Want to be the next American Idol? If you're between 16 and 28, you can audition for the fifth season -- which will begin airing in January 2006 -- starting on August 18 in San Francisco at the Cow Palace. Auditions will continue in Austin, Texas; Boston; Memphis, Tennessee; Denver and Chicago. Details on the auditions can be found at idolonfox.com. ...

Another day, another Kelly Clarkson contest -- this time, the "American Idol" winner is offering a chance to visit her in New York and hang backstage via a T-Mobile sweepstakes, which starts on Monday at T-MobileAllAccess.com. "I can't wait to hook up with some of my fans and hang out backstage," Clarkson said in a statement. ... After rejecting a plea bargain in May in connection with an alleged August 2004 assault on two nail-salon employees, Foxy Brown was slated to appear in Manhattan Criminal Court on Thursday (July 28) for the beginning of her trial in the case. The first court date has been moved to August 5 at the request of Brown's attorney. ...

My Chemical Romance have announced plans to embark on their first headlining tour this fall. The Alkaline Trio and jokey pop-punkers Reggie and the Full Effect will serve as opening acts on the trek, which will hit 28 cities. According to a spokesperson for MCR's label, Reprise Records, the start date for the tour has not yet been determined, nor have on-sale dates, but the tour is slated to make stops in Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, San Diego, Atlanta, Orlando, New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore. ... "Chickenhead" rapper Project Pat was released from prison Thursday after serving an abbreviated sentence of more than three years for felony possession of a firearm. The rapper, whose real name is Patrick Houston, will remain on supervised release for three more years, according to the original sentence he was served in June 2002. Project Pat was convicted by a federal jury in Jackson, Tennessee, earlier that year on charges stemming from a January 2001 incident when Memphis police pulled him over for speeding and found two revolvers under a seat in his SUV. He was on parole for aggravated robbery at the time. ... "Halo 2" is the 2005 Game of the Year, according to G-Phoria, which crowned winners of the video game world Wednesday night in Los Angeles, in a ceremony hosted by Wilmer Valderrama. "Halo 2" also took home Best Shooter, Best Multiplayer Game, Best Sound Design, Best Original Soundtrack, Best Boss and Best Male Voice Performance (the most overall awards of the evening). "God of War" was also a big winner, receiving kudos for Best Action Game, Best Cinematic, Best Original Game and Favorite Character, as was "Half-Life 2," which won for Best Graphics and Best Female Voice Performance. "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" took home Best Licensed Soundtrack. The Black Eyed Peas and the Bravery performed, while William Shatner was on hand to honor Ralph Baer, who created the very first video game console. The show will be broadcast August 9 on G4 -- the video game channel -- at 8 p.m. ET. ...

Thanks to "The Dukes of Hazzard," the 1969 Dodge Charger is increasing in value, according to the Kelley Blue Book. The 1969 Dodge Charger SE 500 in mint condition could fetch up to $61,600 today, versus $43,900 only six months ago, a 29 percent increase in the vehicle's value. For a mint condition Dodge Charger R/T, the price has increased 64 percent this year, up from $28,200 in January 2005 to $43,900 this month. ... The Internet has saturated the youth market, with nearly 90 percent of teens reportedly having online access, according to a new survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, with half of them logging on to the Internet daily. That number is up from about 75 percent of teens in 2000. By comparison, only 66 percent of American adults are wired to the Internet. Older teen girls (ages 15-17) proved to be the most intense users. ... Meanwhile, tweens and young teens aren't glued to the TV as much as they used to be -- 8- to 14-year-olds are becoming increasingly disinterested in watching television, and more distracted when they do watch it, according to "The U.S. Market for Tweens and Young Teens," a new report from Packaged Facts. Almost 80 percent of the younger tweens say they "love" watching TV, but this drops to 60 percent when kids reach their early teen years. And often, they're doing something else when the TV is on, like reading, listening to music or using a computer. ...

Alanis Morissette's favorite song? Seal's "Crazy." Her favorite Gap jeans? Curvy flare. Starting in August, Morissette will sing her favorite tune to shill for Gap jeans for the retailer's fall "favorites" campaign in Francis Lawrence-directed TV spots, along with Incubus' Brandon Boyd, Joss Stone, John Legend, Destiny's Child's Michelle Williams, Jason Mraz and Liz Phair. (Boyd's fave is Elvis Costello's "Alison," Stone's is the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows," Mraz's is Bob Marley's "One Love," Phair's is Irving Berlin's "Cheek to Cheek"). A limited-edition eight-song CD featuring those remakes will be available as a gift with purchase at Gap stores starting September 1 (except for Phair's track, which will be replaced on the compilation by Michelle Branch's cover of David Bowie's "Life on Mars?"). ... Nicole Richie, who appeared in Bongo's spring 2005 ads, is wearing the jeans once again for the company's juniors fall campaign, and is joined by her fiance, DJ AM, for the launch of Bongo Men. The campaign -- which features the couple cuddling and kissing -- will debut in September. "I had done the campaign last season and I had so much fun and I loved the way the ads came out," Richie said. "We are so excited to do the campaign together." ...

