Tom Petty [ tickets ] has signed a publishing contract with Omnibus Press, which plans to release the first authorized biography of the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer in time for the 2005 holiday season.

Dubbed "Conversations with Tom Petty," the book is being written by Paul Zollo.

"Tom and Paul are in the middle of a series of in-depth discussions about Tom's career, with special focus on his songwriting," said a press release issued by the publisher. "The conversations will be reprinted with little or no editorial comment, and will therefore represent a unique perspective on Tom's entire career."

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers will celebrate their 30th anniversary in 2006.

"Stardust: The Great American Songbook, Vol. 3," Rod Stewart [ tickets ]'s third collection of standards, tops the latest Billboard 200 album chart, marking his first No. 1 album since 1978's "Blondes Have More Fun."

Nelly [ tickets ]'s "Suit" jumps one spot to No. 2 on the chart, while George Strait's "50 Number Ones," which occupied the No. 1 slot for two weeks, slips to No. 3.

Usher's "Confessions" falls two places to No. 4, while Ray Charles' "Genius Loves Company" jumps from No. 13 to No. 5, thanks to extensive coverage of the upcoming Charles biopic "Ray" and a tribute show that aired on CBS-TV last week.

Country singer LeAnn Rimes [ tickets ] has been tapped to host the third season of the USA Network's talent show "Nashville Star," succeeding Nancy O'Dell ("Access Hollywood").

Rimes performed as a special guest on the show's second-season finale.

The show's third season will debut in March; casting calls are underway in 20 North American cities. Details are posted at the USA Network's website.

The Wallflowers [ tickets ] will play a Halloween-weekend concert aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis, which is heading home to San Diego after five months of deployment to the Western Pacific Ocean.

The band plans to play two full sets, enabling most of the crew to attend a show.