Tune in ... "BET AWARDS '08" - 'The Hottest Ticket on Television' - Premieres Tuesday, June 24 at 8:00 P.M.*

Tune in ... "BET AWARDS '08" - 'The Hottest Ticket on Television' - Premieres Tuesday, June 24 at 8:00 P.M.*

Hosted By D.L. Hughley, "BET AWARDS '08" Features Performances by Ne-Yo, Rihanna, Keyshia Cole, Marvin Sapp, Alicia Keys, Chris Brown, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Nelly, Usher and Young Jeezy, With Appearances by Terrence Howard, Jennifer Hudson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ice Cube, LL Cool J, Gabrielle Union, Mary Mary, Lauren London and Kevin Hart

Jill Scott Confirmed to Perform Tribute to Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient Al Green

Quincy Jones to Receive 2008 BET Humanitarian Award

NEW YORK, June 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Rihanna, Ne-Yo, Keyshia Cole, Usher, Lil Wayne, Alicia Keys, Chris Brown, Kanye West, Nelly, Marvin Sapp, and Young Jeezy are all on board to perform at BET AWARDS '08. In addition, LL Cool J, Samuel L. Jackson, Ice Cube, Terrence Howard, Jennifer Hudson, Gabrielle Union, Mary Mary, Lauren London and Kevin Hart will be on hand as presenters, and Jill Scott will perform a special tribute to legendary R&B icon Al Green, who is receiving BET's Lifetime Achievement Award. Quincy Jones, celebrated producer/arranger/composer, is also being honored this year with BET's prestigious Humanitarian Award for his outreach to young African-Americans through the Listen Up Foundation. Hosted by actor and comedian D.L. Hughley, BET AWARDS '08 premieres live from Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium on Tuesday, June 24 at 8:00 p.m.*

(Logo:

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080603/NETU049LOGOhttp://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070716/BETNETWORKSLOGO )

Tagged as "the hottest ticket on television," BET AWARDS '08 brings together the biggest stars in music, sports and entertainment for an electrifying evening. For the past seven years, the BET AWARDS has boasted unforgettable moments such as Michael Jackson's surprise appearance during James Brown's tribute; Rick James in his final duet with Teena Marie; Will Smith presenting Muhammad Ali with the first-ever Humanitarian Award; Prince onstage backing Chaka Khan; Stevie Wonder, Yolanda Adams and India Arie in a powerhouse tribute to Rufus' first lady of funk; Destiny's Child's steamy lap dance; the reunion of one of hip hop's most beloved trios, The Fugees; and last year's touching opening performance with Jennifer Hudson and Jennifer Holliday.

BET has once again teamed up with Cossette Productions, the famed producers of the GRAMMY Awards(R) and the seven record-setting BET AWARDS shows, to handle production of the telecast. Stephen Hill, BET Executive Vice President, Music and Programming, along with Lynne Harris-Taylor, BET Vice President of Specials, will executive produce the telecast.

BET AWARDS '08 will be sponsored by Dodge, Pepsi, Verizon Wireless, General Motors, P&G, Target, CIROC Vodka and Ford.

Log onto BET.com for BET On Blast video highlights, photos and continuous BET AWARDS '08 updates at www.bet.com/betawards.

*All times ET/PT

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE:VIA)(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 87 million households according to Nielsen Media Research, and can be seen in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; 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; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, an extension of BET network programming for global distribution.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080603/NETU049LOGO
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070716/BETNETWORKSLOGO
AP Archive:

http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: BET Networks

CONTACT: Tracy McGraw, BET Networks, +1-212-205-3013,
tracy.mcgraw@bet.net; Bobbi Marcus, BOBBI MARCUS PR & Events, +1-310-889-9200,
bobbi@bobbimarcuspr.com

Web site:

http://www.bet.com/
http://www.bet.com/specials/betawards08

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