SEAN ROWE covers Richard Thompson's classic "1952 Vincent Black Lightning," live in Troy, NY.

RYAN ADAMS and his band performed an extensive set for WFUV at the legendary Electric Lady Studios in the West Village.

REAL ESTATE joined Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

TOM WAITS: Nighthawks on the Radio (1976) has been re-upped.

JASON MOLINA: North Star Blues Session (2003) has been re-upped.

THE RAMONES: "Merry Christmas (I Don't Wanna Fight Tonight)."

THE WRENS finally finish their album, after a harrowing trip to the ICU with near-death pneumonia.

PRINCE: Author Alan Light tells the Purple Rain story on All Things Considered.

PARLIAMENT: George Clinton goes into detail about partying with Sly Stone, encountering zombies and recording some of the funkiest records of all time.

BRADFORD COX: The Deerhunter frontman has been hospitalized after a car accident and is currently in a hospital in his home state of Georgia.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Mockingjay Part 1 remains atop the chart with 21.6 million in the traditionally slow post-Thanksgiving weekend.This third film continues to lag the second, but at 560.5 million worldwide, it's profitable marketing for the big finale (at least,if it follows the Harry Potter trajectory).  Penguins of Madagascar shows again with 11.1 million on a 56 percent drop. Although this franchise does well worldwide, it's getting hard to see how this one profits before the home market.  Horrible Bosses 2 climbs two notches to show with 8.6 million, though that's a 44 percent drop from its opening -- usually not a great hold for a comedy, but probably alright for this weekend.  Big Hero 6 slides to the fourth slot with 8.1 million on a 57 percent drop that shows how much this weekend hits family movies; having recouped its production budget domestically, it stands a good chance of profiting in Asian and European markets later this month.  Interstellar rounds out the Top 5 with 8 million on a 49 percent drop; this one is likely well into the black at 593 million in worldwider receipts.

THE GRAMMY nominations are announced. Not exactly a banner year, but then I'll be less disappointed when the winners are announced.

BILL COSBY will likely face investigation by the LAPD.

MILEY CYRUS & PARIS HILTON made out in front of Miley's new boyfriend.

MEGAN FOX & BRIAN AUSTIN GREEN escaped unharmed from an accident with a drunk driver.

EMILY DESCHANEL is pregnant and expecting her second child with husband David Hornsby.

AMANDA PEET gave birth to a baby boy on Sunday, her third child with husband David Benioff.

THE UNITED STATES  released six Guantanamo detainees to Uruguay, including Jihad Ahmed Mujstafa Diyab, who had been assessed a "high-risk" detainee with extensive connections to al Qaeda's global network. The US handed over Latif Mehsud and two others detained by US forces in Afghanistan in 2013 to Pakistani authorities. US officials said the unsuccessful raid to rescue US hostage Luke Somers and Pierre Korkie, a South African, from AQAP in Yemen was undertaken after receiving intelligence that the two men were about to be executed.

FRANCE: Nabil Ouerfelli and Yasmine Znaidi, two leaders of the Paris and Gaza-based Islamic charity Pearl of Hope, have been charged with financing terrorism, and the charity has been shut down.

SYRIA: The Associated Press has a five-part look at the embattled city of Kobani.

A PYGMY GOAT acts like a puppy dog.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: Much of the Tampa campus at University of South Florida was without electricity Thursday morning, the work of a militant squirrel.

MICE implanted with human brain cells become smarter.

COWS ON THE LAM in Red Wing, MN.

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with ELTON JOHN! Half of a live show captured by the OGWT on Christmas Eve, 1974.  Your setlist includes: "Grimsby" (incompete), "Rocket Man," "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," "Daniel," Grey Seal,"  "Bennie And The Jets," "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds," "I Saw Her Standing There," "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me," "Honky Cat," "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting," "Crocodile Rock," "The B^tch Is Back," "Your Song," and "White Christmas."

