THE FLAMING LIPS backed MILEY CYRUS for “Karen Don’t Be Sad” on SNL, icymi.

GLENN MERCER of The Feelies is streaming Incidental Hum.

OF MONSTERS & MEN stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

MEW stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

LIANNE La HAVAS plays a Tiny Desk Concert.

THE MAMAS & PAPAS: Can't trust that day.

YO LA TENGO talked to World Cafe about the making of Stuff Like That There and getting up early to provide the music for NPR's Morning Edition.

JOY DIVISION: Hadar Goldman talks to The Guardian about the band and buying Ian Curtis's house.

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE's Top ten Songs, according to Stereogum.

THE 100 GREATEST ALT-SINGLES of the 80s, according to PopMatters (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5).

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: The Martian rockets to the top of the chart with 55MM, the second-biggest October debut after Gravity (which along with Interstellar, was the obvious release model here). The film also earned n "A" Cinemascore, so this may replicate the leggy performance of the Sandra Bullock vehicle.  The Martian is Ridley Scott's bigegst debut, and Matt Damon's second-biggest (after The Bourne Ultimatum, which is particularly good news for Damon, who has not struck gold since the his turn as Bourne ended (likely the reason he's returning to that franchise).  Hotel Transylvania 2 places with 33MM on a 32 percent drop, respectable for a sequel featuring Adam Sandler.  Sicario's wide expansion shows with 12MM; it's nicely positioned for awards season and looks profitable against a 30MM budget, so the issue becomesw hether the studio tries to push a gritty R-rated pic onto even more screens next weekend.  The Intern takes the fourth slot with 11.6MM on a 35 percent drop that's faily leggy, tho the pic had no real comedy competition.  Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials rounds out the Top Five with 7.6MM; this one is dropping much faster than the original, but should be profiting already based on strong performances in overseas markets.  Below the fold, Everest took a big hit from The Walk's IMAX debut, and the latter isn't perfoming as strongly as the mountain pic did.

ANDY RODDICK & BROOKLYN DECKER  welcomed their first child together — a baby boy — in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday.

JIM CARREY's ex-gf may have committed suicide with pills prescribed to the actor under an alias.

JOHNNY DEPP is concerned with how quickly his daughter Lily-Rose Depp's fashion career is taking off.

JENNIFER ANISTON & JUSTIN THEROUX made their first public appearance as a married couple on Saturday when they attended the Austin premiere of The Leftovers.

STAR WARS: “Slave Leia's” bikini — a slinky costume originally worn by Carrie Fisher in The Return of the Jedi — fetched a whooping 96K at auction Friday. 

THE STATE OF THE WORLD:  Former U.N. ambassador Bill Richardson on Sunday said he has never seen the state of international affairs in worse shape.

SAUDI ARABIA’S fresh-faced defense minister, the favourite son of King Salman, has become the target of palace intrigues as plotters circulate accusations about his lavish lifestyle and reckless foreign policy. 

SYRIA: Assad said Sunday that his coalition with Russia, Iran and Iraq must succeed in Syria’s war, suggesting the alternative would be a region in chaos.

IRAN signed contracts worth 21 billion with Russia for the purchase of satellite-related equipment, as well as Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft.

A DOG STOPPED by the power of The Force.

GIRAFFES HUMMING could be disturbing the neighbors of an English zoo.

AN ALLIGATOR was confiscated in Rhode Island.

A "SOFA SHARK" was nabbed off the coast of Scotland. No remote was found.

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

... with THE BYRDS! To everything there is a season, and when the leaves start turning, my thoughts turn to this rare live threefer of "Turn! Turn! Turn!", "Bells of Rhymney" and "Mr. Tambourine Man", introduced by... David McCallum? There are more screaming girls, plus go-go dancers when they hit Shivaree for "All I Really Want to Do" and "Feel A Whole Lot Better."  There are even more dancers when they cover "Long Tall Sally" and "Not Fade Away" for Shindig! on June 23, 1965, while I'm pretty sure that's Ed Wynn introducing "Chimes of Freedom."

PROTOMARTYR advance streams The Agent Intellect.

SAINTSENECA advance streams Such Things.

JOHN GRANT advance streams Grey Tickles, Black Pressure.

DONNIE FRITZ advance streams Oh My Goodness.

COUSTEAU: "The Last Good Day of the Year." Or close to it.

SQUEEZE is back, and unlike many reunions, the fans are requesting new material.

GARBAGE: Shirley Manson talks to Idolator about the 20th anniversary of the band's debut, and their next LP.

STEVE ALBINI's TOP 10 RECORDS, according to Pitchfork staffers.

LESTER BANGS predicted the future of Rock in 1980.

NOW SHOWING: The Martian opens wide scoring 93 percent on the ol' Tomatometer.  Sicario exapnds wide at 93 percent.

