So if you're wanting to get in touch with your inner Whitney Houston and sing the national anthem in front of a crowd -- and really, who isn't? -- here's your chance. The Durham Bulls are holding open auditions for singers to perform the "Star Spangled Banner" at games during the 2012 baseball season. That happens March 10, from 10 a.m. to noon on a first-come-first-served basis.

The rules: Auditioners will have 90 seconds to perform the national anthem, from memory and in a "traditional style." For additional details, contact Andrew Bryda at 919/687-6545 or abryda@durhambulls.com. Meanwhile, the season's opening day is April 5.

Ten-year-old Katherine Fritsch sings the national anthem before the Carolina Hurricanes play the Pittsburgh Penguins at the RBC Center Saturday May ... more

Tift Merritt got a wonderful souvenir from singing the national anthem at Monday's Barack Obama rally in Charlotte, her very own picture with the president-elect.

"I'm proud of it," she says with a laugh. "I barely even remember it happening, it was so fast. But I was so excited. There was a little meet-and-greet, very quick, and I introduced myself and thanked him for all the things he was doing. He couldn't have been more genuine. He's so at ease, whether he's on a stage or speaking to just one person. It was so amazing."

Merritt is back in Paris to "recoup and write," she says. Perhaps that means a new song or two will turn up on the solo live album she's recording in England later this month.