POP LEVI has two videos for "Semi-Babe" (Part 1, Part 2) designed to be played simultaneously.

SONGS FOR THE LEFT LANE: More uptempo driving songs are streaming courtesy of KEXP.

KELLEY STOLTZ: An indie-pop classicist talks to Glide about his influences.

THE BROKEN WEST has a new single, "Perfect Games," that you can -- and should -- stream at So Much Silence (via Chromewaves.)

OKKERVIL RIVER: Will Sheff tells the Calgary Herald he is reluctant to call The Stage Names and the upcoming companion LP, The Stand Ins, concept albums: "You can be talking about something like (Neil Young's) Tonight's the Night or that Styx album about robots taking over the world..." Domo arigato, Mr. Sheff.

BECK has released a teaser video for his upcoming Modern Guilt album.

DAVID VANDERVELDE: Muzzle of Bees reports that Jay Bennett injects a kind of Being There/Summerteeth vibe into Vandervelde's upcoming Waiting For The Sunrise LP, and posts the mellow "I Will Be Fine" for a listen.

BEST OF 2008 SO FAR lists are popping up all 'round, including NPR (which is also hosting a poll with 50 choices plus write-ins), The A.V. Club, and Music For Kids Who Can't Read Good.

DANIEL JOHNSTON: The critically-acclaimed, bipolar singer-songwriter tells JamBase that he likes to tour -- for the comic book and record shopping opportunities.

BARACK OBAMA shuffles his iPod for "Random Rules" feature at the A.V. Club. No, wait, I mean Rolling Stone.

BRADGELINA have donated a million dollars for educational aid to children affeccted by the Iraq war.  Half is going to Iraqi kids, while half is going to American kids who have a military parent killed in Iraq, or who are separated from a parent stationed in the country.

JENNIFER GARNER & BEN AFFLECK thinking of splitting up?  Garner's rep calls the report "100% completely fabricated."

DENISE RICHARDS & CHARLIE SHEEN have their children, Sam, 4, and Lola, 3, in therapy. Sad, but maybe needed.

ANNE HATHAWAY's ex-boyfriend Raffaello Follieri was hospitalized for a severe sinus infection following his New York court appearance on fraud and money laundering charges.

VERNE TROYER, a/k/a "Mini-Me" in the Austin Powers movies, has a sex tape.  No thanks.

SUPERMODEL KAROLINA KURKOVA has been attacked by the Brazilian media for appearing too fat on the runway. On the one hand, the harsh criticism of Karolina's heavier appearance seems extremely cruel; on the other hand, she's a highly compensated model whose job is to look great all the time, as in this Decmber 2007 photoshoot.

LINDSAY LOHAN is reportedly much more professional on-set, because girlfriend Samantha Ronson "has a calming effect on her."

JAMIE LYNN SPEARS tells OK! magazine that she plans to lead a much more low-key life with her new baby daughter.

JEN & JOHN: Aniston seems to be making time to hook up with Mayer while he's touring Europe.

ISLAMISM in the UK: A 12-year-old white schoolboy is among 120 people being dealt with by police in a new project combating Islamic-inspired violent extremism, according to the Daily Mail. The child was reported by his school in West Yorkshire after he was found circulating video clips of terrorists beheading Westerners.

IRAQ: Iraqi and Coalition forces discovered two large weapons caches in northeastern Baghdad, including seven EFPs. As many as 1000 memberss of Sahwa (awakening) forces have gained access to the Police in Baghdad.

COP HITS DINOSAUR in Lake Delton, Wisc. Let's go to the video!

SCAREDY CAT survived 18 hours clinging to high voltage power lines in a Wiltshire village.

PANDAS at the earthquake-devastated Wolong research centre in Sichuan province have been evacuated to other parts of the country, just days after being taken off bamboo shoots and put on a strange diet of fruit. Damage to the bamboo forest in earthquake sites such as Dujiangyan and Mianyang has led to a sharp reduction in the amount of shoots on offer for the pandas, which now must make do with fruit and seeds.

