• by June 15, 2004

IS THIS REALITY TV INXS? - Maybe they're just upset they can't qualify for VH1's "Bands Reunited," but '80s rockers INXS are going to great lengths to replace their lead singer, Michael Hutchence.

They've called in Mark Burnett, the reality TV impressario who is best known for making "Survivor" and "The Apprentice" watercooler talk for years. The remaining members of INXS hope they'll do the same for the band, which had a string of hits in the 1980s and 1990s and sold more than 30 million records.

"Rock Star" will appear on what a news release on the band's Website (http://inxs.com) called "a major U.S. television network" sometime next year. The competition will open with auditions on five continents and include some sort of viewer participation, although it won't be the deciding factor. The band will have something to do with the choice, since rock 'n' roll bands are often unstable enough without the stress of a lead singer who doesn't have some sort of a connection.

There will be a competition, as the finalists will have to prove their mettle as songwriters, performers, producers. The winner has a tough act to follow. Hutchence was a bona fide rock star, his face and voice instantly recognizable all around the world. Hutchence committed suicide in late 1997.

"After Michael died, we wanted to search the world for a new singer but didn't know how we could effectively do that," INXS member Tim Farriss said on the band's Web site. "By having Mark and everyone at MBP [Mark Burnett Productions] embrace the concept, we've now found a fantastic way to make that happen."

INXS reeled after Hutchence's death, and while they've performed at the Syndey Olympics in 2000, and done some other events (including a tour two years ago), it hasn't been the same as in their high-flying days. Who knows, it could happen: The winner will get to record INXS' next album, which will be the band's first since 1997.