Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/ PostNuke Powered Site en-us http://claudepate.com/images/logo.gif http://claudepate.com/ admin@claudepate.com http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1088 THE FELICE BROTHERS feature their Dylan/Band/Pogues/Clash-esque vibe in the live video for "Frankie's Gun."THE MORNING BENDERS: Chris Chu tells the San Jose Mercury News he wants to keep cranking out the tunes: "Our album came out two months ago, and now we have another album of covers for free for people. I like bands that do that."AIMEE MANN talks to the Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot about the upside and the downside of the Internet age. "There are millions of singers and songwriters and bands, and when there is too much choice my reaction is I don't know what to listen to. So my choice is not to listen to anything."  This is like the famous "6 jam-vs.-24 jam" experiment in behavioral economics.ZOOKEEPER does the four free songs thing for Daytrotter, three previously unreleased.LIZ PHAIR talks with the Boston Herald about the early days of her career: "All of a sudden I was the (expletive) queen across the nation. I was not prepared for that."  BON IVER, a/k/a Justin Vernon, and Jack Ladder -- playing "Blue Tulip" and "Starry Stairs" -- are the latest "stand-ins" for Okkervil River in the video series for the upcoming Stand-Ins album.RYAN ADAMS is writing a book, Infinity Blues. I would say not to judge a book by its cover, but there isn't much else to go on at the moment.TV on the RADIO:  "Dancing Choose" is the latest track to leak from the upcoming Dear Science album.NORTHERN SOUL: The Times of London surveys the still-thriving scene, including DJ Liam Quinn, who got recruited to accompany Duffy on tour.THE POLAR PRIZE: Sweden's biggest music awards went to... Pink Floyd and Renée Fleming?WOODY ALLEN provides Excerpts from his Spanish Diary to the NYT, but it seems like a gag: "Once again I had to help Javier with the lovemaking scenes..."MACKENZIE PHILLIPS was  busted at LAX for allegedly possessing heroin and cocaine. The former "One Day at a Time" star has had a long history of drug abuse.KEIRA KNIGHTLEY couldn't stop laughing while shooting the love scenes in The Duchess.JESSICA BIEL: Baby bump, or bad photos?TOM BRADY spent 11 million on just the land for a new L.A. mansion, which will exceed 20K sq. ft.P DIDDY has been forced to ground his private jet because of rising fuel prices.SAMANTHA RONSON: Is Lindsay Lohan's closest companion about to pen a tell-all tome?  Li-Lo's ex-con turned preacher dad hits the ceiling.  BONUS: Mark, Samantha, and Charlotte Ronson are channeling the Tenenbaums for Harper's Bazaar.WES ANDERSON & JASON SCHWARTZMAN recommend CDs and DVDs while shopping on video at Borders.KATE MOSS says she was never anorexic, just busy.CARMEN ELECTRA can understand why socialite Kim Kardashian turns men on after wrestling with her for a scene in Disaster Movie (which I presume is aptly named).MAD MEN: Twitter and AMC have restored accounts of fans twittering as characters from the acclaimed drama. "Don Draper" responds perfectly. JOHN CLEESE: The Python is blogging, Twittering and headcasting.TERROR in the UK: A white Muslim convert is being held by detectives investigating alleged threats to kill the Prime Minister and Tony Blair. He is believed to be a friend of two other men arrested by counter-terrorism officers at Manchester Airport on August 14.GEORGIA, GEORGIA: Globe-trotting blogger Michael J. Totten is there, setting the record straight: "Virtually everyone is wrong. Georgia didn't start it on August 7, nor on any other date. The South Ossetian militia started it on August 6 when its fighters fired on Georgian peacekeepers and Georgian villages with weapons banned by the agreement hammered out between the two sides in 1994..."  Meanwhile, Russia's envoy to NATO, has a portrait of Stalin hanging in his office.IRAQ: Four Multi-National Division - Baghdad districts began the transitioning more than 1000 Sons of Iraq into the Iraqi police. A university president and a top local official in Diyala province are suspected of giving weapons and government cars to AQI. The police chief of Diyala province has ordered a ban on all firearms, including AK-47 rifles to which every Iraqi household is entitled. Recently reinforced rules on detainees have made it difficult to prosecute suspects, according to Iraqi Army commanders in Baquba.AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: Chinese cats growing wings.AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: An albino Whale Shark.SNAKES floating into homes flooded by tropical storm Fay continue to menace homeowners, including one woman who was nearly bitten during a TV news interview.RACCOON'S courthouse crime spree ends with capture.LEONARD the PARROT, who has learned classical and pop music, and can imitate Daleks, has been returned to his owners after going missing for four days. Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1087 WHITE DENIM proves that an auto junkyard can be just as good as a garage as a place to "Shake Shake Shake."NEW LED ZEPPELIN? Jason Bonham confirmed last week that he is indeed working on new material with Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones...BECK gets a segment on NPR's Morning Edition, plus two tracks from his Modern Guilt LP.THE M's did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.BOWERBIRDS guitarist-vocalist Phil Moore talks to Drowned In Sound about the band's uncomfortable relationship with modernity.THE RAINMAKERS "Let My People Go-Go" from the grooveyard of forgotten favorites.PAUL MAWHINNEY has the largest record collection in the world.  Let's go to the video.SONIC YOUTH has officially left the Geffen label after 18 years, as Thurston Moore declines to disclose their new label.LEON REDBONE sings a mini-set of classic Tin Pan Alley, pre-war blues and swing live on Mountain Stage.THE DOORS & SANTANA have settled their lawsuits against the streaming-music site Wolfgang's Vault; claims by Grateful Dead Productions and the surviving members of Led Zeppelin remain pending.KATE HUDSON is being sued for 17 offenses, including the misappropriation of trade secrets, fraud, and breach of contract and confidence... in connection with her line of hair-care products.DR. DRE is in mourning after his son was been found dead at his home in Woodland Hills on Saturday morning.KIRSTEN DUNST & JUSTIN LONG were... wait for it... caught canoodling in both NYC and L.A.NICOLLETTE SHERIDAN & MICHAEL BOLTON are not engaged.JENNA JAMESON is knocked up.TOM-KAT UPDATE: Cruise's studio is being sued for 11 million by Nazi extras who spilled out of the back of a World War II troop carrier as it swung around a corner in central Berlin during the shooting of Valkyrie.MICHAEL PHELPS & SAMANTHA RICE:  The Olympic swimmers were not lip-loccked, according to her.ANDY DICK won't face a sexual battery charge from his arrest last month, according to the Riverside County District Attorney's office.EIGHTIES SUPERMODELS, two decades older but mysteriously unwrinkled, are fronting major Fall fashion campaigns.  Then again, so are Wallace & Gromit.FALL PREVIEW of movies. music, TV, etc., courtesy of New York magazine.KEIRA KNIGHTLEY criticizes the trailer of her new film for suggesting that the period drama relates to the life of Diana, Princess of Wales. So we want to see that trailer, don't we?SERENITY NOW? Creator Joss Whedon knocks down rumors of a sequel to the Firefly movie, though both he and Summer Glau would do one in a second.TERROR in the UK: Britain's secret propaganda war against al-Qaeda.IRAN has started designing a new 360-megawatt nuclear plant, according to a senior atomic official. Iran also has launched production of a mid-size submarine it says will be able to fire missiles and torpedoes.IRAQ: During the past two weeks, Coalition and Iraqi forces captured three senior al Qaeda in Iraq leaders behind some of the deadliest violence of the past several years. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani dispelled reports of being seriously ill at a rare meeting with journalists at his home on Sunday.KOMODO DRAGONS have turned into vicious man-eaters. The locals blame policies drafted by American-funded environmentalists for this frightening turn of events.MONKEY LOVE is keeping the neighbors awake near the Bristol Zoo. Audio at the link.WHALES LOSING THEIR BLUBBER? Blame (or credit) global warming.ROBOT CAT BRAINS may be coming, courtesy of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.PAWLEE the COCKAPOO scared off three bears Sunday morning after they strayed into his owners' backyard. Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1086 DAVID VANDERVELDE stands in for Okkervil River in this clip for "Singer Songwriter" from the upcoming Okkervil River album The Stand Ins.NEW RELEASES: Albums from The Verve and Matthew Sweet are among those streaming in full from Spinner this week.PAUL McCARTNEY & BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN may help close Yankee Stadium.JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP: You can download two free songs from the new Death, Love and Freedom via Vanity Fair magazine.THE FELICE BROS. do the four free songs thing for Daytrotter, three previously unreleased.BADFINGER: "No Matter What" and "Day After Day" make for a classic Twofer Tuesday, but I can't leave out "Baby Blue," can I?BOB MARLEY is bringing together Serbs and Croats.BARENAKED LADIES frontman Ed Robertson survived a plane crash in southeastern Ontario on Sunday.ARCTIC MONKEYS' upcoming album to be produced by Josh Homme (QotSA).VAMPIRE WEEKEND: The most punk band of 2008?CHARLIE SHEEN and his wife, Brooke Mueller, are expecting a baby.MADONNA & GUY RITCHIE made a last-ditch attempt to save their troubled marriage by renewing their wedding vows at a private kabbalah ceremony in London, according to the Daily Mail.CHER to play Catwoman in a third Nolan Batman movie?AMERICAN IDOL is adding a fourth judge: Grammy-nominated songwriter Kara DioGuardi. Paula Abdul is excited and concerned.DANCING WITH THE STARS announces its new cast.  No Adam West, no peace!!!  Kim Kardashian has already managed to put her foot in some broken glass.BRADGELINA are technically eligible for French child support payments, though it's highly unlikely the couple will accept the cash.  More likely -- Pitt shot Jolie and brood at the Chateau Miraval in the South of France last week for the November cover of W magazine.BRITNEY SPEARS will not re-wreck her train at this year's MTV Video Music Awards.JESSICA SIMPSON talks to the Sacramento Bee about emotional healing and working with Dolly Parton.HEATH LEDGER is not enough to make US distributors jump on the quirky Terry Gilliam film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.TOM-KAT UPDATE: Merrill Lynch is looking to renegotiate its deal with Cruise's beleaguered reboot of United Arists.LEO DiCAPRIO & KATE WINSLET are targets of a Titanic prank on the set of Revolution Road, but the duo rises to the occasion.MAD MEN: Jon Hamm (Don Draper) reveals the secrets of manliness in a postmodern world to Best Life magazine. At the other end of the scale, there was a moment of Mozart in last Sunday's episode.STAR TREK: Like Watchmen, Kevin Smith may have seen this one also.THE A.Q. KHAN NUCLEAR NETWORK: The Swiss gov't has detailed files on the intriguing tale of spies, moles and the compromises that governments make in the name of national security.A BBC news girl complains the network is failing to show viewers the Taliban's "humanity." Presenter Lyse Doucet's astonishing statement comes as an Apache gunship hero revealed the fanatics aim to capture a British soldier and skin him alive on the Internet.GEORGIA, GEORGIA:  The Russian parliament has voted unanimously to urge the president to recognize the independence of Georgia's two breakaway regions, South Ossetia and Abkhazia.IRAN: Commerce Minister Masoud Mirkazemi has rejected recent reports that the country has imported over one million tons of wheat from the United States.IRAQ: Prime Minister al-Maliki said Monday no security agreement with the US could be reached unless it included a "specific deadline" for the withdrawal of all American troops. Tens of thousands of Baghdad soccer fans cheered on their club in the top league's final game, the largest sports crowd the city has seen since the US-led invasion in 2003.A CURIOUS CAT discovers more than one way to solve the problem of a half-empty glass.THREE GIANT PANDAS have been born in southwest China, bringing the total number of new arrivals of the endangered species this year to at least 19, state media reported.DRUG-SMUGGLING PIGEONS land behind bars in Bosnia.CATS with a fondness for gourmet meals are threatening global fish supplies, an Australian scientist says.THE DOG ate my USB drive, teacher. Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1085 BUDDY HARMAN, whose percussion work on more than 18,000 recordings established him as country music's best-known and most-recorded drummer, died Thursday of congestive heart failure. He was 79. You heard him on tracks like Roy Orbison's "Pretty Woman," Patsy Cline's "Crazy," Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire," Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man," Loretta Lynn's "Coal Miner's Daughter" and Elvis Presley's "Little Sister."BON IVER: Justin Vernon chats and plays a couple for WNYC's Soundcheck.CENTROMATIC has a new track, "Christmas '83 (Make Fun of My Sweaters)," while Will Johnson talks to the 'Gum.THE DECEMBERISTS are launching Always the Bridesmaid: A Singles Series this Fall, both as downloads and on vinyl.DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS: Patterson Hood gives the Independent Mail his Top Ten Favorite Albums, with alternates.  Hard to argue any of them.JIMMY PAGE & LEONA LEWIS brought a "Whole Lotta Love" to the closing ceremonies at the Olympics in Beijing.  Some lyrics were avoided.LUCINDA WILLIAMS  talks about her upcoming album, Little Honey, at Rolling Stone.RODNEY CROWELL & JENNY SCHEINMAN played the World Cafe on Friday. You can stream the gig on demand via NPR.FLESHMAP breaks down the percentage of various body parts found in various genres of music.PAUL McCARTNEY has taken galpal Nancy Shevell to meet the family.WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Tropic Thunder repeats at number one, making 16.1 million.  