Joey Fatone News

Joey Fatone and Melanie Brown can't get enough of reality TV. Either that, or they can't find any other work.

Regardless of the reasons, the former Dancing with the Stars contestants will host a new show this summer, The Singing Office set to air on TLC. It will pit office workers against one another in a battle of vocal ability.

The Singing Office will surprise two workplaces, giving workers there on-the-spot auditions. Fatone and Brown will then choose the five best singers from each office and send them off for vocal and dance training. After the singers have been trained, they will come back to compete against one another in front of a studio audience.

Scary Spice has told reporters that the show is not meant to be a competitor of American Idol or Dancing with the Stars, claiming that The Singing Office is "not a serious competition."

No definite premiere date has been set for the show, though word is it will hit the airwaves in late June. Meanwhile, viewers will get to see the two hosts at the Dancing with the Stars reunion show, which is set to air May 6 in celebration of the show's 100th episode.

Before Joey Fatone blows a lung over how badly both himself and Melanie Brown got robbed on Dancing with the Stars, allow us to remind him:

You both dance professionally for a living! You never should have been allowed on the show!

Not that that's out of our system, here's what Fatone has to say about this year's Dancing with the Stars results:

"I got robbed, I got robbed! I know I got robbed. I think Mel B. got robbed too," the Singing Bee host said, mostly in a good-natured tone. "I think Mel should've won."

And why should Brown, who also came in second, have finished first? Because of "her charisma and everything else. I think she did a really fantastic job, and Helio Castroneves did an amazing job as well, but you see where she came a lot out of her shell."

As for where he watched this week's finale, he said: "I was actually at Southern Hospitality, Justin [Timberlake]'s spot. Him and a friend of mine, Aton, who owns the restaurant, went out over there with friends and family in town - so it was kind of a nice get-together. Like, 20 of my friends and cousins and stuff."

Joey Fatone has signed on for red-carpet duty. He'll serve co-host - alongside Lisa Rinna - of TV Guide Network's red-carpet coverage of major awards shows.

Their first gig together: the Emmy Awards on Sept. 16.

"Joey is a top-notch professional with a natural likeability and great sense of humor, all of which are essential attributes of a red-carpet host," said TV Guide Network President Ryan O'Hara in a statement Tuesday.

"He will be a terrific complement to [former Days of Our Lives star, Lisa], who is also incredibly charismatic and brings a wealth of fashion savvy and insight," O'Hara said.

In a statement, The Singing Bee host said he plans to make "the red carpet experience entertaining, spontaneous and most of all fun _ not only for those walking the red carpet, but also for the fans watching at home."

He will co-host TV Guide's red-carpet coverage through 2008, including the Academy Awards, Golden Globe awards, Grammy Awards and Screen Actors Guild awards.

Before The Singing Bee premieres tonight, host Joey Fatone talked to TV Guide about the new gig...

TVGuide.com: First off, a friend of mine wants me to tell you that she was "devastated" that she didn't get to see you when the Dancing with the Stars tour came to Bridgeport last week. [Fatone was called away to tape Singing Bee.]
Joey Fatone: Awww....

TVGuide.com: She really wanted to see you and [pro partner] Kym [Johnson] do "Star Wars."
Fatone: We actually didn't do "Star Wars," but we did do the jive and we did our freestyle.

TVGuide.com: How has the tour been going for you?
Fatone: It's a lot of fun, actually. You think, "I'm never going to see these people again," and here I am with Cheryl Burke and all of them. It's amazing because it's not as much work as the show, where we were rehearsing for five or six hours.

TVGuide.com: It's probably like a summer-camp version of DWTS.
Fatone: Oh, yeah. And people love it. It's fun.

TVGuide.com: Is The Singing Bee the sort of opportunity you wished or hoped you would get after DWTS? We've seen a lot of the show's alumni line up these kinds of gigs pretty quickly.
Fatone: I guess there is a demand for Dancing with the Stars celebs. [Laughs] It was nice for me, it was an open book. Whatever path, I was open to it. I wasn't really trying to do a hosting gig, but they approached me about it, and it's geared toward music and it's a lot of fun. It's an in-your-face way for people to get out there and sing. But if you sing with one word added in â€" a "the," "a" or "well" â€" it's wrong. The great thing about The Singing Bee is that it's not that hard. In the games we taped this past week, five to six people won the [top prize of] $50,000. It's practically giving the money away.

