Stevie
Wonder, John Legend, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Wyclef Jean,
Danny Glover, Kerry Washington, Vivica A. Fox and Hill Harper
Will Pay Tribute to African American Luminaries at The
BET Honors on Saturday, January 12
Hosted by Cedric "The Entertainer," the Inaugural Event
Will Recognize Alicia Keys, Tyra Banks, Dr. Cornel West, Richard
Parsons, the Honorable Maxine Waters and CEO Janice Bryant
Howroyd, And Premiere on the Network Friday, February 22 at
8:00 p.m. ET/PT
New York, NY
(BlackNews.com) - Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Erykah Badu,
Jill Scott, Wyclef Jean, Danny Glover, Kerry Washington, Vivica
A. Fox and Hill Harper will pay tribute to Alicia Keys (Entertainment
Award), Tyra Banks (Media Award), Dr. Cornel West, University
Professor in the Center for African American Studies (Award
for Education), Richard Parsons (Corporate Citizen Award),
The Honorable Maxine Waters (Public Service Award) and CEO
Janice Bryant Howroyd (Entrepreneur Award) at THE BET HONORS
on Saturday, January 12 at the Warner Theatre in Washington,
D.C. Hosted by Cedric "The Entertainer," THE BET HONORS,
which celebrates the lives and achievements of African American
luminaries, will premiere on the network during Black History
Month on Friday, February 22 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.
"We
are thrilled to present the first-ever BET HONORS
and pay tribute to the thinkers, trailblazers and trendsetters
whose accomplishments serve as inspirations for current
and future generations," said Debra Lee, Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer, BET Networks. "Each of these
remarkable individuals has made significant contributions
to the Black community and American culture overall,
and BET Networks is proud to recognize them through
this very special, new tentpole event. We've done a
number of significant shows in other cities, but what
better place to honor these individuals than in our
home city of Washington, D.C."
Stephen Hill, BET's EVP, Entertainment Programming,
Music & Talent and Lynne Harris Taylor, VP of Specials
are the show's executive producers, along with John
Cossette of John Cossette Productions.
For up-to-the-minute and archival press information
including releases and photographs, visit BET's press-only
Web site at www.bet.com/pr
About
the Honorees
TYRA
BANKS -- Tyra Banks is a
supermodel, host and judge of the reality television
show America's Next Top Model, and is currently
hosting her own Daytime Emmy Award-nominated talk show,
The Tyra Banks Show.
JANICE
BRYANT HOWROYD -- Janice Bryant Howroyd
is the chairman, chief executive officer and founder
of ACT*1, a personnel servicing company that provides
staffing, human resources and management solutions to
Fortune 500 companies in many industries.
ALICIA
KEYS -- Alicia Keys is a
nine-time Grammy Award-winning R&B and soul singer,
songwriter and pianist, who has sold more than 25 million
records worldwide.
RICHARD
PARSONS -- Richard Parsons
is Chairman of the Board of Time Warner Inc., whose
businesses include filmed entertainment, interactive
services, television networks, cable systems and publishing.
THE
HONORABLE MAXINE WATERS -- Maxine Waters
(D-CA) was elected in November 2006 to her ninth term
in the House of Representatives, serving the 35th District
of California, which represents a large part of South
Central Los Angeles, the communities of Westchester
and Playa Del Ray, as well as the diverse cities of
Gardena, Hawthorne, Inglewood and Lawndale.
DR.
CORNEL WEST, UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR IN THE CENTER FOR
AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES -- Dr. Cornel
West is a professor of religion and African
American studies at Princeton University, and is considered
one of America's most gifted, provocative and important
public intellectuals. He has won numerous awards, including
the American Book Award, and has received more than
20 honorary degrees.
About BET Networks
BET Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA,
VIA.B), is the nation's leading provider of quality
entertainment, music, news and public affairs television
programming for the African-American audience. The primary
BET channel reaches more than 87 million households
according to Nielsen Media Research, and can be seen
in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. BET is the dominant
African-American consumer brand with a diverse group
of business extensions: BET.com, a leading internet
destination for Black entertainment, music, culture,
and news; BET Digital Networks - BET J, BET Gospel and
BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge
entertainment tastes; BET Event Productions, a full-scale
event management and production company; BET Home Entertainment,
a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment
including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Mobile, a service
venture into the lucrative world of ringtones, games
and video content for wireless devices; and BET International,
an extension of BET network programming for global distribution.
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