THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

... with ELLIE GREENWICH!  In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time included six by Ellie Greenwich and her husband and writing partner, Jeff Barry - more than by any other songwriting team. (And those only scratch the surface.)  She died a heart attack at a New York hospital on Wednesday, at age 68.  Without Greenwich, e may never have had "Be My Baby," "Da Doo Ron Ron," "Hanky Panky," "Do Wah Diddy," "Leader of the Pack," "I Can Hear Music," and "River Deep, Mountain High," to name just a few.

TORTOISE stopped by the World Cafe for a twofer streaming via NPR.

SUMMER SONGS: NPR listeners share their selections.  The latest are from the The Four Preps and The Four Seasons, but if you scroll to the end of the story, you'll find links to a bunch of others, including "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)".

VIVA VOCE stopped by Oregon Public Broadcasting for a chat and mini-set.

THE DAREDEVIL CHRISTOPHER WRIGHT is streaming their debut album, In Deference To A Broken Back. (Thx, Chromewaves.)

MORE THAN A FEELING: Boston, or Paul Rudd and David Wain with Of Montreal? Pick em!

NOMO did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.

RICHARD THOMPSON talks to MAGNET about his four-CD boxed set, Walking On A Wire: 1968-2009: "One would like to think that one is more than a mere box-unboxable. But a box is good enough for now, anyway."

CHICAGO ROCKED: At Gaper's Block, Ex-DJ James VanOsdol writes about the Chicago music scene in the 1990's, and hopes you will fund a book about it.

THE CUTOUT BIN: From Tom Jones to Iggy Pop, from Bob Dylan to the Trashmen, from the Faces to the Hindu Love Gods, plus Elvis Costello, King Khan and the Shrines, XTC, She and Him, Flock of Seagulss and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.

NOW SHOWING: Horrors! This weekend's wide releases are The Final Destination (often in 3-D), and Rob Zombie's Halloween 2 (2), neither of which was screened for critics. Caveat emptor.

MISCHA BARTON talks about her hospitalization in TimeOut NY. But does she say anything?

MICHAEL JACKSON: Dermatologist Arnold Klein knows there is a possibility that Jacko's two older kids could be biologically linked to him, his lawyer admits.

JASON BIGGS (American Pie) cut short his holiday in Europe after being attacked by one of Gibraltar's famous monkeys.

DEREK JETER and MINKA KELLY secretly engaged?

AVRIL LAVIGNE headed for divorce?

JOHN MAYER offered a 25K charitable donation for the publication of a mug shot that was taken following his arrest several years ago.  The Internet obliged.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE has a new trailer online. 

EVAN RACHEL WOOD may be a lesbian vampire. On television, anyway.

PARKER POSEY has been diagnosed with Lyme Disease.

MADONNA was booed in Bucharest after she told them to be nice to gypsies.

SIR JOHN GIELGUD had a thing for Iggy Pop.

AFGHANISTAN: In his bid for re-election, Pres. Karzai has surrounded himself with checkered figures who could bring him votes: warlords suspected of war crimes, corruption and trafficking in the country's lucrative poppy crop. But none is as influential as Marshal Fahim, his running mate, who may be involved in drug trafficking.

SO, your cat wants a massage?

A MARMOT INVASION has Alpine farmers in Germany's southern Allgäu region claiming the rodents have become a fuzzy plague.

AXOLOTL: The amphibian that never grew up is on the verge of going extinct in the wild. And it's oddly charming.

OPOSSUMS ARE TRICKY: Exhibit A. Exhibit B.

MONKEY has two mommies.

GIANT DRAG: Annie Hardy has "Stuff to Live For" beyond Silly String.

ELVIS COSTELLO joins ALLEN TOUSSAINT for a NPR set including "Mother-in-Law," "Fortune Teller" and a very personal version of "Southern Nights."

HEALTH did three free songs for Daytrotter. 

THE NATIONAL: Magnet makes claims for their five most overrated and underrated songs, with embedded audio.

WEIRD SUMMER: A mixtape you can stream or download from Aquarium Drunkard.

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS take a ride in an "Electric Car," from the upcoming DVD/CD set, Here Comes Science.

THE XX talks to The Quietus about their debut album, and their accidentally classic sound. Videos embedded at the link, too.