NICK LOWE & LOS STRAITJACKETS stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set, including "Peace Love & Understanding," dedicated to the late Ian McLagan.

THE NEW BASEMENT TAPES: Elvis Costello, T-Bone Burnett, Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Marcus Mumford (Mumford & Sons), Rhiannon Giddens (Carolina Chocolate Drops) and Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes) stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

SPOON stopped by WFUV Live for a chat and mini-set.

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED surveys The Year In Music.

QUARTERBACKS drop "Center" ahead of their self-titled debut.

THE KINKS, with the evergreen "Father Christmas."

BILLY BRAGG writes about the late Ian McLagan at The Guardian.

PATTERSON HOOD talks to the Florence Times-Daily about playing solo in the Shoals. (Thx, LHB.)

THE BEST ALBUM COVERS of 2014, according to Pitchfork.

TEN THINGS you should know about The Trashmen.

THE CUTOUT BIN takes a hiatus this week, as I recover from a cold.

NOW SHOWING: The Pyramid is the only major release this weekend, on only 550 screens, scoring 20 percent on the ol' Tomatometer.  This is typical for the post-Thanksgiving frame, a lull before the holdiday season kicks off with Exodus: Gods and Kings and Top Five.

TERMINATOR GENISYS has a trailer online.

SPECTRE will be the title of the 24th official James Bond film, which announced its cast yesterday.

BILL COSBY's lawyers have struck back at one of his accusers in court, declaring that she tried to extort him for a quarter-million dollars and that she attempted to sell her story to a tabloid a decade ago.

MARIAH CAREY's NBC performance Wednesday night was...Oof!

TYLER PERRY and his longtime girlfriend, Gelila Bekele, welcomed their first child, son Aman Tyler Perry, last Sunday.

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH is officially cast as Marvel's Doctor Strange.

RYAN REYNOLDS is closing a deal on Deadpool, the character he originated in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

DECEMBER 7, 1941: A "date which will live in infamy." I'll be watching Tora! Tora! Tora! this weekend. BTW, the first nation invaded by the US after entering WWII was Morocco, then Algeria, iirc. War is strange.

THE ISLAMIC STATE has set up training camps in eastern Libya and the American military is closely monitoring the situation. After hree months of U.S.-led air strikes, Islamic State fighters have surrendered little of their self-declared caliphate to the broad sweep of forces arrayed against them.

IRAQ: The heads of two prominent Sunni Anbar tribes expressed unease about the prospect of cooperating with the US against the Islamic State, and repeated calls for the Iraqi government to support them with funds, weapons, and ammunition.

AFGHANISTAN: A Pentagon report on the green-on-blue attack in Afghanistan in August that killed a US general and wounded 16 Coalition troops found no evidence that the attack was instigated by the Taliban, but faulted Afghan officials for lack of cooperation with the investigation.

YOU CAN LEAD A HORSE TO WATER: Let's go to the video.

ELECTRIC EELS work like Tasers.

A PIGLET was rescued from the sea by the RSPCA.

THE IKEA MONKEY is looking for a new home.

IAN McLAGAN, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, keyboardist for the Faces and Small Faces, Rod Stewart and the Rolling Stones (to name but a few), has passed away in Austin TX at 69. The Rolling Stone obit embeds classics "Stay With me" and "Itchyco Park," but I'll throw in "Tin Soldier" as a bonus tribute track. BOUNUS: His recent session at The Current.

JAMES gives KEXP listeners a live performance from The Cutting Room Studios in New York City.

STARS stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

THE SUN RA ARKESTRA plays a Tiny Desk Concert at the offices of NPR. 

JUKEBOX THE GHOST stopped by World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

ARIEL PINK isn't a misogynist but a nymphomaniac, according to his cal Arts schoolmate John Maus.

CAKE's one-time drummer Peter Ivan McNea has been sentenced to 15-years-to-life in state prison for molesting a three-year-old girl at a Thanksgiving 2009 party.

DAVID BOWIE: Ten of the Best.

ROUGH TRADE'S Top 100 Albums of the Year.

