Grimacing like the pros.

Anyone who's seen a rock concert is familiar with the look: that nutty face that the guitar player makes--a contorted grimace, often involving lots of tongue, that suggests either ecstasy or accidental electrocution. "My sister always asked me: Why do you make those faces when you play?" says rock guitarist Gary Lucas. He could never explain it, except to say that the "strings have always seemed like an extension of the nervous system." Now both professionals and nonprofessionals alike have a chance to put their best swoon-inducing faces on display. To promote a video-on-demand guitar instruction show on cable TV called Guitar Xpress, Rainbow Media Holdings, which owns the show, is holding a national "guitar face" contest. Pretenders to the throne of, say, Angus Young of AC/DC (among the kings of extreme-pain guitar face) or Eddie Van Halen (of the wide-open-mouth school) can send a picture of their own look to [e-mail] or mail it to the company, which has lined up a panel of professional guitarist judges. The contest ends at the end of October. The winner gets a guitar--and maybe 15 seconds of feeling like a rock star.