Fri, 30 Jul 2010 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=1588 THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:...with THE RAMONES! Live at the US Festival in 1982.  Part 1 includes "Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?", "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment," "Rock 'n' Roll High School" and "I Wanna Be Sedated."  Part 2 has "Beat on the Brat," "The KKK Took My Baby Away" and "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow."  Part 3 concludes with "Chinese Rocks" and "Teenage Lobotomy."I AM KLOOT, a Mercury Prize nominee, is advance streaming Sky At Night, which is sorta in the ballpark of Elbow and Richard Hawley. There doesn't appear to be a US release date... yet. Check it out, check it outers! (Thx, TV's Andy Levy.)BAND OF HORSES stopped by The Current for chat and mini-set.LAURA MARLING did a session at Morning Becomes Eclectic.TIFT MERRITT stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.WILD CHERRY: "Play That Funky Music." It's what they do.ARCADE FIRE gets a meaty profile from the NYT's Jon Pareles.SLEIGH BELLS: Alexis Krauss talks to BlackBook about her days in a girl group, her high school sweetheart, and the truth behind her relationship with M.I.A. WEEN: Dean talks to AOL about fishing, as though you were expecting something normal.GARY NUMAN talks to Rolling Stone about his upcoming box set and US tour.CUTOUT BIN: From the MC5 (NSFW) to Chris Bell, From Elvis Costello to the Exciters, from Wire to The Who, from Stiff Little Fingers to Barry White, plus She & Him, the Replacements, the Sonics, Temper Trap and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases are Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, currently scoring 21 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; Charlie St. Cloud, which is scoring 09 percent; and Dinner for Schmucks, scoring 53 percent.MAD MEL UPDATE: Sources connected to Oksana Grigorieva say that there are "third party witnesses" who will tell L.A. County Sheriff's investigators they saw Mel Gibson punch Oksana on January 6 during the blowout at her home. Plus, more audio.LINDSAY LOHAN is meeting with multiple reps from rehab facilities.GEORGE CLOONEY's girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis has been implicated in a cocaine scandal surrounding two nightclubs in Milan, Italy, according to RadarOnline.JESSICA SIMPSON has had "several meetings" with the brass at "American Idol" in the hopes of taking over Simon Cowell's judging duties.  But maybe the show will pick Courtney Love.  Maybe there should be a spin-off called American Idol Judge.DREW CAREY drops 70 pounds.CHRIS KLEIN has decided to extend his stay in rehab.HEIDI & SPENCER PRATT, despite papers filed, are still seeing each other, according to RadarOnline.PAUL GIAMATTI will play Nikita Khrushchev in an HBO telepic about the Soviet leader's two-week tour of the US.JAMES FRANCO, movie star, conceptual artist, fiction writer, grad student, and cipher is profiled by New York magazine.LEONARD NIMOY spoke with The A.V. Club about his love of photography, his mythological influences, and how he put his current show together.OUR FRIENDS, THE SAUDIS: An imam whose voice helped him become the first black Saudi to lead prayers at Mecca's Grand Mosque said he was wrong to speak against a fatwa prohibiting singing, in the latest spat between reformist and conservative clerics in the kingdom.AFGHANISTAN: Haji Ghani is an illiterate, hashish-growing former warlord who directs a semiofficial police force and is known to show his anger through beatings. In Now Ruzi, a Taliban nest west of Kandahar, he is also US forces' main partner.CARNITAS the MINI-PIG checks out the Sam Adams and some chips.A BEAR came for the fruit, left with a stuffed bear.PIGEONS on the pill in Provence. Tuppence a bag.A ZEDONK, an unusual cross between a donkey and a zebra, is attracting attention at the Chestatee Wildlife Preserve in Dahlonega, GA, after being born there about a week ago. Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1587 SHE & HIM play "Don't Look Back" for Ferguson.  Zooey looking more relaxed on TV than at the start of the tour.BEST COAST: All Things Considered has a feature and a free download of "Boyfriend."  The duo also discuss a few of their favorite things for Pitchfork's Guest List.REAL ESTATE does three free songs for Daytrotter.HOT HOT HEAT does a session at Morning Becomes Eclectic.JENS LEKMAN a new single titled, "The End Of The World Is Bigger Than Love."ROSEBUDS drop two new tracks, including a cover of the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive." Yes, really.BLACK MOUNTAIN drops "The Hair Song" to stream and download.THE BLACK KEYS play "Next Girl," also for Ferguson.NEW PR0NOGRAPHERS: Carl Newman talks to Boise Weekly about the dichotomy between message and music, the Neko Case incident, and more...NEIL YOUNG: The Guardian claims that Archives Vol. 2 will be four previously unreleased vinyl albums. Daniel Lanois talks about the multi-media premiere of tracks from Young's next LP. Ben Keith, the respected Nashville multi-instrumentalist whose distinctive and evocatively lonely steel-guitar adornments provided an inescapably haunting accompaniment to many of Neil Young's biggest hits, died this week at age 73 at Young's ranch.THE XX: The Telegraph offers an introduction for those who have missed what the fuss was about.THE CARS hint at a reunion on Facebook. Ben Orr was unavailable for comment.BELINDA CARLISLE talks to Spinner about her 30-year drug addiction, retirement and more...LINDSAY LOHAN is now thinking - and worrying - about what comes next: her mandatory three months in rehab. In the clearest sign yet that Lohan will get out of jail this week, several top stylists as well as hair and makeup people have been put on call from midnight on Thursday through the entire weekend.MAD MEL UPDATE: Gibson made up to 30 "terrorizing" phone calls to Oksana Grigorieva on the same night she walked out on their volatile three-year relationship, with the usual audio from RadarOnline.BRADGELINA have reportedly bought a 40-million-dollar luxury home in the picturesque hills of Valpolicella, Italy, according to Sky Italy magazine. Meanwhile Star magazine bought some family-unfriendly pics of Jolie from 1999.ORLANDO BLOOM & MIRANDA KERR are expecting a child.TIGER WOODS: First mistress Rachel Uchitel ran away from the set of Celebrity Rehab.SCOTT PILGRIM vs THE WORLD's cast goes pantsless for GQ.IRAN: Domination of a fairly sophisticated, energy-rich economy has been handed to a secretive military organization that started out as a religious militia. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is now believed to control a third of the Iranian economy.AFGHANISTAN: Hundreds of Afghan civilians who worked as informants for the US military have been put at risk by WikiLeaks' publication of more than 90000 classified intelligence reports which name and in many cases locate the individuals.  Noah Shachtman explains that the leaked reports may be less than fully accurate.  Meanwhile, The Taliban's supreme leader, Mullah Omar, has ordered his forces to kill or capture any civilians, including Afghan women, who cooperate with Coalition forces.BULLDOG & TORTOISE, eating Cheerios together... Mass hysteria!SNAKE in a PT CRUISER: A Covina family found themselves in an unusual predicament Sunday when a large boa constrictor wedged itself in the engine compartment of their car while they were shopping.THE SWARM: A beekeeper was stung about 50 times when a swarm of approximately 1000 bees attacked her in the driveway of her Pittsfield Township home. Firefighters used 750 gallons of water to disperse the colony of bees after the woman called for help.PETS WITH BENEFITS: Pinellas County Commissioners have heard from people who want to roll back laws that prohibit people from keeping chickens in non-agricultural settings. Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1586 SUPERCHUNK plays The Cure's classic "In Between Days" for the A.V. Club Undercover.LOCAL NATIVES did three free songs for Daytrotter.DANA FALCONBERRY did five free songs for Daytrotter.DAVID DONDERO is advance streaming Number Zero With a Bullet.NEWPORT FOLK FEST PREVIEW, streaming via All Songs Considered.THE NASHVILLE TEENS: Their cover of "Tobacco Road" closed the Season Four premiere of Mad Men.FIERY FURNACES: Matthew Friedberger talks to Assembly Journal about albums vs playlists, regionalism, the Pitchfork Effect and more... (Thx, LHB.)BONNIE PRINCE BILLY: Will Oldham talks to the Irish Times about the craft of Merle Haggard, Leonard Cohen, and R. Kelly.NICK CAVE is writing the screenplay for a remake of The Crow?ARCADE FIRE's MSG webcast will be directed by Terry Gilliam.MAD MEL UPDATE: RadarOnline has more photos of a seemingly battered Oksana Grigorieva.SANDRA BULLOCK, contra prior rumors, has absolutely no intention of getting back together with Jesse James, according to RadarOnline.ROMAN POLANSKI 'Handcuffed, Drugged, & Raped Me,' Charges New Victim.OLIVER STONE apologizes for claiming that claiming that America's focus on the Holocaust was a product of the "Jewish domination of the media."SUSAN SARANDON brought her 31-year-old ping-pong teammate Jonathan Bricklin to the Giffoni Film Festival in Italy.ANGELINA JOLIE: Worth her Salt?DANIEL CRAIG has closed his deal to play journalist Mikael Blomkvist in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.COMIC-CON: A post-convention list of 15 Films The Geek Crowd Really Wants To See.SUCKER PUNCH: Zack Snyder's latest has a trailer online.SCOTT PILGRIM vs the WORLD has a clip online.IRAN: Ahmadinejad says Paul the Octopus, the sea creature that correctly predicted the outcome of World Cup games, is a symbol of all that is wrong with the western world.AFGHANISTAN: The Afghan government, in its initial reaction to the leak of 75000 internal US military documents about the war, zeroed in on reported Pakistani support for the Taliban-led insurgency-hoping that the disclosures, and the resulting public outcry, would force Washington to turn up pressure on Islamabad.IRAQ: Members of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia have been holding up blood banks and hospitals at gunpoint, stealing blood for their wounded fighters rather than risk having them arrested at medical facilities.DOG MOWS LAWN: Let's go to the video.ANGRY COWS have launched a spate of attacks on hikers in the French Pyrnees.HALF of UK DOGS could die of complications due to obesity.LION CUBS at Israel's Ramat Gan Safari had their media debut. Aw.MONKEYS are probably not being trained as snipers by the Taliban. Shocka! Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1585 EELS drop a video for "Spectacular Girl."NEW RELEASES: Albums from Mark Olson, Jesca Hoop, Stornoway and more are streaming this week at Spinner.LOS LOBOS is advance streaming Tin Can Trust.BEST COAST get features from All Things Considered and the Boston Globe. (Thx, LHB.)LOST IN THE TREES is advance streaming All Alone in an Empty House.TWOFER TUESDAY:  "The Dawn Of Correction" by The Spokesmen is an "answer song" to Barry McGuire's immortal "Eve Of Destruction."DEAN & BRITTA: Dean Wareham talks to Billboard about "13 Most Beautiful Songs... ," the score for screen tests Andy Warhol created of the famous and unknown personalities who made their way through the Factory.SPIN editors rank the 125 Best Albums of the Past 25 Years.TEGAN & SARA: The latter talks to ARTISTdirect about remixing a single song 17 times and having the result be more like an arthouse project; being hands off for once in their career; playing arenas; about decompressing and disconnecting when returning home; and how the press has stopped focusing solely on their sexual orientation in favor of their music.TIFT MERRITT talks songwriting and musical influences with Kentucky.com.LINDSAY LOHAN was in lockdown after having a "hysterical fit" in front of her fellow Los Angeles County jail inmates, according to the ever-reliable British media.  