Fashion Darling Joy Bryant and 'Notorious' Movie Star Derek Luke Set to Host BET's Annual Fashion Special, RIP THE RUNWAY on Saturday, February 21 from NYC's Hammerstein Ballroom
NEW YORK, Feb. 18 -- Take a glimpse into the prestigious
world of fashion when BET's RIP THE RUNWAY tapes at the famed Hammerstein
Ballroom in New York City on Saturday, February 21 at 7:00 p.m. Hosted by
actress and model, Joy Bryant and "Notorious" star Derek Luke, RIP THE RUNWAY
showcases the latest trends in fashion, hip accessories, music and the hottest
models on the runway. Returning for its fifth season, BET partners with the
leading urban designers including Akoo, Protege', Korto Momolu (from Bravo's
"Project Runway"), and Johnny Vincent Swimwear to bring viewers an exclusive
front row seat to the finest fashion show in town.
Over the years, Joy Bryant has become a permanent staple in the fashion
world and it's seldom that magazines don't feature her in their fashion pages.
Bryant's acting debut began with MTV's film "Carmen: A Hip Hopera;" which was
followed by her explosive breakthrough in Denzel Washington's "Antwone
Fisher," which also features RIP THE RUNWAY co-host Derek Luke. Bryant has
appeared in high-profile films as "Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins," "The Skeleton
Key," "London," "Honey" and "Get Rich or Die Tryin'."
New Jersey native, Derek Luke, had a passionate dream of becoming an actor
so he took a leap of faith by booking a one way ticket to Los Angeles with
what he calls having no "plan B." Luke, determined to not return void of his
mission, took different jobs as a waiter and audience usher on various studio
lots and awards shows. Finally he landed a job at the Sony Studio store where
he was able to take auditions on his lunch breaks. There he met Antwone
Fisher, a former Sony Pictures security guard, and learned that a film based
on Fisher's life was in development. In the early stages of casting for the
film, he decided to crash the auditions. After the film went on hiatus for
over a year, he got an audition through his manager and after several call
backs he landed the lead role. That was the beginning of his acting career.
Since making his film debut, Luke has starred in a dozen films including
"Madea Goes to Jail," "Miracle at St. Anna," "Biker Boyz," "Friday Night
Lights," "Glory Road," "Lions for Lambs," "Definitely, Maybe" and most
recently Luke starred as Sean "Diddy" Combs in the Fox Searchlight bio-pic
"Notorious."
RIP THE RUNWAY will premiere on BET on Monday, March 2 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT*
and will re-air on Thursday, March 5 at 8:00 p.m.* and Friday, March 6 at
10:00 p.m.*. 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.
**All time ET/PT
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 98 million households and can be seen in the
United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan
Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse
group of businesses 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 Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded
offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET
Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless
devices; and BET International, which operates BET in the United Kingdom and
oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.
SOURCE BET Networks
CONTACT:
Marcy Polanco, +1-212-975-4048
Marcy.Polanco@bet.net
or
Lyntina Townsend, +1-202-608-2745
Lyntina.Townsend@bet.net
both of BET
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