THE MORNING BENDERS cover Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" at Governor's Island.

AMANDA PALMER is streaming "Ideoteque" from her upcoming LP, Amanda Palmer Plays the Popular Hits of Radiohead on Her Magical Ukulele.

JENNY & JOHNNY: Lewis and Rice drop "Scissor Runner" as a poppy advance track from We're Having Fun Now.

FITZ & THE TANTRUMS play Northern Soul, SoCal style at the studios of KEXP.

COWBOY JUNKIES go to China (and return).

ROBERT RANDOLPH played a mini-set for NPR's Weekend Edition.

THE ANTLERS play Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" for The A.V. Club Undercover.

TIFT MERRITT talks to PopMatters about retreating to France, stripping down her sound and more...

DELTA SPIRIT is blurbed by Straight.com.

KEANE frontman Tom Chaplin talks to Consequence of Sound about the band's new Night Train. 

LOVE BALLAD leaves women more open to a date. Science!

MICHAEL JACKSON's estate has raked in 783 million bucks since his death, exceeding even the most optimistic projections. And the executor isn't happy with MJ's mother.

GARY COLEMAN secretly took out a restraining order against his ex-wife just months before she took him off life support. Moral of the story: If you get a restraining order, let people know.

LINDSAY LOHAN: The plaintiffs suing over her 2007 chase on Pacific Coast Highway want the jury to know Li-Lo was under the influence of two different types of cocaine during the wild ride.

TIGER WOODS: Just months after promising he would never miss another one of his children's birthdays, he did.

JEREMY LONDON tells RadarOnline he thought he was going to die during his terrifying kidnapping ordeal, during which he says he was forced to smoke crack.

JERRY SEINFELD: Apparently not a big fan of Lady Gaga.

AMANDA BYNES announced this week that she will retire from acting-at age 24.  But recent erratic behavior has some wondering if the choice was hers at all.

OUR FRIENDS, THE SAUDIS convicted four women and 11 men for mingling at a party and sentenced them to flogging and prison terms.

IRAN: Police issued warnings to 62000 women who were "badly veiled" in the Shiite holy province of Qom as part of a crackdown on dress and behavior.

AFGHANISTAN: General McChrystal has been recalled to Washington after he and his staff made disrespectful remarks about the Obama administration to Rolling Stone. What's wrong with that sentence? What isn't wrong with that sentence.  Meanwhile, the new rules of engagement have come with costs, including a perception now frequently heard among troops that the effort to limit risks to civilians has swung too far, and endangers the lives of Afghan and Western soldiers caught in firefights with insurgents who need not observe any rules at all.

LALA the PENGUIN has been trained to walk to the fish market with her little backpack to get fresh fish everyday.

A DOG has reportedly been reunited with its owner after being blown 20 miles away in a storm.  It really was no miracle, what happened was just this...

TWO CAMELS and a TIGER stolen with a truck trailer last week have been found safe and sound in central Quebec.

A 20-FT BASKING SHARK rivets cruise passengers.

DEER TICK played "Baltimore Blues No. 1" for their network TV debut at the Ed Sullivan Theater.

NEW RELEASES: Okay, I don't know why albums from Ozzy Osbourne, Herbie Hancock and the Wu-Tang Clan are streaming at Spinner, but they are.

THE MYNABIRDS play a Tiny Desk Concert at NPR.

BROKEN BELLS stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

SHOUT OUT LOUDS stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

OFF BROADWAY: "Stay In Time" and "Full Moon Turn My Head Around," for Twofer Tuesday. More power pop for the summer.

NEKO CASE will pummel your effing face. So watch it.

THE BEACH BOYS: Mike Love told the Las Vegas Sun that Brian Wilson is discussing possibly reuniting with them for future writing and recording as their 50th anniversary nears.

LCD SOUNDSYSTEM's James Murphy talks to Pitchfork and Fresh Air.

PAUL McCARTNEY names his favorite Beatles songs.