THE MARTIAN: Apollo 13 + Cast Away + a great and terrible soundtrack = solid old school Hollywood entertainment. Director Ridley Scott's best movie since at least American Gangster. At least one person I know declares it not as good as the book, but this is often the case. Judged on its own merits, The Martian is thrilling, funny and a tribute to human perserverance that goes beyond Matt Damon's space-age Robinson Crusoe. I'm not a Damon fan, but he's good here as part of a fine ensemble supporting cast, particularly Jessica Chastain as Damon's mission commander and Jeff Daniels as the director of NASA.

SICARIO, we are told, is the Mexican word for "hitman," but is just misleading enough as a title to not spoil this engaging film from the outset.  The War on Drugs is both the backdrop for and target of this action-thriller-- though the targeting here is not overtly political.  Emily Blunt turns in one of her best performances as a member of an FBI hostage rescue team who becomes involved with a joint government taskforce run by Josh Brolin, whose character is as askew as his mission to disrupt the Mexican cartels.  The taskforce is advised by an enigmatic Benicio del Toro, whose connections, motivations and purpose unspool slowly and provide many of the twists in the tale. Victor Garber, Jon Bernthal, Daniel Kaluuya, and especially Maximiliano Hernandez (in an unsettling B-story) complement the main cast nicely.  Tense, sharp, violent, and occasionally terrifying, Sicario delivers the goods while avoiding Hollywood stereotypes.  It reminded me in an odd way of Mamet's Spartan, except better.

NICK JONAS is keeping quiet about his budding romance with Kate Hudson.

SANDRA BULLOCK reportedly finalized the adoption of a baby girl.

BILL COSBY: Three more women have come forward with accusations that the comic drugged, sexually assaulted or sexually harassed them, bringing the former sitcom star's accuser tally to more than 50.

TOM HIDDLESTON, best known for plaing Marvel's Loki, talks to the Wall Street Journal about his upcoming turns as Hank Williams in I Saw the Light, and the Byronic hero of Crimson Peak.

RUSSIA Russia on Thursday escalated its military engagement in Syria, with warplanes carrying out a second day of heavy airstrikes in the wartorn country. What could possibly go wrong?

IRAN: A ship carrying illicit arms believed to be from Iran was intercepted last week off the southern Arabian Peninsula by a member of a U.S.-backed naval coalition and was not registered with any country.

DERBIE BANKS practices his prance while watching dogs on the beach.

AN ELK rammed an automobile -- with a family trapped inside --  in Estes Park, CO. Anyone have a theory about this?

A DOG drove his owner's truck into Branch Lake in Maine.

FEED THE BEARS, and maybe they'll stop by your house.

MY MORNING JACKET drops a trippy live video for "Compound Fracture" from Red Rocks. 

BLITZEN TRAPPER is advance streaming All Across This Land. 

BIG STAR's THIRD: Jody Stephens, Ken Stringfellow, Chris Stamey and more stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set. 

BRANDI CARLILE stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session. 

CALVIN LOVE covers The Greenhornes (ft. Holly Golightly), Donnie & Joe Emerson, and Gordon Lightfoot at Aquarium Drunkard.

CASS McCOMBS joins the indie-star Soldiers Of Fortune to drop "Old Roman Wall." 

RAY DAVIES and DAVID BOWIE duet on "Waterloo Sunset," live at the Tibet House Benefit, Carnegie Hall, New York in Feb. 2003. 

RYAN ADAMS talks to Grantland about his cover of Taylor Swift's 1989 LP. 

METRIC: Emily Haines talks to Paste about Pagans in Vegas, introspection and women in the music biz. 

LUCERO frontman Ben Nichols talks to Salon about the influences and choices behind the new album All a Man Should Do.

A-HA: How We Made "Tke On Me." 

MATT DAMON has sought to clarify recent comments he made about actors' sexuality.

CAITLYN JENNER will not be charged with vehicular manslaughter or any other crime in connection with the fatal car crash on PCH. 

AMANDA SEYFRIED & JUSTIN LONG are dunzo after more than two years of dating. 

BRIAN AUSTIN GREEN is asking soon-to-be ex-wife Megan Fox for spousal support. 

KATE WINSLET talks to the Wall Street Journal about balancing work and family, and how she landed her role in Steve Jobs. 

SANDRA BULLOCK brings her boyfriend in-house. 

GERMANY: Just weeks after politicians from Germany's mainstream parties embraced Angela Merkel's unusually warm welcome for refugees, the tone has turned sober, reflecting growing fears about the scale of looming problems. 

CHINA: The CIA pulled a number of officers from the U.S. Embassy in Beijing as a precautionary measure in the wake of the massive cybertheft of the personal data of federal employees, current and former U.S. officials said. 

RUSSIAN Russian warplanes began airstrikes in Syria on Wednesday, which the Pentagon said apparently hit areas where Islamic State militants — ostensibly the intended targets — probably were not present. 

PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday said his government no longer considers itself bound by the Oslo agreements in effect for two decades, charging that Israel has failed to live up to its obligations. 

A HUNDRED SHARKS or so, captured by drone photography. 

FOLLOW-UP: The goat arrested at a Saskatchewan Tim Hortons may have been kidnapped. 

CANADIAN COWS march on parliament to protest trade talks. 

