IGGY POP claims he is struggling to get his kicks in old age, but when I hear new  Stooges' tracks like "The Weirdness" or  "Free and Freaky" (Real | Win), it sounds like he's exaggerating.  Iggy and The Stooges got a lengthy profile over the weekend in the New York Times that starts with the Ig discussing the classic Stooges video I've posted here previously.  The NYT piece even has MP3 samples.

ARCADE FIRE:  Neon Bible doesn't come out until next week, but you can stream the whole album now, via NME.

THE PIPETTES have inked a US record deal with Interscope subsidiary Cherrytree.  They hope to finally release We Are The Pipettes in June, with bonus tracks not on the UK release that will run you 30 bucks as an import.  In the meantime, you can always stream a few via TheirSpace.

DR. DOG, a psychedelic pop band from Philly, gets some local love from the World Cafe, which you can stream via NPR.  The band has been generating blog buzz, too -- so there's plenty to jukebox via the ol' HM.

MARK OLSON will have a cameo from former co-Jayhawk Greg Louris on his second solo album, due this June.

GUN CLUB:  Blank Forever has posted a bunch of their punk-blues classics.  You can jukebox 'em via the ol' HM, but I have to throw in some live video for the missing "Sex Beat." 

THE RAKES:  London's Guardian says they make "the thinking person's drinking music. Or the drinking person's thinking music."  I would agree that the band is closer to Franz Ferdinand or Bloc Party than drinking music, but you can stream a bunch via the ol' HM and decide for yourself.  Obvs, I can't pass up a track named "When Tom Cruise Cries."

THE HOLD STEADY can be more credibly said to make the thinking person's drinking music , but frontman Craig Finn doesn't consider their stuff "literary," telling Stylus: "I mean, we're trying to separate ourselves from guys like the Decemberists. That dude has read so many books. I haven't read any books compared to him."

LOU BARLOW talks to the San Jose Mercury News about the Sebadoh reunion and his surprise success with "Natural One,'' the single by his side project Folk Implosion.

CHRIS CORNELL supposedly quit Audioslave due to "irresolvable personality conflicts," but sources told Page Six it was all about the Benjamins.  He tells Spinner that his next solo LP, due May 1st, will include a cover of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean."  You can still stream his live acoustic version via the ol' HM.

BRITNEY SPEARS:  Sources tell TMZ that doctors at her rehab facility think the underlying reason for her trouble may be post-partum depression or bipolar disorder.  That either is more sympathetic than substance abuse is just a happy coincidence.  If believed, it would hurt sales of the Britney Shears doll on eBay.  At least she's got Pete Townshend in her corner, though she seems a bit old for him.

HELEN MIRREN has been invited to tea with Queen Elizabeth II.  Her Majesty rooted for the actress to win an Oscar for The Queen, though she would never watch it herself.  Proof -- if any were needed -- that "Her Majesty" is a pretty nice girl.

ALAN ARKIN hoped his ten-year-old costar, Abigail Breslin, would lose the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress: "I hope she loses frankly. No, I'm serious. I am not joking... She is a kid; she needs to have a childhood."  More, including Arkin admitting he doesn't like awards, at the link.

EDDIE MURPHY is not a sore loser for leaving the Oscars after losing Best Supporting Actor to Alan Arkin.  His rep claims he did the same thing after he won the same award at the Golden Globes.

TOM-KAT UPDATE:  US Weekly describes the couple's behavior at Vanity Fair's Oscars afterparty in a way that brings the term "Stepford Wife" easily to mind.

ANNA NICOLE SMITH IS STILL DEAD, but baby-daddy wannabe Larry Birkhead finally met 5-month-old Dannielynn Smith, who threw up on him.  Probably reminded him of Anna.   Meanwhile, wacky jurist Larry Seidlin has been mulling TV offers, including a segment on CBS's Early Show.

WHITNEY-BOBBY BREAK-UPDATE:  Bobby Brown seems to have had some difficulty raising the 19K bail to get of jail for unpaid child support and court fees. 

P DIDDY took his 12-year-old son for a lapdance.

GWYNETH PALTROW discovered that being a housewife is a hard job.

CHRISTINA RICCI says that playing a chained-up half-naked nymphomaniac in the upcoming Black Snake Moan helped her overcome her prudish nature, so she now parades around in her underwear.  Slideshow at the link.  You can stream versions of the song "Black Snake Moan" via the ol' HM.  You can watch the trailer, and even see Richard Roeper and guest Kevin Smith review the movie on the Tube, but the clip of the sex scene with Ricci and JT is long gone by now.

SCARLETT JOHANSSON skipped the Oscars to tour the slums of India on behalf of Oxfam.  She visited an Oxfam-funded school set up for the "untouchable" Dalit caste.

