Kanye West, UGK Score Two Awards Each; Other Winners Include Alicia Keys, Chris Brown, Missy Elliott and Marvin Sapp Performances Feature Usher, Ne-Yo, T-Pain, Young Jeezy, Kanye, Rihanna, Keyshia Cole, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Nelly, Ciara, Alicia Keys, Jill Scott, Al Green, Marvin Sapp, Flo Rida, Rick Ross, Big Boi, Ludacris, Lil' Kim and More
LOS ANGELES, June 24 /PRNewswire/ -- BET AWARDS '08 lived up to its
promise as "the hottest ticket on television," as BET brought together the
best in entertainment, music and sports for its annual "family reunion," which
premiered LIVE from Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium on Tuesday, June 24 at 8:00
p.m.*
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080603/NETU049LOGO )
Rapper Kanye West was named Best Male Hip Hop Artist and won Best
Collaboration for "Good Life" featuring T-Pain. UGK scored the Best Group nod
and also earned Video of the Year for "International Player's Anthem (I Choose
You)" featuring Outkast. Alicia Keys was named Best Female R&B Artist, Chris
Brown was awarded Best Male R&B Artist, and Missy Elliott landed Best Female
Hip Hop Artist honors. BET named The Dream this year's Best New Artist, while
Marvin Sapp won Best Gospel Artist.
Hosted by the always hilarious D.L. Hughley, BET AWARDS '08 featured jaw-
dropping performances by the hottest artists in the game today - from hip hop
to gospel to R&B to soul. Usher opened the show with a sultry rendition of
"Love in this Club," while Ne-Yo's high-energy performance of "Closer"
included tons of impressive choreography and a cameo by Jabbawockeez from
MTV's "America's Best Dance Crew."
Young Jeezy and Kanye gave an electrifying showing of "Put On," and T-Pain
performed a colorful, circus-inspired medley of songs, featuring Flo Rida,
Rick Ross, Big Boi, DJ Khaled and Ludacris. Girl power was definitely in the
house, as Keyshia Cole sang "Heaven Sent" and was joined by Lil' Kim for "Let
It Go," and Alicia Keys performed "Teenage Love Affair" and then accompanied
some of the best girl groups of all time - SWV, En Vogue and TLC - for
performances of their hit songs.
Marvin Sapp gave a truly inspirational and powerful rendition of "Never
Would Have Made It," and other show-stopping performances included Rihanna,
Lil Wayne, Chris Brown's sizzling dance with Ciara, and Nelly's medley with
Jermaine Dupri and Fergie. In addition, Jill Scott and Maxwell performed a
moving tribute to legendary R&B icon Al Green, this year's recipient of BET's
Lifetime Achievement Award. Green brought the house down with his own
performance of "Let's Stay Together" and "Love and Happiness." Quincy Jones,
celebrated producer/arranger/composer, was also honored with BET's prestigious
Humanitarian Award for his outreach to young African-Americans through the
Listen Up Foundation.
A star-studded line-up of the hottest A-list celebrities made appearances
at the show, including LL Cool J, Terrence Howard, Queen Latifah, Diddy, John
Legend, David Banner, MC Lyte, Jennifer Hudson, Tyrese, Jordin Sparks, Mel B,
Nia Long, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Morris Chestnut, Gabrielle Union, Mary Mary,
Lauren London and Kevin Hart.
Encore telecasts of the BET AWARDS '08 are set for: Friday, June 27 from
7:30-11:00 p.m.*; Sunday, June 29 from 7:30-11:00 p.m.*; Tuesday, July 1 from
7:30-11:00 p.m.*; Friday, July 4 from 6:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.; Saturday, July 12
from 7:30-11:00 p.m.*; and Thursday, July 17 from 7:30-11:00 p.m.* (Please
note: End time may change depending on final show length.)
The following is a complete list of winners from the BET AWARDS '08:
Best Female R&B Artist
Alicia Keys
Best Male R&B Artist
Chris Brown
Best Group
UGK
Best Gospel Artist
Marvin Sapp
Best Female Hip Hop Artist
Missy Elliott
Best Male Hip Hop Artist
Kanye West
Best New Artist
The Dream
Best Collaboration
Kanye West f/ T-Pain "Good Life"
Best Video Director
Erykah Badu and Mr. Roboto
Video of the Year
UGK f/ Outkast "International Player's Anthem (I Choose You)"
Best Actor
Denzel Washington
Best Actress
Halle Berry
Male Athlete of the Year
Kobe Bryant
Female Athlete of the Year
Candace Parker
BET J Award
Raheem DeVaughn
Viewers' Choice Award
Lil Wayne f/ Static "Lollipop"
BET once again teamed up with Cossette Productions, the famed producers of
the GRAMMY Awards(R) and the seven record-setting BET AWARDS shows, to handle
production of the telecast. Stephen Hill, BET Executive Vice President, Music
and Programming, along with Lynne Harris-Taylor, BET Vice President of
Specials, are executive producers of the telecast.
BET AWARDS '08 is sponsored by Dodge, Pepsi, Verizon Wireless, General
Motors, P&G, Target, CIROC Vodka and Ford.
Visit BET.com for BET On Blast video highlights, photos and continuous BET
AWARDS '08 updates at www.bet.com/betawards.
*All times ET/PT
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, which provides ringtones,
games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, an
extension of BET network programming for global distribution.
SOURCE BET
