KNACK KNACK IS DOUG HERE? ? Knack front man Doug Fieger died this past weekend, from lung cancer. Fieger led his group the Knack through six studio albums, with their capping achievement being their single, from 1979 ?My Sharona.? It was, and is, an iconic song, with everyone from Pearl Jam to Veruca Salt to Yo La Tengo having covered it. It also appeared in the movies ?Reality Bites? and was sampled by Run DMC and Madonna. President George W. Bush listed the song on his iPod list in 2005, and it was parodied by Cheech and Chong turning the song into ?My Scrotum.? The most famous parody being Weird Al?s version, envisioned as ?My Payola.? AOL writing of the song said: ?To really understand the song?s impact, think of this: the rock era officially began in 1955, meaning that as of now, only 55 songs in all of rock history have earned the right to be the number one song of the year. ?My Sharona? was one of them.? The L.A.-based band scored other hits singles with ?Good Girls Don?t,? ?Baby Talks Dirty,? and even 1991?s ?Rock O? Love,? but, none came close to their hit which spent six weeks atop the Billboard Top 100, from August 25 through September 29. The band received plaudits from everyone from Paul McCartney to Pete Townsend and Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen too. Fieger was a gifted wordsmith and though he enjoyed the success ... he knew it?d probably end up as an albatross. In a 2001 interview with ABC, he called it a ?golden albatross.? When he passed on Valentine?s Day, Sharona Alperin, the inspiration for the hit said, ?Doug changed my life forever. He left on Valentine?s Day, a day of heart and love, and that was Doug ? all heart and love.? Rest easy Doug ? you forever changed ?pop music? ?and, for the better!
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LOST NO MORE --- If you haven't heard (ha ha!) this is Lost?s final season ? so, the big reveal and wrap up has begun in earnest. The season premiere, ?LA X? was nothing short of brilliant, yet it showed you just how much they had yet to wrap up. In fact, even during the season premier, it didn't seem possible. Last week?s episode was about the ?Kate Austin? character and though it was good, it was somewhat slower-moving than usual, prompting some angst amongst their rabid fans. Last night, ?The Substitute,? which prominently featured the character of ?John Locke? ? was one of the best episodes of the show I've seen. Terry O?Quinn?s acting was nothing short of brilliant. It was one of the Top five eps ever! If you've missed this show, which at first doesn't seem possible, you missed an ionic TV moment. I think this has been the best episodic show since ?Twin Peaks.?

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OSCAR LOSS --- How is it possible that the producers (Adam Shankman and Bill Mechanic) of this year are Oscarfest (on March 7) have decided not to have the original songs, nor the corresponding artists, perform on the show? Instead, the decision they've made is to instead feature on more of the ?younger? talents, like Taylor Lautner and Blake Lively. I mean, at first blush, that seems an insult to not only the writers and performers, but also to the show?s history. Insiders say that the nominees and filmmakers are outraged, feeling that the producers are tossing aside tradition and costing musical artists a well-deserved moment of global TV glory. Actually, according to Nikki Finke in her Deadline Hollywood column, said: ?What the Academy Awards telecast producers will certainly do is shave time that can be spent doting on twice as many Best Pictures nominees as in years past.? Remember, its 10 this year ? not the usual 5. Strange times indeed! Also, I heard a rumor that those producers will have a bowl of Prozac nearby from Alec Baldwin. Truth or not? MODERN CLOCKWORK ? 20-something wunderkind Harrison Forbes, sort of NY?s own Owl City (aka Adam Young/?Fireflies?) confab, does a photo shoot today in Williamsburg and manger/PR guru David Salidor reports that his EP has become a bidding project of sorts with four labels trying to sign it up. Says Salidor, ?Not since our work with Run DMC have I seen this much curiosity and intensity. Harrison is a one-man music shop, his own studios, production deals with other artists ? without question, he represent the new business model of an artist in this business. Despite his young years ? he gets it!? btw: Salidor and Tony Noto, of the original production of the off-Broadway chestnut, ?The Fantasticks,? are chatting up a new reality show, called ?Simply Frank.? More on this next time.

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CRAZY IN L.A. --- Ryan Bingham finally got to sing his song after all last night, at a star studded soiree by New West Records and their T Bone Burnett produced soundtrack for the film ?Crazy Heart.? Jeff Bridges took the stage with T Bone to perform several songs from the film, joined by Robert Duvall and Harry Dean Stanton, who broke into an impromptu ?Red River Valley.? Even Elton John joined in on piano for a rousing, New Orleans-styled finale. Also there was Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal (with Peter Sarsgaard), Jon Hamm, Elizabeth Westfeldt, Elliot Gould, Mary Kay Place, Powers Boothe, Peter Fonda, and the film?s writer/director Scott Cooper. Elton?s manager Johnny Barbis, and Kathy Baker.

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British fashion King Alexander McQueen was found dead yesterday at his home. He died of apparent suicide. He was only 40. McQueen was discovered at his luxury apartment in Green Park, central London, where it is believed he had hanged himself. He died just days after the loss of his mother, Joyce. "It is a tragic loss," McQueen's office said in a statement to UK's Daily Mail. "We are not making a comment at this time out of respect for the McQueen family." The famed designer had a very big list of celebrity clients including Lady Gaga, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jessica Alba, Beyonce and Naomi Campbell. McQueen's fashion line, McQ, was scheduled to be shown at New York City's Fashion Week today.
Photo By : Sara De Boer/Retna