AFGHANISTAN:  A Taliban suicide bomber killed 18 outside the Kabul base where VP Cheney was visiting. Lt. Col. David Accetta said the bomber did not try to get past any US-staffed security checkpoints before detonating himself a mile away from the VP.   The Taliban are executing informants after three senior commanders were killed in the last three months.

EGYPT:  An Egyptian state-run satellite firm has stopped transmitting al-Zawraa TV, a/k/a "MujTV," a 24-hour station set up by the Islamic Army of Iraq (and subordinate to the Mujahideen Shura Council) to broadcast jihadi propaganda into Iraq.  Analysts pointed to US and Arab diplomatic pressure as a likely reason, but Nilesat claimed it was because the channel created a "buzz" that interfered with other channels.  I'll say!  MujTV is still available through our friends, the Saudis.

IRAQ:  Multinational Forces Iraq is "holding talks with commanders of Muqtada al-Sadr's Al-Mahdi Army with the 'Iraqi Government's blessing,'" as well as with other armed groups.  An aide claims that al-Sadr has not withdrawn his support for the new security plan, claiming a prior statement was misread by the media.  The buzz in Baghdad continues to be that al-Sadr is "doing some very deadly housecleaning," as Mahdi Army members have been disappearing or turning up dead in the Sadr City, Kadhimiya, and Baladiyat areas of the capital.  US-led strike forces seized suspected Shiite death squad bosses Tuesday in raids on Sadr City.  The AP claims -- without support --  that bombings have not slackened off, whereas the US military says that "reporting of sectarian murders is at the lowest level in almost a year" and bomb attacks have been reduced by 20 percent.  Nevertheless, the military rightly cautions against projecting a trend into the early figures.  One of Iraq's two VPs and the minister of public works escaped an assassination attempt.

CHACHI the MARMOSET frequently bites his owners and has assumed control over their dog, riding it like a horse.  This is right in my backyard; it turns out that Illinois is one of 19 states with no laws governing the private ownership of nonhuman primates.  So I'm thinking about becoming a part-time organ grinder.

MAN'S BEST FRIEND:  Dude, an eight-year-old mixed-breed hound, gave his life saving his owner from an attacking black bear.

NOT MAN'S BEST FRIEND:  A pet python strangled its 69-year-old owner in southern Vietnam, despite his daughter-in-law's desperate efforts to save him.

KOALA BEARS are totally into lesbian sex orgies Down Under.

LONELY ANIMAL LOVERS can get a hookup through a Dutch website.  And as the story comes out of Amsterdam, I hasten to add, "with other pet owners."

TWOFER TUESDAY:  From the "Where Are They Now?" file leap The Jags, with "Back Of My Hand," which used to play most mornings on WLUP in Spring 1980, iirc.  There's also the uber-rare "Party Games," posted on the Tube by a member of the band.

NEW RELEASES:  Dean and Britta release Back Numbers; the Village Voice profiles them.  Dash Rip Rock releases Hee Haw Hell, a country-rock-opera take on Dante's Inferno.  The Fall releases Reformation! Post-TLC, the band's first in umpteen years.   Beck re-releases last year's The Information in a deluxe, three disc format.

ARCADE FIRE:  New York magazine goes behind the scenes of the band's triumphant five-show stand at a church on Washington Square Park. 

MIDLAKE:  London's Guardian sends someone to the musical hotbed of Denton, TX for the secret of the band's success.

THE MAGIC NUMBERS:  Watch an entire gig from the hooky pop quartet via FabChannel.

THE WHO:  "My Generation" has been voted the most popular teen anthem ever in a poll taken to mark 50 years of the term "teenager."  As it's Twofer Tuesday, here's a The Who live at the Marquee Club in '67, and the famous version from TV.

LILY ALLEN is the current Guest DJ for NPR's All Songs Considered.  The set includes a fair number from her debut album, but she also squeezes in some Squeeze, and The Clash.

VAN HALEN:  Insiders close to the situation say a reunion tour is still in the works and will happen, though when is anybody's guess.

DAVID VANDERVELDE is the current Lounge Act at WOXY,  You can stream it via MKOB.

APPLES IN STEREO leader Robert Schneider talks to the Chicago Sun-Times about putting the Elephant 6 gang back together during the recording of New Magnetic Wonder.  You can stream three tracks off the album via TheirSpace.

OSCAR REDUX:  The video of Will Ferrell, Jack Black and John C. Reilly musically lamenting Oscar's disrespect of comedy is a good excuse to re-link Joe Queenan's piece on the Oscars, the Grammys, Ferrell and Black, which is well worth your time... there's even a Richard Thompson reference!

NAOMI WATTS pregnancy accidentally confirmed by her rep's statement about her Oscars dress.

HUGH HEFNER may marry Playmate Holly Madison.

