Neil Patrick Harris & More to Perform in LIP SYNC BATTLE LIVE: A MICHAEL JACKSON CELEBRATION

LIP SYNC BATTLE has signed three of Hollywood's hottest superstars for its epic LIVE event. Neil Patrick Harris, a 5-time Emmy and Tony Award winning actor; Taraji P. Henson, an Academy Award nominated and Golden Globes Award winning actress starring in Proud Mary (Sony Pictures) in theaters January 12; and Hailee Steinfeld, a Golden Globes and Academy Award nominated actress and a multi-platinum recording artist, will be featured participants in "LIP SYNC BATTLE LIVE: A MICHAEL JACKSON CELEBRATION."

The epic larger than life performances will showcase some of Michael Jackson's greatest hits. The landmark television event celebrating the legendary entertainment icon, The King of Pop, Michael Jackson, will take place LIVE from the Dolby Theatre on Thursday, January 18 at 9:00pm.

"Michael Jackson's groundbreaking sound and style changed the course of music, videos and Live performance forevermore," said Casey Patterson, Executive Producer. "This line up of incredible superstar performers are inspired and ready to bring it LIVE on 1.18.18!"

This must-see special event will launch the Paramount Network (formerly Spike TV).
Additional participants will be announced shortly. Fans will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite performance on Twitter using talent specific hashtags.

On television, Neil Patrick Harris is known for playing the title character on Doogie Howser, M.D. (1989-1993), Barney Stinson on How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014, for which he was nominated for four Emmy Awards), and Count Olaf on A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Harris is also known for his role as the title character in Joss Whedon's musical Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008) and a fictional version of himself in the Harold & Kumar film series (2004-2011). His other films include Starship Troopers (1997), Beastly (2011), The Smurfs (2011), The Smurfs 2(2013), A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014), and Gone Girl (2014). In 2014, he starred in the title role in HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH on Broadway, for which he won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical.

Harris has hosted the Tony Awards in 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2013, for which he won several special class Emmy Awards. He also hosted the Primetime Emmy Awards in 2009 and 2013, and hosted the 87th Academy Awards in 2015.

Paramount Network is partnering with "VH1 Save The Music" to award the winner a grant to a school in the market of their choice. This grant will fund new music programs and support the foundations dedication to helping kids, schools and communities realize their full potential through the power of making music.

The one-hour special, produced by Casey Patterson Entertainment and Matador Content, in consultation with The Estate of Michael Jackson, will feature larger-than-life performances LIVE from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. In addition, "LIP SYNC BATTLE LIVE: A MICHAEL JACKSON CELEBRATION" will feature a special performance by Michael Jackson ONE™ by Cirque du Soleil, the critically acclaimed show in permanent residence at the Michael Jackson Theater at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas. The special is executive produced by Casey Patterson, Jay Peterson, James Sunderland, LL COOL J, John Krasinski, Stephen Merchant, and 8 Million Plus Productions, and directed by Glenn Weiss, and all songs performed during the special are featured in Michael Jackson ONE™.

Season 4 kicks off on January 25 at 10pm ET/PT.

The 2-time Emmy-nominated "Lip Sync Battle" has become a multiplatform superstar, with over 1 billion cross-platform views since launch, over 2 Million Facebook followers and over 2 Million Youtube Subscribers as well as a partnership with Carnival Cruise Lines which features an on-board experiential experience. In addition, the "Lip Sync Battle" franchise is taking over the world airing in 120 territories spread out over six continents and original format versions in in 18 countries.

The critically-acclaimed and award-nominated "Lip Sync Battle" features celebrities going head to head - lip-syncing the song of their choice - battling for the coolest bragging rights on the planet. The "Lip Sync Battle" brand grew exponentially over the past year. Paramount Network's sister network Nickelodeon will launch "Lip Sync Battle Shorties" featuring real-life kids lip-syncing pop songs in celebration of their favorite artists in January, BET created two "Lip Sync Battle" specials surrounding their "Hip Hop Awards" and "Soul Train Awards" and MTV's Television and Movie Awards had their own special episode.

Paramount Network's original series "Lip Sync Battle," is hosted by entertainment icon and two-time GRAMMY Award-winner LL COOL J and television personality, #1 NY Times Best Selling author, and model, Chrissy Teigen.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos