THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with HUSKER DU! Recorded live at the Stone in San Francisco, on March 1, 1985. Part 1 includes "Diane" "Hate Paper Doll" and "Green Eyes." Part 2 includes "Divide and Conquer," "Pink Turns To Blue" and "Eight Miles High." Part 3 features "Makes No Sense At All" and "Louie, Louie" (w/ members of the Minutemen and the Meat Puppets).

THE HOLD STEADY: Frontman and MN Twins fan Craig Finn plays ball in a chat seesion on ESPN.com, with a fair amount on Kent Hrbek, though rock fans may be more interested in his take on the 70s: "I just read Neil Young's bio. The things that went down in the 70s for sure don't go down in the 2000s. After the show we get on the bus and go away. I don't understand when all this stuff is supposed to happen." Plus a link to stream the band's version of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."

THE TOP 100 HOT 100 HITS of ALL TIME, according to Billboard -- one of a number of new charts, including "Artists With The Most Hot 100 Appearances" (The King is King, but the Fabs are Four), "One-Hit Wonders" and "Cover Me: Same Songs to Hit No. 1 By Two Different Artists," to name just a few. Plenty of A/V links as well.

THE EAGLES OF DEATH METAL answer a few questions for the Houston Chronicle.

JAY NASH & FRIENDS... do the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.

THE LAST SHADOW PUPPETS roll out more retro British pop in "My Mistakes Were Made For You."

THE 80s REDUX: At he NPR Monitor Mix blog, drummer Carrie Brownstein defends the decade a little more, even wading into the comments section to remind people she already wrote about the genius of The Replacements. 

BILLY IDOL talks to the Las Vegas Sun about the upsides and downsides of the current technological age.

MATTHEW SWEET talks to JamBase about the upsides and downsides of the current technological age.  And he talks to Paste about a broad array of musical topics.

RHETT MILLER talks to the San Antonio Current about the mean side of Owen Wilson and more...

CUTOUT BIN: From Green to the Black Keys, from Morrissey to Johnny Thunders, from Let's Active to Kenny Rogers to the Flaming Lips covering David Bowie, from Rhythm Heritage to Buffalo Springfield to M Ward, the Minutemen and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds can be jukeboxed or streamed separately via the Pate page at the ol' HM.

NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases include the remake of The Women, currently scoring 7 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; the Pacino-DeNiro thriller Righteous Kill, currently scoring 17 percent on thin reviews; The Coen Bros.' Burn After Reading, which is scoring 76 percent overall (but only 50 percent among the "cream of the crop" critics); and Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys, wich goes unscreened for critics, per usual.

LINDSAY LOHAN & SAMANTHA RONSON: Sam used her DJ slot at Chateau Marmont to announce: "By the end of this year, my love will be Mrs Ronson" -- eliminating all doubt as to who wears the pants in that relationship.

ANNE HATHAWAY: The Smoking Gun catalogs the expensive jewelry the actress had to surrender to the feds when her ex-boyfriend was busted and pleaded guilty to fraud charges.

KANYE WEST was arrested at LAX for felony vandalism in a confrontation with a paprazzo.  More details via TMZ.

SARAH McLACHLAN and her hubby-drummer have called it quits after 11 years.

JESSICA SIMPSON: Wearing a skirt for a windy outdoor show was a bad choice.

JENNIFER ANISTON: Going out with Gerard Butler ("300")?

MAD MEN: John Slattery ("Roger Sterling" talks to USA Today about his Emmy nomination and originally wanting the lead in the acclaimed AMC drama: "Yeah, but who wouldn't? James Bond would want the role of Don Draper."

THE STANS: Pres. Bush secretly approved orders allowing US Special Ops ground missions in Pakistan without the prior approval of the Pakistani government. A raid last week involved more than two dozen members of the Navy Seals who spent several hours on the ground and killed about two dozen suspected al- Qaeda fighters who had been conducting attacks against a US forward operating base across the border in Afghanistan.  Joint Chiefs Chair Mullen is warning that thousands more US troops as well as greater US military involvement across the border in Pakistan's tribal areas are needed to battle an intensifying insurgency in Afghanistan.