MICHAEL GAMBON:  Dumbledore is going to be a dad -- with a woman who is not his wife.  He is still married to his wife of 45 years, Anne, although they are separated.

ANNA NICOLE SMITH IS STILL DEAD, but her baby-daddy wannabes -- Larry Birkhead and Howard K. Stern -- are in settlement negotiations.

WHITNEY-BOBBY BREAK-UPDATE:  Bobby Brown was arrested on Sunday and jailed in Massachusetts for failure to appear in court and pay child support fines.

BRITNEY SPEARS:  This time its annulled husband Jason Alexander bringing the tales of cocaine, ecstacy and bisexual orgies.  London's Sun claims that the pop tart ordered a wing at her luxury rehab clinic to be cleared to avoid mixing with other patients.  But the paparazzi at X17 claim that she's attending classes all day and making friends.  Daniel Baldwin -- of all people -- says the pop tart is "doing great" in rehab.

TOM-KAT UPDATE:  Holmes tells People magazine she loves mothering the Tom-Kitten: "She's a beautiful little girl, and I feel so honored to be her mom, really."  And hubby Cruise "is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life."

24:  Entertainment Weekly spends 24 hours behind the scenes of the hit counter-terrorism thriller.  The Wiggles have a cameo, but Jack Bauer does not torture them.  Indeed, Kiefer Sutherland has accepted an invitation from the US military to teach army cadets it is wrong to torture prisoners.

PETRA NEMCOVA and JAMES BLUNT ran over the leg of an autograph seeker on Friday night in L.A., according to witnesses.  That's not beautiful... unless you're a trial lawyer.

JAMES CAMERON claims in a new documentary that ten ancient ossuaries -- small caskets used to store bones -- discovered in a suburb of Jerusalem in 1980 may have contained the bones of Jesus and his family.  Archeologists and clergy were already deriding this claim 11 years ago.

AMERICAN IDOL semifinalist Antonella Barba has her best friend claiming that the tamer scandalous photos of Barba floating 'round the internet are of Barba, but that the really NSFW photos are not.

THREE FRENCH NATIONALS, some of them Muslims, were shot dead in Saudi Arabia on Monday in what appeared to be a militant attack, the Interior Ministry said.  If only France had not invaded Iraq.  Oh, wait...

IRAQ:  An Iraqi newspaper reports that Muqtada al-Sadr made a statement from "an unknown location," criticizing the new security plan, which is contrary to his initial position.  That may reflect al-Sadr's current difficult position between his popular Shiite base, renegade factions of his own militia, Iran and the US.  The Iraqi cabinet approved the draft law for countrywide distribution of oil revenues and foreign investment in the immense oil industry, which sends it to the parliament.  Though the WaPo focuses on difficulty in identifying the enemy in Baghdad, the story confirms the 70 percent drop in violent deaths under the new security plan so far.  Fifteen al-Qaeda, incuding an emir, were catpured in raids in Baghdad, Ramadi, Mahmudiyah and Samarra.  The US military is preparing for a spring offensive against Sunni insurgents and al-Qaeda in Ramadi.  The Iraqi Army arrested 6 insurgents near Baqubah. A large cache of Iranian EFPs also was found near Baquba.

IRAN seems to be uniting Europe behind the US ballistic missile defense program.  Tehran's own claim of a space rocket launch is greatly exaggerated.  The mullocracy is building up Hezbollah for another round with Israel.  The NYPD is concerned that Iranian agents may already have targeted the Big Apple for terror attacks, though this seems to ge a generalized concern not based on a specific threat.  The Iranian judiciary plans to clamp down on women it deems are "inappropriately dressed."  And from the irony dept:  Iranian MPs have demanded an apology from Pres. Ahmadinejad after teachers were given government-sponsored tests deemed "insulting" to the prophet Mohammed.

TWINKIE loves the banjo, but who would have guessed this photo was taken in the UK?

A SNAKE works as an auto-security system in India.

WHEN SQUIRRELS ATTACK:  Let them have your snack chips.  After all, you know "they'll make more," but the rodent does not know that.

PRAIRIE DOG CREDITS:  I'm not sure what they are, but they can't be good for the dogs.

PUPPY THIEVES are in organized gangs Down Under; a 31-year-old who tried to thwart a pup heist is hospitalized in serious condition after being stabbed and pelted with puppies.

THE FLAMING LIPS and PETE TOWNSEND play "Baba O'Riley" unplugged on "In The Attic" backstage at the V Festival in Baltimore.  ALSO: Lips frontman Wayne Coyne is on NPR's Morning Edition today, discussing how his 11-year-long fish-frying gig at  Long John Silver's "allowed me to dream about what my life could become."

ACE FREHLEY says rumors of his demise have been greatly exaggerated.

SON VOLT played the World Cafe Live in Philadelphia last Friday, so you can stream the whole set from NPR now.