It has made 65.7 million to date, giving it a decent shot at recouping its 92 million budget in the US during the dog days of cinema.  The House Bunny opens in second place with 15.1 million, probably not bad for Anna Faris's first star vehicle, esp. with a 25 mil budget.  Death Race opened in third place 12.3 million; it will have to make profit on its 45 million budget overseas (but likely will). The Dark Knight drops to fourth, but makes 10.3 million on a mere 37.1 percent drop; it has made over 870 million worldwide so far.  Star Wars: The Clone Wars rounds out the Top Five, but craters 61.3 percent with a 5.7 million take.  The longstots opened in eighth place, while The Rocker debuted in twelfth.RACHEL McADAMS & RYAN GOSLING were... wait for it... caught canoodling by cameras in Toronto.JASON LEE and galpal Ceren Alkac, are the parents of a girl. We can hope she won't be named Earl.SCARLETT JOHANSSON is not Woody Allen's muse, though he thinks "she is one of the great American actresses."LINDSAY LOHAN denies rumors that she was with Courtenay Semel before DJ Samantha Ronson.MICHAEL PHELPS was... wait for it... caught canoodling Aussie Olympian swimmer Stephanie Rice, just weeks after she split from Aussie swimmer Eamon Sullivan. Not a shock once you learn that the Olympic City is thisclose to Sodom and Gommorah. BONUS: Another helping of Rice.SHAQ has been slapped with a restraining order by hip-hopper MaryJane.MILEY CYRUS is having her sweet 16 bash at Disneyland on Gay Day.  NTTAWWT.MAD MEN: John Slattery ("Roger Sterling") thalks to TV Guide about the best job he ever had, and getting an Emmy nomination.WATCHMEN: Kevin Smith has seen it: "It's f---ing astounding. The Non-Disclosure Agreement I signed prevents me from saying much, but I can spout the following with complete joygasmic enthusiasm: Snyder and Co. have pulled it off..."  Meanwhile, the New York Times picks up the story on the dispute over the film rights.TOM-KAT UPDATE: The couple is not separated, but they are not exactly together, either.  If you want to see some of his work in Tropic Thunder, the lawyers have missed this Japanese site.  In this scene, Ben Stiller's character has been kidnapped by a Vietnamese drug ring and are trying to ransom him to his agent (Matthew McConaughey), who mistakes the drug ring for a rival agency.  Cruise plays the movie's ruthless producer, Les Grossman. Warning for language.OUR FRIENDS, THE SAUDIS: A court in Saudi Arabia is reported to be preparing to hear a plea for divorce from an eight-year-old girl who has been married off to a man in his 50s.TERROR in the USA: An unmanned drone plane being built by an engineer on Long Island sparked a large counter-terrorism investigation across the New York area. Pics, video at the link.GEORGIA, GEORGIA: Russian troops are finally leaving Gori, though the US and France said the Russians are not living up to the ceasefire agreement.IRAQ: Muqtada al-Sadr plans to live in Iran for years to come, a key aide says.  The WSJ covers how the improved Iraqi Army helped pave the way for the proposed US-Iraq security pact.YODA the four-eared cat has become a celebrity since a Flickr photo was purchased by a UK agency. A a microchip has been placed in one of his four ears after adopting him to thwart would-be kittynappers.COLIN the WHALE was actually Collette, scientists discovered after the lost humpback was euthanized.  It is believed a whale carcass being eaten by sharks near Eden on the NSW  South Coast may have been her mother.A BABY ABANDONED IN WINTER by her 14-year-old mother was found safe in a dog pen with a mother dog and her brood of puppies near the city of La Plata, Argentina.GATORS and SNAKES are among the critters roaming the flooded streets, backyards and doorsteps of central Florida in the wake of Tropical Storm Fay.FOUR HORSES in the Olympic equestrian team jumping competition were suspended in a doping scandal. Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1084 THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:...with SHINDIG! This is a "best of" compilation of "Sixties Superstars." Part 1 features the Byrds ("Turn, Turn, Turn"), Donovan ("Catch The Wind"), The Turtles ("Let Me Be"), and Beau Brummels ("Laugh Laugh"). Part 2 features The Mamas & Papas ("California Dreaming"), The Yardbirds ("For Your Love"), and Donovan ("Colors"). Part 3 includes The Turtles ("It Ain't Me, Babe"), The Byrds ("I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better"), and The Gentrys "Keep On Dancing"). Part 4 has The Kingsmen ("Louie, Louie" - with clear lyrics), Sir Douglas Quintet ("She's About A Mover"), Roy Head ("Treat Her Right") and The Olympics ("Good Lovin'" with an assist from house organist Billy Preston). Part 5 includes The McCoys ("Hang On Sloopy"), The Hondells ("Little Honda"), The Righteous Brothers ("Let The Good Times Roll"), Part Six brings Dobie Gray ("The In Crowd"), Zsa Zsa Gabor ("High Heeled Sneakers." Really.), Jerry Lee Lewis ("Great Balls O' Fire") and The Isley Brothers ("Shout!").MATES OF STATE: The husband-wfe duo stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set you can stream on demand via NPR.THE VERVE is streaming their new album at VerveSpace.JENNIFER O'CONNOR is profiled by the New York Sun, which observes that she is carelessly compared to Liz Phair when Townes van Zandt might be equally appropriate. She just did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter, including a previously unreleased cover of Stevie Wonder's "A Place In The Sun," so you can judge for yourself.DAVID BYRNE has a new gig designing bike racks for NYC.BLOC PARTY have surprise released a new album, which is streaming at their website.GLADYS KNIGHT and the UN-PIPS: The magic of modern video effects insert Tropic Thunder stars Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey, Jr. into the classic "Midnight Train to Georgia" during the American idol charity special.  (Here's the original clip.)MATTHEW SWEET talks to the North County about the changing times and a possible lawsuit against the makers of Guitar Hero II. (Thx, LHB.)THE BROKEN WEST: You can stream "Auctioneer" from the upcoming Now or Heaven album at Aquarium Drunkard.JOANNA NEWSOM brings the humor to an interview with TimeOut Chicago in advance of her gig tonight with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.GARY GLITTER continues his world tour, agreeing to return to London after being kicked out of Hong Kong and Thailand (twice.)THE CONSTANTINES are profiled at Filter.CUTOUT BIN: From Jimi Hendrix to Hugh Grant, from Jonathan Richman to The Spinners, from the Beach Boys to The Equals, from The Who to Tullycraft, from Stratocruiser to Alive & Kicking and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds can be jukeboxed or streamed separately via the Pate page at the ol' HM.BRITNEY SPEARS singing alone sounds pretty bad.  Maybe not as bad as the late Linda McCartney, but bad.  Will a duet with Justin Timberlake revive her career?GWEN STEFANI & GAVIN ROSSDALE welcome a second son.ELLEN DeGENERES & PORTIA de ROSSI: The newlyweds are thinking about having kids.JESSICA SIMSPON looks at bf Tony Romo's phone call log?  She also says, "He's the first person I've spiritually connected with."  If so, should you need to snoop into his phone records?  And ex-husband Nick Lachey will appreciate the compliment, too.AMY WINEHOUSE is not back in rehab (no, no, no).NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases are The Rocker, which opened Wednesday and is currently scoring 38 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; Anna Farris as The House Bunny, which appears to be unscreened for critics; the reimagining of Death Race, which is scoring XX percent; and The Longshots with XX percent.SIENNA MILLER's London home was tagged by graffiti marking her as a "SLUT." The actress has attracted controversy for her relationship with married man Balthazar Getty.SHARON STONE goes cougar with a 24-year-old boyfriend, who apparently could stand to learn a few things about tact and discretion: "I've started dating Sharon Stone, and she's pretty good for 50."JODIE FOSTER is hoping to avoid a 25 million dollar galimony payout.MAD MEN: Ratings for season two are eroding, though some may be watching on demand during the Olympics.EMILY O'BRIEN explains a new method of capturing human performances for computer animation. And the version of soap actress in the video is not real. The Times of London has background.WOLVERINE: Fox co-chairman and CEO Tom Rothman reportedly had a set repainted while the director was out of town to try to lighten the tone of the movie.  Because after the success of The dark Knight, we know the world is dying to see a happy-go-lucky Wolverine, right?WHAT MAKES A TERRORIST? Two different views -- one more global, based on the Gallup Poll of the Muslim World, the other UK-centric from MI5.GEORGIA, GEORGIA: Reuters reports that Russian armored units have begun pulling back into South Ossetia, though the Finnish Foreign Minister says the Russians have not budged from the strategic city of Gori and that that Russia has conducted an ethnic cleansing of South Ossetia.IRAN plans to send a manned rocket into space in the next 10 years.  Pres. Ahmadinejad called Israel "a germ of corruption" to be "removed soon" in comments on his presidential website.  Iran has banned an award-winning young actress from leaving the country over her appearance in Ridley Scott's latest movie "Body of Lies" with Hollywood heartthrobs Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe.IRAQ: Recent political progress in Diyala may unravel after a botched attempt to capture a provincial official at the main governmental center in Baqubah killed an assistant to the provincial governor. OTOH, over 1000 suspects have so far sought amnesty in a campaign aimed at lower-level insurgents in Diyala, a provincial official says.SPAGHETTI CAT: A moment of zen.TWO TORTOISES, FOUR WALKING CATFISH, A GATOR and a BLUE INDIGO SNAKE were spotted on a runway at the Melbourne International Airport in Florida, thanks to Tropical Storm Fay.THE LOST BABY WHALE who mistook a yacht for its mother may have to be euthanized by Aussie officials.WHEN COWS ATTACK: A jogger feared for his life during an attack by a cow in a popular park in Auckland, NZ that left him with a broken arm and extensive bruising.THE SQUIRREL THREAT: This militant squirrel is in training for something.POLAR BEARS are being sedated and marked for measurement with spray paint in Alaska.  Is PETA cool with this?MAY THE CROCODILE bless you and eat you. Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1083 GUILLEMOTS go for a lo-fi look in the clip for "Kriss Kross" fro the Red album.TV ON THE RADIO is streaming a new song, "Golden Age," at their website.ROBYN HITCHCOCK has released a second box set, Luminous Groove, which focuses on Hitchcock's Eighties output with the Egyptians.  Yep Roc is streaming the previously unreleased "Bad Case of History."DEPARTMENT OF EAGLES: The Grizzly Bear offshoot has released a track "No One Does It Like You," from the upcoming In Ear Partk LP.JOSH RITTER: The acclaimed singer-songwriter recently played the Mountain Stage, so you can stream the six-song set on demand via NPR.BETTYE LaVETTE has an atmospheric new video for her take on Elton John's "Talking Old Soldiers" from The Scene of the Crime.LOU BARLOW (Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh) shuffles his iPod for The A.V. Club in a particularly good edition of "Random Rules."AMY WINEHOUSE is back in rehab (yes, yes, yes).GARY GLITTER is flying to Hong Kong after being thrown out of Thailand and refusing to return to Britain after serving time in a Vietnamese prison for child molestation.BEACHWOOD SPARKS: The country-psych outfit has reuinted and is touring with hopes of recording a new LP for release in 2009.BRADGELINA: Estranged dad Jon Voight defends Jolie (and Pitt) from Roseanne Barr's attacks, calling Barr "evil" and noting that her family has branded her as a "psychopathic liar." I dunno about evil, but Barr's attacks are inaccurate.  She compalins that Bradgelina spends tiny percentage of their multi-million dollar earnings on charity, when it's well-documented that Jolie gives one-third of her income to charity, while Pitt gave a similar amount.  Barr also rages about "the Republican party's worldwide economic assault on Africa over the last few decades since Ronald Reagan," when even critics admit that Pres. Bush has done more for Africa than any other, quadrupling humanitarian and development aid to the continent.JENNIFER GARNER is officially knocked up again.ANGIE HARMON is officially knocked up again.MATT.DAMON. and his wife, Luciana, welcome a baby girl.JEN & JOHN: Mayer may be regretting talking to the press abut The Break-Up with Aniston, as tabloid types now turn up at his home daily; meanwhile, Team Aniston had to put the kibosh on her agents at CAA trying to set up dates with Hollywood bachelors.  The Mirror claims Mayer dumped Aniston by text message.JESSICA SIMPSON will hawk a vitamin-enriched beer called Stampede Light Plus.  Extra has the ad.  I'm thinkin' that the slogan "Be Smart, Drink Smart" is under cut by the photo of Simpson.RICKY MARTIN is a father to twin boys born via a surrogate.RACHEL McADAMS & RYAN GOSLING reportedly have gotten back together, after splitting in 2007. Crazy delicious.AMANDA BEARD denies dating fellow Olympian Michael Phelps, but says she was just joking when she said, "Eww, that's so nasty! ... Come on, I have really good taste."  OTOH, Lindsay Lohan thinks Phelps is amazing and wants to meet him.JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT wishes she had been nude from the time I was 12 until I was 28, and wants to tell all young girls to walk around in bikinis all summer.  But if I say that, everyone will look at me funny.THIS JUST IN: Females such as Scarlett Johansson, Raquel Welch and Marilyn Monroe with short slender bodies, large busts and slim limbs are the most sexually attractive to men, scientists claim.  