TVGuide.com: Ask anybody I work with: I am usually walking around the office singing a song I more than likely don't know the right words to. Will The Singing Bee offer people like me some comfort, in that "You're not alone" kind of way?
Fatone: Oh, yeah, you're definitely not alone. There are a lot of people who think they know the words to songs but they only know the chorus and not the verses. In one game [of The Singing Bee], you have to sing the whole chorus; another one is like a karaoke where you have to fill in the blanks; and then in the third game, they'll sing a verse and you have to finish it. It's pretty amazing to watch people cringe when they hear the year, then the artist and then the song. We had one guy stand there and when the music stopped he was like, "Ahhhhhhhhhh!" He just screamed.

TVGuide.com: Have there been any instances where someone thought the words were something that made you bust out laughing?
Fatone: Yeah. Sometimes they just put in words that don't even make any sense, or they mumble.... One guy was singing "Sweet Home Alabama" and he sang, "Well, Lord, I'm coming home to you." He thought he got it right but they checked and it's just "Lord, I'm coming home to you." You've got to get it on. The judges listen to it three or four times sometimes. One time, some girl said a word that sounded like the right word, because the phrasing of the word was stretched, but the minute she ended the phrase it was the wrong word. They're pretty tough!

TVGuide.com: How many episodes do we go until someone is tested on an 'N Sync song?
Fatone: I believe that was the first show out of the gate. Of course they had to do that to me!

TVGuide.com: And did the person get it right?
Fatone: I think they got it wrong! [Laughs]

He's coming back to reality TV, folks.

Joey Fatone will host NBC's ultimate sing-along variety game show The Singing Bee, which is set to premiere on Tuesday, July 10 (9:30-10 p.m. ET) following the 90-minute "Las Vegas Callbacks" episode of summer's top show, America's Got Talent (8-9:30 p.m. ET).

The announcement was made by Craig Plestis, Executive Vice President, Alternative Programming, Development and Specials, NBC Entertainment.

"This fun-filled family show is going to have viewers singing along with their TV sets," said Plestis. "Coupled with America's Got Talent, we've got two great hours of TV that America can fall in love with every Tuesday night."

Reality TV Magazine reported that Plestis said the following regarding Fatone: "We are also thrilled to have Joey on board to host. He brings an added burst of energy and a legion of fans with his musical talent and infectious personality."

In The Singing Bee, contestants will be challenged to accurately sing the lyrics to the most popular songs of all-time in a variety of karaoke-style competitions. Each episode will begin with an audience-wide sing-along where eight contestants will be chosen to compete in a series of fun-filled singing games.

In such a singing showdown, there's no middle ground for partially correct answers; contestants must be perfect or they're out of the game. Family-friendly and conducive to playing (and singing) along at home, The Singing Bee aims to inspire hilarious wrong answers and amazing performances by those rare contestants who somehow manage to get every word right.

Ten weeks of Dancing with the Stars has gone down to this week, this night.

With just three top-notch couples remaining, which stepped up its game? Can Laila Ali and Maksim Chmerkovskiy overcome their underdog status when compared with the moves of Joey Fatone and Apolo Anton Ohno?

It was quite the night of moving and shaking. Read about it now in our episode guide!

Two dances, two perfect scores? Which Dancing with the Stars couple pulled off this feat last night?

Was it the current favorites, Apolo Anton Ohno and Julianne Hough? Or maybe Joey Fatone and Kym Johnson stepped up their game after being dropped to the final two last week.

Without her legendary father in attendance this time, how did Laila Ali fare? There's only one way to discover the answers to all these pressing questions ...

Read our week 9 episode guide right now!

On April 13, many in the Dancing with the Stars cast attended the 14th Annual Race to Erase MS.

Here are a few photos from the charity event, starting with this year's current favorites, Apolo Anton Ohno and Julianne Hough:

Next, take a look at a happy, romantic couple. Yes, that really is Matthew Lawrence with his arm around Cheryl Burke:

Finally - look out! - a giant close up of Joey Fatone is coming your way. We doubt the ladies will mind, however:

After saying goodbye to Leeza Gibbons last week, it's on to the latest round of moving and shaking ...

Ian Ziering and Cheryl Burke (Samba) - Ian is definitely capable of more attitude and athleticism, and the judges are on to him. His arm muscles were the most impressive of the night, but his Samba was mediocre when compared with Apolo's. Ian admitted that he had trouble getting into the character of the dance. If he's going to make it to the finals, he will have to overcome that challenge. Score: 24 (all 8s)

Clyde Drexler and Elena Grinenko (Rumba) - Early on in the competition, the judges encouraged Clyde to take advantage of his long legs and open up on the dance floor. But he is still not heeding this advice. We keep waiting for him to surprise the audience with a little more movement, but no such luck. Clyde and Elena's Rumba was very subdued. The judges showed the couple no mercy, calling Clyde the worst dancer in the competition. Score: 13 (4, 5, 4) Deserved, but ouch.

