Rossi Morreale Named Host of CAN YOU DUET

Rossi Morreale Named Host of CAN YOU DUET

New Music Competition Show From 'American Idol' and 'America's Got Talent' Producers Premieres Monday, April 14 on CMT

NASHVILLE, Feb. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Television personality Rossi Morreale ("Temptation," "TBS Weekend Extra," "Foody Call") has been named host of CAN YOU DUET, CMT's new weekly music competition series produced by FremantleMedia North America (FMNA), it was jointly announced today by Eugene Young, Chief Creative Officer for FMNA, and Bob Kusbit, Head of Development for CMT. Premiering on Monday, April 14 at 10:30 p.m., ET/PT, CAN YOU DUET will seek to find the best country music duet in America.

"Rossi is the real deal," said Young and Kusbit in a joint statement. "He's a natural talent with a charisma that makes people stand up and take notice. Whether you're a contestant on the show or a viewer at home, Rossi connects with what's important."

Voted "Sexiest Man Alive" by People magazine in 2003, Morreale currently hosts the nationally-syndicated game show "Temptation," and serves as special correspondent for "TBS Weekend Extra". Past hosting duties have included "Foody Call" on The Style Network, where he helped turn average guys into culinary Casanovas; "Riding with Rossi," his signature show on The Travel Channel where he celebrated the country's continuing love affair with motorized vehicles; "Sweat," a feature-oriented sports show on the G4 Network; and TLC's "Junkyard Mega-Wars." He also served as a correspondent for "On-Air with Ryan Seacrest" and hosted Spike TV's "Midnight Spike".

Unlike other talent competition shows, each contestant on CAN YOU DUET? will compete as part of a duo, working with different partners week after week as the competition progresses. As a result, viewers will witness first-hand all the on and off-stage drama to be had in creating a dynamic musical duo. In addition to critiquing each performance and deciding who will advance to the next round, be sent home, and ultimately be crowned the best new duet in America, the Judges (to be announced) will also serve as mentors to guide, groom and develop the duets along the way.

CAN YOU DUET is produced by FremantleMedia North America. Jeff Boggs ("Nashville Star," "Spy TV") is executive producer. Bob Kusbit and Melanie Moreau serve as executive producers for CMT.

CMT has a rich history of finding and creating dynamic musical pairings with such series as CROSSROADS, which joins country music stars with artists from other genres. Upcoming CMT CROSSROADS combinations include Robert Plant & Alison Krauss and Maroon 5 and Sara Evans.

Visit CMT's press-only Web site www.cmtpress.com for more information and downloadable photos on all of CMT's programming.

CMT, a unit of Viacom's MTV Networks (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE:and) (NYSE:VIA.B) , is the leading television and digital authority on country music and Heartland entertainment, reaching more than 87 million homes in the U.S. CMT and its website, CMT.com, offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and is the top resource for country music on demand. The network's digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.

MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom, is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. MTV Networks, with 137 channels worldwide, owns and operates the following television programming services -- MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN/THE N, VH1 CLASSIC, LOGO, MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, all of these networks trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust consumer products businesses and its more than 200 interactive properties worldwide, including online, broadband, wireless and interactive television services and also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.

FremantleMedia North America (FMNA) is the U.S. production division of global media giant FremantleMedia. Based in Burbank, California, FMNA produces entertaining and innovative television programs for network, cable and syndicated platforms, including the Emmy-nominated musical/reality phenomenon "American Idol" (FOX), "American Idol Rewind" (syndicated), "American Idol Extra" (Fox Reality Channel), "America's Got Talent" (NBC), "Farmer Wants A Wife" (The CW), CAN YOU DUET (CMT), "The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency" (Oxygen), "Property Ladder" (TLC), "Family Feud" (syndicated), "Temptation" (syndicated), "Million Dollar Password" (CBS), and the longest-running game show in television history, "The Price Is Right" (CBS). For further information, visit http://www.fremantlemedia.com/.

Source: CMT

CONTACT: Lisa Chader, +1-615-335-8405, lisa.chader@cmt.com; or Chris
Delhomme, +1-310-752-8635, chris.delhomme@cmt.com, both for CMT; Manfred
Westphal, +1-818-748-1148, manfred.westphal@fremantlemedia.com, for
FremantleMedia North America

Web site: http://www.cmt.com/
http://www.fremantlemedia.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment