The Newest Princess of R&B Reveals Her Soul in BET's Original Docu-Drama, KEYSHIA COLE: THE WAY IT IS

The Newest Princess of R&B Reveals Her Soul in BET's Original Docu-Drama, KEYSHIA COLE: THE WAY IT IS

Reality Series Debuting July 12 at 9 p.m./ET

LOS ANGELES, July 6 /PRNewswire/ -- BET and Interscope A&M Records join forces this summer to debut its newest reality venture, KEYSHIA COLE: THE WAY IT IS. This six-part series chronicles the turbulent past and promising future of one of R&B's true success stories. Starting in Keyshia's hometown, we discover how the singer escaped the pressures of the inner city, and later returned to sell out venues and headline her own cross-country tour at the tender age of 21. Scheduled to premiere on BET on Wednesday, July 12, 2006 at 9:00 pm (ET/PT), the show presents intimate details of the star's upbringing and how her struggles were the inspiration behind her music and new found status.

In this candid look into the life of Keyshia Cole, stories pour from the singer as she discusses her mother's battles with drug addiction and the childhood spent in and out of foster care. The premiere episode, set in Oakland, focuses on her return back home since beginning her tour some months prior. As Keyshia reflects on this whirlwind time, she must deal with the events that ripped her family apart, current family issues and her own personal struggles. Viewers will take interest as the singer engages in touching reunions, drama-filled interviews and Keyshia's no nonsense business attitude as she cements her standing in the entertainment industry and forms her own music label.

"It's simple -- her passion stems from her complicated past," said Reginald Hudlin, President of Entertainment, BET. "Not a modern day Cinderella tale, but the story of a survivor with all the love and talent in the world. I defy anyone to watch the first 15 minutes of this show and not be hooked."

"I'm thrilled that Byron Phillips and Reginald Hudlin have validated Keyshia Cole as a real life character that truly belongs in the fabric of the BET Network," commented Ron Fair, who signed Keyshia Cole while President of A&M Records and produced her platinum debut album, The Way It Is.

KEYSHIA COLE: THE WAY IT IS takes a heartfelt glimpse into what multi- platinum success looks like after an arduous road of trials and tribulations. Tune in as Keyshia Cole shows how the roots of a troubled past flourished into opportunity and the launch of a rising star.

ABOUT BET

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 81 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.

ABOUT DUBOSE ENTERTAINMENT

Executive Producer James DuBose is the founder and CEO of "DuBose Entertainment." His career began in the production of live action shows and has since produced a diverse spectrum of projects for network and cable outlets. He has produced such hit shows as Blind Date, The Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Super Agent, House of Boateng, NBC's Most Outrageous Moments as well as the hit series "Season of the Tiger" for BET. "DuBose Entertainment" has been producing reality television for six years.

ABOUT INTERSCOPE GEFFEN A&M RECORDS

Combining the legacies of three of the most influential record labels in modern music history, Interscope Geffen A&M Records embarked on a new tradition of musical achievement with its unification on January 1, 1999. Headed by Chairman Jimmy Iovine, Interscope Geffen A&M is a major force in global music, developing chart-topping artists across a wide range of musical genres including rock, rap, pop and alternative. Interscope Geffen A&M Records is part of Universal Music Group, the world's largest music company.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

Artwork and press information will be available at http://www.bet.com/pr; screeners are forthcoming. Interviews with talent executives, Robyn Lattaker- Johnson or Endiya Kinney-Sterns and any other media-related inquiries, please contact BET Corporate Communications at 212-975-3390 / 818-655-6737 or 818-655-6732.

Source: BET (Black Entertainment Television)

CONTACT: Marcy Polanco, +1-212-975-4048, Marcy.Polanco@BET.net or Tosha
Whitten-Griggs, +1-818-655-6712, Tosha.whitten-griggs@bet.net, both of BET;
Stephanie Molina of BWR, +1-310-248-6125, semolina@bwr-la.com; Simone Smalls
of Susan Blond, Inc., +1-212-333-7728 x118, simone@susanblondinc.com, for
Keyshia Cole; or Dennis Dennehy of Interscope A&M Records, +1-310-865-7934,
d.dennehy@umusic.com

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

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