• by Shankar Gupta , May 2, 2005

MSN and Reality TV honcho Mark Burnett have made a deal to promote Burnett's latest show "Rock Star," which is a hunt for a new lead singer for the 1980s pop band INXS, an MSN spokesperson confirmed Friday.

"We confirm we are working together, and are super excited about the cool stuff we can do together," said the spokesperson. The company declined further comment.

Last year, Mark Burnett Productions partnered with Yahoo! for "The Apprentice," in a deal that involved plugs for Yahoo! on the television show. Yahoo! also hosted extra clips of the show no seen on TV. "Rock Star" is in post-production, and is scheduled to air on CBS this summer.

The show follows the "American Idol" audition format, in which aspiring musicians compete for the top prize--in this case, to be the next lead singer for INXS and go on a global tour with the band. The show was filmed at a mansion in the Hollywood Hills, which housed the winners of the open auditions in January and February.

Mark Burnett, David Goffin of "American Idol," and two INXS managers, David Edwards and Michael Murchison, are the executive producers.