Heather Mills and Jonathan Roberts (Samba) - We never noticed that Jonathan was the only male professional with hair on his chest, but Heather did. She insisted that her partner get the "Steve Carell" treatment (that's chest-waxing, for those of you who didn't see The 40-Year-Old Virgin). The pair performed a lively, entertaining Samba. Heather is a great performer, but she was not at her technical best tonight. Their performance took an unlucky turn when Heather's foot slipped on Jonathan's baby-smooth chest, sending her to the floor butt-first. The judges gave her a break, since the rest of the dance was more than competent. We're guessing that the fall will motivate Heather to really bring it next week. Score: 21 (7, 7, 7)

Joey Fatone and Kym Johnson (Rumba) - Joey wanted to shed his goofy side and get into the sexy character of the Rumba. He was flexible and focused, and he even grabbed Kym's butt a few times for good measure. We loved the couple's costumes, particularly Kym's beautiful dress. The judges gave Joey some grief for being too feminine, and Carrie Ann thought that Joey "over-performed" the dance. Bruno was the sole voice of dissent, calling the performance "strong and soft." Score: 25 (8, 8, 9)

John Ratzenberger and Edyta Sliwinska (Samba) - John seemed to take last week's brutal comments to heart, comparing the remarks to a "playground taunting." He stopped himself from pouting, though, which is admirable.He's a charming, lovable guy, and his personality could save him this week. John might end up in the bottom two, but he will probably escape elimination. Score: 18 (6, 6, 6)

Laila Ali and Maksim Chmerkovskiy (Rumba) - Laila's fiancé made a hilarious appearance during practice, and kept a close eye on the placement of Maksim's hands. Fortunately for all of us, his influence didn't carry over into the couple's performance. Laila's Rumba was hot and flirtatious, and she looked as flawless as ever. As long as the pair can follow the rules and maintain their sex appeal, they have a real shot at winning. Len thought it was Laila's best performance ever, and Bruno thought she was "smoldering." Score: 28 (9, 10, 9)

Apolo Anton Ohno and Julianne Hough (Samba) - Apolo Anton Ohno confessed that he desperately wanted a 10, and he got three of them. The first perfect score of the season was well-deserved. Apolo and Julianne did their best to go from cute to sexy, and they pulled it off. These two can really get into the spirit of every dance that they perform. Len said that all of the elements of their performance came together, and Carrie Ann called the Samba "perfection." They have to get the encore tomorrow, and we cannot wait to see them dance again. Score: 30 (10,10,10)

Billy Ray Cyrus and Karina Smirnoff (Rumba) - Few men can pull off a pastel purple sleeveless shirt, and Billy Ray is not one of them. Billy Ray's Rumba was a step backward in terms of skill and entertainment value. Karina basically lap-danced around him. The worst part was Billy Ray's attempt at sexiness, which came off more like smarminess. The guy is starting to give us the creeps. Carrie Ann praised Billy Ray's technical skills, while Bruno compared him to a "pillar of salt." Len said that Billy Ray traded the romance of the Rumba for "hanky-panky in the back of a Chevy." Nobody was amused by Billy Ray's predictable response. Billy Ray had a lot of potential early on, but his performances have plateaued. Fan votes are the only thing keeping him alive. Score: 17 (6, 6, 5)

His moves may have won over Dancing with the Stars fans, but the judges keep pointing out the prominent posterior on a certain contestant.

"It's big. It's a little juicy. There's nothing wrong with it," Joey Fatone told People magazine on Saturday at an Alzheimer's benefit event at the Playboy Mansion.

Still, Fatone works hard to make his rear less obvious on the dance floor. "It's gotta tuck in," he said. "I've got to push my pelvic bone in. I get nervous, though, when I do."

Why is that? "You'd be surprised: Even though I'm standing with a beautiful woman, you know, you would actually thrust? I hold back because I feel like I'm violating [partner Kym Johnson]."

And though he's struggling with his rump issues, he's confident there's a future for the Fatone fanny. "Actually," he admitted, "I want to put insurance on my ass like Jennifer Lopez did."

Fatone and Johnson will be back on the dance floor on Monday's Dancing with the Stars when they take on the rumba tonight. We'll have the recap first thing in the morning.