There are reports that the inmates are sick of her and the security measures allegedly employed around her.MAD MEL UPDATE: RadarOnline has fresh audio of a seething, cursing and furious Gibson ripping into Oksana Grigorieva during a jealous rant about her ex-lover, former James Bond star Timothy Dalton.  RadarOnline also claims the couple's final blow-up was triggered when Gibson believed Grigorieva was "smiling too much" at a gardener.  D.H. Lawrence, anyone?ROMAN POLANSKI: Yet another woman has come forward charging that the director raped her in 1974, according to RadarOnline.HALLE BERRY was spotted flying to South Africa with ex-bf Gabriel Aubry and their 2-year-old daughter Nahla.KATE WINSLET is dating a male model as she gets over her marriage split from movie director Sam Mendes, according to the uber-reliable News of the World.ELTON JOHN is working on a musical version of George Orwell's Animal Farm.LET ME IN: The US version of the vampire flick Let the Right One In has a trailer online.IRAN: Russia turned on the Islamic theocracy, accusing it of "fruitless and irresponsible rhetoric" and adding its voice to a diplomatic assault Monday which included unilateral sanctions from both the EU and Canada, as well as warnings from Iran's opposition party that Ahmadinejad's regime could suffer the same fate as the deposed Shah.AFGHANISTAN: An ongoing Pentagon review of the massive flood of secret documents made public by the WikiLeaks website has so far found no evidence that the disclosure harmed US national security or endangered American troops in the field, a Pentagon official told NBC News on Monday.SHAKESPEARE the TOROISE moves a barbeque grill.BRITISH DOGS can now enjoy a gastropub lunch alongside their owner, thanks to the new 'doggy menus' launched by Butcher's Pet Care. Your dog wants Guinness.A FALLING MOUNTAIN GOAT sends an Austrian hiker to the hospital. Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1584 ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GAFFITI drops a video for "Mistaken Wedding."BROKEN BELLS stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.ROGUE WAVE did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.DALE EARNHARDT, JR., JR. claim a quasi-psych mix of folk, hip-hop inspired drum programming, and effervescent pop -- and that's about right.  Check out the Beatle-esque "Single Girl" at TheirSpace, but I'm digging "Vocal Chords" even more.GRAM RABBIT stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.  ROXY MUSIC plays "Dream Home" on a part of the Jonathan Ross show that was cut for time by the BBC.ST. VINCENT: Annie Clark talks to the Calgary Herald about Janet Jackson and more...FANFARLO: Simon Balthazar talks to Paste about Under the Reservoir, a four-part series of mini-documentaries about the London-based band's experiences at this year's SXSW. THE NEPTUNE MUSIC PRIZE -- Drowned In Sound's alternative to the Mercury Music Prize --  has its nominees.KINGS OF LEON canceled their St. Louis gig after three songs, after getting the High Anxiety treatment from pigeons.WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Inception repeats at No.1 with 43.5 million; its 143 million total reveals a consistent performance all through last week. Salt comes in second, at the lower end of what the so-called gurus projected, with 36.5 million.  With some legs, the Jolie thriller should recoup its 110 million budget domestically.  Despicable Me shows with 24.1 million on a mere 26.5 percent drop.  The Sorcerer's Apprentice drops a much steeper 45 percent to the fourth slot with 9.7 million; this seems unlikely to make back its 110 budget domestically.  Toy Story 3 rounds out the Top Five with another 9 million, for a 379 million total to date.  Ramona and Beezus opened below the fold at No. 6 with 8 million, though this is an extremely low-risk, 15 million dollar flick.MAD MEL UPDATE: Oksana Grigorieva says she told authorities that Mel Gibson made an anti-Semitic death threat toward TMZ's chief, Harvey Levin, but the gossip site determined the story to be false.LINDSAY LOHAN had another two days shaved off of her sentence.CHARLIE SHEEN and the Aspen District Attorney's office are close to reaching a plea deal over his domestic violence case.ANGELINA JOLIE admits there is still a side of her that's not entirely sane.CASEY AFFLECK has been slapped with a two million dollar sexual harassment lawsuit; he intends to counter-sue for malicious prosecution.BRITTANY MURPHY and her husband may have been killed in part by mold in their home.ERIC ROBERTS is headed to Celebrity Rehab.MARK RUFFALO is looking even more like The Hulk in The Avengers.OUR FRIENDS, THE SAUDIS: A popular Muslim cleric says it is permissible for Saudi women to reveal their faces in countries where the Islamic veil is banned, while criticising efforts in Europe to outlaw the garment.IRAN: Ahmadinejad has said his country plans to send a man into space by 2019, official state media report. The head of Iran's nuclear energy agency announced Saturday that the country had launched a "serious" nuclear fusion research program. Plus unicorns.AfPAK: The New York Times reports that a six-year archive of classified military documents made public by Wikileaks offers an unvarnished, ground-level picture of the war in Afghanistan that is in many respects more grim than the official portrayal.  The paper ran a second feature noting that Americans fighting the war in Afghanistan have long harbored strong suspicions that Pakistan's military spy service has guided the Afghan insurgency with a hidden hand -- something that should not be news to regular Pate readers.IRAQ: Recent reports have accused the US military of irresponsible disposal of millions of pounds of hazardous waste, mostly from the Iraq war. But after investigating, the military says EPA standards are being upheld.DJ MAMA on the scratch.A SPECIAL NEEDS CAT was adopted by Mr. & Mrs. Howard Stern.ROTTWEILERS: Get in their face, and they'll take yours.BEAR goes on a joyride. Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1583 THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:... with THE HOLLIES!  Improbably live in Split, Croatia, circa 1968 -- just months before Graham Nash left the band.  Your set list includes "Stewball," "On A Carousel," "Dang Me," "Very Last Day," "Do The Best You Can," "A Taste Of Honey," "Jennifer Eccles," and "Carrie Anne."THE NATIONAL stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.SONNY & THE SUNSETS did six free songs for Daytrotter. Recommended.PAVEMENT: Live at Mississippi Nights, October 14, 1999.JOSH RITTER stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.SEU JORGE is advance streaming Seu George and Almaz.DEE-LITE finds that "Groove Is In the Heart," with a little help from Bootsy Collins and Q-Tip.WOLF PARADE: Dante DeCaro sounds off to Straight.com on the things that enquiring minds want to know.SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS: Benjamin Curtis talks to New York magazine about bonding with rock stars, working with twins, and how Brian Eno saved their record.10 PARTY SONGS Gawker never wants to hear again.CUTOUT BIN: From the Jam to the Jags, from Ray Charles to Gang of Four, from Martha & the Muffins to Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes, plus Pavement, Social Distortion, Red Rider, Big Star, the Jackson 5 and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases are Salt, currently scoring 57 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; and Ramona and Beezus, which is scoring 52 percent.MAD MEL UPDATE: A text message from Gibson to Grigorieva in which he admitted, "Oksana, I wasn't safe for you last night," is a key part of the explosive domestic violence investigation into their January 6 bust-up.  Another text message may figure into Gibson's claim of extortion.BRADGELINA collect an undisclosed sum of cash from the uber-reliable News of the World, which falsely reported that Jolie and Pitt were legally separating and had negotiated custody arrangements. ALSO: Pitt will star in "World War Z," which chronicles a worldwide zombie outbreak through the first-hand accounts of survivors.LINDSAY LOHAN did an interview and photoshoot for the October issue of Vanity Fair just before going to jail.JEREMY LONDON's troubled wife  has been released from a Los Angeles hospital after she suffered a brain hemorrhage.ROMANTIC COMEDIES are ruining relationships.TRON: LEGACY has a new trailer online, with more Olivia Wilde added.XERXES: Zach Snyder is working on a screenplay for Frank Miller's coming sequel to "300."PAKISTAN: Days after India-Pakistan talks broke down on the issue of terror, the US pointed out links between the Taliban and Pakistani spy agency ISI and assured India that its role in Afghanistan was "not being diminished" to the advantage of Islamabad.AFGHANISTAN: The threat of plunder.TORTOISE humps a plastic bag. The audio is key.CARELESS BEAVER floods the highway. Hey, nice beaver!HEFTY MARMOTS: Blame global warming.BEDBUGS: Listen All Of Y'all This Is Sabotage.AUTOMATIC COW WASH aims to boost milk production. Sing it with feeling, y'all. Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1582 THE BLACK KEYS "Tighten Up" for Jay.ARCADE FIRE: Hear advance snippets from every song on The Suburbs. Also, next month's MSG show will be a live webcast.JIMMY WEBB got a feature plus tracks on Weekend Edition Sunday.THE WALKMEN drop "Stranded" as yet another advance track from Lisbon.RA RA RIOT drops "Boy" as an advance track from The Orchard.LIVING COLOUR, Live at the 9:30 Club, Jan. 24, 1989.ALL SONGS CONSIDERED: Tracks from Ra Ra Riot, Agent Ribbons and, er, Liz Phair are featured in the latest installment of the long-running series.CROWDED HOUSE, reunited, play "Twice If You're Lucky" for Fallon.SLEIGH BELLS: Derek Miller talks to Weekly Dig about cheerleading's influence on the band's music. That influence is another reason I think I should like this band more than I actually do. (Thx, LHB.)PITCHFEST REDUX:  Frank Yang has a more comprehensive review of last weekend's festival than mine, with photos, plus supplemental audio and video links. Be sure to check out all three parts.ARIEL PINK talks to Mother Jones about his odd ways and newfound success.THE BEST OF 2010 (So Far), according to MySpace.LINDSAY LOHAN will serve only 12-13 days of her 90-day jail sentence.  The first hours may have been tough, but Li-Lo has found a friendly pharmacist to fill her prescriptions in the pokey.MAD MEL UPDATE: RadarOnline has a picture of Gibson's baby with Oksana Grigorieva, taken after he allegedly struck the infant. TMZ has learned Oksana Grigorieva claims Mel Gibson grabbed her son and threw him onto a table in a fit of rage, all over a cigarette.  Los Angeles Sheriff's Department officials are looking into allegations that Gibson may have been the victim of an alleged extortion attempt by Grigorieva; she denies it.SANDRA BULLOCK giving Jesse James a second chance?CHRISTINA APPLEGATE could soon be married with a child. CHRIS ISSAK may succeed Simon Cowell on American Idol.BATMAN 3:  A studio casting grid lists The Riddler as the villain, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as "interested."  JG-L appears in Christopher Nolan's Inception, along with a number of Nolan's Batman alumni, including Ken Watanabe, Michael Caine, and Cillian Murphy.10 UNDERAPPRECIATED SCI-FI MOVIES, according to LikeMe. (Thx, LHB.)NORTH KOREA: The Obama admin. moved Wednesday to push new sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear weapons program.IRAN: Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called on Muslims to fight the "blind and savage terrorism" fuelled by the United States and Britain, whom he blamed for deadly bombings of an Iranian mosque.PAKISTAN: Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani categorically denied the presence of al-Qaeda chief Bin Laden and Taliban leader Mulla Omar on Pakistani soil, despite the United States claim that they take refuge in the tribal belt bordering Afghanistan.PORCUPINE thinks he's a puppy.RECKLESS SHRIMP: It's the Prozac.CHINESE C*CK SOCCER Has PETA Crying Fowl: "China's Zhang Lijun hatched the idea in 2007, when she noticed her young cocks enjoyed playing with balls."THOUSANDS OF SPIDERS were denied entry to Guam. Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1581 MAYER HAWTHORNE drops a video for the bouncy "Your Easy Lovin' Ain't Pleasin' Nothin'."LIARS did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.AMANDA PALMER is streaming an EP of Radiohead covers... on ukulele.VILLAGERS play a Tiny Desk Concert at the offices of NPR.  SUMMER PLUNGE 2010: A mix to stream or download from I Am Fuel, You Are Friends.R.I.P., ANDY HUMMEL: Big Star's original bassist dies after a long battle with cancer, less than four months after the death of the band's frontman, Alex Chilton.  Hummel wrote "Way Out West," though he's not on this live version.THE MERCURY PRIZE finalists are announced.THE VASELINES talk to the Guardian about making their second LP, 20 years after their debut.THE INDIE PROFESSOR: Why do places like Manchester and Seattle have flourishing indie scenes?THE GO-BETWEENS: Robert Forster talks to the Guardian about the bridge named after the band, pop, tattoos - and haircare.LINDSAY LOHAN was cuffed and went to jail, as Robert Shapiro stopped representing her. Lohan was accompanied by lawyer Shawn Chapman Holley, who quit earlier this month, because Lohan was an uncontrollable client.MAD MEL UPDATE: The latest Gibson tape directly involes the accusation that he struck baby mama Oksana Grigorieva and their baby daughter.SANDRA BULLOCK got a restraining order against an alleged stalker. Again.JESSE JAMES can take his daughter Sunny to live in Texas, the court hearing his custody battle with Janine Lindemulder rules.JENNA FISCHER's wedding was officiated by Survivor host Jeff Probst, who is a minister of the Universal Life Church.WARRANT singer Jani Lane pleaded no contest to DUI and has been ordered to serve 120 days in jail.BILL MURRAY sits down with GQ to discuss everything from the lameness of Ron Howard to the genius of Kung Fu Hustle.M. NIGHT SHAMALAYAN is now a punchline.STAR TREK 2 starts shooting in January 2011, according to Bruce Greenwood.TERROR in NYC: A secret FBI test of a correctly made version of the Times Square bomb revealed that it "would have killed thousands of people."IRAN: Conservative opponents of Ahmadinejad have launched a rearguard action aimed at weakening him and preventing one of his hard-line followers from succeeding him in the next presidential election. The European Union is considering stiffening sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program, but is also seeking to set a new date for talks.AFGHANISTAN: Pres. Karzai seeks to receive control of security responsibilities by 2014.PARACHUTING DONKEY shocks Russian beachgoers.25 RATTLERS in a BUCKET: Officials say Terry Brian Teeter had as many as 32 snakes but he gave some away and ate two others.HEY, ARE THOSE 18 TINY ENDANGERED MONKEYS in your girdle?KILLER BEAVERS defended by dog owners.A DEER SHOT A BIKER? Seems unlikely. Wed, 21 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1580 KLAXONS drop a video for "Echoes," which is not a Pink Floyd cover.NEW RELEASES: Kristen Hersh, These United States, Mountain Man, The Books and more are streaming this week at Spinner.MENOMENA is advance streaming Mines.JESCA HOOP is advance streaming Hunting My Dress.NEW PR0NOGRAPHERS stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.THE OLD 97s drop a cover of the Stones' "Rocks Off" as a teaser to their new EP.THE KINKS: "Last of the Steam Powered Trains" and "Picture Book," circa 1969, from the album The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society, for Twofer Tuesday. (Thx, Jay Cost.)BUILT TO SPILL: Doug Martsch talks to the San Francisco Chronicle about two decades under the radar.LOVE LANGUAGE:  Stuart McLamb talks to PopMatters about the band's move to Merge, the major differences in songwriting and recording between the debut album and Libraries, and his not-so-secret love of Amy Grant. LL bandmates Missy Thangs and BJ Burton join in on the fun.MAVIS STAPLES answers 5 Questions for the Detroit Free Press.U2, AC/DC & BEYONCE top Forbes Top Earning Musicians list.MAD MEL UPDATE: Gibson's rep denies the report that the family is headed to a land Down Under.  Baby mama Oksana Grigorieva reportedly signed an agreement with Gibson for a 15 million dollar deal, which would have kept the Mel tapes secret, but she ultimately walked away from it. The dentist who examined Grigorieva the day after the January 6 showdown with Gibson now says she was indeed struck in the mouth.LINDSAY LOHAN: Robert Shapiro has not convinced her that she must surrender to a jail sentence.TIGER WOODS: Mistress No. 1 Rachel Uchitel is headed to Celebrity Rehab (along with Jeremy London), not Celebrity Apprentice.BRITNEY SPEARS: The child abuse investigation against her was dropped by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, according to RadarOnline.ANCHORMAN 2 would have been a musical, but is not being made.THOR: The new set photo isn't doing much for me, sadly.GLEE: A rep for Filipino teen singer Charice Pempengco denies that the upcoming Glee star, 18, underwent Botox to change her appearance.JERSEY SHORE: The cast is on strike. The producers are playing hardball, but are close to a deal for a hefty raise.SYRIA has banned the face-covering Islamic veil from the country's universities to prevent what it sees as a threat to its secular identity.IRAQ is calling on international oil companies that won contracts to develop 11 oil and gas fields to show they are able to meet their obligations.COWS: Let's go to the video.RUNAWAY LEMURS are recaptured in an Austrian bar.  THE HORTON PLAINS SLENDER LORIS: Photographed for the first time.THE SWARM: Did they come to see the Marlins or the Nationals? Tue, 20 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1579 THE AVETT BROS premiere "Head Full of Doubt - Road Full of Promise" at NPR.BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.THE HEAVY stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set. How you like them now?QUASI did three free songs for Daytrotter, with an illustration reminiscent of The Kids Are Alright.MOSE ALLISON: The American music icon stopped by the WFUV studios for a chat and mini-set.THE KINGSMEN: "Money (That's What I Want)," in glorious color.PITCHFEST NOTES:  Broken Social Scene overcame some early sound difficulties to rock the crowd on Friday.  "Forced to Love" and "Super-Connected" struck me as particularly killer.  BSS has lost a bit of its earnestness since last I saw them, but they made up for it with some real swagger, definitely growing into bigger stages and crowds.  As much as I wanted Modest Mouse to make me a fan, they remain in the "respect, but don't love" bin.  Titus Andronicus may have had the strongest set I saw Saturday, defying stifling heat and humidity to deliver a dynamic high-octane set that employed guests from tourmates Hallelujah the Hills for the band's newer, Americana-tinged punk anthems; frontman Patrick Stickles was more charismatic than I thought he'd be, too.  Saturday actually started with a set by Free Energy, a 70s-style stoner pop band I like more in concept than execution -- but they endeared me to them a bit more live, as they seem a bit more comfy on a stage than in a studio at this point.  Sonny & the Sunsets were casual and charming; though I've compared them to She & Him, they often sounded  bit like the mutant off spring of the Modern Lovers and X, which ain't bad.  The Smith Westerns impressed me a bit more live, though that may be because it hadn't struck me that they're all too young to drink in Illinois.  Caught the last half of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, which is still impressive all these years later; I wonder if Jon ever wonders why Jack White made it bigger than him. (Here's local critics Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis on Day 2.)  I didn't go in for much of Sunday, as there was a rain storm early, with more in the forecast; I didn't want weather to force me out before Pavement.  I caught Girls, Beach House and St. Vincent on the webcast, all of whom did just fine (and probably sounded better on the webcast than over the P.A.), though from what I read on Twitter, I still would have preferred Local Natives in lieu of Beach House.  While awaiting Pavement, I could not help but see Big Boi.  I like him okay in OutKast, and his set wasn't bad, but they had the backing tracks hooked up to his videoes way too much for my taste; it's the sort of thing that makes me think even rappers don't find rappers compelling to watch.  Finally, there was Pavement, who were really, really good (even though Malkmus was having a little trouble with his voice and there was intermittent bass feedback). They seemed tighter than on the records (and I suspect tighter than they were back in the day).  The set list was primarily from their Matador records, though they reached back for some choice cuts like "Stereo" and "Trigger Cut."  In any event, it's a strange and amusing experience to hear a crowd that large shouting in unison things like "...and we're coming to the chorus now..." (during "Gold Soundz").  A satisfying capper to a fest that I think otherwise had less overall energy than some past years.SHE & HIM: M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel pick their musical love letters to California.SGT. PEPPER: Geoff Emerick -- the original engineer on the Beatles milestone -- talks to Blender about working with Cheap Trick on Sgt. Pepper Live.10 ESSENTIAL TEENBEAT ALBUMS, compiled by Douglas Wolk.WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Inception takes the top slot with 60.4 million -- a tribute to the drawing power of DiCaprio and director Chris Nolan, as it's not like this is an easy film to explain and market. Despicable Me drops a respectable 42 percent to bring in 32.7 million as it passes the 100 million mark. The Sorcerer's Apprentice debuts at No.3, taking in 17.3 million and 24.5 million since opening last week.  Seems problematic against a 150 million budget.  The Twilight Saga: Eclipse drops 57 percent to the fourth slot with 13.5 million -- but it has already raked in almost 265 million domestic against a 68 million budget.  Toy Story 3 drops 44 percent to round out the Top Five, but that 13.5 million is just art of the 362.7 million it has made domestically against a 200 million budget.INCEPTION: Chris Nolan strikes again.  After The Dark Knight, he veers back to the more overtly psychological.  Though less challenging than Memento, exceedingly well done.  There aren't any star turns to speak of, as it's truly an ensemble effort.MAD MEL UPDATE:  RadarOnline runs a picture purporting to show Gibson's baby mama Oksana Grigorieva after he allegedly punched her in the mouth.  Meanwhile, the competition seems plugged into TeamGibson.  Sources connected with the dentist who treated Grigorieva tell TMZ the dentist believes "100% the photo circulating on the Internet has been altered," though he also said one of her veneers was cracked and another broken.  And sources connected with Gibson tell TMZ they have "hard proof" Grigorieva tried to extort the actor-director.  And sources connected with the investigation say the photos and video of Grigorieva's alleged injuries are raising "serious questions" about her story that Gibson struck her.  