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Thompson, Lawless Do 'Duets' for FOX

Cheech Marin, 'Queer Eye's' Rodriguez also taking part

Zap2It.com

August 15, 2006

Lea Thompson

LOS ANGELES - We know from "Xena" that Lucy Lawless can belt out a battle cry. But can she sing? And for that matter, can Lea Thompson or Cheech Marin?

Such questions will be answered starting Aug. 29, when Lawless, who's now on "Battlestar Galactica," Marin ("Cars," "Nash Bridges") and Thompson ("Caroline in the City") join five other famous folks and a slew of recording artists to sing "Celebrity Duets" on FOX.

The other celebrity singers are actor/comedian Hal Sparks ("Queer As Folk"), Olympic gymnast Carly Patterson, former "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" star Alfonso Ribeiro, "Queer Eye" star Jai Rodriguez and former WWE champ Chris Jericho. The show's roster of professional singers includes Brian McKnight, Belinda Carlisle, Peter Frampton, Macy Gray, Clint Black, Lee Ann Womack and Kenny Loggins, among others.

The idea is to pair celebrities not known for their singing abilities with recording artists and have them compete for audiences. The show, executive produced by Simon Cowell, will more or less follow the "American Idol" format of viewers voting for their favorites after the performance episode, with the results revealed the next night. The winner will earn $100,000 for his or her favorite charity.

That's not to say, though, that the competing celebs have never warbled a tune before. Thompson, Lawless and Rodriguez have all been in Broadway musicals, and Jericho for several years has fronted a metal band called Fozzy.

Wayne Brady will host "Celebrity Duets," and songwriter and producer David Foster will serve as one of its judges. Following a two-hour premiere on the 29th, the show will move to its regular Thursday home on Sept. 7, with the results show starting Friday, Sept. 8.