PATE REUNION:  Jon, Mike & Jon (and we hope Ron) will be retaking a stage somewhere near Iowa State University on July 5th, 2013, just one short decade after their last reunion gig.  Clear your calendar for something transcendent, a train wreck, or both!  If you're on the Facebook, check in with the event page.

PATE's MIKE KELLY & RON HAHM added bass, dums, and backing vocals to JON PRATT's rockabilly reboot of "She's So Special."  Mike sent it to me, but props to Ron for putting it on the Tube.

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

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

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

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED: Tracks from Iggy and the Stooges, The National, Black Angels and more highlight the latest edition of the series.

HOT CHOCOLATE: "You Sexy Thing." Believe in miracles?

GUIDED BY VOICES: Tobin Sprout talks to PopMatters about picking up where the "classic" lineup left off in 1997.

DEERHUNTER: Are Bradford Cox's antics overshadowing his art?

MY MORNING JACKET, ranked by Stereogum.

THE 10 BEST BRIGHT EYES SONGS, according to Stereogum.

CHRIS KELLY, half of the 1990s kid rap duo Kris Kross who made one of the decade's most memorable songs with the frenetic "Jump," has died, according to authorities. He was 34. What say you, Justin Timberlake?

LINDSAY LOHAN has less than 24 hours to hightail it to Seafield Center in New York ... but even as she packs her bags she's telling people she may bail on the rehab facility because they won't let her smoke.

JENNIFER ANISTON & JUTSIN THEROUXdelayed their wedding to avoid competing with the Bradgelina nuptuals.

AMANDA BYNES says she's not crazy. Which settles it.

MARIAH CAREY & NICK CANNON renewed their vows on their 5th wedding anniversary at a lavish private ceremony at Disneyland.

NAOMI CAMPBELL's five-year relationship with her Russian billionaire boyfriend, Vladimir Doronin, is on the rocks.

KELSEY GRAMMER is cast as the villain in the next Transformers flick.

THE UNITED STATES: Federal prosecutors charged three acquaintances of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev with helping to cover up the crime. Kazakhstan nationals Dias Kadyrbayev and Azamat Tazhayakov are accused of deliberately destroying evidence; and Robel Philippos, a US citizen, is accused of lying to investigators.

MALI: The Pentagon said the US has sent about 10 military personnel to Mali to provide "liaison support" to French and African troops in the battle against Islamists in the north, and that 12 other US military personnel are assigned to the US embassy in Bamako.

ISRAEL: Former Prime Minister Olmert warned that Hezbollah may already possess chemical weapons.

LIBYA: Some 170 detainees escaped from Sebha prison yesterday; some have returned voluntarily to their cells, but a large number have disappeared.

EGYPT: A blogger and activist known for criticizing President Morsi was detained by authorities.

A CAT ASKS: "Got Milk?"

THE HORNY, FREEZING EXPLODING WOOD FROG quacks like a duck.

THE FLANNEL MOTH that looks like Donald Trump.

A WILD TIGER visits the zoo, looking for a date.

TAKEN BY TREES: "Only You."

FITZ & THE TANTRUMS advance stream More Than Just A Dream.

FLEETWOOD MAC streams Extended Play. Check the sidebar.

BEN HARPER & CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

THE CHAPIN SISTERS play songs from their covers LP, A Date With the Everly Brothers, on Mountain Stage.

THE BLACK KEYS go "Cruising" on an Adult Swim comp.

BLONDIE: Debbie Harry and Chris Stein talk to The Guardian about the making of "Heart of Glass."

THE FLAMING LIPS: Wayne Coyne talks to Stereogum about The Terror, nothing, and absolutely everything.

MICK RONSON: Sideman and Starman.

OLOF ARNALDS talks to The Rumpus about her first English-language record.(Thx, LHB.)

10 OF THE MOST UNDERRATED BANDS of the 21st Century.

LINDSAY LOHAN may blog about her lessons learned after rehab.

KIM KARDASHIAN & KANYE WEST don't wnat your baby gifts; just donate to Chicago Children's Hospital.

AMANDA BYNES has access to all of her money, despite her reportedly erratic behavior.

JENNIFER LAWRENCE & NICK HOULT: Together again? 

CATHERINE ZETA-JONES is returning to treatment for her bipolar II disorder.

PINK tells Glamour she's a "reformed slut."

JASON COLLINS' ex-fiance had no idea he was gay.

WORLD WAR Z, from Stunning Budget Overages and a Reshot Ending to Lots of On-Set Drama.

THE UNITED STATES:  One of the brothers suspected of carrying out the Boston bombings had made links with two figures in the Islamist anti-Kremlin insurgency in the Northern Caucasus, both of whom were killed by Russian security forces, a security source said Monday.

SYRIA: President Obama is preparing to send lethal weaponry to the Syrian opposition and has taken steps to assert more aggressive US leadership among allies and partners seeking the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, according to senior administration officials. The British government is exercising more caution in its attempts to arm the rebels fighting the Bashar Assad regime in Syria, following intelligence reports and warnings by other governments that the major part of the rebel movement has been taken over by Jihadist groups with links to Al-Qaeda.

