THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with VAN MORRISON!  One great artist, many years of great songs and performances.  "Here Comes the Night," "Domino" and "Wild Night" are from 1974.  "Cypus Avenue" goes back to 1970.  "Moondance" plus "And It Stoned Me" date from 1980.  And I'm not sure of the date for these takes on "Into the Mystic" and "Tupelo Honey."

THE STREETS are advance streaming Computers and Blues, reportedly their last LP. Not really my bag, but maybe yours.

STARS played a Tiny Desk Concert at the offices of NPR.

TRISTEN & THE RINGERS did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.

THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART advance you the title track to Belong.

DUM DUM GIRLS drop the title track to the He Gets Me High EP.

MOONDOGGIES drop "What Took So Long" from their Tidelands LP.

LED ZEPPELIN, Live at the Inglewood Forum in L.A., June 23, 1977.  Keith Moon guests on three tracks.

PETER BJORN & JOHN got a "Second Chance" with Conan. Sounds great, fellahs, but I coulda used a little more cowbell.

ST. VINCENT: Annie Clark talks to the WSJ about Sundance, collaborations and future plans.

THE DECEMBERISTS: Nate Query answers queries from the Mpls City Pages about Portlandia and gearing up to tour The King Is Dead.

LOU BARLOW talks Sebadoh and Dinosaur, Jr. with the Santa Barbara Independent.

SUFJAN STEVENS gives a wide-ranging interview to Under The Radar.

AMOS LEE looks to become the lowest selling Billboard chart-topper ever, with Iron & Wine a close second.

THE BEATLES: Two previously unreleased Beatles tracks from the Cirque Du Soleil stage show soundtrack 'Love' are to be made available for download on Feb. 8. But the MOJO blog recently listed many more unreleased Beatlesongs that could be made available digitally.

ALBUM COVERS recreated in Lego.

CUTOUT BIN: From Elvis Costello to Eddie Holland, from the Monkees to the Arctic Monkeys, from Roy Orbison to Living Colour, from John Barry to Juliana Hatfield, plus Squeeze, the Hollies, Buffalo Springfield, White Stripes and more  -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are now streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.

NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases are both thrillers: Sanctum (in 3-D), which is currently scoring 35 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; and The Roommate, which was not screened for critics. Must be February!

HALLE BERRY & GABRIEL AUBRY take their custody dispute to Internet tabloids.  Camp Gabriel says it won't leak numerous emails, text messages and voicemails from Berry which document her angry and jealous rages -- but one magically surfaces at the same website! And People runs a story about jealousy over Kim Kardashian. Camp Halle claims the child is terrified by Gabriel... and the same website finds an ex-gf claiming Gabriel is a borderline racist.

CHARLIE SHEEN denies rumors of a conservatorshipor a sitcom shutdown, and complains: "[T]wo wars are in an endless state of sorrow. Egypt about burned to the ground, and all you people care about is my bullsh-t....?" At this site, we can do both... so let's check in with the madam who claims Sheen has his own adult video!

LINDSAY LOHAN: I wondered here whether she was tipped off about police seeking a search warrant of her home for a stolen necklace... and she reportedly was.  Lohan's defense to grand theft is that she was told the by the owner of Kamofie & Company that she could take the necklace on loan ... and the surveillance video doesn't prove otherwise because there's no audio. (I would not be surprised if California outlawed surveillance audio, as opposed to video.)

BRITNEY SPEARS denies the claim that she used a dance double in her new video.

ELTON JOHN criticizes Billy Joel, explains his decision to play Rush Limbaugh's wedding and more in the new Rolling Stone.  In response, Billy Joel says he's not angry at Sir Elton.

MAD MEL UPDATE: Gibson attempted to commit suicide by "death by cop" after his wife left him and ended their 26 year marriage, according to a friend of the star.

DALLAS: Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray are now all confirmed to return to Southfork for the TNT reboot.

SUPERMAN: Who won't -- and who might -- play Lois Lane opposite Henry Cavill in the Zach Snyder reboot.

