Beyoncé Knowles is getting ready to celebrate her BET-day.
The B'day chanteuse led the pack Wednesday with six nominations for the 2007 BET Awards, dominating a field that also saw her fellow Dreamgirls stars Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy and Jamie Foxx score nods. And in keeping with the theme, the woman who inspired Knowles' big-screen star turn, Diana Ross, was tabbed as this year's Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.
All of Knowles' nominations came for her music, not acting, work: Best Female R&B Performer, the Viewer's Choice Award for "Irreplaceable," two for Best Collaboration for a pair of duets with beau Jay-Z, "Déjà Vu" and "Upgrade U," and another twofer in the Video of the Year category for "Irreplaceable" and "Beautiful Liar" with Shakira.
Oscar winner Hudson will look to bag the BET for Best Actress. She's also up for Best New Artist and will go head-to-head with Knowles in the Best Female R&B race.
Tying the American Idol alum with their own trifectas were Ciara, Akon and Gnarls Barkley, whose ubiquitous hit "Crazy" helped nabbed the neo-soul duo nominations for Video of the Year, Best Group and Best New Artist.
Another talented newcomer, Corrine Bailey Rae, garnered nods for Best Female R&B Performer and Best New Artist. Diddy, Ludacris, Mary J. Blige, Ne-Yo, and the late Gerald Levert also racked up two nominations apiece.
On the acting side, BET stalwarts Foxx, Murphy and Will Smith will vie for Best Actor against Idris Elba (Daddy's Little Girls, The Wire) and freshly minted Oscar owner Forest Whitaker.
Everybody Hates Chris' Tichina Arnold will face off against Hudson, Angela Bassett, Kerry Washington and Chandra Wilson for Best Actress.
Aside from Ross' honorary award, BET organizers also plan to honor Hotel Rwanda and Ocean's Thirteen star Don Cheadle with a humanitarian prize for his work to stop the genocide in Darfur.
Mo'Nique will be back for a third go-round as host for the June 26 ceremony, which will air live on the cable network from Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium. Artists slated to perform include 50 Cent and Grammy-winning Atlanta rapper T.I., with more acts to be announced in the coming weeks.
Here's a rundown of the nominees:
- Best Male Hip-Hop: Diddy, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Ludacris, T.I.
- Best Female R&B: Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Ciara, Jennifer Hudson, Corinne Bailey Rae
- Best Male R&B: Akon, John Legend, Gerald Levert, Ne-Yo, Robin Thicke
- Best New Artist: Lupe Fiasco, Gnarls Barkley, Jennifer Hudson, MIMS, Corinne Bailey Rae
- Best Gospel Artist: Shirley Caesar, Kirk Franklin, Fred Hammond, Dave Hollister, Mary Mary
- Best Actress: Tichina Arnold, Angela Bassett, Jennifer Hudson, Kerry Washington, Chandra Wilson
- Best Actor: Idris Elba, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Will Smith, Forest Whitaker
- Best Collaboration: "I Wanna Love You," Akon featuring Snoop Dogg; "Déjà Vu," Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z; "Upgrade U," Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z; "Last Night," Diddy featuring Keyshia Cole; "Runaway Love," Ludacris featuring Mary J. Blige
- Best Group: Gnarls Barkley, Mary Mary, Outkast, Pretty Ricky, Three Six Mafia
- Video of the Year: "I Wanna Love You, " Akon featuring Snoop Dogg; "Irreplaceable," Beyoncé; "Beautiful Liar," Beyoncé & Shakira; "Like a Boy," Ciara; "Crazy," Gnarls Barkley
- Female Athlete of the Year: Swin Cash, Tamika Catchings, Gail Devers, Lisa Leslie, Serena Williams
- Male Athlete of the Year: Reggie Bush, LeBron James, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Dwayne Wade, Tiger Woods
- BET J Cool Like That Award: Gerald Levert, Brian McKnight, Eric Roberson, Musiq Soulchild, Elisabeth Withers
- BET Choice Award: "Irreplaceable," Beyoncé; "Stuntin' Like My Daddy," Birdman & Lil Wayne; "Shortie Like Mine," Bow Wow featuring Chris Brown; "Because of You," Ciara; "Lost Without You," Robin Thicke; "Walk It Out," UNK