GRAMMYS BACK TO THE APPLE

After an absence of four years—and not coincidentally the exit of Mayor Rudy Giuliani—the 45^th annual Grammy Awards will return to New York City Feb. 23 at the hallowed Madison Square Garden, which should be fumigated from this current putrid Knicks season by then.

As expected, the announcement was made by NARAS Prexy Michael Greene, new Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Cablevision/MSG boss James Dolan, MSG/Radio City Prez Seth Abraham and CBS President/CEO Leslie Moonves. Hey, the only one missing was possible Knick draft choice Yao Ming.

The awards ceremony returns to New York after the last four ceremonies were held in Los Angeles, the last two at Staples Center. That coincided with a dispute between Greene and Giuliani that arose when hizzoner accused the NARAS chief of getting into a screaming match with one of his mayoral aides.

Said Greene: "We are extremely delighted to be bringing the Grammys to New York for our 45^th anniversary. This caps off a very interactive year of Recording Academy programs in the city through our ongoing community outreach programs, mentoring and local school initiatives, an energetic, involved New York Chapter, Grammy professional education and networking events, and additional funds and services when the city has needed us most. But I had to promise not to mention file-sharing during the ceremony."

Said Bloomberg: "Twenty years after the first Grammy Awards were held in the old Madison Square Garden, it is particularly meaningful that the Recording Academy has decided to bring back an event that showcases some of the music industry’s most talented artists. But who’s going to pay for all that sanitation department overtime?"

The show will be broadcast on Feb. 23 from 8-11 p.m. (ET/PT) by CBS once again, the first time the ceremony has taken place on a Sunday night.