RICHARD THOMPSON talks songwriting and covers with the Cincinnati Enquirer.

BACKYARD TIRE FIRE, a Chicago-based band whose sound has elements of everything from Wilco to the Guess Who to Southern rock, are profiled by JamBase, where frontman Ed Anderson talks about growing up on 8-tracks and 70s AM radio, among other things.  You can jukebox a few via the ol' HM.

BRIGHT EYES premieres the video for "Four Winds" exclusively on Spinner.  I'm not a huge Bright Eyes guy, but I like this one  lot.

THE AUTUMN DEFENSE:  Pat Sansone thinks this Wilco-ite side-project gets compared to Bread, America and Crosby, Stills and Nash because of the harmonies; John Stirratt thinks it may just be that he and Sansone "didn't want to hear loud electric guitars."  You can stream their soft sounds from TheirSpace.

SONIC YOUTH have booked their first two dates ever in the People's Republic of China.  Will the government approve?

IN SEARCH of the BLUES:  London's Telegraph reviews a book about the "the Blues mafia" who created the romantic notion of the bluesman as primitive, tormented genius.

LEE HAZLEWOOD, still fighting renal cancer, offers some ramblin' recollections and observations for Harp magazine, including this: "I don't know why the kids who like my old garbage like those songs. The lost romanticism, the fatalism? No idea. If I knew, I'da done more of it..."   He also tells the San Francisco Chronicle what he thought of Jessica Simpson's take on "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'."

THE INDELICATES are a hooky new British band including early Pipette Julia.  My Old Kentucky Blog is streaming five tracks, including the droll "Waiting for Pete Doherty to Die."

...AND THE OSCARS WENT TO these folks, but more importantly, what did I think?  Alan Arkin rules, even reading his speech. George Miller, director of Mad Max and The Road Warrior, wins for dancing penguins; go figure.  We don't need clip montages; they pad the show and remind us of movies better than those nominated this year.  Tom Cruise giving the humanitarian award to ex-Paramount chair Sherry Lansing is an inside joke at the expense of Sumner Redstone, who kicked Cruise off the Paramount lot.  Scorsese, Eastwood and Spielberg are all funnier than Ellen DeGeneres.  The cinematographer for Children of Men wuz robbed!  Robert Downey, Jr. is funnier than Ellen.  Al Gore does not get an Oscar for An Inconvenient Truth (it really goes to Davis Guggenheim), but Gore gets to make a political speech anyway.  Gore always forgets the Clinton-Gore Admin's failure to submit the Kyoto Protocol to the Senate for ratification.  Celine Dion appears, makes me long for Al Gore.  Ennio Morricone rocks.  Tobey Maguire needs to shave.  Travolta needs a better hairpiece.  Spielberg, appearing in a trio with Coppola and Lucas to give Best Director to Scorsese, gets the line of the night: "Spread out!"  If you missed the show, you can also get the play-by-play from The Envelope.  UPDATE:  Nikki Finke and Tom Shales are among those unimpressed with the telecast.  DOUBLE-BONUS:  Joe Queenan notes that the Oscars are more dishonest than the Grammys.

THE RED CARPET:  Cate Blanchett, Reese Witherspoon, and Kate Winslet were Hot.  Elizabeth Shue and Kirsten Dunst were Not.  Jessica Biel, Anne Hathaway and Nicole Kidman were Hot, but Not in those dresses. BONUS: My law school friend Terrie Khoshbin noted that the Red Carpet shows kept airing the m&ms commercial that features "This is the Day" by The The -- an ad placement I had heretofore missed.

THE RAZZIES, otoh, went to these folks.  Saturday was a big night for Basic Instinct 2, Little Man and Lady in the Water.

THE INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS went to these folks.  Little Miss Sunshine was the big winner with four prizes.  Emcee Sarah Silverman: "If a bomb went off, there would be nobody left to make a documentary about it."

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE:  Oscar weekend was an apathetic one at the nation's cineplexes.  Ghost Rider retained the top slot with 19.7 million, but dropped 60 percent.  Even so, the flick may break even in the US and make money internationally.  The Number 23 made 15.1 million, which may not be bad, considering its 30 million budget.  Bridge to Terabithia dropped 40 percent to the third slot, probably because folks found out this is much darker than the Narnia franchise.  Reno 911!: Miami came in fourth with about ten million, which is probably good, as the budget had to be low.  Norbit drops to fifth, but at 74 million in total, this Eddie Murphy movie may pass up Dreamgirls.  Music and Lyrics grossed eight million in its second weekend, and dropped only 41 percent, but probably disappoints the studio.  The espionage flick Breach also dropped about 40 percent, perhaps hurt by folks catching up on this year's Oscar noms.  Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls plunged 53 percent, making 5.2 million.  Ninth place goes to The Astronaut Farmer, with a 4.5 million take that surely disappoints, just barely edging out Amazing Grace, the anti-slavery biopic that opened on far fewer screens.

