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The original members of KISS are remembering their late manager Bill Aucoin, who died Monday from cancer. A post on KISSOnline.com from Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley says, “He was instrumental in guiding us from the beginning, and without his vision, leadership and unending dedication, we could never have scaled the heights we have reached… We loved him, told him and have peace that he knew it. We will grieve and celebrate all he was and did. We have lost a part of us.”

Original guitarist Ace Frehley says, “Bill was a very gifted guy with a great eye for talent. Through all the ups and downs, he never lost his big smile and sense of humor… We remained friends till the end.”

And drummer Peter Criss says, “If not for Bill Aucoin, there would not be a rock group called KISS today. He was the fifth KISS, and always will be. I loved the man and will miss him deeply.”

In addition to KISS, Aucoin managed Billy Squier, Billy Idol, Starz and others. He was 66.

Bret Michaels says he’ll be talking to the producers of American Idol next month about taking Simon Cowell‘s place. He tells Parade.com, “They did a poll, and I think it was Madonna, P. Diddy, Howard Stern and myself, and I took 50 percent or 60 percent of the vote, and that’s tremendous… I would bring a lot to the table. I’m not built exactly like Simon Cowell, but, at the same time, I respect what he did. I would have to bring my own personality. I think if they have someone in there to try to imitate Simon, it would be a mistake — he’s an original.”

Michaels is on tour opening for Lynyrd Skynyrd.

U2, Bruce Springsteen and AC/DC are among Forbes magazine’s most powerful celebrities in the world. Oprah tops the list. U2 placed seventh with $130 million in earnings, which was third on the pay-rank scale. Bruce Springsteen is 17th with $70 million, placing him at number-16 in pay rank, and AC/DC are at number-38 with $114 million, which puts them at number-six in pay. The list is based on earnings and media exposure.

U2′s Bono and his private-equity business Elevation Partners have invested another $120 million into Facebook, bringing their total investment in the social-networking site to $210 million.

Led Zeppelin‘s Jimmy Page has been hit with a copyright lawsuit over the 1969 song “Dazed and Confused.” Jake Holmes says he wrote the song for his debut album in 1967. No word on why it took him 41 years to file his complaint, but if victorious, he can collect damages only from the last three years because of the statute of limitations.

In the past Holmes said that Page heard the song when he shared a New York bill with The Yardbirds, Page’s band prior to Led Zeppelin. Page has always denied having any knowledge of the song.

This isn’t the first time Page and Zeppelin have been sued for copyright infringement. The late bluesman Willie Dixon successfully sued them over “Whole Lotta Love,” which was taken from his song, “You Need Love,” as well as their take on another of his songs, “Bring It on Home.” They were also sued over “The Lemon Song,” which is a take on Howlin’ Wolf‘s “Killing Floor.”

….if you’re not familiar with the original, have a listen!!

Arena Rocks’ FIRST LADIES - Ann & Nancy Wilson will release their new album “Red Velvet Car” in stores August 31; “WTF” has been chosen as the first single (…as in What the *&^$!)

Tom & Joe (and KK) will spin it for CITI listeners today for the first time just after 9am.

Let the crew know what you think of the song, and then check back to this website for a “Your Opinion” poll for VIPs for points!!

Bono and The Edge will have an impact on the Oscars.
They’ve been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
That means they will be among the members who vote on the Oscars.
Even though they’ve never won, they’ve been invited because of their work in music for films like “Gangs of New York.”
If they accept, they’ll be welcomed at a reception outside Los Angeles in September.

Burton Cummings finally has his high school diploma.
The former Guess Who frontman returned to St. John’s High School in Winnipeg to claim his honorary diploma.
The 62-year-old had dropped out to pursue music when he was a teen.
Cummings was appointed to the Order of Canada earlier this year, he was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005, and won the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award in ’02.
In a blog post on his MySpace page, Cummings said he was thrilled just to be revisiting his old school.
He credited his English teacher, Mr. Prochuk, for sparking his interest in literature and traced his vocal training back to roles he performed in the school gym.

New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art will display Ringo Starr’s gold-plated snare drum in a special exhibition honouring his 70th birthday.
The museum said Tuesday the drum will be shown from July 7 _ Starr’s birthday _ through December.
The instrument was presented to the drummer by the Ludwig Drum Company in Chicago during the Beatles’ 1964 U.S. tour. It was given to him in appreciation for popularizing the Ludwig name. Starr played on a Ludwig oyster black pearl drum set during the Fab Fours’ 1964 appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
Starr also will start the second season of the PBS series “Live From the Artists Den” with a performance taped at the Met. It will be shown the week of his birthday.