That's a british study, but the US does its share of taxpayer-funded obvious studies.ROYALE WITH CHEESE: The French have secretly surrendered... to "Macdoh."GEORGIA, GEORGIA: Russia plans to establish 18 long-term checkpoints inside Georgian territory, including at least eight within undisputed Georgian territory. The plans appear to violate the terms of a French-endorsed cease-fire deal signed late last week by the presidents of Georgia and Russia.  Meanwhile, Moscow had informed Norway of a decision to freeze all joint work with NATO in the row over Georgia.PAKISTAN: The ruling coalition, fresh from ending a six-month standoff by forcing Pres. Musharraf to resign, failed to resolve a festering dispute over reinstating judges he fired. While the two parties pledged to reinstate the judges in a March 9 agreement that formed the basis for the coalition, the leaders differ on how to achieve this.IRAQ: Iraqi and US negotiators have completed a draft security pact that would see US troops leave Iraqi cities as early as June 30, 2009. New Iranian-backed splinter groups, like the Asaib al Haq (League of the Righteous) are being targeted by Multinational Forces Iraq. Sunni politicians accuse the Shiite-dominated security forces of carrying out political arrests, warning that this could push Iraq into another round of sectarian fighting.A ROGUE MONKEY causes chaos at a Tokyo train station.  Videos at the link.A GREYHOUND and an OWL have formed a bizarre friendship at an animal center.  Totally awww...some pics at the link.AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: A cat with four ears named Yoda. In Chicago, no less.  Pics at the link.THE LOST BABY WHALE who thinks a yacht is its mother will be lucky to survive the week -- unless it finds a more likely guardian.A TWO-HEADED TURTLE has gone missing from a NYC pet store.  Apparently, the police switchboard was skeptical.BIGFOOT SCAMMERS are also looking for leads on leprechauns, the Loch Ness monster and dinosaurs. Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1082 OKKERVIL RIVER is promoting its upcoming The Stand-Ins album with video featuring "stand-ins" like the New Pornographers' A.C. Newman on an acoustic version of "Lost Coastlines." Newman kinda overpowers Will Scheff, though the two have a nice vocal blend.ALL SONGS CONSIDERED: Advance tracks from Okkervil River and Of Montreal lead off the latest installment of the long-running NPR series.SHE & HIM played the latest episode of Sound Opinions, which also found Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis debating the merits of Brazilian Girls.THE HOLD STEADY and DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS are hitting the road together, in a double bill to match last year's pairing of the Hold Steady with Art Brut.  Craig Finn & Co. show off their pre-show ritual at NME.RADIOHEAD, for various reasons, has been taking grief lately from the Silver Jews' David Berman and The Hold Steady's guitarist Tad Kubler, not to mention Boing-Boing/NPR doyenne Xeni Jardin. Can't we all just get along? (Anyone who has seen Jack Black's turn in High Fidelity knows the answer is "no.")GLEN CAMPBELL's album of mostly alt-covers gets a good review in the Boston Globe. Campbell talks to The Replacements' "Sadly Beautiful" in the USA Today and the San Francisco Chronicle, as well as an unrecorded John Lennon song given to him by Yoko Ono. He performs some of the new covers for AOL Sessions, including "These Days" (J. Browne/Nico), "Angel Dream" (T. Petty) and "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" (Green Day), as well as a couple of Campbell classics. Sounding pretty good at 72.FINAL FANTASY: Indie violinist Owen Pallett talks to New York magazine about the joy of failure.  The piece also mentions that he gave away his 20K in Polaris Prize money to other musicians and his manager because it was sponsored by a cellphone company.LOS CAMPESINOS! The Welsh speed-pop septet talks to PopMatters about their sudden ascent over the past two years. MP3 and video at the link.PANDORA (and thus presumably other web radio services) may have to shut down due to high royalty fees lobbied on webcasters.  Negotiations to lower the rate for webcasters are ongoing.THE ROLLING STONES: "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" wakes a British fan from a coma. Further evidence that Keith Richards is Lord of the Undead?CHRISTINA APPLEGATE revealed that she has undergone a double mastectomy - even though cancer was only detected in one of her breasts. Her mother had breast cancer and Christina has the breast cancer gene, BRCA1. Over the next eight months she will undergo reconstructive surgery: "I'm gonna have cute boobs till I'm 90," she quipped.MICHAEL PHELPS, record-breaking Olympic swimmer, has been linked to both Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard and model Lily Donaldson. Frankly, to do this story, the Telegraph could have found better pics of Beard and thrown in some of Donaldson. ALSO: Why isn't Aussie medalist Stephanie Rice in this mix?BRITNEY SPEARS is racking up some hefty legal bills on the road to Wellville.90210 2.0 is not being screened for advertisers or the media in advance of the program's premiere. Usually a very bad sign.CHRIS KATTAN: the SNL alum has separated from his model wife after eight weeks of wedded bliss.ROBERT DOWNEY, JR.: Iron Man reviews The Dark Knight, and does not give it a thumbs-up. And he talks about Tropic Thunder and Iron Man 2, natch.GWYNETH PALTROW has angered animal rights activists by endorsing a new collection of luxury goods using fur.WATCHMEN is in some legal peril after a federal judge has denied the WB's motion to dismiss 20th Century Fox's suit over the rights to develop, produce and distribute a film based on the graphic novel.  But don't panic; it seems like Murdoch's crew is looking for some "go away money."INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS: Quentin Tarantino's WWII pic will move forward without Simon Pegg, who had to drop out over scheduling conflicts.MAD MEN: The guys of Sterling-Cooper look at home at the Playboy Mansion.THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK... at San Francisco.  Looking for revenge against George Lucas, I'll bet.GEORGIA, GEORGIA: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says Russian forces will withdraw from most of Georgia by Friday. This time for sure... nothing up his sleeve... Presto! Meanwhile, Russian soldiers took about 20 Georgian troops prisoner at a key Black Sea port in western Georgia on Tuesday, blindfolding them and holding them at gunpoint, and commandeered American HumVees awaiting shipment back to the US.AFGHANISTAN: Afghan and NATO officials are seeing a rise in numbers of foreign fighters in Afghanistan at the same time US officials say attacks by Al Qaeda in Iraq have sharply dropped. The Pentagon will be sending 12K to 15K additional US troops there, possibly as soon as the end of this year.IRAN is preparing to build more nuclear power plants. Meanwhile, the Islamic theocracy's attempt to launch a dummy satellite into orbit was a "dramatic failure" that fell far short of the country's assertions of success, a US official said on Tuesday.IRAQ: The national government is making moves against US-backed Sunni Arab fighters in Diyala province. Iraqi soldiers stormed the governor's office in Diyala before dawn on Tuesday, killing his secretary and firing on local police. Iraqi troops also raided local government offices in Diyala on Tuesday, arresting a Sunni provincial council member and a university president. Iraq's largest Sunni party accuses the government security forces of sectarian bias.HEY IS THAT A GIANT BURMESE PYTHON IN YOUR PANTS?  Weatherman Kurtis Gertz got some company on live TV at the Iowa State Fair.  KCCI has graciously posted not one, but two videos.ABOUT 60 NEWLY-HATCHED SEA TURTLES lost their way during their ritual passage to the sea and marched into an Italian restaurant instead.PEDIGREE DOGS EXPOSED: The oldest all-breed kennel club in the world is accusedby the BBC of Nazi-like practices in its emphasis on breed purity.  Again, Nazi comparisons are generally over-the-top in most cases.A WILD DOLPHIN is apparently teaching other members of her group to walk on their tails, a behavior usually seen only after training in captivity.WOMAN BITES MAN in attempted hamster food theft. Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1081 BECK alludes to Warhol and Man Ray (imho) in the video for "Gamma Ray."NEW RELEASES:Laura Marling, Lykke Li and Death Vessel are among the albums streaming in full this week at Spinner.DAVID BYRNE & BRIAN ENO are streaming their album at their website, which is also sole point-of-purchase.ANNUALS have released a new song, "Confessor," on Spinner.SILVER JEWS: David Berman talks to Pitchfork about the weather, ducks, health insurance, his corneal transplant, the younger generations... and music!OASIS has put out a trailer video for their upcoming Dig Out Your Soul album, but the video for "The Shock of Lighning" (complete with Rolling Stones homage) has leaked, as well as audio for tracks like "Falling Down." Plus, the WB is officially streaming the audio for "Shock..."  I think that adds up to at least Twofer Tuesday.RYAN ADAMS has a new blog; the most recent entry involves a number of odd swords (with pictures).LANGHORNE SLIM does the five free songs thing for Daytrotter, two previously unreleased.EDDIE FLOYD has a new album out... on the Stax label.DODGE, of My Old Kentucky Blog, is profiled by the Indianapolis Star.CHRISTINA APPLEGATE tells Good Morning America that she is "absolutely 100 percent clear and clean" of breast cancer.ELLEN DeGENERES & PORTIA de ROSSI: Wedding photos.JEN & JOHN: Aniston's pals were rolling their eyes over the weekend about Mayer's unofficial press conferences discussing the couple's breakup.  A source close to the actress says, "Jen will never kiss and tell, but it's she who ended the relationship." Why would she need to kiss and tell?  She has pals to do it for her.MADONNA had a small, low-key 50th birthday party for her close family and friends.  Small enough that she complained about the no-shows.HARRY POTTER and the HALF-BLOOD PRINCE delayed by Daniel Radcliffe's Broadway run in Equus? I dunno; it makes sense for WB to put it in the same slot The Dark Knight had this year, esp. as Order of the Phoenix did so well as a summer movie.  ALSO: Radcliffe has revealed he suffers from dyspraxia, meaning he sometimes still has trouble tying his shoelaces.BRADGELINA: Safe to say that Roseanne Barr is not a fan of the couple.RACHEL McADAMS goes a bit goth and tals about her sociopathic tendencies with T Magazine.PHIL COLLINS has handed over £25million to his third wife in the biggest-ever divorce payout by a British showbiz star.KATE MOSS says her most memorable kiss was with... Frank Sinatra.BERNIE MAC: The Chicago Tribune has full coverage of the late comic actor's memorial service.JAMES FRANCO talks about kissing Sean Penn in the upcoming drama Milk.KATE WINSLET found it awkward to have love scenes with Leonardo DiCaprio directed by her husband Sam Mendes in the upcoming drama Revolutionary Road.ROBERT WAGNER is to break his silence about the mysterious death of wife Natalie Wood. Christopher Walken has a cameo, sans cowbell.ANTI-AMERICANISM IN BRITAIN is based on ignorance of the facts on key issues such as crime, health care and foreign policy, according to a new survey.GEORGIA, GEORGIA: Vladimir Putin apparently ordered the Russian Army to ethnically cleanse Georgians out of the city of Gori. Russian soldiers demonstrated their seriousness by randomly shooting residents. Russia says it has started to pull troops out of Georgia despite reports that they are moving deeper into Georgian territory. The deputy head of Russia's general staff said "there is a distinction between the understandings of a 'pullback' and a 'withdrawal.'" Putin puppet Dmitry Medvedev said Georgian actions would not go "unpunished."PAKISTAN: Pres.Musharraf, facing impeachment on charges drawn up by the governing coalition, has announced that he is resigning.IRAN said it had sent a rocket carrying a dummy satellite into space on Sunday, triggering fresh concern in Washington that the technology could be diverted to ballistic missiles. Iran said on Monday it was ready to help fellow Muslim states launch satellites into orbit.IRAQ: The WaPo's Sudarsan Raghavan walks the Road of Hell with the Iraqi Army in Diayala province; photo gallery at the link.A LOST BABY HUMPBACK WHALE has bonded with a yacht it seems to think is its mother.  It may be a fatal mistake. Video at the link.BUFFALO caused traffic in both directions to stop on I-55 near Chicago's far southwest suburban Braidwood Monday morning while they stood in a grassy median. Video at the link.  Their owner put them down.AVARA, A DISABLED TURTLE, has found romance since being fitted with a custom skateboard to overcome paralysis of her hind legs.200 FERAL CATS living in an old horse stable in San Jose, CA face rescue or extinction by Oct. 15th.WILD ANIMALS are not wild about the paparazzi in the woods. Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1080 JERRY WEXLER, who coined the term "rhythm and blues," and who as co-founder of and producer for Atlantic Records helped lead the genre to mainstream popularity, died Friday at age 91.  The NYT obit is quite good, as is the one at Rolling Stone.  Rolling Stone is still streaming Wexler's playlist of the songs he was the most proud of from his half-century career in music.  Selections for Tubers include: Professor Longhair's "Tipitina" (1953); Big Joe Turner's "Shake, Rattle and Roll" (1954); Ray Charles smashes "I Got a Woman" (1954) and "What I'd Say" (1959); Booker T. & the MG's with "Green Onions" (1962); Wilson Pickett's "In the Midnight Hour" (1965); Aretha Franklin's cover of "Respect" and "Chain of Fools" (both 1967); Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man" (1969); and Dr. John's take on "Iko Iko" (1972).  And though he was never as big a fan of rock as R&B, Wexler did sign Led Zeppelin, so there's that.SCOTT McCAUGHEY hits for the cycle in an online chat session with readers at ESPN.com.BENJI HUGHES, who has drawn comparisons to Beck and The Magnetic Fields' Stephin Merritt, got a feature on All Things Considered.BARACK OBAMA & JOHN McCAIN: Their Top Tens are analyzed by Randy Newman and Girl Talk.  