FOALS drop a new video for "This Orient," which I prefer to the last one, "Spanish Sahara."

THE NATIONAL debuted "Bloodbuzz Ohio" on the BBC as an advance track to High Violet.

BLITZEN TRAPPER drops "Heaven and Earth" as an advance track to Destroyer of the Void.

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE are streaming three advance tracks -- "Forced to Love," "All to All" and "World Sick" -- from the upcoming Forgiveness Rock Record.

TED LEO and the PHARMACISTS stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set streaming via MPR.

THE TEMPER TRAP also stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set streaming via MPR.

O'JAYS: "Backstabbers."

SPRING 2010 MUSIC PREVIEW, courtesy of Metacritic.

THE STROKES are recording without Julian Casablancas.

WILCO: John Stirratt talks to The Weekender about the band's journey to growth and stability. (Thx, LHB.)

LED ZEPPELIN refused another reunion offer.

SANDRA BULLOCK and JESSE JAMES: A high level, female executive with West Coast Choppers settled a sexual harassment lawsuit against Jesse James and West Coast Choppers for more than 700K in 2007, while he was married to Sandra Bullock.  James cheated on Bullock with other women besides tattoo model Michelle McGee, multiple sources tell the new Us Weekly.  His ex-wife Janine Lindemulder claims he's a "chronic cheater." But he is hoping for a reconciliation.

TIGER WOODS: Meet claimed mistress No. 15, "adult entertainer" Devon James.

DENNIS HOPPER is extremely ill and nearly broke, according to papers filed in his divorce proceedings.

KATHERINE HEIGL confirms that she is leaving Grey's Anatomy.

PAULA ABDUL is in talks to headline a new reality series set in the world of flash mob dancing.

ROBERT CULP, whose signature roles were on two especially heroic television shows, "I Spy" and "The Greatest American Hero," has died after a fall at his home. He was 79.

MALEFICENT: Having scored a hit with "Alice in Wonderland," Disney and screenwriter Linda Woolverton are teaming for a live-action take on the evil queen in the 1959 animated classic "Sleeping Beauty." Doesn't this sound like Disney's version of "Wicked"?

IRAN: US Army Lieutenant Colonel Edward Sholtis announced on Monday that elements within Iran are training Taliban fighters on Iranian soil.

AFGHANISTAN: A former Guantanamo detainee transferred from the detention facility to Afghanistan on Dec. 19, 2009, has already returned to the Taliban's ranks, according to multiple intelligence officials contacted by the Long War Journal.

IRAQ: Members of the State of Law Alliance said Iraqi National Movement leader Iyad Allawi is constitutionally ineligible to be the next Prime Minister as his mother is not an Iraqi. Political leaders in nine provinces requested a manual recount of the vote.

A WOLF DOG sings a lullaby.

ORPHAN MEERKATS: A year in the life.

ANIMAL THIEVES stole 16 to 20 roosters and hens, a 20-pound Flemish giant rabbit and a miniature stallion in Townshend, VT.

A CHINESE HEN has produced a soft-shelled egg in the shape of a figure eight.

ARCTIC MONKEYS have a new video out for "My Propeller."

JOANNA NEWSOM played the Sixth and I Synagogue in DC last night. You should be able to stream the whole gig on demand.

LOCAL NATIVES, setting harmonies a la CSNY or Fleet Foxes to Afrobeat, indie rock and chamber pop, played a SxSW party for NPR.

TEENAGE FANCLUB drops "Baby Lee" as an advace track to the Shadows LP.

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

RICHARD BUCKNER did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.

DUSTY SPRINGFIELD: "I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself."

RICHARD HELL talks to Things I'd Rather Be Doing about Destiny Street Repaired. (Thx, LHB.)

ALEX CHILTON: Crawdaddy covers his largely uncovered years - 1975-81.

GORILLAZ: The touring band includes Mick Jones and Paul Simonon of The Clash.

WOXY has been forced to suspend our live broadcasts, but is exploring options for a return.