IRAQ is still waiting for a response from the US to proposals regarding the controversial security deal between the two countries. Iraqi soldiers arrested three leaders of Al-Qaeda in a raid in Diyala province late Wednesday, and killed three would-be suicide bombers. The US military has intercepted a letter in which senior Al Qaeda operatives reveal their fury over militants' failure to keep up with the campaign against US-led forces in Iraq.

ANGORA KITTY saved from fire is given mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

PUPPY survives eating six pounds of rocks. Video at the link.

SCOOBY-DOO has become the first animal in the world to appear as a witness in a murder trial.  Yes, really. And the guy would have gotten away with it, too, if not for those meddling kids.

AND THERE WERE PIGS ALL OVER THE HIGHWAY, 25 miles south of Des Moines, IA, closing I-35 for about nine hours. Video at the link.

MOUSE sabotages trafic stop. No word yet on involvement with any squirrel conspiracy.

SHARK ALERT in effect for all of Hawaii.

CONSTANTINES: "Our Age" is not really my age anymore, but parts of it seem vaguely familiar.

JENNY LEWIS is advance streaming her new album via JennySpace.

SONIC YOUTH has signed with Matador.  Those of you fearing it was Starbucks can get off the ledge.

FRIGHTENED RABBIT stopped by KEXP for a chat and mini-set you can stream on demand via NPR.

GOT A FEE-VAH? Here is your prescription.

ELBOW wins the UK's esteemed Mercury Prize. Here's the video for their latest single, "The Bones of You."

OKKERVIL RIVER frontman Will Sheff shares a few of his favorite things for Pitchfork's "Guest List" feature.

THE SPINTO BAND performs a dramatic reading from the novelization of "Gremlins 2: The New Batch" for Daytrotter.  Yes, really.

THE WHO are set to receive a Kennedy Center Honor on December 7 in Washington for their contribution to American culture.  Perhaps Pete will break out his Union Jacket.

DEVENDRA BANHART tells Rolling Stone he had a panic attack while recording his upcoming LP, of which he says some songs have a "weird vibe of cowboy songs" while another has an '80s-style electro-pop beat reminiscent of Hall And Oates' "I Can't Go For That."

ANNE HATHAWAY  is breaking her silence about her split from Italian beau Raffaello Follieri, who yesterday pleaded guilty to 14 counts of con-artistry in a Manhattan Federal court.

KIRSTEN DUNST says rumors she is romancing Justin Long "are the funniest thing on planet Earth," adding, "I don't know him from Adam," though the two have been photographed repeatedly over the summer.

THE DARK KNIGHT: Philip Seymour Hoffman says no one has approached him about playing The Penguin in a Batman film, and he doesn't know if he would make a good Penguin,  But he is a fan of comic-book movies and Nolan.

MISCHA BARTON dumps Rooney frontman Taylor Locke after about seven months together.

UMA THURMAN is "absolutely not pregnant," according to her rep.

HOLLYWOOD'S MOST OVERPAID MOVIE STARS, according to Forbes magazine. You are looking at number three.

PAM ANDERSON laughs off rumors that she is dating Jacko: "He just wants me to be in a video."

WILLIAM SHATNER does not appear in the Star Trek reboot, according to director JJ Abrams.

9/11: The first five minutes of CNN coverage. I came out of the shower, saw the second plane hit on NBC, and knew had had to contact my boss, whose daughter lived in NYC. Today, only 9 of 17 nations surveyed have a majority who think Al Qaeda was responsible for the attacks.

KIM JONG IL is believed to be recovering from recent surgery, South Korea's spy agency said Wednesday. The NoKos claim reports questioning Kim's health are a "conspiracy plot."  Meanwhile, North Korea has quietly built a long-range missile base that is larger and more capable than an older and well-known launch pad for ICBMs.