PETE TOWNSHEND is writing another rock opera.

OF MONTREAL: kevin Barnes talks to Blurt about his earliest influences and more...

PANDA BEAR of Animal Collective talks to Entertainment Weekly, icluding some bits about his next solo album.

MICHAEL JACKSON CONSPIRACY THEORY: Footage that purports to show Jacko stepping out a L.A. coroner's van after his death is circulating on the web.

CHRIS BROWN and RHIANNA had a history of violence, court documents reveal.

BRADGELINA: Trouble in paradise?

LINDSAY LOHAN seems to think she knows who burglarized her Hollywood Hills home.  Law enforcement is looking at the possibility the burglars who hit Lindsay Lohan are the same people who broke into Audrina Patridge's Los Angeles pad.

MEGAN FOX has apparently signed up to play Catwoman in the next Batman film, according to the ever-reliable Sun. Not betting on that.

MADONNA has released a teaser video for "Celebration," featuring DJ Paul Oakenfold abd boytoy Jesus Luz.

SOUL TRAIN is coming to the big screen.

KIRSTEN DUNST, a year and a half removed from rehab, was spotted stumbling drunk at the Tropicana bar at the Roosevelt hotel in L.A. on August 18.

RUSSIA acknowledged for the first time that a ship hijacked in the Baltic Sea might have been carrying a suspicious cargo, deepening the mystery around its seizure.

OUR FRIENDS, THE SAUDIS dealt a blow to an al-Qaeda-linked network made up of university graduates and businessmen with the recent arrests of 44 suspected members, the Interior Ministry said.

IRAN could have the ability to strike most of Europe with a ballistic missile within three or four years if it made an all-out push, according to the former head of Israel's missile defense program.

IRAQ and Syria have both recalled their ambassadors in a deepening rift over claims Damascus was harbouring militants who bombed Baghdad.  CNN goes inside al Qaeda's underground torture bunkers.  Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, one of Iraq's most influential politicians, died Wednesday in Iran, the country that was long his key ally.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: A shark biting down on...

THE LOCH NESS MONSTER located by Google Earth? Oh, sure.

LAKE EYRE LADY DRAGONS avoid sex with over-enthusiastic lovers by showing them their bright orange undies.

POLAR BEARS have shrunk over the last century, according to research.

PEARL JAM released a video for "The Fixer" from their upcoming Supersonic album.

GORDON GANO (Violent Femmes) is streaming new solo tracks.

IMOGENE HEAP talks to the Telegraph about her songwriting and recording methods, her virtual fan base, and more... Her new LP is streaming in full this week at Spinner.

THE JONES STREET STATION brought their Americana to Daytrotter for four free songs.

BILL CALLAHAN, the artist formerly known as Smog, talks to Filter.

EVERCLEAR: "A.M. Radio." Because my brother's Pinto said so.

FIERY FURNACES: Matthew Friedberger talks to the Asheville Citizen-Times about the new album, the band's prolific output, etc.

FRIENDLY FIRES talk to the Guardian about attracting notice.

THE ELLIOTT SCHOOL has produced a string of hot bands in Britain, but its future is uncertain.

THE BED-IN returns, 40 years later, to Central Park.

MICHAEL JACKSON's doctor reportedly waited 82 minutes before dialing 911.  But Jacko's family is taking a look in the mirror, too.

GWYNETH PALTROW is trying to convince Chris Martin to leave Coldplay? Too good to check.

MELANIE GRIFFITH is back in rehab. Her rep calls it part of a routine plan.

JENNIFER ANISTON won't date a normal guy. Shocka.

PAULA ABDUL is hosting VH1 Divas next month.

JESSICA BIEL has been named "the Most Dangerous Celebrity on the Web" by McAfee, who say searches for her name lead to the most viruses.  Nice PR play by the software company.

PAKISTAN: The leader of the Pakistani Taliban, Baitullah Mehsud, is dead, two of his senior commanders have told the BBC.  Next up: Hakeemullah Mehsud.

AFGHANISTAN's finance minister claimed victory on Monday for Pres. Karzai in last week's presidential election but, with no official figures released, the claim was rejected by his main rival's camp. The United Nations called on all candidates and voters to be patient while authorities investigate allegations of fraud in the poll.

