ROCKTOBER STARTS HERE:

...with the HOODOO GURUS! As Trouser Press reminds us: "Australia has produced few bands as crazily entertaining as Sydney's Hoodoo Gurus." In their prime, few could match Dave Faulkner and Co. in the marriage of pop hooks and garage rock riffs. Their debut album contained "I Want You Back," "Leilani," "Tojo" and "My Girl" -- and that leaves out some of my favorite tracks from the LP.  The gems kept coming on later albums, too: "Bittersweet," "In the Wild," "What's My Scene" and "Good Times" (featuring backup vox from the Bangles), the incredible "Come Anytime," and "Axegrinder," the psychedelic "Miss Freelove '69" and the crunching rawk of "The Right Time" -- again, just to name a few.  The Gurus could (and can) also deliver the goods live as these vintage live clips of "Like Wow, Wipeout!" " Let's All Turn On,"and "Middle of the Land" prove.

UPDATE: MATADOR 21 is streaming sets from Sonic Youth, Pavement, Girls, Superchunk, Cat Power, Spoon, Belle & Sebastian, Ted Leo, New Pr0nographers, Liz Phair, Guided by Voices and more this weekend.

THE AVETT BROTHERS stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

CARL BARAT is streaming his self-titled solo LP.

EVAN DANDO & JULIANA HATFIELD, Live at the World Cafe, July 14, 1993. Includes some Lemonheads classics.

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

THE XX: Jamie Smith dropped a solo track, "Far Nearer."

BRIAN ENO unleashes "2 Forms of Anger."

CHATHAM COUNTY LINE brought its bluesy -- and bluegrassy -- Americana style to the World Cafe.

WE ARE SCIENTISTS: "After Hours." Happy weekend.

THE WALKMEN are profiled by The Phoenix.

DOUG GILLARD talks to the Austin American-Statesman about the Guided by Voices reuinion, his new project with Bob Pollard (Lifeguards), and more...

DUFFY talks to The Telegraph about her childhood influences and her upcoming album.

MARNIE STERN talks to Eye Weekly about money, bandmates and indie boys.

WHY WE LIKE WHAT WE LIKE: The scenes fade but the sounds remain.

DIGITAL MUSIC poses a threat to the preservation of music.

TOP OF THE POPS is not returning to the regular BBC schedule, rumors to the contrary.

THE CUTOUT BIN: From Guided by Voices to the Godfathers, from the B-52s to Otis Redding, from Lemonheads to Talking Heads, from Simon & Garfunkel to Jason & the Scorchers, plus the dB's, Velvet Underground, Teenage Fanclub 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 Social Network, currently scoring 98 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; Let Me In, which is scoring 81 percent; and Case 39, scoring 21 percent.

TONY CURTIS, who earned an Oscar nomination as an escaped convict in Stanley Kramer's 1958 movie "The Defiant Ones," but also starred in classics including "Some Like It Hot," "The Sweet Smell of Success," "Spartacus," and... "The Vikings" died at 85 of cardiac arrest in his Las Vegas home.

LINDSAY LOHAN has checked into the Betty Ford clinic.

HEIDI KLUM is quitting Victoria's Secret after 13 years.

HEIDI MONTAG has officially called off her divorce from Spencer Pratt. Shocka.

THE MUNSTERS may be headed back to TV.

THE FLINSTONES turned 50 yesterday. They're a page right out of history.

WILLIAM SHATNER talks to Vanity Fair about his new show, the Internet Age, Shatner impressions, Star Trek, extracting confessions from the DC sniper and more...

ANNA NICOLE SMITH IS STILL DEAD, and the judge in her drug conspiracy trial tossed out two felony charges against her former beau Howard K. Stern.

TERROR in the USA: Failed Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad had planned to conduct a second attack in the US, two weeks after the May 1 attempt in New York City, federal prosecutors said in documents filed in court.

IRAN: Tehran delayed the start-up of the Bushehr nuclear power plant. Deep inside the computer worm that some specialists suspect is aimed at slowing Iran's race for a nuclear weapon lies what could be a fleeting reference to the Book of Esther, the Old Testament tale in which the Jews pre-empt a Persian plot to destroy them. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's closest aide has called for more rights for Iran's "oppressed" women - the latest comments from a man who has become a lightning rod for divisions in the country's ruling elite.

HOW TO FEED 100 DOGS AT ONCE: Let's go to the video.

DOLPHINS: When two species come together, they attempt to find a common language, preliminary research suggests.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: A two-legged pig.