Not sure what planet Newman is living on to think McCain would pick Streisand, though.TYLER RAMSEY does the five free songs thing for Daytrotter.CALEXICO has put the video for "Two Siver Trees" up on PitchforkTV.THE OCTOPUS PROJECT does the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.DUFFY doesn't mind the hype for the album she took three years to make.GARY GLITTER: The convicted child molester will be met by police on his return to the UK from Vietnam next week and required to sign the sex offenders' register.LYKKE LI discusses three songs from her debut album with... The Wall Street Journal. Say what you will about Rupert Murdoch; the paper's indie rock coverage is much improved since he bought it.WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Tropic Thunder topples The Dark Knight, topping the box office with 26 million. TT has made 37 million since opening Wednesday, which makes it a risk to make back a 92 million budget, as comedies like this often do not rake it in overseas.  Batman places with 16.8 million; it has made 471 million in the US and 734 million in total to date. Star Wars: The Clone Wars shows with 15.5 million.  The horror flick Mirrors debuted in fourth with 11.1 million.  Pineapple Express rounds out the Top Five with ten million, though it cratered 57 percent in the face of Tropic Thunder.  Nevertheless, the stoner action comedy has made 62 million in the US on a 27 million budget.  Below the fold, The Mummy 3 came in sixth; its 86.6 million in US receipts looks bad against a 145 million budget, but much less bad with global receipts of 228.8 million.  Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona debuted in tenth -- his best debut since 2000's Small Time Crooks.  Hot women kissing = success.TROPIC THUNDER was entertaining, and probably deserved to be making more than it did.  Not a gutbuster, but with some nice satire on Hollywood itself (which may explain first sentence).  Indeed, as good as Robert Downey Jr. is as Kirk Lazarus, an Oscar-winning Aussie who has his skin dyed black for the movie within the movie, the picture is largely stolen by someone named in many reviews, but whom I will leave unnamed here, just in case.  He plays a crazed amalgam of Viacom head Sumner Redstone and producer Scott Rudin and it is this actor's finest performance in years -- and I say that as someone who regularly mocks him.  It is an odd thing to write that he and Downey are funnier than Jack Black and Ben Stiller.  Or Jack Black, anyway... but that's a good thing.  As for the controversy about "retarded" jokes, Stiller was right -- the jokes in question are on Hollywood, not the mentally challenged.VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA does not rank with Woody Allen's best work, but was charming enough to at least get into the same ballpark as Match Point, if a notch or two below Hannah and Her Sisters. Allen relies a bit too much on narration, though that may have been a decision meant to boost the film in Europe (a new narrator is less obtrusive than overdubs).  As I suspected after reading the Allen interview linked here last week, the movie is mostly carried by the performances of its main stars.  Although most of the attention has been on te lovely Scarlett Johansson and Penelope Cruz, the movie would not work without the charisma of Xavier Bardem and the overlooked Rebecca Hall, who represents Allen's neurotic streak.  But this is hardly the first movie whose success depends mostly on casting, so I give Allen credit for matching the cast and script so well to the location that provided the financing.ELLEN DeGENERES & PORTIA de ROSSI wed in an intimate ceremony at their home in Beverly Hills, California, Saturday night.  Portia wore a dress; Ellen wore the pants.JEN & JOHN: Mayer denies reports of lying or cheating on Aniston: "I ended a relationship to be alone, because I don't want to waste somebody's time if something's not right." LINDSAY LOHAN is either converting to Judaism for Samantha Ronson or may leave her for a may-yun.POP ICONS at 50: Madonna turned 50 over the weekend, but she's only 36 in Kabbalah years )and is reportedly miffed at Britney Spears). The Times of London surveys the careers of Madge and Michael Jackson, who turns 50 later this month.  USA Today adds Prince, who turned 50 in June.BILL MURRAY kicked off the 50th Chicago Air and Water Show by skydiving with the US Army Golden Knights to support the Illinois United Service Organizations.  Let's go to the video.AMY WINEHOUSE does not want to be asked about her health, okay?MIKE MYERS has been cast by Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds as British Gen. Ed Fenech, a military mastermind who takes part in hatching a plot to wipe out Nazi leaders.  QT knows when someone's carrer needs rehab.HAWAII fought off a coup attempt over the weekend.GEORGIA, GEORGIA: Russian leaders failed to follow through on a new agreement to withdraw troops from Georgia. Maybe today will be the day. But with US officials saying the Russian military had been moving launchers for short-range ballistic missiles into South Ossetia, maybe not.  Russia is considering arming its Baltic fleet with nuclear warheads for the first time since the Cold War. Europe has been feckless as usual, even though the threat to Europe is bigger.PAKISTAN: Women who say their husbands threw acid at them or burned them find help in becoming self-reliant through salon work.IRAN continues to finance, train, arm, and support Shia terror groups in Iraq. The Qods Force, via its Ramazan Corps command operating in eastern Iran, remains active in subverting the Iraqi government and attacking US and Coalition forces.IRAQ: Moktada al-Sadr called on his followers to sign in a blood oath of loyalty; only a few hundred people turned up. There was a series of bombings targeting Shiites heading to Karbala for a major religious festival over the weekend.  The L.A. Times covers further progress in Anbar, with video.NILS OLAV, a 3-foot tall King penguin, was awarded a knighthood by Norway on Friday. It's a tradition. Let's go to the video.SHEEP & GOAT OLYMPICS: There's no Michael Phelps -- but it has sheep and goats!BIGFOOT remains as mythical as Spiny Norman, as one of the two samples of DNA said to prove the existence of the Bigfoot came from a human and the other was 96 percent from an opossum. Chewbacca was very disappointed.PET HOARDING: A Central Florida school teacher known as the "cat lady" who was fighting to keep nearly 150 cats at her home will get to keep her pets on property. Pics at the link. Mon, 18 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1079 THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:with ELVIS PRESLEY! The King died 31 years ago tomorrow, but remains a global pop phenomenon, so it's worth a recap of highlights from the bigh 30th anniverary last year.  Canada's Star-Phoenix, which discusses ten important parts of Elvis history worth reliving, notes: "His was a sequined coat of many colours: '50s Greaser Elvis. Military Elvis. Hollywood Elvis. Aloha from Hawaii Elvis. Vegas Elvis. And, ultimately, Dead Fat Elvis."  The BBC has friend and aide Sonny West recall life with The King.  ACTION NEWS 5 has posted its local coverage from Aug. 16-17, 1977, on the Tube, where you can also see funeral footage from the BBC Archive.  Here's read the obit that ran the next day in the Washington Post. Elvis Presley News recaps the international headlines from the event and links to the eulogy at his funeral.  Geraldo Rivera had national coverage that night, though he would later wallow in the King's drug habit.  On a happier note, check out what is likely the first footage taken of Elvis, with backstage shots of Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Buddy Holly in 1955; shades of Walk The Line!  You can also see him play "I Got A Woman" live o­n his first TV appearance in 1956. I also include his performance of "Hound Dog" o­n The Milton Berle Show six months later, not o­nly because it's historic, but also because Paul Miller and I often reached for it when we would stumble into our KUSR shift at the last minute -- Uncle Miltie vamps for awhile, which gave us time to pull records for the show.  He was also iconic in "Jailhouse Rock" that year.  Elvis sang a mashup of "Love Me Tender" and "Witchcraft" with Frank Sinatra when he got back from the Army.  All of his movies -- such as "Viva Las Vegas" --made money, but his musical career stalled in the 1960s until he electrified and charmed the public with his televised '68 Comeback Special, which you can see uncut and unedited on the Tube.  1970 finds him singing "In The Ghetto" and "Suspicious Minds" in the jumpsuit, though pre-bloated.  I'm going to throw in "Little Sister" just 'cause I like it.  Sadly, in a few short years, bloated jumpuit Elvis would be delivering a wacked-out take on "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" -- though to be fair, this audio-only version from 1969 is even more demented and he knows it.  I would rather remember Jumpsuit Elvis for the signature horns that open "See See Rider."  a tribute to his enduring legacy as the fact that he could hit the charts decades after his death with a remix of "A Little Less Conversation," a video subtly recalling "Jailhouse Rock,"  followed by Paul Oakenfold's remix of "Rubberneckin'" and even the bizzare CGI Elvis duet with Celine Dion on American Idol last year. The King may be gone, but the brand lives on, making millions and recruiting new fans under the watchful eyes of Elvis Presley Enterprises and CKX, Inc. MYSTERY JETS just released the video for "Half In Love with Elizabeth," which takes a surprising turn.  More info on getting free downloads of the band's upcoming EP at the link, under "More Info." Tricky.DR. DOG does the latest Lilywhite Session for NPR.LIGHTSPEED CHAMPION, a/k/a/ Dev Hynes, talks to Filter about transitioning from Test Icicles to his current work.CAVE SINGERS guitarist Derek Fudesco talks to Drowned In Sound about transitioning from Pretty Girls Make Graves to his current band.BEST OF 2008 (SO FAR), according to eMusic, complete with streams. I'm still amused that the Cool Kids' cover art pays homage to the the Beach Boys' lost Smile album.GRIZZLY BEAR: Ed Drozte is blogging their tour with Radiohead at Rolling Stone.PITCHFORK TV is coming to IFC.CUTOUT BIN: From Ryan Adams & Elton John to George Thorogood, from Bob Dylan to The Embarrassment, from Jamie Lidell to Steve Miller, from Johnny Rivers to the Lyres, from Manfred Mann to the Replacements and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds can be jukeboxed or streamed separately via the Pate page at the ol' HM.NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases are the action-comedy Tropic Thunder, which is currently scoring 83 percent on the ol' Tomatometer (which opened Wednesday); Star Wars: The Clone Wars, currently scoring 23 percent; and the unscreened horror pic Mirrors. Plus, Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona opens on about 700 screens with 89 percent.  WOODY ALLEN tells The A.V. Club that Vicky Cristina Barcelona could have been made in any number of cities, the more he talks, the more you get the idea that it would have been a totally different movie.HARRY POTTER and the HALF-BLOOD PRINCE was pushed back on Thursday to July 2009 from its original slot in November 2008. Warner Bros said it made the change to bolster its release schedule for the lucrative summer movie season.ELLEN DeGENERES & PORTIA de ROSSI will wed this weekend in California, according to US Weekly.JULIA CHILD, actor Sterling Hayden ("Jack D. Ripper"), Chicago White Sox catcher Moe Berg and IRS Records founder Miles Copeland served in an international spy ring managed by the Office of Strategic Services, an early version of the CIA created in World War II by FDR.JOHNNY DEPP, COLIN FARRELL & JUDE LAW, filling in for the late Heath Ledger in Terry Gilliam's film The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, are donating their salaries to Ledger's daughter, Matilda.MADONNA & GUY RITCHIE reportedly plan to adopt a girl from Malawi.  Madge's rep denies these reports... as she did before the last time the couple adopted.CHRISTIAN BALE escapes criminal charges in connection to an assault allegation filed by his mother and sister.JEN & JOHN: The latest gossip out of Team Ansiton is that Mayer was a three-time cheater.PAM ANDERSON is reportedly dating a member of Abu Dhabi's royal family, whom she has codenamed Milk-Sheik, or Milk for short.ALEC BALDWIN: The outtakes from his interview with the L.A. Times are even funnier than the original.ERNEST BORGNINE: More than you ever wanted to know. Really. I warned you. Consider yourself warned.GEORGIA, GEORGIA: As US military transport planes landed in Tbilisi, the Russian Army undertook search-and-destroy missions with impunity, defying the ceasefire agreement brokered by President Sarkozy of France. Tanks and soldiers continued to occupy Gori despite promising to leave by yesterday. Georgia's president said that Russian tanks and vehicles were moving toward the country's second-largest city, and that Russian forces already control a third of Georgian territory. The latest Pentagon information did not show any major movement by Russian troops or tanks Thursday. However, more than 100 Russian armored vehicles were massed near the center of Zugdidi, a major town in western Georgia, a Reuters witness said.  While Russia's ground forces have generally had their way, Georgian air defenses have been noticeably more effective. And Ukraine threatened to blockade the Russian Black Sea Fleet, which is based in the Ukrainian port of Sevastopol.PAKISTAN: Faced with desertions by his political supporters and the neutrality of the Pakistani military, Pres. Musharraf is expected to resign in the next few days rather than face impeachment charges.  Meanwhile, there are currently 157 training camps and "more than 400 support locations" spread throughout the tribal areas and the settled districts of the Northwest Frontier Province, senior intelligence officials speaking on the condition of anonymity told The Long War Journal.IRAQ: The Long War Journal looks at the payment of the local "Sons of Iraq" security forces in Tarmiyah, and Diyala Governor Ra'ad Rashid al Tamini surviving an assassination attempt and a coup d'état in a two-day period.  