With So You Think You Can Dance over and American Idol only just beginning its first round of nationwide auditions, Fox and Simon Cowell have generously cooked up Celebrity Duets (premieres Aug. 29, at 8 p.m. ET), a quickie, two-month talent show that mixes elements of Idol and Dancing With the Stars. Eight celebrities will sing with a roster of established music artists — including Smokey Robinson, Kenny Loggins, Patti LaBelle, and Peter Frampton — that will change every week, and America will whittle down the celebs until one remains to claim $100,000 for the charity of his or her choice. We caught up with four of the competing celebrities — ex-pro wrestler Chris Jericho, actor Hal Sparks (Queer as Folk), actress Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess), and Queer Eye guy Jai Rodriguez.

Jai Rodriguez

You've sung professionally doing musical theater — you were Angel in a production of Rent — so do you feel like you have a bit of an unfair advantage?
Jai: Yes, I feel like I do, but what I'm learning is that a lot of them sing in their personal lives. A lot of them have bands. I'm sure if they wanted to [sing professionally] they could if they wanted to.

Who do you most want to perform with?
Do you have a list of who is performing? Because it keeps changing, so I think you probably have a more updated one. [I hand him my list.] Okay, this is great. Taylor Dayne — love. Basically, I would gag to sing with her. Wynonna Judd... I just want to give her a big fat hug because she's so awesome and I have such compassion for a lot of the stuff she's been through... Brian McKnight, I think I'd be like a squealing little girl, and so I probably shouldn't sing with him. My mom wants me to sing with Smokey Robinson. That's all she's been saying: ''See if you can get an autograph for me.'' Michelle Williams would be great... I've always identified with her, because I feel she's like the one you don't get to hear sing all that much. And I feel like I'm that way on Queer Eye, so we have a lot in common. I just want to say, I think it would be weird to sing a duet with, like, a guy, unless it was a rock-me-out song. I don't want to be like ''Endless Love'' with some dude. That's just weird. Even for me. That crosses the line.

What would you ultimately like to get out of this experience?
A couple numbers, maybe a few e-mails. [Laughs] I think just the reintroduction of who I am. I know you know me from [Queer Eye], but this is what I'm passionate about.