NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Aug. 23, 2006) — A Yamaha
MPC7, a 7'6" Grand MIDIPiano, will be on hand when Fox Network debuts its latest reality series
Celebrity Duets. The weekly singing competition matches eight celebrities with a rotating roster of professional singing stars/duet partners in hopes of their making beautiful music together. The show is produced by
American Idol's Simon Cowell and Yamaha artist
David Foster.
"We are excited Yamaha is the trusted brand television studios and producers turn to when musical instruments are needed. It is our reputation for quality and reliability that continually sets us apart," comments Chris Gero, corporate director, Yamaha Corporate Artist Affairs.
Celebrity Duets premieres on a special night with a two hour episode Tuesday, Aug. 29 at 8 p.m. ET/PT and an encore episode on Thursday, Aug. 31 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The show then moves to its regular time slot on Thursday, Sept. 7 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Foster will also serve as one of the judges for the competition along with rocker Little Richard and singer Marie Osmond, while actor/comedian Wayne Brady hosts.
Viewers will vote to send one contestant home each week, and the winning celebrity receives $100,000 for the charity of his or her choice. Contestants include: comedian Cheech Marin, actress Lucy Lawless ("Xena: Warrior Princess"), actor Alfonso Ribeiro ("Fresh Prince of Bel Air"), host Jai Rodriguez ("Queer Eye for the Straight Guy"), actor Hal Sparks ("Queer as Folk"), actress Lea Thompson ("Back to the Future"), 2004 Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Carly Patterson and wrestling champ Chris Jericho.
Scheduled to appear as duet partners include stars such as Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson, Dionne Warwick, Randy Travis, Brian McKnight, Macy Gray, Patti LaBelle, Taylor Dayne, Peter Frampton, James Ingram, Wynonna Judd, Lee Ann Womack, Belinda Carlisle, Kenny Loggins, Chaka Khan, Richard Marx, Michael Bolton, Clint Black and Aaron Neville, among others.
