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T10 WHATS UP! February 2 - 8, 2020 Victor Oladipo, respectively. While some of the masked singers are recording artists by trade — such as the Em- press of Soul, Gladys Knight, who took third place in Season 1, and last season's high-rank- ing competitors Patti LaBelle, Seal and runner-up Chris Daughtry — most are taking a leap, amazing judges, fans and even themselves with their vo- cal chops. Simply imagining the celebs that could appear on the upcoming season of "The Masked Singer" is fun — and imagining is all we can do. Series producers have said that a mere 25 people actually know the identities of the con- testants before the big reveals. The story behind the series is a good one. Sometime in 2018, Smart Dog Media (a real- ity television production com- pany) CEO Craig Plestis be- came distracted, as we all so often are, by the TV while din- ing out in Thailand. Looking around, Plestis noticed that most of the guests had aban- doned both their conversa- tions and their meals in favor of watching the weird pro- gram airing on the television. It featured a "crazy kangaroo in a pleather outfit" dancing around on stage and singing. Entranced by what he had seen (and the other diners' re- actions to it), Plestis and his dining companions didn't even finish their food before beginning to research the se- ries. He discovered that the pro- gram originated in South Ko- rea in 2015 as "King of Mask Singer" (or the much more fun literal translation, "Mystery Music Show: Masked Singer's King"). By the time Plestis saw it for the first time, the show had already become a fran- chise, expanding to China, In- donesia, Vietnam and, of course, Thailand. As culture and values vary across the globe, so does the approach to television. Al- though American media domi- nates the airwaves in most of the English-speaking world, most people are able to spot shows that don't originate in the U.S. for multiple reasons, perhaps without even know- ing why. Even muted, shows that come from across the pond can be identified by many people, thanks to tech- nological differences that cause film to relay and display differently on screen (you can research the American color encoding system NTSC vs. the British system PAL for more insight). Those who are used to the ultra-HD, high-contrast look of American films might de- scribe the look of British shows like "Doctor Who" and "Coronation Street" as slightly hazy or dream-like. But some- times it's the content of a se- ries that betrays its origins, as is the case with "The Masked Singer." Take one look at the utterly glorious absurdity that is this show, and it evokes the same distinctly non-American feelings that other adaptations are known for — consider the dry humor of Britain's "The Office," the interests of the tit- ular character in Venezuelan series "Jane the Virgin" and the over-the-top costuming and acting in Japan's "Power Rangers." Poaching plotlines from se- ries abroad can lead to mas- sive success stories, which "The Masked Singer" exempli- fies perfectly. Fox's adaptation of "The Masked Singer" has done so well, in fact, that this year the franchise is expand- ing to more than 10 additional countries, from Austria to South Africa. If Super Bowl LIV hasn't left you with a giant hole on your television screen, or too excit- ed to sit still, you can tune in to find out which celebrity will be joining rapper T-Pain and comedian Wayne Brady as "Kings" when reality's most unbelievable competition series, "The Masked Singer," returns for a third season beginning Sunday, Feb. 2, on Fox. Nick Cannon hosts "The Masked Singer" continued from page T2 Musical mystery: Season 3 of 'The Masked Singer' premieres after Super Bowl LIV TV FEATURE