THE NATIONAL roll out an alternate version of "Terrible Love."

RA RA RIOT stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

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

HEY MARSEILLES played a Tiny Desk Concert at the offices of NPR.

WEEZER: Rivers Cuomo has posted another pair of unheard songs on the Weezer website's forums.

ORANGE JUICE is streaming five songs from the upcoming box set. (Thx, LHB.) 

BEN GIBBARD (Death Cab) & ZOOEY DESCHANEL (She & Him) sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "God Bless America" (respectively) at the Giants vs. Phillies NLCS game in San Francisco.

MUMFORD & SONS are profiled at USA Today. The Fall's Mark E. Smith threw a bottle at them.

CORIN TUCKER talks to the Village Voice about 100 Years, Twilight, motherhood and more...

THE POSIES talks to Spinner about their new album and how growing up changes their songwriting.

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND's Mo Tucker clarifies her political stand after appearing at a local Tea Party.

LINDSAY LOHAN hopes the judge will send her back to Betty Ford instead of back to jail. The judge refuses to meet with Li-Lo's lawyer before the probation violation hearing.  Betty Ford's treatment team tells the actress she needs to address her daddy issues.

BEYONCE is pregnant with her first child, the new Us Weekly reports.

ANGELINA JOLIE was high on cocaine when she did an interview with Charlie Rose in 2000 to promote "Girl, Interrupted," according to a man who claims he was her former drug dealer.

JEAN-CLAUDE VAN DAMME denies reports that he had a heart attack on the set of his latest film, Weapon.

KATY PERRY & RUSSELL BRAND, spotted flying to India, are just days away from tying the knot if rumors are true.

BOB GUCCIONE, the founder of Penthouse magazine, died Wednesday in a Plano, Texas, hospital after a long battle with cancer. I can't top TV's Andy Levy.

GLEE goes barely legal in GQ -- and it's beyond creepy, according to Salon.

THE GREATEST SCI-FI MOVIES of the 50s, according to Den of Geek. (Thx, LHB.)

IRAN complained that the jet fuel ban on Iranian aircraft in Western airports is illegal. The two remaining US hikers jailed in Iran will be tried for spying. The IAEA announced that Tehran has enriched 30 kg of uranium to 20 percent. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is demanding loyalty from top clerics and an end to defiance that has blurred once-clear lines of power since last year's disputed elections.

AFGHANISTAN: Talks to end the war involve extensive, face-to-face discussions with Taliban commanders from the highest levels of the group's leadership, who are secretly leaving their sanctuaries in Pakistan with the help of NATO troops.

COOPER the CAT, dressed as a banana split, eating a banana. Like the windmills of your mind.

A 300-LB CHIMP ran amok in Kansas City, MO.

A WALLABY died after being plied with ecstasy and drink at a birthday disco.

STEWIE has broken the Guinness world record for being the world's longest domestic cat.

MGMT played "Congratulations" and "The Handshake" for Kimmel. It's like Twofer Wednesday.

BRYAN FERRY is advance streaming his cameo-laden Olympia album.

JONSI's live webcast from L.A. is now streaming on demand today via NPR.

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

THE GHOST OF A SABRE TOOTH TIGER (Sean Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl) are advance streaming Acoustic Sessions.

THE FLYING BURRITO BROTHERS cover "Six Days on the Road."

ISOBEL CAMPBELL takes to the Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot about her ongoing collaboration with Mark Lanegan: "I must be attracted to really difficult things. After we made the first album, he just disappeared and I never thought I'd talk to him again, let alone make more albums with him."

SUFJAN STEVENS talks to the New York Times about losing himself, his new sound, and more... Thx, Chromewaves.)

LAURIE ANDERSON talks to the L.A. Times about texting, concerts for dogs, her new album and 'Delusion,' a multimedia piece that she'll perform at UCLA's Royce Hall.

LIGHTSPEED CHAMPION is covering the Beach Boys, with an assist from Van Dyke Parks.

TAYLOR SWIFT: John Mayer probably thinks this song is about him.

