Legendary Pop-Funk Group The Original 7Ven, the Group Formerly Known as The Time, Set to Make the Crowd "Get It Up" and Dance as the Opening Act of the 2011 "SOUL TRAIN AWARDS"

NEW YORK, Oct. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The third annual SOUL TRAIN AWARDS readies an extraordinary show for this year's presentation, taping on Thursday, November 17 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, GA.  Hosted by the original king of comedy, Cedric "The Entertainer", the 2011 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS will premiere on both CENTRIC and BET on Sunday, November 27 at 9:00 PM*.  Legendary group The Original 7Ven, The Group Formerly Known As The Time will open the show with an explosive performance, followed by multi-Grammy Award winning songstress Natalie Cole, Jill Scott, Mindless Behavior, Robin Thicke, Lloyd, Miguel, Melanie Fiona, Keith Sweat, BeBe Winans, Joe, Lalah Hathaway, Kenny Latimore. They will all light up the stage with performances and first-ever collaborations to honor this year's Legend Award recipients Earth, Wind and Fire and Gladys Knight.  

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20070716/BETNETWORKSLOGO )

The SOUL TRAIN AWARDS will acknowledge the achievements of today's most famed entertainers in 11 categories.  R&B superstar Chris Brown is leading the pack with five nominations across multiple categories. Chris Brown's nominations include Best Male R&B/Soul Artist, Song of the Year, Album of the Year, Best Hip-Hop Song of the Year and Best Dance Performance.  International sensation Beyonce receives nominations in the Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Female R&B/Soul Artist and Best Dance Performance categories.  Kanye West is tied with Beyonce with four nominations in three categories (Best Hip Hop Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year) and is followed by three nominations for artists Kelly Rowland, Adele, Marsha Ambrosius, and Miguel.

The SOUL TRAIN AWARDS is a presentation of Centric and Sunseeker Media and directed by Manny Rodriguez. Paxton Baker, Tami Willis-Arasli, Derek Lewis, Centric; Bart Phillips, Sunseeker Media; and Soul Train Holdings' Kenard Gibbs will all be the executive producers of the network telecast, along with Cedric Kyles and Eric Rhone. 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/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 of 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.

SOUL TRAIN AWARDS '11

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SOURCE BET Networks