News & Politics

Dionne Warwick to Cohost American Music Ball with Ludacris

As we reported earlier, Grammy-award winning artist Dionne Warwick will host a star-studded American Music Inaugural Ball at Woodley Park's Marriott Wardman Park Hotel. New details, released late yesterday, name rapper/actor Ludacris as Warwick's cohost for the event.

The January 20 soirée, which will draw as many as 6,000 guests, will be composed of two parts: the Legends Ball, which Warwick will host, and the Urban Ball, which will see Ludacris at the helm. It will be the first ever two-ball event in inaugural history.

The Legends Ball 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.

At the Urban Ball, guests will enjoy performances by T-Pain, David Banner, Athena Cage, Cedric the Entertainer, the Cheetah Girls, Fantasia, Lil Jon, Monica, Bella Steez, and Bobby Valentino.

Billed as "people's balls"—meaning they're more affordable than other major inaugural events—tickets cost $450 for the Legends Ball and $350 for the Urban Ball. A combo ticket, which gets you entrance into both events, is $650. Tickets go on sale here Friday, December 5.

Please note that only the official Web site for this event (AmericanMusicInauguralBalls.com) is authorized to sell tickets. An impostor site—friendsofdionne.org—claims to be selling tickets, but it is a hoax.

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