CBS Gives Gene Simmons a Jingle

KISS frontman tapped as head judge on Jingles, a competition to find the best ad composer

By Natalie Finn Jul 16, 2008 8:30 PMTags
Gene SimmonsJohnny Nunez/WireImage.com

Executive producer Mark Burnett was apparently quite impressed with Gene Simmon's impertinent Celebrity Apprentice performance.

The shameless KISS rocker has been tapped to be head judge on the new CBS competition show Jingles, Burnett's latest offering to the remote-wielding masses.

Simmons will preside over a hunt for the best ad jingle for "anything and everything," according to the network's press release. Each week, contestants will be asked to write and perform their own catchy little tunes touting toys, food, beauty products, sports teams, etc.

The winner gets $100,000 and an advertising contract with an as-yet-unannounced firm.

In keeping with the notion that you can't underestimate the power of a great brand, former American Idol contestant Kimberly Caldwell (of recent David Cook fame) will host Jingles, which is currently in production and set to premiere later this year.

Just in case he ever decides to listen to someone else's opinion, Simmons is joined on the judging panel by Linda Kaplan Thaler (the generation-bridging genius who came up with—sing along if you know it—”I don't want to grow up, I'm a Toys "R" Us kid…") and Julie Roehm, a former senior VP of marketing and communications for Wal-Mart.