THE RUNAWAYS' drummer Sandy West has died of lung cancer at 47. Bandmate Joan Jett: "I am overcome from the loss of my friend... She was an exuberant and powerful drummer." You can see West really pound the skins o­n the classic "Wild Thing" and with the Runaways o­n Lou Reed's "Rock and Roll." Jett, meanwhile, made NPR's Song of the Day with a cover of the Sweet's "A.C.D.C."

NEW RELEASES: Who's Left, Bright Eyes, Sparta (ex-At the Drive-In), Paul Stanley, The Walkmen remake of PussyCats, and The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack are all streaming in full from AOL this week. Pulp has a Comlete Peel Sessions disc. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin gets a re-release of their 2005 album, Broom, o­n a bigger indie label. Jeff Tweedy's Sunken Treasure: Live in the Pacific Northwest comes out o­n DVD.

COURTNEY LOVE producer Linda Perry told Billboard not o­nly that Love is "the queen of rock 'n' roll," but also that "Courtney Love's name should be right next to Bob Dylan when they say best lyricist of all time." Sorry if you just snorted your drink back out through your nose; I really should have warned you.

THE SHINS' next album, Wincing the Night Away, is not due until January 23rd, 2007. Rolling Stone has been digging their advance copy, and the album has leaked o­nto the internet. The lawyer-types are contacting music bloggers posting tracks and having them taken down. But things don't disappear quite as quickly from the Hype Machine, so you might still be able to stream the Spector-esque "Turn o­n Me," not to mention "Sleeping Lessons," "Phantom Limb" and "Australia." And even if they have disappered into the ethernet, you can enjoy the band's unplugged goof o­n "Hot For Teacher." Yes, that "Hot For Teacher."

THE 50 MOST ESSENTIAL CDs SINCE 2001, according to Harp magazine (via Each Note Secure, which discusses some obvious omissions).

SEEN YOUR VIDEO: John Hiatt does a little Dracula impression at the outset of this live take o­n "Something Wild" from Austin City Limits.

RICHARD HAWLEY: An Aquarium Drunkard has an interview and unplugged tracks to stream or download from SXSW 2006.

ART BRUT: USA Today blogger Whitney Matheson recently posted a brief live review and interview with frontman Eddie Argos which touches o­n a few points I didn't get to in my recent live review. And yes, it's a cheap excuse to point everyone back to the band's MySpace page, because they rawk.

MAXWELL'S, the New Jersey club well-known to fans of indie bands including the dB's, The Feelies, Yo La Tengo, and many more, is profiled in the Hudson Reporter.

A SAD DAY FOR MUSIC-BLOGGING: Frank Yang of Chromewaves is going to try to slow down a little, while Jennings of the bootleg-rich rbally is taking a more serious hiatus.

PETE DOHERTY-KATE MOSS UPDATE: The supposedly sober supermodel arrived back from a romantic trip to Italy with the troubled singer wearing a ring o­n her wedding finger. She later tried to conceal the ring from the paparazzi.

MADONNA is going o­n the Oprah Winfrey Show this week to discuss her decision to adopt a 13-month-old boy from Malawi. Will she be asked about the boy's father's claim that he didn't know he was giving up custody permanently? If so, Madge will probably note that a senior Malawian government official has dismissed the father's claims as untrue.

WARNER BROS. stands accused of making empty promises to provide prosthetic limbs to orphaned African amputees and then reneging so that the studio's movie Blood Diamond could get extra publicity.

TOM-KAT UPDATE: For the first time this season, Cruise and Holmes were a no-show at Cruise's daughter Isabella's soccer game this weekend, re-igniting rumors that their wedding is imminent.

WESLEY SNIPES, indicted o­n US tax fraud charges, has been snapped in Namibia, where the actor is reportedly filming a movie titled, Gallowwalker.

ANNA NICOLE SMITH reportedly confessed during her pregnancy that Larry Birkhead was the father of her baby. The model is getting the boot from her Bahamas pad at the end of the month. And she can look forward to some fresh grief

THE ROLLING STONES: With Halloween a little over week away, my thoughts tend to drift toward the Band of the Living Dead. An Aquarium Drunkard has posted a streamable bootleg EP circa 1973, with the same title as a never officially-released Stones documentary, the title of which cannot be repeated here. Last week's Stevie Wonder-Stones clip is from that movie, as are these clips of Keef playing piano and talking about how to start a band, as well as the band dressing back stage and a live take o­n "Street Fighting Man."

PITCHFORK is trying to keep some indie street cred by snubbing Microsoft's offer to generate new content with them or create a new section o­n our site specifically for users of the new MS MP3 player, Zune.

WILCO played DC's 9:30 Club Thursday night; the gig featuring new and old songs is streaming from NPR now in Real and Windows format.

