Gene Simmons, cartoon-ish tongue wagger, rock and roll legend, reality television veteran, has found yet another outlet for his unique form of bawdy charisma.  Simmons has been hired as a judge for the upcoming CBS reality show Jingles.  Jingles, from Survivor and The Apprentice executive producer Mark Burnett, will pit amateur song writers in a contest to write and perform the best jingles for various products.  The winner will bring home a $100,000 grand prize and an advertising contract.  Jingles will be hosted by former American Idol contestant (and possible squeeze of Idol winner David Cook) Kimberly Caldwell.  Simmons will be joined on the judges' panel by advertising executives Jinda Kaplan Thaler and Julie Roehm.

Gene Simmons most recently appeared on The Celebrity Apprentice, where his monstrous ego got him fired mere weeks into the season.  Prior to that, Simmons starred with his family on A&E's Gene Simmons Family Jewels.  Simmons is best known, however, for being a member of legendary rock band KISS.  He has also recently started his own marketing company, which he has used to help sell books and energy drinks, among other things. 

The summer months have, in recent years, been a breeding ground for high-concept and silly reality shows.  Just this year, we've seen the likes of Wipeout, I Survived a Japanese Game Show, and The Greatest American Dog on network television.  While Jingles may seem like kind of an inane concept, there is certainly the potential for highly entertaining camp value.  Jingles, in general, are fairly annoying and have long past their heyday.  However, the thought of Gene Simmons ripping someone for writing a crappy little ditty for a brand of soap is very enticing.  Mark Burnett is a smart guy, and I can't imagine he wants to make Jingles a serious show.  Jingles, in the end, will come down to the quality of the contestants, which is a big wild card.  How many aspiring jingle writers have you met in your life?


-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of NBC)