Celebuzz talks to executive producer — and hugely successful songwriter —  Evan Bogart about what makes the show so different, why he chose Jewel to host and asked American Idol’s Kara DioGuardi to take the lead as head judge.  

Can you give us a sampling of the artists you’ve worked with?
Beyonce‘s “Halo,” Rihanna‘s “S.O.S.,” Sean Kingston‘s “Take You There,” and Pussycat Dolls‘ “Jai Ho!” — There’s a long list. I just worked on the new Enrique Iglesias song with Usher called “Dirty Dancer.” I’ve worked with Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears as well as Adam Lambert.

How did you get your start?
I started out as a songwriter and the first song I submitted was Rihanna’s “S.O.S.,” so it was like stepping onto a golf course for the first time and hitting a hole-in-one. That opened many doors for me right away.

Do you feel a lot of pressure to make every song you write a hit?
No. I think if you’re writing to write a hit, you won’t have a hit.

Tell us a little about your show and how it all came about?
Platinum Hit will be premiering on May 30th and it’s all about songwriting. It’s a songwriter competition show that I created with my brother. He started seeing my writing process and collaborations and how it all works and got interested in that. We wanted to show that to people and Bravo understood what we wanted to put out there. I’ve written with Kara before and Jewel is great. We wanted an artist, a songwriter, and a label representative who were really good at what they do and I could not be happier with who we have.

Most people don’t know what’s behind the writing process.
Right. The question I get the most is “How does this shows differ from others?” My answer to that is that this show focuses on the songs. It’s all about a song and how it gets put together. The music industry doesn’t exist without a song and its writers and producers.

It sounds like we get a behind the scenes look at music making. Where does the competition come in?
People will be getting voted off. All of the writers gets broken into groups and write songs based on themes. The judges will figure out which songs were the best and which ones were the worst and why. I want people to really get into it. Music is really subjective, so there will be people who agree and disagree. Everyone has their own opinions on music.

What would you say to anyone who is thinking about being part of the music industry?
Welcome. [laughs] I’m probably in the minority of people who feel this way, but I actually want more songwriters to join us. I think it will benefit us to have more music out there. The only people who would be scared of that would be people who are faking it.

So you don’t have a competitive edge, like when you hear a cool song that you didn’t write?
I definitely feel like I wish I wrote that or came up with those lyrics, but I think that I’ve mastered my own art and worry about myself and not what everyone else is doing.

That’s a really good way to look at it.
That’s the most important piece of advice I can give to people looking to join the business. Study your craft and try to run your own race.

Hoping to cultivate a new generation of songwriters, Kara is ready for the world to see how hits are really made. She recently told NBC:

“Songs are the backbone of the music industry, and this show is about finding hit songs. And there isn’t an artist out there that can survive in the music industry without hit songs.” 

The show follows 12 singer-songwriters on their quest to become the next big hitmaker, as they battle through a series of songwriting challenges. The winner will walk away with a $100,000 cash prize, publishing deal with Sony, BMI Songwriters The Writing Camp and a recording deal with RCA/Jive! Jewel hosts the series and gives her feedback as a judge alongside Kara.

Watch the trailer and be sure to catch Platinum Hit‘s premiere on Monday, May 30 at 10PM on Bravo.

It seems a new overjoyed star announces her pregnancy every day, from Natalie Portman to Jewel and the latest report that Kate Hudson is expecting. We’re eagerly waiting the gorgeous bump-friendly fashions on the red carpet.

Click through to the photo gallery to check out 13 beautiful celeb mom-to-be’s. Leave them your congratulations in the comments!

Photos: Getty/WENN

The host of Bravo’s Going Platinum has revealed to People that she and husband Ty Murray are expecting their first child. Jewel found out the news on the set of the new reality singer-songwriter competition.

“I took a pregnancy test and it was positive!” the singer, 36, told the magazine.  “It was so hard to keep it a secret. I was worried I’d start throwing up on set and everyone would be like, ‘Oh, she’s pregnant.’”

On the contrary, Jewel says she’s feeling well as she enters her second trimester, saying she is attempting to cut down on work and “trying to be in the moment and really enjoy my pregnancy.”

Her rodeo star husband seconds that emotion, saying: “We always knew we wanted to have a child and this time in our lives feels right.”

Leave your well wishes for Jewel and Ty in the comments. For more adorable stars sporting baby bumps, check out our photo gallery.