A MELON-HEADED WHALE is receiving treatment after being rescued off the coast of Brevard County, FL, on Tuesday.  I believe it was looking for lover that won't drive it crazy.

ALLIGATOR bites off the arm of a late-night swimmer in Okeechobee, FL.

THE NEW CLASSICS, as compiled by Entertainment Weekly, includes the 100 best albums from 1983-2008 (and criminally excludes Husker Du), 25 New Classic One-Hit Wonders, including Deee-Lite's ''Groove Is In the Heart,'' Urban Dance Squad's "Deeper Shade of Soul" and more.  Don't miss the Top 10 from Beck.

BECK, as it turns out, is streaming three new songs via iLike, along with directions for how to get an advance stream of his upcoming Modern Guilt album. I detect some psychedelia on at least two of the three tracks at iLike.

GUNS 'N' ROSES: Antiquiet -- which posted nine leaked tracks from the long-delayed Chiese Democracy album -- got a call from the Gn'R camp... and the FBI.

FLEET FOXES, in all their modesty, are profiled by the Times of London.  You can stream a few via FleetSpace.

LIZ PHAIR has some pretty dumb fans in San Francisco. Freebird!

THE TING TINGS perform a five-song mini-set for AOL Sessions.

THE REPLACEMENTS: Aquarium Drunkard has the Sh^t, Shower & Shave bootleg from Summer 1989 posted to stream or download.  Included are covers of Big Star's "September Gurls" and two takes on The Only Ones' "Another Girl, Another Planet."

ROBERT POLLARD: AD is also streaming two songs from his current solo LP, Off to Business. "Gratification to Concrete" is a pick to click.

RON SEXSMITH tells Jam! that creating his new Exit Strategy Of the Soul record tested his patience.

JASON ISBELL: The ex-Drive-By Trucker talks to Richmond.com about his new band, the 400 Unit.

HEATHER LOCKLEAR is seeking treatment for psychological issues of anxiety and depression at an Arizona facility.

BRITNEY SPEARS has been awarded overnight visitation with her sons, Jayden and James, in her ongoing custody dispute wiith Fed-Ex.

MICHELLE WILLIAMS is reportedly furious with Heath Ledger's family and threatening to boycott the premiere of The Dark Knight, a source told Page Six: "(Their daughter) Matilda is supposed to be the beneficiary of the will, but Michelle has seen nothing from them. Heath didn't have much in cash, but there was a big house in LA and a back-end deal for 'Dark Knight' (that) could reap millions."  Her rep denies any anger, but called the "presumption" that Michelle ever intended to attend The Dark Knight premiere "unfounded."

WILL SMITH kisses Dave Letterman and claims Russia is where God made the first white ladies ever.  He does not mention that he's sending his kids to a Scientology school, but the crazy is a tipoff, isn't it? Video at the link.

MADONNA & GUY RITCHIE are again reported to be discussing a split as their seven-year marriage hits rock bottom.  The London Mirror reports that the couple will formally announce the split when Madge's world tour ends on November 29.

ANNE HATHAWAY ditched her longtime bf Raffaello Follieri  just in time -- he has been arrested on federal wire fraud, conspiracy and money laundering charges for claiming to be associated with the Pope.  Agent 99 has a cameo in the federal complaint.

TERROR in the US: A Muslim convert and former prison inmate was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison for conspiring to wage war on the US - including plotting terrorist attacks on local military sites and Jewish centers and synagogues - in a plan one prosecutor said was intended to "kill as many people as possible."

IRAN:  America's intelligence analysts are now poring over "nightmare scenarios"  as Israel signals its preparedness to deal with Iran's race for the A-bomb. International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei said in an Arabic-language  TV interview that Iran would need only six months to a year to produce a nuclear weapon if it broke off talks and expelled IAEA inspectors. Iran said Tuesday that it would not be hurt by new European Union sanctions, with President Ahmadinejad defiantly calling for a special international court to be formed to punish what he called "tyrants" for their attempts to thwart Iran's nuclear program. He's always so reassuring.

GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, the top US general in Iraq, has moved to cement his reputation as a thinking soldier by issuing a 23-point list of lessons learned from salvaging America's 'lost war.'

IRAQ: Coalition forces killed al Qaeda's leader of Mosul. Four Mahdi Army fighters were detained in Baghdad; 44 were captured in Hillah; two were captured in Al Kut; and 15 were arrested in Basra. Prime Minister al-Maliki on Monday announced during his visit in Missan the formation of 17 tribal councils in the province to support security forces and the governmental institutions.

GUAI GUAI the DACHSHUND has become a local celebrity in China for his skills in pushing a wheelchair.

BOBBY the CHIMP is being paid £70 a month in Radkow, Poland as a tourism promotions inspector.

A GERMAN WOMAN  in Mülheim in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia has been rooming with her three-legged pet llama for the last two years, city officials said Friday.

LEAPIN' LIZARDS!  Check before you eat that banana.

A DOG DISPUTE escalates into a crossbow attack in Lincoln, Nebraska. Police say alcohol may have been a factor in the incident.

THAO NGUYEN rolls out some cheap but charming claymation for "Bag of Hammers."

NEW RELEASES:  Sigur Ros, Amos Lee and classic reissues from Blondie and Liz Phair are among those streaming in full this week via Spinner. Alejandro Escovedo unleashes his Real Animal. The Watson Twins release Fire Songs.

SNEAK PREVIEW songs from the Hold Steady, Beck, Randy Newman, Conor Oberst and more from NPR's All Songs Considered.

THE SHINS plan to self-release their next album, though they will likely maintain a pressing and distribution deal with Sub Pop records.

MUDCRUTCH  is specially mastering their album's vinyl release for a more traditional sound.

THE B-52s have a new album out, but I dug into the back catalog and came up with "Private Idaho" and "Dirty Back Road" for Twofer Tuesday.

LYKKE LI tells the Independent that she wants to be the next madonna, which seems unlikely, given her mix of pop, soul, folk and hip-hop, with sounds created not only by her voice, but also with foot stomps, chimes, theremin, flute, kazoo and harpsichord.

POMEGRANATES do the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.  Kinda Modest Mouse or Death Cab, with some faux-Brit inflection.

FRIGHTENED RABBIT is briefly profiled in the Portland Mercury.

HIGH GAS PRICES hit Indie bands on tour.

KATE HUDSON & LANCE ARMSTRONG were... wait for it... caught canoodling during a love match on a tennis court in Brentwood Los Angeles Sunday.

CAMERON DIAZ was... wait for it... caught canoodling with Brit model Paul Sculfor (who was linked to Jennifer Aniston last year).

LINDSAY LOHAN & SAMANTHA RONSON appeared stronger than ever as they enjoyed a romantic weekend in Los Angeles.  They were not caught canoodling.

HEATHER MILLS may well appear in the next season of Donald Trump's "Celebrity Apprentice."

KATE MOSS and her clique of Primrose Hillbillies are shunning Sienna Miller not only for breaking up with Rhys Ifans but also for the way she has gone about things.

CHRISTIE BRINKLEY won her battle to open her bitter divorce case with ex husband Peter Cook to the public.  Budding singer Diana Bianchi (Cook's then-19-year-old assistant)  - who was at the center of the divorce scandal two years ago - will testify in the upcoming divorce trial, her lawyer told Entertainment Tonight on Monday.

MAD MEN, about the world of advertising on Madison Avenue set in New York in the early 1960s, returns for a second season on AMC beginning July 27; the DVD set of the first season goes on sale July 1.  The show got a lengthy feature in last weekend's New York Times Magazine.  There are "best ofs," "behind the scenes" and all sorts of videos at AMCtv. Some spoilers there by the time you get to "The Lies."

ANNA NICOLE SMITH IS STILL DEAD, but baby daddy Larry Birkhead paid nearly three grand at an auction Saturday for lingerie she wore in a Playboy shoot. Birkhead explained he wanted to give their 1-year-old daughter Dannielynn a keepsake of her mother.  Not at all creepy.