LINDSAY LOHAN may pose nude with her SCRAM bracelet.

ORLANDO BLOOM & MIRANDA KERR are engaged.

CHRIS KLEIN has voluntarily checked himself into rehab after his second alcohol related arrest.

JEREMY LONDON and his wife Melissa have lost custody of their son and are both being drug tested regularly, according to RadarOnline.

HEIDI MONTAG is so serious about ending her marriage to Spencer Pratt, she's already lawyered up and she has a game plan.

HELEN MIRREN is profiled by New York magazine.

MARVEL STUDIOS may introduce secondary characters with short films in front of their feature length movies. Hey, Pixar makes short films to show off new tech, and Marvel is now also owned by Disney...

TERROR in NYC: A Pakistani-born American citizen defiantly pleaded guilty on Monday to attempting to set off a car bomb in New York's Times Square, saying that Islamist extremists would continue to attack the United States.

IRAN: US lawmakers reached agreement on legislation that would penalize Iran's business partners for selling the country gasoline, investing in its refineries or providing financial services to firms linked to its political and military elite.  The sanctions accord came as Iran moved to ban two UN inspectors from working in the country.

AFGHANISTAN: US SecDef Gates rejected suggestions Sunday that US forces will move out of Afghanistan in large numbers in July of next year under a deadline set by Pres. Obama. The US is eager to replicate Afghan villagers' successful revolt against the Taliban in Gazab.

TINY KITTEH in a tiny hat has an ice cream cone. Sure, it's an ad of sorts. But it's a tony kitteh -- wearing a tiny hat -- eating a tiny ice cream cone.

HUNTING TARANTULAS and then eating them has become the latest extreme tourist experience in Cambodia.

CHIMPS are warmongers.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: Thwarted in Arizona.

BRIAN FALLON (The Gaslight Anthem) joins BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN on "No Surrender."

ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO is advance streaming Street Songs of Love.

WOLF PARADE is advance streaming Expo 86.

THE ROOTS are advance streaming How I Got Over, with cameos from Joanna Newsom, My Morning Jacket's Jim James, and the ladies of the Dirty Projectors.

THE WATSON TWINS play a short set on the Mountain Stage.

INXS: "Don't Change," live at the US Festival.

STARS frontman Torquil Campbell gives the National Post a track-by-track tour of The Five Ghosts.

LATE BLOOMERS: The National, the Hold Steady and Spoon are profiled by CNN.

BILLY BRAGG: Consequence of Sound delves into the history of "St. Swithin's Day." (Thx, LHB.) 

THE GOLDEN AGE Of Hipper-Than-Thou CD Fetishization Begins Now.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Toy Story 3 easily took the weekend with 109 million, roughly in line with predictions.  It's the biggest Pixar opening ever (since The Incredibles which opened at 70 million), the biggest June opening ever (edging Transformers 2) and may save the summer for cineplexes.  It may also be the first serious Oscar contender of the year.  The Karate Kid reboot drops 48 percent and takes in 29 million -- which is actually pretty good considering the competition.  It passed the 100 million mark on a 40 million budget.  The A-Team drops 46 percent and makes 13.8 million, but will be lucky to recoup its 100 million budget domestically.  Get Him To The Greek holds the fourth slot, and its 47 million total passes its budget (excluding marketing, prints, etc.).  Shrek Forever After drops two slots to round out the Top Five; its 65 percent drop at the hands of Toy Story 3 is pretty severe, but the studio isn't going to weep over 223 million in domestic receipts.

TOY STORY 3 may not be Pixar's best, but it exceeded my expectation, which was that the emotional theme of abandonment had been thoroughly mined in the first two installments.  Some reviewers suggested that this one might succumb to the temptation of so many sequels to overstuff the film with new characters and action, but I don't think the new characters detracted from a focus on Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the original cast.  Other reviewers pegged this as a Pixar version of a Dreamworks animated flick -- and while the Ken and Barbie material edged a bit in that more kitschy direction, the Pixar team largely hewed to to the sincere approach that is the studio's hallmark.  Indeed, when things are at their bleakest for our heroes, you realize what an achievement it has been for Pixar to get people so invested in CGI versions of plastic toys.  "Story" is there in the title, but as always, it's characterization and tone that elevate the movie above the competition (looking decidedly second-rate in the previews).