IRAQ: Insurgents killed six Iraqis in bombings in Baghdad and Nahmudiyah. Tribes in Anbar handed over 16 al Qaeda operatives to the government.

A LION CUB, A DOG, and and a ball of yarn.

AN INVASIVE PREDATOR FISH that can live out of water for days is to be hunted in Central Park.

MOTORWAY drivers were left astonished after spotting two dairy cows crammed onto the back seat of a small family car.

HAMSTER BOWLING: Can the Olympics be far behind?

IRON & WINE played "Grace for Saints and Ramblers" for Fallon.  That's quite an ensemble, Sam.

NEW RELEASES from Cayucas, Hawk & Dove, Midnight Oil and more are streaming this week via Spinner, or until AOL shuts down Spinner entirely.

THE FLAMING LIPS perform Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, from start to finish.

KURT VILE played live on Sound Opinions.

VILLAGERS: Conor O'Brien plays a solo acoustic set featuring songs from Villagers' second album "{Awayland}" live on KEXP from the Cutting Room studios in NYC.

BEADY EYE takes a "Second Bite Of The Apple" before releasing BE.

THE WALKER BROS: I cauht Seeking A Friend For the End of the World again on cable recently, reminding me to link  "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)" and "Stay With Me, Baby" for Twofer Tuesday.

PRIMAL SCREAM: Bobbie Gillespie talks to Drowned In Sound about the new record, Primal Scream's legacy, former band members, the lack of dissent within the arts and how fatherhood has changed him.

NEIL YOUNG: Inside the making of 1969's classic 'Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere'

DAVID BOWIE summarizes The Next Day in 42 words.

IGGY POP's High School Yearbook Photo.

IRON MAN 3 opens to a massive 198.4 million overseas, beating out The Avengers' 185.1 million.

JOHNNY DEPP & AMBER HEARD were spotted getting cozy again at a Rolling Stones concert.

REESE WITHERSPOON claimed her baby son stole her brain shortly before her disorderly conduct arrest.

MICHAEL JORDAN got hitched to Cuban-American model Yvette Prieto.

MICHAEL JACKSON's wrongful death trial opened.

TEEN MOM star Farrah Abraham who finally struck a high six-figure deal for her sex tape. Klassy.

JASON COLLINS, an NBA center, came out as the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport.

THE UNITED STATES: Two Congressmen said there are "persons of interest" in the Boston Marathon bombing case who are in the United States.

ISRAEL: Prime Minister Netanyahu ordered his ministers not to comment on the ongoing situation in Syria. Netanyahu also said that Iran has not yet crossed the nuclear red line he set at the UN.

SYRIA: A bomb attack in Damascus on the convoy of the Prime Minister killed six people but he escaped the assassination attempt.

IRAQ ordered 10 predominantly Sunni Muslim satellite television channels to cease broadcasting Sunday, accusing them of encouraging the sectarian unrest that left more than 200 people dead in a week of violence.

BABOONS invade and ransack homes in South Africa.

GIANT RATS terrorize Rotorua, New Zealand.

IS THAT A KING SNAKE slithering between your legs on the highway?

DRUG-SNIFFING DOGS are available for hire to suspicious parents.

OVER 17 MILLION SERVED! Thanks for stopping by, y'all!

FEIST holographically plays three cities at once.

SHE & HIM advance stream Vol. 3.

MIKAL CRONIN advance streams MCII.

LOW performs live in the WNYC Soundcheck studio, and Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker reflect on two decades of playing music together.

THE BLACK ANGELS stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set. 

THE MOODY BLUES hit the charts with "Go Now" before going psychedelic.

GEORGE JONES, who has died aged 81, was country music's most stylish and emotional singer. The Oxford American compiles a playlist.The AARP lists 10 facts about the country legend.

STEVEN VAN ZANDT talks to Spinner about reuniting the Rascals, mourning Clarence Clemons, and praising Springsteen.

CHARLES BRADLEY talks to Spinner about hardships and wrapping his head around his belated career.

MATMOS talks to PopMatters about the unexpected directions that the concept of ESP took them.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Pain and Gain ruled the modest box office roost with 20 million before the blockbuster season starts Friday. Given a 26 million budget, this ain't bad for a minor Michael Bay film, despite a lousy C+ CinemaScore suggesting lousy word of mouth.  Oblivion plummets 53 percent to place with 17.4 million, and a 64 million total against a 120 million budget, but the additional 134 million in foreign receipts shows why you open this two weekends before Iron Man 3 turns up in the US. The Jackie Robinson biopic 42 shows with a leggy 10.7 million and 69 million total against a 40 million budget.  The Big Wedding debuts in the fourth slot with 7.5 million against a 35 million budget. Ouch.  The Croods round out the Top 5 with another 6.6 million.

