THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

... with GARAGE ROCK! After surveying power-pop a couple of weeks ago, I found myself in the mood for a dozen Nuggets, like Music Machine - "Talk Talk"; Blues Magoos - "We Ain't Got Nothin' Yet"; The Knickerbockers - "Lies"; The Outsiders - "Time Won't Let Me"; Count Five - "Psychotic Reaction"; The Seeds - "Pushin' Too Hard"; 13th Floor Elevators - "You're Gonna Miss Me"; The Standells - "Dirty Water/ Why Pick On Me"; The Leaves - "Hey Joe"; Electric Prunes - "I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night," the Crazy World of Artur Brown - "Fire" and The Nazz- "Open My Eyes."

NEKO CASE talks to Exclaim about making Middle Cyclone, moving to rural Vermont, and more. The site also has a Neko timeline. Don't forget you can advance stream Middle Cyclone via NPR.

A.C. NEWMAN talks to the Santa Barbara Independent about (among other things) whether he sees his album as in competition with fellow New Pr0nographer Neko Case's new LP: "No, I don't see us going head to head. It's a ridiculous, unwinable fight. I think I'm like Don Quixote and she's the windmill - the impossible dream. By that I mean she would slaughter me in any fight."

LEONARD COHEN: After a five-year stint in a Zen Buddhist monastery and various legal distractions, he is back on the road: an undertaking that seems to combine his quest for spiritual fulfillment with an effort to regain his financial footing, lost when his former business manager made off with his money while Mr. Cohen was living as a monk on a mountaintop above Los Angeles. You can stream his Beacon Theater gig on demand via NPR.

THE HOLD STEADY: Craig Finn recalls the Reagan era and the Zero Boys for The Guardian.

BEN FOLDS talks to Exclaim about his current tour, producing everyone from Amanda Palmer to William Shatner to "Weird Al" Yankovic, and more... It made me want to hear the BFF rip through "Kate" again, and to watch him back Shatner and Joe Jackson on Pulp's "Common People."

ELENI MANDELL talks to ChartAttack about the ttitle of her Artificial Fire album, her two side projects, Los Angeles, etc.

BEN KWELLER, whose latest album is countrified, tells the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette he would open for Tim McGraw or Alan Jackson.

PYLON guitarist Randy Bewley died after a heart attack suffered while driving in Athens on Monday.

CUTOUT BIN: From The Records to Reunion, from The dB's to Pat Travers, from the Chairmen of the Board to the Zombies, plus Fountains of Wayne, Cheap Trick, Big Star, Glen Campbell and more-- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.

THE GODFATHER WARS: How the movie classic got made, over the objections of the studio and the mafia.

NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases are Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience, which is currently scoring 29 percent on the ol' Tomatometer (not that it matters, given the huge advance biz from tween girls), and Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, which wasn't screened for critics prior to its release.

THE RAZZIES founder John Wilson talks to The Guardian: "They try and ignore us like a fart in a church. We focus on big-budget, big-name, well-known movies because they have no excuse to be as bad as they are."

TOM BRADY & GISELLE BUNDCHEN: Hitched. This time for sure... nithing up my sleeve... presto!

ANNIE LIEBOVITZ has pawned the rights to her life's work in order to raise nearly 16 million bucks to pay off her debts.

CLINT EASTWOOD may act again, "if a great script comes along."

JERRY SEINFELD is reteaming with NBC to launch his first reality series.  But it's not clear whether he will appear on it.

CAPRICA, the spinoff-prequel to Battlestar Galactica, has a trailer online.

WATCHMEN is getting split reviews - The Hollywood Reporter thinks it's a flop, and Variety seems disappointed, while the Times of London raves. Will I have an opening day review here at Pate? (shakes Magic 8-Ball)  All signs point to "yes."

JOSS WHEDON says Warner Bros is struggling to get many DC Comics heroes on to the big screen because they are too mythological and god-like to connect to audiences.

