(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — 19 Entertainment has joined forces with dick clark productions to re-launch "American Bandstand," the longest running network television show in history. "American Bandstand" will be executive produced by 19 president Simon Fuller, Dick Clark and Allen Shapiro, the architect of the deal and president of Mosaic Media Group, which is the controlling shareholder in dick clark productions. A nationwide search for a host will immediately begin for the new "Bandstand" competition, which aims to debut next summer.
"'American Idol' is one of the very few music formats to have been successful on network television in the U.S. for many years. 'American Bandstand' was the first and longest running," stated Fuller. "Dick Clark is the father of American music television, and the prospect of the two of us working together to bring 'American Bandstand' back to all its former glory, whilst giving it a 21st century twist, is very exciting indeed."
"The 'American Bandstand' brand is one of the strongest in the history of television and remains, in the hearts of millions, the quintessential American show," said Shapiro. "We are thrilled to be working with Simon Fuller, who has his finger on the pulse of music television. His success with 'American Idol' and the vision he brings to television programming is a perfect fit to work with Dick Clark to continue the Bandstand legend."
Commenting on the new "American Bandstand," Dick Clark said, "Bringing back an American tradition like 'Bandstand' has always been a dream of mine, and I can't think of a better person to partner with than Simon Fuller, whose foresight in trend-setting television shows and music will surely bring the show new luster and then some."
"American Bandstand," which ran on ABC-TV for an unprecedented 30 years (1957-1987), allowed musical artists to perform live or live-to-track, which inspired the writhing of a stage full of young male and female dancers. With a format that was often imitated, its impact on fashion and establishing trends was unmatched. The prominence of "American Bandstand" as a social and cultural phenomena was profound in other ways as well, its name and image finding their way into popular song lyrics, television shows, board games and record collections.
Simon Fuller is represented by CAA. –Jane Cohen and Bob Grossweiner
