Randy Jackson, Aisha Tyler, Kimberly Elise, James Pickens Jr., and Kevin Frazier Join New NAACP President and CEO Bruce S. Gordon to Announce The "37th NAACP Image Awards" Nominations

"The Bernie Mac Show," "Everybody Hates Chris" and "Half & Half" Lead Nominees In Television Comedy Category; "Grey's Anatomy" Leads In the Drama Category "Crash" Most Nominated Motion Picture New Award for Directing Added

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., (January 10, 2006) -- The 37th NAACP Image Awards Nominations were announced today during a press conference at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills. Randy Jackson, Aisha Tyler, Kimberly Elise, James Pickens Jr., and Kevin Frazier joined NAACP President and CEO Bruce Gordon, Chairperson, NAACP Image Awards Committee Clayola Brown, and Vicangelo Bulluck, Executive Producer, NAACP Image Awards to announce 38 categories, which included a new award for Directing.

The NAACP Image Awards celebrates the outstanding achievements and performances of people of color in literature, television, motion pictures and recording arts. The 37th NAACP Image Awards will tape February 25th at The Shrine Auditorium and broadcast on Friday, March 3rd (8:00 - 10:00 p.m. ET/PT) on FOX.

"The Bernie Mac Show," "Everybody Hates Chris" and "Half & Half" lead the Television Comedy category with five nominations each while "Grey's Anatomy" received the most nominations in the Television Drama category with 4 nominations including Outstanding Drama Series. ABC leads the networks with 23 nominations followed by UPN with 15 and HBO with 12 nominations including seven nominations for "Lackawanna Blues" - the most of any television program.

"Crash" leads the Motion Picture category with six nominations including Outstanding Motion Picture.

Kanye West, Alicia Keys and Mariah Carey lead the Recording category nominations, with four nominations each including Outstanding Song and Outstanding Album.

This is the first year the NAACP Image Awards will recognize directors. Working in collaboration with the African American steering committee of the DGA, the NAACP has added the categories: Outstanding Directing in a Dramatic Series, Comedy Series and Feature Film/Television Movie. Like the Independent/Foreign Film category, the directing categories will be voted on by a blue ribbon panel and will not appear on the general ballot.

This year, 1200+ entries were received. From those entries, a special committee of 300 industry professionals and NAACP leaders from across the country selected five nominees in each of 38 categories. Any artist, manager, publicist, production company, record label, studio, network or publishing house can submit an entry to the NAACP Image Awards. The final selections are voted on by NAACP members, and winners will be announced during the taping of the 37th NAACP Image Awards.

DaimlerChrysler returns as the diamond sponsor of the 37th NAACP Image Awards. Other major supporters include American Airlines, Bank of America, FedEx, General Motors and Verizon.

Founded in 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its half-million adult and youth members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities and monitor equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.

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A complete list of nominees follows:

TELEVISION COMEDY:

1. Outstanding Comedy Series
o "The Bernie Mac Show" (FOX)
o "The Boondocks" (Cartoon Network)
o "Everybody Hates Chris" (UPN)
o "Girlfriends" (UPN)
o "Half & Half" (UPN)

2. Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
o Bernie Mac - "The Bernie Mac Show" (FOX)
o Donald Faison - "Scrubs" (NBC)
o George Lopez - "George Lopez" (ABC)
o Omar Gooding - "Barbershop" (Showtime)
o Tyler James Williams - "Everybody Hates Chris" (UPN)

3. Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series
o Holly Robinson Peete - "Love, Inc." (UPN)
o Jill Marie Jones - "Girlfriends" (UPN)
o Rachel True - "Half & Half" (UPN)
o Tichina Arnold - "Everybody Hates Chris" (UPN)
o Tracee Ellis Ross - "Girlfriends" (UPN)

4. Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
o Chico Benymon - "Half & Half" (UPN)
o Kenan Thompson - "Saturday Night Live" (NBC)
o Mehcad Brooks - "Desperate Housewives" (ABC)
o Reggie Hayes - "Girlfriends" (UPN)
o Terry Crews - "Everybody Hates Chris" (UPN)

5. Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
o Camille Winbush - "The Bernie Mac Show" (FOX)
o Kellita Smith - "The Bernie Mac Show" (FOX)
o Telma Hopkins - "Half & Half" (UPN)
o Valarie Pettiford - "Half & Half" (UPN)
o Wanda Sykes - "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (HBO)

TELEVISION DRAMA:

6. Outstanding Drama Series
o "Commander In Chief" (ABC)
o "CSI: Miami" (CBS)
o "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC)
o "House" (FOX)
o "Lost" (ABC)

7. Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series
o Hill Harper - "CSI: New York" (CBS)
o Ice-T - "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (NBC)
o Isaiah Washington - "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC)
o Jesse L. Martin - "Law & Order" (NBC)
o Omar Epps - "House" (FOX)

8. Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series
o CCH Pounder - "The Shield" (FX)
o Khandi Alexander - "CSI: Miami" (CBS)
o Kimberly Elise - "Close To Home" (CBS)
o Marianne Jean-Baptiste - "Without A Trace" (CBS)
o Vivica A. Fox - "Missing" (Lifetime)

9. Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
o Dennis Haysbert - "24" (FOX)
o Gary Dourdan - "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (CBS)
o Harry Lennix - "Commander in Chief" (ABC)
o James Pickens, Jr. - "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC)
o Mekhi Phifer - "ER" (NBC)

10. Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
o Aisha Tyler - "24" (FOX)
o Chandra Wilson - "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC)
o Kerry Washington - "Boston Legal" (ABC)
o Pam Grier - "The L Word" (Showtime)
o S. Epatha Merkerson - "Law & Order" (NBC)

TELEVISION MOVIE, MINI-SERIES, OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL:

11. Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series, or Dramatic Special
o "Lackawanna Blues" (HBO)
o "Mississippi Justice" (Court TV)
o "Sometimes in April" (HBO)
o "The Reading Room" (Hallmark Channel)
o "Their Eyes Were Watching God" (ABC)

12. Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series, or Dramatic Special
o Idris Elba - "Sometimes in April" (HBO)
o Jeffrey Wright - "Lackawanna Blues" (HBO)
o Michael Ealy - "Their Eyes Were Watching God" (ABC)
o Ruben Santiago-Hudson - "Their Eyes Were Watching God" (ABC)
o Terrence Dashon Howard - "Lackawanna Blues" (HBO)

13. Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series, or Dramatic Special
o Carmen Ejogo - "Lackawanna Blues" (HBO)
o Halle Berry - "Their Eyes Were Watching God" (ABC)
o Macy Gray - "Lackawanna Blues" (HBO)
o Rosie Perez - "Lackawanna Blues" (HBO)
o S. Epatha Merkerson - "Lackawanna Blues" (HBO)

TELEVISION DAYTIME DRAMA:

14. Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series
o Antonio Sabato, Jr. - "The Bold & The Beautiful" (CBS)
o Bryton McClure - "The Young and the Restless" (CBS)
o Kristoff St. John - "The Young and the Restless" (CBS)
o Michael B. Jordan - "All My Children" (ABC)
o Shemar Moore - "The Young and the Restless" (CBS)

15. Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series
o Christel Khalil - "The Young and the Restless" (CBS)
o Marla Gibbs - "Passions" (NBC)
o Tonya Lee Williams - "The Young and the Restless" (CBS)
o Tracey Ross - "Passions" (NBC)
o Victoria Rowell - "The Young and the Restless" (CBS)

TELEVISION NEWS, TALK, OR INFORMATION:

16. Outstanding Television News, Talk, or Information (Series or Special)
o "CNN Coverage: Honoring Rosa Parks" (CNN)
o "Judge Mathis" (Syndicated)
o "Tavis Smiley" (PBS)
o "The Tyra Banks Show" (Syndicated)
o "Unforgiveable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson" (PBS)

TELEVISION VARIETY PROGRAMMING:

17. Outstanding Variety (Series or Special)
o "2005 Black Movie Awards - A Celebration of Black Cinema: Past, Present, and Future" (TNT)
o "77th Annual Academy Awards" (ABC)
o "BET Awards 2005" (BET)
o "Mo'Nique's Fat Chance" (Oxygen)
o "Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry" (HBO)

TELEVISION YOUTH OR CHILDREN'S SERIES/ SPECIAL:

