Missy Elliot's Road to Stardom

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**LE SIGH**

Missy Elliott Gets Real
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By Lia Haberman

Missy Elliott wants average folks to get their freak on.


• E! Online's Missy Elliott fact sheet
• News: Missy, Beyoncé, Alicia: Superfriends
• News: Missy scores at 2003 VMAs



The "Supa Dupa Fly" songstress is looking to uncover the next hip-hop sensation in a new reality series scheduled to air on UPN that comes across as American Idol meets Road Rules meets The Apprentice.


Select wannabes will tag along with the Grammy-winning performer on an upcoming concert tour where they'll compete for their chance at 15 seconds in the spotlight and access to Elliott's substantial music-biz contacts.


The group will live together, work together and presumably turn against each other all under 24/7 camera surveillance with one member expelled every week.


Open auditions for aspiring performers kick off March 7 in Los Angeles, followed by casting sessions in Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Dallas and Arlington, Virginia.


While there's no official airdate yet for UPN's tentatively titled Missy Elliott Project, the superstar plans to kick off her made-for-TV tour in April in support of her most recent album, This Is Not a Test.


But first, Missy will hit the road with R&B friends Beyonc Knowles and Alicia Keyes this month for a 22-city tour. The Ladies First tour, which Elliott dubbed a "Lillith Fair for the urban side," begins March 12 in Fort Lauderdale and wraps up April 18 at the Oakland Coliseum.


The busy hip-hopster, who won a Grammy last month for Best Female Rap Solo Performance, will face off against Beyonc at the upcoming Soul Train Award where both women are up for the Michael Jackson (news) award for Best Soul/R&B or Rap Music Video.