Big Names, Tribute To Whitney Houston To Highlight BET Awards
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Now that Beyonce and Jay-Z have confirmed that they're attending the BET Awards, the next question is: Will Kanye West be the third wheel, or will his girlfriend, Kim Kardashian, be on his arm?
Kardashian could add to the list of big names attending Sunday's awards show (airing live from the Shrine Auditorium) which already includes Quentin Tarantino, Jamie Foxx and host Samuel L. Jackson. And there are top musicians attending, too; Nicki Minaj, Usher, Rick Ross and Chris Brown are set to perform.
The night will be Brown's first public appearance since the New York City nightclub brawl between his entourage and Drake's. Brown, his girlfriend, his bodyguard and NBA star Tony Parker were among those injured in the June 14 encounter, where bottles were thrown.
Drake, however, wasn't expected be at the event. Both singer-rappers were nominated for awards. Rihanna, another nominee, and Chris Brown's on and off again girlfriend, was also expected to be absent.
The top nominee was West, who was up for seven awards. Beyonce followed with six and her husband earned five.
Beyonce was nominated twice for show's top award, video of the year, with "Love On Top" and "Countdown." Two collaborative songs by West and Jay-Z, "Otis" and "In Paris," are also up for the prize. The fifth nominee is Usher's "Climax."
West and Jay-Z released the platinum album "Watch the Throne" last year. West was also to perform at the awards with his G.O.O.D. Music label mates.
The most-buzzed about performance, though, was a tribute planned for Whitney Houston. It was to include the late singer's mother, Cissy Houston, and other female singers, though BET didn't release those names.
The BET Awards scored its best ratings in 2009 when it paid tribute to Michael Jackson, who had died three days earlier. The event had 10.2 million viewers.
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