Tuning Up

Wayne Brady, host

Will you be doing any singing on the show?
Yes. As to what capacity, it's kind of up in the air right now. The producers and I are working on a little something that I'll probably end up singing at some point. I don't want to say when, I don't want to say what, but it will be cool.

You seem to be the rare talent show host that can actually do the talent they're showcasing.
[Laughs] Yeah, I think that's why Simon came to me. So let's say one of our duets happens, and David Foster — incredible music producer extraordinaire who has a musical opinion — says something about someone. I as a singer and a performer can step in and say, ''Well, I think that you were wrong because of blah blah blah.'' And knock on wood, I won't sound like a complete butthead.

Who among the announced musical guests are you most looking forward to meeting?
Let's see. Well, the great thing about doing my talk show is that I actually know a lot of these guys. Michael Bolton — I got a chance to sing with him last year. Taylor Dayne — come on. I'm so in love with Taylor. She is going to freak me out a little bit, because I used to have a huge crush on her. There was something about her lips, her hair, that big voice. I'm a huge Richard Marx fan; I've become an acquaintance of his. I cannot wait to hear Chaka Khan sing. James Ingram I looked up to as a singer. And just for sheer being in the game, Smokey Robinson. Smokey is the top of this list.

I know as a host, you have to be impartial, but of the eight celebrities, who are you most surprised to see?
Cheech. That's the thing — I knew about [imitating Marin] ''Born in East L.A.'' But singing? I didn't know!

David Foster, judge

What are you looking and listening for in these duets?
The visuals are going to be stunning, of course, but I'm only interested in the sonics of it. When I'm working in the studio, I don't have a window and I don't see the singers as they're singing, because I think that distracts from what you're really trying to hear. So I'm going to be basically looking as though I was producing: Is this a performance that is acceptable to me as a producer?

I'm sure you have a good relationship with a lot of the music guests who are coming on the show.
I looked at the list, and I'm not positive, but I believe I've worked with every single person. I think. I haven't worked with Belinda Carlisle. But I'd say 95 percent of them, I've worked with. But I'm not allowed to rag on them.

But just for argument's sake, let's say there's a duet and the celebrity does really well, but for whatever reason — maybe they have a cold — the music guest is a little off. How are you going to handle that?
You know, I really don't know. But it's safe to say that little censor guy should keep his hand close to the button. [Laughs]

Who among the music stars are you most looking forward to seeing? Some of these stars, we haven't heard from in a while.
[Clears throat] I like working with real singers, so I think this is a stellar list. I'm actually a little shocked that some of these people are doing it. I'm not going to name names, but hopefully we're going to have a hit show and it'll be a fun place for anybody to come. You saw what happened on American Idol when Prince came on [the finale]. I mean, who would've ever thought you would see Prince on American Idol, or Mary J.? So if we gain some credibility here, maybe we'll have the same effect.