CHRISTINA AGUILERA split with husband Jordan Bratman after her recent career comeback fell flat, her friends say. (Some friends!) The singer reportedly turned to gal pal Samantha Ronson for "emotional support."

TIGER WOODS: The sex tape is a hoax, says a man who claims he was paid a grand to impersonate the golfer.

JODIE FOSTER says Mel Gibson remains "the most loved man in the film business."  No word on her suffering a head injury recently.

TOM BOSLEY, who famously played Mr. Cunningham on "Happy Days," has died at his home in Palm Springs. He was 83.  Henry Winkler and Scott Baio pay tribute.

HOMER SIMPSON has been declared a true Catholic by the Vatican's official newspaper.

THE GREATEST FILMS OF ALL TIME, according to The Guardian/Observer.

IRAN: Authorities have banned Friday prayers in Sunni mosques in Tehran.

AFGHANISTAN: Looks like the Taliban wants a US withdrawal deadline in writing. Gen. Petraeus is shifting to a "talk and shoot" strategy.

IRAQ: In recent days enormous banners have appeared at Parliament showing the late Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr, and, in several, his son, Moktada al-Sadr, the anti-American cleric who has become a political force.

MARU the BOX CAT: Don't know how I missed this entry in the series.

SQUIRRELS: Jesters, terrorists, or dinner?

A WOLF PACK terrorizes a traffic cop in Russia.

A MOUNTAIN GOAT that fatally gored a hiker, then stood over the man and stared at people trying to help, had shown aggressive behavior in the past.

BEST COAST now has a video for "Boyfriend."

NEW RELEASES from Kings of Leon, Girl in a Coma, Liz Phair, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion reissues and more are streaming this week via Spinner.

CMJ 2010: Spinner offers scads of free MP3s from bands headed to the fest.

TEGAN & SARA did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.

MGMT stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set. They also did a session at Morning Becomes Eclectic.

GUIDED BY VOICES offers two soundchecks.

BOMBER CITY: Murray Attaway & Jeff Walls of Guadalcanal Diary have a new band, but they're still mixing in GD nuggets like "Watusi Rodeo" and "Trail of Tears."

ELVIS COSTELLO explains to The Observer that he never liked the word "maturity."

SUPERCHUNK & THE VASELINES: Middle-aged and proud. 

CLARE BURSON got a feature plus tracks from Weekend Edition Sunday.

SIDE ONE, TRACK ONES: A famous bit in High Fidelity, blogged at The Current.

LINDSAY LOHAN is being advised to cut mom Dina loose from her business empire and acting career if she wants to remain sober, according to RadarOnline.

TIGER WOODS: The divorce payout to Elin Nordegren was  a reported110 million.

JUNIOR SEAU, former NFL linebacker, was arrested early Monday morning on domestic violence charges, then was hospitalized after driving his SUV off a cliff.

JUSTIN BIEBER reportedly was on the receiving end of homophobic comments during a laser tag match under police investigation.

ANGELINA JOLIE got permission to film her directorial debut in Bosnia, after govt review of the screenplay.

MAD MEL UPDATE: Gibson is taking a stab at saving his movie career with a comedy role as a tattoo artist in "The Hangover 2." 

CELINE DION was admitted to the hospital on Sunday to prevent the early delivery of her twins.

CAREY MULLIGAN & SHIA LaBEOUF seem dunzo.

ANNE HATHAWAY hopes audiences aren't scared away by the raunchy sex scenes in Love & Other Drugs, which is her way of letting you know there are raunchy sex scenes in Love & Other Drugs. Much classier than saying, "Hey, come see me take my clothes off."

IRAN: A judge has sentenced a man convicted of robbing a confectionery shop to have one of his hands cut off.

PAKISTAN: Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri are believed to be hiding close to each other in houses in northwest Pakistan, but are not together, a senior NATO official said.

AFGHANISTAN: Al-Qaeda is moving back into Afghanistan to plot new attacks, highlighting the terror group's resilience despite nearly a decade of US-led efforts to prevent its return to the country.

IRAQ: After months of pressuring Iraqis to form a new government quickly, the US is now urging them to slow down rather than rush into a deal that would run counter to US interests and risk further destabilizing the country.

