Kanye West, Phylicia Rashad, Usher, Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole and
John W. Thompson Are This Year's Remarkable Honorees
Hosted by Wayne Brady with Performances by Patti LaBelle, Mary J.
Blige, Charlie Wilson, Ne-Yo, Trey Songz and K. Michelle
#BETHonors
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Continuing the Black History Month celebration, BET Networks returns
with the eighth annual "The
BET HONORS" to pay tribute to the contributions of legendary African
Americans in the areas of education, theater, business and technology,
music and innovation. Comedian Wayne Brady hosts the show for the
second year, honoring Tony Award-winning actress Phylicia Rashad
(Theatrical Award), 21-time Grammy Award-winning entrepreneur Kanye
West (Visionary Award), multi-platinum recording star Usher
(Musical Arts Award), Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole (Education
Award), and Chairman of Microsoft, John W. Thompson (Business &
Technology Award). "The
BET HONORS" premieres Monday, February 23, 2015 at 9 pm/ET.
(L-R) Honorees Usher, Phylicia Rashad, Johnnetta B. Cole, Kanye West and John W. Thompson pose onstage during "The BET Honors" 2015 at Warner Theatre on January 24, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Bennett Raglin/BET/Getty Images for BET)
The show opened with an entertaining old-school hip hop performance by Wayne
Brady that earned him a standing ovation from the audience. The
star-studded roster of performers included Ne-Yo, K. Michelle,
Mary J. Blige, Trey Songz, Patti LaBelle and Charlie
Wilson who was joined on stage by Kanye West for an impromptu
performance. Keisha Knight Pulliam, Anthony Anderson, Damon
Dash, Bobby Brown, Glynn Turman and Diahann Carroll
presented the awards to the honorees.
Proceeds from the private sale of "THE
BET HONORS" will benefit the National Cares Mentoring Program, an
organization that helps transform the lives of Black children by
inspiring, recruiting, and mobilizing masses of caring Black men and
women to mentor and nourish, challenge and champion them.
"THE
BET HONORS" sponsors include AT&T, Lexus, Macy's and the U.S. Army.
Stephen Hill, President of Programming, BET Networks, and Lynne Harris
Taylor, Vice President of Specials & Music Production, BET Networks are
executive producers, along with Jesse Collins of Jesse Collins
Entertainment.
For more information on "THE
BET HONORS," visit http://www.bet.com/bethonors.
Viewers can also find series updates on Facebook by liking the fan pages
at http://www.facebook.com/BET.
Also, join the conversation about the special on Twitter by using the
hashtag, #BETHonors. Follow the show for all updates & special surprises
@BET.
*All times ET
ABOUT BET NETWORKS:
BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: 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 90 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 business extensions: BET.com, a leading
Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news;
CENTRIC, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the 25- to
54-year-old African-American audience; BET Digital Networks - 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 Event
Productions, a full-scale event management and production company with
festivals and live events spanning the globe; 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.
About Jesse Collins Entertainment:
Jesse Collins Entertainment is a full service film and television
production company founded by entertainment industry veteran and Image®
Award winner Jesse Collins. For over a decade, Collins has played an
integral role in producing many of television's most memorable moments
in music entertainment. Prior to launching his own company in 2012,
Collins was executive producer and executive vice president of Cossette
Productions and produced ground-breaking, award winning television
programming including the "BET Awards," the GRAMMY® Awards, "BET
Honors," "UNCF's Evening of Stars" and the "BET Hip Hop Awards." Collins
is also an executive producer of BET's hit series, The Real Husbands of
Hollywood starring Kevin Hart. Collins has also worked with a myriad of
icons including Will Smith, Chris Rock, Jay Z, Rihanna, Kanye West,
Mariah Carey and Prince.
Follow us @BET_PR
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20150217006164/en/
BET Networks
Sheikina Liverpool, 212-205-3073
sheikina.liverpool@bet.net
or
Zabrina
Horton, 310-481-3737
zabrina.horton@bet.net
Source: BET Networks
News Provided by Acquire Media