LLOYD COLE recently talked to London's Sunday Times about his new album, gardening and Joan Didion.

THIRTEEN SERIOUSLY SCARY ALBUM COVERS, courtesy of The A.V. Club. Cannibal Corpse makes the list; so does Barbra Streisand.

THE HOLD STEADY frontman Craig Finn talks about baseball, booze and Boys and Girls in America with Vancouver's Straight.com. Finn and guitarist Tad Kubler explain the new album's title and more for the Hartford Courant. And it turns out that keyboardist Franz Nicolay can definitiely pull off Zorro for Halloween in the band's new video for "Chips Ahoy," which also borrows a little from Monty Python's "Wicker's World" sketch, I think.

ISOBEL CAMPBELL tells London's Sunday Times that she is "a bit of an oddball for a girl," adding: "I

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with THE BEAT FARMERS! The video quality leaves a bit to be desired but this early concert shows you the beginning of a great live band. A few years later, when I would invite people to see the band, I would be asked what to expect. I would say, "Remember that scene from the Blues Brothers where they play behind chicken wire? Like that, but without the chicken wire." Oh, to see them play to the bikers in Boulder! These clips are more about the music than the circus, including "Bigger Stones," the band's smoking cover of the Lovin Spoonful's "Never Goin' Back," the late Country Dick Montana's early take o­n "California Kid," and an infamous encore. All those clips and more are at that first link.

THE SPRINGFIELD MASSACRE UPDATE: There is video of Jeff Tweedy wacking the dude who rushed him o­n stage at the Wilco gig in Springfield, MO the other day, as well as a clip of Tweedy's o­n-stage apology. There's also a statement up at WilcoWorld, which is where "the Springfield Massacre" was coined.

TWO GALLANTS: Daytrotter has more reax o­n the band's altercation with a Houston cop last week, with my favorite being from Trainwreck Riders bassist Sean Kohler: "It said that he got attacked. Who

JEFF TWEEDY apparently made like Keef Richards and clocked a fan who rushed the stage at a Wilco gig in Sprigfield MO. Which is an appropos introduction to the video for "The Thanks I Get" from Tweedy's upcoming solo DVD.

CHUCK BERRY celebrated his 80th birthday last night with an intimate concert at his favourite St Louis, MO club.

THE NAME IS BOND: ANABlog celebrates that ex-Soundgardener Chris Cornell got to record "You Know My Name" as the theme for Casino Royale by posting all of the Bond movie themes, including "Goldfinger," "Thunderball" and Nancy Sinatra's "You Only Live Twice." You can jukebox 'em all via the Hype Machine.

THE NEW BEATLES ALBUM: Will it be a gas, or a ball of confusion? NME has the details.

CALIFONE, originally a recording project of ex-Red Red Meat singer-guitarist Tim Rutili, is weaving electronics into their Americana without sounding like Wilco. Roots and Crowns is garnering universal acclaim, according to Metacritic. You can stream a bunch now via the Hype Machine.

STEVIE WONDER and the ROLLING STONES play a medley of "Uptight" and "Satisfaction" o­n the Stones' 1972 tour. More recently, Stevie received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Civil Rights Museum.

MY MORNING JACKET: Stereogum can hook you up with streaming audio of "O Is The One That Is Real," from MMJ's live album, Okonokos.

THE HOLD STEADY gets a good review for Boys and Girls in America from the Twin Cities' City Pages, while frontman Craig Finn tells the A.V. Club: "my first exposure to music was meeting Rick Nielsen when I was about six." Which explains a lot.

BELINDA CARLISLE is wrapping a French-language solo album, Voila. Stereogum has posted her cover of Serge Gainsbourg's "Bonnie et Clyde."

PETE DOHERTY-KATE MOSS UPDATE: Though the troubled singer's solicitor described his battle to come off drugs as a "mixed bag" in court yesterday, it was also implied that he was living with the supposedly sober supermodel and that this would be helpful in his rehab.

THE McCARTNEYS' divorce is getting very ugly , with Heather Mills alleging -- among other things -- that she was throttled, stabbed in the arm and denied a bedpan by Sir Paul the Cute. RTWT! Sir Paul was unavailable for official comment today but a close source vehemently denied the accusations made in the papers lodged in the High Court's family division. His lawyers say he will respond in court.

BRITNEY SPEARS: The bodyslamming of Spenderline keeps getting yanked from YouTube, but it's o­n Google Video at the link, y'all!

TOM-KAT UPDATE: The latest rumor is that the Cruise-Holmes wedding is moving from California to Italy.

BRADGELINA: The residents of Pune, India are getting tired of the Pitt-Jolie security demands. Too bad Jolie can't shoot A Mighty Heart in Namibia.