X

SLEEPING PUPPEH NOISES: Let's go to the video.

A RUNAWAY CHIMP joined a class at Al-Quds University in the Gaza Strip.

THE BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER may end salvage logging (the practice of harvesting burned trees) in California.

MEERKATS frolic among pumpkins for seasonal awww...someness.

MY MORNING JACKET rolled out "The Way That He Sings" for Dave.

INGRID MICHAELSON played the World Cafe Live; you can stream the gig on demand.

VAN DYKE PARKS, who has worked with everyone from Brian Wilson to Grace Kelly to Joanna Newsom, brings Clare & the Reasons to WNYC for session.

DWIGHT TWILLEY gets a feature plus tracks from Fresh Air.

FOALS did sessions with Morning Becomes Eclectic and Daytrotter.

GRAHAM GOULDMAN talks to The Quietus about 10cc and writing hits for bands like The Yardbirds, Herman's Hermits, and The Hollies. Here he is (with Roddy Frame and Neil Finn watching) with "Bus Stop." I have to throw the Yardbirds' version of "For Your Love" in as a longtime Pate fave.

THE ROLLING STONES will never quit, says Ronnie Wood. However, Keith Richards (Lord of the Undead) describes Mick Jagger as "unbearable."

SLEIGH BELLS: Alexis Krauss talks to the Santa Barbara Independent about her old jon (teaching) and her new job (touring). (Thx, LHB.)

WIRE announces a new album for the new year.

COCOROSIE is essayed by S.X. Rosenstock at the HuffPo.

HAVING A BALL: In the supposedly benighted music business, a lot of things are making money... but mostly pricey concert tickets.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Jackass 3-D romped to the top spot with 50 million against a 20 million budget. The predictions had been in the 30 million range.  Red opened with 22.5 million -- almost exactly as predicted -- against a 58 million budget. It may have better legs than Johnny Knoxville, depending on the demand for horror going into Halloween.  Red is also the biggest non-Die Hard opening for Willis since Sin City.  The Social Networrk dropped a mere 29 percent to the third slot, taking in another 11 million for a domestic total of 63 million against a 50 million budget.  Secretariat drops 25 percent to the No.4 slot with 9.4 million. It has made 27.5 million against a 35 million budget, but the marketing budget for the triple-crowner is rumored to be as high as 50 million.  Life As We Know It also had a decent hold to round out the Top Five, bringing in another 9.2 million, for a 28.9 total against a 38 million budget.

BARBARA BILLINGSLEY, who as June Cleaver on the television series "Leave It to Beaver" personified a Hollywood postwar family ideal of the ever-sweet, ever-helpful suburban stay-at-home mom, died Saturday. She was 94.  Jerry Mathers is deeply saddened. Somewhere, Mrs. B is speaking jive.

COURTNEY COX & DAVID ARQUETTE tried to reconcile at the last minute, desperately hoping to save their 11-year-old marriage, according to RadarOnline.

CHRISTINA AGUILERA reportedly had an open marriage when it came to her lust for women.

JUSTIN BIEBER is reportedly being investigated by police in Richmond, British Columbia after an alleged incident at laser tag facility.

MADONNA has found herself a new toy boy after splitting from her former flame, Jesus Luz - and he's a choreographer 19 years her junior.

ANGELINA JOLIE defends her controversial new movie.

COLIN FARRELL quietly split from his actress baby mama Alicja Bachleda several months ago.

THE HOBBIT is now greenlit and will begin principal photography in February 2011, with Peter Jackson at the wheel.

PRETTY IN PINK: Reunion video.

IRAN's Foreign Minister said talks over the country's nuclear program are likely to begin in November. The Intelligence Minister said two US hikers should be tried for spying. A top IRGC official said the West is attempting to sow divisions between Sunni and Shia Muslims.

PAKISTAN: Unconfirmed reports claim that Qari Hussain Mehsud, the Taliban's deputy leader and notorious trainer of suicide bombers, including children, was killed in a US Predator airstrike this month. But the reports are conflicting, and US intelligence officials will not confirm his death. Meanwhile, the Taliban have denied that he was killed.

