Dionne Warwick & Ludacris: Chairing and Hosting Inaugural Balls

It was announced this week that Grammy Award winners Dionne Warwick and Ludacris will chair and host the American Music Inaugural Balls on Jan. 20, 2009 – the evening President Elect Barack Obama gets sworn into office.

Considered the largest celebration of its type, with upwards to 6,000 guests in attendance, the event will take place at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, DC.

According to an event spokesperson, the festivities will mark the first-ever two-ball inauguration event in history, with the most diverse roster of talent.Warwick will chair and host of the "Legends Ball" that will begin in the hotel's Marriott Ballroom. Co-hosted by Grammy Award winning gospel superstar Yolanda Adams, the program will feature performances by Rodney Atkins, George Clinton, Chaka Khan, Marvin Sapp, The Temptations with Dennis Edwards, Harold Melvin's Blue Notes, Kirk Franklin, the H.B. Barnum Orchestra, The Caravans and Smokie Norful.

"We celebrate with pride and joy the inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama," the former 'Psychic Friends Network' spokesperson said. "Through the language of music comes unity, which is the hope he symbolizes for all of us. Music is the universal language that brings people of all colors, of all faiths, of all ethnicities from all over the globe together in unity."

Meanwhile, the Def Jam Records rapper (whose legal name is Chris "Ludacris" Bridges) will chair and host the "Urban Ball," which begins simultaneously in the Thurgood Marshall Ballroom. Co-hosted by Big Boi of OutKast, the program will feature performances by T-Pain, David Banner, Athena Cage, Cedric The Entertainer, The Cheetah Girls, Fantasia, Lil Jon, Monica, Bella Steez and Bobby Valentino.

Bridges, who was thrust into the political arena when a hip-hop track – where he was making derogatory statements about Senator Hillary Clinton, Jesse Jackson and others – said he was "happy to learn that President-Elect Obama was a fan."

"I am certainly a big fan of his," he continued. "That's why it is such a great privilege to chair the 'Urban Ball.' We have done our part to elect a great leader; now we are coming together to celebrate his accomplishment and to ring in the new era and share the hope he has inspired in us. It is a beautiful thing to be a part of a history. Look at what happens when people come together and focus on our possibilities rather than our differences."

The two events will be affordable "People's Balls," the spokesperson said, compared to other major events in D.C. held that evening.

Presenters for the evening include such celebs and sports figures as: Isaiah Washington, former NBA stars Jalen Rose, Kenny "The Jet" Smith and Reggie Miller, Tracey and Alonzo Mourning and current Washington Redskins defensive end Jason Taylor who recently appeared on ABC's 'Dancing with the Stars.'

AMIB, which will launch online ticket sales Dec. 5, promises to offer "the most bang for your buck" per ticket based on the high caliber lineup of talent set to perform.

Organizers stressed that the production's official website (www.AmericanMusicInauguralBalls.com) is the sole authorized outlet for online ticket sales for this event.

Election Reactions

Oprah Winfrey
"I feel like hope won. It's not just a victory for Barack Obama. It feels like America did the right thing...It feels like anything is now possible."

Spike Lee
"It's a great day, it's a beautiful morning, a new dawn a new beginning not just in America but the world over. I think race has always been interwoven in the fabric of America, but in this referendum of the American people, there's been seismic movement as far as American views on race in this country. I think that's a lot to do with young, white Americans they don't have the same views as their parents."

Kanye West
"Hi Mom, Obama Won! This is the first day of the rest of our lives."

George Clooney
"I congratulate President-elect Obama on his historic victory and now its time to begin unifying the country so we can take on the extraordinary challenges that this generation faces."

Whoopi Goldberg
"I realized that for probably the first time in my life, in thinking about myself as an American, it occurred to me that this is really our arrival in the country that said everything was possible."

Madonna
"This is a historical evening. This is a motherf***ing important evening! And we are lucky to be sharing it with each other. This is the beginning of a whole new world."

Young Jeezy
"My President is black."

Martha Stewart
"For those of us that care so much for civil liberties and freedom for all this is a phenomenal time...We may now have an opportunity with this new and forward thinking President to see some real evolution and change occur. I hope all of you are as proud as I am of the electoral process of the United States, which will permit all of us to benefit hopefully from a historic and heartwarming sea change."

Usher
"It's just incredible to know that Barack Obama is our president. Can I say this? The coolest s**t ever!"

Nick Cannon
"This is my proudest day as an American. We have elected a leader that represents change and unity. Barack Obama has carved his place in history as a true beacon of hope!"