'Top of the Pops' poised to launch stateside

Top of the Pops, the British music program that has launched dozens of careers since it began in 1964, is making another attempt to move into the U.S.

Lou Pearlman, the U.S. producer who launched 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys, says he's nearly completed a deal with the British Broadcasting Corp. to create an American version of Top of the Pops.

The British music program is famous for performances by artists from the Beatles to Nirvana.

Every week there is a countdown of the week's top songs, interspersed with interviews with performers.

The Top of the Pops format has spread to dozens of countries. A version was launched in 1987 in the U.S. with Nia Peeples as host, but lasted only one season.

Pearlman aims to get the show on air by the second quarter of 2006. He is still negotiating with U.S. networks in an attempt to get a distribution deal.

The American version will be based on the top 20 songs on the U.S. Billboard 100 chart. Part of the deal with BBC involves sharing taped performances by major artists such as Eminem and Elton John.

"The show will be just like it is all around the world," Pearlman said in an interview with Associated Press. "Except our thing will be each week having an up-and-coming artist that will be debuted on the show."

The decision to focus on new artists may reflect the popularity of American Idol, which drew 35.5 million viewers in its fifth season. 

"After [aspiring artists] are on American Idol, what show do you appear on?" Pearlman said. "This is the next level of American Idol."

The British program, which was mandatory TV for U.K. teens in the 1960s and 1970s, has lost some of its influence in recent years with so many more programs that show pop artists.

In 2003 it was overhauled to play more emerging talent, with a decreased emphasis on live performance.