MTV Networks, HBO & BET lead all vying for top honors in Cable Programming Diversity.

Nominations were announced by the National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) for the 12th Annual NAMIC Vision Awards. The only awards event honoring outstanding achievements in original, multi-ethnic cable programming, the 2006 presentation is scheduled for Tuesday, April 18th at the Regent Beverly Wilshire hotel in Beverly Hills, California.

A total of twenty-five networks – a Vision Awards record – received nominations in the eleven categories, which include newly established honors for Best Lifestyle and Best Real Life Series. MTV Networks led all with 7 nominations. HBO and BET received 5 nominations each. Additional categories include awards for Best Comedy, Best Drama, Best Children’s, Best Documentary, Best Foreign Language, Best Music/Variety, Best News/Informational, Best Comedic Performance and Best Dramatic Performance. Vision Award winners are selected by a panel of judges representing the entertainment, media, education and civic communities.

“The record number of networks receiving nominations is reflective of the cable industry’s commitment to create quality, entertaining and culturally diverse programming,” said Kathy Johnson, Executive Vice President, NAMIC Inc., “recognizing their achievements by honoring these works remains one of NAMIC’s highest priorities.”

MTV Networks dominated the Best Children’s category with 3 nominations, while TNT and HBO dominated Best Drama and Best Dramatic Performance. Emmy award winner, S. Epatha Merkesen and actor Idris Elba received nominations for their performances in the HBO originals “Lackawanna Blues,” and “Sometimes In April,” respectively, while both films are contenders for Best Drama. Native American actor, Irene Bedard was nominated for her role in TNT’s Steven Spielberg produced series, “Into The West,” which is also up for Best Drama.

BET showed dominance in the Comedy categories, with nominations for the “2005 Comedy Awards,” “Comic View” and a performance nomination for Steve Harvey, host of the “2005 Comedy Awards.” Comedy Central received two nominations for Best Comedy, while Showtime garnered two comedy performance nods for Omar Gooding (“Barbershop”) and Tonye Patano (“Weeds”).
Veteran producer Gina Holland (“BET’s 2004 Comedy Awards” and “Celebration of Gospel”), of Los Angeles-based Ruby Red, Inc. will head production of the 12th Annual NAMIC Vision Awards, presented in partnership by the NAMIC Foundation and NAMIC – Southern California, Inc. A portion of the show’s proceeds will go to the Digital Bridge Alliance (DBA) Project. Launched in 1999 by the NAMIC Foundation, the mission of the DBA is to bridge the digital divide and communicate the value of being a part of the digital revolution to African Americans, Asians and Latinos.

A complete list of nominations follows:

BEST COMEDY:

2005 Comedy Awards – BET
Comic View – BET
Fatherhood (Episode: “Birds, Bees and Bindlebeep”) – MTV/Nick
Mind of Mencia – Comedy Central
Weekends at the D.L. – Comedy Central

BEST DRAMA:

Into The West – TNT
Lackawanna Blues – HBO
Sometimes In April – HBO
Sucker Free City – Showtime
The Night Detective – BBC America
The Reading Room – Hallmark

BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE:

Howie Bell – Robert Townsend’s Partners In Crime: The Next Generation – Black Family Channel
Omar Gooding – Barbershop – Showtime
Steve Harvey – 2005 Comedy Awards – BET
Tonye Patano – Weeds – Showtime
Raven Simone – That’s So Raven – Disney Channel

BEST DRAMATIC PERFORMANCE:

Irene Bedard – Into The West – TNT
Idris Elba – Sometimes In April – HBO
Malcolm David Kelley – Knights of The South Bronx – A&E
Jenifer Lewis – Strong Medicine (Episode: “Dying Inside”) – Lifetime
S. Epatha Merkerson – Lackawanna Blues – HBO

BEST CHILDREN’S:

Dora The Explorer (Episode: “Best Friends”) – MTV Networks
Go, Diego, Go! (Episode: “Diego Saves Three Little Condors”) – MTV Networks
Lisa Knight & The Round Table (Episode: “What is Peer Pressure To You?”) – Black Family Channel
Romeo – MTV Networks
That’s So Raven – Disney Channel

BEST DOCUMENTARY:

Biography: Whoopi Goldberg – A&E
Modern Marvels: Inventions of George Washington Carver – History Channel
Save Our History: Voices of Civil Rights – History Channel
Unstoppable: A Conversation with Melvin Van Peebles, Gordon Parks and Ossie Davis – Starz In Black
Viva Baseball – MTV Networks

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE:

Cinema A to Z – Zee TV
Coming Full Circle – Zee TV
Sa Re Ga Ma Pa – Zee TV
Saat Phere – Zee TV