IRAQ: Leaders of Iraq's political blocs have formed a panel to try to resolve a dispute over adopting a controversial provincial election law. US SecDef Gates said  the war in Iraq had entered its "endgame" and urged the next US president to continue a cautious approach to troop cuts.

ABUSED CAT shuns media attention, then goes all Sean Penn on the reporter.

PLAGUES of RATS devastate Burnese villages in a 50-year freak of nature.

A ROGUE KANGAROO has boxed its way out of its enclosure in a small German town and set off a chase with baffled emergency responders.

ZOOS are setting up an online dating service for rare species.

DIXIE the CAT returns home after nine years.

THE TEENAGERS are "Feeling Better" with help from fan footage.

PAUL WELLER talks to Pitchfork about the various twists and turns of his career at age 50.

ANNUALS have made "Confessor" downloadable at AnnualSpace.

ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO is profiled by the L.A. Times, with the near-inevitable comeback angle.

ALINA SIMONE does the four free songs thing for Daytrotter, one previously unreleased.

SPOON frontman Britt Daniel debuted new songs like "Who Backs Your Money" at Music Fest North West.

MAGAZINE will reunite for two gigs next year.

AIMEE MANN talks to the Baltimore Sun about the characters in the short stories on  her new album, @#%&*! Smilers.

THAO NGUYEN plays a four-song, Tiny Desk concert for NPR.

LOCKSLEY coughs up "All Over Again" as a free download via Spinner.

RICK ASTLEY judges various "Rick Rolls" for the Guardian.

JON FAVREAU & ROBERT DOWNEY JR. spill hints about future movies during a live commentary session for Iron Man. Video Q&A here and here.

JOSH HARTNETT is taking the Daily Mirror newspaper to court for alleging he had a "sexual dalliance" in a public area of a London hotel.  Even with the UK's plaintiff-friendly libel law, this strikes me as risky, unless he wasn't really in the hotel.

JESSICA SIMSPON halted a performance on live television Tuesday, but I think that's better than sounding bad because you can't hear yourself. Video at the link.

MISCHA BARTON has revealed she secretly checked into rehab after her drunk driving arrest in 2007.

KATE BECKINSALE talks to OK! magazine about balancing work and family.

THE BEST HIGH SCHOOL MOVIES, as compiled by Pop Candy's Whitney Matheson. Hey hey hey hey.

CHARLIE KAUFMANN, the scribe for Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Adaptation, gets a suitable unique behind-the-scenes-of-the-artcle treatment from Wired magazine.

NORTH KOREA: US intell officials said that Kim Jong Il may have suffered a serious health setback, potentially a stroke, amid reports that the 66-year-old dictator had failed to appear at an important celebration of his country's anniversary.  Maybe he's just ronery.

IRAQ: US and Iraqi officials are holding meetings to reassure Awakening and Sons of Iraq members about what the future holds for them once the Sunni-dominated citizen patrols begin reporting to the Iraqi government on Oct. 1.  Bob Woodward claims that the dramatic drop in violence in Iraq is due in large part to a secret program the US military has used to kill terrorists -- which he reveals in his new book, depite saying that blowing the secret would get people killed.  US troops foiled an insurgent terror plot against them originating in a bakery.  The Financial Times has a slideshow of calm returning to Basra.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: A base-jumping dog.

GIANT PANDA CUBS are being specially cared for by a team of workers in China.  Awww...some pics.

TACO the CHIHUAHUA tracks down a wanted felon, makes him drop the chalupa. Video at the link.

RARE BLONDE HEDGEHOG is returning to health after being found orphaned.  Sure to attract Spiny Norman.

HORATIO the GOLDFISH has stunned his owner by spending the last five years swimming around upside down.

THE KAISER CHIEFS "Never Miss A Beat" in their latest video.

NEW RELEASES: Calexico, Passion Pit, and Chad Van Gaalen are among the albums streaming via Spinner this week.  Okkervil River releases The Stand-Ins. The Horse Feathers release House With No Home. The Lovely Sparrows Bury The Cynics.

JIMMY PAGE: Downplaying a Zeppelin reunion... or prodding Robert Plant?

