BET Networks Celebrates Black History Month With an Entertaining Lineup of Music Specials, Blackbuster Movie Premieres, and Ground-Breaking Documentaries
The Inaugural BET HONORS, ground-breaking documentary series HISTORY
MAKERS, and The Premiere of Two DAVID E. TALBERT STAGE PLAYS Are Featured
During February
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 -- This February, BET Networks and BET
J will feature a spectacular lineup of programming that highlights the
amazing accomplishments of modern-day history makers, chronicles the
influence and contributions of African-American music, and showcases
African-American theatre and cinema in honor of Black History Month.
ON BET AND BET J:
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1
8:00 p.m. ET/PT on BET BET BLACKBUSTER MOVIE PREMIERE: BLACKOUT -- In summer 2003, America
experienced the largest blackout in its history -- widely reported as
peaceful. But in Brooklyn's forgotten East Flatbush neighborhood, mayhem
unfolded when the power shut down. This is the untold story of the blackout
-- a place where, as night fell, looters emerged, violence surfaced and
residents feared for their lives. Starring Zoe Saldana, Melvin Van Peebles,
and Jeffrey Wright.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3
9:00 a.m. ET/PT on BET and BET J
CELEBRATION OF GOSPEL '08 -- Catch an encore presentation of BET's
soul- stirring gospel music special, Celebration of Gospel. This year's
event features stirring performances and moving renditions by some of
today's hottest and most talented artists from the worlds of gospel and
R&B, including Kierra "Kiki" Sheard, J. Moss, Kirk Franklin, Yolanda Adams,
John Legend, Pastor Shirley Ceasar, Dr. Bobby Jones, Patti LaBelle, Mighty
Clouds of Joy, Israel & New Breed featuring T-Bone, and BET's Sunday Best
winner and four finalists.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4
10:00 a.m. ET/PT on BET J
MASTERS OF AMERICAN MUSIC: THE STORY OF JAZZ -- BET J profiles one of
America's greatest contributions to the arts: Jazz music. The Story of Jazz
showcases the great jazz artists: Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Williams, Buck
Clayton, Illinois Jacquet, Tony Bennett, Lester Bowie, Zilner Randolph, Bud
Freeman, Randy Weston, Carmen McRae, Billy Taylor, Jay McShann, Roy Haynes,
and Wynton Marsalis among others and provides up-close interviews and
classic archival performance footage.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7
8:00 p.m. ET/PT on BET
BET NEWS SPECIAL: STIGMA -- THE SILENT KILLER -- BET News partners with
BET's Emmy Award winning Rap-It-Up HIV/AIDS Campaign and the Kaiser Family
Foundation for the half-hour special examining the complex issue of stigma:
from understanding what it is and its roots, to how it manifests and the
challenge it presents to advocacy. Narrated by Antonio Neves, Stigma: The
Silent Killer lifts the veil on the stigma attached to HIV/AIDS and the
role it plays in the spreading of the deadly epidemic in the African
Diaspora.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10
12:00 p.m. ET/PT on BET and 6:00 p.m. ET/PT on BET J
HISTORY MAKERS: SUCCESS -- This unique collection of oral history
features interviews with prominent history makers such as Terry McMillan,
Isaac Hayes, Horace Julian Bond, Ossie Davis and a host of many other
influential African-Americans who have contributed to society and history.
1:00 p.m. ET/PT on BET
BET BLACKBUSTER MOVIE PREMIERE: HE SAY ... SHE SAY ... BUT WHAT DOES
GOD SAY? -- David E. Talbert, whose hilarious blockbuster, First Sunday, is
in theaters now, brings the first-ever television premiere of his popular
stage plays to BET! In one of Detroit's toughest neighborhoods, a small
church finds itself stuck next door to a nightclub frequented by hustlers,
pimps, and gangsters. Both the church's congregation and the club's
dangerous owners decide to try and rid the neighborhood of the other,
leading to uncertainty and a series of tense confrontations. Starring
Clifton Powell, Tommy Ford, and N'Bushe Wright.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 17
12:00 p.m. ET/PT on BET and 6:00 p.m. ET/PT on BET J
HISTORY MAKERS: FAITH -- The inspirational stories from Susan L.
Taylor, Reverend Al Sharpton, Kim Fields, BB King, along with many others
serve to emphasize the power of believing in your dreams.
