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
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