NBC Announces July 10 Premiere of "The Singing Bee"  6/25/07

AMERICANS WILL BE SINGING ALONG WITH THEIR TV SETS WHEN NBC PREMIERES THE ANTICIPATED VARIETY GAME SHOW “THE SINGING BEE” ON TUESDAY, JULY 10 HOSTED BY FAN-FAVORITE JOEY FATONE

BURBANK – June 25, 2007 – America's dancing dynamo and former *NSYNC star Joey Fatone ("Dancing with the Stars") hosts NBC's ultimate sing-along variety game show "The Singing Bee," which is set to premiere on Tuesday, July 10 (9:30-10 p.m. ET) following the 90-minute "Las Vegas Callbacks" episode of summer's #1 hit "America's Got Talent" (8-9:30 p.m. ET).

The announcement was made today by Craig Plestis, Executive Vice President, Alternative Programming, Development and Specials, NBC Entertainment.

"This fun-filled family show is going to have viewers singing along with their TV sets," said Plestis. "Coupled with 'America's Got Talent,' we've got two great hours of TV that America can fall in love with every Tuesday night."

Added Plestis, "We are also thrilled to have Joey on board to host. He brings an added burst of energy and a legion of fans with his musical talent and infectious personality."

In "The Singing Bee," contestants will be challenged to accurately sing the lyrics to the most popular songs of all time in a variety of karaoke-style competitions. Each episode will begin with an audience-wide sing-along where eight lucky contestants will be chosen to compete in a series of fun-filled singing games. In this exciting singing showdown, there's no middle ground for partially correct answers -- contestants must be perfect or they're out of the game. Family-friendly and conducive to playing (and singing) along at home, "The Singing Bee" inspires hilarious wrong answers and amazing performances by those rare contestants who somehow manage to get every word right.

In addition, all music on the show will be performed by house band "Ray Chew and the Buzz" with "The Singing Bee" dancers, "The Honeybees."

Fatone, former member of the musical sensation *NSYNC, is a multi-talented "triple threat" most recently dancing his way to second place on "Dancing with the Stars." He has also appeared in multiple Broadway musicals including "Rent" and "Little Shop of Horrors," and the feature films "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and "The Cooler."

"The Singing Bee" is created and produced by Juma Entertainment, LLC and The Gurin Company. The executive producers are Phil Gurin (NBC's "Miss Universe" franchise) and Robert C. Horowitz ("Super Bowl's Greatest Commercials Top 40 Countdown").

Source: NBC Press Release