BRITNEY SPEARS:  Amanda Alexander -- sister of Britney's first husband Jason Alexander -- says she's seen the pop tart use cocaine and ecstasy.  Fed-Ex says he could never take her back, reports the ever-reliable Daily Star UK.  She was visited by her kids in rehab.  Manager Larry Rudolph denies she's on suicide watch.

JESSICA BIEL appears to have moved on from Justin Timberlake and has been spotted with That 70s Show swordsman Wilmer Valderrama.

BRADGELINA:  Us Weekly claims that Pitt and Jolie have filed paperwork with US Citizenship and Immigration Services to adopt a boy from Vietnam.  More certain is the report that the Council on Foreign Relations has decided to admit Jolie as a member, based on her work as a UN goodwill ambassador.  And the fact that she's much hotter than Alan Greenspan.

NICOLE KIDMAN and KEITH URBAN had to dig really deep when he went into rehab... or so she told Russell Crowe during Oprah's pre-Oscars "stars-interview-each-other" show.

ANNA NICOLE SMITH IS STILL DEAD, but Sandi Powledge is talking about their tumultuous love affair.  NTTAWWT.

KATE HUDSON-CHRIS ROBINSON BREAK-UPDATE:  Hudson was snapped in a PDA with Owen "The Butterscotch Stallion" Wilson in Australia.

JACKO, unofficially blacklisted from a hoped-for Vegas run, agreed to do a tour with sister Janet and his brothers.  Whether he follows through is another matter.

JESSICA SIMPSON may be a Pizza Hut spokesmodel, but she is reportedly allergic to cheese, tomatoes and wheat.

AMERICAL IDOL producer Nigel Lythgoe says he has not seen any of the embarrassing and downright NSFW photos of contestant Antonella Barba circulating on the Internet.  And there are really NSFW versions at ONTD.

IRAN:  In The New Yorker, Seymour Hersh claims that a Pentagon panel has been created to plan a bombing attack that could be implemented within 24 hours of getting the go-ahead from Pres. Bush.  The panel had focused on destroying Iran's nuke facilities and regime change, but has since been directed to identify Iranian targets that may be involved in supplying or aiding militants in Iraq.  Pentagon officials say they maintain contingency plans for literally dozens of potential conflicts around the world and that all plans are subject to regular and ongoing review.  The Times of London claims that senior US military commanders are prepared to resign if the White House orders a military strike against Iran, but the story then refers to officers at the Pentagon who are not actually commanders.  FWIW, I think there would be a big WH PR push before anything like this would happen.  The Daily Telegraph claims that Israel is negotiating with the US for permission to fly over Iraq as part of a plan to attack Iran's nuke sites.  This also seems to fall under the heading of contingency planning; imho, Israel might be just as happy to have a tacit deal to fly over Saudi Arabia, knowing that SA would officially squawk, but take no real action.  Indeed, a few hours after I wrote that, a Kuwaiti newspaper reports that Qatar, Oman and the UAE have told the US that they would not object to Israel using their airspace.

IRAQ:  At ITM, Mohammed has an overview of the progress in Baghdad over the first two weeks of the new security plan, including 600 displaced families returning home, and worshippers returning to their mosques.   Over 400 insurgents have been killed and another 400 captured since security operations began in mid-February. Despite the jump in terrorist bombings in the last few days, the death toll in Baghdad has dropped by over 70 percent.  More Kurdish troops are moving towards Baghdad.  Kurdish leaders have apparently approved a draft oil law that will be presented to Iraqi lawmakers in coming weeks.  The Interior Ministry launched an operation against an Islamic Army base north of Baghdad, killed "tens" of fighters and captured " Saad Akram Khalifa, a commander of the Islamic Army in northern Iraq." Coalition forces captured 12 al-Qaeda in raids in Amiriyah and Mosul, and found "a large amount of Egyptian and Syrian money and false passports and identification cards."  Al-Qaeda murdered 35 and injured more than 60 in a suicide bombing on a mosque in Habbaniyah whose cleric spoke out against al-Qaeda.  Special Iraqi Army Forces captured 5 members of the Mahdi Army in Husayniyah and the leader of a 30 man sniper cell in Mashahda.

IRAQ in the MEDIA:  60 Minutes supports the troops who oppose the war.  If that sounds like an overstatement, consider that the show portrayed the "appeal for redress" as a grassroots effort, instead of a well-organized and financed effort by longtime antiwar activists.  And consider that the show relied on a recent Military Times survey to claim that more US soldiers oppose the president's handling of the war in Iraq than support it, when the Military Times admits the poll is not representative of the troops.  Moreover, it's a mail-in poll, which makes it unscientific in the first place.  If I know these things, you can bet 60 Minutes knew them, but chose not to tell its viewers.

