Black Entertainment Television

The battle between "The Boondocks" creator Aaron McGruder and Black Entertainment Television is about to get a lot more animated. Two second-season episodes of the biting cartoon series that attack the black-themed network but were never aired -- possibly because of corporate pressure -- are slated for DVD release Tuesday.

BET President of Entertainment Reginald Hudlin plans to unveil what he feels is a slam-dunk hit for the network today at Comic-Con in San Diego: an animated series featuring Marvel Comics' Black Panther. The project about a black superhero marks the cable network's most promising push yet in its struggle to launch an animated series that will appeal to BET's target audience: urban youth.

Most eyes are on the action on stage at the BET Awards, but the view from there isn't bad either. "Last year when I performed, I looked out there and saw all these people in the room who have been idols," said young R&B star Ne-Yo, who performs again Tuesday night as the awards show returns to the Shrine Auditorium. "I looked down and saw Beyonce sitting in the first row. So you definitely want to bring your best. \o7Everybody\f7 is in that room." The performers this year include 50 Cent, T.I.

Sunday had been targeted as a red-letter day for BET executives. That's the day they'd set aside to unveil an ambitious slate of series showcasing the cable network's move into more diverse programming aimed at a wide range of black viewers to a Beverly Hills gathering of national TV writers. Those plans are still set.

"Hot Ghetto Mess" just got messier. Executives at BET had hoped that Wednesday night's premiere of the controversial series, inspired by the Hot Ghetto Mess website that highlights images of blacks in outrageous, often degrading situations and clothing, would defuse some of the uproar surrounding the show, which has been shadowed by reports of advertiser withdrawals and protests from bloggers who feared it would perpetuate negative African American images.

Long criticized for showing gangsta rap videos and those with scantily clad female dancers, Black Entertainment Television is now taking those images -- spiced with profanity and frequent use of the N-word -- and remixing them into an audacious animated video promoting literacy and black pride that is drawing both praise and condemnation.

Tonight's live finale of "Sunday Best," Black Entertainment Television's gospel-themed reality series, will most likely shower praise on one of two aspiring vocalists competing for the honor of "America's next great gospel star." More significantly, the singing competition is poised to end BET's year on a high note after several months of controversy. A jubilant mashup of "American Idol" and the black church, "Sunday Best" is part of a strategy by BET President Debra L.

REGINALD HUDLIN had a golden year in 2005 before he decided to throw it away. The veteran filmmaker was serving as an executive producer for the new Chris Rock comedy "Everybody Hates Chris," after having directed the pilot episode of the heralded UPN series. "The Boondocks," the animated version of the incendiary comic strip that he helped develop for television, had made the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim slate. "Chris" and "Boondocks" were among the most buzzed-about shows of the fall.

WHEN executives from the WB started thinking about a new student drama that would mirror the lives of their 12- to 34-year-old audience, they bypassed the traditional standby, high school. So did the creators of Oxygen's new comedy "Campus Ladies," who sought a setting for adults who dream of recapturing their youth.