THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE...

... with THE RASCALS!  I was delighted to rediscover one of my fave clips, their cover of "Mickey's Monkey" in a medley with "Turn On Your Love Light."  A second live medley includes a pair of Rascals originals, "I've Been Lonely Too Long" and "Come On Up." Plus, a copy of "It's a Beautiful Morning" has returned to the Tube, as well as "Groovin'" and  "How Can I Be Sure?"  Round it out with the live-instudio version of the obligatory "Good Lovin'," and the early "Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore" from Hullaballoo.

TYLER CHILDERS advance streams Purgatory.

RANDY NEWMAN advance streams Dark Matter.

BETH DITTO plays a short set at the Turf Club.

THE CARS share a previously unreleased studio version of "They Won't See You."

RINGO STARR & PAUL McCARTNEY reunite on “We’re On the Road Again." It also features The Eagles’ Joe Walsh, Edgar Winter, and Toto’s Steve Lukather (who co-wrote the song).

STARS share "Fluorescent Light."

KENNY ROGERS & THE FIRST EDITION: "I Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)." Yeah. Yeah. Oh, Yeah.

THE MERCURY PRIZE nominees are announced. The Guardian is unimpressed.

MICHAEL JACKSON's estate owes QUINCY JONES 9,4MM in royalties.

RIDE: Mark Gardener and Loz Colbert talk to Drowned In Sound about the band's triumphant return.

BEN GIBBARD writes about the great Teenage Fanclub.

NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases are The Emoji Movie, which was not widely screened for critics; and Atomic Blonde, currently scoring 79 percent on the ol' Tomatometer.

SUBURBICON, ft Matt Damon and Oscar Issac, has a trailer online.

JAMES BOND: French director Yann Demange is reportedly “frontrunner” to direct the recently-announced 2019 Bond film.

MADONNA and ther twin girls have accepted undisclosed damages from Associated Newspapers over a “serious invasion of privacy”.

TAXI DRIVER: Behind The Scenes.

ARRESTED REBELLION: Ron Howard narrates Star Wars.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: Giant militant marmots rage on the highway.

THE YEAR OF THE GOAT: Strolling through the barn like Peter Lorre.

A GIANT SPIDER terrorizes a family at home.

PET TRANSLATION could happen within a decade.

SWEET APPLE brings MARK LANEGAN & ROBERT POLLARD alongside for "“World I’m Gonna Leave You.”

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

THE SHINS' James Mercer played a Tiny Desk Concert.

JONI MITCHELL: Aquarium Drunkard shares a post-Mingus mixtape.

GREGG ALLMAN: Hear the psothumous track "My Only True Friend."

CINDY WILSON of the B-52s shares "Mystic."

TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS: "Here Comes My Girl."

DANIEL JOHNSON announces a final tour, with some big names backing him.

ELISABETH FRASER & JOHN GRANT talk about the Cocteau Twins' 1988 classic Blue Bell Knoll.

U2's Adam Clayton and his wife welcomed a baby girl.

FINN'S MOTEL picks his five favorite Cheap Trick concerts (5, 4, 3, 2, 1).

ANGELINA JOLIE talks to Vanity Fair about her divorce from Brad Pitt and her Bell's Palsy diagnosis.

KIM KARDASHIAN's surrogate is three months pregnant.

KATE HUDSON shaved her head for her latest film.

TRUE DETECTIVE Season 3 will star Moonlight's Mahershala Ali.

HENRY CAVILL brushed together a somewhat tongue-in-cheek message after a controversy over his ‘stache left some fans bristling.

ROBERT PATTINSON revealed that he was nearly fired from the Twilight movies.

DEADWOOD: HBO Original Programming chief Casey Bloys told reporters Wednesday that he was impressed by the script delivered a few months ago by series creator David Milch.

CONFEDERATE: HBO programming president Casey Bloys also used his time in front of the press Wednesday to defend the premium cable network's decision to move forward with its controversial slave drama.

BATMAN movies, ranked by Vulture.

JUNE FORAY, the voice of The Bullwinkle Show’s Rocky the Flying Squirrel and his nemesis Natasha Fatale of Boris and Natasha fame (and a zillion other voices), died Thursday. She was 99.

A MONSTER CROC swims downriver with a cow in its jaws.

THE TOP 25 CUTEST DOGS on Capitol Hill.

DEADLY KING COBRAS in potato chip cans.

WILD RABBITS surf on sheep to escape flooding in NZ.

SYLVAN ESSO shares a video version of "Die Young" featuring members of Wye Oak, The Mountain Goats, Hiss Golden Messenger, Mountain Man and Megafaun.

WAXAHATCHEE, Live at Warsaw BK, July 15, 2017.

JAMES ELKINGTON covers three mid-to-late-60s Kinks songs for Aquarium Drunkard.

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED previews the Newport Folk Festival.

PRISM TATS shares "Used To Be Cool."

ALVVAYS shares "Dreams Tonite."

PERE UBU shares "Monkey Bizness."

