Al Sharpton News

MSNBC will present special coverage of the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington live from the National Mall on Friday, August 23 and Saturday, August 24

Broadcast Music, Inc., (BMI), the global leader in music rights management, will present the BMI Icon Award to Cash Money's Bryan 'Birdman' Williams and Ronald 'Slim' Williams at the 2013 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards, to be held Thursday, August 22, at the Manhattan Center in New York City. The star-studded event, formerly known as the BMI Urban Awards, draws the entire entertainment community together to celebrate the songwriters, producers and publishers of the most-performed r&b/hip-hop songs of the previous year.

Below is a transcript of Sunday's broadcast courtesy of NBC News' “Meet the Press.”

Last night I had the privilege of taking a look back on an incredibly impressive recent string of major musicals starring the phenomenally talented Brandon Victor Dixon with the leading man himself, ranging from his work last year Off-Broadway in RENT as well as the Williamstown Theatre Festival mounting of FAR FROM HEAVEN, both directed by Michael Greif, through to his acclaimed performance in Kander & Ebb's THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS through to his new role portraying music titan Berry Gordy himself in the audience hit of the 2012-2013 season, MOTOWN. In addition to eloquently expounding on his various starring roles in those four major musicals and reflecting upon his time spent in each production, Dixon also opens up about his passion for performance in general and the importance of collaboration in the creation of any musical from the ground-up. Dixon also comments upon his experiences originating a role in Oprah Winfrey's recent stage venture THE COLOR PURPLE as well as recounts his association with COTTON CLUB PARADE - set to premiere on Broadway under a new title later this year - as well as the various incarnations of his stage piece based on the life and career of Ray Charles. Most importantly, besides all about MOTOWN and his work with Gordy and the cast on the hit show, Dixon also previews what we can expect from the cast of the show on tonight's A CAPITOL FOURTH PBS concert extravaganza, featuring Dixon alongside MOTOWN standout Saycon Sengbloh. All of that, first news on Dixon's upcoming self-penned solo album project, memories of working on THE GOOD WIFE, thoughts on GLEE and the modern performing arts revolution and much, much more!

50 years ago during the March on Washington, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King stood up to proclaim, 'I Have A Dream.' This summer, Reverend Al Sharpton and MSNBC will be honoring and celebrating that historic moment by 'Advancing the Dream'.

MSNBC was the #2 cable news network for the month of June, topping CNN and HLN in key ratings categories, according to data from Nielsen. Without big news events to drive ratings, CNN dropped 43% in weekday Primetime and 40% in daytime among A25-54 compared to May 2013. FOX News Channel saw the network's lowest weekday Primetime performance among A25-54 in more than twelve years - since August 2001.

MSNBC has teamed up with Essence Communications Inc. for the 2013 ESSENCE Festival held in New Orleans July 4-7.

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE opened last night's show with Al Sharpton attempting to get to the bottom of the IRS targeting the Tea Party and other conservative groups. Check it out below!

Thursday, May 2, 2013, will mark one year since the release of the memoir Living With Sickle Cell Disease: The Struggle to Survive by Judy Gray Johnson. By publishing her life's story, Judy has distinguished herself as a master storyteller and tireless advocate for sickle cell disease patients.

The annual White House Correspondents' Association's annual dinner was held on April 27, 2013. Proceeds from the dinner, which is well known for being the hottest ticket in Washington year in and year out, help fund over $100,000 in scholarships. Check out photos of the gentlemen in attendance below!

Mike Tyson bared his soul in his one man performance 'Undisputed Truth,' Thursday night, April 25th, at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.

The Tribeca Film Institute (TFI) announced the winners of the 10th Annual Tribeca All Access (TAA) Creative Promise Awards presented by the Time Warner Foundation at a ceremony earlier tonight. The narrativeThe Lobbyists and the documentary (T)ERROR were selected from 11 projects based on the strength of their vision and filmmaking promise. Each project received $10,000 to help bring their films to completion. The Institute also announced this year's TAA alumni grants and fellowships during the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival. The grants, all presented at tonight's event, total over $90,000 in funds.

MSNBC topped CNN in total day, morning and primetime among both total viewers and A25-54 for the quarter.

On today's "Meet the Press,' the show featured interviews with two key "Gang of Eight" members, Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ); a roundtable discussion on immigration and gun reform with former Obama senior adviser David Axelrod, former Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA), Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson, and Wall Street Journalcolumnist Peggy Noonan; as well as a roundtable on gay marriage and the Supreme Court with Noonan, actor and advocateRob Reiner, President of the National Organization for Marriage Brian Brown, founder and President of the National Action Network, MSNBC's Rev. Al Sharpton, and NBC News Justice Correspondent Pete Williams. NBC News political director and chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd moderated today's program.

MSNBC ranked #2 for the month of February in all major ratings categories according to data from Nielsen. In February, MSNBC had the network's highest -rated State of the Union address in network history among A25-54 and total viewers, topping FOX News Channel among A25-54. MSNBC also had the network's most-watched news documentary in more than ten years with 'Hubris, The Selling the Iraq War' hosted by Rachel Maddow which debuted on February 18.

MSNBC's continuing coverage and analysis of President Obama's State of the Union Address and the Republican response from Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) will begin at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, February 12.

Critically acclaimed, Grammy Award-winning violinist and producer, Miri Ben-Ari, launches 'The Beautiful Sound Tour' atThe Gramercy Theatre in New York on February 20th. Ben-Ari is known world-wide as a musical pioneer as every phrase of her unique sound -- a revolutionary fusion of classical, jazz, R&B and hip hop -- is a storied experience of her origins in Israel, life in New York City, and career that includes a string of honors. Miri has been named one of 25 “Remarkable Women” in 2011 by First Lady Michelle Obama, an “Apollo Legend”by the famed Apollo Theatre in New York City, is a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nation Associations for Brazil, and is a recipient of theMLK Community Service Award by Al Sharpton's National Action Network.

MSNBC is continuing the ratings momentum with a strong January 2013, posting year-over-year growth in all key dayparts, according to data from Nielsen.