Nick Lachey Heads Home To Lead NBC's Choir

Nick Lachey will come home to lead Cincinnati's entry in NBC's "Clash of the Choirs" big holiday prime-time competition to air the week before Christmas.

Lachey, a 1992 School for Creative and Performing Arts graduate, will help assemble the ensemble after auditions this weekend. He won't be here for the open casting call 9 a.m.-6 p.m. at Walnut Hills High School (moved by NBC from the SCPA). He will be here for callbacks sometime after the private by appointment auditions Friday -- which are all booked -- and the open auditions Saturday.

And here's another change as of Wednesday morning: NBC says every amateur singer who comes to the auditions 9-6 Saturday will be seen, not just the first 300 people in line. Singers must be 18, and prepared to sing 16 bars a capella. You should bring along a Cincinnati application from NBC's website... which has not be posted as of now (11:30 a.m. Wednesday). Here's the link:
http://www.nbc.com/Casting/#clash

NBC will have application forms at the high school too, I'm told.

Lachey and casting directors will select 20 singers to go to New York Dec. 13-21 for rehearsals and the live telecasts.

Lachey and the locals will be competing with celebs and choirs from four other cities: Patti LaBelle/Philadelphia, Kelly Rowland/Houston, Blake Shelton/Oklahoma City and Michael Bolton/New Haven, Conn. "Clash of the Choirs" will air Dec. 17-20 on NBC. Viewers will vote off one choir Monday and Tuesday, with 3 singing in the finals Wednesday, and the winner announced Thursday.