18. Outstanding Performance in a Youth/ Children's Series/ Special
o Jo Marie Payton - "The Proud Family Movie" (Disney /ABC)
o Kevin Clash - "Sesame Street"(PBS)
o Kyla Pratt - "The Proud Family Movie" (Disney /ABC)
o Raven - "That's So Raven" (Disney /ABC)
o Tommy Davidson - "The Proud Family Movie" (Disney /ABC)

MOTION PICTURES:

19. Outstanding Motion Picture
o "Coach Carter" (Paramount Pictures)
o "Crash" (Lionsgate Films)
o "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" (Lionsgate Films)
o "Hitch" (Columbia Pictures)
o "Hustle & Flow" (Paramount Classics)

20. Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
o Laurence Fishburne - "Assault on Precinct 13" (Rogue Pictures)
o Samuel L. Jackson - "Coach Carter" (Paramount Pictures)
o Shemar Moore - "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" (Lionsgate Films)
o Terrence Howard - "Hustle and Flow" (Paramount Classics)
o Will Smith - "Hitch" (Columbia Pictures)

21. Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
o Kimberly Elise - "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" (Lionsgate Films)
o Queen Latifah - "Beauty Shop" (MGM)
o Rosario Dawson - "Rent" (Revolution Studios/Columbia Pictures)
o Ziyi Zhang - "Memoirs of a Geisha" (Columbia Pictures/Dreamworks Pictures/Spyglass Entertainment)
o Zo� Saldana - "Guess Who" (Columbia Pictures)

22. Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
o Anthony Anderson - "Hustle & Flow" (Paramount Classics)
o Chris "Ludacris" Bridges - "Crash" (Lionsgate Films)
o Don Cheadle - "Crash" (Lionsgate Films)
o Larenz Tate - "Crash" (Lionsgate Films)
o Terrence Howard - "Crash" (Lionsgate Films)

23. Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
o Ashanti - "Coach Carter" (Paramount Pictures)
o Cicely Tyson - "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" (Lionsgate Films)
o Elise Neal - "Hustle & Flow" (Paramount Classics)
o Taraji P. Henson - "Hustle & Flow" (Paramount Classics)
o Thandie Newton - "Crash" (Lionsgate Films)

LITERATURE:

24. Outstanding Literary Work - Fiction
o "72 Hour Hold" - Bebe Moore Campbell (Alfred A. Knopf)
o "Fledging" - Octavia Butler (Seven Stories Press)
o "Breaking the Cycle" - Zane (Strebor Books International/Simon and Schuster)
o "Cinnamon Kiss" - Walter Mosley (Little, Brown & Company)
o "Genevieve: A Novel" - Eric Jerome Dickey (Dutton)

25. Outstanding Literary Work - Non-Fiction
o "Blue Rage, Black Redemption: A Memoir by Stanley Tookie Williams" - Stanley Tookie Williams (Damamli Pub Co.)
o "Is Bill Cosby Right? Or Has The Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?" - Michael Eric Dyson (Basic Civitas Books)
o "The Autobiography of Medgar Evers: A Hero's Life and Legacy Revealed Through His Writings, Letters and Speeches" - Edited by Myrlie Evers-Williams and Manning Marable (Basic Civitas Books)
o "50 Years After Brown: The State of Black Equality in America" - Anthony Asadullah Samad (Kabili Press, Inc.)
o "Winning The Race: Beyond The Crisis In Black America" - John McWhorter (Gotham Books)

26. Outstanding Literary Work - Children's
o "Girls Hold Up This World" - Jada Pinkett Smith (Scholastic/Cartwheel)
o "I Can Make A Difference" - Marian Wright Edelman (Harper Collins/ Amistad)
o "The School Is Not White! A True Story of the Civil Rights Movement" - Doreen Rappaport (Jump At The Sun/ Hyperion Books for Children)
o "Honey Baby Sugar Child" - Alice Faye Duncan (Simon & Schuster Children's Books)
o "Please, Puppy, Please" - Spike Lee (Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing)

RECORDING:

27. Outstanding New Artist
o Bobby Valentino (Island Def Jam)
o Chris Brown (Jive)
o Keyshia Cole (A & M Records)
o Leela James (Warner Bros. Records)
o Omarion (Sony Urban)

