Idolator

CBS has decided to pick up the Mark Burnett game show Jingles, during which contestants will be required to write songs showcasing the various sponsors of the program in a positive light, then have those tunes judged by an "expert panel" and Americans. Winning songs will get used in the featured products' commercials, a fact that should make any indie musician hoping to pay his rent by selling his track to a soap company quiver in his boots. The designed-for-evading-TiVoers show will likely appear on the network's schedule come summertime, and casting is apparently going on right now! Here's a suggestion for CBS: How about cueing up a "marginal indie celebrity" version of the show to bring down your network's average viewing age—perhaps Feist vs. Wilco vs. Stephin Merritt? A preview of that potential throwdown is after the jump. More »

Liars is a band some find unpredictable and outrageous, while others would call them noise rock's Sha Na Na. Those who side with the latter opinion will be amused by this Timex ad, which features "Clear Island," one of the jauntier songs on their recent self-titled release. "I run, I move, I don't break stride, I control... with Timex." More »

Actually, it's more like your chance to be as famous as that guy wearing a pirate's hat in the FreeCreditReport.com ad—or maybe even these guys! A casting call just came across our transom: "Looking for a cool indie rock band to be in a New York Lottery commercial. Bands can be male or female or both but members must be in their 20's. Must have lots of style, charisma, attitude, and energy. Think Franz Ferdinand, The Arcade Fire, Grizzly Bear, Band of Horses, Bloc Party, Cold War Kids, Mars Volta, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, etc.." By now there has to be some enterprising band out there that's claiming all those influences simultaneously, right? I sure hope tryouts for this are at Pianos! [Thepunkguy]