• by David Goetzl , June 26, 2007

Hearing that Fox would try to beat it to the punch by launching its own karaoke-type challenge series, NBC moved up the debut of "The Singing Bee" from late fall to July 10. On Monday, the network said it has tapped Joey Fatone as host, trying to build on his public-awareness renaissance after a second-place showing in ABC's "Dancing With The Stars."

"The Singing Bee" will launch in the 9:30 slot with a lead-in from the successful "America's Got Talent." Fox's "Don't Forget the Lyrics," in which the title arguably offers a more consumer-friendly encapsulation of the two shows' conceit--takes off July 11 with Wayne Brady as host.

Both shows test contestants' knowledge of the lyrics of hit songs. They essentially play off many peoples' reflexive knowledge of the tune of, say, Billy Joel's "Captain Jack," but failure to know the words beyond the first verse. It's a relatable concept, even for non-karaoke types, who find themselves at a loss while listening to the car radio.

Fatone was a star in the band NSYNC, and had a role in the hit film "My Big Fat Greek Wedding."

"Coupled with "America's Got Talent," we've got two great hours of TV that America can fall in love with every Tuesday night," said NBC's Craig Plestis.

But Tuesday nights during the summer wasn't what NBC had in mind. With some belief that it had a potential hit--now seemingly justified by Fox's move--the network had planned to air it on Fridays this fall after "1 Versus 100" finished a six-week rotation. In a sign of just how fast NBC felt it had to react to the Fox offensive, its Web site Monday still had "Singing Bee" slotted in as a new fall show. Of course, if its summer run proves successful, it could air it in the late fall.

Fox has a history of trying to slide in similar reality concepts announced by other networks with a first-move debut, including a boxing show similar to NBC's "The Contender" and the launch of "Trading Spouses" in July 2004 before ABC debuted "Wife Swap" that September.