Secret Talents of the Stars
Encyclopedia
Secret Talents of the Stars was an extremely short-lived CBS
reality/game show, where celebrities competed against each other in a tournament-like format in areas that differed from their normal professions, like singing, dancing, and acrobatics. Viewers were to vote on the most talented celebrity. The show premiered on April 8, 2008 and was canceled the next day due to low ratings, making it one of the few series to be canceled after one episode.
, Brian McKnight
, and Gavin Polone, home viewers were to vote online during each episode to determine which two celebrities stayed in the competition and which two were sent home. Voting was open only during the initial live broadcast to the Eastern and Central time zones as the results were to be announced at the end of each episode.
Secret Talents of the Stars was to follow a seven-week, tournament-style broadcast format.
Four acts were to each perform during both the show's live broadcasts on April 8 and 15, with home viewer votes determining two semifinalists from each of those episodes. Those four semifinalists would then have performed during a live boadcast on April 22, after which home viewer votes would determine the show's first two finalists.
Four more acts would then each have performed during both the show's live broadcasts on April 29 and May 6, with home viewer votes determining two semifinalists from each of those episodes. Those four semifinalists would then perform during a live broadcast on May 13, after which home viewer votes would determine the show's second two finalists.
The live finale broadcast would have aired on May 22, with all sixteen contestants appearing together, and the four finalists competing one last time for home viewers—who would have been able to vote during the broadcast. The winner would then be revealed at the finale's conclusion. But because of the show's cancellation, there were, of course, no results or winner.
CBS ordered Secret Talents of the Stars in January. The show was produced by Magic Molehill Productions, Inc., in association with Robyn Nash Productions and Don Weiner Productions. Robyn Nash and Don Weiner served as executive producers.
After Takei performed, Polone joked that he looked like one of the main characters in Brokeback Mountain
, the Oscar-nominated film about two gay
cowboy
s. Takei mustered a smile during the live broadcast, but in a later interview with Entertainment Tonight
, he admitted to being offended. Polone did not apologize for his words.
In comparison, the notorious flop quarterlife
, which had also been canceled after one episode by NBC
several weeks earlier, had a 3.1 rating in the 10 p.m. time slot, where fewer networks broadcast. CBS then decided not to make the remaining six episodes.
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
reality/game show, where celebrities competed against each other in a tournament-like format in areas that differed from their normal professions, like singing, dancing, and acrobatics. Viewers were to vote on the most talented celebrity. The show premiered on April 8, 2008 and was canceled the next day due to low ratings, making it one of the few series to be canceled after one episode.
Format
While the contestants' performances were critiqued by the show's judging panel of Debbie ReynoldsDebbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
, Brian McKnight
Brian McKnight
Brian McKnight is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, and R&B/Pop musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays nine instruments: piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussions, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet....
, and Gavin Polone, home viewers were to vote online during each episode to determine which two celebrities stayed in the competition and which two were sent home. Voting was open only during the initial live broadcast to the Eastern and Central time zones as the results were to be announced at the end of each episode.
Secret Talents of the Stars was to follow a seven-week, tournament-style broadcast format.
Four acts were to each perform during both the show's live broadcasts on April 8 and 15, with home viewer votes determining two semifinalists from each of those episodes. Those four semifinalists would then have performed during a live boadcast on April 22, after which home viewer votes would determine the show's first two finalists.
Four more acts would then each have performed during both the show's live broadcasts on April 29 and May 6, with home viewer votes determining two semifinalists from each of those episodes. Those four semifinalists would then perform during a live broadcast on May 13, after which home viewer votes would determine the show's second two finalists.
The live finale broadcast would have aired on May 22, with all sixteen contestants appearing together, and the four finalists competing one last time for home viewers—who would have been able to vote during the broadcast. The winner would then be revealed at the finale's conclusion. But because of the show's cancellation, there were, of course, no results or winner.
CBS ordered Secret Talents of the Stars in January. The show was produced by Magic Molehill Productions, Inc., in association with Robyn Nash Productions and Don Weiner Productions. Robyn Nash and Don Weiner served as executive producers.
Contestants
Participants in the show, as well as the "secret talents" they would be performing, include:- Clint BlackClint BlackClint Patrick Black is an American country music singer-songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and occasional actor. Signed to RCA Records in 1989, Black made his debut with his Killin' Time album, which produced four straight Number One singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country...