In Baghdad, Coalition forces killed one AQI operative and detained five while targeting the group's financial infrastructure.SQUEAKY THE WONDER-PIG herds cows, loves pizza. Video at the link.BIGFOOT: The photo expected to be shown today is already online. The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization is already debunking the hoax.SEALS are having radios glued to their heads to help measure global warming.  Where is PETA on this?VENOMOUS LIONFISH prowls the Caribbean: "This may very well become the most devastating marine invasion in history," said Mark Hixon, an Oregon State University marine ecology expert who compared lionfish to a plague of locusts.JENNY, a "special needs" elephant, has a champion in Lily Tomlin. Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1078 BOWERBIRDS stick close to their name with "In Our Talons," though insects and crustaceans also appear in the animated clip.OKKERVIL RIVER  has dropped a new song, "Lost Coastlines," in advance of their upcoming album; you can stream the tune via the ol' HM at the moment.  PETER HOLSAPPLE has joined the NYT's Measure for Measure blog, starting with the germ of a new song (with audio), a discussion of bridges (with the demo for the dB's "Molly Says") and recording demos then and now (with two demos of the new song, "It's All Talk"). Cool backstories, a pic of his first band at age 9, etc.BAD VEINS do the four free songs thing for Daytrotter, all as yet unreleased.FRANZ FERDINAND is streaming a new song, "Lucid Dreams," via their website.SPIRIT: In the 1969 clip for "I Got A Line On You," there's a moment that just screams, "Hey baby, I'll be back to pick you up later!" Plus some raelly bad "psychedelic" effects.THE KOOKS figure in an Olympic mini-scandal.INARA GEORGE (The Bird and the Bee, daughter of Lowell George) talks to All Things Considered about her collaboration with lifelong family friend Van Dyke Parks. Plus a track to stream or download.MARTHA WAINWRIGHT stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set you can stream on demand via NPR.THE BEATLES: Coming to Branson?JENNIFER ANISTON & JOHN MAYER dunzo? The Mirror claims Mayer has ended it because he wasn't ready for the level of commitment that Aniston deserved (or demanded), The NYDN runs the Ansiton spin that Mayer is crying and she has already moved on.  Better still, maybe she picked her dog over Mayer.  US Weekly claims the pair is just "on a break," but Friends fans know that's a recipe for disaster.BRITNEY SPEARS gives her first interview since her breakdown to OK! magazine.JAMIE LYNN SPEARS's alleged baby daddy allegedly cheated on her during the pregnancy. CARRIE UNDERWOOD: The American Idol winner tells Allure that ex-beau Tony Romo still phones her.  Which will thrill Jessica Simpson.LINDSAY LOHAN & SAMANTHA RONSON: The latter is amazed at the public interest in her relationship with the former.ADAM WEST may be busting a move on "Dancing With the Stars." They will not be able to resist the Batusi.RACHEL HUNTER announced that she is marrying 26-year-old ice hockey star Jarret Stoll, ten years after splitting from former husband Rod Stewart. Stacy's Mom has got it going on.JESSICA ALBA has got a fee-vah! And the only prescription is more Olympics.GEORGIA, GEORGIA: Georgia and Russia accused each other of violating the cease-fire agreement. Separatist fighters and Russian troops looted and set homes ablaze in Georgia amid the mutual recriminations. Human Rights Watch said its researchers in South Ossetia had "witnessed terrifying scenes of destruction in four villages that used to be populated exclusively by ethnic Georgians." While many Russians said they regretted the loss of life, the conflict appeared mainly to have stoked nationalist pride.  US officials demand an end to the conflict in increasingly stroner terms: "This is not 1968 and the invasion of Czechoslovakia where Russia can threaten a neighbor, occupy a capital, overthrow a government and get away with it," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said. NATO cancels an naval exercise with Russia, while the West considers dropping Russia from the G-8. Pres. Bush said the Pentagon had begun a "vigorous and ongoing" humanitarian mission to ease the suffering in Georgia, adding that Russia must not interfere with aid arriving in Georgia by air, land or water -- sounding like a Berlin Airlift-style gambit. Some experts doubt claims of Russian cyber-attacks on Georgia.ALLEGED AL QAEDA "MATA HARI" is a potential "treasure trove" of information on terrorist supporters, sympathizers or 'sleepers' in the United States and overseas.IRAN: Parliament declared Wednesday that suggesting that Iran is a friend of the Israeli people is an "unforgivable mistake." Lawmakers called on Pres. Ahmadinejad to dismiss Esfandiar Rahim Mashai, a vice president for tourism, after he repeated on Sunday his earlier comments that "we are a friend of all people in the world, even Israelis and Americans." IRAQ: The latest draft security pact would have US troops withdraw from the cities by next summer, but not withdraw from the country for three years, provided the violence remains low. Insurgents, who have increasingly turned to women to stage suicide bombings, on Tuesday used a man dressed as a woman in a failed assassination attempt on a provincial governor. The head of an anti-Qaeda militia survived a truck bombing in Kirkuk, the ninth assassination attempt against him.A TINY CHINESE BOX TURTLE is small enough to creep inside a matchbox.  No wonder the species is critically endangered.  More pics at the link.OCTOPUSES have two legs and six arms, according to a new study, which also reveals the most common arm used for feeding.PET HOARDING: More than 360 domestic and farm animals, many of them emaciated, injured and suffering from mange and parasites, were rescued Tuesday from a filthy southwest Missouri property.  And the hoarder looks like she wasn't exactly caring for herself, either.A HUMPBACK WHALE is vacationing near one of Germany's favorite nude beach destinations, the idyllic island of Rügen.BIGFOOT FOUND? Two Georgia men claim to have a body, photos of the body, and DNA evidence - some or all of which will be revealed this Friday, Aug. 15, at a press conference in Palo Alto, Calif. Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1077 I'M FROM BARCELONA drops the video for "Paper Planes," the new single from the forthcoming album, Who Killed Harry Houdini?THE ROSEBUDS have four new songs that can be streamed via their MySpace.WE ARE SCIENTISTS stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set you can stream on demand via MPR.THE PRETENDERS are a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll on the upcoming album.DR. DOG gets a nice hometown profile in the Philadelphia Weekly.THE ROLLING STONES roll through "Let It Bleed" in a club gig.  Quality sound and video, too.LOS CAMPESINOS! stopped by KEXP for a chat and mini-set now streaming on demand via NPR.FRANK YANG of Chromewaves is on this year's Grand Jury for Canada's Polaris Music Prize. Congrats to him!ANTENNA SHOES did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.SOUNDGARDEN inadvertently reuinites at a local Cinnabon.  Oh, wait, that's The Onion.BRADGELINA: Jolie will replace Tom Cruise in the adaptation Philip Noyce's spy thriller Edwin A Salt, which will need a rewrite and renaming now. Meanwhile, the Bradgelina baby pics disappointed People magazine.HAYDEN PANETTIERE's father, bailed on a felony spousal abuse charge, tells the paparazzi the whole thing "was blown out of proportion."SIENNA MILLER broke down in tears after she was quizzed by photographers about her relationship with married father of four Balthazar Getty.  And they took pictures, natch.SCARLETT JOHANSSON & RYAN REYNOLDS were... wait for it... caught canoodling on a motorcycle.  Pics at the link.BEN STILLER says disability groups boycotting Tropic Thunder are missing the point.STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS got a really bad review from Ain't-It-Cool's uber-fanboy Harry Knowles, which was taken down (temoprarily), but Valleywag still has it.HOLLYWOOD'S TOP-EARNING ACTRESSES, according to Forbes magazine.GEORGIA, GEORGIA: Russian President Dmitri Medvedev reportedly ordered a halt to its military action in Georgia, after Pres. Bush's strongest statement on the fighting since it began at the end of last week and French Pres. Sarkozy, in his current role as EU president, held talks with Medvedev in Moscow for most of the day. Georgia insisted that Russian forces were still bombing and shelling. Georgian Pres. Saakashvili said he would pull his country out of the Commonwealth of Independent States. The websites of Georgia's government have been under cyber-attack for weeks, with Russian hackers fingered as the culprits. OUR FRIENDS, THE SAUDIS have arrested a woman in the region of Qatif in eastern Saudi Arabia for driving a car.PAKISTAN: Senior Al Qaeda commander Abu Saeed al-Masri has been killed in recent clashes with Pakistani forces in a Pakistani region near the Afghan border, a security official said on Tuesday. At the Counterterrorism Blog, Daveed Gartenstein-Ross is skeptical.IRAN: Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday that resistance by nations against major world powers pays off. State TV also reported that the country has set up offices on a Persian Gulf island also claimed by the United Arab Emirates.IRAQ: A secular lawmaker expected the Kurds would make concessions to allow the controversial provincial elections bill to be re-approved by the Parliament. Coalition forces captured nine Hezbollah Brigades operatives during three raids in the Adhamiyah district in Baghdad within 24 hours. King Abdullah of Jordan has become the first Arab head of state to visit Iraq since the US-led invasion to overthrow Saddam Hussein in 2003.MINI-CATTLE are catching on at farms, livestock shows and 4-H clubs, as feed costs drive up the price of keeping cows.  Video and pics at the link, but if you're not a WSJ subscriber, go through Google News.  And you may get direct access to the video.CHUPACABRA caught on camera? HORSE MASSAGE: "This isn't just a career for me, it's my passion."A BLIND RETIREE was told he did not walk fast enough to be given a new guide dog.A SNAKE had to be removed from a car after a mechanic discovered the reptile while clearing an impounded vehicle. Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1076 DUSTY SPRINGFIELD may be the subject of three biopics, starring Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron and Kristin Chenowith.  So why not revisit "Son of a Preacher Man" and her take on "How Can I Be Sure?"  That would be Twofer Tuesday, but I toss in the audio for "No Easy Way Down" from Dusty In Memphis so we have a clip for each biopic.NEW RELEASES: Pierre de Reeder (Rilo Kiley), The Pack A.D. and the Walkmen are streaming in full this week via Spinner. Conor Oberst, Elvis Presley and more are streaming via AOL.SIR PAUL McCARTNEY is still cruising Route 66, playing harmonica for a four-month old boy named Jude in Amarillo.  The Cute One supposedly told daughter Stella he intends to marry new galpal Nancy Shevell, according to the uber-reliable News of the World.ALL SONGS CONSIDERED: The latest edition of the long-running NPR series features tracks from David Byrne & Brian Eno, Inara George & Van Dyke Parks, Earlimart, The Avett Bros, and She & Him with Jim James.INGRID MICHAELSON: The indie sweater girl does the four free songs thing for Daytrotter, including a cover of "Can't Help Falling in Love With You"SEALS & CROFT: A rare live performance of "Summer Breeze" from 1974.  Because it's, like... summer.ISSAC HAYES: The L.A. Record has what may have been his final interview. Bonus points to Rena Kosnett for asking, "Does anyone understand you ‘cept your woman?"THE MOST INFLUENTIAL INDIE ALBUMS of the 80s and 90s, according to JamsBio. I agree with most of the list, though it leaves out quite a few, like the dB's and the Feelies.BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND will rock Super Bowl XLIII, according to the NYPost's Page Six.ROLLING STONE is shrinking to a normal magazine size.  Publisher Jann Wenner promises the magazine will contain just as much lame celebrity coverage and fawning reviews of popular bands as always, but hopes to include stinky cologne ads.BRADGELINA: John McCain and Barack Obama are seeking the coveted Jolie endorsement for president.HAYDEN PANETTIERE's father was arrested Monday morning on allegations of spousal abuse. Alan Panettiere will face a felony count of domestic violence for allegedly hitting wife Lesley in the cheek, leaving a visible mark.  TMZ also has some backstory.JESSICA SIMPSON was bullied as a shy high schooler growing up in Texas, according to the ever-reliable National Enquirer.TROPIC THUNDER faces a national boycott from a coalition of disabilities groups because of what the groups consider the movie's open ridicule of the intellectually disabled.ANNE HATHAWAY says her June split from Italian beau Raffaello Follieri - currently under investigation for wire fraud - made her stronger.LOST: Looks like the cast are all trying to renegotiate their salaries.HOW BIG IS THE DARK KNIGHT? It depends how you look at it. In raw dollar figures, the Batman sequel is now the third-biggest film of all time.  However, adjusted for inflation, The Dark Knight ranks No. 49, with Gone With the Wind topping the chart.IRON MAN comes home Sept. 30th.I LAUGHED THROUGH "THE BIRDS" as a toddler. It may be genetic.GEORGIA, GEORGIA: Russian forces overran the strategic city of Gori as troops prepared to defend the capital Tbilisi from what one official called a "total onslaught". Georgian president Saakashvili said that Russian troops had in effect sliced his country in half, and appealed for Western aid via the Wall Street Journal. Reaganite Fred Kagan and Clintonites Ronald D. Asmus and Richard Holbrooke actually have similar bottom lines in the dispute. The CSM has backstory on the conflict.IRAN has an interest in the Georgian conflict, as outlined by Meir Javedanfar at PJM.  Meanwhile, Vice President Esfandiar Rahim Mashai says Iranians are "friends of all people in the world - even Israelis." Mashai added that his comments did not constitute recognition of Israel's legitimacy.IRAQ: Al-Qaeda is losing support in Iraq because of a brutal crackdown on activities it regards as un-Islamic - including women buying cucumbers.  