SANDRA BULLOCK and JESSE JAMES have been interviewing divorce lawyers.  (Bullock's rep denies it.) Jesse James' alleged mistress Michelle McGee reportedly has a Nazi-inspired tattoo and "Go whitepower" spelled out on her fridge.

TIGER WOODS: Elin Nordegren "wears a chastity belt made of spikes," according to a friend. I hope that's a figure of speech.

MILA KUNIS briefly talks to GQ about things of a non-family-friendly nature. And there's a slideshow.

ZACH BRAFF announces the end of Scrubs via Facebook.

SARAH PALIN is close to a deal for her travelogue reality show, to be produced by Mark Burnett Prods., along with A&E Networks.

SCREAM 4: Wes Craven will direct the original actors in the horror sequel this spring.

3-D CONVERSIONS: Count James Cameron and Michael Bay among the skeptical.

KICK-ASS rolled out not one, but two, commercials last week. I keep hearing very good things about Chloe Moretz and Nicolas Cage in this.

AFGHANISTAN: Taliban leader Mullah Omar has named two new leaders to replace the head of its leadership council, who was detained in Pakistan earlier this year. One of the two new leaders was released from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in 2007.

IRAQ: More than 3,600 of Diyala's 18,000 Awakening fighters will be integrated into police forces by April 2011.

WONDERING CAT: Let's go to the video.

THE BIONIC DOG: Ruby the lurcher was completely 'rebuilt' by a team of forty vets, nurses and students - at a cost of £11,500.

CUJO: A girl of two was being treated in hospital after losing her jaw and suffering horrific facial injuries in an attack by a family dog in her home.

A MAMA POLAR BEAR takes her cub outside for the first time. Awww...some pics at the link.

BEN FOLDS plays Chatroulette live in Charlotte.

NEW RELEASES: Jenny Owen Youngs, Elliot Smith reissues, Mose Allison, Bettie Serveert, The Weakerthans and more are streaming this week via Spinner.

THE HOLD STEADY drops "Hurricane J" as an advance track.

THE XX stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a chat and mini-set.

THE MIDDLE EAST also stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a chat and mini-set.

THE MINDBENDERS bring Twofer Tuesday: "Game of Love" and "Groovy Kind of Love."

ALEX CHILTON: Whitney Matheson collects video clips from the SxSW tribute.

SLEATER-KINNEY: Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss have formed a new band and mull a full reunion in the next five years.

SMASHING PUMPKINS: Billy Corgan talks to ARTISTdirect about <i itxtvisited="1">Teargarden By Kaleidyscope, social networks, a desire to work with Tarantino or Scorsese and more...

PETE DOHERTY was arrested on suspicion of supplying drugs following the death of the heiress Robin Whitehead at a flat in east London.

AC/DC concert runs into problems with exotic birds and unexploded WWII bombs.

TIGER WOODS gave his first interview since his life fell apart.

SACHA BARON COHEN and ISLA FISHER got hitched in Paris.

SANDRA BULLOCK and JESSE JAMES may also end up refighting their child custody battle against former adult film actress Janine Lindemulder, as a result of their current marital strife.

KIM KARDASHIAN and REGGIE BUSH are reportedly on the rocks again.

AVRIL LAVIGNE, thought to be divorcing Derrick Whibley, apparently got a tattoo with him instead.

REESE WITHERSPOON stepped out with new boyfriend, Hollywood agent Jim Toth, over the weekend.

HOGWARTS was destroyed in a blaze as filming the final battle scene for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows went disastrously wrong.

TRANSFORMERS 3 will boast John Malkovich and Frances McDormand?

CAPTAIN AMERICA will be played by the Human Torch (who was denied a bank loan).

IRAN: The grandson of former President Rafsanjani was detained for involvement in opposition protests.  Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sharply denounced the United States on Sunday, accusing it of plotting to overthrow the clerical leadership in a chilly response to an overture by Pres. Obama for better cultural ties.

PAKISTAN will investigate AQ Khan's ties to Iran's nuclear program. ROTFL. According to Afghan officials and diplomats in Kabul, the recent roll-up of Taliban leaders has dealt a blow to secret, preliminary talks under way during the past six months between Pres. Karzai and the Taliban, as well as others between the Taliban and UN envoys.

