NAOMI JUDD RETURNS TO HER ROLE AS JUDGE ON SEASON TWO OF CMT’S “CAN YOU DUET”

02/25/09

Grammy Award-Winning Country Music Superstar Will Also Mentor Aspiring Duos


(NASHVILLE, TN – February 25, 2009) – Music superstar Naomi Judd will return to the judging panel for the second season of CMT’s hit series, CAN YOU DUET, the weekly music competition series from “American Idol” producers FremantleMedia North America that will seek to find country music’s next great duo.

Last season, Judd’s insight as a judge and mentor helped develop some of today’s brightest talents in country music, including finalists Joey + Rory, who just earned their first ACM nomination for Top Vocal Duo and released their debut album Life of a Song on Vanguard/SugarHill in October 2008. Show winners Caitlin & Will signed to Sony Music Nashville’s Columbia Records and their debut single “Even Now” just launched on radio. Also, semi-finalists Kate and Kacey (The Coppolas) recently signed with Taylor Swift’s label Big Machine Records.

First known to the world as half of the famous mother/daughter duet, The Judds, Naomi Judd is an accomplished singer/songwriter, spokesperson, entrepreneur, author and television personality. After selling over 20 million albums, garnering numerous #1 singles, winning five GRAMMY® awards and a vast array of other honors, The Judds bid farewell in 1991, but Naomi did not step out of the public spotlight. Since that time, she has remained an important advocate for women’s health issues and domestic violence, as well as an active spokesperson for anti-violence programs.

In 2004, her self-penned bestseller, “Naomi’s Breakthrough Guide, 20 Choices to Transform Your Life,” remained on The New York Times best-seller list for over eight weeks. The following year, Naomi wrote her third children’s book, “Gertie the Goldfish,” and in 2006, “The Transparent Life” hit the shelves. Last year, Naomi penned and released yet another best-seller entitled “Naomi’s Guide to Aging Gratefully.” Most recently, she was the host of “Naomi’s New Morning,” a weekly talk-show on the Hallmark Channel which ran from 2005 to 2007.

Unlike other talent competition shows, each contestant on CAN YOU DUET will compete as part of a duo, sometimes working with different partners as the competition progresses. As a result, viewers will witness first-hand all the on and off-stage drama to be had in creating a dynamic musical duo. In addition to critiquing each performance and deciding who will advance to the next round, be sent home, and ultimately be crowned country music’s next great duo, Judd – along with two more, yet to be announced judges filling the panel -- will also serve as a mentor to guide, groom and develop the duets along the way.

“Can You Duet” is produced by FremantleMedia North America. Jeff Boggs (Nashville Star, Spy TV) is executive producer. Bob Kusbit, John Hamlin and Melanie Moreau serve as executive producers for CMT.

About CMT

CMT, a unit of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and entertainment, reaching more than 88 million homes in the U.S. CMT and its website, CMT.com, offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and is the top resource for country music on demand. The network’s digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.

About FremantleMedia North America

FremantleMedia North America (FMNA) is the U.S. production division of global media giant FremantleMedia. Based in Burbank, California, FMNA produces entertaining and innovative television programs for network, cable and syndicated platforms, including the Emmy-nominated musical/reality phenomenon “American Idol" (FOX), “American Idol Rewind” (syndicated), “American Idol Extra” (Fox Reality), “America’s Got Talent” (NBC), “Celebrity Family Feud” (NBC), “The Osbournes: Reloaded” (FOX), “Hole In The Wall” (FOX), “Farmer Wants A Wife” (The CW), “The Phone” (MTV), “Rock The Cradle” (MTV), “Can You Duet” (CMT), “The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency” (Oxygen), “Match Game” (TBS), “Family Feud” (syndicated), “Million Dollar Password” (CBS), and the longest-running game show in television history, “The Price Is Right” (CBS).

About MTV Networks

MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. MTV Networks, with more than 150 channels worldwide, owns and operates the following television programming services - MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN/THE N, VH1 CLASSIC, MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, all of these networks trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust consumer products businesses and its more than 300 interactive properties worldwide, including online, broadband, wireless and interactive television services and also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.

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PRESS CONTACTS:
Andrea Robinette 615-254-9389 andrea@triple7pr.com
Cindy McLean 615-335-8404 cindy.mclean@cmt.com
Manfred Westphal 818-748-1148 manfred.westphal@fremantlemedia.com

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