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Pussycat Dolls Prowl for New Member

Parents, fetch (or hide) your daughters: The Pussycat Dolls are looking to add a seventh member, and they're opening the doors to America. The new CW network, which launches in September from the ashes of the WB and UPN, has ordered eight episodes of The Search for the Next Pussycat Doll, a reality show that will follow the audition and rehearsal process while also keeping a close eye on the drama off stage.

"I'm most interested in the personal drama, about the [contestants] leaving their relationships or trust issues with their parents," said director McG (Charlie's Angels), who joins Pussycat Dolls impresario Robin Antin, Interscope Records head honcho Jimmy Iovine, and producer Ken Mok as the creative forces behind the show.

Antin will supervise the aspiring Dolls, putting them through the paces of rigorous song-and-dance routines. The original group was formed a decade ago as a burlesque act and has featured a rotating cast of leading ladies, including cameo appearances by Hollywood A-listers like Scarlett Johansson and Christina Aguilera. The new incarnation of the Dolls have become a force on the Billboard charts, selling approximately 4.7 million copies of their debut record worldwide.

But The Search for the Next Pussycat Doll isn't about mere titillation; oh, no. "At its core, this show goes beyond just finding a new Pussycat Doll," said Dawn Ostroff, CW's optimistic president of entertainment. "It's about female empowerment, self-discovery and personal transformation."

--The ARTISTdirect Staff
08.04.06