The lead singer of the British band Bad Beat Revue died last week from an injury sustained during a dramatic leap from the stage, according to BBC News. Patrick Sherry, 29, known as an athletic performer, sustained fatal head and neck injuries during a July 20 gig and died the next day. The group, which formed in 2002, released one album, Still Cheating, in 2003. ... Arnold Schwarzenegger hasn't forgotten his "Twin" -- he's teamed up once again with Danny DeVito to reprise their twin brother roles for a new TV ad campaign for the 2005 California State Fair, which begins airing on Thursday. The fair kicks off in Sacramento at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds on August 12 and runs through Labor Day. ...

7.27.2005

Ozzy Osbourne, who on Sunday told the crowd assembled at the Nissan Pavilion in Bristow, Virginia, for Ozzfest that he was battling a cold, has fallen ill, according to a festival spokesperson. That means Black Sabbath have dropped off of the Ozzfest bill for Wednesday night's (July 27) show in Holmdel, New Jersey. Instead, Iron Maiden will take over as the mainstage headliners. Once Ozzy's back on his feet, he'll be returning to Ozzfest -- and if you've got $1,000 to spare, you might actually be able to meet the heavy metal legend. Ozzfest fans can swing by the tour's virtual home at Ozzfest.com for more information, but here's the long and short of it: Ten fans will be able to purchase a package that includes some face time with Oz, a special Ozzfest crew member T-shirt signed by Ozzy, primo seats next to the main stage, and the chance to dine with Ozzfest emcee Big Dave at a special crew dinner. The $1,000 fee will be donated to Sharon Osbourne's Colon Cancer Program. ...

Last week, it looked like R. Kelly's child-pornography trial was finally on the horizon, with the judge in the case promising to make a decision on matters that would allow a trial date to finally be set. But on Wednesday, the R&B singer got yet another break -- the judge delayed making a decision once again, since the defense wanted more time to locate witnesses. The case, which has been in the pretrial process for over three years now, will next be heard on September 2. ... Paris Hilton, who's no stranger to guest lists, has lined up a long list of her own for her forthcoming debut album (which so far ranges from Lil Jon to the Go-Go's' Jane Wiedlin). Now Paris has a new name to add to the list: producer extraordinaire Scott Storch. Still, despite this development, it's too soon to say when the album will come out, according to her label rep. ...

Hilary Duff won't use confetti at her concerts anymore, because she learned during her environmental science class on Harvard online that the excess paper is bad for the environment. "It's so weird now how much I conserve," she said. "I turn the lights out, and no more confetti, because that's not recyclable. I did the math for the amount we used, multiplied by 36 shows? We don't need it." Duff said that taking the class is really hard with her schedule, since she has to read 50 pages three times a week, but she loves what she's learned "about the ozone layer, about waste management." "It's so fun!" she said. ... Ryan Seacrest, who brought the T-shirt-under-sport-coat look to the masses on the last season of "American Idol," has launched his own clothing line, the R Line, specializing, of course, in T-shirts. The line, for men and women and created with Jem Sportswear and Awake, is available now at specialty stores like Fred Segal and M. Fredric and will hit Marshall Field's and Bloomingdale's later in the summer. "I've always loved fashion, including T-shirts that are smart and stylish," Seacrest said in a statement. ...

Fall Out Boy, the Starting Line and Motion City Soundtrack are among the acts tapped for the third annual Nintendo Fusion Tour, which launches September 28 in Detroit. The trek will hit 30 other cities, and each stop will be outfitted with a whole bunch of video game stations, so when fans aren't emoting or cinching up their studded belts, they can check out brand new Nintendo games. ... The Foo Fighters have been added to the lineup for this year's Voodoo Music Experience, set to take over New Orleans on October 29 and 30. Other acts slated to perform include Nine Inch Nails, the Bravery, My Chemical Romance, Queens of the Stone Age and the Flaming Lips. ...

If you want to know what is going to be next in hip-hop, you absolutely have to be there. The eighth annual Mixshow Power Summit has been scheduled to take place in Lucaya, Bahamas, September 28-October 1. No participants have been announced as of yet, but in past years every big-name mixshow and mixtape DJ has been present, along with virtually every MC, from Jay-Z to 50 Cent to Eminem. ... William Orbit will finally release the follow-up to his 2000 album, Pieces in a Modern Style. The as-yet-untitled album is due September 20. ...

Ray Charles will soon have a Los Angeles post office named in his honor, according to a bill President Bush signed into law earlier this month. An official naming ceremony at the building located at 4960 W. Washington Boulevard, near the site of Charles' original studio, will take place on August 24, Congresswoman Diane Watson announced Wednesday. Watson authored the federal legislation designating the facility as the Ray Charles Post Office Building. Meanwhile, the Smithsonian Institute in Washington will induct Charles artifacts into its permanent collection on September 22, while an exhibit of Charles memorabilia will move to Nashville for a yearlong exhibit at the Country Music Fall of Fame, starting in March 2006. ... The Rolling Stones want to come out with a bang -- A Bigger Bang. That's the name of their first new studio album in eight years, due September 6. Among the album's 16 tracks are two sung by Keith Richards ("This Place Is Empty," "Infamy") as well as "Rough Justice," "Back of My Hand," "Laugh, I Nearly Died" and the first single, "Streets of Love." ...