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When Little Richard died at age 87 in May 2020 during the depths of the pandemic, New York filmmaker Lisa Cortés found herself listening to his music nonstop, from classics like “Good Golly Miss Molly,” “Lucille,” and “Long Tall Sally,” to a wide range of surprising tributes, from Bob Dylan to Dave Grohl.

“I heard his music all over and it brought me a lot of joy,” she said during a recent interview with IndieWire. “Wait a minute,” she said to herself, “there’s never been a story, he hasn’t had that opportunity.” When she pitched her idea for a documentary following Little Richard with a twist — the final feature offers a slightly supernatural recasting of his musical career — Bungalow Entertainment and Rolling Stone Films agreed to back her, along with executive producer Dee Rees.

After directing two shorts and a music documentary (“The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion”) and co-directing...

Chris Brown and Roddy Ricch took home two trophies at Sunday’s BET Awards, while Beyoncé Knowles won the BET Her Award (along with daughter Blue Ivy) as well as the Humanitarian Award.

“Insecure” actress Amanda Seales hosted the BET Awards, celebrating “the best and most beautiful aspects of the Black experience.” This year’s virtual show paid tribute to two superstars from the worlds of sports and entertainment: Grammy Award-winning global icon Lil Wayne honored Kobe Bryant, and Wayne Brady lead the tribute to Little Richard.

Brown won for Best Male R&b/Pop Artist as well as Best Collaboration for “No Guidance” featuring Drake. Ricch, who performed two numbers during the virtual show, took home prizes for Best New Artist and for his album “Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial.”

Beyonce not only won the BET Her Award (along with her daughter Blue Ivy), which recognizes neo soul...

The virtually-produced 2020 BET Awards on Sunday delivered a host of big names and surprises.

At the top of the show, Public Enemy joined forces with Nas, Questlove, Black Thought, Yg and Rhapsody Team for a searing 2020 update of the P.E. classic “Fight the Power.”

And that was just the beginning. Alicia Keys performed a haunting rendition of “Beautiful Way to Die.” John Legend inspired with a powerful performance of “Never Break.” Megan Thee Stallion strutted her way through “Girls in the Hood.” Jennifer Hudson channeled Aretha Franklin in a performance that was followed by a new trailer for Respect. Lil Wayne paid tribute to Kobe Bryant. The multi-talented Wayne Brady honored the Little Richard. Michelle Obama even put in an appearance, presenting the 2020 Humanitarian Award to Beyoncé.

Drake led this year’s BET Awards field with six nominations, but took home only one statue. Megan Thee Stallion and...

The first-ever virtual BET Awards were held Sunday, with former Real co-host Amanda Seales presiding over the star-studded broadcast.

Drake entered Sunday’s ceremony with six nominations, including Video of the Year (by way of Chris Brown) and Best Male Hip-Hop Artist. But Megan Thee Stallion and Roddy Ricch weren’t far behind with five nods each.

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Meanwhile, Beyoncé was a...

In a synergistic move by ViacomCBS, CBS will simulcast this year’s BET Awards for the first time. In its 20th year, the BET Awards will make its national broadcast premiere on CBS on Sunday, June 28 at 8 Pm Et/Pt/ 7 Pm Ct, and will simulcast live across ViacomCBS networks including BET and BET Her.

Drake leads the pack with six nominations, including video of the year and best male hip-hop artist. He’s also nominated twice for both best collaboration and the viewer’s choice award for his hits “No Guidance” with Chris Brown and “Life Is Good” with Future.

Newcomers Megan Thee Stallion and Roddy Ricch garnered the second most nods with five nominations each. Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, Lizzo, and DaBaby followed with four nominations each.

Billy Porter, Eddie Murphy, Forest Whitaker, Jamie Foxx, Michael B. Jordan and Omari Hardwick are the nominees in the Best Actor category.

The nominations for the 2020 “BET Awards” are out, and Drake leads the pack with six nods. He’s closely followed by Megan Thee Stallion and Roddy Ricch with five each, and Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, Lizzo and DaBaby with four nominations each.

“Insecure” actress Amanda Seales will host the awards ceremony, which celebrates “the best and most beautiful aspects of the Black experience,” will simulcast live at 8 p.m. Et across ViacomCBS networks including BET and BET Her, and will make its national broadcast premiere on CBS on Sunday, June 28 from 8-11 p.m. Et/Pt.

Drake’s nods include “Best Male Hip Hop Artist,” “Video of the Year,” and two nods for both “Best Collaboration” and “Viewer’s Choice” for his features alongside Chris Brown (“No Guidance”) and Future (“Life Is Good”).

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Megan Thee Stallion...