, countryCountry musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer-songwriterSinger-songwriterSinger-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
- performing stand-up comedyStand-up comedyStand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television... - Danny BonaduceDanny BonaduceDante Daniel "Danny" Bonaduce is an American radio/television personality, comedian, professional wrestler, and former child actor...
, former child actorChild actorThe term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
- maneuvering a unicycleUnicycleA unicycle is a human-powered, single-track vehicle with one wheel. Unicycles resemble bicycles, but are less complex.-History:One theory of the advent of the unicycle stems from the popularity of the penny-farthing during the late 19th century...
with members of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey CircusRingling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey CircusRingling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is an American circus company. The company was started when the circus created by James Anthony Bailey and P. T. Barnum was merged with the Ringling Brothers Circus. The Ringling brothers purchased the Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1907, but ran the circuses... - Sasha CohenSasha CohenAlexandra Pauline "Sasha" Cohen is a U.S. figure skater. She is the 2006 Olympic silver medalist, a three-time World Championship medalist, the 2003 Grand Prix Final Champion, and the 2006 U.S. Champion.-Personal life:...
, OlympicOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
figure skaterFigure skatingFigure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
- performing with the New Shanghai Circus, a ChineseChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
acrobatAcrobaticsAcrobatics is the performance of extraordinary feats of balance, agility and motor coordination. It can be found in many of the performing arts, as well as many sports...
troupe - Ric FlairRic FlairRichard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
, former professional wrestlerProfessional wrestlingProfessional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
- salsa dancingSalsa (dance)Salsa is a syncretic dance form with origins in Cuba as the meeting point of Spanish and African cultures.Salsa is normally a partner dance, although there are recognized solo forms such as solo dancing "suelta" and "Rueda de Casino" where multiple couples exchange partners in a circle... - Joe FrazierJoe FrazierJoseph William "Joe" Frazier , also known as Smokin' Joe, was an Olympic and Undisputed World Heavyweight boxing champion, whose professional career lasted from 1965 to 1976, with a one-fight comeback in 1981....
, former professional boxerProfessional BoxingProfessional boxing, or prizefighting, emerged in the early twentieth century as boxing gradually attained legitimacy and became a regulated, sanctioned sport. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse which is divided among the fighters and promoters as determined by contract...
- singing R&BRhythm and bluesRhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a... - Roy Jones, Jr., professional boxer - rappingRappingRapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
- Marla MaplesMarla MaplesMarla Maples is an American actress, television personality, and socialite, best known for her marriage to businessman celebrity Donald Trump.- Personal life :...
, ex-wife of Donald TrumpDonald TrumpDonald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
and co-host of The Ex-Wives ClubThe Ex-Wives ClubThe Ex-Wives Club was a reality television program hosted by Shar Jackson and Marla Maples and Angie Everhart.It focused on the hosts helping regular people as they get over painful and difficult divorces....
, doing a gymnasticsGymnasticsGymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
routine with The Anti-Gravity Troupe - Cindy MargolisCindy MargolisCynthia Dawn "Cindy" Margolis is an American glamour spokesmodel and actress.-Personal life:Margolis was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Karyn O. and William C. Margolis...
, actress and model - performing magicMagic (illusion)Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means... - Bridget MarquardtBridget MarquardtBridget Marquardt is an American television personality, model, and actress. She is best known for her role on the reality television series The Girls Next Door, which depicts her life as one of Playboy magazine publisher Hugh Hefner's girlfriends...
, actress and modelModel (person)A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
- performing trapezeTrapezeA trapeze is a short horizontal bar hung by ropes or metal straps from a support. It is an aerial apparatus commonly found in circus performances...
with the former masters of Cirque du SoleilCirque du SoleilCirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy... - Jo Dee MessinaJo Dee MessinaJo Dee Marie Messina , known professionally as Jo Dee Messina, is an American country music artist. She has charted nine Number One singles on the Billboard country music charts. She has been honored by the Country Music Association, the Academy of Country Music and has been nominated for two...