MICHAEL JACKSON's mother Katherine talks to the Mirror a year on from the star's death.

JEREMY LONDON's wife was in the car with him when he was "kidnapped" and his alleged abductor gave her a ride home during the alleged crime, according to RadarOnline.

JESSE JAMES is moving to Austin at the end of July ... partly so his children can continue their relationship with Sandra Bullock.

LINDSAY LOHAN is off the hook with the L.A. County Probation Department for the whole SCRAM thing earlier this month ... because she tested clean.

GARY COLEMAN was cremated.

IRAN's new revolutionary politics.

AFGHANISTAN: Violence increased dramatically in the first four months of this year, according to the UN. Of course, that tends to happen when there's more fighting.

IRAQ: With US soldiers pulling out over the next 18 months, the Pentagon is getting rid of the fixtures and fittings of the bases they live in, some of it at auction, some bound for the black market.

HARVEY the CAT is not that into you.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT is stimulated with 1.25 million dollars in rope bridges for Arizona.

THREE RARE BIRDS OF PREY now nest at Three Mile Island.

PYTHON in a washing machine.

ALLIGATOR caught with bare hands by a reptile wrangler in Ohio.

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

... with POWER POP! Inspired by the Michael Chabon essay linked here at the start of the week, but also by the time of the season.  For whatever reason, I have considered Summer the ideal season for gems like the Raspberries' "Go All The Way" and "I Wanna Be With You", Badfinger's "No Matter What" (which Pate covered on occasion), and even Todd Rundgren's "I Saw the Light".  Ditto for more obscure tracks like The Records' "Starry Eyes", The Rubinoos "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" (see also their vintage cover of "Please Please Me") and Shoes' "Too Late".  Sadly, there does not seem to be live footage of Bram Tchaikovsky's "Girl of My Dreams", though there is a video in its backstory.

SHE & HIM stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

THE JAYHAWKS, live in the Netherlands, June 18, 1997.

RUBIK does the four free songs thing for Daytrotter, which uses The Cars as a comparison that I'm not completely buying. Still nice, though.

THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH plays a short set on the Mountain Stage.

THE TEN BEST RAMONES SONGS, according to Paste.

EELS drop "Looking Up" waaaay in advance of Tomorrow Morning.

THE TEMPTATIONS: "I Can't Get Next To You."

BLITZEN TRAPPER: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tries to nail down their sound.

GARY SHIDER, guitarist and musical director for Parliament Funkadelic , passed away Wednesday. He was 56. RIP, Starchild.

MGMT: Andrew VanWyngarden talks to the Chicago Tribune about the band's 12-minute suite, "Siberian Breaks."

BEST SUMMER ROCK SONGS, according to Culture Mob. Plenty of good songs there, but highly debatable. (Thx, LHB.)

MUSIC's SACRED COWS, attacked from beyond the grave.

20 ESSENTIAL MUSIC BOOKS, according to NME.

CUTOUT BIN: From the Sweet to Joy Division, from Belle & Sebastian to Billy Preston, from the Nerves to Cat Power, plus the Kinks, Broken Social Scene, Otis Redding, the Replacements 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 Toy Story 3, which is scoring 100 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; and the adaptation of Jonah Hex, which is scoring 00 percent.

HARRISON FORD & CALLISTA FLOCKHART finally got married.

JEREMY LONDON (Party of Five) was abducted, robbed and forced to smoke drugs during a harrowing five hour ordeal in Palm Springs. Really.