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She tweeted,

“I’m mortified-as I was leaving the beach, hunched over trying to put a dress on, I heard “click click” yup-paparazzi! I’m so embarrased! That’s never happened to me before!At least he was pretty nice, said-”how about u pose for a “flattering” shot” Uhh Nice? Most rnt that nice”

Aww. Well we think she looks pretty damn good. What do you think?

Still showing signs of her infirmity, Jewel held herself up with a crutch, with Murray steadying her on the other side.

The songbird recently offered her thoughts on Murray’s DWTS status, admitting in a MySpace video that she “so thought” Ty was toast after this week’s episode.

“When they said Steve-O was safe, I so thought you were going home,” Jewel confesses to Murray in the video.

Wow, way to be supportive, Jewel!

ABC News reports that singer Jewel and television host Nancy O’Dell have both dropped out of the upcoming DWTS season due to injuries.

As previously noted, Jewel had been battling a case of tendinitis, and has also been diagnosed with a fractured tibia in both legs. Access Hollywood host O’Dell, meanwhile, requires surgery to repair a torn knee cartilage.

This news comes after reports that fellow contestant Gilles Marini had pulled his groin while rehearsing for the show. And the new season hasn’t even begun yet.

Yesterday it was announced that former Girls Next Door star Holly Madison will be joining the cast of contestants for the eighth season of the show, which premieres on March 9.

Sounds like that still puts them one contestant short. No word on which brave celeb will step up to the challenge, but whoever it turns out to be should consider purchasing a suit of full body armor.

The most interesting duo to watch perform will definitely be Apple co-founder and Kathy Griffin ex Steve Wozniak with professional dancer and Mario Lopez ex Karina Smirnoff.

“Woz” (as he was affectionately called by Griffin when he appeared on several episodes of My Life On The D-List) is, to put it mildly, a big guy. One stumble during a fox trot and Smirnoff could be done for.

Other interest pairs include rapper and ex-convict Lil’ Kim with Derek Hough, Jackass regular and professional eff-up Steve-O with Lacey Schwimmer, and amateur legal eagle Denise Richards with heartthrob Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

The Cloris Leachman troublemaking wackjob role this go-round should be a tie between Steve-O and comedian David Alan Grier with entertainment reporter Nancy O’Dell‘s hairspray addiction as a dark horse in the running in that category.

The season eight premiere is schedule for March 9.

This season will feature singer Jewel, crazy person Steve-O, actress Denise Richards, rapper Lil’ Kim, entertainment news anchor Nancy O’Dell, the NFL’s Lawrence Taylor, Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson, country singer Chuck Wicks, Sex and the City movie actor Gilles Marini, computer genius Steve Wozniak, Go-Gos lead singer Belinda Carlisle, comedian David Alan Grier, and bull rider (and Jewel’s husband) Ty Murray.

In a surprise absence, Vegas performer Donny Osmond was NOT one of the names announced.

Osmond recently inferred that he was joining the cast during an appearance with his sister Marie on the Bonnie Hunt show.

ABC doled out the names during their Sunday night programming in an attempt to combat CBS’s broadcast of the Grammy Awards.

They might have been worried that Donny would eventually pull a fainting spell like his sister.

E! Online reports that the 34-year-old singer (born Jewel Kilcher), best known for her smash 1995 hit “You Were Meant for Me,” is one of the celebrities who will take part in the eighth edition of ABC’s hit series.

In Touch Weekly, meanwhile, quotes a friend of Kilcher—who married former rodeo cowboy Ty Murray last August—as saying, “Jewel is so excited about being on the show. She loves to dance.” If recent reports are to be believed, Jewel will be going up against It’s Complicated star Denise Richards  and Jackass daredevil Steve-O.

ABC will announce the full line-up of contestants for the season—which premieres March 9—throughout its prime-time programming on February 8. Until then, let us know in the comments section—would Jewel make a good Dancing With the Stars contestant?

Of the initial critical response to her shot at Underwood-lite, Jessica says, “A lot of people have listened to ‘Come On Over’ and told me, ‘I really wanted to hate it, but I like it.’ ”

As for Underwood, she has more fans right now than she can handle. The American Idol winner hosted a massive fan-club party at the Grand Ole Opry House.

The “Jesus Take The Wheel” singer told USA Today, “I always think bigger is better; so that’s what we did.”

And big it was, with Underwood preparing for the event by individually signing 1,200 party favors for her eager fans.

Other notable performers at the event were Taylor Swift, Faith Hill and Jewel, along with a whole slew of down-home superstars.

If this gallery is any indication, blondes with flowing locks tend to do well in country music, so maybe there’s hope for Jessica yet.