Star Search premieres on CBS 01/08 8pm!

[John]

STAR SEARCH IS COMING TO CBS!
Premieres Wednesday, January 8, 8PM ET/PT

STAR SEARCH, a one-hour variety/talent series hosted by Arsenio Hall and inspired by the original "Star Search" television program (1983-1995), which helped launch the careers of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Ray Romano, Sinbad and Martin Lawrence, among others, will be broadcast live twice a week for four weeks, beginning with its premiere, on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8PM ET/PT.

The series will feature live tournament-style competitions in four categories - adult singer, junior singer, comic and supermodel - culminating in the grand prize winning STAR in each category. A panel of both celebrity judges and viewers at home via the Internet who will determine the winners.

The suspense will build each week as the head-to-head competition in each category renders a winner who will advance to the next round. There are six qualifying episodes. Winners from each of these episodes will then advance to the semi finals. The grand finale episode on Thursday, February 6 at 8PM ET/PT will crown the STAR SEARCH winner in each category!

To clarify, episodes one, two, three, five, six and seven will be "first round" matchups. Winners of episodes one, two and three will advance to episode four, the first semi-final. Winners of episodes five, six and seven will advance to episode eight, the second semi-final. Episode nine will be the grand finale in which two semi-final winners from each category will compete for the $100,000 grand prize.

[John]

ARSENIO HALL

Multi-talented actor/comedian Arsenio Hall is perhaps best known to television audiences for his successful six-year run as host and executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning "The Arsenio Hall Show." He began his career in Chicago as a standup comedian, eventually touring with more than 25 headliners. His additional television credits include "Martial Law" and hosting the "MTV Video Music Awards" for four consecutive years (1988-91). He also co-starred in the hit motion pictures "Coming to America" and "Harlem Nights."

[John]

Did anyone watch the first show? How was it? I was watching my regular "Ed", so I missed it. There's another show tonight!

[cali]

I watched.

Only 8 performers. 2 in each of the catagories listed above.

I don't know that I will be watching if there is anything else on.

My daughter enjoyed it.

The best thing I can say is it seems as though they all at least have talent.... didn't have to sit through the "auditions" of the really bad peeps like on American Idol.... of course, that is one of the fun things about AI

I would have preferred more catagories... dancers....gee, I can't think of more

Judges give their opinion, then during the commercial break the polls on their site open and the winner is announced after the commercial. My daughter tried to get on after the singers but couldn't.

[John]

Arsenio was interviewed here locally yesterday. He said that the show was live, and he thought the producers were idiots for giving HIM a live show. He just hoped his pants didn't fall down, or that he'd say too many cuss words.

[cali]

He was actually very good.

I enjoyed watching him and Ben Stein (one of the judges) the most, I think!

[John]

Oh man, Ben Stein was a judge? I would have enjoyed that.

[cali]

john, I still have one segment taped... there was a rapper on and Ben went on about the rappers that he and Greenspan like to listen too. I was rolling!

I'll rewatch that part later and give you a quick little transcript.

Carol Leifer, Naomi Judd (god, I could be so wrong there... the mom...) and Chakkah Kahn were the other three.

[fluff]

I didn'twatch it.
I might watch some of it tonight, but Popstars starts on Canadian tv so I will be glued to that.

[cali]

Here ya go John…

Ben Stein (after watching 12-year-old Eric Kidd Jr. perform his rap song on Star Search):

I love it. When I’m in Washington Alan Greenspan, head of the federal reserve, and I like to dig some raps, cop some raps—He likes Ja Rule (? I probably butchered that-Cali) and Ludicrous and I like Lil’ Bow Wow. This kid is better than Lil’ Bow Wow, I gave him 5 stars

then we had Carol Leifer (please read in as middle aged white woman voice as possible):

I thought he was mad fatt. I thought he was Illin’ and I think it’s great to see a rapper who’s crib, ya know, is an actual crib, I give him 4 stars