US Air Guitar, in Philadelphia, looking for its next heir

Are you the next air - err, uh - heir to the title of US Air Guitar Champion?

Before screaming out a head-banging "Yeeeeeeeeah," know that the position requires airness... and quite a bit of nerve.

"Almost everybody has air guitar," said Kriston Rucker, co-founder of US Air Guitar. But it takes a "jene sais quoi" to bear the distinction, he adds.

Today at 7 p.m., Rucker and partner Cedric Devitt bring "The 6th Annual US Air Guitar Championships" to the TLA to discover someone with that certain something on an imaginary guitar.

Sure, everyone is a rock star when it comes to strumming the "Purple Haze" or "Black Dog" riffs sans ax. But that's in the bedroom... alone.

Judges will be looking for that in-home talent to transmit to a crowd. A real crowd.

Competitors will have two 60-second opportunities to wow a three-person panel judging three categories: technical ability, stage presence, and airness.

The winner from Philadelphia will travel to San Francisco to compete against finalists from the 23-city tour and reigning US champion William Ocean on August 8.

Once the air clears and a guitarist is presented with the title belt, he will then represent the country in Olu, Finland at the Air Guitar World Championships, also in August.

Last year, the U.S. came in 11th place. But in 2008 the country might fare better as US Air Guitar continues to grow, an accomplishment Rucker delights in.

"We're trying to make [air guitar] the number four sport," said Rucker, knocking soccer from the country's top athletic activities. "Honestly, I don't think soccer is going to make it."

"Air guitar is just a little more American."