Upfront News and Views: BET and Alicia Keys Bring Down the House

Venue The alwaysreliable Jazz at Lincoln Center39s Rose Hall on Columbus Circle A return engagement using this stateoftheart space to celebrate BETamp8217s 35th anniversary as well as the shape of things come The stage was clear of frills except for a backdrop delivering huge black red and white graphics nonstop Very impactful Grade 45 JacksPresentation quotThe Power of Morequot was the slogan company presenters offered over and over again throughout whether promising more quality and quantity of original content or showcasing ratings quotWe39re up against the most competitive media landscape everquot declared BET Chairman and CEO Debra Lee quotAnd guess what We39re still No 1 with the audience everyone wants No 1 in total AfricanAmerican viewers and No 1 with all age and gender groupsquot Results like that demand a greater share of advertising dollars added Media Sales President Louis Carr quotIf we give you more why settle for lessquot he asked Carr added that considerable dollars be directed at series that encourage family participation family in his words being the quotepicenterquot of AfricanAmerican culture Grade 35 JacksNews At least five new scripted series and two miniseries will run over the next year The minis amp160amp8220Madibaamp8221 the biodrama of Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress with Laurence Fishburne playing Mandela and amp8220New Editionamp8221 about the rise and endurance of the popular boy band are set for threenightsixhour premiere runs during the first few months of 2017Of the scripted series amp8220Talesamp8221 looks like a groundbreaker Itamp8217s a weekly anthology that converts lyrics from hiphop songs into hourlong cinematic dramas crafted by new talent Cedric the Entertainer George Lopez DL Hughley Eddie Griffin and Charlie Murphy form a standup quintet and hit the road in amp8220Comedy Get Downamp8221 adapted from incidents to at and from their popular Get Down arena shows Also ahead are amp8220The Yardamp8221 Anika Noni Rose as the president of a historically black university amp8220Rebelamp8221 police drama produced and directed by John Singleton and amp8220Benchedamp8221 a legal dramedy New unscripted series include amp8220Music Mogulsamp8221 amp8220Gary Owen Familyamp8221 interracial family portrait involving the popular standup comic and amp8220One Shotamp8221 hiphop talent competition Sister network Centric now directed at AfricanAmerican women will offer two new unscripted series amp8220Queen Beeamp8221 entrepreneur showcase and amp8220Monica Morton PIamp8221 investigatorcrisis manager working the celebrity scandal beat Grade 45 JacksHosts When it comes to smooth operators on an Upfront stage few come off as engaging together as Lee Carr and President of Programming Stephen Hill They make their points and move things along while also making room for quick and fun celebrity bits like Lee with DJ Khalid or Hill with the Comedy Get Down cast Grade 4 JacksStar Time Without advance fanfare Alicia Keys pictured at top came on stage with solo piano and performed three breathtaking songs The entire set with new song quotHallelujahquot in the middle gets my vote for Best Performance at an Upfront Event so far this year a vote that will be tough to switch If that39s not enough quotHow Come You Don39t Call Mequot her opening song with only piano and snapping fingers from the audience gets my vote as the Best Live Musical Performance I39ve seen anywhere that39s anywhere all year It was an alltime magical highlight Grade 10 Jacks 5 for the full set 5 for the opening songCuisine For a while it looked like what was served after the presentation would come up 0 Jacks 0 as in an embarrassment In the first 20 minutes or so all that was offered beyond the bars were goldfish crackers and fried parmesan farfalle served in tacky small plastic bags Then the day was saved by a number of neat appetizers that waiters suddenly circulated among the guests Best chowdown Micro cakes with short rib slabs on top Worst chowdown Those goldfish crackers Grade 15 Jacks Note Cuisine does not figure in the overall Jacks ratingOverall Grade 4amp160Jacksamp160 A superb event on several levels from staging to star power and a big dose of news Nominee for best of the season and where Keys is concerned a slamdunk winnerHere39s a recap of our Jacks rating system5 Jacks Excellent4 Jacks Very Good3 Jacks Good2 Jacks Fair1 Jack Poor0 Jacks Don39t go thereNext up IFCUntil the next time stay well and stay tuned

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Upfront News and Views: BET and Alicia Keys Bring Down the House

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Upfront News and Views: BET and Alicia Keys Bring Down the House

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