THOUSANDS OF MINKS on the lam in Ireland.

RABID RACCOON shot at youth football practice in Pittsburgh.

BEN FOLDS talks to PopMatters about how his album with Nick Hornby came together, what fans who come to the shows might expect to see and hear, and some of the other musical endeavors on his very full dance card.  Here's Ben & Nick's video for "From Above."

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

MARK OLSON also stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

JAMIE LIDELL stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED: Tracks from Syd Barrett, Land of Talk, The Swans and more are featured in the latest installment of the long-running series.

BON IVER talks about being sampled on Kanye West's "Lost in the World." Link through for the track.

REM: "Everybody Hurts" is the song most likely to make grown men cry, according to a recent survey. Runners-up at that last link.

CORIN TUCKER talks to Exclaim about a bunch of topics beyond 1000 Years, which is advance streaming via NPR.

THE VASELINES talk to Spinner and The Big Issue about the 21-year hiatus, Nirvana, etc.

LOU REED talks about Andy Warhol in an excerpt from the reissue of The Autobiography and Sex Life of Andy Warhol.

JOHN HANSEN, who spent much of the '80s as the roadie, soundman, and then the guitarist of The Slickee Boys, died last Friday at 47.

TIGER WOODS: Adult actress-mistress Devon James is meeting with Vivid Entertainment in the hope of selling an ‘explosive' sex tape of the golfer, according to RadarOnline. It's perhaps the most explosive -- yet hard-to-believe claim -- being made by James, who has a history of telling lies, according to her mother.

LINDSAY LOHAN will plead to stay in rehab to put off jail time from her latest failed drug test. Meanwhile, her ex-con dad will reportedly seek a conservatorship, after complaining that her stage mom was going to do so.

DEMI MOORE & ASHTON KUTCHER: The alleged one-night stand woman is reportedly a party animal.

MAD MEL UPDATE: Gibson's ex, Russian singer Oksana Grigorieva, is headed to Oprah.

BRITNEY SPEARS helped propel Glee to record ratings.

THE STAR WARS SAGA is coming to 3D screens, starting in 2012. Lucas is starting with Phantom Menace, with the implicit threat that he won't do the good ones unless you see the prequels.

THE SOCIAL NETWORK: Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin talks to New York magazine about the human cost of inventing Facebook.

WAITING FOR SUPERMAN released an exclusive clip on Yahoo.

ARTHUR PENN, director of "Bonnie & Clyde," "The Miracle Worker," "Little Big Man," "Night Moves" and more, died of congestive heart failure at 88.

IRAN: The US called for penalties against China over oil deals with Iran. The Iraqi Prime Minister seeks Syria's help in stopping Iranian meddling. An Iranian court has sentenced the so-called "blogfather" of Iran to 19½ years in prison, the semi-official Mashregh news website said Tuesday.

PAKISTAN: The Pakistani military, angered by the inept handling of the country's devastating floods and alarmed by a collapse of the economy, is pushing for a shake-up of the elected government, and in the longer term, even the removal of President Asif Ali Zardari and his top lieutenants.

OTIS the CAT figures out the elliptical trainer.

GIANT BEAVER inspires in Loveland. Hey, nice beaver!

ONE-THIRD OF EXTINCT ANIMALS turn up again.

A RARE PINK HIPPO has been snapped in Kenya, marking the first time such a creature has been spotted in the African country.

FREE ENERGY and members of Titus Andronicus cover Springsteen's "I'm Goin' Down" at The Earl in Atlanta.

BAND OF HORSES stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

SLEIGH BELLS have an unreleased B-side, "Holly," streaming via the NYP's Pop Wrap. (Thx, LHB.)

FLIGHT is advance streaming The Lead Rider EP.

THE REPLACEMENTS: Captain's Dead has reposted Boink. I actually got the legitimate version back in the day.

THE ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME nominees are first-timers Tom Waits, Bon Jovi, Alice Cooper, Donovan, and Neil Diamond, along with previously snubbed artists Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, J. Geils Band, Donna Summer, Chic, Dr. John, Laura Nyro, Joe Tex, Darlene Love, and Chuck Willis. Mark it with the Tom Waits classic, "Downtown Train."

GANG OF FOUR guitarist/vocalist Andy Gill talks to Pitchfork about the upcoming album and what it's like to sell your own blood to get your record out.

THE CULT: Ian Astbury talks to The Quietus about the history of the band, working with Boris and how the Quietus got it so, so, so, so very wrong.

