A Christian music version of "American Idol" dubbed "Gifted" will debut in October on Trinity Broadcasting Network. A cross-country summer bus tour to 11 Trinity stations is planned, where auditions will be held for solo singers, ages 18-24.
Orlando, Fla.-based Wright Entertainment Group -- the management company that represents Britney Spears and 'N Sync -- is part of a joint venture with Matt Crouch, son of the founders of the network, to develop the show. Costa Mesa, Calif.-based Trinity reaches 70 million U.S. homes.
Wright Generation is negotiating with a private investor to finance the project, according to a spokesperson.
Scheduled to begin July 26, the tour will stop in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, New York, California and Washington state. Contestants will perform gospel or contemporary spiritual songs.
Two finalists will be chosen at each stop. The 24 finalists will be flown to Hollywood, where they will perform before a live studio audience and be evaluated by celebrity judges.
Eight will go on to the finals, where the television audience will choose the winner, whose career will be managed by Wright and Crouch.
"It is our goal to wrap God's message -- His love -- in acceptance, and in a way that blends seamlessly into 'pop' culture while still upholding the values we, as Christians, value most," Wright Generation's mission statement reads.
Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Orlando, Fla.-based Wright Entertainment Group -- the management company that represents Britney Spears and 'N Sync -- is part of a joint venture with Matt Crouch, son of the founders of the network, to develop the show. Costa Mesa, Calif.-based Trinity reaches 70 million U.S. homes.
Wright Generation is negotiating with a private investor to finance the project, according to a spokesperson.
Scheduled to begin July 26, the tour will stop in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, New York, California and Washington state. Contestants will perform gospel or contemporary spiritual songs.
Two finalists will be chosen at each stop. The 24 finalists will be flown to Hollywood, where they will perform before a live studio audience and be evaluated by celebrity judges.
Eight will go on to the finals, where the television audience will choose the winner, whose career will be managed by Wright and Crouch.
"It is our goal to wrap God's message -- His love -- in acceptance, and in a way that blends seamlessly into 'pop' culture while still upholding the values we, as Christians, value most," Wright Generation's mission statement reads.
Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Comments