RATS SWARMED through a KFC in NYC's Greenwich Village.  The Health Department has closed the store, which had passed inspection one day after WCBS cameras caught dozens of rats scurrying across the store, jumping on tables, and climbing into food trays.  Video at both links.

BEAVERS RETURN TO NYC after 200 years. So. Many. Punchlines. But I'm still partial to the one in The Naked Gun.

WEALTHY GAY DOG wants to take on best man duties at same-sex weddings at his 13th Century manor house.

100 SHEEP CARCASSES were discovered in a home in downtown Toronto.

SNAKE in a WAL-MART:  The Georgia man bit by a pygmy rattler last November has filed suit against the big box giant.  Video at the link.

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with DANNY & DUSTY, a rootsy alt-supergroup fronted by Dan Stuart (Green on Red) and Steve "Dusty" Wynn (Dream Syndicate) and backed by members of those bands and The Long Ryders.  The Paisley Undergrounders recorded a single album, The Long Weekend, in 1985.  Pate fans may remember the album from its recurring rotation at the Music Works ("This is not a record store... it's a hangout").  It turns out there's a new D&D album due on April Fool's Day, which I discovered after finding this rare live video of "The Word is Out."  You can also stream some preview tracks (and the old "Bend in the Road") at TheirSpace.  BONUSES:  As we only have the one D&D video, here's a live clip of the Dream Syndicate playing "The Days Of Wine And Roses," the official clip of The Long Ryders' "Looking for Lewis and Clark" and a fan-made clip of Green On Red's "No Free Lunch."

PETER BJORN & JOHN:  Bjorn sings the praises of the tambourine in classic pop songs.  And he is right, of course; there is almost always room for a tambourine... and... more cowbell.  BONUS:  Peter and Bjorn's cover of "Me & Julio Down By The Schoolyard" has made it onto the ol' HM for your listening pleasure.  And yes, there's some tambourine in it.

THE SHINS played an unpluggety set for Hub 6, which you can stream from the BBC now.

THE WRENS:  Stereogum interviews guitarist Charlie Bissell about teaching guitar and his other day jobs, including lawyer.  You can jukebox a flock of Wrens via the ol' HM.

JULES SHEAR:  the singer-songwriter probably best known for "If She Knew What She Wants" (by way of The Bangles)  gets his own "Idiot's Guide" surveying his catalog at Jefitoblog.  You can jukebox the accompanying music tracks via the ol' HM.

SEEN YOUR VIDEO:  Friday puts me in the mood to hear Elvis Costello & the Attractions "Pump It Up."

SPARKLEHORSE stopped by The Current, so you can stream a few ethereal songs and a few words via Minnesota Public Radio now.

AN AQUARIUM DRUNKARD has a new podcast posted, with songs ranging from David Bowie to Andrew Bird to (acoustic) Sonic Youth.

THE 69 SEXIEST SONGS... EVER, according to AOL.  And it's an interesting list, though marred by some fairly glaring omissions.  Anyway, they are all streamable, so have at it.

THE CUTOUT BIN:  This Friday's fortutitous finds on the ol' HM include:  Lalo Shifrin - Enter The Dragon; The Jam - Start!; Band of Bees - Listening Man; Box Tops - The Letter; Big Star - O My Soul; The dB's - Amplifier; Neko Case - Buckets of Rain (B. Dylan); The Beach Boys - Sail On, Sailor; David Bowie - Queen B*tch; Belle & Sebastian - Sukie in the Graveyard (profanity); Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend; Young Fresh Fellows - Low Beat; Wreckless Eric - Whole Wide World; Dungen - Gr Det Nu (new!); The Wedding Present -  Pleasant Valley Sunday; The Yardbirds - For Your Love;  and Emm Gryner - Pour Some Sugar On Me.

BRITNEY SPEARS went back into rehab for the third time in about a week.  I suppose she may be out again by the time you read this, but I tend to think not.  Spears lashed out at the paparazzi with an umbrella last night, amid speculation that she and her estranged husband cut a deal that she would re-enter rehab and Fed-Ex would drop his request to expedite the couple's child-custody proceedings.

NOW SHOWING:  This week's wide releases include: the Jim Carrey thriller The Number 23, currently scoring a scary  9 percent on the Tomatometer; the TV spin-up comedy Reno 911!: Miami, which is scoring 44 percent; and the Billy Bob Thornton-led The Astronaut Farmer, which sounds a bit like Andy Griffith's 1979 TV series Salvage 1, but is scoring 69 percent on the Tomatometer.  Opening near-wide is The Abandoned, this week's horror flick not screened for critics.  Amazing Grace, about William Wilberforce's fight against slavery, opens on 791 screens and is scoring 60 percent.