HOLLYWOOD'S TOP 40: Creative figures -- stars, directors, producers -- and the money they earn from film, compiled by Vanity Fair.

FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF: The board game.

MARIA SCHNEIDER, the French star of "Last Tango in Paris," has died at the age of 58 after a long illness.

TERROR in the UK: The London Tube bombers were guided and encoraged by a contact in Pakistan. America accused the UK Treasury of blocking attempts to close down "terrorist financiers" operating in Britain and being more concerned with protecting the interests of the City, leaked documents show.

EGYPT: The Lede continues to provide updates on street protests in Egypt. The deployment of plainclothes forces paid by Mubarak's ruling party - men known here as baltageya - has been a hallmark of the Mubarak government, and there were many signs their violence was carefully choreographed.  Vice President Omar Suleiman made a lot of news in an interview on state TV, saying he will not run for president.  The US is rapidly reassessing its tenuous relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood, although officials have engaged in back-channel talks with Egyptian members of the movement for years in recognition of its substantial popular support.

JORDAN's powerful Muslim opposition urged the country's newly appointed prime minister to step down, calling him the wrong person to introduce democratic reforms and tackle deepening poverty and unemployment.

IRAN: A London-based think tank claimed Iran could have nuclear weapon in one or two years. Iraq's Prime Minister Maliki accused Iran of arming foreign fighters.

CORGIS PLAY TETHERBALL: Let's go to the video.

THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST TREE OCTOPUS is not endangered so much as being an Internet hoax.

A PUPPY was saved from almost certain deah by shipping.

A JAPANESE DOG is able to detect bowel cancer using its sense of smell, according to new research.

BEST COAST play "Each and Every Day" at the Ed Sullivan Theater.

GUSTER did five free songs for Daytrotter.

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

BLACK KEYS have an interview plus tracks from Fresh Air.

JEFF TWEEDY & JAY BENNETT, Live at the Old Town School of Folk Music, July 25, 1999.

LOS LOBOS unveils the theme song to "Rango," the upcoming animated feature ft. Johnny Depp.  The band was brought in after the legendary Hans Zimmer gave up on trying to craft authentic mariachi music.

THE DODOS drop "Black Night" in advance of No Color.

JOHN HIATT: It's been a "Slow Turning."

THE WHITE STRIPES have officially ended. After all, it's hard to have a lucrative reunion tour if you don't actually stop.

THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED: 52 years ago today.  Here's a little Buddy Holly.

ARCADE FIRE gets blasted by Vincent Moon, who has made a tour documentaries of the band and The National.

THE ROLLING STONES apparently intend a 50th anniversary world tour? That's what's implied in a lawsuit against promoter Live Nation.  But the band is downplaying the story.

PAVEMENT percussionist and singer Bob Nastanovich talks to SPIN, saying there may be more shows, but probably not more albums.

THE GO! TEAM: Ian Parton says he's not sure his band will continue much longer.

NICK CAVE sat down with Australia's Triple J radio to discuss his art, his nipples and performing with Grinderman at the Big Day Out festival.

LINDSAY LOHAN is under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department in connection with the possible theft of a high-end necklace from a store. She -- or was it a friend -- turned in the jewelry to police.  Was Li-Lo tipped off that the cops were seeking a search warrant for her home, based on an Internet picture? Lohan denies the charge, natch.

HALLE BERRY & GABRIEL AUBRY's custody battle gets uglier.

SCARLETT JOHANSSON & RYAN REYNOLDS: Scar-Jo got teary during a late night meetup at Chateau Marmont. The couple has no plans to reconcile, according to an "insider."

CHARLIE SHEEN: Producers are juggling to keep Two and a Half Men going while Sheen is in rehab.

BRITNEY SPEARS used a dance double in her new video. At what point is she a mannequin with a brand name?

THE MOST INTERESTING MAN IN THE WORLD: The man who plays him on TV talks to The New Yorker.

