THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with THE CARS!  Circa 1979, before they got too wedded to computers.  Your setlist includes "Good Times Roll," "Best Friend's Girl," "Candy-O," "Just What I Needed," "Bye Bye Love," "I'm In Touch With Your World," "Don't Cha Stop." BONUS: An equally vintage take on "Let's Go."

NIKKI & RICH stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a chat and mini-set of Brill Building-style pop that's right in my wheelhouse.

THE ROLLING STONES are streaming unreleased tracks from Exile on Main Street, plus picks from Liz Phair, Britt Daniel, Robert Randolph and more. ALSO: The Stones may play albums in full on their next tour.

THE MYNABIRDS: Laura Burhenn (ex-Georgie James) talks to Paste about the slippery relationship of the personal and political, and her new project -- which she hopes sounds like Neil Young doing Motown (but maybe falls between Cat Power and Dusty Springfield, which is pretty good place to fall). You can stream the album at the link (or from Saddle Creek) or a couple of tracks via MynaSpace.

MGMT did a set for a new web-based series, Live On Letterman. Streaming vid at the link.

SUB POP has a free sampler for download at Amazon, with tracks from Beach House, Dum Dum Girls, Blitzen Trapper, Cocorosie and more...

THE NATIONAL, particularly singer Matt Berninger, are profiled by the Village Voice. That's Matt in the new video for "Bloodbuzz Ohio." UPDATE: I forgot to mention that the band is streaming a live show on YouTube Saturday night at 8ET.

THE NEW PR0NOGRPAHERS: Carl Newman talks to The Quietus about definitive records and revenge plots -- and shuffles his iPod for the Montreal Gazette.

BEN FOLDS photographs the Tennessee flood for National Geographic. Yes, really.

HIPSTER BANDS: A pronunciation guide.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS of Rock and Roll Roadies.

CUTOUT BIN: From Solomon Burke to Supertramp, from Three Dog Night to the Buzzcocks, from Warren Zevon to the Jackson 5, plus the Records, Tegan & Sara, CCR, the Black Keys, and more -- this weekend's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.

NOW SHOWING:  This weekend's wide releases are Robin Hood, which is currently scoring 45 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; the romance Letters to Juliet, which is scoring 38 percent; and the rom-com Just Wright, scoring 42 percent.

MATT LAUER has walked out on his wife of 12 years after she furiously accused the Today star of cheating with at least two women. UPDATE: Matt Lauer and his wife Annette are blasting the report.

KENDRA WILKINSON: TMZ has screengrabs from the sex tape, undoubtedly leaked as part of the equally tawdry marketing of same.

DAVID BOREANAZ made the mistake of texting with Rachel Uchitel.

ROBERT PATTINSON & KRISTEN STEWART had a huge fight on the set of the Twilight Saga.

KATE HUDSON is miffed that ex-bf A-Rod has taken up with Cameron Diaz.

SEAN PENN pleaded no contest to vandalism, and was sentenced to three years of informal probation, 300 hours of community service, and 36 hours of anger management counseling.

DANICA McKELLAR: The Wonder Years' Winnie Cooper -- and prominent mathemetician -- is selling the idea that math is sexy at Maxim.

HEIDI & SPENCER: Living in squalor?

ROGER CORMAN: The legendary B-movie mogul talks to The A.V. Club about the Blu-ray/DVD releases of Rock 'N' Roll High School and Suburbia, dropping acid in preparation for directing The Trip, making Little Shop Of Horrors in less than three days, why you can't blow up a high school to disco, and whether he's finally become part of the Hollywood establishment. 

THE 10 BEST STAND-UP COMICS of all time, according to Guyism.

TERROR in NYC: Federal agents conducted Thursday morning raids in Massachusetts and New York in connection with the failed Times Square car bomb, and two people were arrested, federal authorities and witnesses said.

IRAN: Al-Qaida operatives who have been detained for years in Iran have been making their way quietly in and out of the country, raising the prospect that Iran is loosening its grip on the terror group so it can replenish its ranks, former and current US intell officials say. Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Minister warned the US and other Western nations on Thursday against imposing unilateral sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.

PAKISTAN: After years in which he became a familiar television presence, al Qaeda's number two leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has "gone dark," according to people who monitor audio and video messages released by the terror group.

IRAQ: The White House is likely to delay the withdrawal of the first large phase of combat troops for at least a month after escalating bloodshed and political instability in the country.

GORILLA & HUMAN REUNION: Let's go to the video.

BLOSSOM the PIG received a letter from British officials encouraging it to register to vote in the general election. The Chicago Way goes global.

THE KING OF HERRING has been found off the coast of Sweden for the first time in 130 years.

JAIMIE the TORTOISE: 50 escapes in 34 years. None great.

