Clash of the Choirs

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Clash of the Choirs
Format Interactive reality talent contest
Presented by Maria Menounos
Judges Michael Bolton
Patti LaBelle
Nick Lachey
Kelly Rowland
Blake Shelton
Country of origin United States
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 4
Production
Location(s) Brooklyn, New York
Running time 2 hours
Broadcast
Original channel NBC
Picture format 480i (NTSC),
720p (HDTV)
Original run December 17, 2007 – December 20, 2007
External links
Official website

Clash of the Choirs was a reality talent contest miniseries that debuted on NBC in the United States on December 17, 2007. There were four episodes scheduled in the “quick competition”.[1] Maria Menounos is the host of the program, which was performed live from Stage One at Steiner Studios in Brooklyn, New York.

The format was based on an idea from the swedish singer and choirst Caroline af Ugglas.

The format was a multi-city “bragging rights” competition between 20-person choirs assembled in the hometowns of the recording artists that support them. In the 2007 competition, the choirs competed for a cash prize of $250,000, backed in part by Sony Pictures in support of its upcoming movie release, First Sunday. The film, about petty criminals using a choir in a neighborhood church as part of their scheme, is set for release 11 January, 2008, in the United States and Canada and throughout Europe in April 2008.[2] The prize was in the form of a contribution to a charity active in the artist's hometown.

The choir led by former 98° singer Nick Lachey won the 2007 competition, which was decided by public vote after four nights of live performances. Patti LaBelle's choir finished second, followed by Blake Shelton's, Michael Bolton's, and Kelly Rowland's. The remaining teams received $50,000 each of donations, courtesy of General Electric, parent company of network owner NBC Universal.

The miniseries aired right as most US primetime broadcast television series had run out of new episodes mainly due to the Writers Guild of America strike.[3][4] Airing the week before Christmas song choices reflected a spiritual tone with one critic speculating that Patti LaBelle's choir was sure to win unless “it’s all a little too much ‘church’ for America”.[5]

The series was cancelled on April 2, 2008 after NBC announced it's 2008-2009 schedule.[6]

Contents

[edit] Teams and results

  Celebrity Hometown Team's hometown charity Finish
  Nick Lachey Cincinnati, Ohio Children's Hospital of Cincinnati Winners
  Patti LaBelle Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Lift Our Voices (cancer screenings for African-Americans) 2nd Place
  Blake Shelton Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Project Rebuild (disaster relief), Army MWR 3rd Place
  Michael Bolton New Haven, Connecticut Domestic Violence Services of New Haven 4th Place
  Kelly Rowland Houston, Texas Bread of Life (services for homeless people) 5th Place

[edit] Format

Choir members were selected in open auditions held in each city with the celebrity officiating. After the top twenty singers from each city were selected, they were sent to New York for rehearsals before the live performances began on 17 December 2007.

I was only interested when they explained that we were going to inspire young, unestablished singers.

—Michael Bolton, commenting on the absence of critical commentary.[7]

Each choir performs, under the direction of their celebrity, and then receives comments from the other competing celebrities. The series has been criticized for not having any real tension or the reality show bite of actual judges.[8] The elimination decision is a public vote by phone and online. The choir with the lowest vote total is eliminated the following night. (In 2007, only the first two nights had eliminations, leading to a "final three.")

As noted, the top prize was a $250,000 donation to the hometown charity.

[edit] Song list

Each choir performed as part of a multi-choir medley format as well as songs for the finale night of the show (20 December). Of the songs listed below only those performed the first three nights were considered towards the final vote. On the third show (19 December), choirs performed three songs each: one as selected by the producers, then a Christmas carol, then a song in which the celebrity became the lead singer.

  • Team Rowland
  • Team Bolton
  • Team Shelton
  • Team LaBelle
  • Team Lachey

[edit] Reception

Clash was the top rated show on 19 December and had a viewership of 8.3 million (2.4/7) and "remained steady in adults 18-49" according to Nielsen Media Research.[9][10]

[edit] Additional notes

  • Clash of the Choirs is produced by BBC Worldwide America, also responsible for the ABC hit series Dancing with the Stars. The show is also produced by Friday TV, which is owned by two Swedes.´One of those was the original idea creator Caroline af Ugglas.
  • The first and third episodes were two hours in length. The second was one hour long, and the finale was also initially scheduled to be an hour. However, on December 20, 2007, NBC announced it would expand the finale from one to two hours.[11]
  • On the first episode, GE pledged $250,000 to the Disabled American Veterans. This was announced just before the performance of the Shelton choir, which features two soldiers from the Army base at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
  • T-Mobile was another sponsor of the miniseries.
  • Tracy Morgan, comedian and co-star of First Sunday, announced the winner at the end of the finale episode.
  • The Shelton choir's version of "Home," with modified lyrics, is being used by ESPN2 in conjunction with coverage of the season opening race of the NASCAR Nationwide Series, the Camping World 300 at Daytona International Speedway. The race was held on February 16, 2008; it was won by Tony Stewart. The song is being used both in event coverage and in promotional announcements.
  • WLWT, the Cincinnati NBC affiliate, held a local version of Clash of the Choirs in February 2008. It was won by the Elder High School glee club. It is currently holding another competition.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Remaining choirs will raise the roof as competition ends December 19, 2007. [1]
  2. ^ First Sunday (2008) - Release dates
  3. ^ Strikewatch: Dear Santa, Make It Stop by Kristin Dos Santos on Tue, Dec 18, 2007 [2]
  4. ^ Clash of Choirs finale goes up against lots of reruns ERIC KOHANIK, CanWest News Service. [3]
  5. ^ About Last Night: Clash of the Choirs Is No Contest Dec 18, 2007[4]
  6. ^ NBC Makes Big Plans for '08-'09 - Network takes gamble on year-round programming - Zap2it
  7. '^ Clash of the Choirs' is a kinder, gentler type of reality show By KEVIN D. THOMPSON THE PALM BEACH POST.[5]
  8. ^ Clash of the Choirs strikes a dull note | Reuters
  9. ^ CBS Is Repeat Offender Wednesday: Crime dramas carry network to top of ratings heap, December 20, 2007;[6]
  10. ^ CBS prevails in quiet Wednesday primetime By Paul J. Gough, Dec 21, 2007 [7]
  11. ^ NBC delays "Apprentice" to avoid clash Thu Dec 20, 2007 [8]

[edit] External links