ISLAMISM in the UK: Extremists are winning the battle for the hearts and minds of Britain's young Muslims, a disturbing police report warns.  Meanwhile, novelist Ian McEwan launched a stinging attack on Islamism, prompted in defense of his friend Martin Amis.

IRAQ will award contracts to 41 foreign oil firms in a bid to boost production that could give multinationals a potentially lucrative foothold in huge but underdeveloped oil fields. Roadside bomb attacks and fatalities are down by almost 90 percent over the last year, according to Pentagon records and interviews with military leaders.  The Counter-terrorism Blog highlights status reports from the Institute for the Study of War and the Government Accountability Office.  Iraqi forces defeat US troops... on the soccer field.

HOPE, the appropriately named two-legged Maltese puppy gets around by using a specially-designed device which features wheels from a model airplane. Pics and video at the link.

BABY CROCODILES start chatting to one another and to their mothers just before they hatch, perhaps signaling that it is time to be born. Audio at the link.

THE SNAIL THREAT: Island apple snails, originally from South America, could threaten public health and the environment in South Carolina.

THE BIRDS: Horny male blackbirds are on the attack in Chicago.  In the event of an attack, bark like a dog. Really.

RAT DUMPING follows the failure of a a reptile business in Marion County, FL.

THE IMPOSSIBLE SHAPES ease us into the week with the time-lapsing clip for "Infinity's Lips" from their new self-titled album.

DUFFY stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set you can stream on demand via NPR.

BROTHERS & SISTERS who kick out the jams -- like the Fiery Furnaces, Smosoh and Tegan & Sara -- talk to the Observer about the drawbacks and joys of working together.

HEY, MR. DJ: Jason Schwartzman, Conan O'Brien and John Cusack are among those who have sat in on KCRW's Guest DJ Project.

ROBERT POLLARD of GbV and many other bands talks to Indy Week about his side work as a visual artist.

JOURNEY is getting a second wind from new lead vocalist Arnel Pineda, a Filipino singer who they found leading a Manila cover band on YouTube. A new album featuring original songs and re-recorded classics that shot up to the fifth highest-selling album in the US since its debut three weeks ago.  I guess we all know the moral of the story.

THE CONSTANTINES are profiled in the Toronto Sun.

JONATHAN COULTON does a particularly amusing "Random Rules" iPod shuffle for The A.V. Club.

ROGUE WAVE talks to Drowned In Sound about all of the band's new beginnings in the past year, including leaving Sub Pop records: "Sub Pop are a great label, but they put out a lot of bands. They were a great label for us to be on, because you get that stamp of approval, you get Sub Pop on your record. Some labels, you're gonna listen no matter what band it is..."

SUB POP co-founder/label president Jonathan Poneman talks to Billboard about keeping the label in business for 20 years.

AMY WINEHOUSE has contracted emphysema and could be confined to a wheelchair within a month if she doesn't quit drugs.

GEORGE CARLIN is dead at 71. Insert some profanity here.

HUGH HEFNER: Family swinging, homemeade sex films, and a gay tryst all feature in an upcoming biography of the Playboy founder: "This is the most authoritative book ever written about me . . . It's all essentially true," Hef told Page Six.

MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY: Violent surfers delivered a beatdown to about a dozen paparazzi trying to shoot the actor enjoying some tasty waves.

HEATHER MILLS has a hunky new toyboy, according to the News of the World.

DREW BARRYMORE & JUSTIN LONG are like "two peas in a pod," according to friend (and fab actor) Sam Rockwell.  Since it's Justin Long, I must make the obligatory "two peas in an iPod" joke.

