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'Great Band' Debut: Round Up The Usual Oddballs

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By WALT BELCHER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 18, 2007

Has Fox found the next ''American Idol'' with ''The Next Great American Band''?

This presumptuous title for a reality show implies that there's a musical group out there just waiting to be packaged and sold to the American public by the same folks who give us a new ''Idol'' every year.

The new series debuts at 8 tonight on Fox with the usual round of auditions.

This is where we get to see a lot of really awful, weird groups. If you've seen ''Idol,'' then you know the blueprint.

The show's host is New Zealand television personality Dominic Bowden. The judges (there are always three) include Australian TV personality Ian ''Dicko'' Dickson; singer and percussionist Sheila E. and John Rzeznik of The Goo Goo Dolls.

More than 6,000 bands sent in audition tapes. Reportedly, at least 60 were gimmicky bands. These are laughable, no-chance acts, such as a white-haired all-granny group or jug-playing hillbillies that might actually win ''America's Got Talent.''

It will take a couple of weeks for the serious contenders to start the competition. Viewers will be selecting the winner. It's unlikely that this will be a hit, because nothing on Friday night ever achieves ''hit'' status.

There are things that survive, such as ''Ghost Whisperer,'' ''Las Vegas'' and ''Numb3rs,'' but, mostly, Friday is where series go to rest before disappearing.

So far, NBC's ''Friday Night Lights'' is not doing so well in the ratings at 9 p.m. Fridays.

HANNAH MONTANA: Check out a new episode of "Hannah Montana" on the Disney Channel at 8 tonight to see why teenage girls are going ga-ga over series star Miley Cyrus.

In addition to a sold-out concert tour, the 14-year-old singer and offspring of Billy Ray Cyrus has inspired millions of young girls to dress as Hannah Montana for Halloween.

Hannah Montana is the ''most-searched'' Halloween costume on the Internet, according to Yahoo.

If you haven't already snagged an official Hannah Montana outfit and wig, then you may be out of luck. They are selling out about as fast as Hannah Montana concert tickets.

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