C.J.: Awe-some! A front row seat at Fashion Week

Financial guy John Awe had the hookup for his first runway show, where he had a front-row seat at NYC's Fashion Week.

Being married to jewelry-maker Linda Renk, who supplies Badgley Mischka, means that the Wells Fargo senior financial consultant can probably get front-row seats anytime he likes.

Linda and Kim Renk are the Winona sisters who founded Sequin, a jewelry company that has designed pieces that have won favor with stylists and celebrities.

Other Minnesotans at FW were Cheryl Dovenberg, a Sequin staffer; Tricia Davidson and Joe Duffy of Duffy & Partners; Katherine Roepke of Roepke PR, and Melissa Colgan of Mpls.St.Paul mag.

Asked which celebrities were sitting in the front row with him, Awe said, "Kim Kardashian was one of them." Khloe Kardashian was there, too. Their every position change was caught in a blinding flurry of camera flashes.

Awe's too much of a gentleman to have passed along a little hello from Rashad McCants to any Kardashian. Now that Shaddy has been traded to Sacramento, it might be easier for the ex-Wolf to rekindle his romance with Khloe. Or not.

Local bling at Oscars ? "After the show was over Cameron Diaz called Badgley Mischka and said, Look I want to wear some of your jewelry at the Oscars," John Awe told me. "Badgley is all Sequin, they don't have any other relationships." So you may see the Renks' handiwork tonight.

Hawkins, a Wall Street Journal reporter and CNBC correspondent, uses NEWBOs to describe these self-made black multimillionaires in sports, entertainment and media. He's telling their story in book form and a TV documentary (blackoverclass.cnbc.com).

A graduate of North St. Paul High and UW-Madison, Hawkins spent three years interviewing celebrities such as Nelly, Torii Hunter, LeBron James and Russell Simmons for his documentary, which debuts at 8 p.m. Thursday.

"One of my big issues is fostering economic collaboration between people in this class," Hawkins said. "Black athletes in America, in the NBA, NFL and MLB in 2007 earned nearly $4 billion. When you add the top 20 rappers that number goes to $500 million. So $4.5 billion in the hands of a few thousand young [black] men in one year."

Handling such colossal ching goes against the overall image of black guys. "As black males, we're supposed to be the scorn and the scoundrels, but we have $4.5 billion in the hands of a few," he said. "We are tapping into that potential, so you think, 'Will black celebrities begin to add some more meaning to their existence?'" By that Hawk means philanthropy and mentoring.

You'd think that these guys would be able to contact businessman Bob Johnson, who's in the piece, or American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault. But Hawk said the interest is not always mutual.

Shot!

Bond did not honor my request to speak with him. The differences between the NEWBOS and the likes of Bond might make another TV forum for Hawkins to moderate.

Papa works PR machine Lee Hawkins' unpaid Minnesota PR guy is working it.

I was at VIP Hair & Nails looking for a photog who was doing a photo shoot when a tall man motioned me over. Lee Hawkins Sr., said he'd been trying to work out how to make contact with me. I asked how difficult could it be to call the main number of the Strib? Undaunted, the elder Hawk proffered a photo of an extremely good looking guy, noting this was his son about whose documentary he wanted me to write.

Later I realized I had met the Sr. Hawks' daughter Tammi Harmon in a social setting and also her little girl, Darah Harmon, who has subsequently interacted with me on a depends-on-the-day schedule. "That's how she treats all of us," young Hawk said.

Young Hawk has got a bunch of speaking engagements scheduled around the country after his book on the NEWBOs comes out in June. "Oh, definitely I'm going to do a major book reading or something in Minnesota," young Hawk said. "My publicist in Minneapolis is one of the best."