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Epic Evening Features Performances by Chris Brown, Lil Wayne,
Jennifer Hudson, Nicki Minaj, Yolanda Adams and More
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50Th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Bill
Receives the 2014 Humanitarian Award Presented by State Farm®
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#BETX / #BETAWARDS
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
It was a night full of electrifying performances, emotional speeches and
unforgettable moments at the "BET Awards" '14 -- also known as
the "Black World Cup," according to hilarious host Chris
Rock -- which aired live from the Nokia Theatre at L.A. LIVE on
Sunday, June 29.
Pharrell Williams opened the show with an energetic rendition of
"Come Get It Bae" surrounded by a bevy of cheerleaders, and was joined
by surprise performer and fellow Virginia native, the amazing Missy
Elliott, who brought the crowd to their feet to "Pass That Dutch."
Williams became a familiar face on the stage after winning both "Best
Male R&B/Pop Artist" and "Video of the Year," and again coming on to
present music icon Lionel Richie with the Lifetime Achievement
Award. Young Moneyand Beyoncé took home the most trophies
with three awards, as did acclaimed film "12 Years A Slave" which
swept the film award categories. Pharrell Williamsand August
Alsina each won two awards.
The tribute to Richie included a presentation of classics "Hello" and
"Still" by John Legend and a pulsating rendition of
"Brick House" by Ledisi. Just before Richie came on
stage to accept his award, Yolanda Adams delivered a soulful,
inspired performance of "Jesus Is Love," bringing the crowd to its feet
(and some to tears!) and prompting Richie to admit he was "glad [he]
sang the song first." Richie showed off his own skills when he sat at
the piano and serenaded the audience with "Easy," then got the crowd
dancing along to "All Night Long."
Chris Brownmade a triumphant return to the "BET Awards" stage
that drew a standing ovation. He proved he hasn't missed a beat
delivering an incredible performance of "Loyal," which was amped up even
more with appearances by Lil Wayne, Tyga and Travis
Barker.
Always one to get the crowd going, Lil Wayne got the mosh pit
popping with "Krazy" and "Believe Me." Jennifer
Hudson showed off her incredibly powerful pipes during a performance
of "Walk It Out" and debut of her new single "It's Your World" as a
disco roller derby swirled around her. One of today's hottest rising
stars, Jhené Aiko joined John Legend on stage for one of
the most impressive performances of the evening.
Celebrating the 20th anniversary of his first album, Usher performed
an action-packed medley of his biggest hits, including "Yeah!"
"Confessions," "Caught Up" and "Love In This Club," which drew a
standing ovation. Nicki Minaj gave an dramatic Alice In
Wonderland-inspired performance of "Chi-Raq" and "Pills N Potions,"
filling the stage with oversized mushrooms, a contemporary dancer and a
white rabbit.
T.I. showed off his lyrical prowess with "No Mediocre," while Iggy
Azalea wowed the crowd with her skills with her hit single "Fancy."
Fan and crowd favorite August Alsina, whose earlier performance
alongside Trey Songz and Chris Brown drew squeals from all
of the ladies in the house, took home the Coca-Cola Viewers' Choice
Award. Robin Thickegave a mesmerizing performance of "Forever
Love," while surprise performers Troop, Color Me Badd and Silk
scored huge cheers, as each group took the stage for their biggest
hits for a '90s throwback medley of "All I Do Is Think of You," "I Wanna
Sex You Up" and "Freak Me."
Presenter Kerry Washington, making her first television
appearance since giving birth to daughter Isabelle in April, got in on
the night's fun with co-presenter Kevin Hart, who tried to
convince the crowd that he was, in fact, Oliver Pope, a reference to
Kerry's alter-ego Olivia Pope on her hit show "Scandal."
Taking a cue from Ellen DeGeneres' pizza delivery at this year's
Oscar® Awards, Rock provided the audience with a delivery of
Roscoe's Chicken 'n Waffles, which they accepted with enthusiasm. Rock
had the crowd laughing throughout the night, thanks to his riffs on a
range of hot topics, from Donald Sterling to Jay-Z and Solange to Dr.
Dre and the Beats/Apple deal.
A taped performance of Beyoncé and Jay-Z of "Partition"
capped the epic night, which delivered on its promise to be the hottest
ticket in town. The "BET Awards" '14 drew the biggest
names in music, entertainment and sports, with appearances by Gabrielle
Union, Keke Palmer, Regina Hall, Larenz Tate, Bow Wow, Keshia
Chante, Eva Marcille, Terrence Jenkins, Keyshia Cole, Mike Tyson, Nick
Cannon, Zendaya, DeSean Jackson, Boris Kodjoe, Gary Owen, Gugu
Mbatha-Raw, Chadwick Boseman, Tyrese and Nate Parker.
