Kirk Franklin, Mary Mary, Chaka Khan, El Debarge, Smokie Norful, Faith Evans, Kelly Price and VaShawn Mitchell to perform On BET’S Celebration of Gospel Premiering Sunday, January 30 at 8:00 p.m.
Hosted by Comedian, Radio and Television Personality Steve Harvey, BET’s CELEBRATION OF GOSPEL will Feature Performances and Appearances by Kim Burrell, the Rance Allen Group, Israel Houghton, Beverly Crawford, James Fortune and FIYA and Many More.
Steve Harvey
Los Angeles, CA (BlackNews.com) — Having just celebrated its 10th anniversary as the number one gospel show on television, CELEBRATION OF GOSPEL moves into the new decade with inspiring and uplifting music. This highly acclaimed two-hour special, premiering on Sunday, January 30 at 8:00 p.m.*, pays tribute to the rich history of gospel music in a unique format that combines today’s leading gospel and secular artists! “Keeping the Faith” is this year’s show theme, setting the stage for a world premiere of new music from award winning gospel superstars, Kirk Franklin and Mary Mary.
The stellar line up also includes soul stirring performances from secular artists El DeBarge, Chaka Khan and Howard Hewitt. Live performances and appearances from Byron Cage, Donnie McClurkin, Pastor Shirley Caesar, BeBe Winans and Smokie Norful will pay an in memoriam tribute to two of gospel music’s major generals: “Queen of Gospel” Albertina Walker and prolific songwriter/performer Bishop Walter Hawkins. In addition, singer-songwriter Faith Evans featuring Kelly Price and SUNDAY BEST runner-up Jessica Reedy will raise the roof and shine alongside Israel Houghton, James Fortune and FIYA, Kim Burrell, Earnest Pugh, VaShawn Mitchell, the Rance Allen Group, and Jonathan Nelson and Purpose. Other special appearances include Bishop TD Jakes and actors Hill Harper and Keith David as they perform in CELEBRATION OF GOSPEL’s signature spoken word segments. Hosted by popular actor, author and comedian Steve Harvey, this highly anticipated special will be taped at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles on Saturday, December 11, 2010. Tickets to attend the taping are free to the public on a first-come, first-service basis by submitting a request via betrsvp@bet.net.
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CELEBRATION OF GOSPEL is a BET Networks Production. Stephen Hill, BET’s president of music programming, along with Lynne Harris-Taylor, BET’s vice president of specials, and Geovanni Brewer will executive produce the telecast. To request media credentials, please email zabrina.horton@bet.net or kobe.swanson@bet.net by Friday, December 3rd. For more information, please visit www.bet.com. *All times are ET/PT.
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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.