BEACH SLANG shares a video for "Spin The Dial."

LAURA MARLING is streaming Semper Femina.

CAMERON AVERY is streaming Ripe Dreams Pipe Dreams.

PUBLIC MEMORY streams their new ambient pop EP, Veil Of Counsel.

HEALTH covers New Order's "Blue Monday" for the Atomic Blonde soundtrack.

BOB DYLAN covers the Hoagy Carmichael standard, "Stardust".

CHRIS CORNELL shares a title song for The Promise, a movie about the Armenian genocide that stars Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac.

SMITH: Their chart-topping cover of the Bacharach-Dixon-David classic, "Baby, It's You." Because I'm feeling a little Death Proof.

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO turned 50 yesterday; Stereogum essays the album, while NPR profiled someone who owns 600 copies of the original pressing.

PEARL JAM publicly invited every former drummer to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

DOES ANYBODY HERE REMEMBER VERA LYNN? She's truning 100 some sunny day this month.

JONI SLEDGE, one of four siblings who banded together to create the music group Sister Sledge, has died aged 60 of unknown causes.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE:  Kong: Skull Island topped the chart with 61MM, which is well above tarcking estimates in the mid-40s, but probably below what it needed to ensure profits against a 185MM production budget and presumably big marketing costs; this is true even when considering it did another 81.6MM in foreign markets.  The gorilla's big problem is the number of blockbusters being released in this March.  Logan, the first of these, placed with 37.9MM on a 57 percent drop, but 438.3MM in global receipts already have this one well in black in its second weekend. Get Out shows with 21MM on a leggy 25 percent drop; the horror flick crossed the 100MM domestically against a mere 4.5MM budget before opening overseas next weekend.  The Shack takes the fourth slot with 10MM on a 38 percent drop that's probably good for a faith-based flick, many of which are front-loaded. The LEGO Batman Movie rounds out the Top Five with another 7.8MM on a 33 percent drop, reflecting the lack of competition from other family films.

WONDER WOMAN dropped a third trailer online.

ATOMIC BLONDE, which seems to feature Charlize Theron as as a hot, possibly lesbian version of John Wick, has a red-band trailer online, meaning NSFW.

J-LO & A-ROD took their romance to the Bahamas.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER's cast paid tribute to the 20th anniversary of the show.

STAN LEE talks to NME about the soundtrack of his life.

DISNEY, burned by fallen princesses, is training stars to avoid scandal.

PAUL VERHOEVEN has defended his new movie Elle from controversy after some critics labelled it a "rape comedy".

AVATAR 2 is delayed yet again.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: A 27-year-old Ukrainian woman living in the United Arab Emirates went to the doctor after experiencing stomach cramps. What came next: a pregnancy diagnosis—and her arrest for unmarried sex, which is illegal in the UAE.

UKRAINE: "This is a hot war, not a cold war, in Eastern Ukraine," Ontario Conservative MP Tony Clement told CBC News following a visit to Kyiv.

AN AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD is filling in as Dad to some tiger cubs.

WILD BOARS vie with humans to take over towns near Fukushima, Japan.

DOGS can be deceptive, according to a new study and every dog owner.

MORE GREAT WHITE SHARKS appear to be visiting off Cape Cod. What say you, Police Chief Brody?

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE...

...with ROCKPILE, a band that featured old pals Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds cranking out the rootsy pub rock. They seem to be lip-synching o­n "Teacher, Teacher" and "If Sugar Was As Sweet As You," but I had to post 'em 'cause it's Bandstand, which strikes me as just plain odd. This clip of "Heart," featuring Billy Bremner, is also odd at the start.  For actual live performances, here's the band rolling through Lowe's "They Called It Rock," and "So It Goes," plus a cover of Elvis Costello's and "Girls Talk," which many associate more with Edmunds.

THE MAGNETIC FIELDS stream even more songs from 50 Song Memoir. 

CONOR OBERST advance streams Salutations.

