Anika Noni Rose and Hill Harper to Host 41st NAACP Image Awards, 2/26

NAACP Image Award nominee and Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose and bestselling author and actor Hill Harper will host the 41ST NAACP IMAGE AWARDS, broadcast live from Los Angeles' historic Shrine Auditorium, Friday, Feb. 26 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape- delayed) on FOX. Additionally, Jamie Foxx, Lenny Kravitz, Regina King, Taraji P. Henson, Myrlie Evers Williams, Adam Rodriguez, Sherri Shepherd, Mo'Nique, Morgan Freeman, Sandra Bullock, Gabourey Sidibe, Alfre Woodard, Mariah Carey, Mekhi Phifer and Tatyana Ali, among others, are scheduled to appear on the special. Previously announced honorees include Tyler Perry, who will receive the Chairman's Award, and Wyclef Jean, who will receive the Vanguard Award.

Anika Noni Rose was most recently heard as the voice of "Princess Tiana" in the Oscar- nominated "The Princess and the Frog." She also appeared as "Grace Makutsi" in "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" and as "Lorrell" in the movie "Dreamgirls." Classically trained at San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater, Rose has performed on Broadway in "Footloose" and "Caroline, or Change," for which she garnered a Tony Award, Theatre World Award, Clarence Derwent Award, Lucille Lortel Award, L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award and Drama Desk nomination. She most recently starred as "Maggie" in Debbie Allen's acclaimed production of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." Additionally, Rose has sung all over the world, including on the 79th Annual Academy Awards and at the Vatican.

Hill Harper currently stars on "CSI: NY" as "Dr. Sheldon Hawkes," a forensic pathologist and crime-scene investigator. His television credits also include "The Handler," "Lackawanna Blues," "One Red Rose," "Soul Food" and "The Sopranos." He has appeared in more than 30 feature films, including "The Skulls," "In Too Deep," "Beloved," "He Got Game" and "Get on the Bus." His stage credits include a starring role in Jessica Hagedorn's "Dogeaters" and appearances in productions of "Your Handsome Captain," "Freeman" and David Mamet's "American Buffalo."

Additionally, Hill authored the bestselling books, "Letters to a Young Brother," "Letters to a Young Sister" and "The Conversation: How Black Men and Women Can Build Loving, Trusting Relationships." An advocate for education, Hill graduated from Brown University and holds a law degree from Harvard Law School and a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. Building on his passion for youth, Hill established Manifest Your Destiny, a foundation that aims to impact the lives of youth positively through motivation and empowerment.

Event sponsors for the 41ST NAACP IMAGE AWARDS include Ford Motor Company, FedEx, Pepsi, UAW/Chrysler, AT&T, Bank of America, Hyundai, and American Airlines.
Founded on Feb. 12, 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its half-million adult and youth members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, and monitor equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.

For more information on the NAACP IMAGE AWARDS, please visit www.naacpimageawards.net.

Photo Credit: Peter James Zielinski