Tim King (Founder, President and CEO of Urban Prep Academies) and Denzel
Thompson (a 19-year-old founder and manager of a successful
community urban farm and garden) were recognized as the 2014
Shine-A-Light recipients.
The "BET Awards" is one of the most watched award shows on cable
television according to the Nielsen Company. The "BET Awards" franchise
remains as the #1 program in cable TV history among African-Americans,
and it is BET's #1 telecast every year. It recognizes the triumphs and
successes of artists, entertainers and athletes in 19 categories.
In addition to all of these incredible moments, the complete list of
"BET Awards" '14 winners is:
Best Female R&B/Pop Artist
Beyoncé
Best Male R&B/Pop Artist
Pharrell Williams
Best Group
Young Money
Best Collaboration
Beyoncé f/ JAY Z - Drunk In Love
Best Male Hip Hop Artist
Drake
Best Female Hip Hop Artist
Nicki Minaj
Video of the Year
Pharrell Williams - Happy
Video Director of the Year
Hype Williams
Best New Artist
August Alsina
Best Gospel Artist
Tamela Mann
Best Actress
Lupita Nyong'o
Best Actor
Chiwetel Ejiofor
YoungStars Award
KeKe Palmer
Best Movie
12 Years a Slave
Subway Sportswoman of the Year
Serena Williams
Subway Sportsman of the Year
Kevin Durant
Coca-Cola Viewers' Choice Award
August Alsina f/ Trinidad Jame$ - I Luv This
Centric Award
Jhené Aiko - The Worst
Best International Act: Africa
Davido (Nigeria)
Best International Act: UK
Krept & Konan
FANdemonium Award
Beyoncé
For performance clips and photos of the "BET Awards" '14, please
visit www.EPKLink.com/2014BETAwards.
BET.com/BETAwards (http://www.bet.com/shows/bet-awards.html)
is the official site for the "BET Awards" '14 and features all
the incredible content from this year's show. Join the conversation on
social media by following BET's multiple social media platforms
dedicated to the BET Awards:
The "BET Awards" '14 took place along with the BET Experience at
L.A. LIVE presented by Coca-Cola® in Los Angeles from June 27-29th.
The show will premiere on BET's international network Tuesday, July 1
at 8:00 p.m. GMT.
Encore viewings of the show will air on BET on:
-
Monday, June 30 at 7:00 p.m.* (immediately followed by the post-show)
-
Saturday, June 5 at 8:00 p.m.*
-
Thursday, June 10 at 7:00 p.m.*
Stephen G. Hill, BET's President of Music Programming and Specials and
Lynne Harris Taylor, BET's Vice President of Specials, will serve as
Executive Producers for the "BET Awards," along with Jesse Collins, CEO
of Jesse Collins Entertainment.
*All times ET/PT
ABOUT "BET AWARDS"
The BET AWARDS is one of the most watched award shows on cable
television according to the Nielsen Company. The BET AWARDS franchise
remains as the #1 program in cable TV history among African-Americans,
and it is BET's #1 telecast every year. It recognizes the triumphs and
successes of artists, entertainers, and athletes in a variety of
categories.
ABOUT BET NETWORKS
BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), 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 television and film
production company founded by entertainment industry veteran Jesse
Collins. For more than a decade, Collins, the company's CEO, has played
an integral role in producing some of television's most memorable
moments in music entertainment. Formerly Executive Producer/EVP of
Cossette Productions, Collins has produced ground-breaking and award
winning television programming including the BET Awards, the GRAMMY
Awards, BET Honors, The UNCF Evening of Stars and the BET Hip Hop
Awards. Collins currently executive produces "The Real Husbands of
Hollywood," (now going into its 3rd hit season) alongside
industry Icons Stan Lathan and Ralph Farquhar; and has worked with
superstar talent such as Will Smith, Chris Rock, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Kanye
West, Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Prince, Mariah Carey and many more.
Follow us @BET_PR
BET NETWORKS
Marcy Polanco, 212-975-3327
Marcy.Polanco@BET.net
or
Zabrina
Horton, 310-481-3737
Zabrina.horton@BET.net
or
SLATE
PR
Shawn Purdy / Lindsey Brown
212-235-6813 / 212-235-6814
shawn@slate-pr.com
/ lindsey@slate-pr.com
Source: BET Networks
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