The Washington Post looks at the growth of the Commander's Emergency Response Program, which is military-ese for "walking around money."  The NYT reports that Iraq's private sector, particularly its small non-oil economy, has so far failed to flourish as its American patrons had hoped.  The top Marine in Anbar province sees the economy rebounding and a need for less US spending. Iraqi forces halted military operations in Diyala province for a week to give insurgents time to surrender.NEVER WRESTLE A PIG: You both get dirty and the pig enjoys it.A HORSE was molested in a field near a busy dual carriageway in West London.ELEPHANTS' survival depends on their legendary memory.AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: A white blackbird -- suffering from leucism, which unlike albinism, does not turn the eyes pink.VAMPIRE BATS leave 38 dead in remote villages in Venezuela. Or possibly undead. Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1075 ISSAC HAYES, soul singer and arranger, member of the Songwriters' and Rock & Roll Halls of Fame, who won Grammy awards and an Oscar for the theme from the 1971 action film "Shaft," has died at 65, after relatives found him unconscious in his home next to a still-running treadmill on Sunday afternoon.  Here's your choice of the live Wattstock version, the slo-mo mersion, and the Conan O'Brien version.  Of course, Hayes was more than the theme.  He played on classic soul tracks like Otis Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness."  He wrote the Sam & Dave Classics "Soul Man," "You Don't Know Like I Know" and "Hold On, I'm Comin," as well as Carla Thomas' ''B-A-B-Y.''  He had his own hits with Burt Bacharach tunes like "Walk On By."  Decades later, he would be thrilling South Park as Chef with his "Chocolate Salty Balls." He left the show in 2006 after an episode mocked his Scientology religion. Hayes had just finished work on a movie called Soul Men, which also stars Bernie Mac, who passed away on Saturday (see below.).BRIAN ENO talks to the Times of London about his reunion with David Byrne. SUMMER PLAYLISTS from UK musicians and DJs, including Gruff Rhys and Norman Jay, appear at the Guardian.THE BEAT STRINGS, which bring a strand of punky New Wave to their pop, do the four free songs thing at Daytrotter.  All are unreleased, though two are from the band's upcoming album.  Elements of bands like Split Enz and The Cure, I would say.  And just did.THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING FRONTMAN: The Boston Globe reports that the preening rock star of the past is giving way to a decidedly unheroic new species of lead singer.CONOR OBERST of Bright Eyes is interviewed at the Independent and Fredericksburg.com. NPR has a review plus audio tracks from his solo album.  And he just dropped the video for "Souled Out!!!"THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS' A.C. Newman talks to the Valley Advocate and the Hartford Courant about the band and his upcoming solo LP. (Thx, Chromewaves.)DURAN DURAN APPRECIATION DAY was yesterday. Is that something I should know?  Plenty more video links at Entertainment Weekly. (Blame Lance.)NOMO stopped by for a chat and mini-set of their funky Afrobeat-flavored music.  Saw them a couple of years ago at Pitchfork and enjoyed their update of the sounds of the 70s.KIM DEAL talks about The Pixies with the Jerusalem Post.BERNIE MAC, comedian and actor, died early Saturday morning of complications due to pneumonia. A few years ago, Mac disclosed that he suffered from sarcoidosis, a rare autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in tissue, most often in the lungs. He was 50.  His Ocean's Eleven co-stars are among those paying tribute.WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: The Dark Knight reigns for a fourth weekend, making 26 million, for a US total of 441 million. The last movie to win four consecutive weekends was The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.  Will Tropic Thunder and Star Wars: The Clone Wars team up to dethrone TDK next weekend?  Stay tuned, bat-fans... Pineapple Express opened in second place with 22 million; it has made 40 million since opening Wednesday on a 27 million budget. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 came in fourth with 10.2 million; it has grossed 19.7 million on its 27 million budget since Wednesday. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor came in third, dropping 60 percent to take in 16.1 million.  Step Brothers rounds out the top five with 8.9 million.  Mamma Mia! continued to show legs, making another 8 million in sixth place and breaking the 100 million mark in the US.JESSICA SIMPSON: According to the National Enquirer, the pneumatic blond took a home pregnancy test and thought it was positive, so she made an announcement to Tony Romo's family that they were expecting.  It turns out that if anyone could get confused between one or two lines on a stick, it's Jessica Simpson.SIENNA MILLER is begging lover Balthazar Getty to save her Hollywood career by getting his estranged wife to clear her of marriage-wrecking, according to the uber-reliable News of the World. Despite reports Balthazar is desperate to reconcile with his wife, Miller and Getty still look pretty cozy in L.A.PAUL NEWMAN has finished chemotherapy treatment for cancer and may have only weeks to live.JENNIFER ANISTON visiting the trout pout shop?  She does look like a duck in this photo, but maybe it was snapped at the wrong moment.SALMA HAYEK, newly separated new mother, was spotted shopping at erotic boutique Coco de mer, which stocks luxury bondage gear, designer sex aids and risqué underwear.BERNIE BRILLSTEIN, a pioneering manager and producer who helped steer the careers of John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Brad Pitt, Adam Sandler, Geena Davis, Martin Short, Jim Belushi, Dabney Coleman, John Larroquette, Dana Carvey, Dennis Miller, Nicolas Cage, Rob Lowe, Jay Tarses and Jim Henson, died Thursday night of chronic pulmonary disease. He was 77.AN IRANIAN SWIMMER refused to compete alongside Israeli Tom Be'eri, apparently under the orders of the chiefs of the Iranian delegation.  The Iranian basketball team shook hands with Russia's coach, who previously coached for Maccabi Tel Aviv.  But Russia is helping Iran with its nuclear program.AFGHANISTAN: US SecDef Robert M. Gates will endorse a 20 billion dollar plan to substantially increase the size of Afghanistan's army and will also restructure the military command of American and NATO forces in response to the growing Taliban threat, senior Pentagon and military officials said Thursday.SYRIA blocked a follow-up visit by UN nuclear watchdogs investigating intelligence that Damascus built a secret nuclear program built with help from North Korea. Hey, Iran gets away with it, so why not?IRAQ's foreign minister says negotiators are on the brink of reaching a long-term security pact with the US. A suspected leader of AQI in Anbar province has been arrested after a tip-off, police said on Friday.  ORPHAN DEER adopted by a pack of fox hounds.  Totally awww...some pics at the link.PRINCE CHUNK, the 44-lb cat, has found a new home at an undisclosed location.  Perhaps VP Dick Cheney is stroking him even now. (Thanks, Dad.)EAT KANGAROO, save the world. I am not sure how the cheerleader figures into this yet.FUGITIVE VIPER remained at large as Houston's Moody Gardens reopened its rain forest pyramid Saturday.RENEGADE COWS: The news is out in Bangor, Maine.A BRITISH BESTIALITY INVESTIGATION has been hampered because their main suspect has a twin brother who could also be behind the attacks. Mon, 11 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1074 THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:(via DarkroomDemons)...with WILCO at LOLLAPALOOZA!  Last weekend's set has found its way online -- Misunderstood, I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, You Are My Face, Impossible Germany, It's Just That Simple, Handshake Drugs, Pot Kettle Black, One Wing, Spiders, A Shot In The Arm, Jesus Etc., Hate It Here, Can't Stand It, Walken, and Monday/ Outtasite (Outta Mind).  On the last four clips, Tweedy & Co. are backed by the Total Pros on horns.SIR PAUL McCARTNEY and his new girlfriend, Nancy Shevell, are cruising historic Route 66, having been spotted in Clear Lake and Joliet, IL.BRITISH SEA POWER stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set you can stream on demand via NPR.THE TING TINGS talk to Metromix about their second chance at pop, which Jules De Martino describes this way: "The kind of people we are, we're just happy to be having a good evening and paying our rent. When we were getting emails from (Columbia Records president) Rick Rubin, we thought it was our friends making jokes. It just felt so surreal..."BEN FOLDS & REGINA SPEKTOR duet on "You Don't Know Me," an original track from the upcomung Folds album, Way to Normal.GHOSTY, from Lawrence KS, does the four free songs thing for Daytrotter, three previously unreleased.AGAINST ME's video for "New Wave" pays obvious homage to The Replacements.NME's 25 BANDS MAKING AMERICA COOL AGAIN, reprinted at Stereogum. Regular Pate visitors will recognize most, if not all of them.THE HOLD STEADY: Craig Finn tells IGN about his voice coaching and tells The Quietus all about touring.PORTISHEAD: Adrian Utley and Geoff Barrow have picked a number of their favorite Tube clips... which they discuss on the Tube.CUTOUT BIN: From Chuck Berry to 10cc, from Sonic Youth to the Beach Boys, from Wire to the Cardigans, from Big Star to Travis to Pilot and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds can be jukeboxed or streamed separately via the Pate page at the ol' HM.NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases are the stoner action comedy Pineapple Express, currently scoring 69 percent on the ol' Tomatometer, and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, which is scoring 64 percent.  Both actually opened Wednesday, and I missed it.  My only excuse is that I had some cleanup to do after a big storm earlier this week.BRITNEY SPEARS, contrary to recent reports, will not play a killer lesbian stripper in Quentin Tarantino's remake of the 1965 cult film Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!  The silver lining is that we got two days of talking about killer lesbian strippers out of it.SHIA LeBEOUF, who sustained a seriously mangled mitt in a rollover accident, is not in danger of losing any of his digits, E! News has confirmed.SCARLETT JOHANSSON says she's eager to become an honorary Canadian by marrying Canadian-born actor Ryan Reynolds - and hopefully pass through the border quickly from now on.LINDSAY LOHAN & SAMANTHA RONSON got matching black heart tattoos. NTTAWWT.NICOLE KIDMAN & KEITH URBAN talk about the joys of parenthood on TV down under.  Apparently, their dughter looks like Urban.ROBERT DOWNEY, JR.: Rolling Stone excerpts its profile and interview of the actor who may have triumphed over his demons, yet still seems more than a bit wacky.MORGAN FREEMAN was released from a Tennessee hospital - and says he is glad to be on the upswing.SIENNA MILLER's pals say the gorggeous actress is no home wrecker - and she never would have gone near her new love, Balthazar Getty, if he was still with his wife, Rosetta.ALEC BALDWIN: These days, just about everything -- music, politics, the Internet -- interests him. Except acting.  Maybe that's why he's been doing some of his best work recently.JOSS STONE amazingly headbutted her brother as a family baptism descended into an ugly brawl.  She blew her chance to be godmother, but settled some family business.BERNIE MAC hospitalized for pneumonia since the beginning of the month, continues to recover, a rep for the actor-comedian said Thursday.WATCHMEN: Non-geeks may not know what a big deal the film adaptation coming in 2009 is; this ReelTalk clip from the big Comic-Con in San Diego, featuring interviews with the cast and crew, sorta explains why comicdom is equal parts joy and fear over the project.LIL' KIM B-DAY PARTY SLAYING: The body of a 24-year-old woman who attended a birthday party for the rapper Lil' Kim on Sunday was found Wednesday on the roof of the Midtown karaoke club where the party was held, NYC police said.  A bar employee has been charged in the case.ERIC "DIGGER" DOWLING, who forged passports, made maps and helped to dig the one tunnel that the Germans did not discover before the Great Escape from Stalag Luft III, has died, aged 92.AL QAEDA'S NUCLEAR STRATEGY is debated at NPR.IRAN: Israel is building up its strike capabilities amid growing anxiety over Iran's nuclear ambitions and appears confident that a military attack would cripple Tehran's atomic program, even if it can't destroy it. The Kuwait Times reported on Thursday that two more US aircraft carriers are headed for the Persian Gulf. The paper did not say which two carriers they are and the US Navy refused to confirm or deny the report.IRAQ and the US are reportedly nearing agreement on a security pact that -- conditions permitting -- would have most US combat troops out by 2010, with a residual force in place through 2013.  Those dates may be doable if current trends continue. More good news from Samarrah -- hundreds of Muslim worshippers on Wednesday visited a revered Shiite shrine in northern Iraq that is being rebuilt after a deadly bomb blast which triggered bitter sectarian bloodshed.HECTOR, a Great Dane, may think twice before swallowing a two-foot long stick again.A MASSIVE CATFIGHT leads to boob bite, tetanus shot, five arrests.BOOGER the pitbull -- and source of the cloned puppies noted here this week -- heroically saved his owner, who reportedly fled England after being charged in a bizarre sex crime case. Bernann McKinney denied she is that woman in the Times of London.THE SQUIRREL THREAT: They lure house dogs into chasing them, setting up attacks by hungry hawks.A WOMAN ON A DONKEY beat off a lion with a machete.  Yes, she had the machete. Fri, 08 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1073 FLEET FOXES made their network TV debut playing "Blue Ridge Mountains" for Dave.  