Love, Peace and Soul Reigned at the 'CENTRIC PRESENTS: 2009 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS' Show Taping on Tuesday, November 3

NEW YORK, Nov. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- On Tuesday, November 3, CENTRIC took viewers on a stirring ride aboard the "Soul Train" at the taping of the network's first special, CENTRIC PRESENTS: 2009 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS hosted by Academy Award-nominated actors Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard. The night opened with a memorable performance by Toni Braxton featuring Trey Songz singing "Yesterday" that was sealed with a kiss. Co-hosts Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson welcomed the audience with a colorful rendition of Peaches and Herb's "Reunited." With performances from Keri Hilson, Robin Thicke, Ryan Leslie, Raheem DeVaughn featuring Ludacris Chrisette Michele, Mario featuring Sean Garrett, and many more, the evening was filled with non-stop, soulful entertainment. Viewers can tune-in for the premiere of the CENTRIC PRESENTS: 2009 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS in a special simulcast on BET and CENTRIC on Sunday, November 29 at 9:00 P.M.*

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The special also showcased a Motown Records musical celebration with an outstanding medley of Motown hits performed by Taraji P. Henson as a Supreme, Boyz II Men, Chico DeBarge, Johnny Gill, Estelle, Vita, Mike Phillips and Melanie Fiona. Charlie Wilson and Chaka Khan were recipients of the evening's Icon Award. Both were honored by some of today's hottest artists including Keith Sweat, Ginuwine, Raheem DeVaughn, Kandi Burress, Brian McKnight, who paid homage to Charlie Wilson and The Gap Band with powerful renditions of celebrated Gap Band titles, including "Outstanding," "Yearning for Your Love," "Burn Rubber." Following this tribute, Charlie Wilson, himself, graced the stage to perform two songs: "Burn Rubber" with K-Ci & Jo-Jo and Bootsy Collins and "There Goes My Baby."

The audience was brought to its feet as Erykah Badu, Melle Mel, Ledisi, Fantasia, and Angie Stone stormed the stage to pay homage to legendary artist Chaka Khan with such hits as "Through the Fire" and "Tell Me Something Good." With fun-filled skits, dance sequences and hilarious throwbacks to the infamous Soul Train scramble board and Soul Train line, the CENTRIC PRESENTS: 2009 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS special is a show people would not want to miss.

Some presenters of the CENTRIC PRESENTS: 2009 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS included Monica, Tamia, Deborah Cox, Kelly Price and many others.

The following is a list of CENTRIC PRESENTS: 2009 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS winners:

BEST NEW ARTIST

• Keri Hilson
  

BEST R&B/SOUL ARTIST FEMALE

• Beyonce
  

BEST MALE R&B/SOUL MALE

• Maxwell
  

SONG OF THE YEAR

• "Single Ladies (Put a ring on it)" - Beyonce
  

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• Beyonce - I am... Sasha Fierce (Platinum) Sony Music
  

RECORD OF THE YEAR (SONGWRITER AWARD)

• Jamie Foxx Ft/T-Pain - "Blame it"
  

BEST REGGAE ARTIST AWARD

• Sean Paul
  

CENTRIC AWARD - SOUL APPROVED/UNDERGROUND

• Maysa
  

BEST GOSPEL PERFORMANCE MALE FEMALE OR GROUP

• Mary Mary featuring Kierra "KiKi" Sheard - "God In Me"
  

BEST COLLABORATION

• Keri Hilson featuring Kanye West & Ne-Yo - "Knock you Down"
  

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

• Michael Jackson
  

The CENTRIC PRESENTS: 2009 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS is produced by Sunseeker Media and directed by Manny Rodriguez and Alex Coletti, in collaboration with BET Event Productions. Paxton Baker, CENTRIC Executive Vice President and General Manager; Essie Chambers, CENTRIC Senior Vice President of Programming; Tami Willis-Arasli, CENTRIC Vice President of Production; Bart Phillips, Sunseeker Media; and Soul Train Holdings' Kenard Gibbs, Peter Griffith, and Anthony Maddox are the executive producers of the network telecast. Angela Fisher served as talent coordinator and Fatima Robinson as the show choreographer.

*All times ET/PT

About CENTRIC
CENTRIC is a 24-hour music and entertainment channel that reflects the lifestyle and sophistication of today's African-American and multicultural adult viewer. With a finger on the pulse of an ever-changing beat, its compelling music content fuses Soul, R&B, Neo-Soul, Hip Hop, Reggae, Gospel, Jazz, Old School, New School and everything in between with today's hottest artists. It is a unique of mix of music, culture and lifestyle programming that embodies the lives, tastes and aspirations of the CENTRIC viewer: All you. All day. All night.

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 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 music and 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.

About Soul Train Holdings
Soul Train Holdings was formed in May 2008 by MadVision Entertainment, an urban-focused content company, and InterMedia Partners, a private equity investment firm. MadVision was created in 2006 by media and entertainment veterans Kenard Gibbs, Peter Griffith, and Anthony Maddox. Soul Train Holdings was formed following MadVision's acquisition of the iconic Soul Train franchise and now owns the catalog of over 1,100 hours of episodes, 300,000 photos and 500 hours of awards show footage from Don Cornelius Productions.

Soul Train is a registered trademark of Soul Train Holdings, LLC, a limited liability company headquartered in Los Angeles, CA. Soul Train is the longest running, first -run, nationally syndicated program in television history. During its 37 year run, the show featured such staples as the Soul Train line and performers as important and diverse as: Al Green, Ike & Tina Turner, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Whitney Houston, David Bowie, Janet Jackson, Elton John, Luther Vandross, Alicia Keys, Chaka Khan and Beyonce, to name a few.