LOS ANGELES (BET press release) - On Tuesday, June 29, a star power-infused "black-out" will descend upon Hollywood when BET takes control of the prestigious Kodak Theatre to honor some of
Black entertainment's leading lights at BET AWARDS '04. At a press conference today in Hollywood, BET signaled that the countdown has begun for the celebrated network to blaze into Hollywood recognizing the best-of-the-best in music, sports and acting.
R&B's hottest leading lady Beyonce,
Dirty South luminaries
Outkast and Lil Jon, R&B superstar Usher, and newcomer
Kanye West top the 2004 list of BET AWARDS nominees, with
Outkast nabbing a record-setting six nods for work from their double CD "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below," including multiple nominations in the Viewer's Choice and Video of the Year categories for "
Hey Ya!" and "The Way You Move."
Outkast also scored Best Collaboration and Best Group nominations.
Beyonce was close behind with five nominations, including Best Actress and Best Female R&B Artist, and was nominated for her "
Crazy In Love"
Jay-Z duet scoring in Best Collaboration, Viewer's Choice and Video of the Year categories. Lil' John and
Usher each netted four nominations, and
Kanye West grabbed three. One of the Original Queens of Comedy also takes center stage as Mo'Nique, star of the UPN Network's The Parkers, reprises her role as the first-ever female host of the BET AWARDS telecast.
Some of the brightest stars in music, acting and sports are slated to appear and perform at BET's triumphant Hollywood return, joined by a veritable Hollywood "A-list" of nominees and presenters. Janet Jackson, Usher, Outkast and The Isley Brothers are among the artists expected to light up the stage with their high-wattage performances.
Danny Glover, Award-winning actor, executive producer and activist, and Rock & Roll Hall of Famers The Isley Brothers are the top honorees at the star-studded BET AWARDS '04 show. Glover, the Humanitarian Awardee and The Isley Brothers, the Lifetime Achievement Award recipients, will lead an all- star parade of performers, presenters and nominees.
BET has teamed again with Cossette Productions, famed producers of the Grammy Awards and the past three record-setting BET AWARDS shows, to handle production of the telecast. Last year's BET AWARDS telecast netted an overall 4.27 Nielsen rating with a whopping 30.0 rating among African Americans (5.5 million households), setting a new precedent as the most-watched entertainment special in BET's 24-year history.
The BET AWARDS show has generated higher ratings with African-American viewers than any other awards telecast - including the GRAMMY Awards (R), the Soul Train Awards, Vibe Awards, NAACP Image Awards and the MTV Video Music Awards, among others.
"Last year's BET Awards ceremony and telecast was a fantastic show with some once-in-a-lifetime moments," said Debra Lee, BET President and Chief Operating Officer. "In addition, we again outperformed all other, more well- established Awards shows in the ratings, which is a significant accomplishment. We've clearly delivered something that our viewers truly enjoy. Each year our production gets more exciting and this year will not disappoint."
BET kicks off its spectacular showcase with a special 106 & PARK: Live from the Red Carpet pre-show presentation hosted by AJ and Free from 6 - 8 p.m. ET/PT*, capturing the sizzling fashions and arrival excitement of Hollywood's glamour set. The scene then shifts inside to the Kodak Theatre for the highly-anticipated three-hour "live" awards telecast at its new time of 8 p.m. ET/PT when BET salutes 16 categories across the music, sports and entertainment spectrum. As an early appetizer, viewers can get a sneak peak at BET AWARDS '04 and the featured honorees starting with I WANNA THANK MY MOMMA: BET AWARDS Nomination Special on Tuesday, June 22 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
BET will highlight the artists who are nominated and get predictions from the street on who will take home the hardware; a special award show edition of HOW I'M LIVING features a look at some of the homes of nominated artists and show participants; a special 106 & PARK Pre-Awards show on Monday, June 28 at 6 p.m. ET/PT.
Then, go behind the scenes of the hottest awards show in the nation on June 28 at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT as Access Granted: Behind The Scenes of the Awards Show gives viewers an insider's look at the ins-and-outs of putting together BET's biggest night of the year. A BET NIGHTLY NEWS Special: Live from BET AWARDS '04 wraps up the night with a post-show look at the festivities from 11:00 p.m. ET/PT*.
BET viewers have a unique opportunity to experience the action and excitement of the BET AWARDS up-close-and-personal this year by attending the ceremony. Beginning today, May 13, tickets go on sale through all Ticketmaster outlets and online at www.ticketmaster.com. BET AWARDS '04 ticket prices range from $75 - $500.