ASK MEN released their Top 99 Most Desirable Women list for 2011. It's a slide show, but the Top 10 are in text if you want to cut to the chase. Call it Gratuitous Thursday.

MINKA KELLY: They added more pics to that GQ photo shoot linked here previously. Call it Extra-Gratuitous Thursday.  (How is she only No. 99 on the AskMen List?)

EGYPT: The Lede continues to provide updates on street protests in Egypt. The Egyptian army called Wednesday for an end to the massive demonstrations, and the atmosphere turned ominous as the anti-government crowds were confronted by angry Mubarak supporters. The US State Dept. told citizens who wish to leave to report to the airport ASAP after curfew lifts in the morning, with further USG flights unlikely after today, it sounds like they fear the worst is yet to come... but coming soon. Then again, Robert Springborg, a professor of national security affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School, thinks the military has already won.

YEMENI leader Ali Abdullah Saleh, under pressure to stand down, said on Wednesday he will freeze constitutional changes that would have seen him become president for life.

SYRIA: Calls for protests on Friday and Saturday are spreading on social media websites, following popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.

TERROR in the USA: "Jihad Jane," pled guilty in a Philadelphia federal court today. She was charged with aiding foreign terror suspects and plotted to kill a Swedish cartoonist who depicted the Prophet Mohammed.

IRAN: US authorities disclosed charges and sanctions against operators of an alleged smuggling network that was accused of purchasing millions of dollars in equipment for Iran's nuclear and missile programs.

AFGHANISTAN: Officials said that training camps for the Taliban and al Qaeda are located in the Iranian cities of Zahedan, Birjan, Maibod, and in the Shamsabad area near Tehran.

KOALA BEAR eats an apple.

COW-MILKING DISPUTE turns into a foot-chase with a machete.  Boy, that escalated quickly, didn't it?

TOKYO CAT CAFES: Not just for crazy cat ladies!

THE SWARM: Bees can navigate using the sun even on cloudy days using clues from polarized light to determine the hidden sun's position, Australian researchers say.

First D.J.: "Rise and shine, campers and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cooooold out there today." Second D.J.: "It's cold out there every day. What is this, Miami Beach?" First D.J.: "Not hardly. So the big question o­n everybody's lips..." Second D.J.: "O­n their chapped lips..." First D.J.: "...their chapped lips is, 'Does Phil feel lucky?' Punxsatawney Phil! That's right, woodchuck chuckers it's...

(IN UNISON): GROUNDHOG DAY!!!"

Today, Punxsutawney Phil ---  the Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators, and Weather Prophet Extraordinary will predict whether we will have six more weeks of winter.  According to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, Phil has seen his shadow 97 times, and hasn't seen it (predicting an early spring) only 14 times.  Phil's track record is hotly disputed, though he's has had a pretty good run recently.  Nevertheless, thousands will await the sunrise and the groundhog at Gobbler's Knob in the tiny Pennsylvania hamlet that has become known as the "Weather Capital of the World," due in no small part to the movie that makes every day Groundhog Day.

This is o­ne time where the Internet really fails to capture the true excitement of a movie about a large squirrel predicting the weather. However, you can see the trailer as a refresher.

At the other end of the political spectrum, Jonah Goldberg's equally effusive movie meditation grabbed the cover of National Review: "When I set out to write this article, I thought it'd be fun to do a quirky homage to an offbeat flick, o­ne I think is brilliant as both comedy and moral philosophy. But while doing what I intended to be cursory research -- how much reporting do you need for a review of a twelve-year-old movie that plays constantly o­n cable? -- I discovered that I wasn't alone in my interest. In the years since its release the film has been taken up by Jews, Catholics, Evangelicals, Hindus, Buddhists, Wiccans, and followers of the oppressed Chinese Falun Gong movement."

Indeed, a 2004 article mentioned by Ebert (but not linked) from London's Independent observes that the Harold Ramis comedy has been hailed by some religious leaders as the most spiritual film of all time. In addition to the examples given in that article, another can be found at the Christian Science Monitor.

