America's Favorite Funny Man and Actor Cedric "The Entertainer" to Host CENTRIC's 3rd Annual Presentation of the "SOUL TRAIN AWARDS" Show on Sunday, November 27 at 9:00 PM* in a Special Simulcast on CENTRIC and BET Networks

NEW YORK, Oct. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- CENTRIC announces the 3rd annual SOUL TRAIN AWARDS, the classic music awards show that highlights R&B music's finest and bridges the gap between the soulful sounds of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Celebrated actor and stand-up comedian Cedric the Entertainer will host the 3rd annual SOUL TRAIN AWARDS, taping at the iconic Fox Theatre in Atlanta, GA on Thursday, November 17 and premiering on both CENTRIC and BET in a special simulcast at 9:00 PM* ET on Sunday, November 27.

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Celebrating 40 years, the 3rd annual SOUL TRAIN AWARDS  will honor the longstanding careers and musical influences of the renowned group Earth, Wind, and Fire and "Empress of Soul" Gladys Knight.

"We are honored to be celebrating 40 years of Soul Train by bringing the SOUL TRAIN AWARDS back to CENTRIC," stated Paxton Baker, CENTRIC's General Manager and Executive Vice President. "The Soul Train brand has played a fundamental role in shaping American culture. With such a dynamic host and illustrious legends, I am confident that this year's show will be the best yet."

"We are thrilled to have an opportunity to partner with BET/Centric again to produce another SOUL TRAIN AWARDS presentation," said Soul Train CEO Kenard Gibbs. "These annual awards allow us to celebrate the legacy of the Soul Train brand by showcasing amazing new talent that has been influenced by the music icons who have contributed to the success of the Soul Train series."

Charismatic actor/ comedian Cedric "The Entertainer" is best known for his many crowd-pleasing performances in such hit films as "Barbershop," "Be Cool," "Madagascar," "Intolerable Cruelty," and "The Original Kings of Comedy" to name a few. He most recently co-starred opposite Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks in the comedy feature "Larry Crowne" and will next be seen starring  in the political drama "Grass Roots" directed by Steven Gyllenhaal. He then lends his voice to the animated feature "Madagascar 3." Cedric's universal appeal, versatility, and tremendous career successes spanning television, live performances, and film have solidified his standing as one of the premier entertainers in the world. As a philanthropist, Cedric  founded "The Cedric 'The Entertainer' Charitable Foundation", which provides scholarships and outreach programs to enhance the lives of inner-city youth and their families in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. He plans to extend the foundation nationally. Cedric has awarded over 100 scholarships and countless incentives through his foundation.

The SOUL TRAIN AWARDS is produced by BET Event Productions and Sunseeker Media and directed by Manny Rodriguez. Paxton Baker, CENTRIC Executive Vice President and General Manager, Tami Willis-Arasli, CENTRIC Vice President of Specials and Music and Derek Lewis, Vice President of Production Programming; Bart Phillips, Sunseeker Media; and Soul Train Holdings' Kenard Gibbs will all be the executive producers of the network telecast. The SOUL TRAIN AWARDS is produced in cooperation with the City of Atlanta led by Mayor Kasim Reed and Stacii Jae Johnson, Special Events Director for the Office of the Mayor. For more information, please visit www.centrictv.com.  

*All times ET

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 subsidiary 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 90 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 business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; CENTRIC, a 24-hour 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 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 and Beyonce, to name a few. Soul Train Holdings was created following the acquisition of the iconic franchise and catalog of more than 1,100 hours of archival footage from Don Cornelius Productions in June 2008 by InterMedia Partners and Madvision entertainment and is part of Vibe Holdings LLC. Vibe Holdings is a leading multi-cultural media company consisting of treasured and celebrated brands including Vibe Magazine, Vibe.com, Uptown Magazine and Soul Train. VIBE Holdings is owned by InterMedia Partners, Magic Johnson Enterprises and Ron Burkle's Yucaipa Companies.

SOURCE BET Networks