Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson Reign Supreme at the BET AWARDS ’07 with Two Wins Each

LOS ANGELES,- The BET AWARDS ’07, the annual mega-salute to music, film and sports from BET Networks, delivered a knock-out night full of performances, surprises and memorable moments live from the Shrine Auditorium.

Mega-star Beyonce and first-time BET Awards nominee Jennifer Hudson each walked away with two awards. Beyonce was named Best Female R&B Artist and won for Video of the Year for the female-empowering “Irreplaceable,” while Hudson won Best New Artist and Best Female Actress. Rapper T.I. repeated his win from last year’s awards for Best Hip Hop Artist, and Kirk Franklin also came through with a repeat win for Best Gospel Artist. Ludacris and Mary J. Blige were awarded Best Song Collaboration for “Runaway Love,” and Gnarls Barkley was named Best Group.

Actress/comedienne Mo’Nique hosted the “Main Event” for an unprecedented third time, with sizzling performances by T.I., 50 Cent, Ciara, Diddy, Keyshia Cole, Robin Thicke, Eve, Kelly Rowland and Ne-Yo. The BET Awards also honored legendary songstress Diana Ross with the Lifetime Achievement Award, and award-winning actor Don Cheadle was presented with the Humanitarian Award for his efforts to raise awareness about the genocide in Darfur.

A star-studded list of Hollywood heavyweights also made appearances at the show, including: Chaka Khan, Queen Latifah, Rihanna, Erykah Badu, Nelly, Alicia Keys, Nick Cannon, Michael Clark Duncan and Tyler Perry.

BET Networks also paid tribute to the late James Brown and Gerald Levert, with performances by Bootsy Collins, Public Enemy (Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Prof. Griffin and DJ Lord), Gladys Knight, and Yolanda Adams.

Encore telecasts of the BET AWARDS ’07 are set for: Friday, June 29 from 8 - 11 p.m. ET/PT Sunday, July 1 from 8 - 11 p.m. ET/PT; Wednesday, July 4 from 8 - 11 p.m. ET/PT; Friday, July 6 from 8 - 11 p.m. ET/PT; Sunday, July 8 from 8 - 11 p.m. ET/PT; and Saturday, July 14 from 8 - 11 p.m. ET/PT.