Multi-Platinum Superstars Big & Rich Slated to Kick Off Season Four of NASHVILLE STAR

Multi-Platinum Superstars Big & Rich Slated to Kick Off Season Four of NASHVILLE STAR

Season Four Premieres Tuesday, March 14 at 10:00 PM ET/PT

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- NASHVILLE STAR, the nation's top-rated country music series, has partnered with Nashville's notorious MuzikMafia to bring the hottest new talent to season four including an electrifying opening performance from Big & Rich in episode one, it was announced today by Libby Hansen, USA's vice president, alternative series and specials.

"Big & Rich is one of the hottest acts in country music right now, and we are thrilled to have them join the already exciting line-up of season four," explained Hansen. "By building off the ratings success of last year and by joining forces with both the RCA Label Group and now the MuzikMafia, we have unparalleled momentum for the first episode. It's a homerun for NASHVILLE STAR."

Episode one will open with a high-energy performance by the Grammy-nominated duo before they retire to the judges' table to advise contestants alongside show veterans Phil Vassar and Anastasia Brown. Mafia member and "hick-hop" artist Cowboy Troy will co-host season four with five-time Grammy Award-winning superstar Wynonna Judd (Curb Records). Additional celebrity judges and performers will be announced in the coming weeks.

Also coming on board the team as producers for the upcoming season is Big & Rich and Cowboy Troy manager Marc Oswald along with Kerry Hansen, Wynonna's manager. They will join the NASHVILLE STAR production team to help elevate the creative and musical elements of each episode including the opening and closing performances. In addition, they have set out to create a dynamic and powerful way to further incorporate the unique talents of the hosts in a way that has not been done.

"One of the long-time goals of the Mafia is to bring country music to people in a newer, broader, more unfiltered way," explained Oswald. "NASHVILLE STAR reaches millions of Americans each week with some of the nation's most promising new voices, so this makes perfect sense."

As previously announced, the winner of NASHVILLE STAR will receive a recording contract from the RCA Label Group, home to multi-platinum superstars Alan Jackson, Kenny Chesney, Martina McBride, Brooks & Dunn, Brad Paisley and Sara Evans, among others.

NASHVILLE STAR is created by Reveille and executive produced by Ben Silverman ("The Biggest Loser," "The Office") and H.T. Owens ("The Restaurant," "30 Days"). Jeff Boggs will executive produce in association with Reveille again for the second year. The show is produced by Jon Small ("Garth Brooks Live From Central Park," "Billy Joel Live at Yankee Stadium") and his production company, Picture Vision, alongside co-executive producer Mark Koops ("The Restaurant," "Blow Out").

Reveille develops produces and distributes new and non-traditional programming formats for television and motion pictures across a variety of genres, including comedy, drama, game, and reality for American and international markets. In addition to selling television formats for independent producers such as NBC Universal Television Studios (USA Network, Sci Fi Channel), BBC Worldwide, Renegade and Princess Productions, Reveille sells its own produced program formats such as "The Restaurant" (NBC), "Blow Out" (Bravo) and "30 Days" (FX). Reveille also distributed the internationally renowned, award-winning "911" documentary and is a world leader in creating integrated marketing opportunities for leading advertisers, developing alternative financing paradigms and selling and distributing television formats in markets worldwide. Reveille has produced projects such as, "Coupling," "The Restaurant", "The Biggest Loser" and "The Office: An American Workplace" for NBC. Cable projects include "Blow Out" for Bravo, "The Club" on Spike, USA Network's "Nashville Star," the Morgan Spurlock project "30 Days" for FX Networks and MTV's "Date My Mom."

USA Network is cable television's leading provider of original series and feature movies, sports events, off-net television shows, and blockbuster theatrical films. USA Network is seen in over 89 million U.S. homes. The USA Network Web site is located at www.usanetwork.com. USA Network is a program service of NBC Universal Cable a division of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.

Contacts:

Kristin Schulman
212-664-4140
kristin.schulman@nbcuni.com

Kathy Best
615-383-0412
kathy@frontpagepublicity.com

Mary Hilliard Harrington
615-383-0412
maryhilliard@frontpagepublicity.com

Source: USA Network

CONTACT: Kristin Schulman, +1-212-664-4140, kristin.schulman@nbcuni.com,
or Kathy Best, +1-615-383-0412, kathy@frontpagepublicity.com, or Mary Hilliard
Harrington, +1-615-383-0412, maryhilliard@frontpagepublicity.com, all for USA
Network

Web site: http://www.usanetworks.com/

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