1:00 p.m. ET/PT on BET
BET BLACKBUSTER MOVIE PREMIERE: LOVE ON LAYAWAY -- David E. Talbert's
stage play about a wildly inventive, laugh-out-loud journey inside the
lives of three couples living in a Philadelphia neighborhood. First,
there's Ms. Willanetta, who after a life-changing religious experience, no
longer wants to have relations with her suitor of twelve years, Renzo.
Next, there's Epiphany, a single mother who has yet to decide who will be
the man in her life, her new boyfriend Reggie or her six-year-old son, Man
Man. Finally, there's Monique Graham, who feels as if her relationship with
live-in boyfriend Anthony is on layaway and he's making the absolute lowest
monthly payments. Starring Cassi Davis, Buddi Lewis, Joi Campbell, Chico
Bennymon, and Mel Jackson.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18
10:00 a.m. ET/PT on BET J
MASTERS OF AMERICAN MUSIC -- BLUESLAND: A PORTRAIT IN AMERICAN MUSIC --
The blues is a celebration of joyful, complex, and compelling music built
on self-expression and entertainment. This film explores the blues-with all
its poetic irony, sly humor, eroticism and timeless power. Hosted by actor
David Keith, "Bluesland" travels the expansive landscape of the music,
tracing its roots from the beginning of the twentieth century through the
Mississippi Delta to Louisiana, Texas, Kansas City and Chicago. The film
includes memorable footage of some of the blues' greatest players -- Son
House, Bessie Smith, Jimmy Rushing, Big Bill Broonzy, Sonny Boy Williamson,
Muddy Waters, Joe Turner, T-Bone Walker.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21
8:00 p.m. ET/PT on BET J
LAKAWANNA BLUES -- BET J brings the 1960s to life in the moving film,
Lakawanna Blues, about an African-American community in the period just
before desegregation in the upstate New York town of Lackawanna. It
documents the life of Ruben Jr. and his long-lasting relationship with
adoptive mother Rachel "Nanny" Crosby in this riveting movie starring Hill
Harper and S. Epatha Merkerson.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22
8:00 p.m. ET/PT on BET and BET J
THE BET HONORS -- BET celebrates the lives and achievements of African
American luminaries, in this 2-hour special hosted by Cedric "The
Entertainer." Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Jill Scott, Wyclef Jean, Danny
Glover, Kerry Washington, Vivica A. Fox and Hill Harper pay tribute to
Alicia Keys (Entertainment Award), Tyra Banks (Media Award), Dr. Cornel
West, University Professor in the Center for African American Studies
(Award for Education), Richard Parsons (Corporate Citizen Award), The
Honorable Maxine Waters (Public Service Award) and CEO Janice Bryant
Howroyd (Entrepreneur Award).
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24
12:00 p.m. ET/PT on BET and 6:00 p.m. ET/PT on BET J
HISTORY MAKERS: COURAGE -- Through the revealing personal stories of
influential African Americans such as Nikki Giovanni, Vernon Jordan, Angela
Davis, Harry Belafonte, and many others, viewers are shown the importance
of following your own path and standing up for what you believe in despite
the opposition or consequences.
7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. ET/PT on BET J
BLACK STORIES MARATHON -- Tune in for BET J's special marathon of Black
Stories, an unmatched showcase of documentaries depicting ordinary Black
Americans and their experiences through diverse and provocative stories.
Black Stories profiled include: "Smart Black People", "The Journey of
Margaret Garner", "They Had A Dream Too", "Ghetto Renaissance", "Bushwick
Homecomings", "New Growth" and "The Wedding Proposal".
10:00 p.m. ET/PT on BET J
OPERA NOIRE -- Catch the ultimate theatrical performance, Black opera.
BET J celebrates African Americans and their significant contributions to
the Opera in this informative documentary examining the issue of race in
Opera and Classical music. This special focuses on the outstanding careers
of such great musicians like Paul Robeson, Marian Anderson, Leontyne Price,
Jessye Norman and Robert McFerrin, the first African American to appear at
the Met. In addition, it will encompass a red carpet concert gala
performance of selections from celebrated composers including Gershwin and
noted African American composers.
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 87 million households according to
Nielsen Media Research, and can be seen in the U.S., Canada and the
Caribbean. 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; BET Digital
Networks -- BET J, BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for
cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Event Productions, a full-scale
event management and production company; BET Home Entertainment, a
collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs
and video-on-demand; BET Mobile, a service venture into the lucrative world
of ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET
International, an extension of BET network programming for global
distribution.
SOURCE BET Networks
http://www.bet.com
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