BET To Host "Celebration Of Gospel" Special Dec 12

BET Rolls Out the Red Carpet at the Tenth Anniversary CELEBRATION OF GOSPEL Special on Saturday, December 12

Comedian Steve Harvey Returns to Host This Spectacular Event, Airing Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 8 p.m.*; Special Performances By Fantasia and Her Mother Diane Barrino Barber, Anthony Hamilton and His Wife Tarsha Hamilton, GRAMMY™ Award Winners BeBe and

LOS ANGELES, -- BET will celebrate the tenth anniversary of its annual mega-hit special CELEBRATION OF GOSPEL at the famed Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles on Saturday, December 12. With grandiose performances by gospel and mainstream artists, a 24-piece orchestra led by world-renowned musical director Ray Chew, and the most engaging host around, Steve Harvey, CELEBRATION OF GOSPEL will air on Sunday, January 10, 2010 and be larger and more soulful than ever.

This year is set to deliver an exciting show filled with breathtaking performances and spoken word segments by both mainstream and gospel greats. Taking to the stage will be Fantasia and her mother Diane Barrino Barber, Anthony Hamilton and his wife Tarsha Hamilton, GRAMMY™ award winners BeBe and CeCe Winans, Fred Hammond, Deborah Cox, Kelly Price, Tamia and Sherri Shepherd, along with gospel superstars Donnie McClurkin, Pastor Shirley Caesar, Marvin Sapp,James Fortune & FIYA, Tye Tribbett & Greater Anointing, Dr. Bobby Jones and the Nashville Super Choir, SUNDAY BEST winner Y'Anna Crawley, The Rance Allen Group, and P.S.A.L.M. Choir from the City Of Refuge.

Last year's show featured one-of-a-kind performances by hip-hop icon LL Cool J, Oscar winner Louis Gossett Jr., Kirk Franklin, Heather Headley and gospel supernovas, Mary Mary.

CELEBRATION OF GOSPEL is produced by Stephen Hill, President of Music Programming & Specials, BET; Lynne Harris Taylor, Vice President of Specials, BET; and Geovanni Brewer, executive producer.

For more information about the show, please visit www.bet.com/COG.

Please note that free tickets are available to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis by submitting a request via BETRSVP@bet.net or calling (202) 608-2617.

*All times ET/PT.

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA) (NYSE: 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 98 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.

SOURCE: BET Networks

Web site: http://www.bet.com/

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