D'Angelo Makes His Comeback At The BET AWARDS For His First Televised Performance In Over A Decade

FORD TO SPONSOR THE BET AWARDS 12 RED CARPET, THE FORD HOT SPOT, AND GIVE AWAY A 2013 FORD ESCAPE AND $1,000 TO A LUCKY VIEWER

Hosted by Samuel L. Jackson / LIVE from the Historic Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Sunday, July 1, 2012 at 8:00 pm* on BET

NEW YORK, June 21, 2012 -- The BET AWARDS 12 performance stage line-up is getting hotter and definitely "Too Big To Miss." Added to the roster is platinum musician D'Angelo, who will make his long-awaited return to the television stage after twelve years. His highly anticipated performance can be seen at the BET AWARDS 12, only on BET Networks, July 1, 2012 at 8 p.m.*

"Usually, we love to keep surprises... but this year we want EVERYONE watching when D'Angelo takes the stage at the BET Awards!," stated Stephen G. Hill, BET's President of Music Programming and Specials. "His talents have been away from us for far too long and we're excited and honored that he's decided to make his American re-entry at this year's BET Awards."

As if the BET AWARDS 12 show surprises aren't already enough, Ford has partnered with BET Networks for the fifth year in a row to sponsor the red carpet and Ford Hot Spot, as well as give one lucky viewer the opportunity to win a brand new 2013 Ford Escape AND $1,000 in cash. The winner will be announced live during the "106 & PARK" BET AWARDS PRE-SHOW: LIVE, RED & READY on Sunday, July 1st starting at 6:00 p.m.*. Visit BET.com/BrandNewEscape to register now through Saturday, June 30th for your chance to win.

BET AWARDS 12 will be hosted by box office superstar Samuel L. Jackson, and will include exciting performances by Usher, Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj, G.O.O.D. MUSIC, Pusha T, Big Sean, Rick Ross, Meek Mill, Wale and 2 Chainz. This year's Humanitarian Award, presented by State Farm, will go to Reverend Dr. Al Sharpton and Maze featuring Frankie Beverly will receive the coveted Cadillac Lifetime Achievement Award. Taraji P. Henson, Meagan Good, Kevin Hart and Cedric the Entertainer will grace the Shrine Auditorium stage, as presenters, on Sunday, July 1st at 8:00 p.m.* on BET Networks.

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The BET AWARDS 12 will premiere Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. BST across BET's international platforms in the UK and Africa.

*All times are ET/PT.

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), 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 90 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 operates in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.