The Daily Mail claims Mel is selling the mansion and having his ex and kids return with him to Australia.JOHN STAMOS: The Michigan couple accused of trying to extort 680k from the actor -- claiming they had photos of the actor with strippers and cocaine -- was found guilty and now face 5 years in prison.TIGER WOODS: Donald Trump offered the golfer's mistress numero uno Rachel Uchitel a job on the next season of "The Celebrity Apprentice."MELISSA ETHERIGE claims her ex-partner Tammy Lynn Michaels used their kids as pawns to serve her with court papers.WESLEY SNIPES is looking at hard time for tax evasion.JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT answers 20 Questions for Playboy. Read it for the articles!DARK SHADOWS: Warner Brothers has tapped Seth Grahame-Smith -- who wrote both Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies -- to pen the screenplay for the Johnny Depp-led old skool vampire reboot.FRANCE: Officials say rioters burned cars and shot at police in Grenoble while protesting the police shooting of a man accused of robbing a casino. Le Monde says the youths started their rampage after hearing a Muslim imam give a ceremony for an alleged robber -- a tidbit you won't see reported by Reuters, Bloomberg, the Telegraph, etc.  Those of you thinking that journalists are always interested in reportiong why things happen are sadly mistaken.IRAN: The CIA is investigating whether Shahram Amiri, the Iranian nuclear scientist who defected to the US but last week flew back to Tehran, was a double agent.  His role as one of the sources for the now heavily disputed 2007 National Intelligence Estimate that downplayed Iran's suspected nuclear weapons operations has raised further doubts.  Iran's main reformist political party has issued a daring statement blaming the government of Ahmadinejad for a Thursday evening double-suicide bombing that killed at least 27 people and injured hundreds in southwest Iran. Having successfully suppressed the opposition uprising that followed last summer's disputed presidential election, Ahmadinejad and his supporters are now renewing their efforts to marginalize another rival group - Iran's traditional conservatives.AFGHANISTAN: NATO is failing to win hearts and minds in Afghanistan, according to a poll released on Friday showing most people in Taliban heartlands view foreign troops negatively and believe the Taliban should join the government.   However, 55 percent of Afghans surveyed believed NATO and the Afghan government were winning the war against Taliban insurgents.  Leaders in the US military are turning to the author of the book "Three Cups of Tea," Greg Mortenson, for help on that front.KITTEN vs WATERMELON: Let's go to the video.WHEN BAMBI ATTACKS:. Some "wacko" deer have residents of a community in eastern British Columbia on edge after a newspaper carrier was attacked twice in a week.MAX the DOG, trapped in a car on a 90-degree day in eastern Pennsylvania, honked the horn until he was rescued.KILLER CROC eats a puppy, and nothing can be done with the croc since it is an endangered species. Mon, 19 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1578 THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:...with the PITCHFORK MUSIC FESTIVAL! I've got my tickets, though I doubt I'll take the Bataan Death March approach of prior years. The big draw (for me and in general) is the reunited Pavement, whom I never saw the first time around.  Fortunately, I'm much less keen on buzz band Sleigh Bells than I should be on paper, so I'll be able to camp for a good spot for Pavement on Sunday Night.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.  Modest Mouse is the big draw on Friday, though I'm more excited about seeing Broken Social Scene again, after missing their last tour. I'm not a big fan of Saturday's big act, LCD Soundsystem, but I'll be there earlier in the day for bands like Titus Andronicus and the even more obscure Sonny & the Sunsets.  Sunday looks to be an all-day affair, with bands like Best Coast, Girls, Local Natives and St. Vincent (pictured) looming large on my sked (also Beach House, if I can squeeze 'em in). And chances are I'll run across a band or two that unexpectedly impresses along the way.  But even if I don't, the 3-day pass was a steal for the amount of music to see and hear (even if the storms come Sunday).50s NOSTALGIA by 80s BABIES? All Songs Considered considers what I think is more fairly described as the more timeless elements in songs from She & Him, Mynabirds, The Like, Best Coast and Surfer Blood, as I don't think any of them are a straight nostalgia play.DANGER MOUSE & DAVID LYNCH stopped by KCRW to talk up Dark Night of the Soul.FIVE GREAT COVER SONGS from 2010 (So Far).HARVEY FUQUA: Oliver Wang picks 5 must-hear works from the late Motown producer.ADMIRAL RADLEY: Members of Earlimart and Grandaddy stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.GARY NUMAN plays "Cars" on 24 cars, powered by a DieHard battery.MAGNETIC FIELDS: Under the Radar talks to Stephin Merritt's long-time collaborator Claudia Gonson about the new behind-the scenes documentary on the band.GOGOL BORDELLO frontman Lionel Hutz talks to Spinner about the band's raucous internationalism.LAURIE ANDERSON talks to the Philadelphia Inquirer about how husband Lou Reed helped her finish her new album.CUTOUT BIN: From The Stooges to Simon & Garfunkel, from the Clash to Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood, from Edwin Starr to the Young Fresh Fellows, plus Stealer's Wheel, REM, Buffalo Springfield, Led Zeppelin, Simple Minds and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.NOW SHOWING:  This weekend's wide release is Christopher Nolan's Inception, which is currently scoring 89 percent on the ol' Tomatometer, while The Sorcerer's Apprentice opened Wednesday, scoring 41 percent.MAD MEL UPDATE: Oksana Grigorieva says Gibson hit and bruised his baby daughter - and there are photos to prove it, according to RadarOnline, which also has another really NSFW audio rant from the actor-director.  Gibson's lawyers claim to have hard evidence the tapes Grigorieva secretly recorded have been tampered with and edited. Also, Gibson's soon-to-be ex-wife, Robyn, has written a sworn declaration on behalf of Mel, saying he has never physically abused her or any of their children in the 28 years they were married.LINDSAY LOHAN has picked up famed lawyer Robert Shapiro as her attorney; his plan is not to appeal Lindsay's 90-day jail sentence, but to have her check into a sober living home in which he's involved.STEVEN SEAGAL: A million-dollar sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a former assistant against the former action star has been dismissed in Los Angeles.OPRAH is down in the basement, looking for her lost viewers.KELSEY GRAMMER didn't have a prenup, and will pay the price of romanticism.EMMA STONE is profiled at GQ.PETER FERNANDEZ, the actor and voice director best known as the title character in the animated Speed Racer series, passed away yesterday due to lung cancer. He was 83. Go, Speed, Go! (Thx, Duchess Rebecca.)AFGHANISTAN: The quality and reliability of the Afghan army have been called into question by the Pentagon. Meanwhile, the Afghan government on Wednesday approved a program to establish local defense forces that American military officials hope will help remote areas of the country thwart attacks by Taliban insurgents. And the CSM reports on what Kandahar residents say about the war.IRAQ: The United States handed over the last detention facility under its control to Iraqi authorities on Thursday.TIMMY & TANYA: A bullied, lonely tortoise finds love with a plastic toy female.KITTEHS rescued in Afghanistan. Awww.... some pics at the link.A BULL rammed his horns into the groin of a British tourist as 11 people were injured on the last day of the Pamplona festival in northern Spain.CHUPACABRAS: The legendary chupacabra -- the goat-sucker animal once believed to roam in Miami-Dade -- is rearing its ugly head again, this time in Texas. Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1577   BETTYE LaVETTE covers McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed" on GMA.ALL SONGS CONSIDERED: New tracks from Panda Bear and The Walkmen lead off the latest installment of the long-running NPR series.FREE ENERGY stopped by the World Cafe for a mini-set.THE MOORE BROTHERS did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter. Kind of a pomo Simon & Garfunkel.THE FEELIES, Live at Bearsville Theater, September 12, 2009. Courtesy of NYCtaper, who posted the band's cover of REM's "Boxcars" as a teaser.WYE OAK gets a feature plus tracks from NPR's Morning Edition.THE LAST SHADOW PUPPETS are "Standing Next to Me."ROXY MUSIC is reuniting on Bryan Ferry's upcoming solo LP.TED LEO: Reports of his retirement were greatly exaggerated. It's a whole feature on Ted at the Village Voice.PUBLIC IMAGE LTD's reunion is financed by John Lydon's Country Life butter ads.CHRISTGAU'S CONSUMER GUIDE, remembered at New York magazine.MAD MEL UPDATE: Gibson demands sex from his girlfriend and tells her he will burn down the house afterwards in one of the most bizarre and outrageous segments of audio obtained exclusively by RadarOnline.  They also report that Gibson pulled a handgun on Oksana Grigorieva as she tried to escape his Malibu mansion after their violent January 6 confrontation.PENELOPE CRUZ & JAVIER BARDEM get hitched. Of course, in the movie, they got divorced after she tried to kill him. Also, Cruz denies pregnancy rumors.BRET MICHAELS denies reports that he has proposed to his on-and-off girlfriend of 16 years Kristi Lynn Gibson, a source tells the ever-reliable Star.JOHN STAMOS was "heartbroken" over his split with actress wife Rebecca Romijn when he first met the 17-year-old blonde now on trial for blackmailing him.JESSE JAMES says he's moving to Austin so his three children can maintain a close relationship with stepmom Sandra Bullock and their adoptive brother, Louis... but a Cali judge has yet to decide in an ongoing custody trial whether to allow  James's daughter with ex-wife Janine Lindemulder to leave California, where Lindemulder lives.THE HOBBIT: Peter Jackson is in Los Angeles this week quietly meeting with actors, but the sticking point continues to be the dire financial situation at MGM, which holds half the rights to the property (as does the WB).MARK RUFFALO is in talks to play The Hulk in The Avengers movie.THOR and CAPTAIN AMERICA are going 3-D. Plus, a pic of Anthony Hopkins as Odin.BEAVIS & BUTT-HEAD: Together again. Heheheh.OUR FRIENDS, THE SAUDIS: A group of young Saudi men have launched a campaign to convince Saudi men of the unappreciated virtues of polygamy.AFGHANISTAN: The US has poured more than 100 million dollares into upgrading the Kajaki hydropower plant, in an effort to woo local sympathies away from the Taliban insurgency. Yet, one of the biggest beneficiaries of this American-taxpayer-financed project are the Taliban themselves.TRANSFORMER OWL: More than meets the eye.MAN sings to a Great White Shark: "People think I was mad but I proved my point," he said. Which is true, if the point was that he's cray-cray.A 10-FT LONG GATOR bit off a man's hand, but officials managed to retrieve his hand from its stomach.DOG SHOOTS MAN. Thu, 15 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1576 SHE & HIM dropped an official video for "Thieves," with a George Melies vibe.  THE HEAVY stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.MARINA & THE DIAMONDS also stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: Roio has The Great White Boss, which includes tracks from his legendary stand at the Bottom Line in August 1975.ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFFITI gets a feature from World Cafe: Next.KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND: "Boogie Shoes," live in Miami, circa 1974.SLEIGH BELLS talk to Pitchfork about Korn, crunk, and kids these days.ARCADE FIRE: Reuters reports on the band's art and commerce.SANTANA popped the question to drummer Cindy Blackman as fans cheered on the newly engaged couple.LIZ PHAIR explains her, er, odd online album, Funstyle.MAD MEL UPDATE: Gibson is caught using yet another ethnic slur while going on a crazed rampage on new audio exclusively obtained and released by RadarOnline. Yet the Hollywood Reporter suggests the death of Gibson's career has been greatly exaggerated.LINDSAY LOHAN still isn't fully aware of her dire situation, according to a lawyer who sat down with the actress over the weekend.  