PHENOMENAL PERFORMANCES BY MULTI-AWARD WINNING, CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PLATINUM SELLING ARTISTS NE-YO, MAXWELL AND MANY MORE

Beyonce and T.I. Lead The Charge with Five Nominations Followed By Lil Wayne, T-Pain and Keri Hilson Tied With Four Nominations Each

Legendary Soul Singers the O'Jays Will Be the Recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award

NEW YORK, May 12 /PRNewswire/ -- BET Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), today announced that Academy Award-winning actor and GRAMMY Awards(R)-nominated R&B artist Jamie Foxx has been selected to grace the stage as the host of the BET AWARDS '09. As the #1 rated awards show among African American viewers, the ninth annual BET Awards will not disappoint as the brightest stars in music, sports and entertainment reunite in Los Angeles' historic Shrine Auditorium for a night of exhilarating LIVE performances on Sunday, June 28 at 8:00 p.m.* This year viewers will be wowed with show-stopping performances by Maxwell and Ne-Yo with more performers to be named shortly. Moreover, BET will celebrate the musical legacy and contributions of the soul trio, the O'Jays who will be presented with this year's Lifetime Achievement Award.

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

"Quite frankly, no one will be ready for what's coming this year! First of all, triple-threat Jamie Foxx is hosting as well as performing the number one hit of the year," said Stephen Hill, President, Music Programming and Specials, BET Networks. "Plus, how great is it that true BET fans will be able to vote on who gets all of the awards? The BET Awards is a celebration of culture and a gathering of family. You will not want to miss the BET AWARDS '09!"

This year's host, Jamie Foxx is no stranger to the limelight -- or to BET -- as his latest single "Blame It" tops several of the Billboard charts and his current platinum-selling album, Intuition, debuted at number three on the Top 100 chart. The triple-threat has also scored several awards and nominations throughout his acting career including an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the epic film Ray. After the second week of release, Foxx's sophomore album, Unpredictable, jumped to number one on the Top 200 chart and earned Foxx the distinguished honor of joining the ranks of legendary actors Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and Barbra Streisand as the fourth Academy Award winner to also have a number one album in the US.

At this year's most hyped event, BET will recognize the achievements of artists, entertainers and athletes in 16 categories.

Beyonce and T.I. are tied with five nominations each with Beyonce in the running for the Best Female R&B Artist, Video of The Year (for which she is nominated twice), Best Actress and Viewer's Choice Nominees categories and T.I. vying for Best Collaboration (for which he holds two nominations), Best Male Hip Hop Artist and Video of the Year. Lil Wayne, T-Pain and Keri Hilson follow close behind with four nominations a piece.

Among the other multiple nominees are Kanye West, Keyshia Cole, Jamie Foxx, Rihanna and M.I.A. Those nominated for the second straight year include artists Rihanna, Day 26, Common, The Dream, Lil Wayne, Trina, Lil Mama and Trin-I-Tee 5:7; actors Angela Bassett and Idris Elba; athletes Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Tiger Woods, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Cheryl Ford, Candace Parker and Tamika Catchings; and music video directors Benny Boom, Gil Green, Chris Robinson, and Hype Williams.

On the digital front, this year's BET AWARDS '09 BET.com music blogger LowKey, along with an anonymous BET Awards Insider Twit will give viewers unprecedented access to the Awards show with tweets on who's up for nominations, what performers made the cut, the red carpet arrivals, who's wearing what, any surprise announcements and all the backstage action. Additionally, BET asks viewers to stay on the pulse of any and everything relating to the BET AWARDS '09 with Twitter.

BET.com will also launch an online, nationwide competition "Bringing It to the Awards" in search of Ne-Yo's next background dancer to perform with him during his BET Awards performance. From May 6th - June 4th, aspiring dancers will have the opportunity to upload their best audition video on BET.com. Only 30 dancers will be selected. Finalists will be selected by BET.com staff based on dance skills, video popularity and overall appeal. Ne-Yo will select two finalists to fly to Los Angeles, learn the moves, and win a chance to hit the stage LIVE as one of his back-up dancers at the BET AWARDS '09.

