FAIRFAX, Va., Jan. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The United Negro
College Fund (UNCF) will broadcast its An Evening of Stars(R) Tribute to
Smokey Robinson nationally on more than 40 network stations in major
markets including WGN Superstation at 8 p.m. EST/7 p.m. CST on January 26,
and on, BET on January 27th at 10 p.m.EST/9 p.m. CST. The tribute to
Robinson marks the 29th consecutive year of UNCF's annual television
special. A complete list of stations, background information and media
contacts can be found online at http://www.uncf.org/AEOS.
As singer-composer Smokey Robinson celebrates 50 years in music this
year, he will be surrounded by the greatest talent in entertainment,
education, sports and politics as he is presented with the UNCF Award of
Excellence. The award cites his long entertainment career and support for
UNCF and minority education.
This year's program will feature award-winning singers Yolanda Adams,
Anita Baker, Macy Gray, Heather Headley, Chris Isaak, John Legend, Kenny
Lattimore, Chante Moore, Ne-Yo, Joss Stone, Nancy Wilson and Stevie Wonder.
Presenters will include Tichina Arnold and Tyler James Williams from
Everybody Hates Chris; former Saturday Night Live actor-comedian Jimmy
Fallon; Hill Harper from CSI-NY; Taraji P. Henson from Hustle and Flow;
LisaRaye McCoy-Misick from All of Us; Shemar Moore from Criminal Minds;
Kimberly Elise from Close to Home and The Great Debaters; syndicated radio
host and HBCU fundraiser, Tom Joyner; Shaun Robinson, co-host of Access
Hollywood, and NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Special taped
appearances include Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice, Diana Ross,
Aretha Franklin, and Martha Reeves. Motown Records founder and music
industry icon, Berry Gordy will present the Award of Excellence to Smokey
Robinson. Five-time Emmy Award winner, Louis J. Horvitz is executive
producer and director of An Evening of Stars(R).
The 29th AEOS will also honor the legendary song stylist and actress
Nancy Wilson with UNCF's first Founder's Award for her more than 30-year
involvement with the nation's largest minority scholarship fund.
"This year's An Evening of Stars(R) program is filled with high energy
performances that interpret Smokey Robinson's extensive song book as we
celebrate his legacy in the music industry and his dedication to minority
education," said Michael L. Lomax, Ph.D., UNCF president and CEO. "We are
grateful for the support of all of our celebrities, sponsors and supporters
who enable UNCF to help promising students get the college degrees they
need and deserve."
Target serves as the first-ever "Presenting Sponsor" of An Evening of
Stars(R) (AEOS). National corporate sponsors of AEOS include American
Airlines, Toyota, McDonald's, Wachovia and AT&T.
About An Evening of Stars(R)
An Evening of Stars(R) (AEOS), formerly the Lou Rawls Parade of
Stars(R), first aired in 1979, and since that time has become one of the
longest running and most successful televised events in U.S. history. Lou
Rawls, a spokesperson for UNCF and champion for AEOS for more than 25
years, is credited with helping raise more than $200 million to help UNCF
scholarship recipients and member institutions and their students pay the
cost of higher education. This year's show, now in its 29th season, was
made possible by Target, which served as AEOS(R)'s first-ever "Presenting
Sponsor," and by national corporate sponsors American Airlines, McDonald's,
Toyota, Wachovia, and AT&T. In recent years, AEOS has featured a Who's Who
of recognizable talent, including Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Nancy Wilson,
Beyonce, Jill Scott, Whoopi Goldberg, Fantasia, Joss Stone, Patti LaBelle,
Michael Bolton, Natalie Cole, Herbie Hancock, Al Jarreau, Hall and Oates,
Ziggy Marley, Maroon 5, and scores of others. An Evening of Stars(R)
received an Image Award for its 2006 Tribute to Stevie Wonder.
Additionally, this year the 2007 An Evening of Stars(R) Tribute to Aretha
Franklin received an Image Award nomination. Learn more about AEOS at
http://www.uncf.org/aeos.
About UNCF
As the nation's oldest and most successful minority higher education
assistance organization, the United Negro College Fund's mission is to
provide financial support to its 39 member institutions, increase minority
degree attainment by reducing financial barriers to college, and serve as a
national advocate for minority education. UNCF institutions and other
historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding
25 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF administers more
than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship,
mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development
programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 65,000 students at over 900
colleges and universities across the country. For 35 years, UNCF has been
known by its iconic motto, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste"(R). Learn
more about UNCF at http://www.uncf.org
SOURCE United Negro College Fund
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Related links:
http://www.uncf.org
CONTACT:
Joye Griffin of the United Negro College
Fund, +1-703-205-3480, joye.griffin@uncf.org; or Shawn Paul Wood
of SPM Communications, +1-214-379-7000, for the United Negro
College Fund
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