NEWS

WIRES

OTHER

The Most Soulful Night in Entertainment Ups the Ante with a New Slate of Performers Added to the 2011 "SOUL TRAIN AWARDS" Premiering on Sunday, November 27 at 9:00 PM*

NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The most soulful night in entertainment has upped the ante for all things peace, love, and soul at the 2011 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS taping on Thursday, November 17 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, GA. The audience will be treated to the new additions of dynamic tribute performances from celebrated R&B crooner Freddie Jackson, Cee Lo Green, Common, Chrisette Michelle, Mary Mary, Marsha Ambrosius, Musiq Soulchild, Anthony Hamilton, Tamar Braxton and many more to applaud the achievements of the Legend Award recipients Earth, Wind and Fire and Gladys Knight. Pre-recorded tribute testimonials by Elton John, Smokey Robinson, Patti Labelle, Will.I.Am, The Roots, Marie Osmond and several others will also be presented in honor of the recipients of the Legend Award. Hosted by the original king of comedy, Cedric "The Entertainer," the 2011 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS will premiere on both CENTRIC and BET on Sunday, November 27 at 9:00 PM*.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer and hip-hop pioneer Doug E. Fresh had such a great time teaching everyone how to do the "Dougie" at last year's awards that they have both decided to return to the 2011 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS with another surprise. Basketball great and Chairman of Vibe Media LLC, owner of STHoldings, Vibe and Uptown Magazine, Earvin "Magic" Johnson will serve as a presenter, joining the iconic Valerie Simpson, actors Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Melissa De Sousa, Lance Gross, Demetria McKinney, Nelsan Ellis, Amber Rose, DJ Just Blaze, Kel Mitchell, Shaunie O'Neal and many more who will also grace the Soul Train stage. Additionally, world-renowned drummer for The Roots and producer ?uestlove will also develop a revamped rendition of the "Soul Train" opening song. The 2011 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS promises the most electrifying evening in entertainment with previously announced performers including, the Original 7ven, The Group Formerly Known As The Time, Natalie Cole, Jill Scott, Robin Thicke, Melanie Fiona, Keith Sweat, Bebe Winans, Joe, Lalah Hathaway and Kenny Latimore.

The SOUL TRAIN AWARDS is a presentation of Centric and Sunseeker Media and directed by Manny Rodriguez. Paxton Baker, Tami Willis-Arasli, Derek Lewis, Centric; Bart Phillips, Sunseeker Media; and Soul Train Holdings' Kenard Gibbs will all be the executive producers of the network telecast, along with Cedric Kyles and Eric Rhone. The SOUL TRAIN AWARDS is produced in cooperation with the City of Atlanta led by Mayor Kasim Reed and Stacii Jae Johnson, Special Events Director for the Office of the Mayor.

To apply for media credentials to cover the 2011 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS, please visit https://soultrainawards2011.iworldreg.com/media/apply

For more information, please visit www.centrictv.com.

*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 subsidiary 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 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 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 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 and Beyonce, to name a few. Soul Train Holdings was created following the acquisition of the iconic franchise and catalog of more than 1,100 hours of archival footage from Don Cornelius Productions in June 2008 by InterMedia Partners and Madvision entertainment and is part of Vibe Holdings LLC. Vibe Holdings is a leading multi-cultural media company consisting of treasured and celebrated brands including Vibe Magazine, Vibe.com, Uptown Magazine and Soul Train. VIBE Holdings is owned by InterMedia Partners, Magic Johnson Enterprises and Ron Burkle's Yucaipa Companies.

    CENTRIC CONTACTS:
    Carly Zipp                    Danielle Spigner-Davis
    (212) 205-3028                (212) 205-3159
    carly.zipp@bet.net            danielle.spigner@bet.net

SOURCE CENTRIC