EATING A SLUG on a dare was a bad choice.

BEN FOLDS covers Elliot Smith's "Say Yes" for The A.V. Club Undercover.

BAND OF HORSES is advance streaming Infinite Arms.

PUBLIC IMAGE LTD. played DC's 9:30 Club last night, so you should be able to stream the gig on demand today.

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED: John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) is Guest DJ, so there's plenty of PiL, plus Jimi Hendrix, Dudley Moore and more in the latest installment of the long-running series.

LOS CAMPESINOS! stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a chat and mini-set.

DIANE BIRCH pulls off a number of tricks in one shot for "Valentino."

STEPHIN MERRITT (Magnetic Fields) talks to PopMatters about the Realism album, and the legacy of 69 Love Songs.

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE talks to John Norris at Interview about putting the band back together.

BIG STAR: A homecoming concert in Memphis turns into a tribute to the late Alex Chilton, with guests including former Big Star bassist Andy Hummel, R.E.M guitarist Mike Mills and The Raconteurs guitarist Brendan Benson.

STEVE MASON (Beta Band, King Biscuit Time) talks to Drowned in Sound about Boys Outside, his first album under his own name.

BONO drinks your milkshake. He drinks it up.

CAMERON DIAZ is dating Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez... but he doesn't want her attending Yankees games.

KENDRA WILKINSON: Her sex tape co-star is revealed to be her ex-bf Justin. Shocka. The mess may be affecting her marriage to Hank Baskett.

MILEY CYRUS dirty danced with 44-year-old Adam Shankman at age 16. There is video. Mitigating factor: Shankman is openly gay.

GWEN STEFANI is expecting her third child with rocker husband Gavin Rossdale, according to various reports.

SEAN PENN  - who was charged with battery in connection with a paparazzi run-in last October - copped a plea in his criminal case.

GLEE creator Ryan Murphy has issued an open letter, urging people to boycott Newsweek until it apologizes for a now-notorious article about gay actors playing straight roles. Kristin Chenoweth also blasted the article. Tough call, as it only draws attention to Newsweek, which hardly anyone reads anymore.

THE JERSEY SHORE cast was involved in three bar brawls in one night.

DENNIS QUAID had to hit McDonald's to bulk up for the role of Bill Clinton in "The Special Relationship," which is about Britain, not Monica Lewinsky.

BETTY WHITE: Last week, SNL - next year, the Oscars?

TERROR in NYC: Officials investigating the failed car bombing in Times Square are still far from certain about the role Pakistani insurgent groups may have played in orchestrating the attempt, according to the Senate intell committee's top Republican.

ISLAMISM in SWEDEN: Lars Vilks, a Swedish cartoonist whose sketch of the Prophet Mohammad enraged many Muslims, was head-butted on Tuesday while giving a lecture about freedom of speech, he said. In March an American who called herself "JihadJane," was charged with plotting to kill the Swede and using the Internet to enlist co-conspirators.

AFGHANISTAN: The UN is to investigate claims that a mysterious illness that has hit Afghan schoolgirls recently was caused by poison gas attacks.

PAKISTAN: The Pakistani government did not arrest Taliban leader Mullah Omar, a senior Pakistani government official told The Cable.

IRAQ: Politicians have reached an agreement to halt a four-month campaign to bar candidates from politics for ties to the Baath Party, American and Iraqi officials said, papering over the sectarian tensions it unleashed, at least for now, and removing an obstacle in the long-delayed process of forming a new government.

TURTLE ON A SLIDE: Let's go to the video.

SHARK in a pickup truck.

A GIRAFFE kicked a woman to death at a game farm in northeastern South Africa.

DELTA AIRLINES lost a dog, offers compensation to its owner.

THE BESNARD LAKES drop a video for the harmony-drenched "Albatross."

SLEIGH BELLS is advance streaming Treats via NPR. Bob Boilen predicts it will be polarizing.

HARVEY MILK is advance streaming A Small Turn of Human Kindness. A liitle dirgey for me, but then, I was getting over some dental work.

PETER WOLF CRIER is streaming their debut, Inter Be, via The Current.

LAMBCHOP did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter in Nashville, including a cover of John Prine's "Six O' Clock News."  Kurt Wagner, who is contributing a version of the song for a Prine tribute LP, talks to the Chicago Sun-Times.

CHEAP TRICK: "I Can't Take It." An overlooked gem.

THE HOLD STEADY: Craig Finn talks to Paste about recording sans Franz and the joy of struggle.

THE MORNING BENDERS: Christopher Chu talks to PopMatters about Big Echo, cuisine recommendations, possible corporate conspiracy theories and brotherly love.

