Six weeks ago, QUEEN drummer Roger Taylor announced the launch of a North American talent search looking for top-tier players to star in The Queen Extravaganza tour, an electrifying road show that will celebrate the band's music and legacy. A plethora of vocalists, guitarists, drummers, bassists and keyboard players auditioned online, submitting video footage of themselves performing one of four classic Queen songs: 'Killer Queen', 'Somebody To Love', 'Seven Seas of Rhye' and 'I Want To Break Free'. With one week of open auditions remaining, Taylor continues to pore through the submissions and is preparing for the November 9th announcement of the lucky semi-finalists.

“What an amazing storehouse of talent we have unlocked,” said Taylor. “The standard is mind blowingly high, it’s really a thrill getting to discover some of them, keep them coming!”

The buzz surrounding The Queen Extravaganza tour has sparked worldwide interest with video submissions generating more than 6.4 million views to date. Television host Ellen DeGeneres was so impressed with the level of talent, that she invited one hopeful to perform his audition on her show. The contestant, Nashville's Marc Martel, went on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on October 3rd and gave a stunning rendition of Queen's 'Somebody To Love'. Fans around the country felt the same way, awarding Martel the MTV O Award last night for Best Fan Cover. His performance from The Ellen DeGeneres Show can be viewed below:

Unlike Round One, in which vocalists and musicians were allowed to audition by performing one of four Queen songs, Round Two will see each semi-finalist assigned a specific track.

* Vocalists must submit a video of themselves performing 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love'.

* Drummers must perform 'One Vision'.

* Guitarists must play 'Keep Yourself Alive'.

* Bassists must audition to 'Another One Bites The Dust'.

* Keyboardists must perform 'Bohemian Rhapsody'.

The semi-finalists will have between November 9th and 13th to submit their auditions. In another twist, Round Two auditions will be judged by the public. Between November 14th and 28th, fans can vote for their favorites at queenextravaganza.com, casting one vote per category. The top vote-getters will advance to the Final Round. Those finalists will be flown into Los Angeles in early December, where they will perform live for Taylor and a panel of judges. More information on the final auditions to be announced shortly.

Launching in 2012, The Queen Extravaganza tour will feature three vocalists and a five-piece band and will be booked by powerhouse agency CAA. Taylor is fully hands-on, taking the role of producer and music director.

The trailer for Queen's Days Of Our Lives DVD/Blu Ray has been posted online. The package will be released on November 28th (UK, further worldwide dates TBC). Watch the trailer below:

Days Of Our LIves, the critically acclaimed documentary on Queen is set against a backdrop of brilliant music and stunning live performances from every corner of the globe.

"We will be releasing this amazing documentary with extra unseen content on standard DVD and Blu-Ray! The story is amazing and a must have… In this film, for the first time, it is the band that tells their story. Featuring brand new interviews and unseen archive footage (including their recently unearthed, first ever TV performance), it is a compelling story told with intelligence, with, plenty of humour and painful honesty."

Further details, including tracklisting, can be found at this location.

MTV have announced that Queen will be honoured with the Global Icon Award at the 2011 MTV EMA. The legendary rock band will also take the stage for a special performance.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Queen's formation in 1971; since then, these Rock And Roll Hall Of Famers have garnered a long list of accomplishments and accolades, including career sales of more than 300 million albums, 16 #1 albums, 18 #1 singles and the UK's top-selling album of all time (their Greatest Hits compilation has sold a staggering 5.7 million copies).

Hosted by Selena Gomez, the 2011 MTV EMA will take place Sunday, November 6th at 9 PM (CET) from Belfast, Northern Ireland, and is sponsored by Dell, Replay, Hyundai and Swatch. In the US, the show will premiere on Tr3s: MTV, Musica y Mas on Sunday, November 6th at 6 PM (ET/PT), and on mtvU on Monday, November 7th at 12 PM (ET/PT).

"We are honoured to be designated a Global Icon. We will do our best to be worthy!" said Queen's Brian May.

"Over the past four decades, Queen has made an indelible impact on the pop music landscape. They are passionately revered by generations of fans and musicians across the globe," said Bruce Gillmer, Executive Vice President of Talent and Music Programming / Events for Viacom International Media Networks. "We are absolutely thrilled that they will be joining us at this year's MTV EMA, and we look forward to a very special performance."

More on Queen at this location.