And I think if he decides to hold up the album afterwards, that's a thumbs up.LOS CAMPESINOS! played the World Cafe last week; you can stream the gig on demand via NPR.THE NATIONAL: Scott Devendorf talks to ClickMusic about recording and which "classics" the band agrees on.ALINA SIMONE talks to DC's Express about her sophomore album, devoted to covering the songs of Yanka Dyagileva.THE TOP 20 ALBUMS OF ALL TIME, using an interesting formula that produces an unexpected No.1, courtesy of Yahoo! Music. Albums streamable at the link.THE HOLD STEADY: Craig Finn talks about Led Zeppelin and The Replacements with Rolling Stone. The band plays a four song rooftop set for the latest edition of PitchforkTV's Don't Look Down series.AIMEE MANN has plenty of interesting things to tell JamBase about songwriting and recording, like this: "Sometimes it reminds me of graphic art. You have to choose a couple of simple, arresting images and what words you have need to contain the essence of what you want to say. It's not a novel; it's only three-minutes that people are spending with you."AMERICAN PRINCES do the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.GOOGLE has launched a music search service in China that will give users access to free downloads of licensed songs, while capturing advertising revenue for music providers in a market rife with piracy.PITCHFORK GIVES MUSIC 6.8, according to The Onion.JENNIFER ANISTON's rep is denying reports that Ansiton is planning a low-key wedding with John Mayer this fall and is going to have Mayer's baby.  So what about her reported demand that Mayer move in with her?BRITNEY SPEARS is being lined up to play a killer lesbian stripper in a Quentin Tarantino remake of the 1965 cult film Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!  The NYPost had previously tipped pr0n starlet Tera Patrick for the Role.QUENTIN TARANTINO, meanwhile, seems to still be moving ahead with the WWII flick, Inglourious Basterds, castin director (and pal) Eli Roth as a baseball bat-swinging Nazi hunter.MORGAN FREEMAN's attorney and business partner tells Access Hollywood that the actor and his wife of 24-years are getting a divorce.HEATH LEDGER: Mary-Kate Olsen was to be compelled to testify in front of a grand jury in the Drug Enforcement Agency investigation into determine where Ledger obtained the prescription medications that led to a fatal drug interaction.  But the feds have now closed the case, letting the twin off the hook.SCARLETT JOHANSSON is blaming "extreme sexism" for the hoopla made over her comments that she had an e-mail relationship with Barack Obama, claiming that people would not care if it was George Clooney. But Entertainment Tonight notices when George Clooney plans a fundraiser for Obama.  The difference is not that ScarJo is a woman, but that she is teh hawtness, something which also seems to have some upside for her, careerwise.LISA MARIE PRESLEY is expecting twins.MICHELLE WILLIAMS & SPIKE JONZE go bicoastal.OPRAH WINFREY: Her ratings and magazine circulation may be in decline, but she still made 385 million last year.JOSS STONE is joining the cast of Showtime's drama "The Tudors" for its upcoming third season.EVA MENDES is too sexy for US TV in her new ad for Calvin Klein.  Which only makes me want to watch it.THE SHIRE goes into foreclosure: hobbits hardest hit.WEINERMOBILES go bite-size to celebrate Oscar Mayer's 125th anniversary this year and to help introduce the company's new "snack-sized" hot dogs product; it wasn't created in response to high gas prices.AFGHANISTAN: The Long War Journal maps the rising violence as the Taliban seeks to destabilize and de-legitimize the weak Afghan government and break NATO's will to fight a protracted counterinsurgency campaign.IRAQ: The NYT interviews Iraqi soldiers. The army has made huge leaps forward, most of the soldiers agreed, and can hold its own in battles with the insurgency with little or no American support. But almost all said the time when the Iraqi Army can stand alone as a national defense force is still years away. Iraqi leaders postponed the ceremony marking the handover of Anbar province due to fear that Americans would pull out of the region too soon to focus elsewhere. TIME magazine covers reconciliation in Samarra, where the bombing of a holy shrine in February 2006 sparked a spiral of sectarian violence nationwide.GOATS managed to do what terrorists wished they could: They sneaked under a fence onto a restricted area near the base of the Verrazano Bridge in NY without triggering alarms. The animals didn't get through a more formidable second line of defense about 10 feet away.  They are employed by the National Park Service to clear weeds from Ft. Wadsworth, for which there is video.AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: A pig with five legs.A POSSIBLY POISONED SEA LION made itself at home on a family sailboat - twice.HENRY the TUATARA is to become a father at the age of 111.  His mate Mildred won't give her exact age, but is reportedly a spry 70-80 years old.A RANDY BADGER sparked a police manhunt for a sex attacker when his howls of passion were mistaken for a woman screaming. Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1072 WILCO led the crowd at the Friendly Confines through "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" when the Pirates came to town August 3rd.  Also, Jeff Tweedy talks Lollapalooza when play resumes.CONOR OBERST of Bright Eyes is streaming his new album at his website.  He gives a trak-by-track review to the MTV.THE TING TINGS stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set you can stream on demand via MPR.THE WALKMEN do the four free songs thing for Daytrotter -- all songs previously unreleased.RANDY NEWMAN played an intimate gig at the Largo in Los Angeles on July 23, now streaming on demand via NPR.  He is also the Guest DJ on the latest installment of All Songs Considered.BEN FOLDS employs primitive animation for "Hiroshima," the first clip from his upcoming Way to Normal album.THE STOOGES wuz robbed! Outside a hotel in Quebec, as it turns out.SHEARWATER frontman Jonathan Meiburg is interviewed by... Scientific American? (Thx, LHB.)GEORGIE JAMES splits. Bummer.THE GERMS: Salon reviews the upcoming punk biopic, What We Do Is Secret.MORGAN FREEMAN is doing well after surgery to reconnect nerves and repair damage in his left arm and hand resulting from his one-car accident in Mississippi.  The Daily Mail has a photo of the crash scene.LINDSAY LOHAN & SAMANTHA RONSON were very affectionate and touchy-feely in Chicago.  The couple then hung with the Ronson clan in Miami.  Lohan's ex-con dad wants her to be happy, but does not expect to be asked to walk her down the aisle.THE McCARTNEYS:  Sir Paul has written a song about his relationship with Heather Mills. It's being spun as a tender love song, but that seems only partially correct.KEIRA KNIGHTLEY had a few before her audition to play Eliza Doolittle in the upcoming movie remake of My Fair Lady.JESSICA SIMPSON uses a webcam to transmit red-hot strip routines to Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo to keep alive their romance while they are apart.SCARLETT JOHANSSON & PENELOPE CRUZ say kissing each other in Woody Allen's new comedy Vicky Cristina Barcelona wasn't all that sexy.  Someone needs to learn a little about marketing.AN ACCUSED AL QAEDA SLEEPER AGENT was flown to New York on Monday night to face charges of attempting to kill US military and FBI personnel in Afghanistan.IRAN: A government-linked youth organisation says that 55 percent, or 12 million Iranian young people access hard or soft pr0n websites daily in Iran.THE US ARMY, with help from Gen. David Petraeus, is finally promoting the right people as one-star generals, according to Slate's Fred Kaplan.  One of the new Generals, Sean MacFarland, was commander of the unit that brought order to Ramadi -- and you can download a report he co-authored about the Army's role in the Anbara Awakening and the "surge."IRAQ: More than 375 insurgents and al Qaeda operatives have been captured during the first week of Operation Omens of Prosperity in Diyala province. Six senior al Qaeda in Iraqi leaders in the province have been captured during the province-wide operation. Gunmen killed a senior leader of the awakening council in Youssifiyah, south of Baghdad. Soaring oil prices will leave the Iraqi government with a cumulative budget surplus of as much as 79 billion dollars by year's end, according to an American federal oversight agency.BOOGER, the heroic pitbull, lives on through five cloned puppies.NAPOLEON, a two year old white English Bulldog, rescued a sack of kittens from a lake in Michigan. Awww...some.ELLA, an abandoned sea lion, took her first swimming lessons at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom's Sea Lion Stadium pool Friday with the help of a trainer. Awww...some slideshow at the link.THE SWARM: He had to torch the garage to save it.GORILLA PARADISE DISCOVERED in the Congo. The findings, if confirmed, would more than double the world's estimated population of this great ape subspecies, which is classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1071 DUFFY has a brand new, evocative video for "Stepping Stone" from her brill Rockferry album.NEW RELEASES: Elvis Presley, Randy Newman, Sarah McLachlan, Oxford Collapse and Marching Band are among the albums streaming in full via Spinner this week.DAVID BYRNE & BRIAN ENO have posted "Strange Overtones," a song from their upcoming album at the website for Everything That Happens Will Happen Today.  Byrne is taking a word-of-web approach to letting people know.KEANE is giving away a new song titled "Spiralling" via their website this week.GARY GLITTER, put behind bars in March 2006 for molesting two underage girls, is set to be released from jail in Vietnam on August 19.SMITH's soulful version of the Bacharach-Dixon-David classic, "Baby, It's You" should be well-known to those beyond fans of Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof, so I'm doing my part.  If I toss in April March's english version of "Chick Habit," I have Twofer Tuesday.  If I add in the France Gall original of "laisse tomber les filles," it's like Twofer Tuesday, but it's one more.FLEET FOXES singer Robin Pecknold talks to Exclaim! about songwriting and the evolution of the band's vocal heavy style.THE DUKE SPIRIT played the World Cafe on Friday; you can stream the gig on demand via NPR.LYKKE LI is profiled in New York magazine.THE LONG BLONDES guitarist Dorian Cox was hospitalized and all dating members of the band have officially called it quits, which doesn't shop Chart Attack from asking bassist Reenie Hollis how things are going.MORGAN FREEMAN was hospitalized in serious condition Monday after the car he was driving left a rural road in the Mississippi Delta and flipped several times. The actor "has a broken arm, broken elbow and minor shoulder damage, but is in good spirits," according to a statement from Freeman's publicist.HEATH LEDGER: Pint-size actress Mary-Kate Olsen has refused to be interviewed by federal investigators probing the accidental drug death of her close friend Heath Ledger unless she receives immunity from prosecution, according to the NY Post.BRADGELINA baby pics are surfacing online, for you cheaters.GYLLENSPOON is denying the marriage rumors reported by the Daily Mail (and noted here yesterday).GILLIAN ANDERSON is blaming The Dark Knight juggernaut for the box office flop of the new X-Files movie.ANNE HATHAWAY: Nude and otherwise risque photos of the actress may have been seized in an FBI raid of her boyfriend's hidden storage space, according to the ever-reliable National Enquirer.THE NEW NEW FACE: What female celebs are trying to look like.MAD MEN: The 1960s-era AMC series is causing a stir in the fashion world this fall, with designers citing it as their muse and retailers stocking their shelves accordingly.IRAN announced Monday that it has tested a new weapon capable of sinking ships nearly 200 miles away, and reiterated threats to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf if attacked. The US says that Iran has left the UN Security Council no choice but to increase sanctions on the Islamic Republic for ignoring demands that it halt sensitive nuclear activities.IRAQ: Lawmakers rescheduled for today a vote on a provincial election law, after reaching a tentative compromise on Monday that may resolve a stalemate over the fate of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk.  Muqtada al-Sadr intends to disarm his once-dominant Mahdi Army militia and remake it as a social-services organization. With violence subsiding throughout Baghdad, residents said that sectarianism is becoming less pervasive, including among the Iraqi Army. Stars & Stripes covers the military transition teams that are training the Iraqi army to stand on its own.  At the long War Journal, DJ Elliot looks at the Iraqi government's plans to purchase almost eleven billion dollars in weapons, equipment, and support services.JARVIS the Jack Russell vanished after chasing a rabbit during a walk at Mount Edgcumbe on the Cornish side of Plymouth Sound but took the passenger ferry from Cremyll home.DOGS disrupt last-minute Olympic training in Lithuania.AN OX PENDANT is recommended for Olympians born in the Year of the Horse, because this is the Year of the Rat.  One can only imagine what would be recommended in the Year of the Cat.COWS stare unamazed as Dutch dairy farmers pamper them with massages and comfy mattresses to produce better tasting milk.THE WORLD'S UGLIEST DOLPHIN was revealed on Aussie TV. Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1070 WE ARE SCIENTISTS, with a new drummer and keyboards, play "After Hours" for Dave, appropriately enough.  This one sounds a bit like the Proclaimers.SHE & HIM are profiled in the Mpls Star-Tribune.  You can stream their gig at the Newport Folk Festival on demand via NPR.NEWPORT FOLK FEST:  Speaking of which, you can also stream sets from Jim James (of My Morning Jacket) and Steve Earle on demand via NPR.WILCO tried out a new song, "One Wing," at Lollapalooza.BRIGHT EYES: Conor Oberst discusses the music on his new self-titled album with... the Wall Street Journal?BON IVER & BOWERBIRDS cover Sarah Siskind's "Lovin's for Fools" at the Bowery Ballroom, NYC, on July 29, 2008.SUB POP TURNS 20: The Times of London takes notice.JAMES HUNTER: The retro-sounding soul and R&B singer-guitarist gets a feature on NPR's Weekend Edition, along with an audio track.JACK WHITE & ALICIA KEYS were chosen to record the latest Bond theme after Amy Winehouse pulled out.THE HOLD STEADY are profiled in the Dallas Star-Telegram.CHRISTINA APPLEGATE has been diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer.  