THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL! The obligatory "Summer in the City" put me in mood, as I had not featured them is some time.  That's a lipsync, as is "Daydream" (based on the lack of guitar cords), but the twofer of "Do You Believe in Magic" and "You Didn't Have To Be So Nice" is clearly live, since the band clearly blows the entry.  The band gets some orchestral backing on "Darlin' Be Home Soon," which is lesser-known today, but which reached No. 15 on the Billboard charts in 1967.

HORSE FEATHERS syopped by Oregon Public Broadcasting for a chat and mini-set streaming on demand as audio or video.

CAT POWER at the BBC, compiled and streaming at Captain's Dead.

THE POSIES talk to NPR about making money 15 years after their major label days.  Video and audio at the link, too.

THE TEN BEST 80's SONGS, according to AOL Radio listeners, is rather horrifying, even though I may have to concede six of them. Embedded audio at the link, too.

THE RAMONES: "California Sun."

THE 20 BEST R.E.M. SONGS OF ALL TIME, according to Paste magazine. With embedded audio.

THE DECEMBERISTS: Colin Meloy defends his concept LP, The Hazards of Love, in the Providence Journal.  There's a less defensive piece at the Chicago Tribune.

DIRTY PROJECTORS & The Curse Of Brooklyn's Hipster Ephemera. Is this summer's most talked about group everything that's wrong with the hipster mentality?

CUTOUT BIN: From Carl Douglas to Richard Thompson, from Roger Miller to Teenage Fanclub, from the Supermes to the Raconteurs, from the Kinks to the Kind, plus Blondie, The Hold Steady, Cheap Trick, Metric 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  Judd Apatow's Funny People, currently scoring 65 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; plus Aliens in the Attic and The Collector, neither of which were screened for critics, so caveat emptor.  500 Days of Summer, scoring 88 percent, expands to 266 screens, so check your local listings.

MICHAEL JACKSON: Debbie Rowe has settled her custody issues over Jacko's children and it doesn't involve a single penny ... but it does involve a shrink.  (Katherine Jackson will be the guardian of Michael's children.)  Joe Jackson claims Michael had a love child.

MAD MEL UPDATE: Did Gibson beat a fan? The cops don't believe it.

MISCHA BARTON's recent hospital stay was due to "suicidal" actions, claims an insider, who adds  the attempt may have coincided with the CW's The Beautiful Life deciding they no longer desired her services.

SCARLETT JOHANSSON & RYAN REYNOLDS did not have a fight that kept the latter from promoting Green lantern at Comic-Con, according to their reps.

FANTASTIC MR. FOX: Wes Anderson's adaptation of the Roald Dahl book now has a trailer online.

DIANE KEATON is venturing into series television with a half-hour comedy at HBO.

JENNIFER ANISTON will star in a rom-com titled, "Pumas." Can't imagine what the press for that will be like.

RICHARD RODRIGUEZ talks to Cinematical about Shorts, Sin City 2, Machete, and Lipitor.

IRAN: Thousands and possibly tens of thousands of mourners, many of them black-clad young women carrying roses, overwhelmed security forces today at Tehran's largest cemetery to gather around the grave of Neda Agha-Soltan, the young woman whose videotaped shooting at a June 20 demonstration stunned the world. Uniformed security forces initially clashed violently today with some of the mourners, supporters and leaders of the opposition, who were there to protest and grieve for those killed in recent unrest.

DOG ON A SWING: Let's go to the video.

BELUGA WHALE saves a drowning diver when she suffered crippling cramps.

CANARY FIGHTING RING BUSTED in Shelton, Connecticut.

SEA LION mates himself to death: "For sea lion bulls with a harem this is the most exhausting time."

SILVERSUN PICKUPS hit the "Panic Switch" at the Ed Sullivan Theater. Dave seemed impressed.

THE MOUNTAIN GOATS: John Darnielle's next album will have 12 songs named from Bible verses. MOKB has an advance track, "Genesis 3:23."

MONSTERS OF FOLK are currently streaming two new songs, "Dear God" and "The Sandman."

