Mary J. Blige Gets ‘OPENING ACT’ On ‘E’

Mary J. Blige will get a chance to judge up and coming artists on a new show.

Mary J. Blige and Emmy Award winning American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe will attempt to find that star on the just announced reality series “Opening Act.”

Set to premiere in July, the series will follow Blige, Lythgoe, and producer Antonio Armato as they search the net for amateur talent.

“In “Opening Act,” Lythgoe and his A-List Artist Development Team comb the Internet to find the web’s most talented amateurs, then give them the once-in-a-lifetime chance to open for a top music superstar,” reports E! “There are no judges to woo, auditions to pass or rounds to win: Each band or solo act has only days to prepare after a surprise visit that presents them with an opportunity they never knew existed, and viewers follow them from obscurity to the big-time gig that could change their lives forever.”