Lucy Lawless
(Xena: Warrior Princess), Jai Rodriguez
(Queer Eye), and Hal Sparks (Queer as
Folk) will be part of an all-star group of
celebrities including Cheech Marin, 2004 Olympic gold
medal-winning gymnast Carly Patterson, actor-director
Alfonso Ribeiro (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), and
actress Lea Thompson (Caroline in the City) who
will compete weekly on Celebrity Duets , premiering Tuesday, August 29, at 8 p.m.
Eastern time on Fox. Wayne Brady will host the
show.
Each week the
celebrity competitors will be paired with a different
recording superstar. The list of artists who will
participate includes Clint Black, Michael Bolton,
Belinda Carlisle, Taylor Dayne, Peter Frampton, Macy
Gray, James Ingram, Wynonna Judd, Chaka Khan, Patti
LaBelle, Kenny Loggins, Richard Marx, Brian McKnight, Aaron
Neville, Smokey Robinson, Randy Travis, Dionne Warwick, Lee
Ann Womack, and others. In addition, legendary
producer David Foster will serve as a judge for the
weekly singing competition. Additional recording superstars
and other show participants will be announced.
The show will
premiere on a one-time-only two-hour special, live on Fox,
on August 29. The show will begin in its regular time
period live on Thursday, September 7, at 9 p.m.
Eastern time.
After each
performance episode, viewers will vote for their favorite
celebrity performers, with the outcome announced live on the
weekly results show beginning Friday, September 8, at
9 p.m. Eastern time. The celebrity with the fewest
votes each week will be eliminated from the
competition. The winning celebrity will win a $100,000
cash prize, which will be donated to the charity of
his or her choice. (The Advocate)