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Right on the heels of the news that Elon Musk is nearing a deal to buy Twitter, a television documentary about the polarizing businessman has been announced to premiere this May.

Titled “Elon Musk’s Crash Course,” the upcoming film is the latest in FX and The New York Times’ collaborative documentary series “The New York Times Presents,” which provides in depth looks at prominent people and events, ranging from Janet Jackson to Juul to the 2020 Australian bushfire disasters. The series is best known for its two in-depth films about Britney Spears, “Framing Britney Spears” and “Controlling Britney Spears,” which helped contribute to the eventual end of the singer’s conservatorship.

Directed by Emma Schwartz, “Elon Musk’s Crash Course” is an exposé into Musk’s company Tesla, and its work on self-driving cars. Featuring the reporting from Cade Metz and Neal Boudette of The New York Times, the film...

Exclusive: The Eurovision brand continues its North American expansion. Leading Canadian producer Insight Productions, a Boat Rocker company, has teamed with Eurovision Canada rights owners and ASC, Inc., one of the companies behind NBC’s music reality competition series American Song Contest, to debut the first-ever Eurovision Canada in 2023.

Similar to American Song Contest –– which is following the blueprint of the Eurovision Song Contest — Eurovision Canada will feature musical artists and bands from each of the 10 provinces and three territories and across every musical genre, to perform all original songs on the live televised event. The participating artists will go head-to-head against other provincial/territorial representatives in a series of televised Qualifier Competitions, leading to Semi-Finals and the ultimate primetime Grand Finale.

The move follows the recent appointment of Greg Lipstone as President and COO of ASC, Inc., joining producers Anders Lenhoff, Christer Björkman, Ola Melzig and Peter Settman in their expansion efforts,...

With the 65 years “Eurovision Song Contest” has under its belt, NBC’s U.S. adaptation of the worldwide phenomenon has a lot to live up to on day one. Luckily, “American Song Contest” also has the full-backing of the Og show’s production powerhouse and a team of Eurovision fanatics preparing for its weekly two-hour live shows hosted by Kelly Clarkson and Snoop Dogg, beginning with Monday’s 8 p.m. kickoff.

“It’s a daunting task because of the legacy,” Toby Gorman, president of “American Song Contest” producer Universal Television Alternative Studio, tells Variety. “I’m British, I grew up with my family watching and adoring Eurovision. It’s a celebration of of so much: creativity, peace, coming together — the things we all need right now. And I distinctively remember as a kid watching the heats and the finale and the country would come to a standstill. The U.K.

“American Song Contest” has revealed its detailed online and TikTok voting procedures and the 56 members of its expert jury panel, including Isaac Slade, Matt Pinfield and Jose Tillan, ahead of the U.S. adaptation of “Eurovision’s” big two-hour debut Monday on NBC, Variety has learned exclusively.

Hosted by Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson, the all-live “American Song Contest” will feature 56 artists representing the 50 states, five U.S. territories and our nation’s capital, all competing for best hit song. A combination of public and jury votes will decide who will advance in the competition, with the jury being comprised of 56 people, one representing each state/territory, who are a mix of music industry executives, songwriters, and radio programmers from various genres as well as managers and members of the Recording Academy. The jury, whose names you can see listed in full below, will evaluate each artist’s performance based on artistic expression,...

Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson will serve as hosts of American Song Contest, the Eurovision-styled singing competition premiering on NBC this March.

First announced in August 2020 and modeled after the annual Eurovision Song Contest, the American Song Contest will 56 artists — one from all 50 states, plus one from Washington, D.C. and five U.S. territories — to compete for the country’s best new hit song.

“I am honored to host American Song Contest alongside my lil sis Kelly Clarkson, aka Miss Texas,” Snoop Dogg — who will appear during the Super...

Kelly Clarkson and Snoop Dogg have been named the hosts of NBC’s upcoming singing competition “American Song Contest,” the U.S. adaptation of “Eurovision Song Contest.”

Per NBC, “Based on the worldwide phenomenon ‘Eurovision Song Contest,’ organized for 65 years by the European Broadcasting Union and watched by 200 million viewers annually, this amazing musical spectacular combines the competitive spirit of rooting for your favorite sports team with the joy of watching a live performance of an original song.”

“American Song Contest” will feature live new music performances – representing all 50 states, five U.S. territories and our nation’s capital – competing to win the country’s vote for the best hit song, according to the broadcast network. “An incredible solo artist, duo or a band will represent each location and perform a new original song, celebrating the depth and variety of different styles and genres across America. The live competition consists...

Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson have been named hosts of NBC’s upcoming musical competition series, American Song Contest. The announcement was made in a promo that aired at the start of the Super Bowl halftime show on NBC, which featured Snoop Dogg as one of the headliners.

American Song Contest is based on the Eurovision Song Contest, which has been organized for 65 years by the European Broadcasting Union and watched by 200 million viewers annually. The NBC series will premiere March 21, 8-10 p.m. Et/Pt from the NBCUniversal lot. The series will run for eight weeks on Monday nights, with the Grand Final scheduled for May 9, just ahead of the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest in Turin, Italy, which will consist of two semifinals on May 10 and 12, followed by the final on May 14. Eurovision semifinals and final were are available in the US on NBC sibling streaming platform Peacock as part of a two-year deal.

NBC has pushed “American Song Contest,” its ambitious U.S. take on the legendary Eurovision Song Contest, back a month in order to give the production more time to handle Covid concerns when it comes to having a live audience.

