Dan Zanes

THERE'S nothing particularly new about the style of parenting described in Neal Pollack's revelatory and funny new book, "Alternadad." Long before today's tattooed punks and indie-minded hipsters entered the final frontier of family life, those who might be called "cool parents" struggled to maintain their anti-establishment cred as they faced such deeply uncool concerns as diaper rash, separation anxiety and infant regurgitation.

When Karen O was trying to compose music for the rumpus scene in the feature film adaptation of the beloved children's book "Where the Wild Things Are," she would think about writing for kids -- and run into a wall. "The first few versions kept falling prey to being upbeat and happy," said O, the lead singer for the rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs. "As soon as we'd start doing that, I felt specious, like I was writing for a Muppets movie." So the 30-year-old songwriter, who is not a parent and had never written anything specifically aimed at children before, stopped thinking about the audience.

LOS ANGELES must be a heck of a theater town, after all. How many burgs beyond Broadway have five shows running that charge $100 or more for the top ticket?

GENERAL FIELD Record of the Year: "Let's Get It Started," the Black Eyed Peas (will.i.am, producer; Mark "Spike" Stent and will.i.