Fox has revealed the identities of some of the professional singers who will compete in Celebrity Duets, a new Simon Cowell-created reality competition series that will pair established recording stars with celebrities who work outside the music industry.
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Previously announced as simply Duets and originally set to premiere in September, Celebrity Duets will now premiere with a special one-time-only two-hour broadcast on Tuesday, August 29 at 8PM ET/PT. After its special broadcast, Fox will air Celebrity Duets' performance and results shows live on Thursdays and Fridays at 8PM ET/PT beginning September 7.
Each week that they remain in competition, Duets' still undisclosed celebrity participants (who will be competing to win "a substantial cash prize" for the charity of their choice) will be paired with a different established recording star. After choosing their songs and working with their recording artist partners, each of the celebrities will head out on stage and join their recording partner for a live duet performed in front of both a studio audience and an American Idol-like judging panel that will include legendary composer, arranger, producer, and (brief -- Fox canceled it after only two episodes) The Princes Of Malibu reality star David Foster.
Once each live Thursday night performance show ends, Duets home viewers will vote for their favorite celebrity performers and the celebrity who receives the fewest number of votes each week will be sent home during the show's Friday night results show broadcasts.
While Fox plans to announce additional names as Duets' premiere date nears, the initial list of recording stars who have committed to performing alongside one of the show's celebrities is:
• Cyndi Lauper
• Smokey Robinson
• Dionne Warwick
• Randy Travis
• Brian McKnight
• Macy Gray
• Patti LaBelle
• Kenny Loggins
• Chaka Khan
• Richard Marx
• Michael Bolton
• Clint Black
• Aaron Neville