Yes, ABC seems to be jumping into buffet line long after all the good food is gone with “Rising Star,” debuting Sunday, June 22 featuring three new judges: Kesha, Brad Paisley and Atlanta rap star Ludacris. Josh Groban hosts.
It’s a nicely balanced panel with a female pop star (think Christina Aguilera, Paula Abdul, Demi Lovato, JLo), a country star (think Blake Shelton, Keith Urban) and a hip-hop star (think Usher, Cee Lo, Nicki Minaj). And Groban evokes a bit of HCJ.
The only twist I can ascertain is that voting will be live, but how that impacts the West Coast viewers is a big question. There is some sort of wall that will rise higher the better the live feedback from listeners – or something like that.
Ludacris is getting heavy on TV lately. He recently taped “Celebrity Apprentice,’ which will air during the 2014-15 season.
He is hosting the Billboard Music Awards on ABC Sunday. (Yes, another music-based awards show!)