Picking an award show host is always a tough job for BET. The top-rated cable network has had some of the most lively entertainers grace its stage, from Oscar winners like Jamie Foxx and BET talk show host Mo'Nique, who famously impersonated Beyonce's dance moves, to celebrity couple Will and Jada Pinkett Smith.

This year, another Hollywood heavy hitter will take over hosting duties for the 'BET '10' award show special. Rapper, actress and spokeswoman Queen Latifah is on board to host the June 27 festivities, which will air live at 8 p.m. from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

BET President of Music Programming and Specials Stephen Hill,has served as executive producer of the annual BET Awards since 2002. Hill says that Latifah was the network's first choice for this year's host.

"When we asked her to do it, she jumped. I wasn't expecting that," he confided to BV Newswire.

"The great thing is, she just didn't say yes, she's involved. She's already coming up with ideas. And one thing that I've learned from the 10 years is, the best hosts are the ones that are most involved and prepped for the show."

At the New York Press event to announce this year's award show nominees, Latifah, who has a new movie, 'Just Wright,' in theaters, couldn't stop talking about how excited she was to finally have an award show hosting gig where she could let her hair down and have a good time.

"Well, this show will be different number one, because it's Black Entertainment Television; it is for my people. We speak our language, and I'm going to get to speak my language. I don't have to interpret anything for a change," she explained.

"The BET Awards is like a family gathering. I'm going to be able to enjoy our humor, our music, our culture, our fun, and it's different 'cause it's our flavor [and] our flavor is like nothing else on the earth."

She added, "It's just going to be a different face compared to what you see on other shows and this is the night that you'll get to enjoy that in its fullest."

Despite the rain and a hectic schedule to promote his upcoming film 'Get the Greek,' Diddy also showed up at the press conference with his group mates Dirty Money to announce that not only would his group perform at the 'BET '10' show, but that he would also host the official Coca-Cola award show after party.

"The last couple of years we haven't had such a high level of artistry and performance. This year has been BET's biggest year and when things like that happen we throw big celebrations. You will see the evolution of black music at its finest," the music mogul said.

"The BET awards shows us in the right light. We are the token act on a lot of award shows...on other shows sometimes the color of your skin takes away from what you deserve."

Trey Songz, Nicki Minaj and Drake are also set to join Diddy as performers at this year's show. Hill says the network is making sure that Drake's performance is special.

"If you remember, Drake was in a cast ,sitting on a chair last year, so we owe him a great look -- as long as he stays off the basketball court and doesn't injure his leg. We will give Drake a great look," Hill assured.

And,although BET initially thought about paying homage to past BET Award show performances, ultimately, Hill says, the decision was to keep the 10th anniversary broadcast fresh and new.

"I figured in 2010, people want to see Drake on stage more than they would want to see what happened five years ago," he laughed.

Trey Songz's new BET reality show, 'Trey Songz: My Moment in Time,' will premiere on June 29 at 10 p.m., but immediately following the award show telecast, the network will air a sneak peek.

This year marks BET's 30th anniversary. BET will also air 'BET '10' on its Web site, www.BET.com, via live stream.


Complete list of nominees;

Best Female R&B Artist
» Beyoncé
» Mary J. Blige
» Melanie Fiona
» Alicia Keys
» Rihanna

Best Male R&B Artist
» Chris Brown
» Raheem DeVaughn
» Maxwell
» Trey Songz
» Usher

Best Female Hip Hop Artist
» Ester Dean
» Lil Kim
» Nicki Minaj
» Rasheeda
» Trina

Best Male Hip Hop Artist
» B.o.B
» Drake
» Fabolous
» Jay-Z
» Ludacris

Best New Artist
» Justin Bieber
» Melanie Fiona
» Nicki Minaj
» Wale
» Young Money

Best Gospel
» The Anointed Pace Sisters
» Kirk Franklin Presents: Artists United for Haiti
» Tamela Mann
» Marvin Sapp
» Vickie Winans

Best Group
» Black Eyed Peas
» Clipse
» Diddy -- Dirty Money
» New Boyz
» Young Money

Best Collaboration
» Beyoncé (featuring Lady Gaga) - 'Video Phone'
» B.o.B (featuring Bruno Mars) - 'Nothin' on You'
» Drake and Trey Songz - 'Successful'
» Drake (featuring Lil Wayne, Kanye West and Eminem) - 'Forever'
» Jay-Z and Alicia Keys - 'Empire State of Mind'
» Trey Songz (featuring Fabolous) - 'Say Aah'

Video Director of the Year
» Benny Boom
» Gil Green
» Anthony Mandler
» Chris Robinson
» Hype Williams

Video of the Year
» Beyoncé (featuring Lady Gaga) - 'Video Phone'
» B.o.B (featuring Bruno Mars) - 'Nothin' on You'
» Melanie Fiona - 'It Kills Me'
» Jay-Z and Alicia Keys - 'Empire State of Mind'
» Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kanye West - 'Run This Town'

Best Actress
» Taraji P. Henson
» Regina King
» Mo'Nique
» Zoe Saldana
» Gabourey Sidibe

Best Actor
» Quinton Aaron
» Don Cheadle
» Idris Elba
» Jamie Foxx
» Denzel Washington

Best Movie
» 'Avatar'
» 'Law Abiding Citizen'
» 'Michael Jackson's This Is It'
» 'Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire'
» 'The Blind Side'

Young Stars Award
» Selena Gomez
» Lil JJ
» Keke Palmer
» Willow Smith
» Tyler James Williams

Subway Sportswoman of the Year
» Tamika Catchings
» Vanessa James
» Candace Parker
» Serena Williams
» Venus Williams

Subway Sportsman of the Year
» Carmelo Anthony
» Usain Bolt
» Kobe Bryant
» LeBron James
» Tiger Woods

Viewer's Choice
» Beyoncé - 'Sweet Dreams'
» Jay-Z and Alicia Keys - 'Empire State of Mind'
» Monica - 'Everything to Me'
» Rihanna (featuring Young Jeezy) - 'Hard'
» Trey Songz (featuring Fabolous) - 'Say Aah'
» Young Money (featuring Lloyd) - 'Bedrock'

Best International Act
» Kojo Antwi (Ghana)
» Chipmunk (U.K.)
» Dizzee Rascal (U.K.)
» Estelle (U.K.)
» Hip Hop Pantsula (South Africa)
» K'NAAN (Somalia)
» M.I. (Nigeria)
» P-Square (Nigeria)
» Corinne Bailey Rae (U.K.)
» Sade (U.K.)

Centric Award
» Melanie Fiona
» Maxwell
» Chrisette Michele
» Monica
» Sade