Her rep added: "Christina is following the recommended treatment of her doctors and will have a full recovery."BRADGELINA baby pics appear in People and Hello! magazines.WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: The Dark Knight edges The Mummy to keep the top slot for a third weekend, making 43.8 million over 42.5 million, respectively.  Batman now seems unlikely to overtake Titanic as the all-time champ, but may yet beat out the original Star Wars for the number two spot.  In the meantime, TDK will pass 400 million no later than Tuesday, shattering the prior record held by Shrek 2.  Step Brothers drops to the third slot with 16.3 million, and has almost made back its production budget.  Mamma Mia! continues to show her legs, amking another 13.1 million; the ABBA-based musical is currently outpacing last summer's hit Hairspray. Journey to the Center of the Earth held in fifth place with 6.8 mill.  Swing Vote debuted a disappointing sixth with 6.3 mill.HEATH LEDGER shouldn't get an Academy Award to memorialize his death, argues Eric Lucas at the L.A. Times.LINDSAY LOHAN will come out and declare her eternal love for sweetheart Samantha Ronson at a private ceremony in LA later this year, according to the uber-reliable News of the World.  ABCNews is one of the first mainstream media outlets to note their close relationship.GYLLENSPOON: Brokeback Mountain star Jake Gyllenhaal has told friends he and Reese Witherspoon plan to wed on or around his birthday on December 19 after he finishes his new film, Prince Of Persia.NICK & NORA'S INFINITE PLAYLIST has a trailer online.  I have no idea whether this will be good, but the playlist is.SIENNA MILLER is said to be ‘devastated' after her married lover ran home to his wife and four children.BERNIE MAC: Despite dramatic rumors about the state of his health, the comic is still alive and being treated in a Chicago hospital for pneumonia and is expected to make a full recovery.HEATHER MILLS is panicking over what her ex-publicist will reveal next, according to the uber-reliable News of the World.AL QAEDA confirmed that one of its chemical weapons experts was killed last week along with three other "heroes" in a US airstrike Monday in Pakistan's tribal region, according to a statement posted on a radical Islamist Web site.HAMAS has resumed its policy of shaving mustaches of political opponents to humiliate them, Fatah officials said Wednesday. (Thanks, Ken!)IRAN ignored an informal Saturday deadline to respond to an offer by major powers on its nuclear program, a European Union official said, but European diplomats are ready to wait longer for an answer.  Of course they are, despite top Iranian officials already rejecting it informally.IRAQ: Parliament failed on Sunday to pass a law on provincial elections, which has come unstuck over plans for the disputed northern city of Kirkuk and angered minority Kurds.  A US-Iraq security pact would set a goal -- but no timetable -- for the American units to leave, Iraqi officials say.  Michael R. Gordon has a lengthy look at Shiite infighting in yesterday's NYT magazine.A GRIZZLY BEAR lumbered onto the 13th fairway the US Senior Open Championship in Colorado Springs on Friday while veterans, including Bernhard Langer and Tom Watson, were lining up their shots.THE WORLD'S SMALLEST SNAKE, averaging just 10cm (4 inches) and as thin as a spaghetti noodle, has been discovered on the Caribbean island of Barbados.A MOTHER-OF-TWO has told of her terror after a 4ft-long snake slid out of her toilet.THE MONTAUK MONSTER: Gawker had the first photo, and is giving full coverage.HEY, NICE BEAVER!  There was a beaver festival over the weekend, outside San Francisco (natch): "You're either a beaver lover or you're not a beaver lover," said local restrateur Ron Abel. "But it's brought in a lot of bathroom trade, I'll say that." Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1069 THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:...with PITCHFORK MUSIC FEST '08!  PitchforkTV is running highlights right off the Jumbotrons, including The Hold Steady's clap-happy "Stay Positive," Dinosaur, Jr. squealing through "Freak Scene," Apples in Stereo bringing the cowbell on "Energy," Fleet Foxes loping through their "English House,"  and Mission of Burma revisiting their classic single "Trem Two."  And there's plenty more to explore at any of those links, including Vampire Weekend, Jarvis Cocker and Public Enemy.LOLLAPALLOOZA: Selected sets from the Chicago's other big fest are streaming starting today from AT&T's Blue Room.ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO gets an in-depth profile in... The New Republic?SONS & DAUGHTERS do the three free songs thing for Daytrotter.PATTI SMITH:  Rolling Stone has clips from Patti Smith: Dream of Life, a documentary shot from 1996-2007 that opens in select cities on August 6th.LIZ PHAIR talks to Billboard about keeping her first indie album in 14 years unpolished.  But as her current release is the deluxe reissue of Exile in Guyville, "Never Said" goes down nicely on a Friday.FRANK BLACK talks to Paste about touring with the Stone Temple Pilots, working under the name "Black Francis" again, and more...AMOS LEE is profiled by the Charleston City Paper, which also has a stream of "Listen" from the album Last Days at the Lodge.TILLY & THE WALL guitarist Derek Pressnall talks to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review about the band's history and their upcoming appearance on Sesame Street.CUTOUT BIN:  From Roger McGuinn to Ray Charles, from The Clash to Curtis Mayfield, from Cheap Trick to Dolly Parton, from Petula Clark to Camper Van Beethoven and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds can be jukeboxed or streamed separately via the Pate page at the ol' HM.NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases are The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, currently scoring 12 percent on the ol' Tomatometer, and Swing Vote, which is scoring 34 percent.ELIZABETH TAYLOR was put on a life support machine after suffering congestive heart failure.A-ROD: The Yankee slugger is playing hardball against his wife in their divorce case, saying he wants their prenuptial agreement enforced and charges that he cheated on her -- which he dioes not deny -- removed from the record.BRITNEY SPEARS will be under the conservatorship of her father Jamie until December 31, it was decided in court Thursday. Also, the pop wreck has cut all ties with one-time pal Sam Lutfi, according to her court-appointed attorney.JESSICA SIMPSON claims she has been a victim of abuse, but does not want to divulge the details.TOM CRUISE is named in a 250-million-dollar racketeering lawsuit filed against the Church of Scientology by a former member.HOWARD STERN is remaking the Ramones' Rock 'n' Roll High School. The script is being written by Alex Winter from Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.BATMAN RUMORS: Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie and Phillip Seymour Hoffman are among the wild speculation over who might play villains like the Riddler, Catwoman or the Penguin in the next Bat-film.SARAH JESSICA PARKER & MATTHEW BRODERICK put up a united front on a night out in New York following allegations he had an affair with a 25-year-old woman.IRAN will press ahead with its nuclear path, the country's highest authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Wednesday, speaking just before a deadline set by Western officials in a nuclear dispute.IRAQ: Eleven US soldiers were killed in Iraq in July, the lowest monthly toll since the 2003 invasion, according to Pentagon figures. Pres. Bush announced that effective Thursday, the duration of troop tours in Iraq will be cut from 15 months to 12 months. Iraqi forces backed by US troops arrested another 14 suspects on Thursday during a major military sweep aimed at breaking up the Al Qaeda network in the restive province of Diyala. Coalition special operations forces captured two members of the Iranian-supported Hezbollah Brigades during a raid in eastern Baghdad on early Thursday morning. The leader of AQI and several of his top lieutenants have recently left Iraq for Afghanistan, according to group leaders and Iraqi intelligence officials, a possible further sign of what Iraqi and U.S. officials call growing disarray and weakness in the organization.CATS & DOGS: Isabella, a yellow Lab at the Safari Zoological Park, east of Caney, KS. nurses three white tiger cubs she adopted after they were abandoned by their mother at the park.PRINCESS CHUNK, the 44-lb cat, should really be named Prince Chunk. A veterinarian who checked the cat Thursday on ``Live with Regis and Kelly'' determined it's a ``he.'' Me-ow!WEARABLE DOG TOILET: Pics and video at the link.PET SNAKES are barred from taking a slither in a public park in Southampton.FAINTING GOATS: A perennial favorite, but The Sun just discovered the video. Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1068 OVER SIX MILLION SERVED. Thanks, all! THE RASPBERRIES perform "Go All The Way" and "I Wanna Be With You" in the same clip.  It's like Twofer Tuesday, but on Thursday.THE GO! TEAM stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set you can stream on demand via MPR.THE SEX PISTOLS' inamous 1976 interview with Bill Grundy has become a television archive's most requested clip.DIG! The documentary about the rivalry between Anton A. Newcombe of the Brian Jonestown Massacre and Courtney Taylor of the Dandy Warhols, is streaming in full at SnagFilms.PAUL WESTERBERG's 49:00 could have the biggest profit margin in the history of the music industry.KINGS of LEON have posted a trailer for their upcoming Only By The Night album.JOE STRUMMER did a radio series for the BBC World Service in 1998, which will re-air on WOXY starting this Sunday.THE DAREDEVIL CHRISTOPHER WRIGHT does the four free songs thing at Daytrotter, one previously unreleased.MPR: While I frequently link to the special live performances, any music fan should be checking out the streams from The Current and its HD sister station, Wonderground Radio, which mixes in classics among the indie cuts.NATE FARLEY, former axeman for Guided By Voices, The Amps and The Breeders, talks to the Dayton Daily News about putting together his own band, Shawen Acres.ALI LOHAN, Lindsay's 14-year-old sister, had a casting call with a big-time, award winning pr0n director.  Momager Dina was not amused to discover the director's past.JAMIE LYNN SPEARS post-motherhood wedding plans are teased by OK! magazine.KATE HUDSON & LANCE ARMSTRONG are dunzo. Sources told Page Six they tried to make it work, but the constant bickering and their travel schedules drove them apart.AMY WINEHOUSE's furious father is convinced a "pal" sparked her string of terrifying fits by spiking her drink with the killer drug ecstasy.BRADGELINA reportedly sold those baby pics to People Magazine for a staggering figure that's somewhere between 10-15 million.GEORGE LUCAS talks to the Times of London about all things Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and producing Red Tails, which tells the story of the Tuskegee Airmen.SID & MARTY KROFFT, the brothers behind some of the 70's strangest TV programming: "H.R. Pufnstuf," "Lidsville," "Land of the Lost" and "Sigmund and the Sea Monsters," are making a comeback... and still bickering.OUR FRIENDS, THE SAUDIS: The Kingdom's religious police have announced a ban on selling cats and dogs as pets, or walking them in public in the Saudi capital, because of men using them as a means of making passes at women, an official said on Wednesday.IRAQ and the US are close to a deal on a sensitive security agreement that Iraqi officials said on Wednesday satisfies the nation's desire to be treated as sovereign and independent.  Interior Minister Jawad al-Bulani thanked US soldiers recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. AQI turns women into suicide bombers through a combination of love, blackmail and rape. Iraqi forces supported by US troops laid siege to the city of Baquba and arrested 45 suspects on Wednesday. An Al Qaeda front group in Iraq has posted an Internet statement denying responsibility for recent suicide bombings against Shia Muslim pilgrims.PRINCESS CHUNK weighs 44 pounds and needs a bathtub for a litter box. And yes, we have video.POSSUM FEST in Wausau, FL this weekend.  Be there or be square.PREGNANT DOG hurled in domestic dispute. That's so wrong.A BEAR whose head was stuck in a plastic food jar for six days came to a deadly end in northern Minnesota.A DUCK shot by an arrow is rescued in Ocala, FL; the law does not allow ducks to be released back into the wild, so it will remain at the Ocala Wildlife Sanctuary in Marion County and be used for educational purposes. Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1067 JULIANA HATFIELD talks to Paste about her upcoming tenth solo record, How to Walk Away,  and her upcoming memoir, When I Grow Up. My fave Hatfield track may still be "My Sister."MARGOT & THE NUCLEAR SO & SOS do the four free songs thing for Daytrotter -- all previously unreleased.THE HOLD STEADY plays darts, pool and more against VBS.tv. Stay for the surprise ending.BOB DYLAN is getting ready to release Tell Tale Signs, a double album of rarities and uncollected tracks from the last two decades. And he's offering a free download of the unreleased 1997 track "Dreamin' of You" from his website.THE WALKMEN are offering a five-dollar pre-release download of their upcoming album; "all donations go to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in honor of Luca Vasallo, a friend to the band and a current patient who is seven months old and doing a great job fighting a very difficult disease," Walkmen member Peter Bauer is quoted as saying in a press release.  The album is streaming this week at Spinner.M83 carries its 80s vibe into the new video for