Maybe that's because her legal woes are turning into her biggest payday in years, with bids for the troubled starlet's pre- and post-prison interview coming in at over 500K. Meanwhile, the inmates cannot wait to get a piece of her.JOHN STAMOS: An attorney for the actor denies the "Full House" and "ER" star had a romantic fling with a 17-year-old girl who six years later is accused of scheming to bilk him of hundreds of thousands of dollars by threatening to sell compromising photos to the tabloids.VINCE VAUGHN is going to be a dad, baby.KATE WINSLET & SAM MENDES are or are not giving their marriage another shot.GEORGE STEINBRENNER, who bought a declining Yankees team in 1973, promised to stay out of its daily affairs and then, in an often tumultuous reign, placed his formidable stamp on 7 World Series championship teams, 11 pennant winners and a sporting world powerhouse valued at perhaps $1.6 billion, died Tuesday morning. He was 80 and lived in Tampa, Fla. I loved him on Seinfeld. Or something.TRON: LEGACY received some key input from the elite brain trust at Pixar.IRAQ: The US military has beefed up security at some of its bases after a threat that an Iranian-backed militant group was planning to attack.AFGHANISTAN: Human Rights Watch has called on the Afghan government and its Western backers to ensure gains made by women in the country are not sacrificed in any peace talks with the Taliban.A DOLPHIN attempted either an escape or suicide at Okinawa's Churaumi Aquarium.A PET MONKEY was left stranded atop a utility pole after a truck crash in Ohio.  SQUID may not be microwave-safe. Who knew?FRIENDS don't let friends ride crocodiles drunk. Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1575 BRANDON FLOWERS: The video for "Crossfire," from his upcoming LP, features a cameo from Charlize Theron.NEW RELEASES: Crowded House, School of Seven Bells, Concrete Blonde, Admiral Radley, R.E.M. and more are streaming this week via Spinner.BEST COAST is advance streaming Crazy For You.THE BOOKS are advance streaming The Way Out.JIMMY CLIFF played a Tiny Desk Concert at the offices of NPR.METRIC dropped two free tracks on Daytroter.THE WALKMEN drop a new song, "Stranded," at All Songs Considered.THE STANDELLS play "Dirty Water" and "Storm A'Comin" live on the Mike Douglas Show on May 27, 1966. BONUS "Hey, Joe" for Threefer Tuesday.M WARD discusses his musical upbringing and influences. (Thx, LHB.)DANGER MOUSE talks to USAToday about the Dark Night of the Soul and the late Mark Linkous.TULI KUPFERBERG, a poet and singer who went from being a noted Beat to becoming, in his words, "the world's oldest rock star" when he helped found the Fugs, the bawdy and politically pugnacious rock group, died on Monday in Manhattan. He was 86.DISCO DEMOLITION NIGHT: I forgot that yesterday was the 31st anniversary of the anniversary of Disco Demolition Night, a promo event occurring during a scheduled twi-nite doubleheader between the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers that would prove to be the most ill-conceived promotional idea since the infamous "Ten Cent Beer Night" in Cleveland in 1974. Though some incorrectly think it had to do with racism, homophobia, etc., the event had much more to do with the fact that Chicago radio station WDAI forced out morning host Steve Dahl o­n Chirstmas Eve 1978, to switch to a disco format. A man who is cashiered wearing a Santa suit tends to carry a grudge. Dahl re-surfaced at WLUP with "Do You Think I'm Disco?" -- a parody of Rod Stewart's "Do You Think I'm Sexy?" with lyrics that targeted yuppie narcissism and materialism. He also did a bit where he pretended to blow-up disco records, which Mike Veeck, the son of Sox owner (and legendary showman) Bill Veeck, thought could be turned into a promotion whereby admission was 98 cents (because WLUP was FM 98) for anyone who brought a disco record to be blown up between the two games. It was far more successful and less controllable than either Dahl or Veeck imagined, with young people storming the park to enter, creating a fog of marijuana smoke in the stands, sailing records like frisbees, throwing firecrackers and ultimately storming the diamond after the scheduled demolition had concluded and Dahl was en route to the announcer's booth for the second game.  This compilation of local news coverage from the night is pretty darned good, with cameos from Bill Kurtis and Greg Gumbel. MAD MEL UPDATE: Gibson admits hitting his baby mama Oksana Grigorieva and threatens to kill her in newly-posted audio.  Also, Gigorieva signed a cohabitation agreement that locked her out of securing a slice of the Oscar winning director/actor's billion-dollar fortune, according to RadarOnline.  Whoopi Goldberg is still defending him.LINDSAY LOHAN and ex-girlfriend Samantha Ronson were spotted together for the first time in months.  Meanwhile, her new lawyer is not her new lawyer.ROMAN POLANSKI: The film director and convicted child rapist will not be extradited from Switzerland, because of a possible fault in the American application for his extradition. Note the word "possible."TIGER WOODS files to dismiss adult film actress Devon James's paternity case, stating that the kid is not my son.HARVEY PEKAR, the underground comics legend later the subject of the movie "American Splendor," has died at 70.  The obit embeds a couple of of Pekar's classic appearances on the original Letterman show (before he was banned).PAM ANDERSON: the kind of a girl who makes News of the World, dishing about her 3 marriages, two sons and one adult video.ED NORTON's agent responds to Marvel's decision to exclude his client from playing The Hulk in The Avengers. You wouldn't like him whn he's angry.IRAN's educational authorities will send 1000 religious clerics into schools in Tehran to tamp down Western influence and political opposition, newspapers reported on Sunday.AFGHANISTAN: Pres. Karzai plans to seek the removal of up to 50 former Taliban officials from a UN terrorism blacklist.  Britain's most senior general in Afghanistan has admitted that rules for opening fire on Taliban insurgents must be "re-examined" following complaints from soldiers that they were too restrictive.CAT & TURTLE: Unrequited interspecies love.PET TORTOISE returns home, four years after escaping.SAMSON the SPANIEL has made an amazing recovery after swallowing two pounds of stones.COWS are on Twitter, talking about their lactation. Tue, 13 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1574 THE HIDDEN CAMERAS "Breathe On It" for They Shoot Music, Don't They?DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.THE DRUMS did three free songs for Daytrotter.PETER WOLF and World Cafe host David Dye discuss Wolf's new LP, Midnight Souvenirs, as the artist shares some of his favorite tunes from his old jukebox.THE 22-20s stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.CAROLE KING & JAMES TAYLOR get a feature plus live tracks from All Things Considered.BO DONALDSON & THE HEYWOODS: "Billy, Don't Be a Hero," from the Summer of '74. Workin' the Elvis jumpuit look.A NICK DRAKE TRIBUTE that will feature a documentary, album and book is underway.JIMMY WEBB: One of America's greatest pop songwriters talks to PopMatters about how the boy from Elk City got to Nashville to record the cameo-laden Just Across the River.  Plus, great stories about how he wrote "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," "Wichita Lineman," and more...THE HOLD STEADY: Axeman Tad Kubler talks to Gibson about some of the new sounds on Heaven Is Whenever, the departure of keyboardist Franz Nicolay his Gibson 335s, and Cheap Trick.SLEIGH BELLS guitarist Derek Miller talks to the Broward - Palm Beach New Times about returning to play his old stomping grounds in South Florida. (Thx, Chromewaves.)WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Despicable Me takes the weekend with a 60.1 million debut against a 69 million budget.  The Twilight Saga: Eclipse places with 33.4 million.  That's a 49 percent drop from its opening, but it has already raked in 237 million domestic against the same sort of budget as Despicable Me.  Predators debuted in the No. 3 slot with 25.3 million against a 40 million budget.  Toy Story 3 slipped a notch with 22 million, but a 27 percent drop suggests more legs for a movie that's already taken in 340.2 million domestic against a 200 million budget.  The Last Airbender timbles from second to round out the Top Five with 17.2 million, a 58 percent drop, that's not quite as disastrous as it sounds, as it broke the 100 million mark against a 150 million budget.MAD MEL UPDATE: The audio of Gibson's vile, hate-filled racist rant was posted by RadarOnline.  Also, Gibson reportedly threatened to bury the mother of his love child in the rose garden of his multi-million dollar mansion.  Gibson has been dropped as a client by William Morris Endeavor Entertainment.RYAN SEACREST was... wait for it... caught canoodling on camera with DWTS' Julianne Hough In Italy.EMILY BLUNT & JIM KRASINSKI got hitched over the weekend.CARRIE UNDERWOOD married Ottawa Senators' hockey player Mike Fisher over the weekend.JESSICA SIMPSON turns 30, and it's not like she imagined.ED NORTON is not playing The Hulk in The Avengers... but he would like to.KEVIN BACON is negotiating to play the villain role in X-Men: First Class.JAMES CAMERON will make 350 million from Avatar.IRAN has "yet to confirm" the stay of the stoning sentence for Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani.PAKISTAN: A suicide bomber killed 65 Pakistanis and wounded more than 100 in an attack on pro-government tribal leaders in Mohmand.IRAQ: Former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said Friday in Beirut that he hopes the new Iraqi government would be formed next month.THE BIRDS, set to music.MAN SLUGS BEAR, Rescues Goat.A CAT was ratted out to the cops by its owners after it started stealing dozens of knickers and items of underwear from neighboring gardens.MONKEYS are being trained by the Taliban to shoot and kill American soldiers in Afghanistan, according to unnamed Chinese publications? Why am I skeptical of this blockbuster scoop? Mon, 12 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1573 THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:...with THIN LIZZY!  Won't be long 'till Summer comes, now that Thin Lizzy is back in rotation.  Here's Phil Lynott & Co. live at the Sydney Opera House in 1978, playing "Jailbreak," "Bad Reputation," "Cowboy Song," "The Boys Are Back In Town," "Waiting For An Alibi," and "Are You Ready?"JAMIE LIDELL stopped by Oregon Public Broadcasting for a chat and mini-set in audio and video.DAWES did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter, three unreleased.DELTA SPIRIT played a set for World Cafe Live.MINUS THE BEAR stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.SUMMER MUSIC PREVIEW, via All Songs Considered.FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE: "Denise," which is oddly missing from the Tube.THE BEST OF 2010 (So Far), according to The Quietus.HARVEY FUQUA, a singer, songwriter, record producer and early mentor of Marvin Gaye, has died at 80. Fuqua and Gaye performed together on the 1958 hit "Ten Commandments of Love."10 TIMELESS BEACH ALBUMS, according to Flavorwire. (Thx, LHB.)20 ROCKING DOCUMENTARIES, according to TotalFilm. THE TOP TEN MUSIC DOCS, according to the Daily Telegraph.CUTOUT BIN: From the Bird & the Bee to the Byrds, from Eddie Floyd to Chris Stamey, from Ringo Star to Guided by Voices, plus Focus, Los Lobos, Elvis Costello, David Bowie, Marvin Gaye and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases are Despicable Me, which is currently scoring 88 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; and Predators, scoring 72 percent.LINDSAY LOHAN vows to appeal the 90-day jail sentence imposed by Judge Marsha Revel, whom the actress called a very NSFW thing. And yet Lohan also wants a million bucks for her first post-jail interview, so why appeal? BTW, her lawyer quit.MAD MEL UPDATE: Gibson is under investigation for domestic violence.  