RADIOHEAD: The full concert at the Santa Barbara Bowl is now steaming on demand via NPR.

JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE does six free songs for Daytrotter, including a conutrified cover of The Replacements' "Can't Hardly Wait."

BRIAN WILSON survives a phone interview with Pitchfork. Ironically, he seems more animated performing for AOL Sessions, which is your Fivefer Tuesday.  He even manages a few smiles during "Going Home," which is odd if you listen to the lyrics.

THE RAVEONETTES will trade you EPs for contact info.

THE MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR: The biggest online survey of personal memories ever conducted aims to see how Beatles associations shed light on the psychological effect of autobiographical memory.

TORTOISE: Doug McCombs talks to NOW Toronto about starting work on the band's first new album in four years.

DR. DOG: Scott McMicken talks to the Birmingham Weekly about the band's new album and current tour.

THE MTV VMAs, boiled down to two minutes of your life you'll never get back. Host Russell Brand insulted Pres. Bush and the Jonas Bros - and got in trouble for the latter.

BRITNEY SPEARS, the big "winner" at the VMAs is said to be "furious" with her mother, as Mama Lynne's book blames all of Britney's problems on her daughter's former managers, whereas Britney feels Lynne herself caused so many of her problems and issues.

JESSICA SIMPSON makes her debut at the Grand Ole Opry, with some in the audience thinking she should have put some clothes on.  Which seems to me to invert the entire Jessica Simpson singing-dressing equation.

MINNIE DRIVER became a first-time mom to son Henry Story Driver.

UMA THURMAN: Pregnancy rumors.

HEATHER MILLS is writing a book about a model who falls for a world-famous rock star and marries him before the relationship turns sour. Shocka!

THE DARK KNIGHT: Michael Caine kinda sorta confirms rumors about Jhnny Depp as The Riddler and Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin in the next installment of the Batman franchise -- though afaik, there's been no work on a script yet.

BIG BUDGET AUTEURS: Blood pressure has risen for execs at Fox, Paramount and Warner Bros. over, respectively, "Avatar," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "Where the Wild Things Are."  James Cameron says Avatar makes Titanic look like a picnic. Avatar is being made in stereoscopic 3-D and combines live action and computer animation.  WTWTA is back on Warner Bros.' release schedule, set for a release on Oct. 16, 2009.

SCIENTOLOGY: Over a period of twelve hours, American Rights Counsel LLC sent out over 4000 DMCA takedown notices to YouTube, all making copyright infringement claims against videos with content critical of the Church of Scientology.  Meanwhile, a French judge has ordered two departments and seven prominent members of the Church of Scientology in France to stand trial on charges of organized fraud.

TERROR in the UK/US: Three men charged in an plot to explode bombs on trans-Atlantic airliners bound for the United States and Canada were convicted Monday in London of conspiracy to murder.

ADAM GADAHN, al-Qaeda's prize American recruit and propaganda chief may have been killed in a CIA-directed airstrike.

PAKISTAN: Despair among human rights workers over a rash of so-called "honour killings" intensified yesterday when it was disclosed that a girl forced into marriage with a 45-year-old man at the age of nine had been killed by her parents because she asked for an annulment.

IRAN's first nuke plant is almost ready.

IRAQ: Pres. Bush will announce plans to withdraw about 8000 US troops by February 2009 and deploy soldiers to Afghanistan where violence has been surging.

BELLA the LABRADOR, believed to be the oldest dog in the world, has died - aged around 203 in dog years.

HOMER the LABRADOR survived horrific injuries when he was hit by an express train -- because his wound was seared shut by the intense heat from the 125 mph train.

LEAPING CARP, Broken Jaw.

A SNAKE PARKED WAS ROBBED of money hard-earned by a man who has been living in a snake cage for 85 days.

A LARGE SHARK towed a surfer out to sea like a "powerful jet ski' after it became entangled in the leg rope of his surfboard. What say you, Police Chief Brody?

