THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with THE RAMONES! Live at the Rainbow, December 31, 1977.  Your setlist includes: "Blitzkrieg Bop"; "I Wanna Be Well"; "Glad to See You Go"; "You're Gonna Kill That Girl"; "Commando"; "Havana Affair"; "Cretin Hop"; "Listen to My Heart"; "I Don't Wanna Walk Around With You"; "Pinhead"; "Do You Wanna Dance?"; "Now I Wanna Be a Good Boy"; "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue;" and "We're a Happy Family." BONUS: The band's first bio.

REAL ESTATE brought their hazy, jangly beach-pop to the KEXP studios.

JOLIE HOLLAND played a Tiny Desk Concert at the offices of NPR.

BAND OF SKULLS stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for an acoustic session.

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

BONNIE RAITT stopped by WNYC Soundcheck for a chat and excerpts from her new LP.

FLORENCE + THE MACHINE drops "Breath of Life" from the Snow White And The Huntsman soundtrack.

THE BEACH BOYS drop "That's Why Got Made The Radio" ahead of their reunion LP.

DWIGHT TWILLEY crushes his "I'm On Fire," with Susan Cowsill singing backup.

R.E.M.: The A.V. Club posts Part 3 of its history of the band.

NICK LOWE talks to Interview about aging in the music industry, favorite books, and the definition of a "pub bore."

TALKING HEADS: A "Where to start" list at Slate does not touch the usual bases.

TUNE-YARDS: Merrill Garbus talks to Rolling Stone about new music, festivals and more.

BOB DYLAN  is one of 13 newly announced recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

CUTOUT BIN: From Issac Hayes to R.E.M., from Bob Dylan to The Hives, from Black Flag to Ricky Nelson, plus St Etienne, World Party, Hall & Oates, Joan Jett and more  -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.

NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases include: The Pirates! Band of Misfits, which at publication is scoring xx percent on the ol' Tomatometer; The Five-Year Engagement, which is scoring xx percent; Safe, checking in at xx percent; and The Raven, scoring xx percent.

MILA KUNIS has commented on reports that she is dating her former "That '70s Show" co-star Ashton Kutcher, calling the idea "absurd."

LINDSAY LOHAN's second day on the Glee set probably won't go down as her finest hour.

SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR & FREDDIE PRINZE, JR are expecting their second child.

JENNIFER ANISTON reacts to the Bradgelina engagement.

CAMERON DIAZ: Endorsed by ex-bf Alex Rodriguez.

THE AVENGERS are already assembling big box office overseas.

NORTH KOREA: China warned North Korea not to carry out another nuclear weapons test.  Are the new missiles fakes?

ISLAMISTS in the MIDEAST: A country-by-country survey.

SYRIA: UN envoy Kofi Annan said the situation in Syria was "bleak" and that the Syrian army was still carrying out operations where UN observers were not present.

DARCY THE COW slips out for McDonald's takeout, thus avoiding possible cannibalism.

WOMAN FIGHTS EAGLE to save one of her two Jack Russells.

SNAKE in a HANDBAG: I know it's serious.

ELEPHANT crushes Zookeeper, but not Kevin James.

HUNGRY BIRD: Eyes too big for its stomach?

THE SHINS dropped a creepy clip for "The Rifle's Spiral."

OF MONTREAL played a gig at DC's 9:30 Club; you can stream the whole gig via NPR.

MOUNTAIN GOATS: John Darnielle plays a mini-set at Paste.

'ALLO DARLIN advance streams Europe and gives DIY a track-by-track tour of the LP.

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED includes Mynabirds, St. Vincent, Fenster and more in this week's mix.

THE SAINTS: "(I'm Stranded)."

DRY THE RIVER  frontman Peter Liddle and bassist Scott Miller talk to Glide about maintaining momentum on tour, the difference between audiences and fans in the States and the UK, the band's influences and more.

ALABAMA SHAKES tell Spinner they were surprsied at their Internet buzz.

PATRICK WILSON talks to Spinner about wanting to give you goosebumps.

THE 10 COMMANDMENTS of Teen Pop.

BRITNEY SPEARS is now under the co-conservatorship of fiance Jayson Trawick.

JOHNNY DEPP talks to Entertainment Weekly about his new look Tonto.

BEYONCE talks motherhood with People.

KATHERINE HEIGL & JOSH KELLEY have adopted their second daughter.

LINDSAY LOHAN was late for her guest appearance on “Glee” after a night out on the town.

DREW BARRYMORE: Getting hitched on June 2.

MARTIN LAWRENCE and his wife are calling it quits. Shocka.

KATIE HOLMES: Not pregnant.

TERROR in the USA: Sami Samir Hassoun pled guilty to charges relating to his attempt to set off a bomb near Wrigley Field on a night in September 2010 when the stadium was filled with concertgoers.

LIBYA has banned the formation of political parties based on religious principles ahead of elections scheduled to take place in June.