As Phil Connors ultimately observed: "When Chekhov saw the long winter, he saw a winter bleak and dark and bereft of hope. Yet we know that winter is just another step in the cycle of life. But standing here among the people of Punxsutawney and basking in the warmth of their hearths and hearts, I couldn't imagine a better fate than a long and lustrous winter."

ACCORDINGLY, we start off a new day:

...with Sonny & Cher o­n Hullabaloo and famously o­n Letterman years later, plus UB40 with Chrissie Hynde, not to mention The Cynics (from the Bonograph tribute CD), and David Bowie & Marianne Faithful. A bit more for Fivefer Wednesday.

ADVISORY: I'm in a blizzard, but I hope to have something for Thursday, provided the electricity doesn't go out (knocks on wood). Phil predicts an early Spring, but the short-term is another matter.

BEST COAST & WAVVES played DC's 9:30 Club the other night; you can stream both sets on demand via NPR.

RICHARD THOMPSON plays a Tiny Desk Concert at the officies of NPR.

VIVIAN GIRLS drop "I Heard You Say" as the lead single from the upcoming Share the Joy LP.

THE KILLS drop "Satellite" in advance of the Blood Pressures LP.

R.E.M. have dropped a video for "Mine Smell Like Honey" from the upcoming Collapse Into Now.

DEERHOOF takes Drowned In Sound on a track-by-track tour of their new album, Deerhoof vs. Evil.

THE RAVEONETTES: Sune Rose Wagner says the band's newly-completed LP is "quite unique for what we have done," like the work of Bernard Hermann.

GANG OF FOUR: Original bassist Dave Allen has an airing of grievances.

INTERPOL guitarist Daniel Kessler talks songwriting, the departure of bassist Carlos Dengler and more with Straight.com.

CHARLIE SHEEN: CBS has ordered two additional episodes of Monday sitcoms Mike and Molly and Rules of Engagement to help cope with scheduling issues arising from his absence from the hit show Two and a Half Men. Sheen's family is quietly discussing going to court to gain conservatorship over him, according to RadarOnline. Also, the new punchline is "Two and a Half Minutes."

LINDSAY LOHAN was snapped arriving home with her friend Patrick at 3am this morning, and X17's photographers say the starlet looked like she "had definitely been drinking." 

CHRISTINA APPLEGATE and her fiance, rocker Martyn LeNoble, welcomed Sadie Grace LeNoble on Thurs. Jan. 27.

MARIAH CAREY and husband Nick Cannon are expecting a boy-and a girl, according to Life & Style. Translation: grain of salt.

CYNDI LAUPER looks like Hell, but says she's going to be okay.

RICKY GERVAIS reveals he's been asked to host the Golden Globes again, despite the controversy he caused hosting last month's ceremony. Whether that's legit or kabuki remains to be seen, given that Gervais isn't leaping to accept.

JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT is in talks to join The Dark Knight Rises.

JOAQUIN PHOENIX may unretire to play Abraham Lincoln's vampire-slaying instructor in the big-screen adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith's ‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.'

THE KENNEDYS miniseries will world premiere on April 3 on the ReelzChannel.

VANITY FAIR previews its Hollywood 2011 cover. Young Hollywood gets the best bartender ever.

TERROR IN ITALY: An Italian court convicted a former Guantanamo detainee named Mohamed Ben Riadh Nasri of terrorsm-related charges on Monday.

EGYPT: The Lede continues to provide updates on street protests in Egypt.  Mubarak wants to hold on through the next election (presumably accelerated), but the opposition seems, er, opposed, saying that they would only begin talks with the military on a transition to democracy once Mubarak stands down.  The Muslim Brotherhood claims there are already talks between the military and the opposition to push him out, while Mohammed ElBaradei's allies claim he's also been talking to the army about possibly being named interim president.

IRAN: The Iranian parliament dismissed  Ahmadinejad's transportation minister. The Iranian government and the opposition both support Egyptian protesters. Tehran criticized the British defense secretary's prediction that Iran will have nuclear weapons in the next year.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: Beethoven for Elephants.