Meanwhile, Gibson has been caught on tape making another bigoted remark, this time against Latinos, reports RadarOnline.JESSICA SIMPSON's new boyfriend is still legally married, fwiw.DREW BARRYMORE talks to Elle about her latest film, her new outlook, and refusing to settle.EMMY NOMS went to these people and shows. Nom nom nom.X-MEN: FIRST CLASS looks to have a Beast and a Cyclops onboard.TERROR in the UK: Three men were found guilty Thursday of conspiring to murder hundreds of people in the longest-running terrorism trial in British history.TERROR in NYC: An indictment unsealed today by the Dept. of Justice reveals that the foiled 2009 NYC subway terrorist attack uncovered in the Najibullah Zazi investigation was a much more ambitious plot than previously known. The NYC plot was planned to coincide with a similar suicide attack on the London transit system and was coordinated by senior leaders of al Qaeda's external operations unit.IRAN is denying reports that an woman convicted of adultery will be executed by stoning, though her death sentence may still be carried out by some other method. Well, that's okay, then.IRAQ: Thousands of Iraqi Shi'ite pilgrims trudged resolutely through blood-spattered streets on Thursday, determined to pay homage to a Shi'ite Imam despite suicide and roadside bombs that killed dozens.PARROT SINGS OPERA: Let's go to the video.A WHITE BENGAL TIGER was foiled by an inflatable killer whale.ESCAPE OBSESSED MONKEYS used springy tree branches to catapult themselves over a five-meter electric fence to freedom.SAN FRANCISCO could soon have what is believed to be the country's first ban on the sale of all pets except fish, following an intense lobbying effort by gerbils and hamsters. Fri, 09 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1572 CASS McCOMBS performs "Windfall" at the Highland Park Masonic Lodge for Hobo FM.LOS CAMPESINOS! play a Tiny Desk Concert.  And yet: This performance contains language not suitable for all audiences.M.I.A. is advance streaming /\/\ /\ Y /\.ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.THE GRATEFUL DEAD & THE BEACH BOYS: Live at the Fillmore East, April 27, 1971.MAVIS STAPLES drops "You Are Not Alone" (written by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy) as an advance track.EELS drop "Spectacular Girl" as an advance track.BOOKER T & THE MG's: "Green Onions," live in '68.FAITH NO MORE frontman Mike Patton talks to PopMatters about the band's reunion, his storied career, and massages from men in togas.THE SUBMARINES talk to SPIN about their upcoming album, Blake's relation to The Great Gatsby author F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the difficulties writing, recording, and touring with your spouse.WILCO did not renew its contract with Nonesuch, and is forming their own label.TED LEO is reportedly considering retiring in 2011, citing low record sales and an "unsustainable" model for doing business.LINDSAY LOHAN may have come with a profane message on her fingernails for the Los Angeles Superior Court when she appeared for her probation revocation hearing -- and it could spell more jail time.MAD MEL UPDATE: Gibson is caught on tape admitting that he hit the mother of his love child, according to RadarOnline.MEGAN FOX & BRIAN AUSTIN GREEN: Wedding photo.ANGELINA JOLIE talks family matters with Parade magazine to promote Salt.CAMERON DIAZ talks to Harper's Bazaar about her booty, which is clearly of more interest than Knight & Day.ELLE MACPHERSON admits using a banned substance.ROB LOWE wants to buy Miramax?AL QAEDA: Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al Qosi, a Sudanese detainee held at Guantanamo, pled guilty to charges of conspiracy and material support for terrorism before a military commission Wednesday.IRAN: The United Arab Emirates ambassador to the United States said Tuesday that the benefits of bombing Iran's nuclear program outweigh the short-term costs such an attack would impose.  He said Iran has not been deterred from supporting terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah now, when it doesn't have a nuclear arsenal. So why, he asked rhetorically, would Iran be more cautious in its support for terrorism if it did.AFGHANISTAN: Why Kandahar locals turn to the Taliban.THIS TORTOISE really digs having its shell brushed.A 9-FT GATOR was euthanized in Oakland, FL.SUPER SQUID Sex Organ Discovered. Hentai fans rejoice!A ONE-ARMED, ONE-LEGGED MONKEY slaughters a man's chickens. Thu, 08 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1571 FANG ISLAND have a new video for "Careful Crossers."SHE & HIM played a set for World Cafe Live.THE CHURCH stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.YOUNG VEINS: Last July, Panic! at the Disco had finished a round of touring arenas to support its ambitious and critically lauded second album. Then Ryan Ross and Jon Walker abruptly quit to start the Young Veins, inspired by '60s British Invasion and California pop like the Zombies and Love.  Check 'em out.OF MONTREAL dropped a new track "Hydra Fancies," in the Believer's 2010 Music Issue.DUNGEN dropped "Marken Låg Stilla" as an advance track to their next LP.LIZ PHAIR has a new album, Funstyle, available at her website. Some find it baffling.JOHN LENNON: Roio has his 1972 King Biscuit Flower Hour.ARTHUR LEE joins THE FUZZTONES on "7 and 7 Is." Because it's today.PAUL WELLER is profiled by the Irish Independent.SERGE GAINSBOURG: Joann Sfar's biopic is the peg for stories about his controversial catalog, his continuing influence, and his women.THE FENDER TELECASTER at 60: Legendary guitarists, including Andy Summers and Graham Coxon, on why they love the iconic guitar.PRINCE: "The Internet is completely over."LINDSAY LOHAN was sentenced to 90 days in jail for violating her probation in her DUI case, followed by a 90-day inpatient rehab program.  She also got served with legal papers in a civil lawsuit while she was in the courtroom elevator yesterday.MAD MEL UPDATE: Oksana Grigorieva not only has Gibson's vile and profane rants on tape, but she is also sitting on potentially explosive photos that will show her bloodied and bruised after a confrontation with the Oscar-winner.JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT, who was great in (500) Days of Summer, is profiled in Details in advance of the opening of Christopher Nolan's Inception, which currently has a perfect score on the ol' Tomatometer..GEORGE MICHAEL has been arrested after he crashed his car into a shop front in the early hours of the morning.BRITNEY SPEARS admits in Cosmopolitan magazine that she'd never let her sons have careers in Hollywood.JAMES BOND 23 remains indefinitely suspended (but not necessarily dead) due to MGM's financial troubles.THE TOP 40 MOVIES FILMED IN CHICAGO, according to Chicago magazine. Guess which movie tops the chart?100 SCI-FI MOVIES You Can Watch Online For Free (except maybe one or two on Hulu).IRAN has unveiled haircuts that according to officials are in line with Iranian and Islamic principles.PAKISTAN: A former detainee held at Guantanamo Bay for nearly three years has been arrested in Pakistan on terrorism charges.  Privately, the US-Pakistan relationship is often marked by mistrust and double-dealing as Pakistan runs double agents against the CIA and the agency tries to penetrate Pakistan's closely guarded nuclear program.IRAQ hopes for a spectacular oil boom to revive its political fortunes.FRO the CAT: Rick-rolled.DOG nurses a kitteh... Mass hysteria!A PYTHON used by a South African fortune-teller to control the progress of teams in the World Cup was seized by animal welfare inspectors.A BABY BIRD gets help from a new pair of shoes. Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1570 THE NEW PR0NOGRAPHERS delivered a sweet take on "Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk" at the Ed Sullivan Theater.NEW RELEASES:  Stuff like Jimmie Vaughan and Kylie Minogue are streaming in full from Spinner, instead of stuff liek Robert Pollard or even Big Boi.  What's up with that?R.E.M.: The double-disc reissue of Fables of the Reconstruction is streaming via KCRW.SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS is advance streaming Disconnect from Desire.WAVVES is still advance streaming King of the Beach, icymi over the holiday weekend. Because you shouldn't miss it. (Content warning.)ADMIRAL RADLEY (Grandaddy frontman Jason Lytle and drummer Aaron Burtch along with Ariana Murray and Aaron Espinoza of Earlimart) is advance streaming I Heart California.  Advisory: This album contains explicit adult language.MANFRED MANN: "Do Wah Diddy" and "The Mighty Quinn" are your Twofer Tuesday.GANG OF FOUR singer / co-songwriter Jon King gets all academic with DIY, and discusses his views on songwriting, "subject-matter", and the secret to selling records but not selling out. (Thx, LHB.)ROBERT CHRISTGAU talks to the L.A. Times about the end of the Consumer's Guide.THE SADIES: Dallas Good talks to ChartAttack about the more spooky and psychedelic vibe onn the band's latest LP.LOU REED: The Velvet Underground legend infuriates fans with a 'fearless night of non-rock' with Laurie Anderson and John Zorn.WEEKEND BOX OFFICE:  The Twilight Saga: Eclipse easily topped the weekend with 69 million.  The sparkly vampires have hauled in 161 million since opening on midnight Wednesday -- but one wonders whether the studio is entirely happy, given that New Moon made 164 million in its opening 5 days, absent a big holiday weekend.  July 4 is a bit of a confounder for franchises historically; this installment could still outgross the second by the end of its run.  The Last Airbender placed with 40.6 million (57 million since opening Thursday) against a 150 million budget.  A big drop next weekend could doom any hopes for a sequel and further tarnish the rep of M. Night Shamalayan.  Toy Story 3 showed with 30 million.  Its 49 percent drop was not unexpected over the holiday weekend, and it will break the 300 million barrier shortly, making it the odds-on favorite for the year's biggest grossing movie (yes, even counting Harry Potter later this year).  Grown-Ups drops even more steeply, but its 18.5 million puts it near recouping its 80 million budget.  Knight & Day rounds out the Top Five with 10.2 million, but it has only made 45.5 million domestic against a 117 million budget.JENNA FISCHER married screenwriter Lee Kirk this weekend in a private ceremony.CARRIE PREJEAN & KYLE BOLLER got hitched.  MELISSA ETHERIDGE went to court Friday to formally end her partnership with Tammy Lynn Michaels, seeking joint custody of their 3-year-old twins.LINDSAY LOHAN: Jasmine Waltz, the cocktail waitress who, according to reports, hit Lindsay Lohan in the wee hours of Friday morning, has denied striking the actress.THE FRENCH HOTEL was arrested, then cleared, of pot charges at the World Cup.HEATHER LOCKLEAR just completed a 30-day, in-patient rehab program for prescription drugs.JESSICA SIMPSON is reportedly dating ex San Francisco 49ers tight end Eric Johnson.THE HOBBIT: Delays could cost the production Ian McKellen.IRAN allegedly sold Syria an advanced radar system in an arms transfer that took place in mid-2009.  Meanwhile, Sakineh Mohammadie Ashtiani, a mother of two, could be stoned to death at any moment under the terms of a death sentence handed down by Iranian authorities.AFGHANISTAN: The 101st Airborne Division is now taking on the Taliban in "The Heart of Darkness."TURTLECAM: Let's go to the video.AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: A two-headed calf.TABBY CAT rescued from a storm drain after four nights.COWS stare unamazed as Shakespeare boosts milk production. Tue, 06 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1569 THE FOURTH of JULY WEEKEND STARTS HERE:...with THE BEACH BOYS!  