LINDSAY LOHAN is launching a clothing line, named...wait for it...My Addiction.

JIMMY FALLON and wife Nancy welcomed their second child on Wednesday.  He's also Entertainment Weekly's Entertainer of the Year.

ARNIE HAMMER is a first-time father after welcoming a daughter with his wife, journalist Elizabeth Chambers Hammer.

EVA MENDES stopped by The Ellen DeGeneres Showto talk about her new daughter and parenthood with her man Ryan Gosling.

MARIAH CAREY  was so consumed with divorce talk Tuesday evening that she blew off her scheduled taped performance for the Rockefeller Center tree lighting ceremony... but she was to perform live Wednesday night.

ANNIE LENNOX questioned Mdonna's topless photoshoot for Interview magazine. Did she just now realize Madge is "attention seeking"?

CENTCOM reported that since Dec. 1, the US has carried out 14 airstrikes in Syria against the Islamic State, and that the US and partner nations carried out 11 airstrikes against the group in Iraq. Secretary of State Kerry refused to confirm reports that Iranian airstrikes had targeted the Islamic State in Iraq and added that the US is not coordinating militarily with Iran, but said that the net effect of such strikes could be positive.

IRANIAN jets helped Iraqi and allied forces, including Kurdish fighters and Shiite militiamen, chase Islamic State fighters from the two towns in Diyala in late November.

NATO and AFGHANISTAN on Tuesday formally launched the new training and advisory mission that will take over from departing alliance combat troops on Jan. 1.

SOPHIA the RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK: From 2 months to 3 years in 23 seconds.

RATS offer clues to why men like lingerie. It's Science!

SNAIL SLIME: The secret to youthful-looking skin.

BLADE the TORTOISE was fitted with a set of Lego wheels after losing the use of his legs.

BOBBY KEYS, longtime saxophone player, session musician and touring member of the Rolling Stones, has died in rural Tennessee at age 70.  Though he's undoubtedly best known for playing on classic Stones LP's including Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main Street, he got his start playing with Buddy Holly, and one of his first recorded solo's was on Dion & The Belmonts' "The Wanderer." His discography is truly impressive, as are these performances.

CONOR OBERST stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

SEAN ROWE stopped by WFUV's Studio A for a chat and mini-set.

THE RURAL ALBERTA ADVANTAGE  performs live in the KEXP Studio, with a set of tunes from their 2014 album, Mended With Gold.

THE GOODBYE PARTY is streaming Silver Blues via Bandcamp.

THE DECEMBERISTS drop a lyric video for "Lake Song" ahead of What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World.

SLEATER-KINNEY drops "Surface Envy" ahead of No Cities To Love.

THE KILLERS dropped a video for "Joel the Lump of Coal," with help from Jimmy Kimmel.

NATALIE PRASS: This 28-year-old Nashville singer/songwriter weathers heartbreak while backed by lush arrangements that recall the orchestrated, soulful pop of the 1970s.

AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd has entered a plea of not-guilty to charges of threatening to kill and possession of drugs. 

VINYL COMEBACK? Don't believe the hype.

THE 50 BEST ALBUMS of 2014, according to Stereogum.

BILL COSBY is being sued by a 55-year-old woman who claims the comedian sexually assaulted her at the Playboy Mansion in 1974 when she was 15 years old ... according to TMZ.

KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN is the next member of the family to do a nude photoshoot.

LADY GAGA revealed on The Howard Stern Show Tuesday that she was raped as a teen.

ROSARIO DAWSON adopted a 12-year-old girl in October.

BRADLEY COOPER tells Buzz Bissinger about his past struggles—including addiction, and the wrenching loss of his father.

SUICIDE SQUAD: Warner Bros announced Jared Leto, Will Smith, Tom Hardy, Margot Robbie, Jai Courtney and Cara Delevingne will make up the all-star cast of Warner Bros.' supervillain tentpole.

"BEAUTY WORK": The secret Hollywood procedure that has fooled us for years.