PETE DOHERTY has been charged with possession of cocaine following an inquiry into the death of a documentary filmmaker in London.

WHERE HAS ALL THE MOSHING GONE? The indie professor reckons it's down to people protecting their iPhones.

THE GRAND OLE OPRY prepares to reopen after the devastating middle Tennessee flooding in May.

LINDSAY LOHAN may be placed under conservatorship, according to her ex-con dad.

SALLY MENKE, Quentin Tarantino's longtime film editor, who went hiking with her dog amid the extreme heat Monday, was discovered dead early Tuesday morning by searchers in Beachwood Canyon, according to law-enforcement sources. "Hi Sally!" was a QT set tradition.

SETH ROGEN engaged?

SUPERMAN: The Christopher Nolan-produced Man of Steel pic may be helmed by Darren Aronofsky.

JOHNNY DEPP may reteam with Pirates director Gore Verbinski for a run at the Lone Ranger.

JEFFREY JONES, who played Principal Rooney in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," turned 64-years-old Tuesday ... and he celebrated by pleading guilty to a new charge in his ongoing sex offender case.

THE 10 SEXIEST EVIL TWINS, according to io9.

TRUE GRIT: The coming adaptation of the Charles Portis novel and remake of Henry Hathaway's 1969 feature, directed by Joel and Ethan Coen and starring Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn, has a teaser trailer online.

BACK TO THE FUTURE, back to the big screen for 25th anniversary showings. I am old.

IRAN: Authorities announced that Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani will be hanged instead of stoned. Oh, well, then...

PAKISTAN: The CIA has drastically increased its bombing campaign in the mountains of Pakistan in recent weeks, as part of an effort to try to cripple the Taliban in a stronghold being used to plan attacks against American troops in Afghanistan. But ABC News suggests it's also related to reports of possible terrorist plots in the West from militants based in Pakistan.  Sky News said the European plot had been "severely disrupted" following intelligence sharing between Britain, France, Germany and the US.

IRAQ: During the past two months, Iraq has witnessed some of its highest casualty tolls in more than two years, according to the government.

A DOG plays the accordion. Not all that well, but it's a dog, so the bar is fairly low.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: A militant rodent is blamed for massive blast that destroyed a home and injured several firefighters in Centerville, IA.

CHIMPS celebrate after their arranged marriage.

GREY LANGUR MONKEYS will work security at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. Also hired: a team of 50 traditional snake charmers.

JOHN LEGEND & THE ROOTS cover Arcade Fire's "Wake Up" for American Express' Unstaged series, shot by Spike Lee. 

NEW RELEASES: Albums from Ben Folds & Nick Hornby, Deerhunter, Klaxons, The Avett Bros., Bad Religion, KT Tunstall, Marcy Playground, Neil Young, Eric Clapton and more are streaming via Spinner. Albums from David Bowie, Gin Blossoms, Electric Six, Doobie Bros and... UFO are streaming via AOL Music.

SUFJAN STEVENS is advance streaming The Age of Adz.

THE CORIN TUCKER BAND is advance steaming 1000 Years.

TRAMPLED BY TURTLES stopped by The Current booth at the Minnesota State Fair for a live performance.

SOUNDTRACK FOR A BREAKUP, courtesy of Nerve.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: The Guardian essays the making of Darkness on the Edge of Town -- and The Promise, a documentary about it. So why not try "Candy's Room" and "Darkness on the Edge of Town" live in Passaic, NJ, circa 1978 as a Twofer Tuesday appetizer?

THE HOLD STEADY's Craig Finn talks musical influences with the Louisville Courier-Journal, starting with The Replacements, natch.

JON LANGFORD talks to the L.A. Times about his new solo album and The Mekons: "We've been saying we should pretend we've split up and then re-form. That seems to be the way to generate a lot of cash..."

CAITLIN ROSE talks to the Herald Scotland about the buzz that has built up around Rose's debut album, Own Side Now.

PERFUME GENIUS: Mike Hadreas and his survival somgs are blurbed by the Portland Mercury.

LINDSAY LOHAN, who reportedly had trouble making bail,  is "in denial" about being a drug addict, according to RadarOnline. But she is doing some image rehab at a local shelter.

DEMI MOORE & ASHTON KUTCHER: His alleged one-night-stand woman reportedly shot a home-made sex tape when she was 19 years old. Shocka.

