Origin Of the Show
Rising Star begins Sunday, June 22, 2014 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC. It is a music competition show developed by ABC based on the hit Israeli show HaKokhav HaBa (in translation means The Next Star). In Israel it debuted last season and has been earning record-breaking viewing success. Almost half of Israel's TV audience tuned into the show at its peak. ABC beat out several competitors in bidding for the rights to create the US version.
Dick Clark Productions is collaborating with Israel's Keshet Broadcasting to produce the first season of Rising Star. Ken Warwick, a producer of American Idol, and Nicolle Yaron, a producer of The Voice, are executive producing Rising Star.
How Rising Star Works
Rising Star breaks new ground by moving audience participation in judging to real time. Viewers at home will be able to vote on contestant performances in real time via a mobile app. The contestant also receives instant feedback as the voting happens adding drama to the show. Celebrity experts Kesha, Ludacris, and Brad Paisley will also have influence on the outcome of the competition. Josh Groban serves as host.
The expanse of the US across multiple time zones presents a unique difficulty in real time voting. Rising Star has chosen to allow viewers across Eastern, Central, and Mountain time zones to vote simultaneously while the show is airing. Rising Star will air an hour later in the Pacific time zone. If the results of viewer votes in that time zone are significantly different in favor of the contestant from earlier voting, they may still pass to the next round despite failing with the other time zone viewers.
Host Josh Groban
Josh Groban is no stranger to success in the music industry. With guidance from producer David Foster, his 2001 self-titled first album reached the top 10 on the album chart and was ultimately certified four times platinum including two top 10 adult contemporary chart hits. He has followed that success with five more studio albums that all charted at #4 or above, three going all the way to #1. His Christmas album Noel has become a holiday classic selling more than five million copies. Josh Groban has also earned praise for multiple appearances on TV shows and in movies showcasing his quirky sense of humor.
Expert Kesha
Kesha kicked off her recording career with a stunning seven consecutive top 10 pop hits. Two of those, "Tik Tok" and "We R Who We R," went all the way to #1. "Tik Tok" is one of the bestselling pop singles of all time topping sales of five million in the US alone. Kesha's debut album Animal went to #1 and has been certified platinum.
Expert Ludacris
Three time Grammy Award winner Ludacris is one of the most commercially successful rap artists of all time. Five of his albums have reached platinum certification and four of the last five have reached #1 on the album chart. He has reached the top 10 on the pop singles chart 16 times including five visits to #1. Ludacris is also a successful actor appearing frequently in movies. He shared an outstanding cast award from the Screen Actors Guild for his appearance in the 2005 film Crash.
Expert Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley broke into the country album chart with his 1999 debut Who Needs Pictures and has been a country music superstar since. He is currently riding a string of seven consecutive #1 country albums. His last three have all gone to #2 on the overall album chart. From 2005 through 2009 he released a phenomenal string of 10 consecutive #1 country singles. He is a three time Grammy Award winner.
Rising Star's Prospects
American TV audiences may be suffering from music competition fatigue. The Voice remains a hit, but both American Idol and X Factor stumbled in their most recent seasons. The real hook here is real time audience participation. The chances of a real star being discovered seem somewhat slim, but Rising Star could provide a strong boost to the music careers of host Josh Groban and the experts Kesha, Ludacris, and Brad Paisley.