SEQUESTERED IN MUPPETS: The Hold Steady's "Sequestered In Memphis" performed by Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, sort of.  This is why Al Gore invented the Internet.

THE TING TINGS stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set you can stream via NPR.

TV on the RADIO: The band's five-year ascent is chronicled in the New York Times.

JOHN DARNIELLE & KAKI KING are collaborating on the six-song Black Pear Tree EP.  You cans stream "Thank You Mario But Our Princess Is in Another Castle" via Pitchfork.

NEIL YOUNG talks to Blurt about CSNY: Déjà Vu, a film directed by Young chronicling the events of CSNY's "Freedom of Speech 2006" tour.

THE CLASH: The trailer for the "Live at Shea" DVD due in October is online now.

THE BLACK KEYS were tapped by Rick Rubin to back Billy Gibbons for a few songs on ZZ Top's next album.

REUNITED FOR THE FIRST TIME: Soul Men Steve Cropper (The MGs) and Felix Cavaliere (The Rascals) have made a new album: Nudge It Up a Notch is one of the first releases from a newly revived Stax label.  NPR's Weekend Edition has a feature plus two streaming tracks.

JENNY LEWIS talks to Billboard about her upcoming, cameo-laden solo LP: "I love being flanked by hot brunettes."

TIFT MERRITT talks to Birmingham Weekly about the "blue-eyed soul" on her new album: "I don't want to be a singer/songwriter who's songs fall apart in your hands."  (Thx, LHB.)

TOMMY LEE JONES is suing Paramount for over ten million he claims he is due for his work on No Country For Old Men.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Bangkok Dangerous "wins" the weekend with an estimated 7.8 million -- the lowest topper for at least a year, maybe the lowest since 2003's Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star. Tropic Thunder took in an estimated 7.5 million, and could conceivably end up in the top slot when the actual receipts come in.  The House Bunny takes in 5.9 million, and has made about 37 million so far on a 25 million budget; if Sept. continues to be a dumping ground, the bunny may keep hopping.  The Dark Knight took in another 5.7 million, with extended legs probably coming from those IMAX theaters.  Traitor rounds out the Top Five with about 4.7 million.

LINDSAY LOHAN & SAMANTHA ROBINSON were... wait for it... caught canoodling on camera outside the Mercer Hotel in NYC.  The couple would like to raise a baby, according to the uber-reliable News of the World.

TERI HATCHER reveals the secrets to happiness in her October column for Britain's Glamour magazine.

ASHLEE SIMPSON & PETE WENTZ are expecting twins, a pal tells E! Online.

THE McCARTNEYS:  Sir Paul was subjected to a vicious smear campaign by Heather Mills during their divorce, claims a former PR aide of Mills.

SPIDER-MAN 4:  Tobey Maguire and director Sam Raimi will be returning, according to Nikki Finke.  She also reports that a Spider-Man 5 may be shot at the same time.

ALEC BALDWIN is an unlikeable, psychotic narcissist, according to  My Name Is Earl creator/executive producer Greg Garcia.

MAD MEN is the flagship for a new golden age for television drama, according to NYDN critic David Hinckley.

IRAQ: Gen. Petraeus will hand the command of US-led forces in Iraq to Gen. Raymond Odierno on September 16.  Upcoming elections and lingering tensions among Iraq's religious and ethnic groups appear behind the US military's recommendation to put the brakes on withdrawing more troops, despite improvements in security. Fatalities from IEDs, the biggest killer of US troops in Iraq, declined 78 percent over the past year.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: A militant squirrel disrupts the White Sox-Cleveland Indians game at Progressive Field.  (Thx, Dad!)

LUNA the COCKATOO has now pranked the Trenton police twice. Don't do the crime if you can't do the time.

A BLACK BEAR tries to take over a pot-growing operation in Utah. No pic-a-nic basket will be safe.

GREEN POLAR BEARS are drawing questions from puzzled visitors at a Japanese zoo. I figure they're trying to show environmental awareness.

BOBCATS have taken over a foreclosed house in Lake Elsinore, Calif. Wicked pic at the link.