THE BEST SONGS (and albums) OF 2009 (so far):  NPR is streaming songs as voted by its listeners.

AU REVOIR SIMONE stopped by the KEXP studios for a session streaming via NPR.

THE NATIONAL plays "Mr. November" at the Pitchfork Music Festival.

AMY MILLAN talks to The Singing Lamb about her new solo LP, Stars, Broken Social Scene, and more...

ONE-TRICK PONIES: Bands that keep reworking the same song. Of course, if it's a good song...

SONIC YOUTH: Thurston Moore and Lee Renaldo talk to Exclaim about the new album, a new bass player, a new label, Randy Bachman and more...

DAVID BYRNE thanks and criticizes U2 for their extravagant touring.

MEGAN FOX: A dozen male-focused Web sites have sanctioned Aug. 4 as a Megan Fox media blackout day.

MICHAEL JACKSON slept with a child-sized porcelain doll that had a dress on, according to a report that said he spent his final days in a messy bedroom with the heating turned up.

JUDE LAW is going to be a father for the fourth time.

SCARLETT JOHANSSON & RYAN REYNOLDS: Did a marital spat put Reynolds in the doghouse with Warner Bros?

TONY ROMO met another woman at a Jessica Simpson concert.

MISCHA BARTON is apparently back on the road to recovery after she jetted into New York to begin work on her latest TV project.

MADONNA's workout is unhealthy.

NINE: The apocalyptic animated flick has a four minute clip online.

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS: At the German premiere of the latest from Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt joked that his partying ends at 6 p.m., while co-star Diane Kruger's leggy arrival stole the show.

THE LORAX is headed to the big screen, targeted for release on the late Dr. Seuss's birthday in 2012.

IRAN responded to growing criticism over political detainees by freeing 140 inmates incarcerated in its most notorious jail following the recent post-election upheavals. Some 150 political prisoners remain inside, according to official figures.

IRAQ: The head of the Awakening Conference is close to an alliance with Premier al-Maliki's list in the next elections. In Kurdish Iraq, hostilities simmer with Iran and Turkey. US Defense Secretary Gates said conditions in Iraq have improved to the extent that the US combat brigade drawdown from the country may accelerate.

WHEN BABOONS ATTACK: Let's go to the video!

VICIOUS KILLER CHIPMUNKS that escaped from a British park four years ago have never been found - and could now have bred into a horde thousands strong. Meanwhile, in Washington, DC, Muriel Long fled her cellar to escape a "killer" Siberian chipmunk.

DOGGIE LOVEDOLL:  For dogs who are often left alone.

HEY, IS THAT A SNAKE in your pants, or just a made-up excuse for reckless driving?

ANN the PYTHON dies at the Memphis Zoo.  Might have been the whole-hog diet.

SPIRITS in the SKY: Billy Corgan, new Smashing Pumpkins drummer Mike Byrne, Electric Prune bassist Mark Tulin, and Strawberry Alarm Clock keyboardist Mark Weitz are among those playing a new song, "Freak" at a tribute to the late Sky Saxon.

SARAH SISKIND played a Tiny Desk Concert for NPR.

OBITS stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set streaming via MPR.

RIVERBOAT GAMBLERS' 25th anniversary cover of Prince's "Let's Go Crazy" is NPR's Song of the Day.

MARSHALL CRENSHAW answers the infamous 20 Questions for PopMatters.

FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE: "Denise." You can't hear it on the Tube, but here it is. Denise is Jolene Blalock, as it turns out.

THE PIXIES announced a nine-city, 14-date Doolittle birthday run in the USA.

JOSH RITTER talks to the Louisville Courier-Journal about making a career as a singer-songwriter: "If I do this for all my life, there's going to be a whole lot of time when I'm not cool."

A FINE FRENZY: Alison Sudol does a Twitterview compiled by Spinner, which also streams her new single.

THREE REASONS music magazines are dying. (hint: Two are The Internet.)

MICHAEL JACKSON: DEA agents, Los Angeles police and Las Vegas police are executing search warrants on the Las Vegas home and office of Michael Jackson's personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray.  Dr. Murray reportedly told police that he administered Propofol to Jacko.

