Oprah Winfrey, Kimberly Elise, Angela Bassett and Ruby Dee Tapped to Present Honors at Film Life�s 2006 BLACK MOVIE AWARDS � A Celebration of Black Cinema: Past, Present & Future, Premiering Wednesday, Oct. 18, on TNT

Tyler Perry Hosting Show, Executive-Produced by Suzanne de Passe and Jeff Friday

Oprah Winfrey, Kimberly Elise, Angela Bassett and Ruby Dee will be presenters at Film Life�s 2006 BLACK MOVIE AWARDS � A Celebration of Black Cinema: Past, Present and Future, airing Wednesday, Oct. 18, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT), exclusively on Turner Network Television (TNT). The gala awards show, hosted by Tyler Perry, recognizes creative achievement by persons of African descent in feature-length motion pictures, both in front of and behind the camera, and honors outstanding films portraying the Black experience. It is being executive produced by Suzanne de Passe, CEO of de Passe Entertainment and Jeff Friday, CEO of Film Life, Inc. Returning for the second year are Suzanne Coston serving as producer, Ron De Moraes directing and Ruth Adkins Robinson segment producer and writer.

Winfrey will present the Distinguished Career Achievement Award to acclaimed actress Cicely Tyson, recognizing a career that includes such projects as The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, Roots and Madea�s Family Reunion, as well as Sounder, for which she earned an Oscar� nomination.

Elise will also pay tribute to Tyson. At the 2005 Black Movie Awards, Tyson presented Elise with the Rising Star Award. Tyson and Elise co-starred in the film Diary of a Mad Black Woman.

Dee will present the Ossie Davis Humanitarian Award to Spike Lee, recognizing among other things his work bringing to light the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina through his HBO documentary When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts. Dee and her late husband, Ossie Davis, co-starred in such Lee films as Do the Right Thing and Jungle Fever.

Bassett will present her What�s Love Got To Do With It? and Akeelah & the Bee co-star Laurence Fishburne with Excellence in Arts Award. Fishburne and Bassett are also nominees this year for their work in Akeelah & the Bee.

This marks the second year for the BLACK MOVIE AWARDS on TNT. Top award nominees for 2006 include Akeelah & the Bee and ATL, each of which earned four nominations, including Outstanding Motion Picture, and Inside Man, Madea�s Family Reunion, Something New and Waist Deep, each of which earned three nominations.

Tyler Perry�s movie Madea�s Family Reunion, is a triple-nominee, for Outstanding Achievement in Screenwriting (Tyler Perry), Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Lynn Whitfield) and Outstanding Motion Picture. Other Outstanding Motion Picture nominees include Akeelah & the Bee, ATL, Four Brothers, Inside Man and Tsotsi.

Nominees for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role include Presley Chweneyagae (Tsotsi), Chiwetel Ejiofor (Kinky Boots), Tyrese Gibson (Waist Deep), Cuba Gooding Jr. (Shadowboxer) and Denzel Washington (Inside Man). Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role nominees include Halle Berry (X-Men: The Last Stand), Meagan Good (Waist Deep), Sanaa Lathan (Something New), Queen Latifah (Last Holiday) and Keke Palmer (Akeelah & the Bee).

The 2006 BLACK MOVIE AWARDS will be taped at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, Oct. 15. A prominent committee of film critics, entertainment editors and prestigious members of the artistic community choose nominees and recipients of the awards from a list of eligible films released in the U.S. between Aug. 1, 2005, and July 31, 2006. Press credentials for the ceremony can be obtained at http://www.turner.com/press/2006_BMA_Credential_Form.doc.

Jeff Friday, creator of the BLACK MOVIE AWARDS and the American Black Film Festival (www.blackmovieawards.com), has made a name in the film industry by providing opportunities for independent Black filmmakers to showcase their work to an ever-broadening audience through the American Black Film Festival (ABFF). Since its inception, the ABFF has explored, rewarded and redefined artistic excellence in international Black cinema. It has grown to be recognized as the #1 film market for Black and urban content. In addition to its film showcases, the ABFF is committed to nurturing artists in a variety of disciplines and offers educational workshops and seminars for actors, filmmakers and writers throughout the week.

The ABFF, founded in 1997, is a property of Film Life, Inc., a New York-based marketing, media and production company. Its mission is to spearhead the global distribution of quality Black films and be the leading American brand producing Black movies and related entertainment content.

Back for the second year, Oscar� nominee Suzanne de Passe will again serve as Executive Producer and Writer. Her long list of award-winning, high-profile shows and specials includes the Emmy�-winning Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever and Motown Returns to the Apollo. Additionally, she executive-produced The Essence Awards in 2002 and 2003, as well as the annual NAACP Image Awards over a three-year period, concluding in 2003. She has also executive-produced such memorable television miniseries as Lonesome Dove, The Jacksons: An American Dream, Buffalo Girls, Small Sacrifices and The Temptations. Her Academy Award� nomination came for co-writing the screenplay for Lady Sings the Blues.

Turner Network Television (TNT), a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., is television�s destination for drama and one of cable�s top-rated networks. It offers original movies and series, including the blockbuster detective series The Closer, starring Emmy�, Golden Globe� and Screen Actors Guild Awards� nominee Kyra Sedgwick, and this summer�s four-week television event Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King. TNT is also home to powerful one-hour dramas, such as Without a Trace, Law & Order, Las Vegas, Cold Case, ER, Charmed and Judging Amy; broadcast premiere movies; compelling prime-time specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards�; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR and the NBA. TNT is also available in high-definition.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, is a major producer of news and entertainment product around the world and a leading provider of programming for the television industry.