Increasingly busy American Idol judge Simon Cowell reportedly has yet another new reality show in the works -- Duets, an unscripted singing competition series that will feature celebrities partnering with professional singers.
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According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cowell, who already sold the series to Britain's ITV network last month, has now received a cast-contingent order for an American edition from Fox, the same network that in addition to airing Idol, will premiere Skating With Celebrities, another celebrity/professional pairing concept that will pair celebrities with professional ice skaters, later this month.
Unlike Skating With Celebrities, has already been filmed and used the scorings of the show's judges to determine which pairs would be eliminated, Duets is expected to (like Idol) let the show's home viewers have the final say as to which celebrities will be voted off.
Assuming Cowell and his SYCO Television production company can convince a group of celebrities that Fox executives deem to be appealing enough to participate, the network is reportedly thinking about airing Duets sometime this summer.
Although still best known for his Idol role, Cowell -- who also continues to work as a Sony BMG Records executive -- has used his Idol success to launch (via SYCO) several reality shows of his own. While Cupid, his initial Summer 2003 attempt that aired on CBS, wasn't a ratings success, The X-Factor, an Idol-like British music competition series, has become the United Kingdom's most popular show. Last year, ABC announced plans for Million Dollar Idea, another Cowell-created reality series that will search for America's best new invention.