Music World Gospel entered into an exclusive recording agreement with BET Networks and its premiere brand, Sunday Best, the award-winning weekly gospel music competition program. The agreement will include the release of debut albums for the show’s third and fourth season winners and other music and entertainment product releases featuring “best of” compilations and a variety of specialty brand projects. Sunday Best season four premiered Sunday, July 10 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.

The first release scheduled under the new agreement is Sunday Best’s third season winner, Le’Andria Johnson. Her debut project, The Awakening of Le’Andria Johnson will be released on September 6, 2011. Le’Andria’s new single, “Jesus,” produced by GRAMMY® Award winner Chuck Harmony (Rihanna, Fantasia, Chrisette Michele), will impact radio on July 25.

“Securing BET and the Sunday Best brand is an important and monumental milestone for the label,” said Mathew Knowles, founder, President and CEO of Music World Entertainment. “BET is one of the largest brands in black America. We look forward to partnering with BET and exploring the many marketing opportunities to further develop and bring greater exposure to the Sunday Best brand. Sunday Best is very important to the faith-based and African American communities. As we prepare for our first release under the new deal, the Music World team is extremely excited about Le’Andria Johnson. She is one of a few artists who come along in a lifetime who possess that special uniqueness. Beyond her vocal talent and skills, she has that raw and rare stage presence that illuminates power and grace.”

“BET Networks is thrilled to work with the Music World Gospel label in continuing to build our Sunday Best brand as the leading platform for the discovery and launch of extraordinary gospel music talent including our Sunday Best Season 3 winner, Le’Andria Johnson” said Loretha Jones, President of Original Programming, BET. “We believe the new relationship with Music World Gospel and Mathew Knowles will further the vision to share our ‘Sunday Best’ with the world.”

In June 2010, Le’Andria was crowned Sunday Best winner, with over 2 million votes from the network’s faithful viewers. Each week she wowed viewers and captured the hearts of millions, including Sunday Best‘s host Kirk Franklin, judges, Mary Mary, Donnie McClurkin, and Yolanda Adams and celebrity mentor Kim Burrell. For the finale, she performed a medley of three songs, “I Love the Lord,” “He Was There,” and “In the Midst of It All.”

Le’Andria is a living testimony of faith. Prior to being crowned Sunday Best, Le’Andria auditioned for the gospel competition a day before she lost her home in foreclosure. Deciding to let nothing stand in her way, the then Sunday Best hopeful traveled to New Orleans and auditioned in flip flops and gym socks, she was almost eliminated because she did not look the part, according to show judge Erica Campbell [Mary Mary]. After her rendition of “This Is the Day the Lord Hath Made,” she was on her way to fulfilling her life-long dream of a career in music.

Le’Andria is an accomplished songwriter, producer and praise and worship leader at her hometown church, HQ Ministries in Altamonte Springs, Florida. A self-taught musician, she began singing at the age of two. She continues her commitment to the music ministry of her hometown church. Le’Andria currently resides in Orlando, Florida and is a single mother of three children.

www.musicworldgospel.com – www.musicworldent.com

Source: Gwendolyn Quinn, GQ Media & Public Relations, Inc

If you’ve been waiting on info about the highly anticipated third season of “Sunday Best,” get ready to dance and shout ‘cause here it is.

The judges did their thing in Nigeria, and now they’re back in the States ready to kick off the domestic auditions and THEY WANT YOU!

Once again, BET will be holding auditions across the country so make sure you come out for the opportunity to share your gift with all the world. Are you the next Sunday Best?

The Sunday Best season 3 auditions will be held in three cities. The third city will be announced soon, so make sure you keep checking back with us to get the latest SB3 information and updates.

Hope to see (and hear) you next at the auditions!!!!

Sunday Best Season 3 Auditions:

DETROIT
When: TBD

ATLANTA
When: February 20
Where: GWCC‬‪
285 International Blvd.NW‬‪
Atlanta, GA 30313‬‪

3rd CITY – TBD

note: Rules and Regulations and song list will be posted soon!

You’ve heard the hype; now on May 31st you can experience it for yourself as How Sweet the Sound premieres on BET at 11 AM EST/PST. Presented by @radical.media and directed by acclaimed team Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky (Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, Brother’s Keeper), How Sweet the Sound is a one-hour television documentary event that chronicles the road to Verizon Wireless’ “How Sweet the Sound” 2008 national choir competition to find the “Best Church Choir in America.”

The film, tells the story of talented Gospel choirs from coast to coast competing in Verizon Wireless’ How Sweet the Sound – a series of regional competitions, in major U.S. cities – all culminating in a roof-raising, powerhouse grand finale competition in Atlanta, Georgia. How Sweet the Sound gives viewers intimate access to these dedicated performers – on their tour bus, in their living room, or in the chapel of their hometown church – uncovering the stories and personal journeys to create unique portraits of these individuals and their groups.

Tune in to How Sweet the Sound this Sunday to see what all the buzz is about and don’t miss your chance to register for this year’s Verizon Wireless’ “How Sweet the Sound” choir competition. Registration is now open and people can visit www.howsweetthesound.com to find out details on the competition, submit entry videos, and learn more about ways to become a part of the excitement this year.

Y’Anna Crawley, the winner of BET’s ‘Sunday Best’ competition has not only won a national recording contract, but she’s also walked away with a sleek new 2009 Lincoln MKS. After a 10-week season, Y’Anna Crawley got the chance to take a look at the vehicle along with Gospel Extraordinaire and ‘Sunday Best‘ Host Kirk Franklin during the one-hour finale episode.

The 2009 Lincoln MKS, Lincoln’s luxury flagship, offers such features as Intelligent Access with Push-Button Start, Voice-Activated Lincoln SYNC that lets you seamlessly connect your cell phone and digital media player and Sirius Travel Link™ that gives the driver real-time traffic, weather and more. The dynamic exterior features the double-wing grille, inspired by the 1941 Lincoln Continental.

More… For more information on the sleek 2009 Lincoln MKS visit www.lincolnvehicles.com

(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) — On Sunday, February 1st, families worldwide will gather around their television sets to watch the Steelers take on the Cardinals at SUPER BOWL XLIII live from Tampa Bay. But rising Gospel star Kevin LeVar will already be in Florida, kicking off the new year with high-profile performances at key Super Bowl events.

At the invitation of the American Heart Association, LeVar performed his new single “A Heart That Forgives” on Thursday (Jan. 29) at the press conference for the launch of the “Go Red for Women” awareness campaign, honoring the mothers of several NFL stars who have died of heart disease in recent years. Later that day, Kevin LeVar performed at the Max Starks Celebrity VIP Party at Bayou Golf Club. And Friday (Jan. 30), Kevin LeVar was scheduled to perform at the NFL Wives-sponsored Diamonds and Pearls Event to benefit St. Jude Research Hospital.

Kevin LeVar’s debut album, “Let’s Come Together“, landed at #22 on the BILLBOARD Top Gospel Albums Chart when it was released in September by God Glorified Music/Habakkuk Music, with distribution through Universal Music Christian Group. In recent months, Kevin LeVar has appeared on Bobby Jones Gospel, Atlanta Live, Canada’s 100 Huntley Street, BET, TBN, Daystar, TCT, INSP, Word Network, Gospel Music Channel and many more. In addition, the music video for his debut single “You Are Not Alone” was nominated for a 2008 Gospel Music Channel Video Award (Soul Video of the Year).

He’s also had prominent performances at the NBA All-Star Weekend, Civil War Memorial, 9/11 Memorial in Washington DC, Exploit Conference, GMWA Conference, Stellar Awards Gospel Brunch and Bishop TD Jakes’ The Potter’s House in Dallas, to name a few.

More… For more information on Kevin LeVar, please visit www.kevinlevar.com.

BET’s hit music countdown show 106 & PARK leaps out on faith with the premiere of its new weekly spin-off, 106 & Park presents: Generation Gospel, hosted by Angel Taylor (from the Stellar Award-winning Gospel group Trin-i-tee 5:7) and Jorel Quinn (from the hip hop Gospel group 21:03).
Generation Gospel will feature a live studio audience, the hottest music videos sweeping the faith-based community; celebrity guests; inter-active choir battles; exclusive packages, and much more.

“Black entertainment in effect started with Gospel music and Gospel will always be in its fiber,” said Stephen G. Hill, President of Programming, BET Networks. “What’s exciting is how the youth have taken the hottest rhythms and beats, mixed it with classic Gospel sound and put their own stamp on the music and spirit. Generation Gospel will give the viewers contemporary Gospel sights and sounds like no other show on television – get ready!”

106 & Park Presents: Generation Gospel will kick off its premiere episode with performances by the dynamic Pastor Marvin Sapp, Stellar Award and Dove Award winner Kierra Sheard and more. Adding to the 106 & Park brand and providing viewers with a broader look at what’s going on in and around the pulpit, Generation Gospel will feature weekly news, lifestyle and underground segments from across the country by some of today’s favorite Gospel artists and show correspondents, like Tye Tribbett, Kiki Sheard, and Sunday Best finalist Jermaine Sellers.