The BET online audience also has several opportunities to get in on the Awards Show hype - from May 10 - May 26, users can prove their status as a BET "fan-atic" by entering the BET Ultimate Fan Sweepstakes, sponsored by Reebok. One lucky grand prize winner and a guest will receive round trip air travel, four days and three nights hotel stay, $5,000 and two tickets to BET AWARDS '04 show. What's more, BET's Ultimate Fan will have the opportunity to be a co-presenter of the Viewer's Choice Award at the ceremony with AJ & Free, hosts of BET's ultra-popular video countdown show, 106 & PARK. To enter, viewers submit a photo to www.BET.com/ultimatefan along with a personal statement discussing why they should be selected as the "Ultimate Fan." BET's online community will select the Grand Prize winner from 5 finalists between May 26 and June 2. Contest rules and details are also available at www.bet.com/ultimatefan.
In addition, BET viewers can also become "virtual" members of the BET Awards voting academy by logging onto www.bet.com to cast their votes for their favorite performer in the BET.com Viewer's Choice poll, which will take place in "real-time" during the course of the telecast. Viewers can tune in to the ceremony to see if their chosen performer won the Viewer's Choice award, and also check out other interactive features.
While keeping most of the production plans under wraps, Stephen Hill, BET's Senior Vice President of Music Programming and Talent, said the combination of high-caliber performances, the legendary stature of the special honorees and the teamwork of the BET production team with Cossette Productions should make for another sensational telecast. Additional announcements regarding more celebrity performers and presenters will be issued as part of an ongoing series of awards-related announcements leading up to the June 29 event and telecast.
"Each year we try to make the show more dynamic than the previous year," said Hill. "Last year Michael Jackson and James Brown wowed viewers with a surprise on-stage appearance. In keeping with this year's theme we're coming in '04 with something bigger, better and badder if you can believe that, and it's going to be huge."
Hill added, "Bringing Mo'Nique back is the perfect sequel. We are so pleased to have Mo'Nique running things again. Who knows what she will do, but who cares... we know that she is going to bring it. This time she's got ammo that she's not even telling us about and we love that!"
Major sponsors for this year's BET AWARDS telecast include Reebok (RBK), General Motors, Procter & Gamble and Pepsi. To ensure ratings success, a multi-tiered marketing strategy has been developed to support the telecast, including print, television, radio and outdoor advertising, as well as a significant grassroots promotional campaign and special tie-ins to other Viacom-owned companies.
BET will televise encore presentations of the BET AWARDS '04 on Tuesday, July 13 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
The following is a complete list of BET AWARDS 2004 nominees:
Best Male R&B Artist: Anthony Hamilton, R. Kelly, Ruben Studdard, Usher, Luther Vandross
Best Actor: Mos Def, Laurence Fishburne, Samuel L. Jackson, Bernie Mac, Denzel Washington
Best Female R&B Artist: Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Janet, Alicia Keys, Monica
Best Group: Jagged Edge, Floetry, G-Unit, Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz, Outkast
Best Male Hip-Hop Artist: 50 Cent, Chingy, Ludacris, Kanye West, Jay-Z
Best New Artist: Chingy, Anthony Hamilton, Ruben Studdard, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams
Best Female Hip-Hop Artist: Da Brat, Rah Digga, Missy Elliott, Jackie-O, M.C. Lyte
Best Gospel Artist: Yolanda Adams, Byron Cage, Donnie McClurkin, Smokie Norful, Vickie Winans
Best Actress: Halle Berry, Vivica A. Fox, Beyonce Knowles, Sanaa Lathan, Gabrielle Union
Best Collaboration: Beyonce f/Jay-Z - Crazy In Love, Outkast f/Sleepy Brown - The Way You Move, Pharrell f/Jay-Z - Frontin', Twista f/Kanye West & Jamie Foxx - Slow Jamz, Usher f/Ludacris & Lil Jon - Yeah
Female Athlete of the Year: Laila Ali, Cheryl Ford, Lisa Leslie, Serena Williams, Venus Williams
Viewers' Choice: Beyonce - Crazy In Love, Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz f/Yin Yang Twins - Get Low, R. Kelly - Step In The Name Of Love, Outkast - Hey Ya!, Outkast - The Way You Move, Usher f/Ludcris & Lil Jon - Yeah, Kanye West - All Falls Down
Male Athlete of the Year: Carmelo Anthony, Barry Bonds, Shaquille O'Neal, LeBron James, Tiger Woods
Video of the Year: Alicia Keys - You Don't Know My Name, Beyonce f/Jay-Z - Crazy In Love, Outkast - Hey Ya!, Outkast f/Sleepy Brown - The Way You Move, Usher f/Ludcris & Lil Jon - Yeah