HEIDI the CROSS-EYED POSSUM has been asked to present at the Oscars.

A MONKEY is behind bars after a Reidsville, NC, woman says it bit and scratched her while she was trying to change the water in its bowl.

SCRUFFY ARCHIE comes home after almost two years. Aw.

LUCKY SOUL released a video for "Upon Hilly Fields" from A Coming of Age.

NEW RELEASES: David Lowery, Young the Giant, Bobby Long and more are streaming this week at Spinner.

TELEKINESIS is advance streaming 12 Desperate Straight Lines.

AA BONDY does five free songs for Daytrotter.

FLEET FOXES drop the title track to Helplessness Blues in advance of the LP.

THE BEATLES: Conquering America (February - June 1964).

THE HOLD STEADY: Craig Finn and guitarist Tad Kubler talk to Gothamist about their incessant touring, love of Cheap Trick, and th band's latest album, Heaven is Whenever.  The interview includes videos of "The Sweet Part of the City" and "Barely Beathing" for Twofer Tuesday.

DAVID LOWERY of Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven talks to the Chicago Sun-Times about his first solo album, "The Palace Guards," out today, and the business of indie.

SUFJAN STEVENS talks to Pitchfork and the New Zealand Herald about songwriting and his latest LP.

THE 50 BEST THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS SONGS, according to UGO.

THE CLASH: London Calling is coming to Rock Band 3 in its entirety.  Also, Paste lists the 18 best Clash songs.

CHARLIE SHEEN will be in rehab for the next three months, albeit at home, derailing the next eight episodes of "Two and a Half Men," leaving a grumpy, perhaps unaid, crew. Sheen spent more than 500K on escorts and drugs in the six months before he checked into rehab, according to RadarOnline.

EVA LONGORIA & TONY PARKER finaized their divorce.

SCARLETT JOHANSSON & RYAN REYNOLDS reportedly met for an intimate dinner at The Little Door in West Hollywood.

BRITNEY SPEARS walks down the aisle... as a bridesmaid.

GWYNETH PALTROW doesn't care if you don't like her? She seems to complain about it regularly.

HALLE BERRY says she's preparing to go to court with her ex Gabriel Aubrey over custody of their 2 ½-year-old daughter Nahla.

JAVIER BARDEM has been offered a starring role in the upcoming James Bond film.

JOHN BARRY, one of the all-time great movie composers (including the classic Bond films), has died at age 77. Let's go to the video.

THE 10 BEST NUCLEAR WAR FILMS, according to Screen Junkies. I might have found spots for On the Beach and WarGames.

TERROR in the UK: Rajib Karim, a former employee of British Airways, admitted in court to providing support to terror groups, including producing and distributing a propaganda videotape.

EGYPT's anti-government protesters, scenting victory after President Hosni Mubarak agreed to discuss sweeping political reforms, rallied support for what they hope can be a million-strong march for democracy on Tuesday. Mubarak's exit plan may already be in the works. The Lede continues its updates throughout the day...

PAKISTAN's nuclear arsenal now totals more than 100 deployed weapons, a doubling of its stockpile over the past several years in one of the world's most unstable regions, according to estimates by nongovernment analysts.

DOG in SNOW: Let's go to the slo-mo video.

LAVISH DOG B-DAY PARTIES on the rise in NYC.

FERAL CHICKENS have gotten to be such a problem in a part of Polk County, FL, that a team of chicken chasers have been called in to round them up.

ENDANGERED WHALES are entangling themselves in fishing line to have humans get them high.

JENN GRANT goes door-to-door to "Getcha Good." A snappy start to your week.

BRIGHT EYES is advance streaming The People's Key. 

THE WATSON TWINS do three free songs for Daytrotter.

AMOS LEE stopped by World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

CASS McCOMBS drops "County Line" in advance of Wit's End.

