In this Monday, Jan. 15, 2018 file photo, host Anthony Anderson speaks at the 49th annual NAACP Image Awards at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) --
The NAACP Image Awards will be televised live for the first time from the Dolby Theatre.
NAACP and TV One officials announced Thursday that the 50th awards ceremony will be televised on the cable network at the venue in Hollywood, California, on March 30. The event will spotlight the contributions of the NAACP and the organization's impact on the community.
NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson called the award's 50th anniversary a "major milestone in bringing visibility" to the achievements of the African-Americans in entertainment, literature and the arts.
Along with the live telecast, TV One will air the announcement of nominees. The date for nominations has not been announced.
Last year, Ava DuVernay was named entertainer of the year. Hit series "black-ish" and "Power" won multiple awards.
Television producer Mark Burnett, left, looks on as President Donald Trump arrives for the National Prayer Breakfast, Feb. 2, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Mark Burnett, the power producer who helped reintroduce Donald Trump to a national television audience with "The Apprentice," is being tapped by the president-elect as special envoy to the United Kingdom in his upcoming administration.
"With a distinguished career in television production and business, Mark brings a unique blend of diplomatic acumen and international recognition to this important role," Trump announced Saturday.
Burnett, who was born in London, helped produce hits like "Survivor" and "The Voice," but is perhaps best known for teaming up with Trump for "The Apprentice," which first aired on NBC in 2004.
Trump had been well-known in real estate and pop culture circles for decades. But the show helped again make him a household name — though Trump severed ties with NBC in 2015, the same year he launched his first White House run.
The selection of Burnett continues Trump's trend of filling out his incoming administration with people who have high-profile backgrounds in television or politics, or both — including his choice to be defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, a former co-host of "Fox & Friends Weekend," and ex-television doctor and unsuccessful Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, Mehmet Oz.
Trump's first campaign in 2016 was rocked by allegations about his conduct on "The Apprentice" and other appearances during his association with NBC, notably in footage in which he said he could sexually assault women and get away with it because he was a "star."
Almost a decade after he left his reality TV role, Trump's television career remains central to his biography and political rise. The show presented Trump Tower to tens of millions of people as a symbol of power and success before Trump launched his first... Read More