JIM CARREY, btw, admits his reputation may be taking a dive: "Everyone gets to be the big joke for a year. That's this business. Last year it was Tom Cruise. I could be the next Kathie Lee Gifford."

BRADGELINA:  Following the death of her mother, Jolie has reportedly lost noticeable weight, and is "lonely and desperate to make new friends."

JESSICA SIMPSON bought a van for the Casa Hogar Elim orphanage in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.  The pneumatic blonde has also recently expressed her wish to adopt kids like Angelina Jolie. Just sayin'.

ANNA NICOLE SMITH IS STILL DEAD, but  a weepy Judge Larry Seidlin ruled that Smith's remains should be given to the court-appointed guardian ad litem representing her 5-month-old daughter, Dannielynn.  FNC has video of Judge Seidlin's Greatest Hits.  Before the ruling, we learned that Howard K. Stern was entirely financially dependent upon the late spokesmodel and snuck her drugs even while doctors were trying to wean the then-pregnant Smith from her addiction to meds.  Also, TMZ turned up video of Smith and her doctor getting hot and heavy at a West Hollywood, Calif. gay bar in 2005.  Although the guardian intends to have Smith buried next to her son in the Bahamas, Smith's mother may appeal Judge Seidlin's ruling.

LINDSAY LOHAN, fresh from rehab, continues clubbing copiously, and skipped a memorial service for director Robert Altman, who she previously called "the closest thing to my father and grandfather that I really do believe I've had in several years."

MADONNA has banned her daughter from dating until she is 18, according to the ever-reliable National Enquirer.

SIENNA MILLER was snapped topless at the beach with possible bf Jamie Burke, so your just a cople of clicks away from NSFW material.

CELEBRITY POLITICS:   A new CBS poll shows that the American public is divided on whether Hollywood celebrities should be involved in politics -- a reversal from four years ago, when most thought celebs should get involved if they chose to.

THEY WUZ ROBBED!  Slashfilm lists "Movies That Should Have Won an Academy Award, But Didn't."

DISPATCHES -- UNDERCOVER MOSQUE:  A reporter for Britain's Channel 4 entered Birmingham's prominent Green Lane mosque and other leading mosques in Britain with a hidden camera. He found Islamic supremacism, hatred of Jews and Christians, and the subjugation of women preached in them.  Like most things, the documentary has been posted on the Tube (Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).

MORE ISLAMISM in the UK:  The Muslim Council of Britain is demanding a ban on "un-Islamic" activities in schools, Arabic language classes for Muslim pupils, recitations from the in music classes, prayer rooms with washing facilities in all schools, and more...

IRAN ignored the UN Security Council's ultimatum to freeze uranium enrichment -- a possible pathway to nuclear arms -- and has instead expanded its program by setting up hundreds of centrifuges.  The US and its European partners are weighing another set of financial restrictions on Tehran, including the possibility of targeting companies run by the country's elite Revolutionary Guard Corps.

IRAQ:  US troops uncovered a car bomb factory with propane tanks and chlorine cylinders in Anbar province.  Bill Roggio has a round-up of operations in Anbar and other provinces,  For example, a senior police chief in Baqubah was arrested for "involvement in the murder, torture, kidnapping and sectarian violence of Iraqi citizens in Diyala Province."  That's actually good news, considering prior reports that militants were fleeing there from Baghdad before the "surge."  Another two brigades of Iraqi troops will be sent to Basra to boost security when British forces begin their phased withdrawal.

THE LARGEST SQUID EVER CAUGHT, weighing an estimated 990 lbs and about 39 feet long, took New Zealand fishermen two hours to land in Antarctic waters.  Neither Capt. Nemo nor Capt. Jack Sparrow could be reached for comment.

HOLY MACKEREL!  KFC has asked Pope Benedict XVI to bless the Fish Snacker Sandwich, a Lenten addition to the chain's Snacker sandwich line.

BINDI SUE UPDATE:  The search for the stolen baby Dumeril's boa turns up a ball python -- also possibly stolen from the same pet store.

...AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT:  A kitty with 26 toes.  Pic of "Extra" and her many pads at the link.

A DEER was rescued from a coffee can by members of the Royal Mounted Canadian Police.

DAVID VANDERVELDE brings the glam on "Jacket."  Even better, you can stream his whole debut album as I write this.

ELVIS PERKINS gets a mini-set at the World Cafe, which you can stream via NPR.

THE DECEMBERISTS are playing with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl July 7th.  They also have a new long-form, 10-minute "Director's Cut" of "O, Valencia."

LUCINDA WILLIAMS talks to Paste, The Baltimore Sun and The Phoenix about her new album West. (Thanks, Chromewaves!)  As usual, you can jukebox a Lucinda mix via the ol' HM.

GUNS 'N' ROSES enter the periphery of the reunion radar.