EGYPT: A court found Egypt's most popular comic actor guilty of insulting Islam in roles in films mocking religious hypocrisy, alarming liberal-minded artists and intellectuals already anxious about the growing power of Islamists here after the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak.

SYRIA: The number of deaths rose sharply. The Syrian military halted violence in areas entered by UN observers but resumed once the monitors left. Activists reported reprisals. Despite claims, government forces have not withdrawn heavy weapons from populated areas.

SAUDI ARABIA expects to finalize its atomic energy plans this year but the US nuclear industry may miss out on multi-billion dollar contracts to turn it into a reality unless Washington and Riyadh sign a non-proliferation deal soon.

PAKISTAN has tested an advanced ballistic missile capable of striking key Indian targets with nuclear warheads.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: A militant rodent masks itself with a potato chip bag.

A WHALE is found dead after swallowing a golf ball. Life imitates Seinfeld.

AXEL the DOG likes to thatch roofs.

BEARS return to the scene of the crime.

LUCERO plays David Bowie's "Modern Love" for the A.V. Club Undercover.

POLICA is streaming Give You The Ghost.

FATHER JOHN MISTY is advance streaming Fear Fun.

RAMONA FALLS is advance streaming Prophet.

DANIEL JOHNSTON is streaming the soundtrack to his new comic, Space Ducks.

THE AMERICAN BREED does some wonderfully bad lip-syncing in this wonderfully cheap clip for "Bend Me, Shape Me."

THE CHARLATANS: Tim Burgess talks to The Guardian about Britpop, developing a breakfast cereal for Kellog's and a very odd experiment with cocaine.  He gives The Independent the 10 golden rules of rock'n'roll excess. (Thx, Chromewaves.)

DAR WILLIAMS talks to PopMatters about ancient archetypes, battling hubris, and more...

10 GREAT SHAKESPEARE-INSPIRED SONGS, compiled by Paste.

25 ICONIC Snare Drum Intros.

MEGAN FOX pregnant? Hmm.

RYAN SEACREST signs a two-year extension with American Idol at 15 million annually.

THE KARDASHIANS inflict themselves on America for another three years.

ASHTON KURCHER & MILA KUNIS went on a three-day getaway to the coastal town of Carpinteria, Calif., just south of Santa Barbara.

ROSIE O'DONNELL rips LINDSAY LOHAN. Sorta the tabloid edition of Mega-Shark vs Giant Octopus.

MAD MEL UPDATE: Gibson is now in serious discussions to play a supporting role in Machete Kills, the Robert Rodriguez-directed sequel that will bring Danny Trejo back as the blade-wielding former Federale title character.

SCARLETT JOHANSSON: Addicted to chicken wings.

JESSICA CHASTAIN is back in the mix to play a starring role opposite Robert Downey Jr in Iron Man 3.

TERROR in the USA:  A British man who trained to be a shoe bomber a decade ago says Osama bin Laden told him after Sept. 11 that he hoped a follow-up terrorism attack would collapse the American economy.

TERROR in CANADA: The country's spy chief said that as many as 60 Canadians have left the country for terror training camps in Yemen, Somalia, and the tribal areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

YEMEN: US drones killed al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula commander Mohammed Saeed al Umda in one of two strikes over the past several days. The military claimed it has retaken control of the center of Zinjibar. Members of parliament are pushing for talks with AQAP.

EGYPT: One month before Egyptians begin voting for their first president after Hosni Mubarak, the leading candidate's record is escalating a campaign battle here over the place of Islam in the new democracies promised by the Arab Spring revolts.

TONIGHT'S WEATHER FORECAST? Bears.

BABY ALBINO KANGAROO: Awww...some pics.

KILL A 3-FT LONG SWAMP BEAVER, get investifgated for animal cruelty.

PIG & PUG, living together...

CHRIS ETHRIDGE, bassist for country rock icons the Flying Burrito Brothers as well as the Willie Nelson Family Band, has died at the age of 65 of complications from pancreatic cancer. He co-wrote some of the best Burritos songs, including "Hot Burrito No. 2."

NEW RELEASES from Brendan Benson, Jack White, Raveonettes, Dandy Warhols, Ryan Adams, Bad Veins and more are streaming this week at Spinner.

PATRICK WILSON is advance streaming Adventures In Your Own Backyard.

LOWER DENS are advance streaming Nootropics.

MYSTERY JETS are advance streaming Radlands.

ST VINCENT shreds on her Record Store Day single, "Krokodil."

SONNY & THE SUNSETS get a bit country on "Pretend You Love Me," from the upcoming Longtime Companion LP.

FIONA APPLE drops "Every Single Night," her first new studio recording in seven years.

THE BLACK KEYS & JOHN FOGERTY played "The Weight" in honor of Levon Helm.  Add Destroyer playing the title track to "Kaputt" for a Coachella Twofer Tuesday.

BEACH HOUSE talks to Billboard about recording Bloom.

KATHLEEN EDWARDS talks to the Mpls Star-Trib about Voyageur and moving to Eau Claire, WI.

THE BEATLES' slow fade into pop culture obscurity?