106 & Park Presents: Generation Gospel is poised to be a vehicle to spotlight the most sought after stars and up-and-coming acts in Gospel, as it sets out to entertain, inspire, and uplift. It’s Lifestyle Segments include Churchin’ with JJ – the actor-comedian finds the funny in all things about the church; Tye’s Tidbits – Stellar Award winner Tye Tribbett presents the latest in news and happenings in the Gospel world; Sellin’ You the Bizness – Sunday Best finalist Jermaine Sellers is our man on the street talking to real people and covering hot topics from New Year’s resolutions to the new President; Lifestyles with Kiki – from fashion to fitness, Stellar Award and Dove Award winner Kiki Sheard brings a fresh, energetic and spiritual perspective to issues that relate to her peers; The Underground – Stellar Award nominee Irocc brings viewers the latest trends happening in the underground and the holy hip hop church movement.

106 & Park Presents: Generation Gospel is executive produced by Marilyn Gill and Holly Carter. Connie Orlando (VP of Development) and Eugene Caldwell (VP of Production) are supervising producers, and Stephen Hill (President of Programming) serves as executive in charge for BET.

For more on 106 & Park Presents: Generation Gospel, please visit http://www.bet.com/generationgospel.

BET will be offered free-to-air on the digital satellite platform beginning on Thursday, February 28. Available via the Sky Guide, BET will be accessible to more than 8.8 million digital satellite homes, adding considerably to BET Networks‘ global reach. BET Networks is the leading provider of media and entertainment for African Americans and consumers of Black culture, currently reaching more than 87 million households in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.

“We’re thrilled to be able to bring high quality, Black cultural content to communities around the world and deliver on our commitment to expand the BET brand internationally,” said Debra L. Lee, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, BET Networks. “For more than 27 years, BET Networks has been the leader in providing premium entertainment to African American audiences, and we’re so excited to establish BET as the premier destination for UK audiences to enjoy content that reflects the many viewpoints of the Black experience.”

“BET has been building a presence among our core target audience in the United Kingdom for more than two years,” said Michael D. Armstrong, Senior Vice President and General Manager, BET International. “For the UK version of BET, we will be giving BET’s U.S. content a regionalised look and feel that reflects the UK marketplace, and as we grow and develop the channel, we look forward to partnering with the UK creative industry to give BET an even stronger British accent.”

The programming that will be aired on BET in the UK will grow to include more regional content, but will initially include series such as:

– 106 & PARK — As BET’s highest-rated music and variety series of all
time, 106 & PARK has quickly become the leading music video countdown,
performance and interview show on television.

– COLLEGE HILL — Reality TV reaches new heights as BET’s COLLEGE HILL
exposes real student life — drama and all — in the quest for higher
education.

– MEET THE FAITH — MEET THE FAITH, the dynamic current events news show
hosted by New York Times best-selling author Ian Smith, offers a fresh
and provocative take on world events.

– THE BET HONORS — THE BET HONORS celebrates Black achievement in
business, entertainment, social justice and philanthropy while
providing the kind of award-winning, show-stopping musical performances
that make BET specials deliver huge results.

– SUNDAY BEST — Hosted by gospel singer Kirk Franklin, SUNDAY BEST is
BET’s nationwide search to find the best undiscovered gospel singers in
America.

– BALDWIN HILLS — BALDWIN HILLS is a reality show filmed in a docudrama
style that depicts the privileged and pressured lives of some of Los
Angeles, California’s freshest princes and princesses of “Black Beverly
Hills.”

– HELL DATE — Contestants seek their soul mates on HELL DATE, a reality
dating show featuring a guy or girl who is looking to find true love,
but instead is paired with an actor or actress who will actually be
their worst nightmares come to life.

– AMERICAN GANGSTER — The critically acclaimed documentary series
AMERICAN GANGSTER explores, without glorifying, the rise and fall of
some of Black America’s most notorious crime figures.

Another integral part of the programming lineup will be BET News specials, including LIFE AND DEATH IN DARFUR: JEFF JOHNSON REPORTS about the crisis in Sudan, and HIP HOP VS. AMERICA, which takes a close look at the state of hip hop today and features a panel of prominent leaders in the hip-hop industry, the political realm, academia and the Black church.

In addition to delivering original programming to UK audiences, BET will also be expanding its pro-social initiative Rap-It-Up and bringing the campaign to the UK. Since 1998, BET has partnered with the Kaiser Family Foundation on Rap-It-Up, a comprehensive public education campaign designed to inform young people about sexual health issues, including HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. The Emmy Award-winning campaign features special news programs, documentaries, public service announcements, online content, a toll-free hotline, community forums, mobile HIV testing events and school curricula.

The official media presentation for BET in the UK will take place at the Odeon West End, Leicester Square, London on Thursday, February 28 and will give the media an opportunity to get a preview of the new network. Media check-in is at 10:30 a.m. To find out more information, please send an email to RSVP@glenyearwoodgroup.com.

MORE… Please check it out BET on Sky Channel 209