MAD MEL UPDATE: A child custody agreement signed by Gibson and baby mama Oksana Grigorieva - but later repudiated by her - gives the actor joint and unsupervised custody of their child.

DENISE RICHARDS needs to lay off the Botox.

GEORGE LOPEZ is getting divorced after 17 years of marriage.

GLORIA STEWART, perhaps best known for playing the modern-day Rose in Titanic, died at 100 years old.

THE SOCIAL NETWORK posted an exclusive clip at Yahoo Movies.

AFGHANISTAN: Gen. Petraeus said Monday that high-level Taliban leaders had reached out to senior Afghan government officials in the context of starting reconciliation discussions that could pave the way to end the fighting in Afghanistan.

IRAQ: A Shi'ite-led political bloc missed its own deadline on Monday to choose a nominee for prime minister. Hundreds of police officers, formerly members of an American-backed Sunni paramilitary force, will be stripped of their ranks in the Sunni Arab province of Anbar, tribal leaders and Anbar police said Sunday.

A SLEEPY BABY BUNNY: Let's go to the video. Awwwzzzz...

ROGUE POODLE disrupts commuter trains in Oakland.

SMELLY BIRDS endanger themselves Down Under.

PINK PUSSYCAT MYSTERY not all that mysterious.

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE unexpectedly dropped a video for "Bluish" from Merriweather Post Pavilion.

J. RODDY WALSTON & THE BUSINESS stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

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

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

AVI BUFFALO stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

MADNESS: "It Must Be Love."

JOHN LENNON: At The Observer, Richard Williams writes about the exploitation the late Beatle's legacy, and how John would have loved Twitter.

THE LIBERTINES: Carl Barât talks to The Observer about how therapy and finding love enabled him to make one of this year's finest comebacks.

JERRY LEE LEWIS: The Killer gets a feature on Weekend Edition Sunday.

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Amy Klein talks to DCist about patriotism, the band's cover repertoire and her experience at Whartscape this summer.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Wall Street 2 tops this weekend's chart with 19 million, which was pretty much on target with tracking, but maybe below studio expectations (there will likely be speculation whether this would have done better on its originally planned release date in the spring).  Even so, with a reported 53 million budget, this should be okay.  Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole places with 16.3 million, also a bit below expectations (but that title... oof), and a bigger problem in light of its 80 million budget.  The Town held well against Gekko in the third slot, dropping 33 percent and making 16 million; its domestic total is 49 million against a 32 million budget.  Easy A had an okay hold, dropping 40 percent and making 10.7 million; it's domestic haul is 32 million against an 8 million budget.  The debut of You Again rounds out the Top Five with 8.3 million; fortunately, the budget was only 20 million.

THE TOWN:  The "Ben Affleck rebooting his career" hype might be a little thick, but this was a really solid, if not great crime drama.  The ensemble cast, including Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, and Blake Lively is uniformly strong, making up for a plot that is largely -- though not entirely -- predictable. And in a way, I didn't mind some of the predictablity, to the degree that it organically flows from what we would expect of the characters.

LINDSAY LOHAN bailed out of jail and plans to return to rehab, which may blunt the News of the World photo of Lohan poised to inject herself with a syringe.

DEMI MOORE & ASHTON KUTCHER: After weeks of rumor-fueled fears that their marriage was on the rocks, is the worst yet to come?

DAVID BECKHAM has followed through on his threat to sue In Touch magazine for a story claiming he'd had sex with a hooker.

EMILY DESCHANEL and writer-actor David Hornsby tied the knot over the weekend.

JOHNNY KNOXVILLE also got hitched.

TERROR in the SAHARA: Military chiefs from four Saharan countries met on Sunday to set out a joint strategy for fighting al Qaeda's north African wing, which is holding seven foreigners hostage in the Sahara Desert.

IRAN confirmed that the Stuxnet worm infected at least 30000 Windows PCs in the country. Some have speculated that Stuxnet was created by a state-sponsored team of programmers, and designed to cripple Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactor.

PAKISTAN has said its homegrown terrorists have overtaken the Indian Army as the greatest threat to its national security, a marked about-face from prior assessments. A rare video reportedly smuggled out of northwest Pakistan allegedly shows a woman being stoned to death by Taliban militants.

JANGO the DOG says grace, sort of.

JAMBO the CHIMP lost his hair to Alopecia.

SEVEN ELEPHANTS killed by a train in Eastern India.

FRANKENSWINE: A Canadian-made genetically enhanced pig could make its way on to North American dinner plates in the near future.