'THE BET HONORS' Airs on Saturday, January 12

- Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Wyclef Jean, Danny Glover, Kerry Washington, Vivica A. Fox and Hill Harper Will Pay Tribute to African American Luminaries
- Hosted by Cedric 'The Entertainer,' the Inaugural Event Will Recognize Alicia Keys, Tyra Banks, Dr. Cornel West, Richard Parsons, the Honorable Maxine Waters and CEO Janice Bryant Howroyd, and Premiere on the Network Friday, February 22 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT

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NEW YORK, Jan. 7 -- Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Wyclef Jean, Danny Glover, Kerry Washington, Vivica A. Fox and Hill Harper will 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) at THE BET HONORS on Saturday, January 12 at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C. Hosted by Cedric "The Entertainer," THE BET HONORS, which celebrates the lives and achievements of African American luminaries, will premiere on the network during Black History Month on Friday, February 22 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.

"We are thrilled to present the first-ever BET HONORS and pay tribute to the thinkers, trailblazers and trendsetters whose accomplishments serve as inspirations for current and future generations," said Debra Lee, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, BET Networks. "Each of these remarkable individuals has made significant contributions to the Black community and American culture overall, and BET Networks is proud to recognize them through this very special, new tentpole event. We've done a number of significant shows in other cities, but what better place to honor these individuals than in our home city of Washington, D.C."

Stephen Hill, BET's EVP, Entertainment Programming, Music & Talent and Lynne Harris Taylor, VP of Specials are the show's executive producers, along with John Cossette of John Cossette Productions.

For up-to-the-minute and archival press information including releases and photographs, visit BET's press-only Web site at http://www.bet.com/pr.

About the Honorees

TYRA BANKS -- Tyra Banks is a supermodel, host and judge of the reality television show America's Next Top Model, and is currently hosting her own Daytime Emmy Award-nominated talk show, The Tyra Banks Show.

JANICE BRYANT HOWROYD -- Janice Bryant Howroyd is the chairman, chief executive officer and founder of ACT*1, a personnel servicing company that provides staffing, human resources and management solutions to Fortune 500 companies in many industries.

ALICIA KEYS -- Alicia Keys is a nine-time Grammy Award-winning R&B and soul singer, songwriter and pianist, who has sold more than 25 million records worldwide.

RICHARD PARSONS -- Richard Parsons is Chairman of the Board of Time Warner Inc., whose businesses include filmed entertainment, interactive services, television networks, cable systems and publishing.

THE HONORABLE MAXINE WATERS -- Maxine Waters (D-CA) was elected in November 2006 to her ninth term in the House of Representatives, serving the 35th District of California, which represents a large part of South Central Los Angeles, the communities of Westchester and Playa Del Ray, as well as the diverse cities of Gardena, Hawthorne, Inglewood and Lawndale.

DR. CORNEL WEST, UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR IN THE CENTER FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES -- Dr. Cornel West is a professor of religion and African American studies at Princeton University, and is considered one of America's most gifted, provocative and important public intellectuals. He has won numerous awards, including the American Book Award, and has received more than 20 honorary degrees.

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