ASHTON KUTCHER got into a violent melee with security at Stagecoach.

VINCE VAUGHN and his wife Kyla will welcome their second child together this summer.

PEACHES GELDOF and husband Thomas Cohen are now proud parents to two little boys.

CHRIS BROWN's father prefers his hothead son stay away from Rhianna.

EMMA STONE is in talks to star in a revival of “Cabaret,” according to an individual with knowledge of her plans.

JEFFREY WRIGHT was arrested in NYC early Saturday morning for DWI.

MELISSA GILBERT & TIMOTHY BUSFIELD got hitched.

THE UNITED STATES: Russian authorities this week turned over information about Boston Marathon bomber Tamarlan Tsarnaev and his mother Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, including the fact that mother and son discussed jihad in a telephone conversation in 2011, and that Zubeidat also spoke about jihad with a man in Russia who is under investigation by the FBI. Mother and son were added to the CIA's terrorism database in late 2011.

RUSSIA: Security forces looking for Islamist militants rounded up 140 Muslims, including 30 foreigners, from a Moscow prayer room; it was not clear whether they would be charged.

LIBYA: A bomb damaged a police station in Benghazi.

SYRIA:  Reports by Washington that the Syrian regime may have used chemical weapons have raised questions whether the US will follow through on its threat to intervene on the ground.

EGYPT: The Egypt Independent was banned from going to the presses with its scathing criticisms of the Muslim Brotherhood-dominated government.

IRAQ: Sunni tribes in Anbar formed the "Army of Pride and Dignity" and are preparing to defend the province from government forces.

A RED PANDA does gymnastics.

GENETICALLY-MODIFIED SHEEP glow in the dark.

MYSTERY HORSE... are you ready for your mystery horse...

AN ALLIGATOR strutted across the fairway and into a bunker during the Zurich Classic golf tourney in Louisiana.

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

... with LLOYD COLE & THE COMMOTIONS! Live in Munich circa 1985, which means it's almost all stuff from their brill debut LP.  Your setlist includes: “Are You Ready To Be A Heartbroken?”, “2cv”, “Patience”, “Brand New Friend”, “Four Flights Up”, “Rattlesnakes”, “Speedboat”, “Forest Fire”, “Sweetness” and  “Perfect Skin”.

PHOENIX stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

DEAD CAN DANCE stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

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

GUIDED BY VOICES: The Bug House compilation.

THE POLICE want to get "Next To You."

THE NATIONAL: Matt and Tom Berninger talk to Spinner about their evolving relationship, how Tom got Bryan Devendorf to do an interview while taking a shower, and the new song "I Should Live in Salt," which Matt wrote about Tom during this process.

ANDY PARTRIDGE talks to Spinner about his two new experimental collaborations.

THE BOY LEAST LIKELY TO talks Drowned In Sound through the making of their fourth album, 'The Great Perhaps'.

ONAFUR ARNALDS talks to PopMatters about the long recording of For Now I Am Winter.

CUTOUT BIN: From U2 to Toni Basil, from the Replacements to the Specials, from Teenage Fanclub to ABC, plus Dexy's Midnight Runners, Guided By Voices, Nick Lowe and Darryl Hall, Echo & the Bunnymen  and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.

NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases are: Michael Bay's Pain And Gain, which is currently scoring 45 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; and The Big Wedding, scoring... zero.

JUSTIN BIEBER's tour bus was raided by Swedish police who allegedly found marijuana on board.

JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT on the X Factor?

JESSICA SIMPSON's parents are divorced.

ZOOEY DESCHANEL gets an apology for being named the Boston Marathon bomber.

CHLOE GRACE MORETZ seems to have her head on straight.

THE MEN FROM U.N.C.L.E.: Arnie Hammer and Tom Cruise.

SYRIA: US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said that the military has evidence that the Syrian government has used sarin twice "on a small scale." Young men from Kyrgyzstan are beginning to join rebel groups in Syria.

EGYPT: Authorities are questioning an 11-member jihadist cell that was apprehended last week. The cell, which is made up of Egyptian, Palestinian, and Lebanese citizens, was plotting to target an Egyptian military installation in Rafah. The Salafi Nour party said none of its members will take a post in the Egyptian cabinet, which is expected to be reshuffled next week.

AFGHANISTAN: ISAF commander General Dunford said there is "improved security across the country." Security forces captured eight Pakistani Taliban fighters in Panjwai district in Kandahar.

IRAQ: Thirty-one "militants" and 10 policemen were killed during clashes in Mosul; it is unclear if the militants are members of insurgent groups or Sunni protesters. Two policemen were killed in an attack at a checkpoint in Fallujah.

THE CUBS: Lions, Tigers and Hyenas.

IS IT OKAY TO TATTOO YOUR DOG? Um... no.

A BIG CAT was on the loose in the English countryside at the turn of the last century, scientists say.

A SHARP-NOSED POLICE DOG helped catch a suspect after sniffing him out from two miles away.