TELEVISION: "Horizontal Ascension" is an early recording from a 1974 rehearsal, when Richard Hell was in the band.

TALKING HEADS: A vintage clip of "Psycho Killer" from the OGWT.

JOHN LYDON talks to the L.A. Times about "Mr. Rotten's Scrapbook," a limited edition mishmash of his drawings, paintings, photos, poems, scribbles and reminiscences.

GANG OF FOUR: Jon King talks about the new LP with All Things Considered, which adds tracks and a montage of bands inspired by the Gang.

LIZ PHAIR talks to BlackBook about her years in Wicker Park (a/k/a Guyville).

BETTY LaVETTE talks to the Raleigh News and Observer about Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: The Rite tops the chart with 15 million against a 37 million budget; it's a weak showing, but Anthony Hopkins is likely big enough globally to save this one. No Strings Attached drops to the No. 2 slot with 13.7 million -- a decent hold ensuring a decent hit, most likely due to weak competition and Natalie Portman buzz.  The Mechanic and The Green Hornet are in an estimated dead heat at 11.5 million, with The King's Speech within spitting distance at 11.1 million in its first wide weekend.  Jason Statham continues to make cost-effective movies; Green Hornet held well considering the Statham competition; and King's Speech is a classic platform release for an Oscar contender.  Below the fold, Oscar nomination buzz helped True Grit more than Black Swan, but the latter has now grossed seven times its production budget.

CHARLIE SHEEN has checked back into rehab, but tells RadarOnline: "People don't seem to get it.... Guy can't have a great time and do his job also?" Sounds like he's committing to sobriety!  As for the "great time" part, there's the 30K check he wrote to an adult video actress during the last party to land him in the hospital.

JESSE JAMES: Ex-wife (and ex-adult video actress) Janine Lindemulder was arrested just outside Austin, TX this morning on a warrant for harassing Jesse in a series of "abusive" phone messages.

DEMI LOVATO completed her stint in a treatment facility and is already back in L.A.

DAVID ARQUETTE has also checked out of rehab.

KATE HUDSON explains why she kept her pregnancy on the downlow.

CLINT EASTWOOD: As he takes on the story of J. Edgar Hoover, the filmmaker talks about movie lawmen, his Korean War days and the flat tax.

HENRY CAVILL (The Tudors) has landed the role of Superman in the Zach Snyder reboot.

THE DIRECTORS GUILD AWARDS went to these folks. Congrats! Tom Hooper's win for The King's Speech may give him or the picture momentum in Oscars voting.

THE SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS went to these folks. Congrats! Even more momentum for The King's Speech, Christian Bale and Natalie Portman..

CHARLIE CALLAS, a rubber-faced comedian who cavorted on television and the nightclub circuit in the 1960s, '70s and '80s, often punctuating punch lines with sound effects emanating from his motormouth, died on Thursday in Las Vegas. He was 83.

EGYPT: The Lede blog at the NYT is as good a place as any to follow stories and social media on the continuing street protests in Egypt. It appears that the US would prefer some sort of managed transition to a more open and democratic society, in hopes of giving more secular reform groups a chance to catch up to the more organized Muslim Brotherhood.  But the US likely has little leverage at this juncture, as David Warren and Leslie Gelb note in their assessment of the downside for the US and the West generally.

TERROR in the US: Said Jaziri, a radical cleric from Tunisia who was deported from Canada in 2007, was arrested as he was being smuggled across the Mexican border in the trunk of a car.

IRAQ's security forces are confronting significant problems as the US military prepares to withdraw from that country by the end of this year, according to a new report by a top oversight official.

IT'S KITTY MIDNIGHT MADNESS at the Winnepeg Humane Society! Come on down!

LUCKY KITTEN rescued from a lightpole and adopted.

A FISH beauty treatment craze, where customers' dead skin is nibbled off their feet by garra rufa fish, has raised concerns that the fish would have to be starved to behave in this way.

BANDIT RUBIO, a Chihuahua, wins a celebrity impersonation contest as Donald Trump.