AFGHANISTAN: Why is Russia getting a little more helpful? Heroin.

CAT vs BABY: Who you got?

A PEACOCK that escaped from its north Edmonton backyard has managed to elude fire fighters, police and neighbors by hopping from roof to roof, at one point flying 20 feet up a tree then disappearing somewhere in the area.

HUNDREDS OF EXOTIC BIRDS and a dog have died in a blaze that destroyed a building at a private Las Vegas nature preserve and sanctuary.

OVER 150 BIRD HOUSES flew the coop after thieves hooked into a trailer rig in broad daylight and dragged it off.

WE ARE SCIENTISTS: "Rules Don't Stop" is the first single from their Barbara LP.

NPR at SxSW: Since my last post, streaming sets from Best Coast, Sleigh Bells and Smith Westerns have become available on demand. And Freelance Whales did a video-mini-set.

MGMT is streaming Congratulations in its entirety.

DAN & MATT WILSON of Semisonic, Trip Shakespeare, and Twilight Hours stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set streaming via MPR.

THE CLIENTELE also stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

SHE & HIM talk to All Things Considered about Volume Two.

SHARON VON ETTEN did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.

THE JAYHAWKS: "Save It For a Rainy Day."

PAUL WESTERBERG writes The New York Times about the death of Alex Chilton. There's more at Entertainment Weekly, PopMatters and NPR. And Congressman Steve Cohen. The remaining members of Big Star paid tribute with special guests at Antoine's for SxSW.

EMILY HAINES of Metric wrote Drowned in Sound about the late Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse.

WILCO: Jeff Tweedy talks to the Miami Herald about growing up, experimenting, and kicking painkillers.

TITUS ANDRONICUS: A day at SxSW, charted by the Austin American-Statesman.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Alice in Wonderland threepeats at the top of the chart, with another 34.5 million and a domestic total of 265.8 million. Even so, it dropped another 45 percent, and will lose lucrative 3-D screens to How to Train Your Dragon next weekend.  Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a bit of a surprise in the second slot, with 21.8 million.  That's probably enough to make it profitable, which should be a relief (again, due to the Dragon movie coming).  The Bounty Hunter debuts in the third slot with 21 million, which is a return to form for Jennifer Aniston, even if it looks like it will do little better than a break-even on a 40-50 million budget.  Repo Men opened at No.4 with 6.1 on a 32 million budget. Ouch. She's Out of My League rounds out the Top Five, with a decent hold and the probability that it will break even.  Below the fold, Green Zone's 58 percent drop places it in the early running for Flop of the Year.

SANDRA BULLOCK: Jesse James's mistress has a stripping video. Shocka!

BRITTANY MURPHY received no fewer than 200 pills every month from January 2008 through August 2009 ... and sometimes as many as 400.

KATHERINE HEIGL had a wardrobe malfunction while accepting the ShoWest award for Female Star of the Year in Las Vegas.

LADY GAGA and her ex-bf are suing each other.

ROSIE O'DONNELL is slinking back to daytime TV.

ANNA NICOLE SMITH IS STILL DEAD, and her estate is not getting the hundreds of millions her late husband promised to her.

PIRATES of the CARIBBEAN 4 has banned actresses with artificial breasts.

IRAN: The Bushehr nuclear plant should be operational by the summer. Hezbollah's deputy leader said Israel would pay a "heavy price" if it attacked Iran's nuclear facilities. Russia said it would back "smart sanctions."

AFGHANISTAN: Afghan officials have seized Iranian weapons including roadside bomb making components smuggled over the border to support the Taliban. In camps along the border between Afghanistan and Iran, Taliban recruits are being taught by Iranian instructors how to ambush British, American and other Nato troops using guns and improvised explosive devices. British diplomats downplayed theses reports.

SEA LION RESCUE: Let's go to the video.

