VH1 Republic

ALMOST FAMOUS: VH1 and Republic have announced the 24 finalists for Make a Band Famous, the 24-hour livestream competition kicking off 6/11 at 8pm on the network’s dedicated site and MABF app. They’ll compete for a deal with Republic, a VH1 You Oughta Know spotlight and a spot at Brooklyn’s Northside Festival. The live finale takes place in Red Hook, Brooklyn, on 7/12. All American Rejects frontman Tyson Ritter will host. On 5/1, unsigned artists were invited to upload a snippet of an original song on Instagram with the #MABF hashtag; social-media voting narrowed the field to the 24 contenders, including Cheezy and the Crackers, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Dirty Du and fancy reagan. The bands will take part in a gauntlet of challenges (learning a cover in an hour, playing a song on toy instruments, defining the word “ethos”) that will enable social voters to eliminate one participant per hour, leaving one band standing at the end of 24 hours. The livestream will give the audience access to multiple-camera views of performances, interviews, judges and more. For more info, go here. (6/5p)