JESSICA SIMPSON denies that her creepy dad-manager Joe fit her for a training bra.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Get Smart gets the top slot with 39.1 million -- about 10 percent above projections, in line with reboots of older TV shows and a decent start on making back its relatively conservative 80 million budget (its really more than that, but shh.)  The Love Guru bombed by opening in fourth with a paltry 14 million against a 62 million budget.  Kung Fu Panda showed strength in the second slot making 21.7 million in its third weekend.  The Incredible Hulk and The Happening both tanked in their second weekends -- 61 and 67 percent, respectively, to take the third and fifth spots.  Below the surface the story may be that Indiana Jones may fail to catch Iron Man by the end of their respective runs.

GET SMART:  I found Get Smart to be quite mediocre -- not bad, but not great either; the reboot completely rewrites the characters of Maxwell Smart and Agent 99, making it a far more conventional sort of comedy, even if it was refereshing to have 99 be the assertive half of the duo.  Or maybe it was just having Anne Hathaway in leather catsuits and reaching  up her dress for various gadgets that was nice.

ELLEN DeGENERES gave Portia de Rossi a glittering ring with pink diamonds for their upcoming wedding that will air in part on DeGeneres's talk show.

MINNIE DRIVER enjoyed a casual baby shower over the weekend.

IRAQ: The New York Times does an overview of the big security gains and lingering questions, blogs the security and social situation in each of Iraq's three largest cities, and charts progress on security and political benchmarks established by the Brookings Institution.  The last of the five US Army brigades to deploy with the "troop surge" in Iraq will return in July after a 13-month deployment.

GUS, a one-eyed, three-legged Chinese Crested won the 2008 World's Ugliest Dog Contest on Friday at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, Calif.  Pics and video at the link.

WHAT DO YOU DO with an aged lemur? I must observe that Rollie looks a lot like the Lorax.

SIX TIGER CUBS debuted at the Small World petting zoo at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, TX -- after a group from Spring Hill Wildlife Ranch in Bryan allegedly tried to sell the cubs at a Wal-Mart parking lot in McAllen.

FUGITIVE MONKEYS: Trappers have captured 8 of 15 monkeys who broke out of the Safari Wild park in lakeland FL, by swimming a moat.

A POLICE DOG trying to sniff out an axe attacker overnight was thrown off the scent by an unrelated cannabis operation. No word on whether the munchies were involved.

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

... with BONNAROO 2008!  Glide magazine's Pullin' Tubes has collected tons of video from last weekend's big fest.  Sadly, much of the Cat Power set has been yanked, but they missed her interpretive medley of "Blue Moon" and "(Dream) All I Have To Do."  The Broken Social Scene set is still there and "Shoreline 7/4" is pretty nice, even without Leslie Feist. The handheld fan footage of Pearl Jam isn't bad, including originals like "Better Man" and "Daughter" along with The Who's "Love Reign O'er Me."  Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings get the crowd whipped up with "Not Gonna Cry."  And though far from the stage, it's still fun to hear Disco Biscuits cover Men Without Hats' "Safety Dance" and Alison Krauss & Robert Plant duet on Zep's "Battle of Evermore."  There's plenty more at that first link-- Ben Folds, My Morning Jacket, Tegan & Sara, the Swell Season, the Raconteurs and more...

LARGEHEARTED BOY has Hallelelujah the Hills singer and guitarist Ryan Walsh interview brother and sister Cassie Berman (of the Silver Jews) and Joe Marrett (of Hallelujah the Hills and Ketman).  Berman reveals: "The first record I remember us both obsessing over was the Chicago Bears 'Superbowl Shuffle.'"

ISLANDS stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set you can stream on demand via NPR.

RICHARD THOMPSON spends 60 Seconds with the Colorado Springs Independent.

THE PITCHFORK MUSIC FESTIVAL has a sampler of this years' artists available for dowload through festival partner emusic, if you're willing to do the site's free trial.

TEN GUILTY PLEASURES of the 80s, compiled by the B-List.  For legal reasons, they have no video for Prince's "When U Were Mine," but this live version from 1981 is pretty sweet.