NATO will establish a prototype of a new rapid response force next year as it strives to improve its ability to deter a potential Russian attack, the alliance said on Tuesday. The new Army commander in Europe plans to bolster the U.S. armored presence in Poland and the Baltic states and keep rotations of U.S. troops there through next year and possibly beyond to counter Russia.

THE ISLAMIC STATE is expanding in Egypt.

SYRIA:  The latest effort to unify the fractured Syrian military opposition has done little to create a cohesive vehicle for foreign military aid that could fight insurgents in Syria, after at least two major rebel groups dropped out of the initiative.Meanwhile, the US hasn't started vetting so-called moderate rebels yet.

IRAN is bombing Islamic State targets in Iraq.

BARRY THE PUG takes a bath.

BUTCH THE BOSTON TERRIER experienced joy in his final days.

GIRAFFE numbers have plummeted by 40 per cent in the past 15 years.

JUMPING THE SHARK: Guess who photobombed a surfing competition off an Australian beach?

OF MONTREAL's Kevin Barnes covered David Bowie's “Moonage Daydream” and “Hang Onto Yourself” at the Museum Of Contemporary Art Chicago.

WILCO is streaming all four discs of Alpha Mike Foxtrot: Rare Tracks 1994-2014... at TLOBF, ClashMusic, Uncut, and The Quietus. (Thx, Frank Yang)

WILLIE NELSON & SISTER BOBBIE stream December Day: Willie's Stash, Vol. 1.

SCHOOL 94 advance streams their Like You EP.

FAITH NO MORE played a secret five-song set at Amoeba Records.

DEER TICK drops "White Havoc" for the holidays.

GLAM XMAS:  Wizzard's awesome "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day" and Slade's "Merry Christmas Everybody" (1973's UK Xmas No. 1) are your Twofer Tuesday.

KIM GORDON has proven to be the most adventurous member of Sonic Youth since the band's demise.

PANDORA's new deal with indie labels...sounds like old school payola?

AC/DC: Angus Young and Brian Johnson talk to The Guardian about unwelcome headlines.

ROLLING STONE's TOP 50 ALBUMS of 2014 is pretty Rolling Stone.

CHRISTIAN BALE talks to the Wall Street Journal about Exodus: Gods and Kings, past roles, and tells George Clooney to shut up.

BILL COSBY resigned from Temple University's board of trustees on Monday, after the Berklee School of Music and Cosby’s alma mater, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, became the latest institutions to cut ties with the 77-year-old comedian as more women stepped forward with accusations.

ANGELINA JOLIE had a big scare Sunday when her SUV skidded on an oily L.A. road, hitting a median and blowing 2 tires.

SCARLETT JOHANSSON married French journalist Romain Dauriac in a secret ceremony just after the birth of their daughter, Rose.

ROSIE O'DONNELL's days on The View are numbered. Turns out she's difficult. Who knew?

STEPHEN HAWKING would like to play a Bond villain.

SONY PICTURES are being devoured on copyright-infringing file-sharing hubs online in the wake of the hack attack that hobbled the studio earlier in the week. Currently being investigated is a connection between upcoming Sony movie The Interview, and North Korea.

TERRORISTS are plotting to blow up five European passenger jets in a Christmas "spectacular", security experts say.

TURKEY: The Obama administration is weighing the opening of a new front in the air war against the Islamic State in Syria, part of an offensive to push back militants along the western portion of Syria’s border with Turkey and create a relatively safe zone for U.S.-backed Syrian rebel forces to move in.

SYRIA: CENTCOM stated that the US conducted 27 airstrikes in Syria since Nov. 28; 26 targeted the islamic State and one targeted Al Nusrah.

PUPPIES dressed as Disney characters, and PETA does nothing?

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: A militant rodent terrorized the Chater Infants School in Watford, Hertfordshire.

CRICKETS could solve the world food shortage, if we get desperate.

WHO LET THE COW IN? Moo...Moo...