Barry Shabaka Henley (Miami Vice, Ali, Terminal, Collateral, Barbershop the Series) Academy Award-nominated star Taraji P. Henson (Hustle and Flow, Baby Boy, Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and ESP’s Everett Glenn connect at Taraji’s Pre-Oscar party at Falcon Restaurant in Beverly Hills.

ESP’s Everett Glenn and comedienne and actress Kym Whitley take a break from the celebration at Falcon’s.

Actress and Comedienne Kym Whitley, Taraji and comedienne, actress and reality show hostess Mo’Nique catch up at the pre-Oscar celebration.

Friday, February 20, 2009, Beverly Hills, CA

ESP in the House at Taraji P. Henson Pre-Oscar Party

ESP Managing Partner, Everett Glenn and newest client Calvin Booker of Georgia Tech, joined a host of celebrities and media personalities at Taraji P. Henson's pre-Oscar celebration at Falcon's Restaurant in Beverly Hills, CA.

Academy Award-nominated director, screenwriter and producer John Singleton, Taraji and guest connect at the Falcon.

Henson was up for an Oscar for her role in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. She plays Queenie, who takes Benjamin in after finding the strange-looking infant on her doorstep and raises him through an extraordinary life. Queenie, a hardworking woman who runs a retirement home in the 1920s, sees past Benjamin's odd exterior — despite the social expectations of her time. She knew from the moment she laid eyes on him that this baby was put on her doorstep for a reason," Henson said. "She believes every human deserves unconditional love. She was able to look beyond race in the early 1900s. She just knew he deserved life, and she wanted to give it to him."

In addition to Benjamin Button, Henson stars in the recently released Not Easily Broken, based on the novel by T.D. Jakes. The film has not been as broadly distributed and is being marketed to a largely black audience, a strategy that puzzles Henson. "I don't go to the movies and say, 'Oh, this is a white movie, I can't relate to that. Let me stick to the black films,'" Henson said. "I hope Hollywood can take a turn and stop labeling our films as black and white. Every human understands pain, love and tragedy — no matter what color you are."

Seen at the scene: Performer, director and writer Bill Duke (Car Wash, Good Times, Hill Street Blues, NY Undercover), actor Rockmond Dunbar (Soul Food, The Family That Preys and Prison Break), NAACP Image Awardwinning actress Tichina Arnold (Martin, Everyone Hates Chris), Tony Award-winning American actor and playwright Ruben Santiago (Lakawanna Blues), actress and comedienne Kym Whitley, Academy Award-nominated director, screenwriter and producer John Singleton Boz N the Hood, Poetic Justice, Hustle and Flow), All-Pro Shawne Merriman, Best Damn Sports John Salley, actress, comedienne and reality show hostess Mo'Nique (The Parkers, Showtime at the Apollo, Phat Girlz) and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Oz, Lost)