BET Sparks Silver Anniversary Year with Continued Commitment to Original Programming in 2005
College Hill, Cousin Jeff Chronicles, Rip The Runway and
Book of Love Headline Slate of New Original Fare
Mega-Specials CELEBRATION OF GOSPEL, BET AWARDS '05 and 25th Anniversary
Salute Ignite Year-Long, Star-Studded Celebration
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 11 -- BET turns 25 this month and sparks
its silver anniversary celebration with a renewed commitment to original
programming, led by the return of COLLEGE HILL, BET's ground-breaking Black
reality series; THE COUSIN JEFF CHRONICLES, a four-part series featuring Rap
City's own "Cousin Jeff" Johnson, urban America's newest voice of social and
political consciousness; and RIP THE RUNWAY, a red-hot catwalk collision
uniting the worlds of hip-hop music and high-fashion. A new made-for-
television movie, BOOK OF LOVE -- The Definitive Reason Why Men Are Dogs,
pokes fun at male/female relationship drama and combines with BET's signature
CELEBRATION OF GOSPEL special to anchor the network's Black History Month
offerings. High-velocity mega-specials BET AWARDS '05, BET COMEDY AWARDS,
SPRING BLING and BET's 25th ANNIVERSARY are poised to set the year's hottest
personalities and performers from music, sports and entertainment strolling
down the red carpet and blazing across the stage. Debra L. Lee, BET President
and Chief Operating Officer, unveiled the new programming plans today at the
Television Critics Association winter media tour.
"BET's commitment to fresh, original programming is as strong as it has
ever been, and the first quarter of 2005 will really showcase some exciting
shows," said Lee. "This strategy will continue throughout the year as we
build momentum toward our milestone celebration of BET's 25th year as a
network in the fall."
COLLEGE HILL launches its 13-week run on BET in the "Wild Wild West" of
the Oklahoma plains at Langston University with a special one-hour series
premiere on Thursday, January 27 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. It's a new cast of eight,
but with the same saucy, volatile mix of eclectic personalities and on- and
off-campus hi jinx that marked its break-out debut last season. From classroom
to chaos, the network's cameras are there 24/7 to catch all of the action.
This time around, BET and Edmonds Entertainment flipped the script with an
off-campus housing arrangement -- the cast mates share a luxurious Western-
themed ranch in the middle of nowhere, and whenever they get together sparks
fly. From "baby mama drama" and streaking through the house naked, to off-
the-hook Jacuzzi exploits and late-night rendezvous, COLLEGE HILL is a no-
holds barred, uncensored look at the experiences, triumphs and growing pains
of eight college co-eds.
THE COUSIN JEFF CHRONICLES, a new, in-depth quarterly forum and talk show
featuring BET's own "Cousin Jeff" Johnson, bows on BET in February 2005.
Quickly earning a reputation as urban America's newest voice of social and
political consciousness, Cousin Jeff will host this four-part series
addressing issues which affect the Black and Latino communities. Through
compelling and frank discussions with experts and specialists as well as man-
on-the-street commentary, Cousin Jeff will engage viewers with his unique
ability to stimulate dialogue and examine differing perspectives in an effort
to frame and explore social ills. Focusing on topics like bridging the gap
between the Civil Rights and the Hip-Hop generation; Black youth and obesity;
and our American judicial system, the Cousin Jeff Chronicles will enlighten,
connect and inspire.
Produced by BET Pictures in association with Strange Fruit Films, original
made-for-television movie Book of Love -- The Definitive Reason Why Men Are
Dogs features an all-star ensemble cast and delivers comical insight to this
tale of unrequited love and relationships gone bad. Written by Jeffrey W.
Byrd and Eric K. George, the film was directed by Byrd and stars Robin Givens
(Head of State, Boomerang), Salli Richardson Whitfield (Biker Boyz, Antwone
Fisher), Richard T. Jones (Twisted, The Wood), Anthony "Treach" Criss (Playas
Ball, Jason's Lyric), Mari Morrow (National Security, How To Be A Player) and
Eric K. George (NYPD Blue, The Practice). The film's story line focuses on
main characters Jay, Will and Ben -- three men living, dating and loving in
Los Angeles in the 90's -- who struggle with heartbreak and insecurity as a
result of failed relationships. Byrd takes a "mock-u-mentary" approach to
telling the men's stories, with their trials and tribulations revealed during
comical sessions with a therapist. BOOK OF LOVE's worldwide premiere is set
for Monday, February 14 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
BET explores the world of high fashion with the March special RIP THE
RUNWAY, premiering on Thursday, March 24 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The hottest urban
apparel design labels Sean Jean, Baby Phat, Rocawear and Apostrophe will adorn
fashion's finest celebrity physiques as they work the catwalk to sizzling live
musical performances. RIP THE RUNWAY will also feature appearances by top
supermodels and give viewers an insider's perspective on the process of
developing a major fashion line.
CELEBRATION OF GOSPEL returns to Los Angeles' historic Orpheum Theatre
with a live taping at 7 p.m. Pacific Time on January 22, and features some of
the top names from traditional and contemporary gospel. The lineup of
performers for the spiritual salute includes Ruben Studdard, Fantasia, Pastor
Donnie McClurkin, Yolanda Adams, BeBe Winans, Smokie Norful, Mary Mary, Kirk
Franklin, Fred Hammond, Pastor Shirley Caesar, J. Moss, BET's own Dr. Bobby
Jones, The Clark Sisters, Kiki Sheard and others. CELEBRATION OF GOSPEL
premieres on Thursday, February 24 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
The BET AWARDS has distinguished itself as the preeminent urban
entertainment awards telecast, delivering unprecedented ratings success for
the network including a 29.0 Black household rating in 2004 and a 4.61
household rating (5.6 million viewers). This year, BET AWARDS '05 returns to
Hollywood's prestigious Kodak Theatre on June 28 for another year of stunning
performances and 14 categories of recognition across the worlds of music,
sports and entertainment. BET will again team with renowned Cossette
Productions to helm the three-hour live telecast. BET COMEDY AWARDS
(September) and SPRING BLING (April) round out the network's 2005 menu of
mega-specials. And BET's 25th ANNIVERSARY celebration will kick into high gear
this Fall with a special two-hour live telecast in November, featuring an A-
list celebrity gathering to pay tribute to 25 years of pioneering excellence.
ABOUT BET
BET, a subsidiary of Viacom, Inc. (NYSE: VIA; VIA.B), is the nation's
leading television network providing quality entertainment, music, news and
public affairs programming for the African-American audience. The BET Network
reaches more than 79 million households according to Nielsen media research,
and can be seen in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. BET is a
dominant consumer brand in the urban marketplace with a diverse group of
branded businesses: BET.com, the Number 1 Internet portal for African
Americans; BET Digital Networks - BET Jazz, BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop,
attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Event
Productions, specializing in a full range of event production services,
including event management, venue selection, talent recruitment, sound,
lighting and stage production; and BET Books, the nation's leading publisher
of African-American themed romance novels under the Arabesque imprint which
also publishes compelling fiction under the Sepia imprint and inspirational
fiction and nonfiction under the New Spirit imprint.
SOURCE BET (Black Entertainment Television)
Web Site: http://www.bet.com
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