Ready For 'Star Search' Part II

(CBS)  In their own private dressing rooms, Wednesday night's junior singers, 11-year-old Sophie and 12-year-old Joelle are getting their first taste of star treatment.

When The Early Show national correspondent Hattie Kauffman caught up with the starlets, Sophie said she had already tried on four dresses. As for Joelle, "Oh my, gosh, I don't even want to tell you. We've been going from every mall in the universe to pick out some clothes. I have so many, I'm like carrying them around," she said still not knowing which one to wear.

These girls hope to follow in the footsteps of Tiffany Evans who collected $100,000 as a "Star Search" junior singer winner in the competition that ended earlier this month.

All of the competition is live, which keeps host Arsenio Hall in the hot seat.

"I even have, 'Hi, I'm Arsenio Hall,' on cards. In case I forgot that. I could walk out and say, hello, I'm Hannah Storm? Who am I? So I even put my name on the teleprompter," he says.

Going head to head Wednesday night are comedians Moody McCarthy and Michael Loftus. They won't get to hear each other's jokes. But Loftus hopes he gets to choose the music he will hear in his earphones while he waits for his turn.

"I'd like to put in a request for some Barry White. I want to put the earphones on and hear, 'You've Got It Goin' On,' yeah," he says.

"Star Search" would not allow The Early Show to show any of the performances because it could influence audience voting during the live broadcast. But Kauffman, who got a sneak preview, says they'll be talent on this stage.

There's also going to be some changes. Instead of models strutting down the catwalk, there will be a dance category.

"We want to keep the show fresh," says Hall. "Want to make sure it's not same old, same old."

With the success of the first round, there's no shortage of celebrity guest judges. Hall says he doesn't have to call them, they're calling him.

"There was a time when I would have to go to Tyrese's house and do yard work because he came here to do the show, but now they're calling me," was Hall's tongue-in-cheek comment.

Among the regular judges, Naomi Judd is the stingiest with stars.

"She's the toughest," says McCarthy. "She's the one that's got us shaken."

Hall agrees. "Naomi is a piece of work, love her, hate her, she's never boring," he says.

And neither is Arsenio Hall.

"They're always on me, 'Do you have to wear the earrings? Could your hair be different?' But I'm not changing! I'm not taking off the earring. You've got me like this," he says.

You can get in on all the action when "Star Search" airs Wednesday night at 8:00 p.m./ET on CBS.