BET Premieres “CELEBRATION OF GOSPEL” Hosted by Steve Harvey on Sunday, January 27th

Los Angeles — Be prepared to praise His name as BET gathers the brightest stars in gospel and R&B for the network’s eighth annual CELEBRATION OF GOSPEL. Hosted once again by veteran comedian/actor and popular syndicated radio personality Steve Harvey, this inspirational affair was taped at the historic Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles on Saturday, December 15. With a praise-filled “congregation” and a 24-piece orchestra led by world-renowned musical director Ray Chew, CELEBRATION OF GOSPEL premieres on BET Sunday, January 27 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Aptly themed “Spirit in Song,” CELEBRATION OF GOSPEL promises a two-hour foot-stomping, hand-clapping revival filled with rousing performances by Patti LaBelle, John Legend, Kirk Franklin, Yolanda Adams, Mighty Clouds of Joy, J Moss, Israel and The New Breed featuring T-Bone, Pastor Shirley Caesar, Dr. Bobby Jones, and the top five SUNDAY BEST finalists. Additional performances and appearances will be announced shortly.

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, a service venture into the lucrative world of ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, an extension of BET network programming for global distribution.