Whitney Houston

BET 25th Anniversary: Lots Of Suprises
By P. Frank Williams

Posted on Oct. 27, 2005 -- You won't want to miss BET's 25th anniversary when it airs on Nov 1. The show was taped at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles Wednesday night as Black Entertainment Television celebrated 25 years of amazing music, entertainment, comedy, news and being the international voice of black people worldwide.

Before the curtain came up on the BET 25th Silver Anniversary Special, the red carpet was jam-packed and buzzing with a who's who of A-list entertainers. Celebrities like Usher, Diddy, Snoop, Mary J. Blige and Chico Bennymon all reminisced on what BET meant to their careers and lives.

Wearing a blinged-out syrup cup around his neck, Houston rapper Paul Wall said BET actually made him decide to start rapping. "I used to watch BET all the time," he laughed. "I hoped and prayed that one day they would show somebody from Houston. They played a UGK song and it really inspired me."
When he was still singing in the subways of Chicago, R. Kelly remembered wanting to emulate New Jack legends Aaron Hall and Teddy Riley of Guy. Director F. Gary Gray said BET gave him his first break as cameramen 16 years ago.

Back inside the famed Shrine theatre, BET broke the mold the one host mold with various celebs hosting segments dedicated to every five years of the channel's history from the genesis in 1980 to 2005. Former Video Soul host Donnie Simpson took a trip down memory lane and joked about the early days when stage props fell and they were all still learning about TV. Then when a clip from an interview he did with civil rights legend Rosa Parks played, Simpson said, "it's not every day that you get to sit knee to knee with history."

Living legends Earth, Wind and Fire set things off with a raucous and soul stirring performance of "Groove Tonight" and "Shining Star." For the 1985-1990 era, Arsenio Hall made jokes, Hammer danced and R&B lothario Howard Hewett sang a verse. Remembering "those crazy 80's," Queen Latifah gave props to the channel, saying if BET hadn't played her video "Ladies First," she wouldn't "be where I am today."

But there was one defining performance of the night that fans of the 80's will be thankful for. Dancing like it was still 1987, Ronnie, Mike, Ralph, Johnny and Ricky ran through their Rolodex of hits from "Candy Girl" to the late night classic "Can You Stand The Rain." And though we don't wanna give up all the goods, a certain reality TV star with a pop superstar wife was also there. It's still his prerogative, but you'll have to tune in to find out whether he joined his former pals on stage.

Comedian Steve Harvey honored R&B legend Luther Vandross with a hilarious and poignant tribute. Harvey said Vandross "made records you could grind to." As Harvey stepped off, a spotlight shined stage left and there was huge gasp. Vandross is then paid homage to by the one female who can hit the notes like he did. But did she hit 'em? You'll have to wait to find out. Also paying tribute, John Legend took center stage and sang a masterful rendition of "A House Is Not A Home."

Decked out in all black and sporting an eye popping multi-colored cross, R. Kelly shut down the Shrine with "Your Body's Calling," "Ignition" and some other surprises. Snoop Doggy Dogg showed why he continues to be a top seller. In the wildest looking stage performance of the night, Snoop and George Clinton's Parliament and Funkadelic rocked the house with "Atomic Dog," "What's My Name" and the timeless "Flashlight."

Other hot performers included LL Cool J, Nelly, Jermaine Dupri and Stevie Wonder.

Anybody who's ever watched BET over the last 25 years knows that BET was never simply about the music. The network's strong news coverage from Ed Gordon's historic interview with OJ Simpson to the Rodney King trial was also noted.

Gospel music remains a cornerstone of BET. Max Siegel, President of Zomba Gospel, insisted that Bob Johnson's creation kept gospel music alive. "BET has been crucial for gospel music. It's been the only outlet that has supported the genre since the beginning. Dr. Bobby Jones has broke many artists."

Yolanda Adams, Kirk Franklin, Donnie McClurkin and the queen Shirley Caesar showed that the Lord was definitely in the house.

Interspersed between the performances were testimonials from industry folks giving BET much-deserved props. Bill Clinton, Russell Simmons, Jay-Z and many more were interviewed about their BET memories.

By the time Alicia Keys was singing her hit "Unbreakable," the well-dressed crowd was ready to party and dance the night away at numerous parties in Hollywood. But there one was more important presentation. BET founder and visionary Bob Johnson, who will pass on the CEO title to Debra Lee in a few months, was applauded for his vision in launching the station in January of 1980.

So from Snoop Dogg's gangsta walking with Parliament Funkadelic to Nelly's new school pop hip-hop to New Edition's classic soul, the night was truly time travel through a million great memories. Contemporary, old school and futuristic all at the same time, the BET Silver Anniversary show proved that BET continues to stand as a beacon for the Black community.