Beyonce, Maxwell and Keri Hilson Lead the Nominations for the CENTRIC PRESENTS: 2009 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS SHOW Premiering on Sunday, November 29 at 9:00 PM*

Beyonce, Maxwell and Keri Hilson Lead the Nominations for the CENTRIC PRESENTS: 2009 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS SHOW Premiering on Sunday, November 29 at 9:00 PM*

Hosted by Academy Award-nominated actors Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, the CENTRIC Special Will Also Feature Performances by Toni Braxton, Erykah Badu, Trey Songz, Robin Thicke, Fantasia and Many More

NEW YORK, Oct. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- CENTRIC announces a prestigious list of nominees to be recognized in the Network's first special, CENTRIC PRESENTS: 2009 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS SHOW. Grammy Award-winner Beyonce, R&B diva Keri Hilson, and soulful crooner Maxwell lead the pack with four nominations each. Hosted by Academy Award-nominated actors Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, the return of the Soul Train Awards promises to be a soulful music event acknowledging R&B music's finest. Taping at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday, November 3, the show will premiere on both CENTRIC and BET in a special simulcast on Sunday, November 29 at 9:00 PM*.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070716/BETNETWORKSLOGO )

The show will honor the longstanding careers and musical influences of legendary artists Chaka Khan, Charlie Wilson, L.A. Reid and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds in special music tributes. The special will also showcase a Motown Records 50th Anniversary musical celebration. The show will also recognize the outstanding musical work of selected artists in ten prestigious music categories and will honor the phenomenal star power and showmanship of the late Michael Jackson with the special Entertainer of the Year Award.

Featuring a star-studded lineup of performers, including Toni Braxton, Trey Songz, Erykah Badu, Robin Thicke, Fantasia, Ryan Leslie, Chrisette Michelle, Raheem DeVaughn, Karyn White, Boyz II Men, Ledisi, Chico Debarge, Angie Stone, Brian McKnight, Ginuwine, Melanie Fiona, and Johnny Gill among others, the show is guaranteed to take viewers on a soul-stirring ride. The CENTRIC PRESENTS: 2009 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS brings the Love, Peace and Soul with an unforgettable evening showcasing the present and future to celebrate the past.

The following is a complete list of nominees and categories for the CENTRIC PRESENTS: 2009 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS:

BEST NEW ARTIST

-- Drake
-- Jazmine Sullivan
-- Keri Hilson
-- Ryan Leslie

-- Solange

BEST R&B/SOUL ARTIST FEMALE

-- Beyonce
-- Chrisette Michele
-- Jennifer Hudson
-- Ledisi

-- Whitney Houston

BEST MALE R&B/SOUL MALE

-- Charlie Wilson
-- Maxwell
-- Musiq Soulchild
-- Raphael Saadiq

-- Robin Thicke

SONG OF THE YEAR

-- "God in Me" - Mary Mary
-- "Pretty Wings" - Maxwell
-- "Single Ladies (Put a ring on it)" - Beyonce
-- "Spotlight" - Jennifer Hudson

-- "Turnin Me On" - Keri Hilson/ ft Lil Wayne

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

-- Beyonce - I am... Sasha Fierce (Platinum) Sony Music
-- Jamie Foxx - Intuition (Platinum) J Records
-- Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak (Platinum) Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam
-- Maxwell - Blacksummer's Night (Gold) Sony Music

-- Ne-Yo - Year of the Gentleman

RECORD OF THE YEAR (SONGWRITER AWARD)

-- Beyonce - "Single Ladies (Put a ring on it)"
-- Drake - "Best I ever had"
-- Jamie Foxx Ft/T-Pain - "Blame it"
-- Keri Hilson - "Knock You Down"

-- Maxwell - "Pretty Wings"

BEST REGGAE ARTIST AWARD

-- Movado
-- Sean Paul
-- Serani
-- Taurus Riley

-- Ziggy Marley

CENTRIC AWARD - SOUL APPROVED/UNDERGROUND

-- Corneille
-- Eric Roberson
-- Laura Izibor
-- Maysa

-- The Knux

BEST GOSPEL PERFORMANCE MALE, FEMALE OR GROUP

-- BeBe and CeCe Winans - "Close To You"
-- Fred Hammond f/John P Kee - "They That Wait"
-- Marvin Sapp - "Praise Him in Advance"
-- Mary Mary - "God In Me"

-- Smokie Norful - "Justified"

BEST COLLABORATION

-- Keri Hilson featuring Kanye West & Ne-Yo - "Knock you Down"
-- Keyshia Cole featuring Monica - "Trust"
-- Mario featuring Gucci Mane and Sean Garrett - "Break up"
-- Mary Mary featuring Kierra (KiKi) Sheard - "God In Me"

-- Trey Songz featuring Drake - "Successful"

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

-- Michael Jackson

The CENTRIC PRESENTS: 2009 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS is produced by Sunseeker Media and directed by Alex Coletti and Manny Rodriguez, in collaboration with BET Event Productions. Paxton Baker, CENTRIC Executive Vice President and General Manager; Essie Chambers, CENTRIC Senior Vice President of Programming; Tami Willis-Arasli, CENTRIC Vice President of Production; Bart Phillips, Sunseeker Media; and Soul Train Holdings' Kenard Gibbs, Peter Griffith, and Anthony Maddox will all be the executive producers of the network telecast.

Viewers can visit the BET website at www.bet.com for more show information, and a complete list of performers.

Tickets for the CENTRIC PRESENTS: 2009 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS show are by invite only and not available for purchase.

*All times ET/PT

About CENTRIC

CENTRIC is a 24-hour music and entertainment channel that reflects the lifestyle and sophistication of today's African-American and multicultural adult viewer. With a finger on the pulse of an ever-changing beat, its compelling music content fuses Soul, R&B, Neo-Soul, Hip Hop, Reggae, Gospel, Jazz, Old School, New School and everything in between with today's hottest artists. It is a unique mix of music, culture and lifestyle programming that embodies the lives, tastes and aspirations of the CENTRIC viewer: All you. All day. All night.

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 98 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of businesses extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; CENTRIC, a 24-hour music and entertainment network targeting the 25- to 54-year-old African-American audience; BET Digital Networks - BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company with festivals and live events spanning the globe; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.

About Soul Train Holdings

Soul Train Holdings was formed in May 2008 by MadVision Entertainment, an urban-focused content company, and InterMedia Partners, a private equity investment firm. MadVision was created in 2006 by media and entertainment veterans Kenard Gibbs, Peter Griffith, and Anthony Maddox. Soul Train Holdings was formed following MadVision's acquisition of the iconic Soul Train franchise and now owns the catalog of over 1,100 hours of episodes, 300,000 photos and 500 hours of awards show footage from Don Cornelius Productions.

Soul Train is a registered trademark of Soul Train Holdings, LLC, a limited liability company headquartered in Los Angeles, CA. Soul Train is the longest running, first-run, nationally syndicated program in television history. During its 37 year run, the show featured such staples as the Soul Train line and performers as important and diverse as: Al Green, Ike & Tina Turner, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Whitney Houston, David Bowie, Janet Jackson, Elton John, Luther Vandross, Alicia Keys, Chaka Khan and Beyonce, to name a few.

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070716/BETNETWORKSLOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: BET Networks

CONTACT: CENTRIC Contacts, Jeanine Liburd, +1-212-205-3011,
jeanine.liburd@bet.net, or Lyntina Townsend, +1-202-608-2745,
lyntina.townsend@bet.net; or Soul Train Contact, Dave Cirilli,
+1-646-727-0063, dave@giantnoise.com

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

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