IRAQ: Members of United States-allied Awakening Councils have quit or been dismissed from their positions in significant numbers in recent months, prey to an intensive recruitment campaign by the Sunni insurgency, according to government officials, current and former members of the Awakening and insurgents.

A PARROT and his toy friend.

HENRY THE BULL thinks he's a dog.

SPIDER-GOATS do what ever a spder-goat does.

BRIDGET THE CAT was given that name because of her dramatic rescue from near the entrance to the Queensboro Bridge in Manhattan.

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with THE REIVERS! Or do you remember them as Zeitgeist? Trouser Press does: "Out of Austin, Texas came Zeitgeist, two guys and two girls making moody, melodic and occasionally stunning folk-rock with a deep debt to the '60s - although there's plenty of modern angst and a rootsy feel more western than country..." Let's start with the title track to their debut, "Translate Slowly" and "Without My Sight" from Club Lingerie, but follow it up with a vintage set from SXSW's Austin Music Awards.  Part 1 includes "Secretariat" and "Lazy Afternoon" (originally popularized by Barbra Streisand), while Part 2 includes their cover of "Blue Eyes (Cryin' in the Rain)" and "Things Don't Change."  I wish there was video of "Freight Train Rain," but you'll have to make do with audio at ReiversSpace.

AVEY TARE (Animal Collective) is advance streaming his Down There album.

THE MORNING BENDERS stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session. Chris Chu talks to the Mercury News about the band's name and vintage sound.

THE SECRET SISTERS stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set, including "Big River" and "Ring of Fire."

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED has launched a streaming Internet channel, accessible via web and iPhone app.

BRYAN FERRY drops "Song to the Siren" as an advance track to his cameo-laden Olympia LP.

HOLY F*CK drops the kitteh-laden video for "Red Lights."

FRANKIE ROSE & THE OUTS: Rose talks to the Village Voice about her band-hopping.

IMOGEN HEAP talks to The Telegraph about how Twitter, YouTube and video blogs have accelerated her record sales and built an intimate fanbase.

CHAPTERHOUSE: Stephen Patman talks to Prefix about the band's early years, why they got back together, and what they did during Chapterhouse's 17-year break. (Thx, Chromewaves.)

SOLOMON BURKE gets a great obit and tribute from Reason's Radley Balko. 

CUTOUT BIN: From C.W. McCall to James Brown, from Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood to She & Him, from Billy Bragg to Solomon Burke, The Feelies, The Beatles, plus great covers from Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, The Jam, Marianne Faithfull, and Angus & Julia Stone and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.

NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases are the action-comedy Red, which is currently scoring 71 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; and Jackass 3-D, which is scoring 43 percent on thin reviews.

COURTNEY COX fell "in love" with a Cougar Town co-star, and the pair kept it a secret from everyone, according to RadarOnline.

CHRISTINA AGUILERA officially filed for divorce from her husband Jordan Bratman.

ANGELINA JOLIE has been barred from shooting her directorial debut in Sarajevo after a paperwork error and heated complaints from women's groups that alleged the film provides a "misleading history" of the conflict that tore the country apart in the early 1990s.

KANYE WEST has been embarrassingly caught with his pants down in a nude photo scandal, according to RadarOnline.

LINDA EVANGELISTA has split with billionaire Hard Rock founder Peter Morton, sources tell Page Six.

AFGHANISTAN: The French experience in Sarobi suggests that with a substantial number of Afghan troops, generous spending on civilian projects like schools and jobs programs and a local government that is not too corrupt, it is possible to create a measure of calm.

IRAQ: Violence in Basra is on the wane, and is being replaced by shops, cars and fun parks -- thanks to oil.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Don't put a dog in charge of the fireworks.

A TURTLE donated to a Panhandle aquarium by an 8-year-old boy proved irresistibly tasty to an alligator.

PIGLET seized in Russian debt collection.

A CREW OF EIGHT New Zealand rowers say a sea lion attacked and cracked their boat in two places before chasing them swimming back to shore.

A HUMPBACK WHALE broke the world record for travel by any mammal, swimming at least 6125 miles from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean... in search of a mate, natch.