VAUGHNISTON: Friends of Jennifer Aniston tell Us Weekly that the break-up with Vince Vaughn has been downgraded to a "break."

JESSICA SIMPSON: The pneumatic blonde is her own publicist for now, which might explain why Nick Lachey's newest album has sold twice as many copies as hers.

WHITNEY HOUSTON and BOBBY BROWN BREAK-UPDATE: Houston has officially filed for divorce, a month after filing for legal separation from Brown.

PAMELA ANDERSON is trying to have Kid Rock impregnate her. And the accompanying photo is either really flattering, or Pam has had a face lift.

MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY and LANCE ARMSTRONG are not gay for each other. McConaughey tells Details magazine: "We tried it. Wasn't for us." NTTAWWT.

IS EDDIE MURPHY THE FATHER of a Scary Spice baby? Could be.

GREY'S ANATOMY: The ever-reliable National Enquirer claims that Isaiah Washington hurled a gay slur at co-star Patrick Dempsey during last week's o­n-set brawl. "The melee has set off World War III o­n the show and may cost Isaiah his job," an insider supposedly told the tab. And yet I would still rather look at Katherine Heigl in a red bikini.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Megan Mcardle asks: "How much better would it be if when you used that phrase, you actually had to reveal something interesting?"

THE CONSPIRACY INDUSTRY is analyzed in the afterword to Debunking 9/11 Myths: Why Conspiracy Theories Can't Stand Up to the Facts, by The Editors of Popular Mechanics.

NORTH KOREA has told China that it is prepared to conduct "as many as three additional tests" following its first nuclear experiment.

IRAQ: Dozens of al Qaeda-linked gunmen took to the streets of Ramadi to announce the city was joining an Islamic state. However, at ITM, Mohammed writes that "Nothing changed in my life as a Baghdadi since my city was announced a part of the Islamic State of al-Qaeda." Prime Minister al-Maliki ordered the release of a senior figure in the Moqtada al-Sadr's organisation, who was detained by US troops in Baghdad o­n Tuesday. Moqtada has clout with al-Maliki's party. Calm largely returned to the city of Balad by Tuesday, as Iraqi army troops forced Shiite militiamen out of police cars commandeered for sectarian revenge killing. Phillip Carter, who returned from Iraq last month after serving with the Army

DAVID BOWIE and MARIANNE FAITHFULL duet o­n "I Got You, Babe," circa 1980. It's definitiely not Groundhog Day.

WHAT'S NEW PUSSYCATS? Stereogum is holding a contest to win the original (out of print) and new versions of the album. You can stream the Walkmen's remake of the Harry Nilsson classic, too.

SAVE THE ALBUM: insound is running a campaign with videos of the Mountain Goats' John Darnielle, The Decemberists' Colin Meloy, Devendra Banhart and more, all talking about their favorite albums. Banhart wears face paint; Meloy wears a fake mustache.

THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS frontman Carl Newman is still waiting for the critical backlash to start. He also talks to Canada's Star-Phoenix about having his niece fill in for Neko Case from time to time.

THE HOLD STEADY was featured o­n the World Cafe for a couple of tunes, which you can stream from NPR now.

WHAT'S NEXT FOR CBGB? Dustin Glick has some Photoshop fun imagining who might be the new tenant after the venerable music club is forced out at the end of the month.

SAM COOKE and the EVERLY BROTHERS close out a swingin' Shindig with the classic "Lucille."

ROBERT CHRISTGAU, the self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics," talks to PopMatters o­n a variety of topics, but the most interesting part may be how little has changed since his early pieces from 1969 and 1970.

PANIC! at the DISCO has recorded a version of "This is Halloween" for the The Nightmare Before Christmas Special Edition Soundtrack (not to be confused with the DVD).

TOM WAITS: There are now three free MP3s for download from his upcoming Orphans multi-disc set posted at the Anti- website.

RADIOHEAD frontman Thom Yorke has begun worrying about the environmental impact of touring, and is looking into going to Japan by train.

PETE DOHERTY-KATE MOSS UPDATE: The grandfather of the supposedly sober supermodel's o­nly daughter has hit out at the troubled singer, fearing that the four-year-old will be exposed to drugs.

MADONNA: o­ne-year-old David Banda was greeted by the international media as he made his way from Malawi to South Africa and then to Heathrow Airport in London, where Madge declared, "He's just the best baby ever. Guy and I have never been happier." Which will be great news to her son Rocco and daughter Lourdes. Meanwhile the international backlash against Madge's move to adopt the boy continued. Nevertheless, she has already got her eyes o­n a three-year-old girl from the same village.

WESLEY SNIPES jumps out of the "Where Are They Now?" file with his indictment o­n eight counts of tax fraud, with a total of 12 million in alleged false refund claims. What some people won't do for attention.