MADONNA: Previously unreleased video and audio recordings and love letters Madge sent to an ex-boyfriend are set to hit the market.

AMY WINEHOUSE allegedly stole cocaine from Kate Moss's handbag, her ex-husband has claimed.

KIM KARDASHIAN & REGGIE BUSH: Dunzo.

GEORGE CLOONEY has been spending time with Italian beauty Elisabetta Canalis, according to RadarOnline.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE: Maurice Sendak, Spike Jonze, and Dave Eggers, among others, talk about the upcoming adaptation of the classic kids' book.

ROBERT PATTINSON & KRISTEN STEWART: Together on the QT?

JOHN TRAVOLTA is a Scientologist now and forever, according to his rep.

KELSEY GRAMMER made an emotional plea to deny parole to the man who raped and murdered his 18-year-old sister in 1975.

AFGHANISTAN: Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal does a Q & A with the L.A. Times.

THE QUICK BROWN FOX... you know.

DOLPHINS & LIGER making friends with each other...

GO CHEETA! The purported autobiography of a movie-star chimpanzee is among the contenders for Britain's most prestigious literary award.

THE BEAR NECESSITIES: It took three rounds from a shotgun, five bullets from a handgun and two shots from a rifle to kill the 120-pound black bear that broke into a Boulder County home early Monday morning.

ARCTIC MONKEYS have released a video for "Crying Lightning" from the upcoming Humbug LP.

NEW RELEASES: Albums from Starflyer 59, Blur, Dodos, Howling Bells and YACHT and more are streaming this week via Spinner.

THE AVETT BROTHERS did three free songs for Daytrotter at SxSW.

ZEE AVI gets a feature + tracks at NPR.  She may remind you of Eleni Mandell, Feist, Jens Lekman and Seu George.

M WARD talks to the Nashville Scene about musical influences, the joy of cheap instruments, the Monsters of Folk, and more...

WEEZER debuted two new songs -- "The Girl Got Hot" and  "I'm Your Daddy" -- just in time for Tuesday.

IGGY POP joins JEMIMA PEARL (formerly of Be Your Own Pet) for a duet titled, "I Hate People."

THE TOP TEN SONGS the web brought back, with embedded video. (Thx, LHB.)

JENN GRANT talsk to the Singing Lamb about touring, camping, both sides of interviews, and more... (including an audio click-through). (Thx, Chromewaves.)

CHARLES MANSON seeks career advice from Phil Spector.

MADONNA looks like a Dude. Get Steven Tyler on the phone.

LINDSAY LOHAN ambushed Samantha Ronson on her doorstep at 5 a.m. Video at the link.

KATIE HOLMES narrowly escaped injury in a car fire.

JENNIFER LOPEZ had a hissy over late guests to her birthday party.

SCARLETT JOHANSSON went through a grueling fitness regimen for Iron Man 2, because dudes are merciless, even to her. Entertainment Weekly recent ran pictures of Scar-Jo as the Black Widow, which I note solely as a service to you.

JESSICA SIMPSON has been blocked from Tony Romo's gated community? Too good to check!

RUPERT EVERETT has been sacked as contributing editor of Vanity Fair after making inappropriate comments about editor Graydon Carter.

HOT TUB TIME MACHINE: The trailer you've been waiting for, with plenty of profanity.

TERROR in the USA: A North Carolina man trained in Pakistan and Afghanistan has been charged along with six of his alleged recruits with conspiring to support terrorism and traveling overseas to participate in "violent jihad," according to an indictment unsealed Monday.

IRAN: One of the defeated moderate candidates in Iran's presidential election (Keroubi) has accused security forces of using Zionist tactics. Ouch.  Meanwhile, opposition leader Mousavi said on Monday the pro-reform protests will continue.

PAKISTAN's planned invasion of South Waziristan has been delayed by the refugee crisis spawned by fighting in Swat, an overstretched military unwilling to let its guard down with India and the difficulty in isolating the Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud, according to Pakistani and American officials.

AFGHANISTAN Pres. Karzai wants new rules for US-led forces and would be willing to talk with Taliban leaders who publicly renounce violence and endorse peace.