In addition to all of BET's many exciting offerings, one lucky BET viewer will have the opportunity to win a VIP trip for two to the BET AWARDS '09, $2500 cash and the opportunity to co-present the "Viewer's Choice Award" by entering and winning the "Ultimate Fan Contest." The contest which began May 4, invites fans to upload a one-minute video clip that explains why they are BET's "Ultimate Fan" and what they would do at the BET AWARDS '09 if selected.

For the past eight years, the BET AWARDS has not disappointed as fans watched outstanding moments such as last year's surprise tribute performance to Al Green by Maxwell and the reuniting of legendary R&B groups TLC, along with the special performance by Alicia Keys and En Vogue; 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; and the unforgettable reunion of one of hip hop's most beloved trios, The Fugees.

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

Log onto BET.com for BET On Blast video highlights, photos and continuous BET AWARDS '09 updates at www.bet.com/betawards.

*All times ET/PT

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, 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; BET Digital Networks - BET J, 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 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.

                                 BET AWARDS '09
                              NOMINEES AND CATEGORIES

    Best Male R&B       Best Female R&B Artist      Best Group
    The Dream           Beyonce                     Day 26
    Jamie Foxx          Keyshia Cole                GS Boyz
    Ryan Leslie         Keri Hilson                 N.E.R.D.
    Ne-Yo               Jennifer Hudson             The Roots
    T-Pain              Jazmine Sullivan            Three 6 Mafia

    Best Gospel Artist  Best Female Hip Hop Artist  Best Male Hip Hop Artist
    Regina Belle        Lil Mama                    Lil Wayne
    Shirley Caesar      M.I.A.                      Rick Ross
    Mary Mary           Trina                       T.I.
    Smokie Norful                                   Kanye West
    Trin-I-Tee 5:7                                  Young Jeezy

    Best New Artist     Best Collaboration
    Keri Hilson         Jamie Foxx f/ T-Pain - Blame It
    Kid Cudi            Keri Hilson f/ Lil Wayne - Turnin Me On
    Ryan Leslie         Jim Jones & Ron Browz f/ Juelz Santana - Pop Champagne
    M.I.A.              T.I. f/ Rihanna - Live Your Life
    Jazmine Sullivan    Yung LA f/ Young Dro and T.I. - Ain't I

    Video Director of the Year    Video of the Year
    Benny Boom                    Beyonce - If I Were A Boy
    Rik Cordero                   Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
    Gil Green                     Jamie Foxx f/ T-Pain - Blame It
    Chris Robinson                T.I. f/ Rihanna - Live Your Life
    Hype Williams                 Kanye West - Heartless

    Best Actress        Best Actor                  Best Female Athlete
    Angela Bassett      Common                      Tamika Catchings
    Rosario Dawson      Idris Elba                  Lisa Leslie
    Taraji P. Henson    Samuel L. Jackson           Candace Parker
    Jennifer Hudson     Will Smith                  Serena Williams
    Beyonce Knowles     Jamal Woolard               Venus Williams

    Best Male Athlete    Viewer's Choice Nominees
    Kobe Bryant          Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
    Reggie Bush          Keri Hilson - Turnin Me On (f/ Lil Wayne)
    LeBron James         Lil Wayne - A Milli
    Dwyane Wade          Soulja Boy Tell'em - Kiss Me Thru The Phone (f/
    Tiger Woods           Sammie)
                         T.I. - Live Your Life (f/ Rihanna)
                         T-Pain - Can't Believe It (f/ Lil Wayne)
                         Kanye West - Love Lockdown

    BET J Award Nominees
    Musiq Soulchild
    Raphael Saadiq
    Seal
    Solange
    Jazmine Sullivan

SOURCE BET Networks

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