Maria Menounos Announced as Host of "Clash of the Choirs"

Maria Menounos Announced as Host of "Clash of the Choirs" 12/12/07

From The Producers of “Dancing with the Stars,” NBC Presents First Ever Four-Night Live “Sing Off” and Elimination, December 17 – 20

NEW YORK, NY, December 12, 2007 – "Today Show" and "Access Hollywood" correspondent Maria Menounos will host NBC's first ever four-night live competition series, "Clash of the Choirs." Menounos joins superstar choirmasters -- Michael Bolton, Patti LaBelle, Nick Lachey, Kelly Rowland and Blake Shelton -- on stage live in New York as they lead their hometown choirs in a musical battle for the title of America's best choir. This live event will premiere on December 17th and continue through December 20th as choirs are voted off by viewers at home.

"I'm delighted to be a part of such a great show, it's just what the holidays are all about – family-fun and giving. I use to be in a choir myself growing up and I can't wait to see these hometown choirs come to life on stage," said Menounos.

From the producers of "Dancing with the Stars," "Clash of the Choirs," will have its two-hour premiere on Monday, December 17 (8-10 p.m. ET) and will air Tuesday, December 18 (8-9 p.m. ET), Wednesday, December 19 (also a two-hour episode from 8-10 p.m. ET) with the final competition and naming of the "greatest choir" on Thursday, December 20 (8-9 p.m. ET).

Bright, articulate, engaging, and one of People Magazine's '50 Most Beautiful 2004,' Maria Menounos is one of the hottest up and coming talents in Hollywood. Menounos has played the roles of actress, journalist, entertainment reporter, filmmaker, singer and humanitarian; she is the industry's total package!

Menounos most recently filmed a cameo in the upcoming Ben Stiller comedy, "Tropic of Thunder." She has also recently starred in the romantic comedy "Kickin It Old Skool" opposite Jamie Kennedy for the Yari Film Group co-produced with Jamie Kennedy's Jizzy Entertainment and Hi-Def Entertainment.

In 2005, Menounos added two exciting roles to her repertoire. She joined both NBC News' "Today" as the new "West Coast" correspondent and NBC Universal's "Access Hollywood" as a "special correspondent." She frequently hosts the third hour of the Today Show. While continuing her acting endeavors, she has landed guest roles on the highly acclaimed dramatic series "Without a Trace" and starred in a recurring role as "Jules" in the drama "One Tree Hill," acting opposite Chad Michael Murray and recently had a guest role on NBC's Scrubs playing Zach Braff's love interest. Menounos and a recent cameo on "Entourage" and also appeared in the Sci Fi/Action movie blockbuster "Fantastic Four" alongside Jessica Alba and Michael Chiklis.

As a celebrity journalist, she formerly hosted ET on MTV and ET on VH-1, both of which soared to number-one weekend ratings on their respective networks. Her charisma and energy proved a successful combination, as she also appeared nightly as co-host and journalist for "Entertainment Tonight" and again on weekends for "ET Weekend." Menounos is currently the 2007 spokesperson for PANTENE hair care products. She was awarded the "Cyber Vixen of the Year Award" at the 2005 Video Game Awards for her role in "James Bond 007: From Russia With Love." Menounos co-hosted the annual Eurovision Music Competition Awards in May 2006, which took place in Athens, Greece and was viewed all throughout Europe.

Choirs will be eliminated one by one, until the competition comes down to three choirs on the last evening. Following each choir performance, the alternate celebrity choirmasters and a musical expert will provide commentary critiquing each choir's performance. Ultimately, the fate of the choirs rest with viewers watching at home as they judge the choir hopefuls each night. Viewers will have the opportunity to vote via phone or at www.nbc.com.

Michael Bolton traveled back to his hometown of New Haven, CT; Patti LaBelle to Philadelphia, PA; Nick Lachey returned to Cincinnati, OH; Kelly Rowland to Houston, TX; and Blake Shelton went back to Oklahoma City, OK.

"Clash of the Choirs" is produced by BBC Worldwide Productions. Paul Telegdy, Jason Raff ("America's Got Talent") and Suzy Lamb ("Phenomenon") serve as executive producers, and Linda Giambrone ("Dancing with the Stars") co-executive produces. The show is based on a format acquired from Scandinavian-based Friday TV.

Source: NBC Press Release