28. Outstanding Male Artist
o Common (Geffen)
o Jamie Foxx (J Records)
o Kanye West (Island Def Jam)
o Kem (Universal Motown)
o Stevie Wonder (Universal Motown)

29. Outstanding Female Artist
o Alicia Keys (J Records)
o India.Arie (Universal Motown)
o Mariah Carey (Island Def Jam)
o Mary J. Blige (Geffen)
o Toni Braxton (Universal Motown)

30. Outstanding Duo or Group
o The Black Eyed Peas (A & M Records)
o Destiny's Child (Sony Urban Music)
o Earth, Wind, and Fire (Sanctuary Records)
o Floetry (Geffen)
o Ray Charles and Various Artists (Rhino Entertainment)

31. Outstanding Jazz Artist
o Billy Miles (Aezra Records)
o Jermaine Gardner (Incredible Journey Productions)
o Mike Phillips (Hidden Beach Recordings)
o Najee (Heads Up Intl.)
o Onaje Allan Gumbs (Ejano Music)

32. Outstanding Gospel Artist (Traditional or Contemporary)
o CeCe Winans - "Purified" (Sony BMG)
o Donnie McClurkin - "Psalms, Hymns, & Spiritual Songs" (Zomba Label Group)
o Kirk Franklin - "Hero" (Zomba Label Group)
o Mary Mary - "Mary Mary" (Sony Urban Music)
o Yolanda Adams - "Day by Day" (Atlantic/ WEA)

33. Outstanding Music Video
o Alicia Keys - "Unbreakable" (J Records)
o Common - "Testify" (Geffen)
o Destiny's Child - "Stand Up For Love" (Sony Urban Music)
o Kanye West - "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" (Island Def Jam)
o Mariah Carey - "We Belong Together" (Island Def Jam)

34. Outstanding Song
o "Be Without You" - Mary J. Blige (Geffen)
o "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" - Kanye West (Island Def Jam)
o "I Can't Stop Loving You" - Kem (Universal Motown)
o "Unbreakable" - Alicia Keys (J Records)
o "We Belong Together" - Mariah Carey (Island Def Jam)

35. Outstanding Album
o "Alicia Keys Unplugged" - Alicia Keys (J Records)
o "The Breakthrough" - Mary J. Blige (Geffen)
o "The Emancipation of Mimi" - Mariah Carey (Island Def Jam)
o "Late Registration" - Kanye West (Island Def Jam)
o "So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross" - Luther Vandross and Various Artists (J Records)

DIRECTING:

38. 36. Outstanding Directing in a Dramatic Series
o Janice Cooke-Leonard - "Charmed" (WB)
o Janice Cooke-Leonard - "One Tree Hill" (WB)
o Janice Cooke-Leonard - "Summerland" (WB)
o Paris Barclay - "Cold Case" (CBS)
o Phillip G. Atwell - "The Shield (FX)

37. Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series
o Eric Dean Seaton - "That's So Raven" (Disney/ABC)
o James D. Wilcox - "My Wife & Kids" (ABC)
o Ken Whittingham - "Everybody Hates Chris" (UPN)
o Mattie C. Caruthers - "My Wife & Kids" (ABC)
o Millicent Shelton - "The Bernie Mac Show" (FOX)

38. Outstanding Directing in a Feature Film/Television Movie
o George C. Wolfe - "Lackawanna Blues" (HBO)
o John Singleton - "Four Brothers" (Paramount Pictures)
o Malcolm Lee - "Roll Bounce" (Fox Searchlight)
o Thomas Carter - "Coach Carter" (Paramount Pictures)
o Tim Story - "Fantastic Four" (20th Century Fox)

PLEASE NOTE: THE WINNER OF THE "OUTSTANDING INDEPENDENT OR FOREIGN FILM" CATEGORY IS DETERMINED SOLELY BY VOTE OF THE INDEPENDENT OR FOREIGN FILM COMMITTEE, AND DOES NOT APPEAR ON THE BALLOT.

THE NOMINATED FILMS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
o "The Boys of Baraka" - (THINKFilm)
o "Cape of Good Hope" - (Wonder View Films/Moonlighting Films Productions)
o "The Constant Gardener" - (Focus Features)
o "Mad Hot Ballroom" - (Paramount Classics)
o "Syriana" - (Warner Bros.)