It's time again for FOX Bangor's Eastern Maine Idol contest, and this year yours truly will be one of the judges. The event is at 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 in the JCPenney Court at Bangor Mall. You can get a complete list of the rules and pre-register at www.foxbangor.com. Or you can register the day of the event from 10:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at Bangor Mall. To audition, you'll have to sing a Cappella for 60 seconds, and be prepared to be judged by the four local "celebrity" judges (I don't consider myself a celeb at all). Once the Top 10 are selected, they'll move on to perform a second round that will be narrowed down to one. The winner gets a trip for two to East Rutherford, New Jersey and is guaranteed an audition with an "American Idol" producer at the IZOD Center at the Meadowlands Sports Complex on Tuesday, Aug. 19. This means you won't have to stand in line to wait since you'll have an exact performance time. FOX BANGOR'S radio partner in this event is WBZN-FM Z107.3, and its travel partner is All About Travel. I hope to see you there!

In case you missed it the first time, ABC will be airing a second showing of the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edi-tion” episode that was filmed last fall in Milbridge. The Ray-Smith family episode will be shown again at 9 p.m. Sunday, July 20, following the 8 p.m. series premiere of “High School Musical: Get in the Picture.”

Calling all males (or females) preparing to pop the question!

WFVX Bangor is looking to help a lovebird make the perfect proposal during a local commercial break of the “American Idol” finale on May 21.

The winner also will receive a prize pack containing a .65 carat diamond engagement ring from Quality Jewelers, and more than $2,000 in gift certificates that will help in planning and paying for the special day.

To enter, visit www.foxbangor.com and click on the “Pop the Question” banner. Insert your information and write a brief (no more than 500 words) explanation of why you should be the one to propose during the “Idol” finale.

You must be at least 21 years old to enter, and entries must be received by noon on Friday, May 9.

Do you own land in Maine? Do you want to? Just by making a video and answering these questions you could win $20,000.

The Maine Association of Realtors? is holding a contest asking people to tell why the love – or want – to own a piece of Maine.

All you have to do is make a video for YouTube that’s no more than three minutes long. Submit it to www.yourpieceofmaine.com before June 2 and you could win the $20,000 grand prize. There also will be one $5,000 and EIGHT $1,000 prizes.

Judges are looking for creativity, so get out your jokes, your box of tissues, whatever it takes to make a blockbuster video and post it.
Good luck!

Just a reminder.

"Big Brother" auditions will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at Linnehan’s Credit Now Auto at 1211 Hammond St. They'll be bottled water, coffee and donuts on hand to help you make it through the auditions.

It previously was thought that CBS would be sending in a casting crew, but I was informed this morning that WABI (the local affiliate) will be handling it all as the network searches for new housemates for season 10.

Check out www.cbs.com/bigbrother to view the show’s eligibility requirements and application form by clicking on the “Think You’ve Got What It Takes?” link on the right-hand side of the page.

“Oprah’s Big Give” is coming to Maine – sort of.

WVII Bangor announced Tuesday that ABC has selection it as one of 100 stations to receive $10,000 to support the American Cancer Society's Road to Recovery program. As part of the network's “Oprah's Big Give” Affiliate Outreach Program, ABC stations across the country could submit proposals for projects that would help their local communities. Locally, the money will be used to help cancer patients get transportation to and from treatment appointments.

Many need daily or weekly treatment, often over the course of several months, and they may not have a car or be able to drive themselves. The American Cancer Society's Road to Recovery program provides free transportation for cancer patients to and from their life-saving appointments-exclusively by way of volunteer drivers who donate their time and the use of their personal vehicles in order to help others.

I know there were some not-so-favorable comments posted on the BDN Web site about this show, but I don’t think anyone can complain about money that will help local people.

Now it’s time to see if we can make that money grow. In the spirit of Oprah's Big Give, Aroostook, Hancock, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Somerset and Washington county businesses and residents are being challenged to increase the amount that Oprah’s given and here’s how you can help:

• The recent sale of daffodils at local Hannaford Supermarkets helped support this program.
• The Hampton Inn in Bangor is raffling off a free stay to customers who come in and make a donation and 100 percent of the proceeds will go towards Road to Recovery.
• The Avon Store in the Airport Mall on Union Street in Bangor will donate 40 percent of the proceeds from several Avon products to the cause.

The money raised will be used to purchase gas cards to offset the rising price of gas for the Society's generous volunteers that donate both their time and use of their personal vehicles to drive cancer patients.

• You can also contact Gene Hardin at WVII, by email at ghardin@wvii.com or by calling 945-6457 for more info on how to help the cause.
• The American Cancer Society also is recruiting volunteers across Maine to ensure that all cancer patients have transportation to and from their treatments. If you have a car and some spare time, you can volunteer and help someone in your community keep a very important appointment. Whether you are available once a month or once a week, even for an hour, you can be a Road to Recovery volunteer. For more information about the program, contact the American Cancer Society at (800) 227-2345.

By now, most of you know that Ramiele Malubay was voted of last night and I must say it was time for her to go.
With one more contestant gone, it's time to gear up for another episode of "Idol Gives Back" that's set to air at a special time, 7:30 p.m. next Wednesday on FOX.
This is one of my favorite nights of the season as the contestants get a chance to do what they love for a good cause.
FOX is reporting an even bigger list of celebs this time around, including Robin Williams, Celine Dion, Kiefer Sutherland, Brad Pitt, Miley Cyrus, and even football faves Eli and Peyton Manning. The list goes on, so check out the FOX Web site to see who's expected to make an appearance and to find out how to donate.

Want the real breaking news about last night's "American Idol?" Contestant David Cook made a trip to the hospital after the show complaining of heart palpitations.
According to media reports all over the Web, including at TMZ.com, Cook was released after being treated for high blood pressure, but wouldn't you have high blood pressure if you had to combine a Dolly song with Simon? It's enough to give enough to give anyone chest pains.
More later ...

It’s confirmed! Casting crews from CBS will be at Linnehan’s Credit Now Auto at 1211 Hammond St. from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 12, looking for new housemates for season 10 of “Big Brother.” Complete details of the day’s events aren’t yet available, but you can check out www.cbs.com/bigbrother to view the show’s eligibility requirements and application form by clicking on the “Think You’ve Got What It Takes?” link on the right-hand side of the page.

This just in ... Bravo's "Project Runway" winner Christian Siriano will be joining "Access Hollywood" as a guest correspondent during "Nickelodeon's 2008 Kids'Choice Awards" in Los Angeles, Cali. on March 29. Siriano will make his "Access Hollywood" debut on Friday, March 28, to give a sneak peak at what he'll be wearing when he hits Nickelodeon's trademark orange carpet to hand out "Fierce Fashion Awards." "I think it's fabulous that I'll be on the red carpet checking to see if anyone is a hot tranny mess," Siriano said in Friday's press release. If you're a "Project Runway" fan, I imagine his carpet critique will be much more entertaining that Joan Rivers.