BOXING KANGAROO assaults and knocks out Australian jogger.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: Forget the pic-a-nic basket, Boo-Boo -- militant squirrels cause more injuries than any other animal in Yellowstone Park, according to Ranger Smith.

THE SWARM: Two women in Phoenix are in critical condition with hundreds of bee stings after a swarm attacked them while they were out for an evening walk.

CAT weans puppies... Mass hysteria!

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with THE JAM! It's been far too long since our last listen to the mod punks who were so influential on the early Pate.  Let's start with one of my faves, "In the City," with "Going Underground" the curiously Beatle-esque "Start" and Pate fave "Little Boy Soldiers" from the same gig. Follow it with Pate staples "Happy Together" and "Ghosts," chased with their take on The Kinks' "David Watts." I have to include the non-live cover of "Heatwave" and "Strangetown" for reasons apparent if you watch. That Motown R & B strain would continue in the last leg of the band's stratch, on originals like "Town Called Malice" and their cover of Curtis Mayfield "Move On Up." BONUS: The studio clip for "That's Entertainment." Because it is.

NPR AT SxSW: Stream sets from Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Spoon, Broken Bells, The Walkmen and presumably more as the fest continues.

TED LEO and the PHARMACISTS stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

PORT O'BRIEN stopped by Oregon Public Broadcasting for a chat and mini-set in audio and video.

PAVEMENT: Looking for downloads from their reunion tour?

FOCUS: The rawking and absurdly amusing live version of  "Hocus Pocus."

THE TOP 13 HIDDEN TRACKS, courtesy of... The Top 13.

YOUTUBE agrees to pay some indie musicians, kinda sorta.

CHARLIE GILLETT, a pioneering DJ credited with discovering Dire Straits and championing World Music, has died after a long illness.  He was 68. I heartily recommend his history of rock'n'roll, The Sound of the City.

THE CUTOUT BIN: A tribute to the late Alex Chilton, including tracks from Wilco, Ted Leo, the Posies, Juliana Hatfield, This Mortal Coil, Whiskeytown, Gin Blossoms, Superdrag, Kelly Willis and more -- is streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.

NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases are Diary of a Wimpy Kid, currently scoring 46 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; The Bounty Hunter, currently scoring 09 percent; and Repo Men, scoring 15 percent.  The Runaways opens on 244 screens, scoring 63 percent.

SANDRA BULLOCK: The tattooed mistress coming between Sandra Bullock and her bad boy husband Jesse James used to be... wait for it... a stripper. Whoda Thunkit! RadarOnline gets some double hearsay: Danielle Dee Madrano, owner of an adult web site, claims that Michelle "Bombshell" McGee said that Jesse James claimed his marriage was for publicity.  James told People magazine in a statement Thursday that he exhibited "poor judgment" and "I deserve everything bad that is coming my way."

TIGER WOODS: Adult film actress Joslyn James will release more than 100 graphic text messages she claims Tiger sent her, along with other revealing items.

KATE WINSLET is set to move back to England after the breakdown of her second marriage, she has told close friends.

COREY HAIM: A suspect has been caught in an ongoing state investigation of an illegal prescription drug ring connected to the late Corey Haim, according to the California Attorney General.

PAULA ABDUL won't be judging Star Search after all.

KIRSTIE ALLEY denies her new weight-loss program is connected to Scientology.

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS director Bryan Singer speaks.

FESS PARKER, best known for playing American folk heroes Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone, has died at the age of 85.

IRAN: Fmr. Pres. Rafsanjani appears to have decided to place his bets with Khamenei.

AFGHANISTAN: The NATO military alliance is planning a large-scale offensive in northern Afghanistan this year against the Taliban.

IRAQ: Prime Minister Maliki's State of Law party has a ~40K vote lead over the secular Iraqi National Movement, with 89 percent of the votes counted. The final vote count is expected to be released within days.

MICRO-PIG TOURS LONDON: Let's go to the video.

COMBAT DOGS take to the skies for secret missions in Afghanistan.

A MOUNTAIN LION was captured in an apple tree near a high school in Santa Fe, NM.

SNAKE in a bra.