BET Raises the Praise at the 9th Annual “Celebration of Gospel”

Hosted by comedian and radio personality Steve Harvey,
"Celebration of Gospel" Premieres on BET Sunday, January 25 at 8pm

Los Angeles , CA - BET will "Raise the Praise" on Sunday, January 25 at 8PM* with its ninth annual mega-hit, CELEBRATION OF GOSPEL. With a 24-piece orchestra led by world-renowned musical director Ray Chew, the show will again be hosted by veteran comedian, actor and popular syndicated radio personality, Steve Harvey, who has hosted CELEBRATION OF GOSPEL since its inception.

Each year this exciting show brings new awe-inspiring performances and spoken word segments by both mainstream and gospel greats and this year will be no different. Taking to the stage will be hip-hop icon LL Cool J, Oscar winner, Lou Gossett Jr., along with gospel supernovas, Mary Mary, Kirk Franklin, Dr. Bobby Jones & 21:03, Donnie McClurkin, Vickie Winans, Smokie Norful & Heather Headley, Trin-i-tee 5:7, Hezekiah Walker & LFC, Pastor Shirley Caesar, Kurt Carr & The Kurt Carr Singers, and direct from the United Kingdom, Contemporary Christian artists Myiuwa & Riversongz. These are just a few of the artists who will "Raise the Praise" on Wednesday, December 10 at 6 p.m.* at Los Angeles’ historic Orpheum Theater.

Last year’s show boasted performances by R&B and soul singer-songwriter Patti Labelle, R&B chart topper John Legend, gospel songstress Yolanda Adams, gospel music singer and author Kirk Franklin and spoken word selections by Rev. Jesse Jackson, actor Henry Simmons among other offerings.

CELEBRATION OF GOSPEL is produced by Stephen Hill, President of Music Programming & Specials, BET, Lynne Harris Taylor, Vice President of Specials, BET and Marilyn Gill.

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.