IRAQ: Authorities were on Monday set to release preliminary results from weekend elections in the autonomous Kurdish region after a new opposition party claimed a major breakthrough.  A senior Qods Force officer who led one of the three commands in Iraq assigned to attack US and Iraqi forces was one of five Iranians released by the US military on July 9.

A TOUGH CAMEL shrugs off being hit by a car.

MAN VS. ELK: Who you got?

THE MUTT is addicted to sunglasses.

ANIMAL AMNESTY DAY in Bridgeport, CT, brings in tortoises, an alligator, and an 8-foot long red-tailed boa constrictor.

FRIENDLY FIRES dropped the video for "Kiss of Life" from their upcoming LP.

THEFT OF THE DIAL: The Current has started a new series where artists talk about and guest DJ other people's music.  The first two installments are from Black Francis and The Hold Steady's Craig Finn.

LONGWAVE did five free songs for Daytrotter, one previously unreleased.

PITCHFEST: All Songs Considered considers "discoveries" from the Pitchfork Music Festival.

ST. VINCENT: Annie Clark talks to Drowned in Sound about touring the UK, musical arrangements, working with The Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens, and more...

GOING LEGITIMATE: The NYT reports: "Many music industry observers now believe that there is a fundamental shift under way: from illegal downloads to licensed streaming services like MySpace Music, imeem and Spotify, where users can play any song, anytime and - coming soon - on any device."

INGRID MICHAELSON answers a few questions for Newsweek.

SONIC YOUTH: The Stranger compiles an Ultimate SY playlist, bizarrely omitting "Teenage Riot."

THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART talk to The Georgia Straight and LAist.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: G-Force semi-surprisingly topped the box office with 32.1 million bucks, largely on the strength of higher-priced 3-D showings.  Harry Potter was close behind with 30 million.  Potter dropped 61 percent in its second weekend, which is a bit more than the last Potter flick -- but that one played on more IMAX screens from the start, whereas this one moves to more IMAX screens this upcoming weekend.  It will liley end up where the last one did, making a bit under 300 million in the US.  The Ugly Truth debuted at No. 3, making 27 million against a 38 million budget.  Orphan opened in the fourth spot with 12.8 million; horror flicks have underperformed this Summer.  Ice Age 3 rounded out the Top 5 with 8.2 million, demonstrating the overall younger skew of the weekend.  Below the fold, The Hangover and The Proposal held surprisingly well, but 500 Days of Summer had the highest per-screen average at No. 11, and could be a crossover hit as it expands to 300 screens next weekend, and 1000 screens two weekends hence.

MICHAEL JACKSON's prosthetic nose went missing from his surgically mangled face as he lay in an LA morgue.  Jackson's "secret lovechild" has declared: 'He is NOT my dad'.  The administrators of Jacko's estate predict there will be enough cash to pay off his estimated 400 million in debts -- and still have money left over for his heirs.

KATHERINE HEIGL: Newsweek wants to know why she is so annoying.

ANGELINA JOLIE toured a camp on the outskirts of Baghdad where she visited four families displaced due to violence in Iraq.

GARY OLDMAN seemed serious in saying the next Batman movie begins shooting in 2010.

TONY ROMO dumped JESSICA SIMPSON in the parking lot of a Texas IHOP? Too good to check!

NORTH KOREA: Kim Jong-Il's regime routinely used mentally and physically handicapped children to test its biological and chemical weapons, according to a high-ranking defector

IRAN's newly appointed -- and controversial -- first vice president has resigned, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported Friday.

PIGS of the CARIBBEAN, now with video.

A DEAD WHALE was found lodged in the bow of the Princess Cruise Lines' Sapphire Princess. Ship's purser Gopher Smith was unavailable for comment.

KILLER CHIPMUNK attacked a cat twice its size as part of wave of rodent attacks feared to hit Britain.

A BERSERK GROUNDHOG who attempted to attack a resident and two police officers was maced on Thursday, just a few days after a ravenous black bear strolled into an open garage and gorged itself on meat from a freezer, in Boonton Towship, NJ.