MERLE HAGGARD talks to PopMatters about the state of country music today, his friendship with Johnny Cash and why he hasn't liked a president since Ronald Reagan. 

FORMER MUSICAL DUOS: Where are they now?

LINDSAY LOHAN and AVRIL LAVIGNE had a huge fight in front of fellow guests at Hollywood's Chateau Marmont. Lohan denies it. Will Britney Spears' mega-manager Larry Rudolph resurrect her career?

ANNE HATHAWAY found another boyfriend with sticky fingers.

TIGER WOODS and Elin Nordegren are trying to strike agreements on child custody and division of assets ... and then quietly and quickly file divorce papers to end their marriage. She's the one ending things. Shocka! Meanwhile, his swing coach has already ended things.

LAWRENCE TAYLOR paid me 300 bucks for sex, "but I don't want to ‘ruin his reputation," teen hooker says. No worries.

MILEY CYRUS & JUSTIN BIEBER? Have you restocked the survival kit?

LARRY KING & SHAWN SOUTHWICK: Together again?

TWILIGHT: Some secondary actors are looking for a big payday on a fifth film.

J.J. ABRAMS and STEVEN SPIELBERG finally put the secret trailer for "Super 8" online.

YEMEN will not extradite American-born, radical al Qaeda cleric Anwar al Awlaki if detained.  The US Department of State placed financial sanctions on two top leaders of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

AFGHANISTAN: The campaign to drive the Taliban out of Kandahar province has until the end of the year to succeed if it is to capitalise on maximum troop numbers and political unity, Nato commanders and Western diplomats told The Times of London.

IRAQ: American commanders, worried about increased violence in the wake of Iraq's inconclusive elections, are now reconsidering the pace of a major troop pullout this summer.

KITTEHS on a SLIDE: Let's go to the video.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: One suicide rodent knocked out power to Destin, FL, while another trapped an Ohio family in their home.

EAGLE CAM in Sydney, BC.

ASIAN STINK BUGS improve Baltimore.

OVER TEN MILLION SERVED! Thanks to everyone for stopping by! The party continues:

LOCAL NATIVES landed on Ferguson with "Airplanes."

NEW RELEASES: The National, Hoodoo Gurus, Meat Loaf, Judas Priest, Phosphorescent and more are streaming this week via Spinner.

CARIBOU played the Rock and Roll Hotel in Washington, DC last night, with an opening set by Toro Y Moi. You should be able to stream the gigs on demand via NPR.

TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a chat and mini-set.

PAUL STANLEY: Captain's Dead shares the hysterical "People, Let Me Get This Off My Chest" -- a compilation of the KISS frontman's stage banter.

GARY WRIGHT will always be known as the "Dreamweaver," but add "Love is Alive" (with More Cowbell) and you have Twofer Tuesday.

JOANNA NEWSOM dumps on Lady Gaga and Madonna at The Guardian.

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE: Kevin Drew and Charles Spearin talk to Pitchfork about staying together, staying relevant, and their new album.

THE BEAT GOES ON? Dave Wakeling tells Billboard that he has 17 demos ready for the first English Beat album since 1982, but doesn't know if it will be on a major label or an indie effort.

INTERPOL loses bassist Carlos D.

TIGER WOODS dropped out of The Players Championship golf tournament due to a bulging disk, though the Golf Channel thought it was a different bulging problem.  Woods and his wife Elin will share joint custody of their children in a divorce, according to RadarOnline.

KENDRA WILKINSON: A document governing the potential sale of Kendra Wilkinson's sex tape reveals that multiple partners were featured having intimate relations with the reality TV star, according to RadarOnline.

BETTY WHITE brought SNL its best ratings in 18 months.

LENA HORNE, who was the first black performer to be signed to a long-term contract by a major Hollywood studio and who went on to achieve international fame as a singer, died on Sunday night. She was 92.

FRANK FRAZETTA, legendary graphic artist best known for his dynamic, rugged art on seminal comics characters ranging from Conan the Barbarian to Vampirella, has passed away at the age of 82.

WARRANT singer Jani Lane was arrested for DUI. Again.

ROMAN POLANSKI: After portraying himself as a victim in his public letter earlier this month, thas he fugitive director - and convicted rapist -  lost support in the movie industry that once defended him?

THE 2010 MAXIM HOT 100 is being gradually unveiled online, though PopCrunch has the Top 20.

TERROR in NYC: TIME describes the effects of the Times Square car bomb -- had it detonated. Terrorism suspect Faisal Shahzad's alleged path to Times Square reflects what experts say is a militant support network that spans Pakistan and is eager to shepherd aspiring terrorists from around the globe.

TERROR in the UK: A terrorist who claimed to be the leader of al-Qaeda in Britain and called for the deaths of Gordon Brown and Tony Blair has pleaded guilty to trying to recruit Muslims to his cause.