THE SWARM: A semi-truck carrying honeybees overturned on an Oklahoma interstate Tuesday — trapping a sheriff's deputy as thousands of angry, swarming bees blanketed his cruiser.

WICKED RICKY: Stand-ups stand in for for Robert Pollard in "Poor Substitute." 

BEIRUT plays a full set at the Bell House. 

KURT VILE stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session. 

THE INTELLIGENCE streams Vintage Future. 

BROOKE ANNIBALE advance streams The Simple Fear. 

CAT POWER & JAKOB DYLAN cover The Turtles' "You Showed Me." 

BROTHERTIGER drops "Wake" ahead of Out Of Touch. Sounds vaguely 80s.

FOO FIGHTERS & JEWEL cover Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love." 

GARY CLARK JR talks to The Guardian about being the "chosen one" and taking calls from Beyonce. 

DEERHUNTER: Bradford Cox walks Vulture through the map of influences on Fading Frontier. 

CHVRCHES' Lauren Mayberry, interviewed by Sleater-Kinney's Corin Tucker. 

WHAT IS "INDIE"? Style, Sound, Spirit? 

KALEY CUOCO officially called it quits on her marriage to Ryan Sweeting.  The Big Bang Theory actress cited irreconcilable differences in divorce documents.

KIM KARDASHIAN & KANYE WEST may welcome their child on Christmas. 

TOM HANKS talks Forrest Gump, disses Amy Poehler and gives love advice at Entertainment Weekly. 

JIM CARREY's girlfriend committed suicide just days after breaking up with the famous comic actor. 

CATHERINE E. COULSON, best known as Twin Peaks' Log Lady, died of cancer at 71. 

THE PENTAGON's top official overseeing military relations with Russia and Ukraine is resigning amid the ongoing debate within the Obama administration over how to respond to Russian moves in Ukraine and Syria. 

RUSSIAN airstrikes in Syria could happen at any time, a U.S. official with knowledge of the latest intelligence told CNN. 

AFGHANISTAN: U.S. warplanes carried out an early Tuesday morning airstrike on Taliban positions, but government ground troops sent to try to retake Kunduz, one of Afghanistan's wealthiest and most strategic cities, were stalled by roadblocks and ambushes, unable to move closer than about a mile (two kilometers) toward their target. 

A HUSKY asks for his Momma. 

AN EMU on the lam returns home in a Prius. 

THE FIRST BIOFLUORENSCENT SEA TORTOISE was discovered near the Solomon Islands.

A STUBBORN GOAT was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after a tense stand-off in a Saskatchewan Tim Hortons.

THE WELL, proto-psych/heavy rockers from Austin, go equally retro on the video for "Mortal Bones."

RIDE played Field Day 2015.

HEY COLOSSUS advance streams Radio Static High.

YOUTH LAGOON stopped by World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

JOAN SHELLEY plays a Tiny Desk Concert.

THE CHILLS drop a "Warm Waveform" ahead of Silver Bullets.

DAVID BOWIE: Mars appears to have flowing rivulets of water, at least in the summer, scientists reported Monday in a finding that raises the question, "Is There Life on Mars?" Throw in "Queen B^tch" from the OGWT for Twofer Tuesday.

NEW ORDER talks to The Guardian their new album, Music Complete, their old album Technique, and getting by without founding bassist Peter Hook.

BRIAN ENO delivers the annual John Peel Lecture.

EDDIE ARGOS (Art Brut), interviewed by Ezra Furman on the time Furman accidentally got filmed naked, playing live as an opportunity to do something weird, parenthood and its effect on one’s music, the advantages of being pretentious, and why “no” always beats “yes.”

KENNY ROGERS: A fine time to leave us?

KALEY CUOCO & RYAN SWEETING both "seemed miserable" before their divorce, even during romantic nights out, a source tells People.  The couple have a prenup.

GWEN STEFANI & GAVIN ROSSDALE, otoh, apparently did not have a prenup, and he reportedly wants half her fortune.

KATE HUDSON & NICK JONAS say they're not dating ... but does hooking up count?

BOBBY BROWN believes that Nick Gordon is to blame for the death of his daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown.

JUSTIN BIEBER was at a recording studio in Australia Sunday night ... and a woman who was there claims she was drugged. Other people at the studio say nothing like that happened.

RUSSIAN reconnaissance flights over Iraq to spy on Islamic State militants would complicate the U.S.-led campaign against the extremist group but wouldn’t obstruct it, American officials said Monday after Baghdad left open the possibility of overflights by Moscow.

SYRIA: With its Syria policy in tatters and Europe alarmed at a tide of refugees, the Obama administration and its allies are contemplating a policy shift that once seemed unthinkable: A peace formula that would allow President Bashar Assad to remain in office, at least on an interim basis.

CAT vs BEAR: Who you got?

A MONKEY eats the mail out of a Sanford, FL mailbox.

AFRICAN BAT PUGS evolved fake genitalia to avoid sex injuries.

THE KIMBERLEY DEATH ADDER is a new, deadly species of snake discovered Down Under.