TIGER WOODS:  A DNA test disproves the claim of an adult film actress that Woods fathered her 9-year-old son.  Meanwhile, Elin has returned to the US from China, according to RadarOnline. Move the pins on your map accordingly.

MILEY CYRUS: That upskirt pic caused ABC to stop advertising on Perez Hilton's blog.

DAVID SPADE... and Padma Lakshmi?

THE BLUES BROTHERS trurns 30. Dan Ackroyd shares memories. The Chicago Tribune also looks at the locations, then and now. It's highly recommended by the Vatican.

PSYCHO turns 50. It's the most eternal of thrillers, the one that changed movies... and the world.

IRAN, defying week-old UN sanctions over its nuclear program, promised to build four new reactors for atomic "medical research." The European Union followed the US' lead to press for tighter sanctions on Iranian corporations.

AF-PAK: The current state of the Afghan war mirrors Iraq circa 2005-2006.

LEONARD & LULA: Let's go to the video.

SNOWY the TERRIER ate five toy cats. One was X-rayed.

TURKEYS terrorize a Spokane neighborhood.

CATIOS are the new hotness.

KNUT NUTS: Most polar bears in captivity in Germany have psychological problems, with Berlin Zoo's superstar Knut probably the worst of all, scientists said Thursday after a two-year study. I blame Leo DiCaprio.

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE breaks out "Texico B^tches" for Fallon.

LAURA VEIRS did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.

SANDY DENNY is one of NPR's 50 Great Voices.

JACKIE DeSHANNON gets a feature plus tracks from Fresh Air, marking her induction into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame today. "When You Walk in the Room" is a personal fave of mine.

MAGIC BULLETS songwriter Corey Cunningham talks to SF Weekly about the band's sophomore LP, which is streaming via Spinner through the weekend.

MAGIC KIDS, otoh, drop the chamber-poppy "Summer" from their upcoming Memphis album.

DEVO got "Fresh" at the Ed Sullivan Theater. ICYMI, here's video of the album listening party for cats.

TOM WAITS makes his mixtape suggestions to MOJO. (Thx, LHB.)

DEAN WAREHAM is doing an entire tour of Galaxie 500 material, but it's not a reunion.

BTO: Tim Bachman, one of the founding members of the 1970s band Bachman-Turner Overdrive, is facing child sex charges.

OZZY OSBOURNE is set to undergo genomic testing to see how he is still alive after years of abusing his body with drugs and alcohol.

MEGAN FOX & BRIAN AUSTIN GREEN are engaged again. But they've lost the ring.

MILEY CYRUS fires on Perez Hilton for posting an upskirt pic of the teenager on Twitter.

CHRIS KLEIN (American Pie) was busted on suspicion of DUI, with a BAC three times the legal limit. And he could be looking at jail time, based on his record.

CHARLIE SHEEN's wife, Brooke Mueller, is headed back to rehab.

ROBERT PATTINSON & KRISTEN STEWART are dunzo. Or they have a love nest. Pick 'em!

CLIVE OWEN & NICOLE KIDMAN will play Ernest Hemingway and Martha Gellhorn in an HBO pic produced by James Gandolfini.

IRAQ has accused Iranian forces of entering Iraqi territory and shelling Kurdish rebel positions in the north.

AF-PAK: The United States has presented evidence to Pakistan that a militant faction aligned with the Taliban and based in Pakistan orchestrated brazen attacks last month in Afghanistan. Gen. Petraeus told the US Senate that Pres. Obama's directive calling for the start of a conditions-based drawdown of US troops from Afghanistan in July 2011 shouldn't be considered as an exit date.  Meanwhile, Pakistan and Afghanistan are waiting for each other to make the next move against the Taliban.

MACROPINNO MICROSTOMA: A fish with a see-thru head.

MONKEYS ENJOY TELEVISION, scientists say.

A PYTHON nearly urinates on Princes William and Harry.

GIANT EARTHWORMS lose on appeal.

COW forced to marry boy who took advantage of her, and then drowned.