The nominees for THE 45TH NAACP IMAGE AWARDS were announced recently at the TV One presentation to the Television Critics Association during its Winter 2014 Press Tour in Pasadena, CA. David Oyelowo ("Lee Daniels' 'The Butler'"), Joe Morton (ABC's "Scandal"), Keke Palmer (VH1's "CrazySexyCool"), Bresha Webb (TV One's "Love That Girl") and Gina Torres (USA's "Suits") announced the categories and nominees with NAACP Image Awards Committee Chairman, Leonard James and President and CEO of TV One, Alfred Liggins.

BET and CBS lead the nominees in the TV categories with 19 and 16 nominations respectively, followed by ABC with 15 nominations and HBO with 13 nominations. In the recording category, RCA leads with 10 nominations, followed by Atlantic Records with eight nominations and Columbia Records with seven nominations. In the motion picture category, The Weinstein Company leads with 17 nominations, followed by Fox Searchlight Pictures with seven nominations.

The NAACP Image Awards celebrates the accomplishments of people of color in the fields of television, music, literature and film and also honors individuals or groups who promote social justice through creative endeavors. Winners will be voted upon by NAACP members and announced when the envelopes are opened on Friday, February 21 during the Awards Ceremony for non-televised categories. The remaining categories will be announced LIVE on stage during the two-hour star-studded TV One telecast on Saturday, February 22 (9:00 p.m. ET/PT tape-delayed). The telecast will also include a one-hour live from the red carpet show (8:00 p.m. ET/PT tape-delayed).

"This has been an incredible year from the artistic community, with phenomenal contributions across the board from the music, television, motion picture, and literature genres that have the power and impact to drive social change," stated Roslyn M. Brock, Chairman of the NAACP. "The NAACP Image Awards provides an excellent venue to recognize those who make a difference through art and activism, and we are excited to honor and celebrate this caliber of talent."

"The Image Awards recognize the best that communities of color have to offer and is an exciting addition to our programming line-up -- TV One is pleased to showcase all of these achievements on our network," stated Liggins.
Following is a partial list of categories and nominees for the 45TH NAACP Image Awards:

Outstanding Comedy Series
“House of Lies” (Showtime)
“Modern Family" (ABC)
“Real Husbands of Hollywood" (BET)
"The Game" (BET)
"The Soul Man" (TV Land)

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
Andre Braugher - "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" (FOX)
Cedric The Entertainer - "The Soul Man" (TV Land)
Don Cheadle - "House of Lies" (Showtime)
Dulé Hill - "Psych" (USA Network)
Kevin Hart - "Real Husbands of Hollywood" (BET)

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series
Aisha Tyler - "Archer" (FX Networks)
Mindy Kaling - "The Mindy Project" (FOX)
Niecy Nash - "The Soul Man" (TV Land)
Tasha Smith - "Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse" (OWN)
Wendy Raquel Robinson - "The Game" (BET)

Outstanding Drama Series
"Boardwalk Empire" (HBO)
"Grey's Anatomy" (ABC)
"Scandal" (ABC)
"The Good Wife" (CBS)
"Treme" (HBO)

Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series
James Pickens, Jr. - "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC)
LL Cool J - "NCIS: Los Angeles" (CBS)
Michael Ealy - "Almost Human" (FOX)
Shemar Moore - "Criminal Minds" (CBS)
Wendell Pierce - "Treme" (HBO)

Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series
Chandra Wilson - "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC)
Kerry Washington - "Scandal" (ABC)
Khandi Alexander - "Treme" (HBO)
Nicole Beharie - "Sleepy Hollow" (FOX)
Regina King - "SouthLAnd" (TNT)

Outstanding New Artist
Ariana Grande (Republic Records)
Candice Glover (19 Recordings/Interscope Records)
K. Michelle (Atlantic Records)
RaVaughn Brown (Columbia Records)
Zendaya (Hollywood Records)

Outstanding Male Artist
Bruno Mars (Atlantic Records)
Charlie Wilson (RCA Records)
John Legend (Columbia Records)
Justin Timberlake (RCA Records)
Robin Thicke (Star Trak/Interscope)

Outstanding Female Artist
Beyoncé (Columbia Records)
India.Arie (Motown Records)
Janelle Monáe (Bad Boy/Atlantic)
Ledisi (Verve Records)
Mary J Blige (Verve Records/Interscope)

Outstanding Album
"20/20 Experience - The Complete Experience" - Justin Timberlake (RCA Records)
"Blurred Lines" - Robin Thicke (Star Trak/Interscope)
"Love In The Future" - John Legend (Columbia Records)
"Love, Charlie" - Charlie Wilson (RCA Records)
"The Electric Lady" - Janelle Monáe (Bad Boy/Atlantic)

Outstanding Motion Picture
"12 Years A Slave" (River Road/Plan B/New Regency/Fox Searchlight Pictures)
"Fruitvale Station" (The Weinstein Company/Forest Whitaker's Significant Productions, OG Project)
"Lee Daniels' The Butler" (The Weinstein Company/Lee Daniels Entertainment, Laura Ziskin Productions, Windy Hill Pictures, Follow Through Productions, Salamander Pictures, Pam Williams Productions)
"Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" (The Weinstein Company/Distant Horizon, Origin Pictures, Pathé, Videovision Entertainment)
"The Best Man Holiday" (Universal Pictures)

For more information about the event and the NAACP log on to www.naacp.org