People think they know the lyrics to popular songs. However, when there's a lot of money at stake, not everyone can keep singing when the music stops. Many have tried but few have succeeded.  So far, the second season of Don't Forget the Lyrics, which premiered on September 12, has seen a roller-derby queen from Cincinnati, OH, trying to skate her way to the grand prize, followed by a flight attendant, a mortgage broker from New York and a country girl singer.  Next week, another singer will take the center stage  on Don't Forget the Lyrics and he comes in the form of former American Idol contestant Constantine Maroulis.

The FOX reality series Don’t Forget the Lyrics returns to airwaves tonight at 9pm, with the contenders vying for the grand prize of a million dollars.  Hosted by Wayne Brady, the show requires contestants to take the stage and the microphone and choose several songs from a wide range of genres, decades and musical artists.  Each song they pick must be sung completely and correctly, even with missing lyrics flashing on screen.  If the contestant successfully sings the correct missing lyrics, he or she moves on to the next round.  Each successful level will enable the contestant to decide to keep playing or take the money and leave.  If the contestants get nine songs right, they will enter the tenth level in which they could win the grand prize of a million dollars.

For exclusive on-set videos and hot features on the new TV season, check out BuddyTV's Fall 2008 Preview.

Network: FOX

Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader Premiere: Friday, September 5, 8pm

Don't Forget the Lyrics Premiere: Friday, September 12, 8pm

Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader Host: Jeff Foxworthy

Don't Forget the Lyrics Host: Wayne Brady

Premise: On Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader, adults compete against grammar school children for a cash prize.  On Don't Forget the Lyrics, contestants sing and must remember the lyrics to famous songs for money.

On Friday, October 12, actor-comedian Wayne Brady, host of FOX's Don't Forget the Lyrics, performed at this year's "Girls & Guys Night Out" fundraising event, helping to raise thousands of dollars for Girls Inc. of Metro Denver, an organization that provides a supportive environment that helps empower young women.

The event took place at the Denver Marriot City Center, from 6pm to 10pm.  More than 840 guests showed up for the event, all hailing their support for Girls, Inc.  The guests were given a string of festive beads for every raffle ticket that was purchased.  Some of the items that were raffled off included a men's and women's Ralph Lauren shopping spree worth $3,500, a Tiffany Atlas Diamond Square women's watch valued at $6,400, a two-night stay at the newly renovated Tivoli Lodge in Vail accompanied by gourmet dining and massage packages, and a Desert Dreams package with a two-night stay at the Scottsdale Marriot Suites Old Town.

Wayne Brady, host of Don't Forget the Lyrics, has appeared in kid-friendly projects as a mainstay on ABC Family, took his young daughter Maile Masako to the Emmy awards, and went to Kansas City last month to support a local charity for families in crisis, but the actor-comedian is hoping the public won't peg him as a family-oriented and wholesome guy.

“I think that it gets tough if there are people who want to slap that label on you that you have nothing to do with,” Brady told The Kansas City Star during a phone interview.  “I think that I'm respected by families, but for the most part I've gotten the chance to do films where I'm the bad guy or TV appearances and guest spots.”

Karaoke-style game shows like Don't Forget the Lyrics are becoming the music industry's strong ally towards survival and perhaps, even immortality.  Don't Forget the Lyrics and its contemporary, The Singing Bee, are providing the music business a much needed boost in more ways than one.

For one thing, such singing competitions are intended for the regular people who may or may not be endowed with any actual singing prowess.  As such, the programs bring various tunes from different genres, as well as generations, to a greater number of people.  Secondly, because of certain fees the shows have to pay for use of musical intellectual property, Don't Forget the Lyrics and its kind contribute substantially to an already flailing industry.