There isn’t much down time in the world of “American Idol,” is there? FOX has announced the auditions cities and dates for season 9 and they start in less than two weeks. Holy cow!

I realize that they don’t really do much all Fall, but I had no idea that auditions would start this early after the show ended. No wonder the judges can be so punch-drunk during auditions, they’ve only had about 3 weeks off from the giant hoopla of the finale!

Is it your dream to be the next Kris Allen or Carrie Underwood? Or are you just street-rat crazy and want to be made fun of on national television?  We have the info for you!

So far the dates and cities look like this:

Boston Gillette Stadium, June 12th to June 14th

Atlanta Georgia Dome, June 16th to June 18th

Los Angeles Rose Bowl, June 28th to June 30th

Orlando Arena, July 7th to July 9th

Denver Mile High, July 12th to July 14th

Chicago: Dates to be announced

Dallas: Dates to be announced

Sources close to MTV and Sacha Baron Cohen tell EW that the infamous stunt on the show between Eminem and the Bruno star was staged, with Eminem’s consent and participation. The sources confirm rampant speculation that the rapper simply must have known that the comedian, dressed in a thong and angel’s wings as his flamboyantly gay alter ego Bruno, would fall from a high-wire harness onto the rapper’s lap and straddle his face.

Meanwhile, comedy writer Scott Aukerman, who says he was the head comedy writer for the awards show, also claims on his blog that “the Bruno/Eminem incident was staged,” explaining “they rehearsed it at dress and yes, it went as far as it did on the live show.”

Los Angeles (E! Online) – Zac Efron really wants to be in girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens’s upcoming action flick, Sucker Punch, because he’s dying to work with director Zach Snyder.

There’s just one thing getting in the way: Zac’s manhood…

“I think it’s an all-girl movie,” Efron told me backstage at the MTV Movie Awards right after picking up the Golden Popcorn for Best Male Performance for his work in High School Musical 3: Senior Year. “But if there’s any way to be in that film, I’d do it. I’d play a girl if I had to.”

LOS ANGELES – Gamers, get ready for your close-up.

Microsoft introduced a prototype camera Monday that can be used as a controller for the Xbox 360. Codenamed “Project Natal,” the camera eliminates the need for a handheld input device — instead, the gizmo can track a player’s full body movement, recognize their face and voice, scan images of real items and respond to both physical and vocal commands.

Microsoft also debuted 10 exclusive new games and several additions to the Xbox Live online service at their flashy Electronic Entertainment Expo press conference at University of Southern California’s Galen Center.

But the biggest gee-whiz moment came when Microsoft senior vice president Don Mattrick and Steven Spielberg introduced “Project Natal.”

THIS JUST IN:

Ousted AMERICAN IDOL contestant SANJAYA MALAKAR is one of the seven questionable celebs starring in tonight’s season premier of the NBC reality show, I’M A CELEBRITY…GET ME OUT. And even though fellow player STEPHEN BALDWIN says MALAKAR will crumble first, SANJAYA tells us he’s in it for the challange. (Click on the media bar below):

This just released by the DISNEY/PIXAR folk. Set for release in June of 2010.

The debut album from former “American Idol” finalist Chris Daughtry’s band has sold more than 5 million copies worldwide since its November 2006 release, so expectations are high for Daughtry’s new album, “Leave This Town.”  Still, the rocker feels that no matter how big his music career becomes, his family will always come first. (CLICK ON THE MEDIA BAR BELOW TO HEAR CHRIS DAUGHTRY)

Anyone who’s read more than a couple of bestselling author DEAN KOONTZ’s suspense novels knows that he’s down with the dogs. Almost every title features a canny canine. In his new book, A BIG LITTLE LIFE, KOONTZ goes the non-fiction route to tell the story of TRIXIE, a rescued dog that profoundly affected his life. We sat down with the author over the week-end to talk about books and books that have been made into movies. It seems KOONTZ isn’t too happy about of his titles that have gone from page to screen. Listen in below:

A LITTLE BIG LIFE: A MEMOIR OF A JOYFUL DOG by DEAN KOONTZ is due to hit stores in August

A lot of the people who watched Will Ferrell on “Saturday Night Live” also grew up watching Sid and Marty Krofft’s Saturday morning TV show, “Land Of The Lost.”  Now the two come together, with Ferrell starring in the big-screen remake of the series, which opens this Friday.  Ferrell told us the movie is the most physical he’s ever made, and that he handled a lot of the stuntwork himself. (CLICK ON THE MEDIA BAR BELOW TO HEAR WILL FERRELL)