The NAACP awards were held last night, and nominees Chris Brown and Rihanna did not attend nor win. Instead, the big winners were Jennifer Hudson, Beyonce, Jamie Foxx, “Grey’s Anatomy”, The Secret Life of Bees and “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne”, which is a really, really bad show. Russell Simmons won the Vanguard award for his work in music, fashion, business and charity. Previous recipients of the Vanguard award were Aretha Franklin, Steven Spielberg and Prince.

The NAACP is celebrating their 100th anniversary as an organization. Call me crazy, but I don’t think recognizing “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” is really a step forward for the organization. Yet recognizing someone like Russell Simmons is great – Russell is an amazing businessman and a extraordinary model for a multi-branded, intellectual icon that crosses all races. Reuters has more on the ceremony and the winners:

Actress and singer Jennifer Hudson dominated the NAACP Image awards on Thursday, giving her a boost for 2009 after her mother, brother and nephew were killed by an estranged brother-in-law four months ago.

Jamie Foxx beat Brown to win the trophy for outstanding male artist in an award that was announced before the live television ceremony began.

Rihanna, 20, was in the running for outstanding female artist of the year after a string of hits including “Umbrella” and “Disturbia,” but Beyonce walked away with that trophy.

Hudson, Beyonce’s co-star in the 2006 movie “Dreamgirls” and former “American Idol” contestant, won with three Image awards, given out by the oldest U.S. civil rights organization, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which celebrated its 100th anniversary Thursday night.

Hudson won new artist, outstanding collaboration, and best album with her self-titled CD, and she received a standing ovation.

“Now don’t start me to crying again, y’all,” said an emotional Hudson on accepting the award. “It’s always an honor to come home and feel welcome and to feel the love.”

“The Secret Life of Bees,” in which Hudson stars, won for best motion picture, while hospital series “Grey’s Anatomy” won the award for best TV drama and “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” was awarded outstanding comedy series.

Sean “Diddy” Combs won the TV movie actor trophy for his role in ABC miniseries “A Raisin in the Sun,” based on the 1950s play about life in a black neighborhood of Chicago. The series also won the award for outstanding TV movie.

Hip-hop music producer and businessman Russell Simmons received the NAACP’s prestigious Vanguard trophy for helping to increase understanding of racial and social issues. Simmons, 51, the co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, was cited for using the power of hip-hop culture to inspire American youth. He joins past Vanguard recipients Aretha Franklin, Prince, Steven Spielberg and Stanley Kramer.

From Reuters

The NAACP Image Awards gives out awards for music, literature, television and music, and even though their business is in recognizing people of color, sometimes white people get nominated. A year ago, there was a minor furor over Angelina Jolie’s Best Actress Image Award nomination for playing mixed-race journalist Marianne Pearl in A Mighty Heart. I tend to think that such nominations reflect well on the NAACP, though. They show that the organization can promote and reward all people of all colors who promote racial equality.

Shown at the NAACP image awards are Halle Berry, Jennifer Hudson, Rosario Dawson, Taraji P Henson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Diddy, Tyler Perry, Will.i.am, Tia Mowry, Russell Simmons and his family, and Chandra Wilson. Credit: WENN