Grand Opening, Grand Closing . . . Beyonce and Prince Lead Galaxy of Stars at The BET Awards '06 on June 27 with Show-Stopping Performances

Grand Opening, Grand Closing . . . Beyonce and Prince Lead Galaxy of Stars at The BET Awards '06 on June 27 with Show-Stopping Performances

Megastar Lineup Also Includes Top Nominee Jamie Foxx, Host Damon Wayans, Chaka Khan, Mary J. Blige, Busta Rhymes, Ne-Yo, T.I., Chris Brown, Keyshia Cole, Mary Mary and Many More

LOS ANGELES, June 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Rumors have been flying and fans have been eagerly anticipating the show-stopping "Grand Opening" and "Grand Closing" of BET Awards '06, as each year proves to be more extraordinary than before. This year, the BET Awards show begins with a Grand Opening salvo by America's favorite new Dreamgirl Beyonce, and the world premiere television performance of her new smash "Deja Vu." To cap the show, BET Awards '06 has the legendary Prince bringing it home with the Grand Closing to this annual tribute to music, movies, sports and more with an out-of-this-world performance. Prince's song selection is a closely guarded secret ... even to the show producers at this point. The stage is set for BET AWARDS '06 to be the most sizzling night of live television this year! The three-hour 'live' telecast premieres on June 27 at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT (tape-delayed in the Mountain and Pacific zones).

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060615/NYTH065 )

These celebrated BET AWARDS alumni/nominees join top nominee Jamie Foxx, who will perform hits from his debut CD, as well as Busta Rhymes, Ne-Yo, Chris Brown, Keyshia Cole, Lil Wayne and Mary Mary who will blaze the stage with big-time production numbers. Previously announced show talent Mary J. Blige and T.I. will round out the set list, along with a few surprises.

Elevating the star presence at the historic Shrine Auditorium is host Damon Wayans, BET Lifetime Achievement Award winner Chaka Khan, BET Humanitarian Award recipient Harry Belafonte, and presenters including: film and TV star Vivica A. Fox, hip hop luminaries Outkast, NFL first-round draft pick Vince Young, sultry songstress Rihanna, the hilarious Shawn and Marlon Wayans, old-school sitcom stars Bernadette Stanis and Jimmy Walker, and former BET AWARDS host Steve Harvey.

To ensure that viewers never miss a beat, the party will kick off with a series of specials. You can catch the ever-popular I Want To Thank My Mama: BET Nomination Special airing Friday, June 16 at 7:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET/PT. BET will highlight the artists who have been nominated and get predictions on the street as to who will take home some hardware on June 27. And check out exciting highlights of past BET AWARDS shows during the encore telecast of the Top 12 Award Show Moments airing June 16 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

106 & Park hosts Julissa and Big Tigger will jumpstart the coverage on awards day at 6 p.m. ET/PT with 106 & Park Live From the Red Carpet. They'll get first crack at all the celebrities and nominees before they head into the Shrine for the telecast where artists will be feted in 15 different categories. After the show, more BET AWARDS action can be seen and heard during BET NEWS Special: The Black Carpet Lounge hosted by Toure at 11 p.m. ET/PT. This one-hour program will feature exclusive interviews, show highlights and recap all of the day's exploits.

In addition, BET viewers can cast their votes for their favorite performer in the BET.com Viewer's Choice poll at http://www.bet.com/, which takes 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.

ABOUT BET NETWORKS

BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom, Inc. (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:and)(NYSE:VIA.B), 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 80 million households according to Nielsen media research, and can be seen in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of businesses extensions: BET.com, the Number 1 Internet portal for African Americans; BET Digital Networks - BET J, BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; and BET Mobile, a service venture into the lucrative world of ring tones, games and video content for wireless devices.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060615/NYTH065
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN5
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: BET (Black Entertainment Television)

CONTACT: Amber Koger of Bobbi Marcus PR, +1-310-889-9200,
amber@bobbimarcuspr.com; or Zabrina Horton of BET, +1-818-655-6737,
zabrina.horton@bet.net

Web site: http://www.bet.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: Promo Screeners and artwork are available upon request; contact Zabrina Horton, BET Corporate Communications at (818) 655-6737 or zabrina.horton@bet.net or Amber Koger, Bobbi Marcus PR at (310) 889-9200 amber@bobbimarcuspr.com

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