GUIDED BY VOICES will release three albums this year.  Three shall be the number of the count.  The number of the counting shall be three.

JENNIFER ANISTON and boyfriend Justin Theroux are planning a wedding thousands of miles away from Hollywood?

GIULIANA & BILL RANCIC are expecting their first child.

DREW BARRYMORE and fiancé Will Kopelman, were feted with a combined wedding and baby shower.

LINDSAY LOHAN is officially set to star as Elizabeth Taylor in the Lifetime movie, Liz and Dick.

RUSSELL CROWE has officially signed on to star in Darren Aronofsky's Noah.

DEMI LOVATO: The once clean-cut Disney star cops to substance abuse.

ALFRED HITCHCOCK: Five life lessons from the master director.

YEMEN: Two months after a new president took office the fledgling interim government has found itself overwhelmed by a set of dangerous new challenges to the country's stability, including a series of a bold attacks by a resurgent militant movement in the south and a festering political standoff in the capital.

SYRIA: Ending a one-day lull, government forces renewed their attacks. Army troops stormed a suburb of Damascus. The city of Homs was shelled.

EGYPT's state-owned gas company says it has scrapped a controversial deal which supplies Israel with 40% of its natural gas at lower than market prices.

CAT vs BEAR: Who you got?

DEER invade Syracuse, NY.

A GOLDEN ORB SPIDER tries to eat a brown tree snake.

PENGUIN THIEVES: Alcohol was involved.

GIRLS play "Love is Like a River" on Conan.

DAMON ALBARN is advance streaming Dr Dee.

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT is advance streaming Out Of The Game.

SANTIGOLD is advance streaming Master Of My Make-Believe.

CAROLINE SMITH and the GOOD NIGHT SLEEPS stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

IGGY POP turned 65 over the weekend. Here's a raucous 1995 take on "Lust For Life."

ROGER McGUINN recently sat down with Talk of the Nation to discuss The Byrds and his solo career, as well as his work preserving folk music.

M WARD does a faves list with SPIN.

GEORGE HARRISON's wife and a few trusted collaborators are going through the guitarist’s massive archive and bringing the best of it to the public.

ROBIN GIBB has colorectal cancer and remains in intensive care after waking from a coma.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Think Like A Man topples The Hunger Games atop the chart with 33 million against a mere 12 million budget. Figure this one to finish with about 75 million, leaving a fat profit after targeted marketing costs.  Screen Gems is becoming the master of the cheap and profitable film.  The Lucky One placed with 22 million, probably more due to fans of novelist Nicolas Sparks than fans of Zac Efron (who hasn't been in a hit since 2009).The Hunger Games shows with 14.5 million on a 31 percent drop, which is pretty leggy for its fifth week of release. Its worldwide gross now stands at 573 million, though it may not make 400 million in the US before The Avengers storm cinemas on May 4th.  Chimpanzee debuted in the fourth slot with 10.2 million from the Earth Day crowd and families whose parents remember Disney's true-Life Adventures.  The Three Stooges round out the Top 5 with 9.2 million; its 46 percent drop is a slap in the face and a poke in the eye, but it has nearly recouped its 30 million production budget.

CAREY MULLIGAN & MARCUS MUMFORD married over the weekend.

NEIL DIAMOND wed his manager Katie McNeil in front of family and close friends in L.A. on Saturday.

RYAN REYNOLDS & BLAKE LIVELY bought a country home in Bedford, NY.

RHIANNA switching teams?

THE HUNGER GAMES sequel will be directed by Francis Lawrence (no relation to Jennifer).

TAYLOR SWIFT is circling the role of Joni Mitchell in Sony Pictures and Di Bonaventura Pictures' adaptation of Sheila Weller's book "Girls Like Us."

JOHNNY DEPP paid tribute to the late Jonathan Frid.

TERROR in the USA: Najibullah Zazi testified that he and New York subway bomb plot co-conspirators Adis Medunjanin and Zarein Ahmedzay met with wanted al Qaeda mastermind Adnan El Shukrijumah in Waziristan in 2008 to plan attacks. Targets discussed included Walmart, Times Square, Penn Station, the NY Stock Exchange, malls, theaters, and public transportation.

SYRIA: The Security Council unanimously approved a resolution increasing the number of UN observers from 30 to 300 and demanding an end to the violence. An opposition spokesman said that Annan's initiative was "our last chance to avoid civil war."

IRAN: A top Iranian official claimed on Sunday that his government was copying the top-secret American spy drone captured by Iran's armed forced last year.

AFGHANISTAN: After months of negotiations, the US and Afghanistan on Sunday agreed on drafts of the strategic partnership agreement that pledges American support for Afghanistan for 10 years after the withdrawal of troops at the end of 2014.

BABY GEESE groom a lamb. Plus, a camel.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG? A young Missouri man has turned to the Internet in search of investors for his expedition into the remote jungles of Africa seeking a living dinosaur.

TWO BEARS broke free from their cages in a Japanese animal park, mauling two women to death.

A SHY BABY MONKEY: Awww...some pics.