14 SONGS YOU SHOULD NEVER PLAY IN A BAR, courtesy of Holy Taco.  Hard to argue with 'em, really.

SUZANNE VEGA blogs her status as a two-hit wonder and 20-year musician for the New York Times.  Steaming audio tracks at the link also.  Vega promises more on the DNA remix of "Tom's Diner."

GUNS 'N' ROSES:  Antiquiet had posted nine tracks from the long-delayed Chinese Democracy LP.  They're removed now, but the commentary is still there.

CUTOUT BIN: Walken's got a fee-vah to launch this Friday's fortuitous finds, including the Mummies, Stealer's Wheel, the Pixies, the Violent Femmes, John Lennon, the Zombies and more -- all of which can be jukeboxed or streamed separately via the Pate page at the ol' HM.

JAMIE LYNN SPEARS, Britney's knocked-up 17-year-old sis, isn't knocked-up any more, having given birth to a baby girl named Maddie Briann.

AMY WINEHOUSE could be in hospital for weeks after relatives vowed to do whatever it takes to make her quit drugs.

ROB LOWE wins a round in court as his ex-nanny's claims of labor code violations are dismissed.  The sex harassment claims move forward for now.

HULU's DAYS of SUMMER:  The online video service is rolling out a big video daily, including full streams of Lost in Translation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and the Three Stooges Collection 1934-1936. N'yuk n'yuk n'yuk!

KEIRA KNIGHTLEY is more comfortable doing nude scenes than singing. She's probably not alone in that opinion.

NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases are the semi-mod adaptation of Get Smart, currently scoring a (surprising to me ) 54 percent on the ol' Tomatometer, and the Mike Myers vehicle The Love Guru, which is scoring a (not at all surprising to me) 10 percent.  Get Smart even does well with the "Cream of the Crop" critics. Of the three that studios really watch,  Variety and the Hollywood Reporter are thumbs-down, but the most valued Roger Ebert is thumbs-up. BONUS: Anne Hathaway (Agent 99) is on an emotional roller-coaster following her split from long time bf Raffaello Follieri.

ISLAMISM in KUWAIT: They want to outlaw Xboxes and ban Christmas, do away with the Arab world's version of "American Idol," and keep female drivers off the roads. Kuwait is seeing a surge in conservative Islamist legislative proposals just one month after the country's Salafi Islamists and tribal candidates gained a majority in its National Assembly.

AFGHANISTAN: Afghan and NATO forces have cleared Taliban militants from a district near Kandahar, killing or wounding hundreds of rebels, a provincial governor said Thursday. There was no confirmation by the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.

IRAN on Thursday it was ready to negotiate over a new package of economic incentives put forward by major powers seeking to persuade Tehran to curb its nuclear work. Analysts also believe Tehran is using delaying tactics to press ahead with atomic work. An Iranian official said on Thursday time was on Iran's side.

IRAQ: Iraqi security forces launched a crackdown on Shi'ite militias in Amara, the latest drive in Prime Minister al-Maliki's campaign to restore order to Iraq. Among those arrested were Amara's mayor, Rafea Abdul-Jabbar, and a member of the municipal council.  The mayor, who also was acting deputy governor for Maysan province, is a Muqtada al-Sadr loyalist. Al-Sadr's aides complained that the mayor's arrest violated the spirit of agreements made in talks with the government in the run-up to the operation.  Iraq's foreign ministry says that Iraqi and US officials are seeking a compromise regarding a new security pact.

CHESTER may be Britain's clumsiest dog. He's broken bones falling down holes, broken his tailbone, lost teeth and dislocated his shoulder, smashed his face on furniture and falls down stairs every week.  Full list, and an a photographed encounter with a planter at the link.

A BLACK BEAR CUB is Lovin' It in South Brunswick.

CIRCLES the DUCK: Still under an order of protection in Mastic, NY.

CHICKENS ain't noise polution.  Or are they?

SKUNK on a PLANE delayed a flight from Miami to Bogotá for nearly 2 ½ hours Wednesday.

BOOMERANG, a racing pigeon, has flown back to her original owner, 10 years after he gave the bird away. A heart-warming story; compelling and rich.