AFGHANISTAN: The US military is discovering just how tricky tribal politics can be. Meanwhile, the next Taliban offensive could start next Monday.

IRAQ: A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a textile factory Monday in a crowd that gathered after two cars bombings at the same spot in the worst of a series of attacks killing nearly 100 across Iraq, the deadliest day this year.

THE NINTENDO HATER: Let's go to the video.

KANELLOS, the Greek Dog of Protest.

AN 8-FT ALLIGATOR chomped a gator wrestler while performing Sunday at the Cotee River Seafood Festival.

DOGS are getting their own worship service at the Calvary Episcopal Church in Danvers, MA.

JEFF MANGUM of Neutral Milk Hotel played his first show in years Thursday night, as part of a benefit show for New Zealand musician Chris Knox. SPIN rounds up video, including "Oh Comely."

THE BLACK KEYS are advance streaming Brothers.

TRACEY THORN (Everything But the Girl) is advance streaming Love And Its Opposite.

LOCAL NATIVES played the World Cafe Live on Friday; you can stream the gig on demand via NPR, including a cover of the Talking Heads' "Warning Sign."

SHE & HIM stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

BLACK FRANCIS & JOEY SANTIAGO cover "The Cover of the Rolling Stone" for a Shel Silverstein tribute album.

PLIMSOULS: "A Million Miles Away." Classic power-pop.

SAM PHILLIPS is the focus of an L.A. Times piece on alt-financing for alt-music.

FRIGHTENED RABBIT: Scott Hutchison talks to the Chicago Tribune about the band's bigger sound and bigger audiences.

GAYNGS: Ryan Olson talks to The Quietus about the indie-star about the collection of tracks inspired by 10cc's maudlin masterpiece of creative multi-tracking, "I'm Not In Love: -- all recorded at 69 beats per minute.

THAX DOUGLAS has moved from Chicago to Austin. Be sure to stay for the kicker.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Iron Man 2 cruises above the competition with 133,6 million.  That's the fifth biggest opening weekend ever, behind The Dark Knight, Spider-Man 3, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. This sequel opened overseas last week, where it has already grossed another 194 million. The budget estimates range from 175-200 million, so this will be a big hit for Marvel/ Disney and a windfall for Paramount, which takes about eight percent just to distribute it.  A Nightmare on Elm Street carters 72 percent into second place with 9.2 million, for a 48.5 million total on a 35 million budget.  How to Train Your Dragon takes in another 6.8 million and breaks the 200 million mark domestically. Date Night shows legs as counter-programming, making another 5.3 million, for an 80.9 million total on a 55 million budget.  The Back Up Plan struggles to stay in the Top Five with 4.3 million, though it probably won't be counted as a flop.  Below the fold, Clash of the Titans, The Losers and Kick-Ass cratered, all victims of Stark Enterprises.

TIGER WOODS... and Jesse James mistress Michelle McGee? Too good/awful to check.

KENDRA WILKINSON made more than one sex tape, according to RadarOnline.

CHARLIE SHEEN: Any plea deal for his Aspen criminal case would likely include jail time. Meanwhile, he's hoping to do more of Two and a Half Men for 1.2 to 1.3 million per episode.

TOM CRUISE: Secretly mocked by his fellow Scientologists?

JENNIFER ANISTON & NICOLE KIDMAN, Hula Dancing. Let's go to the video.

COLIN HANKS got hitched to publicist Samantha Bryant Saturday in Los Angeles.

JESSICA SIMPSON: Not talking about Jeremy Renner.

JOAQUIN PHOENIX: Even buyers are not sure if his documentary is a prank -- though it sure sounds like one.

TWILIGHT fans are burdening their children in increasing numbers. And the dating stories are heating up again to promote the next installment of the franchise.

TERROR in NYC: Attorney General Eric Holder said the Taliban in Pakistan directed the plot to bomb Times Square and may have also financed it.The failed bombing in Times Square may signal that militant leaders in Pakistan have shifted their focus to targets in the US and other Western countries instead of sticking to their home base, according to US counterterrorism officials.  The Obama administration has delivered new and stiff warnings to Pakistan that it must urgently move against the nexus of Islamic militancy in the country's lawless tribal regions.

IRAQ: The recount in Baghdad is 50 percent complete; no major change in the result are expected.

DOG RIDES TORTOISE: Let's go to the video.

A 4000 LB RHINO escaped from its cage at the Jacksonville Zoo.

THREE BABY LIONS debuted at the Bronx Zoo. Pics and video at the link. Summon the animals to appear.

MOOSE on the loose.

A WAYWARD PARROT returned home for the booze.