IRAQ: The head of the US-trained Iraqi National Intelligence Service has quit in a long-running quarrel with Prime Minister al-Maliki -- depriving that country of a key leader in the fight against sectarian terrorism. The chaotic conditions in Iraq that triggered the resignation are illustrated by several recent events -- each of which suggests that without the backstop of US support, Iraqi authorities are now desperately vulnerable to pressure, especially from neighboring Iran.

KITTEH SAY YUM: Let's go to the video.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: Amazing Kung-Fu Squirrel pics.

LIVE TURKEYS busted as drug mules in Peru.

COW TONGUE MYSTERIES are stirring up curiosity across the country.

WHEN COWS ATTACK: The deaths of no fewer than four people after being trampled by cows in the past two months has prompted Britain's main farming union to issue a warning about the dangers of provoking the normally docile animals.

FUGITIVE PARROT nabbed in Portsmouth, NH.

BRET FAVRE GOAT saved from slaughter!

LEO-NARD BERN-STEIN! How better to mark his birthday than with "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" ?

NEW RELEASES: Imogene Heap, Ingrid Michaelson, The Postmarks, Vandaveer, Vivian Girls, Joe Henry and more are streaming this week via Spinner.

MEW does two free songs for Daytrotter.

KAREN O's single for Where The Wild Things Are is streaming.

DARK MEAT performs a Tiny Desk Concert at NPR.

THEFT OF THE DIAL: Cloud Cult's Craig Minowa guest DJs for The Current.

MANFRED MANN covers Bob Dylan's "The Mighty Quinn" and "Just Like a Woman" for Twofer Tuesday.

ST VINCENT: Annie Clark slams Lilith Fair and the "sexism of lowered expectations." (Thx Chromewaves.)

VAMPIRE WEEKEND: Ezra Koenig talks to CNN about the band's origins, the forthcoming album and maintaining Facebook accounts.

THAO NGUYEN gives Stereogum a status report on her band's third album.

RADIOHEAD: The New York Times is still puzzling over the band's plan to stop making full-length records and turn its attention to singles.

MEGAN FOX is hosting the 35th season premiere of SNL.

MICHAEL JACKSON: L.A. County coroner's officials found lethal levels of the powerful anesthetic propofol after examining Michael Jackson's body, according to a search warrant affidavit unsealed today in Houston.

JENNIFER ANISTON and GERARD BUTLER were seen "hand in hand" this weekend at The Jane Hotel in Manhattan's Meatpacking District.

BRADGELINA are spending £45 million transforming a French chateau into a dream home for themselves and their six children.

CHARLIZE THERON smacked some guy in bar, but in that good way that ticks off her boyfriend.

TERRY GILLIAM tells /Film that he wants to work for Pixar, among other things.

INCEPTION, the next film from Christopher Nolan, has a trailer online.

OUR FRIENDS, THE SAUDIS are now pushing forward with their own plans to build nuclear power plants. Wink wink, nidge nudge.

IRAN: Influential former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has urged Iranians to follow Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's guidelines, five weeks after he challenged the authority of the country's most powerful figure.

PAKISTAN's extremist Taliban movement is badly divided over who should be its new leader, and analysts and local tribesmen say the al Qaeda-linked group may be in danger of crumbling.

AFGHANISTAN: Local Afghan leaders told a top US Marine commander Monday that they plan to step up efforts to reconcile with midlevel Taliban in the extremists' southern Helmand province stronghold.

IRAQ: Prime Minister Maliki promises a crackdown that could reach political figures. Major Iranian-backed Shiite groups announced a new alliance Monday but excluded the prime minister in a rare display of disunity among the country's majority Islamic sect.

HAPPIEST TURTLE EVER? Let's go to the video. Very Finding Nemo.

WHEN HIPPOS ATTACK: A gamekeeper in Uganda runs for his life after disturbing a hungry beast having its favourite meal of grass.

WHEN ALPACAS ATTACK: Prize-winning alpaca farmer Rob Rawlins was preparing to shear the shaggy beast on Saturday morning when it sank its teeth into his lower left arm.

DOG BRIDE SHORTAGE in India.

GOAT THEIVING has reached a tipping point in Wisconsin. 

THEM CROOKED VULTURES, featuring Josh Homme, Dave Grohl and John Paul Jones, play "Dead End Friends" in Amsterdam.  The sound quality is blown out, but it's the first extended look Americans have had since their semi-secret debut at Chicago's Metro during Lollapalooza.

