E! Entertainment Television Names R&B Phenom Usher as 2004's 'Entertainer of the Year'

E! Entertainment Television Names R&B Phenom Usher as 2004's 'Entertainer of the Year'

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Earlier this evening (Friday, December 17), E! Entertainment Television bestowed its 15th annual Entertainer of the Year award to multi-platinum selling artist Usher during the Network's year-end special "Entertainer of the Year 2004: An E! Entertainment Television Special." In his exclusive interview, the charismatic R&B megastar spoke candidly about his success and the record-breaking album that established him as the year's number one act with four number one singles and eight GRAMMY(R) nominations including Album Of The Year and Record of the Year. "2004 was honestly a very well anticipated year," explained Usher. "This is a career that has been built over the last ten years. And for those of you who were able to see, or that watched it, you got a chance to see an evolution." Said Usher self-effacingly of Confessions, "I tried to make an album that would be remembered, an album that would stand the duration of time. I didn't know that it would make me the number one selling artist in the world."

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041217/LAF051 )

At just 26 years old, Usher's career remains center stage in his life. Says Usher of love, "That word {isn't} even really in the dictionary of, or {the} vocabulary of 26. It's just hard, you know. Love represents time. You have to be willing to or capable of giving undivided attention to that woman. Which is very hard, especially at this point in my career." For now, his sights remain firmly focused on expanding his horizons. Underscores Usher, "Usher the brand, Usher Inc. -- it does not just represent music. It represents acting. It represents production. I have a record company. It represents development. It represents success. I'm a young entrepreneur of entertainment, man, and I'm entertaining you {in} business from A to Z."

In addition to Usher, "Entertainer of the Year 2004: An E! Entertainment Television Special" also highlighted the benchmark achievements of Jude Law (Role Hog), Jessica Simpson (Cover Girl of the Year), Ashlee Simpson (Freshman Phenom of the Year), Beyonce (Dynamic Diva), Dave Chappelle (Baddest Comic), The Cast of "Desperate Housewives" (Sizzling Suburbanites), Donald Trump (TV Titan), Jamie Foxx (Box Office Breakthrough), Jon Stewart (Daily Fix), Lindsay Lohan (Hollywood Hottie), Mel Gibson (Higher Power Player), Michael Moore (Dogmamentary Director), Renee Zellweger (Chick Flick Chick) and Shrek (Ogre Achiever).

E! Entertainment Television has been bestowing its Entertainer of the Year award since 1990. Last year's recipient was Johnny Depp. Other past winners include Jennifer Aniston (2002), Nicole Kidman (2001), Tom Cruise (2000), Julia Roberts (1999), Helen Hunt (1998), Will Smith (1997), Robin Williams (1996), Jim Carrey (1995), Tom Hanks (1994), Steven Spielberg (1993), Whoopi Goldberg (1992), Arnold Schwarzenegger (1991) and Kevin Costner (1990).

Based in Los Angeles, E! Networks is the world's largest producer and distributor of entertainment news and lifestyle-related programming. The company operates E! Entertainment Television, the 24-hour network with programming dedicated to the world of entertainment; The Style Network, where life gets a new look, and E! Online, located at Eonline.com. E! is currently available to 85 million cable and direct broadcast satellite subscribers in the U.S. The Style Network currently counts 38 million subscribers with commitments to reach over 40 million in 2004.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041217/LAF051
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN18
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: E! Entertainment Television

CONTACT: Elena Miklaszewski of E! Entertainment Television,
+1-646-223-3255


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