, countryCountry musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer-songwriterSinger-songwriterSinger-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
- performing a hip-hop meets step-dancing routine - Joshua MorrowJoshua MorrowJoshua Jacob Morrow is an American actor and former pop singer who plays the role of Nicholas Newman on The Young and the Restless.-Private life:In 2001, Joshua married his longtime girlfriend, Tobe Keeney...
, The Young and the RestlessThe Young and the RestlessThe Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
actorActorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
- performing a rock-n-roll jugglingJugglingJuggling is a skill involving moving objects for entertainment or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling, in which the juggler throws objects up to catch and toss up again. This may be one object or many objects, at the same time with one or many hands. Jugglers often refer...
routine with Marcus MonroeMarcus MonroeMarcus Monroe is an actor/juggler/TV personality currently living in New York City. Marcus was born in 1985 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He moved to New York in 2004 to pursue a career in entertainment. Marcus has appeared on many TV shows including MTV's TRL, ABC Family's Switched, Nickelodeon's... - MýaMya-A person:* Bo Mya , Chief Commander of the Karen National Union* Mýa , American R&B singer-songwriter and actress** Mýa , a 1998 album by Mýa-A code:* Burmese language, ISO 639-3 code is mya* Moruya Airport's IATA code...
, actress and singer - tap dancingTap danceTap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sound of one's tap shoes hitting the floor as a percussive instrument. As such, it is also commonly considered to be a form of music. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses more on the... - Sheila E.Sheila E.Sheila Escovedo , known by her stage name Sheila E., is an American drummer and percussionist, perhaps best known for her work with Prince, George Duke and Ringo Starr.-Early life and Prince period:...
, musician and former judge on The Next Great American BandThe Next Great American BandThe Next Great American Band is a reality television talent show. The show premiered on October 19, 2007 and aired on FOX at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific times Friday nights...
- jugglingJugglingJuggling is a skill involving moving objects for entertainment or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling, in which the juggler throws objects up to catch and toss up again. This may be one object or many objects, at the same time with one or many hands. Jugglers often refer...
with The Flying Karamazov BrothersThe Flying Karamazov BrothersThe Flying Karamazov Brothers are a juggling and comedy troupe who have been performing since 1973. They learned their trade while performing as street artists in Santa Cruz, California... - Ben SteinBen SteinBenjamin Jeremy "Ben" Stein is an American actor, writer, lawyer, and commentator on political and economic issues. He attained early success as a speechwriter for American presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford...
, comedianComedianA comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, attorney and commentator - dancing the jitterbug - George TakeiGeorge TakeiGeorge Hosato Takei Altman is an American actor, author, social activist and former civil politician. He is best known for his role in the television series Star Trek and its film spinoffs, in which he played Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the...
, former Star TrekStar TrekStar Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
actorActorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
- crooning as a country singer - Malcolm-Jamal WarnerMalcolm-Jamal WarnerMalcolm-Jamal Warner is an American television actor, film director, and musician. He is best known for his role as Theo Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show. Additionally, he appeared as Malcolm McGee on the UPN sitcom Malcolm & Eddie. He is currently starring as Dr...
, former Cosby ShowThe Cosby ShowThe Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
actor - performing an original song on bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
as part of a hip hopHip hopHip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
orchestraOrchestraAn orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
Episode
During the April 8, 2008, episode, the only one that aired, the judges uniformly expressed their preference for the performances of Mya and Clint Black. However, the audience votes advanced Sasha Cohen and Clint Black while sending Mya and George Takei home.After Takei performed, Polone joked that he looked like one of the main characters in Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain is a 2005 romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee. It is a film adaptation of the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx with the screenplay written by Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry...
, the Oscar-nominated film about two gay
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
s. Takei mustered a smile during the live broadcast, but in a later interview with Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid television entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer...
, he admitted to being offended. Polone did not apologize for his words.
Ratings
| # | Air Date | Rating | Share | 18-49 | Viewers (m) | Weekly Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 8, 2008 | 3.2 | 5 | 1.5/4 | 4.61 | 71 |
In comparison, the notorious flop quarterlife
Quarterlife
Quarterlife is an American web series, also briefly an NBC television series, created by Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick, the creators of Thirtysomething and Once and Again, and producers of My So-Called Life...
, which had also been canceled after one episode by NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
several weeks earlier, had a 3.1 rating in the 10 p.m. time slot, where fewer networks broadcast. CBS then decided not to make the remaining six episodes.