BOBBY BROWN, however, is out of legal jeopardy, having officially paid up o­n 11K in back child support.

SARA EVANS: I haven't followed Dancing with the Stars much, but the country singer's divorce papers are juicy enough to explain her early departure from the show. ET has reaction from Evans' former nanny about the adultery allegations.

BRITNEY SPEARS may not have have named her son Sutton Pierce, as has been generally reported. The Celeb Baby Blog claims the boy's real name is Jayden James. Meanwhile, WWE champion John Cena fulfilled a national fantasy by bodyslamming Spenderline in a bit for WWE Raw that aired last night. Cena also got to yell, "You're less talented than Paris Hilton!" Now that hurts.

PETRA NEMCOVA: The tsunami-surviving supermodel has dumped singer James Blunt. Her bout of temporary insanity ended amid allegations that Blunt had been unfaithful, which -- if true -- would suggest more than temporary insanity o­n his part.

DENISE RICHARDS and CHARLIE SHEEN managed to behave civilly to each other o­n a family outing that included Sheen's new girlfriend. Meanwhile, Richards admits she sleeps with five dogs -- o­ne less than when she was with Sheen.

LINDSAY LOHAN wants to get married before she's 30. No word o­n how many times.

ELTON JOHN has been secretly counselling Keane singer Tom Chaplin as he battles booze and drugs problems. He also counseled Donatella Versace, Robbie Williams and Pete Doherty. And was there to support both Madonna and Guy Ritchie and the Beckhams when their marriages ran into trouble. The man really needs a reality TV show.

ELLEN BARKIN told the crowd at the American Cinematheque tribute to George Clooney that she had f---ed Clooney. A rep for Barkin insisted the actress "was just goofing around. It was a roast. She was being funny." Yes, she was. NTTAWWT.

EVANGELINE LILLY turned up on the set of Lost in a bridal gown, but not to marry her Hobbit co-star, Dominic Monaghan.

MIDEAST CONFLICT: A senior figure in Hamas, who also acts as the spokesman for the Hamas-led government, published an article o­n Tuesday condemning internal violence and questioning whether it had become a "Palestinian disease," though he seems most concerned that it's bad PR. Meanwhile, a Reuters cameraman has been jailed pending trial for his part in allegedly inciting rock-throwing attacks o­n security forces in Bil'in.

IRAN: The European Union, spurred by North Korea's nuclear test, is headed toward backing UN sanctions against Iran o­n Tuesday after Tehran spurned conditions for opening negotiations o­n its nuclear program. EU countries have not decided what sanctions they might support against Tehran, but are leaning toward softer measures, sure to have the mullahs quaking in their boots. Pajamas Media has video of the arrest of an Ayatollah who believes in the separation of church and state, translating his speech outside his house: "Tell the world that Boroujerdi did not fear death... He defended an Islam which promotes love and kindness not the Islam that these lot advocate which has brought poverty, corruption, prostitution, addiction..."

IRAQ: The US military has arrested Sheikh Mazen Al Saedi, the head of Muqtada al-Sadr's offices in the western Baghdad neighborhood of Karkh, part of a series of of raids in Baghdad and Diwaniyah designed to erode Sadr's power base. Sadr's de facto control of the health ministry may also allow him to manipulate casualty statistics in Baghdad, a confidential military intelligence source tells Bill Roggio. The National Police force is being completely reorganized and over 3000 officers have been dismissed, which is the silver lining to bad news about the police. US forces were back patrolling the mostly Shiite town of Balad after days of sectarian violence in which nearly 100 died, which Iraq's 4th Army had been unable to stop. Sadly, o­n the home front, US counterterrorism officials often do not know the difference between Sunnis and Shia.

GITMO: European governments that have called for closing the camp at Guantanamo Bay have balked at accepting prisoner transfers. I think the Euro spelling for that would be p-o-s-e-u-r.

MAURAUDING GANGS of BABOONS have gotten so bad that monitoring teams have been deployed to keep the animals away in suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa.  Ooh ooh ooh, they wanna be like you-oo-oo...

A LUCKY ALBINO SQUIRREL'S luck ran out at the start of the school year for the University of North Texas.

SNAKES: A five-foot-long corn snake is roaming the vicinity of Bromsgrove, UK. A live python was found in a box in a taxi in Mthatha, South Africa.

PET HOARDING: A Waukesha, WI woman was ordered to pay a fine and sell her house after the carcasses of 17 birds, five tortoises and two cats, along with nine living cats and five living birds, were removed from her home.

THE SWARM: Two young Indonesian brothers died in a Malaysian state after adults who saw them being chased by a swarm of wasps locked them out of a room to prevent getting stung themselves, news reports said Monday.