“American Song Contest” will now premiere on Monday, March 21 at 8 p.m. Et, and air there for eight weeks, with a finale on May 9. The show was originally set to launch on Monday, Feb. 21; in its place, “America’s Got Talent: Extreme” will now premiere that day at 8 p.m. and air in that timeslot (also for two hours weekly) for four weeks.

“America’s Got Talent: Extreme” completed its season despite an accident on set last fall, in which stuntman Jonathan Goodwin was injured while performing a daredevil stunt. Production paused in October after the incident, and was resumed in January.

“AGT: Extreme” features “outrageous, unique and jaw-dropping acts of enormous scale and magnitude,...

NBC has tweaked its midseason schedule, pushing the premiere of Eurovision offshoot American Song Contest by a month, from the previously announced Monday, Feb. 21 (8-10 p.m.) to March 21. Taking over the slot is new reality series America’s Got Talent: Extreme, which made headlines last fall when a contestant was badly hurt in an on-set accident.

According to sources, the decision to delay American Song Contest is being done over Covid concerns amid the current Omicron surge as the series consists of live shows whose logistics could be difficult in the current wave of rampant infections nationwide.

AGT: Extreme, which will debut Feb. 21, shut down filming in Georgia after stuntman Jonathan Goodwin was crushed between two cars in a daredevil stunt that went wrong. I hear the show had a few days left when production was halted. Filming wrapped in early January. It hasn’t been decided yet whether...

NBC has announced that submissions for the new music event series “American Song Contest” are now open.

Based on “Eurovision Song Contest,” the world’s largest music event, the series will feature a series of live music performances from American contestants who are in competition to win the country’s vote for best original song. All 50 states, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Washington, D.C. will be repped by a solo artist, duo, band or DJ.

“American Song Contest” is looking for artists, signed or independent, who can own the stage and captivate an audience with their original music (cover or tribute bands are not allowed to participate). As the submission process to represent each state or territory is underway, the showrunners welcome all varieties of music including country, dance/electronic, pop, rap, R&b and rock. Applicants must be 16 or older,...

An American version of Eurovision, the biggest international singing competition, is heading to NBC.

The broadcaster has boarded American Song Contest, which is being produced by the team behind the Eurovision Song Contest, Propagate and Universal Television Alternative Studio. It is expected to air midseason or summer on NBC.

Last August, the organizers of Eurovision, which is somewhat of a campy affair that sees singers from different European countries compete against each other in a sing off, revealed that they were plotting an American version.

The U.S. version will feature live original musical performances, representing all 50 states, five U.S. territories and our nation’s capital, competing to win the country’s vote for the Best Original Song.

It will include solo artists, duos, DJs and bands from a variety of styles and genres.

The live competition consists of three rounds as the acts compete in a series of Qualifying Rounds,...

The producers of the Eurovision Song Contest will bring the long-running competition to American televisions in 2021.

Similar to its continent-spanning cousin across the Atlantic, American Song Contest will feature musical acts from all 50 states, with each artist trying to win the live television event with the best original song.

American Song Contest arrives during the 2021 holiday season, with the Eurovision rights owners Anders Lenhoff, Christer Björkman, Ola Melzig and Peter Settman teaming with television exec Ben Silverman.

“Imagine if music was an Olympic sport and artists from all over the...

The long-gestating American Song Contest series is getting close to fruition and is now targeting a debut during the holiday season 2021. There is no network yet.

American Song Contest was announced in May 2019 when Nordic Entertainment Group-backed Brain Academy struck a deal with the European Broadcasting Union (Ebu) for the format rights.

The American Song Contest project had been developed by Brain Academy’s Anders Lenhoff and Peter Settman alongside Christer Björkman and Ola Melzig, who have worked on over 20 Eurovision Song Contests between them. They are now joined by Ben Silverman of Propagate Content.

As previously reported, American Song Contest will feature musical artists and bands from each of the 50 states and across every musical genre, to perform all original songs on the live televised event. (Watch a promo video above).

The first Eurovision Song Contest was held in 1956 with the aim of uniting nations and exploring new television technology.

The “Eurovision Song Contest,” Europe’s popular music competition, one of the world’s biggest televised events and the platform that helped launch Abba, is coming to America. “The American Song Contest” is set to debut during the 2021 holiday season.

Hoping to siphon off some of the magic of the beloved six-decade-old show, which draws over 200 million viewers to its grand finale, the premise for “The American Song Contest” will remain similar to the European version. Professional musical artists — solo singers, duos or groups up to six members — from each of the 50 states and across every musical genre will perform all original songs on the live televised event.

The format, as it is currently conceived, will position the artists head-to-head against other states’ representatives in a series of televised qualifier competitions, leading to semi-finals and the ultimate primetime Grand Finale March Madness-style. Propagate Content will create The American Song Contest Academy,...

The U.S. is getting its own take on the Eurovision Song Contest after producer Brain Academy struck a deal to develop a North American remake.

The Swedish company, which is best known for producing Keanu Reeves-starring Pop TV project Swedish Dicks, is developing the American Song Contest. It does not currently have a broadcaster attached but it aims to air the version in 2021.

This comes after the Nordic Entertainment Group-backed company struck a deal with the European Broadcasting Union (Ebu) for the format rights.

The American Song Contest project is being developed by Brain Academy’s Anders Lenhoff and Peter Settman alongside Christer Björkman and Ola Melzig, who have worked on over 20 Eurovision Song Contests between them.

The first Eurovision Song Contest was held in 1956 with the aim of uniting nations and exploring new television technology. Since then, over 50 nations have taken part in this unique competition...