ABC has announced that America's favorite young married couple, Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson, the stars of MTV's hit Newlyweds series, will star in their first-ever television special, a "fun-filled variety hour" of music and comedy entitled The Nick & Jessica Variety Hour on Sunday, April 11 at 9PM ET/PT on the network.
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In a throwback to the days of Sonny & Cher and The Carol Burnett Show, the program will aim to "breathe new life into the variety format," showcasing the couple's singing and comedic talents in a series of sketches and musical performances with such guests as Jewel, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Kenny Rogers, baseball Hall of Fame star Johnny Bench, Mr. T, and The Muppets stars Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy.
First announced several months back and the first tangible result of the his and her development deals that the couple recently signed with the struggling network, the special's musical performances will include a duet with Jessica and Jewel, who will sing her classic song, "Who Will Save Your Soul," and a duet with Nick and Babyface singing the Stevie Wonder classic, "For Once in My Life." Jessica will also perform "Islands in the Stream" with the legendary Kenny Rogers.
Comedy sketches include a hilarious skit with Mr. T, and Jessica and Nick dropping in on Kermit and Miss Piggy, who are taping their own variety show. Also, Nick's hometown hero, Cincinnati Reds Hall of Famer Johnny Bench, drops in to teach Nick & Jessica how to hit like a pro. Jessica will also perform her new hit single, "Take My Breathe Away."
The Nick & Jessica Variety Hour was produced by Tenth Planet Productions & JT Television in association with Touchstone Television. Joel Gallen and Joe Simpson are executive producers.