14 Sep 2007 00:55 Africa/Lagos     


Top Talent Comes Out for UNCF Tribute to Smokey Robinson

Tickets Now on Sale at Ticketmaster Locations

FAIRFAX, Va., Sept. 13 /PRNewswire/ --

Luminaries from entertainment, politics, and sports are ready to roll out the red carpet for one of America's greatest living performers and composers as the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) hosts An Evening of Stars (AEOS)(R) Tribute to Smokey Robinson.


Presented by Target, this year's AEOS(R) will be taped on Saturday, September 22nd at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium and will air nationwide in late January, 2008. Tickets for the September 22 taping are available through the Ticketmaster Web site and at all Ticketmaster locations in the Pasadena/Los Angeles metropolitan area. National corporate sponsors of AEOS(R) are American Airlines, Toyota, McDonald's, Wachovia, and AT&T.


Scheduled to appear at the taping of the AEOS(R) Tribute to Smokey Robinson are 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, Merri Dee of Chicago Superstation WGN, 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, Persia White and Golden Brooks from Girlfriends, syndicated radio host and HBCU fundraiser, Tom Joyner, Shaun Robinson, co-host of Access Hollywood; NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Making special taped appearances will be Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice, Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin and Martha Reeves. Presenting the Award of Excellence to Smokey Robinson will be Motown Records founder and music industry icon, Berry Gordy.


Described by Bob Dylan as "America's greatest living poet," Robinson has been an active supporter of UNCF through his appearances on past An Evening of Stars(R) tributes, on the Lou Rawls Parade of Stars(R) telethon which preceded the new tribute program, and participation in numerous UNCF fundraising events.


Robinson has received numerous awards including the Kennedy Center Honors, a Grammy Living Legend Award, NARAS Lifetime Achievement Award, the National Medal of Arts award from the President of the United States, and an honorary Doctorate of Music from Howard University. He has also been inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame and The Songwriters' Hall of Fame.


"Smokey Robinson and all the other stars who will sparkle on this year's AEOS are doing much more than showcasing some of the best creative talent our culture has to offer," said Michael L. Lomax, Ph.D., president and CEO of UNCF. "They are making sure that the millions of Americans who tune in to AEOS understand that there is nothing more important than helping UNCF make sure that deserving young men and women get the college education they need to launch their careers and support their families and careers."


Returning as executive producer and director of An Evening of Stars(R) is five-time Emmy Award winner Louis J. Horvitz, whose credits include numerous years directing The Academy Awards, The Prime Time Emmy Awards, The Kennedy Center Honors, The ALMA Awards presented by the National Council of La Raza, and The People's Choice Awards. He has also directed The MTV Movie Awards as well as The American Film Institute (AFI) tributes to Robert DeNiro (2003), Meryl Streep (2004), George Lucas (2005), Sean Connery (2006), and Al Pacino (2007).


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 US. 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 for the UNCF to help UNCF scholarship recipients and member institutions and students pay the cost of higher education. This year's show, now in its 29th season, will have Target as the first-ever "Presenting Sponsor" for AEOS. Other corporate sponsors are 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. 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 programs, 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. Learn more about UNCF at http://www.uncf.org/


  CONTACT: UNCF Media Bureau
           (703) 205-3480
           media@uncf.org

           Shawn Wood
           SPM Communications
           (469) 227-3266
           shawn@spmcommunications.com


Source: United Negro College Fund, Inc.

CONTACT: UNCF Media Bureau, +1-703-205-3480, media@uncf.org; or
Shawn Wood of SPM Communications, +1-469-227-3266,
shawn@spmcommunications.com, for United Negro College Fund, Inc.


Web site: http://www.uncf.org/