Update: The United Negro College Fund Honors Stevie Wonder at the 27th Annual An Evening of Stars(R)

Update: The United Negro College Fund Honors Stevie Wonder at the 27th Annual An Evening of Stars(R)

FAIRFAX, Va., Aug. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) today announced legendary songwriter, musician and singer Stevie Wonder will receive an all-star tribute for his lifetime achievement on UNCF's annual televised fund-raiser, An Evening of Stars(R). The four-hour tribute will be taped at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, California on September 9th and 10th, 2005, and will air nationwide in over 65 markets this coming January 6th, 7th and 8th, 2006.

Over the 26-year history of An Evening of Stars(R), Stevie Wonder has dazzled audiences and viewers nearly a dozen times with his brilliant performances of songs we all know and love. This year UNCF will pay homage to Stevie for his continuous support of the organization's efforts to raise money through its most popular and successful televised fund-raiser. Stevie Wonder will receive one of UNCF's greatest honors, an all-star tribute for his contributions to the music industry and role as a global humanitarian and philanthropist.

Stevie Wonder has contributed nearly four decades to the music industry, scoring more than 30 top ten hits, 11 #1 pop singles, 22 Grammys, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an Academy Award winner, and a Billboard Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, the youngest honoree of the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors, among countless other accolades. Stevie Wonder is a legend in UNCF history and American history.

An Evening of Stars(R) is slated to feature some of the hottest talent in the entertainment industry. Confirmed guests include: India.Arie, KEM, Toni Braxton, Smokey Robinson, Yolanda Adams, Vivica A Fox, Robert Townsend, Debbie Allen, Tyler Perry and the first two recipients of the UNCF Award of Excellence, Lou Rawls and Quincy Jones. Additional performers and presenters will be announced at a later date.

"Stevie Wonder has been at the forefront of UNCF's efforts to raise money for deserving students through An Evening of Stars(R), and we are proud that he is this year's honoree," said Dr. Michael Lomax, UNCF's president and CEO. "Stevie has contributed a great deal to the music industry, so this tribute is much deserved and highly anticipated," he continued.

The first Lou Rawls Parade of Stars aired in 1979, and since has become one of the longest running and most successful televised events in U.S. history; raising over $200 million to supplement the cost of higher education for its scholarship recipients and member institutions. The event has featured a who's who of the most recognizable talent, including Frank Sinatra, Bill Cosby, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dick Clark, Reba McIntyre, Richard Pryor, Beyonce Knowles, Jill Scott, the late Luther Vandross, Whoopi Goldberg, Patti LaBelle, Ed McMahon, Michael Bolton, Hall and Oates, Ziggy Marley and scores of others.

Today, the show, now called An Evening of Stars(R), is broadcast nationally and supported by major corporations such as this year's confirmed national sponsors, American Airlines, McDonald's, Target, Prudential Financial, Toyota and Wachovia.

Louis J. Horvitz will mark his ninth year as Executive Producer and Director of An Evening of Stars(R). Before becoming its E.P., Horvitz directed UNCF's annual TV special, The Lou Rawls Parade of Stars, for 12 years. "Education is one of my passions," Horvitz says. "I've always believed in the importance of the UNCF's historic mission to give deserving students the access they need to get a quality college education." Horvitz's reputation as one of Hollywood's premiere television directors has been recognized by his peers with ten Emmy Award nominations and 11 nominations from the Directors Guild of America (DGA). He won his first Emmy for outstanding variety directing in 1996 for The Kennedy Center Honors. Horvitz received a DGA Award in 1997 for outstanding directorial achievement in musical variety again for The Kennedy Center Honors. He has won three Emmy Awards for directing The Academy Awards, in 1998, 2000, and most recently in 2004 for the 76th Annual Academy Awards Oscars(R) telecast. Horvitz a native of Los Angeles California and BA, MBA graduate of UCLA was honored by his alma mater with the 2nd UCLA Student Alumni Award in 2002.

As the nation's oldest and most successful minority higher education assistance organization, the United Negro College Fund's mission is to provide financial support to its 39 member institutions and increase minority degree attainment by reducing financial barriers to college. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 25% of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF administers nearly 450 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship programs, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 65,000 students at over 900 colleges and universities across the country.

Source: United Negro College Fund

CONTACT: Ayanna Canty of the United Negro College Fund, +1-703-205-3510

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