Paula Abdul: In the shocker of the year, Paula makes a Cult best-dressed list. I admit, she’s getting extra points just for the leaps and bounds she’s made of her previous red carpet disasters, but she truly deserves this one. I love the drama of this dress, which is kept in check by the color. Any other hue and it would have been too much. I could have done without the little boxy clutch she wore, but I love the heavy-handed sparkle on her right hand.

Christine Woods: Although the actress’ look is very trendy (sheer fabric, tulip skirt, velvet clutch, red lips), she still manages an understated elegance.

Mary J. Blige: The singer was right on target from top to bottom: The dress was perfection and expertly accessorized. I even like her blond ‘do! Now if only she could ditch those awful tats…

Adam Lambert: Men rarely make my best-dressed lists because, frankly, they are boring. So when you have a guy that shows an obvious interest in style he almost wins by default… almost. I like Adam here because of his crisp tailoring and attention to detail. He looks like he cares about fashion without being garish or costumed. It’s a fine line for the men. Bobby Trendy, you are WAY over the line.

Mr. & Mrs. Broadus: AKA Snoop Dogg and his amazingly enduring wife. I have never seen ol’ Calvin looking so sharp and I absolutely adore that his beautiful brown wife of many years is right there with him. Black on black love is oh so rare in entertainment (private sigh…). Although Shante’s curves make her a non-traditional beauty by Hollywood standards, she is very stylish here and deserves more attention than she will likely get.

Rihanna: Perhaps the only predictable pick of the bunch. I don’t actually like her dress much, but I appreciate that she generally gives us more than just a pretty girl in a pretty dress. This popstar pushes fashion to the edge.

Honorable mentions (above) include Whitney Houston who looked beautiful on stage in a long white gown and in black with her daughter in the audience; Pete Wentz in another all-black look; Alicia Keys who look great even though her dress was fugly (style comes from within folks!); Demi Lovato; Jennifer Lopez; and Lady Gaga.

Larger pics when you click!