THE MINUS 5 stopped by Oregon Public Broadcasting for a chat and mini-set now streaming in audio and video.

TORI AMOS and PASSION PIT played the World Cafe on Aug. 15th; you can stream both gigs on demand via NPR.

A CAMP, featuring Cardigans lead singer Nina Persson, stopped by WFUV for a chat and mini-set streaming now.

THE NEW LOST CITY RAMBLERS celebrate 50 years with a box set, the first disc of which is advance streaming via NPR.

FIRST CLASS: "Beach Baby" falls into that category of summer song Oliver Wang described last week, "tinged with fragility and marked by melancholy."  It's even more true of the long version, with those French Horns and choral vocals in the c-section...

THE TOP 500 TRACKS OF THE 2000s is complete at Pitchfork, with plenty of embedded audio.

THE NINETY SONGS OF THE NOUGHTIES is presented by Drowned In Sound as an alternative to the P2K list.

IMOGENE HEAP talks to Clickmusic about her collaboration on Mika's new album, her innovative Twestival charitable donation of 'The Song That Never Was' and her love for the Japanese language. (Thx, LHB.)

OKKERVIL RIVER frontman Will Scheff talks to the Galway Advertiser about his manyinfluences. (Thx again, LHB.)

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Inglourious Basterds stormed the nation's cineplexes to the tune of 37.6 million, a personal best for director Quentin Tarantino.  Basterds has a shot at topping Pulp Fiction's 108 million in domestic receipts.  The Weinstein Company and Universal -- both of which have been troubles lately -- also have reason for cheer.  District 9 comes in second with 18.9 million -- a 49 percent drop that isn't so bad, considering the new competition.  District 9 has now made 73.5 million domestically against a 30 million budget.  G.I. Joe took another big drop and may struggle to make 150 million domestically.  But it has made another 100 million so far world wide, and will make money from its 175 million budget.  The Time Traveler's Wife made only 10 million, suggesting it won't have the sort of legs a film like this needs -- but it has almost recouped its production budget.  Julie and Julia rounds out the Top Five with 9 million; its 59 million total looks like a hit against a 40 million budget.  Below the fold, Shorts opened in sixth place, earning only 6.6 million and looking like a flop.  Post Grad also looks like bad news with a tenth-place opening.  The wonderful 500 Days of Summer drops all the way to 13th, but has earned 22.1 million against a 7.5 million budget.

QUENTIN TARANTINO talks to Billboard about the soundtrack of Inglourious Basterds and musical influences on his work.  QT is doing a staellite radio show featuring songs he found inspirational while shooting his Nazi-opus.

FUGITIVE TV REALITY SHOW CONTESTANT and suspected murderer Ryan Jenkins was found dead after he apparently hanged himself, Canadian police said.

MILLA JOVOVICH married director Paul W.S. Anderson in an intimate outdoor ceremony at their home in Beverly Hills on Saturday.

LINDSAY LOHAN's Hollywood Hills home was burglarized. Li-Lo also freaked at an NYC deli after leaving her cellphone behind.

CAMERON DIAZ and KEANU REEVES? Too good to check!

ANNA PAQUIN denies pregnancy rumors.

LATE NIGHT: Letterman reruns beat new Conans, while Leno takes it in stride.

A-LIST STARS have been failing to deliver this summer, though Inglourious Basterds is a decent opening for Brad Pitt.

IRAN's new defense minister is wanted by Interpol for the 1994 terror bombing of a Jewish center in Argentina. At least four nominees for defense, interior, intelligence and oil minister had ties with the elite Revolutionary Guard, a powerful base of support for Ahmadinejad.

IRAQ: Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari suggested the recent bombings that killed at least 95 people and wounded about 600 involved collaboration between security forces and a terrorist group.

THE MOSCOW CAT THEATER: Let's go to the video.

ASIAN HORNETS terrorize France.

HONK if you love Hammerhead Bats!

COWS stare unamazed as they are miked to monitor their belching and flatulence, in a bid to reduce methane emissions.

THE SPANISH NEWT is ribbed for your displeasure.

A CHIHUAHUA with EARRINGS was stolen at a gay bar. Whoda thunkit?