggae, Hip-Hop, Dancehall and Soca, including Stephen and Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, DJ Khaled, Vybz Kartel (who appeared on the big screen with his band live via satellite from Jamaica), Tarrus Riley, Alison Hinds, Trina, Assassin, Etana, Sanchez, I-Octane, Ace Hood,Stephen McGregor, Chino, Richie Loop, Demarco, Gappy Ranks, Romain Virgo, Tifa, ZJ Liquid.

Best Of The Best Weekend 2011 was presented by FEVER -- The World's 1st Stimulation Drink (www.feverusa.com). Additional sponsors included Swift Kick Sneaker Wipes(www.swiftkickproducts.com), now available at Walgreens.