LOS ANGELES, CA. (Top40 Charts/ United Negro College Fund) - The greatest talent in entertainment, education, sports and politics gathered Saturday,
September 22 to honor singer-composer
Smokey Robinson as he was presented with the Award of Excellence, the high point of the United Negro College Fund's (UNCF) 29th annual An Evening of Stars: Tribute to Smokey Robinson. The event was taped at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium and will air in January 2008.
"This is a never-ending journey for me," said Robinson during a backstage interview about receiving his award. "There are many worthy causes in the world, but UNCF has a special place in my heart because it's about educating our kids and benefiting the future."
Robinson received the award from UNCF president and CEO Dr. Michael Lomax and Motown founder and music industry legend Berry Gordy. Robinson's fellow entertainment legends Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin, both past recipients of UNCF's Award of Excellence, appeared on AEOS to pay tribute to the program's guest of honor.
This year's roster of presenters and performers included Anita Baker, Joss Stone, John Legend, Ne-Yo, Chris Isaak, Macy Gray, Heather Headley, Yolanda Adams, Kenny Lattimore and Chante Moore, Jimmy Fallon, Hill Harper, Shemar Moore, Dr. Condoleezza Rice, Diana Ross, Martha Reeves, Kimberly Elise, Debbie Allen, LisaRaye McCoy Misick, Tichina Arnold, Tyler James Williams, Taraji Henson, Tom Joyner, Shaun Robinson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The 29th AEOS also honored the legendary song stylist and actress Nancy Wilson with UNCF's first Founder's Award for her more than 30-year involvement with the nation's largest minority scholarship fund. Her long involvement with the organization began with the "Something Special" telethon, which she hosted in the 1970s to raise funds for the UNCF and its member historically black colleges and universities. She has also served numerous times as both host and performer for the AEOS predecessor program, Lou Rawls Parade of Stars, which was renamed An Evening of Stars in 1998.
"I am blessed to be honored in this fashion," exclaimed an emotional Wilson. "I am a grandmother, and to know that something I have been doing can benefit my grandchildren is an honor that goes beyond my comprehension."
The Founders Award will be given annually to a popular artist whose work and service reflect a commitment to UNCF and the importance of minority higher education - the kind of commitment that led to the founding of UNCF more than sixty years ago.
Target served as the first-ever "Presenting Sponsor" of An Evening of Stars (AEOS). National corporate sponsors of AEOS were American Airlines, Toyota, McDonald's, Wachovia and AT&T.
Returning as executive producer and director of An Evening of Stars was five-time Emmy Award winner Louis J. Horvitz, whose credits include numerous years directing The Academy Awards, The Prime Time Emmy Awards, The Kennedy Center Honors, The ALMA Awards presented by the National Council of La Raza, and The People's Choice Awards. He has also directed The MTV Movie Awards as well as The American Film Institute (AFI) tributes to Al Pacino (2007), Sean Connery (2006), George Lucas (2005), Meryl Streep (2004) and Robert DeNiro (2003).