THEE OH SEES' John Dwyer, Damaged Bug, streams Bunker Funk.

WESTERN ADDICTION streams Tremulous.

THE WOODS share the title track from Love Is Love.

JOHN FOGERTY, because it is.

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO turns 50 Sunday.  Pitchfork has four minutes of liner notes.

THE JESUS & MARY CHAIN: Jim Reid talked to Pitchfork about is relationship with his brother, depressing new bands, and killing Kurt Cobain.

RYAN ADAMS talks to Rolling Stone about his breakup LP, Prisoner.

SON VOLT: Jay Farrar talked to the Jackson Clarion-Ledger about Notes of Blue. (Thx, LHB).

KONG: SKULL ISLAND is this weekend's sole wide release, scoring 83 percent on the ol' Tomatometer.  Will Logan give the gorilla a run for its money?

J-LO & A-ROD: Do we call them A-Lo or J-Rod?

NICOLE KIDMAN explains why she clapped like a seal at the Oscars.

BRIE LARSEN explains why she did not clap for Casey Affleck at the Oscars.

DAVID & CHRISTINA ARQUETTE welcomed their second child together.

ADRIANA LIMA and New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman have broken up.

JOE PISCOPO may run for Governor of New Jersey.

GHOST IN THE SHELL dropped four promo videos.

A BABY ELEPHANT loves chasing his dog.

50 JUMPING FROGS were found dumped in an underground Aldi car park in north London on Saturday night. Does Robyn Hitchcock have an alibi?

POLAR BEARS should avoid the northernmost city in the world.

PYTHON HUNTERS: Wanted in South Florida.

AIMEE MANN shares a cameo-lader video for "Patient Zero."

THE MAGNETIC FIELDS stream even more songs from 50 Song Memoir.

LAURA MARLING plays for and chats with The Current from the Cutting Room in New York.

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED features new tracks from the New Pronographers, Alt-J, Girlpool and more.

TY SEGALL shares "Black Magick" from his upcoming Sentimental Goblin EP.

FIRST AID KIT shares a new single "You Are The Problem Here."

THE ONLY ONES: "Another Girl, Another Planet," live in '79.

THE MOUNTAIN GOATS' John Darnielle, Stranger Things, and the New Nostalgia.

SLY & THE FAMILY STONE: Ten of Their Best.

THE SEX PISTOLS' Steve Jones talks to Magnet about his new autobiography.

SXSW. following a fierce public battle, has apologized and pledged to change its artist contract.

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI rolled out some early footage (minor spoilers).

THOR: RAGNAROK gets a first look from Entertainment Weekly.

BEAUTY & THE BEAST may shatter March box office records.  That's good for Disney, as the live-action remake cost 300MM to make and market.

JENNIFER GARNER & BEN AFFLECK are back from the brink of divorce.

THE NIGHT MANAGER is developing a second series. Slowly.

PAUL SHAFFER shakes off his post-Letterman blues. With Bill Murray.

FRED WEINTRAUB, who helped launch the careers of many marquee-name musicians, comedians and actors — including Bob Dylan, Woody Allen and Bruce Lee — has died. He was 88 years old.

SYRIA: Marines from an amphibious task force have left their ships in the Middle East and deployed to Syria, establishing an outpost from which they can fire artillery guns in support of the fight to take back the city of Raqqa from the Islamic State, defense officials said.

CATERPILLARS form a Conga line Down Under.

KONG: SKULL ISLAND -  Officials at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans say they are investigating after a gorilla named “Praline” hurled a block of wood at spectators Sunday afternoon, striking a pregnant woman in the head as she attempted to flee.

WHAT KILLED More Than Half a Dozen of the Bahamas' Swimming Pigs?

A BLIND LABRADOR RETRIEVER was miraculously found alive in the Santa Cruz mountains after being lost in the woods for eight days.