THE MUSIC EXPLOSION: "Little Bit O'Soul."

ARIEL PINK talks to Stereogum about Trump, Madonna and his new lo-fi LP.

ODE TO BILLIE JOE: Bobbie Gentry’s classic turns fifty years old.

THE 10 MOST UNDERRATED COMEBACK LPs of the Century (So far), according to Prefix.

QUEEN ELIZABETH II's Top Ten.

DANIEL CRAIG will play James Bond in at least one more film, which will be released in November 2019, according to the NYT.

JUSTIN BIEBER pulled the plug on his Purpose tour because he “rededicated his life to Christ.”

ROBERT PATTINSON & FKA TWIGS have been kind of engaged for two tears.

ANNE HATHAWAY may replace Amy Schumer in the Barbie movie.

T.J. MILLER knows you think he's crazy for leaving HBO's Silicon Valley, and he cares not in the least.

DAVID LEITCH talks about Atomic Blonde and Deadpool 2.

WONDER WOMAN 2 is set for release on Dec. 13, 2019.

MORE THAN 100 DOGGOS, rescued from a fake sanctuary.

DEMON GOAT terriifes San Luis province in central Argentina. (It's more sad, really.)

A 920-LB MAKO SHARK: The largest ever caught in NJ.

THIS CANNIBALISTIC INVASIVE SPECIES could be headed to your dinner plate.

I HAVE A FEW THINGS.

STEPHEN STILLS & JUDY COLLINS cover Leonard Cohen's "Everybody Knows."

TURNING THE TABLES: NPR's list of The 150 Greatest Albums Made by Women (at least in part).

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

JUSTICE LEAGUE is undergoing extensive reshoots, and the fact that its cast includes several of the most in-demand actors working in Hollywood today, is creating scheduling headaches that have prolonged the shooting. Not to mention the toll they have taken on Henry Cavill's facial hair.

BROOKLYN DECKER & ANDY RODDICK are expecting their second child.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: A militant rodent has attacked five people in NYC's Prospect Park — and the city Health Department is urging others who may have been bitten to head to the hospital.

...I hope there's more "news" tomorrow!

BON IVER joined THE REVOLUTION on "Erotic City" at Rock The Garden.

FOREIGNER's classic lineup reunited for “Long, Long Way From Home,” “I Want To Know What Love Is,” and “Hot Blooded.”

(SANDY) ALEX G plays the Music Hall of Williamsburg for Pitchfork Live.

ALBIN LEE MULDAU plays a Tiny Desk Concert.

SCOTT WALKER talks to Jarvis Cocker about David Bowie, diving out of a car that flew off a cliff, etc. 

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE's Avey Tare talks to PopMatters aboutspace and mystery in music.

PRIESTS talksed to Stereogum about playing festivals, politics, etc.

TOP OF THE POPS? What should music TV look like on the BBC in 2017?

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Dunkirk tops the chart with 50.5MM, much better than last week's 35-40MMe stimates, which must have the WB breathing a sigh of relief.  It's likely to be as successfula s Nolan's Interstellar, especially in overseas markets, which means the Summer release gamble paid off.  Girls Trip placed with 30.4MM, which is great againsta 19MM budget, unusually good for a comedy this year.  Spider-Man: Homecoming shows with 22MM on a 50 percent dropand looks on track to profit worldwide. Its performance was bad news for War for the Planet of the Apes, which took the fourth slot with 20.44MM on a 64 percent slide.  And even worse for Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, the most expensive indie fim ever (209MM) that rounds out the Top Five with 17MM.  Ouch.  Granted, rights deals covered a lot of this risk, but Ouch.

BEN AFFLECK: Being phased out as Batman?  Affleck denies it. Jeffrey Dean Morgan could be a different Batman.

READY PLAYER ONE dropped a Comic-Con trailer.

THOR: RAGNAROK has a new Comic-Con trailer.

JUSTICE LEAGUE has a new Comic-Con trailer.

WESTWORLD dropped a Season 2 trailer at Comic-Con.

STRANGER THINGS dropped a Season 2 Trailer.

THE GIFTED, an X-Men Universe series, drops a trailer.

MICHELLE PFEIFFER joins Ant-Man and The Wasp.

O.J. SIMPSON has been moved to a special housing area in Lovelock Correctional Center to protect him from inmates possibly looking to harm him in order to make a name for themselves.

JOHNNY DEPP's expenses are further exposed in the amended lawsuit filed by former managers.

EDGAR WRIGHT discusses the music of Baby Driver.

SALVADOR DALI's mustache still survives, an exhumation revealed.

JOHN HEARD, best known as Peter McAllister in the Home Alone movies who appeared in a wide range of TV and film roles, has died at 71 in Palo Alto, Calif.

A RESCUE DOG enjoys a hot tub.

STUBBS THE CAT, the honorary feline mayor of the Alaska town of Talkeetna, has died at the age of 20.

HONEY BEES saved by capitalism.

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF MINKS that cannot survive in the wild were "liberated" by people who supposedly care about animals.