Because folks my age will always remember their mammoth July 4th concerts at the Washington Monument -- as with these 1980 takes o­n "Good Vibrations",  and "Do It Again." Given the time of year, I have to include this 1964 clip of "Surfin' U.S.A." which I think is from the same gig that produced these takes on "Little Deuce Coupe," "In My Room" and "Fun, Fun Fun." Their take on "Dance, Dance, Dance" from Shindig! later that year is like a slice of Christmas in July.  There's also a nifty twofer of "I Get Around" and "'When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)" from their first UK TV appearance o­n Ready Steady Go! The Jack Benny Hour produced these quick takes o­n "Barbara Ann" and "California Girls."  There's a primitive video for "Wouldn't It Be Nice" that starts with a cameo from Brian Wilson's dogs (Banana and Louie), who appear at the end of the Pet Sounds LP.  And I'll finish with a live version of "God Only Knows" from the 1967 European tour -- one of the last Brian would do for a decade or so.RAY CHARLES performs "America The Beautiful" like no one else.A MIX FOR AMERICA: Streaming via NPR.INDEPENDENCE DAY: Bruce Springsteen, circa 1978, before it came out on The River.THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER: From 2008, Hidden Track serves up 12 video versions. And the only ones not working now are Jimi Hendrix and Whitney Houston.THE UNITED STATES prepares to celebrate the 233rd anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. As the Wikipedia notes, this is a little arbitrary: New Englanders had been fighting Britain since April 1775; the first motion in the Continental Congress for independence was made o­n June 8th; and the Congress voted 12-0 for independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain o­n July 2nd. Even so, the publication of the Declaration was momentous .  If you're not in DC, the best way to see and learn about the Declaration may be through the Charters of Freedom website. But you can watch Mel Gibson, Michael Douglas, Renee Zelleweger, Kevin Spacey, Wynona Ryder and other Hollywood folk read the Declaration, after a short introduction by Morgan Freeman. Of course, the holiday more broadly celebrates the American Revolutionary War, and the Founders' unlikely victory. People with the highest standard of living and the lowest taxes in the Western World fought a sometimes unpopular war for our freedom. Early o­n, the Revolutionaries (also known as "Americans" or "Patriots") had the active support of about 40 to 45 percent of the colonial population. By 1779, there were more Americans fighting with the British than with Washington, which is why Washington needed help from the French, the Spanish and freed Blacks. You can separate fact from fiction regarding the sacrifices and fates of the Founders at Snopes. You can hear two-time Pulitzer Prize winner David McCullough read from the first chapter of his 1776 via NPR. Or watch a nifty clip on the drafing of the Declaration from the John Adams miniseries, which is running again on HBO tomorrow night.DAVE ALVIN: Hey, baby, it's the "4th of July."WAVVES is streaming King of the Beach, which was just named Best New Music by Pitchfork.SLEIGH BELLS: Alexis Krauss talks to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about the adjustment period going from session musician and school teacher to unleashed frontwoman.  CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS are profiled at PopMatters.FRANZ NICOLAY (ex-Hold Steady) is interviewed at Largehearted Boy by Demander's Karen Kanan Correa about his chapbooks. I love that in the first segment, Franz mentions both oysters and snails without any reference to Spartacus.DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS: Mike Cooley talks to The Boot about the band's country influences, and their opening slot for Tom Petty. (Thx, LHB.)ARETHA FRANKLIN will duet with former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at a fundraising event for inner city children in Philly.THE TOP 50 BEATLESONGS, according to Gibson.THE BEST ALBUM COVERS, according to Flavorwire.CUTOUT BIN: From Linda Ronstadt to the Ramones, from Sly & the Family Stone to the Housemartins, from Billy Bragg to William Shatner, plus X, the Steve Miller Band, Dick Dale, the Kinks, the Modern Lovers and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.NOW SHOWING:  In addition to The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, which is scoring 50 percent on the ol' Tomatometer, The Last Airbender opened on Thursday with a Tomatometer reading of 06 percent.  Not looking good for M. Night Shamalayan, is it?MAD MEL UPDATE: In one of the most explosive, racist and vile outbursts by a celebrity ever caught on tape, Mel Gibson told the mother of his love child that the way she was dressed would get her "raped by a pack of n***ers," according to RadarOnline.TIGER WOODS will be a single man by the end of the day, perhaps for a lot less than the 750 million bucks reported earlier this week.BRITNEY SPEARS was visited by social workers as part of an investigation by the L.A. Dept. of Children and Family Services into charges that the singer abused her two sons, says RadarOnline.KELSEY GRAMMER's third marriage is coming to an end.PEE-WEE HERMAN myy be headed back to the big screen, with an assist from Judd Apatow.AFSHAN AZAD, who has appeared in four Harry Potter movies, was allegedly attacked at her home in Longsight in Manchester on May 21. Her father and brother have been charged with threatening to kill her.  Will anyone be shocked if this turns out to be an attempted honor killing?JEFFREY JONES, best known for his portrayal of a high school principal in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," has been charged with a single felony count of failing to update his sex offender registration.THE BEST SHOT MOVIES of 1998-2008, according to cinematographers polled by... American Cinematographer, natch.  100 GREAT MOVIES Every Guy Must See.THE 100 GREATEST MOVIE INSULTS in 10 minutes. Content Warning for language/sexual allusions.TWIGGY: For the Fourth of July weekend, why not another look at the water-skiing squirrel? Great story. Compelling and rich.A PUPPY near death was rescued from a deep slot canyon on the Utah-Arizona border. Video at the link!SWEARING PARROT F***s Off.SMUDGE the TERRIRER hits the open road on a classic motorcycle. Fri, 02 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1568 SHARON JONES & THE DAP-KINGS play "Got to Be the Way It Is" at Rock the Garden 2010.DR. DOG stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic  for a session.WE WERE PROMISED JETPACKS did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.GOOD OLD WAR stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.LAURYN HILL is one of NPR's 50 Great Voices... and it was something of a coup to actually interview her.TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS: "Here Comes My Girl."BRIAN WILSON Reimagines Gershwin.GUIDED BY VOICES is reuniting for the Matador Records 21st Anniversary bash in Vegas. Pavement, Sonic Youth and others are also headed to the desert.PHOSPHORESCENT: Matt Houck talks to PopMatters about hitting the road and writing Here's to Taking It Easy, which he calls a "really fun, classic rock record."VAMPIRE WEEKEND say they plan to take "more time" in recording their forthcoming third album, compared to their previous two records.TIGER WOODS is said by the ever-reliable Sun to be giving ex-wife Elin Nordegren 750 million bucks in exchange for her never speaking of their divorce or his affairs in public. And that's not all. It's also said the deal will ban Tiger from bringing a girlfriend to meet the pair's two children until he marries her.LINDSAY LOHAN concocted a diabolical plan to defraud an L.A. boutique out of thousands of dollars ... according to a lawsuit that was to be filed Wednesday. Plus: Lohan's 2007 DUI case may have plea bargained quickly because the cop who took custody of the cocaine mistook it for a breath mint and threw it in the trash.THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE became the all-time highest-grossing pic for midnight runs, taking in over 30 milion in a few hours.ZOE SALDANA is engaged, but not to Spock.SANDRA BULLOCK & JESSE JAMES trusted each other when it came to coming up with a value of the assets they each held and the debts they each owed for the purposes of their divorce.BRITNEY SPEARS is accused of beating her sons with a belt, and feeding them food to which the were allergic and making them ill, according to fmr bodyguard Fernando Flores.MILEY CYRUS is ditching her wholesome image... and her fans are ditching her.30 POST-APOCALYPTIC VISIONS of the 21st Century.TERROR in NYC: Counterterrorism officials have linked one of the nation's most wanted al Qaeda operatives to last year's thwarted plot to bomb the New York subway system.AFGHANISTAN: Blogger Bill Ardolino has initial impressions from his embed with the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, in Musa Qala, Helmand province.IRAQ: A rumor in Baghdad indicates the State of Law and Iraqiya parties may band together to form a government.NISSA the BORDER COLLIE retrieves her Frisbee from a tree.MANCHAS the CHIHUAHUA died protecting a four-year-old boy from two pit bulls that got into the owner's apartment.70000 TURTLE EGGS are to be scooped up to save them from death in the oily Gulf of Mexico.STOLEN PUPPY RECOVERED: Aw. Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1567 BLACK MOUNTAIN drop a grindhouse-y video for "Old Fangs."GOGOL BORDELLO play a Tiny Desk Concert at the offices of NPR.STEEL TRAIN did six free songs for Daytrotter.  Their new album is streaming at Spinner.THE TOP 20 OF 2010 (so far), according to NPR listeners.THE THERMALS drop "I Don't Believe You" as the single from their upcoming album.JIMMY WEBB has a new album, with a bunch of duets on his classics, streaming in full via AOL.BIG BOI is only occasionally my cup of tea, but he is streaming his new LP.LaBELLE: "Lady Marmalade." I coulda used a little more cowbell.JOHN WESLEY HARDING writes about David Bowie at Granta. (Thx, LHB.)LAURIE ANDERSON is normally cool, but now she's angry, and getting angrier.MUMFORD & SONS tell the BBC that their sophomore LP will sound "more urgent."DICK CLARK is finally monetizing his back catalog.THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE opens on over 4000 screens today, and is scoring 48 percent on the ol' Tomatometer.STEVE CARELL says he's leaving The Office, but the show may go on.AMY LOCANE (from the original Melrose Place) was charged in a fatal drunk-driving crash that killed a Montgomery woman Sunday night.SUSAN SARANDON may be making a reality show -- about ping-pong. Yes, really.OPRAH retakes the top slot on the Forbes Celebrity Power List.KNIGHT & DAY: Fox's Tony Sella takes the blame for the flopping Cruise/Diaz flick.COREY ALLEN, an actor-turned-director who played James Dean's leather-clad nemesis in ‘Rebel Without a Cause' and who was the last surviving member of the film's main cast, died of natural causes on Sunday.IRAN: A man claiming to be an Iranian nuclear scientist whom Tehran alleges the United States kidnapped said he has escaped from US agents, in a video screened on Iranian television. Washington denied the Iranian accusations, with State Department spokesman Philip Crowley refusing to say whether or not Amiri was in the United States.  Meanwhile, Iran set tough terms for the resumption of nuclear talks, vowing to punish world powers for imposing new sanctions on the Islamic Republic.AFGHANISTAN: The US military has systematically overstated or failed to adequately measure the capabilities of Afghan security forces, whose performance is key to the Obama administration's exit strategy for the war, according to a new government audit.WHAT IF Lassie was a cat?RAD RODENTS: A mischievous bunch of fearless mice, who love nothing more than catching a wave and shooting a curl. Pics and video at the link.OSCAR the CAT is running again... on bionic paws. Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1566 LENNY KRAVITZ ran across a chuch choir playing "I'll Fly Away."NEW RELEASES: Alejandro Escovedo, the Harvey Girls, Maps and Atlases and more are streaming this week via Spinner.SHARON JONES & THE DAP-KINGS stopped by for a session at Morning Becomes Eclectic.OF MONTREAL drops "Coquet Coquette" as an advance track to False Priest.DANGER MOUSE, SPARKLEHORSE & DAVID LYNCH are advance streaming the long-delayed Dark Night of the Soul, sadly posthumously in the case of Sparklehorse.CHARLIE LOUVIN: The country/bluegrass legend does four free songs for Daytrotter.TEARS FOR FEARS: "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" and "Shout" both topped the charts in the first half of 1985.NICOLE ATKINS talks to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review about moving from Columbia to razor & Tie for her upcoming sophomore LP.QUASI: Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss talk to The Line Of Best Fit about post-tour plans, playing cover songs, and more...ROLLING STONE: Jann Wenner blames Bill Clinton for the magazine becoming boring in the 1990s. The problem with that theory is that it stunk in the 1980s, too.THE NATIONAL: Scott Berninger triggered an airport evacuation. MEGAN FOX & BRIAN AUSTIN GREEN were married at a small, intimate ceremony at the Four Seasons Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii. MAD MEL UPDATE: Oksana Grigorieva has secret evidence against Mel Gibson in their explosive legal battle and she has stored it on a DVD, according to RadarOnline.SANDRA BULLOCK finalized her divorce from her husband of nearly five years, Jesse James, Monday morning.VINCE NEIL of Mötley Crüe was arrested for suspicion of DUI this morning in Las Vegas.CHRIS KLEIN is facing a mandatory sentence of four days in jail if he's convicted of his second DUI offense, the L.A. City Attorney's office announced Monday.ANGELINA JOLIE did a wide-ranging interview with Vanity Fair. Why, it's almost like she's got a movie coming out...LINDSAY LOHAN will appear in a new reality show that will follow her mom, Dina, and her siblings. Inevitable, wasn't it?KATY PERRY & RUSSELL BRAND: Already married?HARRY POTTER and the DEATHLY HALLOWS has a full-length trailer online.JORDAN is looking to go nuclear.AFGHANISTAN: As Gen. Petraeus prepares to take command, Pres. Karzai's outreach to the Taliban is drawing warnings from some Afghan factions, particularly women and ethnic minorities.THE GOAT BRIDGE: Let's go to the video.PRINCESS ABBY the Chihuahua triumphed at the World's Ugliest Dog 2010 contest in Northern California. I think Rascal wuz robbed!A HEN in Cornwall laid a record-breaking 14 eggs in one day.SHARK ATTACK: A 13-year-old girl is expected to fully recover after being attacked by a shark while swimming near an island off the coast of North Carolina. Which makes it safe for the "Right at the height of tourist season" reference. Tue, 29 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1565 FRIGHTENED RABBIT is "Living In Colour" for their latest video.SONNY & THE SUNSETS are fronted by Sonny Smith, but more people may know his bandmate Kenny Stoltz.  Timeless, retro-tinged pop in the M Ward/ She & Him/ The Band ballpark. Check em out.VENICE IS SINKING did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.NEIL YOUNG: Roio shares 17 rarities from the Philip Cohen collection.CHRISSIE HYNDE & JP JONES stopped by Sound Opinions for a chat and mini-set from their new project.DAVID BOWIE: "Modern Love." from the Summer of 1983.PAUL WELLER talks to JamBase about his latest, playing live, The Beatles and more...OF MONTREAL's Kevin Barnes talks to Pitchfork about the Catholic Church, what the band's upcoming False Priest will tell you about your car stereo, and the touring extravaganza Of Montreal is planning with Janelle Monáe.JOSH RITTER talks to LAist about So Runs the World Away, and the relationship between science and art.FLAMING LIPS frontman Wayne Coyne talks to The A.V. Club about covering Dark Side Of The Moon, the creative process, and what new developments to expect in his ever-expanding live shows this summer.WEEKEND BOX OFFICE:  No surprise that Toy Story 3 repeats at the top with 59 million, as 3-D ticket prices kept Pixar's drop at 46 percent.  The flick blew past the 200 million budget in nine days and now stands at 226.5 million in domestic receipts.  Grown-Ups places with 41 million, an opening more in line with Adam Sandler's movies before Funny People and Bedtime Stories.  Knight & Day showed with 20 million (28 million since opening last Wed) and that is bad news for Cruise, Cameron Diaz and the studio, which spent 120 million in production.  It still may make money overseas, where Cruise has less stink on him (a la Russell Crowe).  Karate Kid dropped to the fourth slot with 15.4 million, but has already made over 15 million on a 40 million budget, and should do well overseas as the Summer progresses.  The A-Team rounds out the Top Five with six million, and will have to look abroad to make money. This week: Teenage Vampires!MAD MEL UPDATE: Sources close to Oksana Grigorieva tell TMZ ... Mel Gibson punched her in the face and knocked out her teeth in a fit of rage.  Camp Gibson says Grigorieva was bitter over a custody agreement she signed, and that's why she made up the story that Mel beat her up.MENA SUVARI and concert producer Simone Sestito were married Saturday in a private church in Vatican City.ROBERT PATTINSON & KRISTEN STEWART's Deliciously Suspicious Romance.  I believe they have a movie coming out this week, don't they?FERGIE is on the verge of leaving the Black Eyed Peas permanently as tension in the band has become intolerable for her, according to RadarOnline.PETER JACKSON is negotiating to direct The Hobbit two-parter.  THE BEST MOVIES NEVER MADE, according to Slate.IRAN: More than a year and a half after he was arrested in Tehran, Hossein Derakhshan, an influential Iranian-Canadian blogger also known as Hoder, was put on trial on Wednesday, according to Iranian news reports and statements by his family posted online.CIA DIRECTOR Leon Panetta Sunday dismissed reports that the network of Sirajuddin Haqqani, a major element in the insurgency in Afghanistan and an ally of al-Qaeda, was open to a Pakistan-brokered reconciliation process that could usher the group into a power-sharing arrangement in Kabul. Panetta also said Iran has enough low-enriched uranium for two nuclear bombs but that it would take two years for the country to build the bombs and a weapon-delivery system. All such news should be read in light of the CIA's history at getting this sort of intell wrong, for decades and decades.  Not to be harsh, of course; it's not an easy job.AFGHANISTAN: Sacked Gen. McChrystal issued a devastatingly critical assessment of the war against a "resilient and growing insurgency" just days before being forced out.IRAQI officials see the US as neglecting the country. With Gen. Petraeus heading to Afghanistan, they fear a further reduction in attention.DOG vs VUVUZELA: Serves the owner right!MONKEYS have been found to be fans of heavy metal music after scientists in America found it calmed them down.A PSYCHIC OCTOPUS has an uncanny knack of correctly predicting World Cup games.OWLS flew in wedding rings someplace other than Hogwarts. Mon, 28 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0700 http://claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1564 THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:...with MICHAEL JACKSON! I'm not making a habit of this, but he did die a year ago today, making it an apt moment to revisit his hits with the Jackson 5, like  "I Want You Back," "ABC," and "Never Can Say Goodbye," and solo hits like "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," and "Billie Jean," which not only broke the color barrier at MTV, but also ushered in an era of big-budget videos that may have peaked with the John Landis-directed "Thriller," the title track of the mega-seller that also spawned smashes like "Beat It."  BONUS: Vanity Fair has a piece on The "Thriller" Diaries.THE JAYHAWKS stoppeed by The Current for a chat and mini-set.MAPS & ATLASES do the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.TELEVISION: Captain's Dead has alternate takes from the Adventure LP to stream or download, which ties in nicely to yesterday's Adventure-related blurb.MODEST MOUSE: Captain's Dead also has a very rare, very early cassette-only album to stream (with a link to a download).THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO: An NPR intern is forced to listen.WEIRD AL YANKOVIC played a Tiny Desk Concert at NPR. Semi-related: Legendary radio host Dr. Demento talked to NPR's Morning Edition after leaving the airwaves for the Internet last month.ELVIS COSTELLO: "The Other Side of Summer."NEW PR0NOGRAPHERS frontman Carl Newman talks to the Washington City Paper about his smart, eccentric pop songs, how the band approaches recording albums, and his thoughts on his critics. And there are outtakes about making a living as a middle-class indie rocker, about what he dislikes about the term "power-pop," about the novels of David Mitchell.DEVO: Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale spoke to TIME about the de-evolution of man, the fading record industry, and the subversive inspiration of Madison Avenue.THE BEST OF 2010 (so far), according to Paste and Gorilla vs. Bear.THE BEST INDIE ALBUMS, from the 1960s to the present, according to Motel de Moka, which inexplicably excludes The Replacements' Let It Be. (Thx, LHB.)VANILLA ICE is actually a somewhat successful real estate developer.THE CUTOUT BIN: From Dexy's Midnight Runners to Alice Cooper, from Big Brother & the Holding Company to Killing Joke, from Dr. John to the Violent Femmes, plus the Byrds, the Band, the Feelies, Sly & the Family Stone and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases are Grown-Ups, currently scoring 09 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; and Knight and Day, which actually opened Wednesday and is scoring 52 percent. And yet, it's likely Grown-Ups will make more money, and that Toy Story 3 will crush both of them.LINDSAY LOHAN's assistant, who quit earlier this month, has been offered a series of huge, five-figure deals to dish on her famous ex-boss.JEREMY LONDON: The man accused of kidnapping the actor and allegedly forcing him to smoke drugs says they went on a consensual alcohol and drug induced "joyride for hours" on the night of June 10 in Palm Springs.BRITNEY SPEARS reportedly has been sneaking phone calls to Adnan Ghalib, the paparazzo ex-boyfriend widely blamed for enabling the media circus of 2007-2008 that led to her infamous mental breakdowns.VAL KILMER took the unusual step of going before a county commission in rural New Mexico to make amends with some of his neighbors who are angry over disparaging comments attributed to the actor over the years.MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 4: Will Paramount choose not to accept it?DEBBIE GIBSON vs TIFFANY: Syfy promises an epic battle between the former teen pop idols, who will star in "Mega Python vs. Gatoroid."THE GREEN HORNET has a trailer online.HALF OF AL QAEDA has been eliminated?IRAN: The mothers of three American hikers held in Iran on suspicion of espionage said they hope a report that their children were arrested on the Iraqi side of the border will help lead to their release.AFGHANISTAN: Gen David Petraeus, as the new US commander, will re-examine the rules of engagement, which some soldiers believe have prevented them from defending themselves.CAT in a JAR, versus a dog.THE BIRDS: Postal deliveries have been disrupted in a Devon seaside town after attacks by seagulls.SWIMS WITH THE GATORS: A 37-year-old Tallahassee man was charged with disorderly conduct at Wakulla Springs State Park after jumping out of a tour boat to "swim with the alligators."CHIPMUNKS with Star Wars and Lego figures.SHARK vs SHARK: A ten-foot great white shark was nearly sawed in half in Queensland Australia - by what investigators believe was a twenty-foot great white shark.  What say you, Police Chief Brody? Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0700