"WE ARE THE BOYS" (Who Make All the Noise)" is a medley of early rock 'n' roll classics like "Great Balls 'o' Fire" and "Chantilly Lace," as recorded in this one-off project from Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy), Roy Wood (The Move), Chas Hodges (Chas 'n' Dave), and John Coghan (Status Quo).

YO LA TENGO fromtman Ira Kaplan tells X-Press Online how the band's music is shaped by their community.

THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN reunion may produce a new album, but the Reid brothers will be releasing solo albums this year in any event.  You can stream some Jim solo samples via HisSpace.

JAMES BROWN:  The six adult children of singer James Brown and his partner, Tomi Rae Hynie, have agreed on where the Godfather of Soul will be buried -- which is an undisclosed location, so maybe he will be guarded by VP Dick Cheney.  Brown's former manager reveals he keeps opening the golden casket to make sure Brown is still there; all needs now is to istall a refrigerator light.

PETE DOHERTY-KATE MOSS UPDATE:  The supposedly sober supermodel's jaw dropped when she saw the "Don't End Up Like Pete the Junkie" signs plastered outside a recent Babyshambles gig .

BRITNEY SPEARS is back out of rehab in less than a day (again).  The pop tart has reportedly claimed her head-sahving was because of a problem with lice, but  an unnamed source told OK! magazine that it was because Fed-Ex threatened that he was going to have people test her hair, which could show whether she had been abusing illegal drugs, which could be used in the couple's looming child-custody battle.  Coincidentally enough, Fed-Ex and his lawyers are seeking to expedite the child-custody proceedings.

JACKO is reportedly meeting with Prince for advice on how to land one of those long-running Vegas gigs like the Purple One has running at his 3121 Club.

TOM BRADY is officially excited about ex-gf Bridget Moynihan's pregnancy.

BRADGELINA:  Jolie and the kids meet a gay man dressed as an Oscar in N'awlins.  NTTAWWT.

LINDSAY LOHAN said she was "seriously considering" moving to London.  Of course, it's not the first time she has said that, either.

ANNA NICOLE SMITH IS STILL DEAD, but it hasn't stopped TMZ from wondering whether Smith -- or her companion/lawyer Howard K. Stern -- were trying to changer her will at the time she died.

GREY'S ANATOMY will spin-off Dr. Addison Montgomery-Shepherd into her own series.

NAOMI WATTS and LIEV SCHREIBER continue to attract pregnancy rumors.

CHRISTINA AGUILERA, otoh, is denying pregnancy rumors.

THE SEVEN WONDERS of the CELEBRITY WORLD, according to the Best Week Ever blog.  And one entry seems especially controversial with the commenters.

FIVE FREAKY MUPPET VIDEOS are presented by Ten Zen Monkeys.  Rockers feature in three of them.  But if you're going to bring Debbie Harry into it, why not feature her duet with Kermit on "Rainbow Connection?"

HONOR KILLINGS:  In the UK, a father torched his wife and four daughters in their sleep because he could not bear them adopting a more westernized, less Muslim lifestyle, an inquest heard. In Chicago, Daryoush Ebrahimi allegedly admitted killing his wife, sister-in-law and mother-in-law because they "disrespected him and said he was not a man."  I note that in the second case, the family was Assyrian Christian.

IRAN publicly hanged a man who confessed to involvement in last week's deadly bomb attack on members of the Revolutionary Guards in the tense border city of Zahedan.  Compare the near-total lack of ourage about this to the media barrage of complaints over the hanging of Saddam Hussein after a lengthy trial.  Apparently, we are unwilling to judge the Iranian government -- which has been around since 1979 -- by the same standards we apply to a fledgling democracy.

IRAQ:  In the L.A. Times, Max Boot asks: "Is Iraq turning into Yugoslavia?"   Time magazine reports that it is "too quiet" in Baghdad -- which may be true, but there's just no pleasing the press, is there?  US troops are also scouring the outskirts of Baghdad to identify threats before they reach the capital.  Citizens and police in Jumaylah attacked an al-Qaeda convoy attempting to enter the town. Seven al-Qaeda were killed and 13 captured in raids in Ramadi, Fallujah and Baqubah.  Hardcore Islamists are trying their own "surge" in Ramadi, but the US was expecting it.

THE RUNNING of the BULL in Upton, Mass. consumed about four hours along Route 140.  Video at the link.

SWARMS of GIANT HORNETS have settled in France, but entomologists fear it will just be a matter of time before they cross to Britain.  Global warming is blamed, natch.

COWS stare unamazed as Switzerland's Agriculture Ministry calls on the country's farmers to stop feeding them cannabis.

SUMATRAN RHINO crosses the ocean to get it on for the species.

THE BAT DEMON is blamed for a rash of sex attacks -- mostly against men -- in Tanzania's main city, Dar es Salaam.  Well, of course, what else could it be?