ARTHUR LEE would have celebrated a birthday yesterday, so here is is with "Alone Again Or."  BONUS: Robyn Hitchcocck plays "The Wreck of the Arthur Lee."

THE MAGNETIC FIELDS continue to add tracks to the advance stream of 50 Song Memoir.

BLACK JOE LEWIS & THE HONEY BEARS stopped by The Current.

FLEET FOXES return with the nine-minute, harmony-laden “Third Of May / Ōdaigahara,” and Robin Peckhold talks to Pitchfork about it.

REAL ESTATE shares “Stained Glass,” ahead of In Mind.

IGGY POP, with an especially destructive "Lust For Life" circa 1977.

THE SHINS: James Mercer talks to The A.V. Club about one of his childhood passions: skateboarding.

LAURA MARLING talks to Noisey about exploring the kink in our desires on Semper Femina.

THE REVOLUTION: Wendy Melvoin talks to Rolling Stone about grieving for Prince and the group's upcoming shows.

THE BEST TOM WAITS COVERS, according to Paste.

INDIANA JONES 5 is coming on July 19, 2019.  Better involve the fountain of youth.

GEORGE MICHAEL died of a heart condition and fatty liver, according to a coroner’s statement released on Tuesday.

TOM HIDDLESTON talks King Kong and Taylor Swift.

SCARLETT JOHANSSON is gearing up for a nasty custody battle.

ROBIN THICKE & PAULA PATTON are on the verge of settling their mega custody war.

ALIEN: COVENANT is a return to the sci-fi horror of the original Alien, according to Ridley Scott.

TWIN PEAKS: Laura Dern talks to Vanity Fair about the revival.

STEVEN SPIELBERG, TOM HANKS & MERYL STREEP may get into The Pentagon Papers.

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER's spin-off is delayed again.

ROBIN HOOD has plenty of movies in development.

ISIS appeared to suffer an important setback on Monday when American-backed militia fighters in Syria seized the main route that connects Raqqa, the Islamic State’s de facto capital, to its territory in southeastern Deir al-Zour Province.

JUST AN ALLIGATOR and his fish out on a FL golf course.

A RARE WHITE RHINO was shot by poachers who sawed off its horn.

ONE OF THE LAST GIANT TUSKER ELEPHANTS, also killed by poachers.

AND THERE WAS KITTY LITTER All Over The Highway.

FATHER JOHN MISTY perfomed a twofer on SNL.

THE MAGNETIC FIELDS are advance streaming tracks from 50 Song Memoir.

DAVID BAZAN streams Care.

HATER advance streams You Tried.

MARK LANEGAN shares "Beehive" ahead of Gargoyle.

HEAT covers the Psychedelic Furs’ “Pretty in Pink.”

LIZ PHAIR & BEST COAST played a vintage Phair twofer at a benefit show.

FOXYGEN talks to PopMatters about the themes that dominate their latest album, their work with an orchestra, and their strange connection to the POTUS.

PREFAB SPROUT returns with America.

SUZANNE VEGA talks about her fave books at the New York Times.

ROBERT RANDOLPH digs into the history of sacred steel music at World Cafe.

BILL PAXTON's valve replacement surgery resulted in a fatal stroke.

CHRISSY TEIGEN talks about her post-partum depression.

DEADPOOL had a short film in front of Logan.

GILMORE GIRLS could return for another run on Netflix.

THE ROMANOFFS: Matt Weiner talks to THR about his post-Mad Men anthology series.

ROBERT OSBORNE, the effervescent primetime host of Turner Classic Movies since the cabler’s inception in 1994, has died. He was 84.

NORTH KOREA was practicing to strike American military bases in Japan with its latest barrage of missiles, state media in Pyongyang reported Tuesday.

THIS EEL-LIKE FISH eats sharks and whales from the inside.

OWL CAFES: Japan moves beyond cat cafes.

A MOUSE delayed an international flight from London to San Francisco.

DEEP FRIED LIZARD: I'm Lovin' It.