TAKING CHANCE brought home the Kevin Bacon last weekend, with HBO's biggest audience for an original movie since 2004.  There is a lesson in that for Hollywood that will likely go unlearned.

ISLAMISM in the UK: The British Army is facing increasing numbers of British Muslims fighting for the Taliban in Afghanistan.

INDIA: Police in Mumbai have accused a serving officer in the Pakistan Army of being involved in the terrorist attacks on the city that killed more than 170 people in November.

PAKISTAN: Doubts beset Islamabad's Shariah deal for Swat.

AFGHANISTAN: Hundreds of US troops pushed into a key Taliban stronghold Wednesday in a major operation to stop the insurgents from infiltrating the Afghan capital from the south.

IRAN: France, Germany and Britain are proposing a tough list of additional sanctions to be imposed against Iran over its disputed nuclear program.  Which Iran will take seriously when they start strictly enforcing the sanctions already in place.

IRAQ: American commanders in the pacified south are saying that it's time to start pulling US troops out.  Michael E. O'Hanlon and Kenneth M. Pollack of the Brookings Institution acknowledge the progress in Iraq, but note the lingering challenges there.

THE SCIENCE OF CUTE: What Makes Cute Things Cute?

A 771-LB STINGRAY became the biggest freshwater fish ever caught using a rod and line: "That line from the film Jaws came to mind about needing a bigger boat because we had to get it to the shore to tag it."

A FAMILY OF FOXES sets up its own "penthouse" home in a treetop.

A COYOTE gets booted from the train into Portland from the airport.

RAT & MICE CARCASSES = fashionable headgear.

TINTED WINDOWS: Stereogum has your first audio/video of the combo comprising Fountain of Wayne Adam Schlesinger, ex-Pumpkin James Iha, Cheap Trickster Bun E. Carlos, and the Hanson brother... Oh, my!

NEKO CASE is advance streaming her upcoming LP via NPR.

THE MORNING BENDERS did three free songs for Daytrotter, two previously unreleased.

CANDI STATON: The R&B legend talks to The Quietus about her new album, her lifetime in music, nearly eloping with Lou Rawls and more...

LEONARD COHEN is recession-proof.  Hallelujah, indeed.

FAITH NO MORE is reuniting, but there are no US dates.  Kinda like Spinal Tap going to Japan, innit? Do we care a lot?

GARY LOURIS & MARK OLSON get an audio feature on the ex-Jayhawks reunion from The Current.

THE CURE: Robert Smith disagrees "violently" with Radiohead's recent pay-what-you-want scheme.

BEASTIE BOYS bassist Adam MCA Yauch has revealed their forthcoming new album has taken the rap collective in a "bizarre" new direction.

NEUROSCIENCE & NOLSTALGIA: Music is a strong trigger of nostalgia, and evidence of this is not only in scientific journals, but almost certainly in your MP3 collection.  Thus, I must link to the "record fight" from Diner.

MEGAN FOX has split from fiancee Brian Austin Green. I had nothing to do with it.

BRITNEY SPEARS: Papper/ex-bf Adnan Ghalib has been charged with three felonies for allegedly smashing his car into a process server earlier this month... and there's a warrant out for his arrest.

LINDSAY LOHAN & SAMANTHA RONSON: Another day, another fight.

JENNIFER ANISTON & JOHN MAYER were reportedly a little testy at an Oscars afterparty, too.

EVAN RACHEL WOOD & MARILYN MANSON, together again?

JOAQUIN PHOENIX liked being mocked at the Oscars because his rap career is a hoax, according to FNC.

WATCHMEN: SciFiWire has two new extended clips featuring Rorschach, from near the beginning of the film.  New York magazine notes that director Zack Snyder has changed the ending a bit (spoiler, natch) and the size of Dr. Manhattan's unit.

THE GREEN HORNET: Michel Gondry is in negotiations to direct Columbia's big-screen treatment of the classic crime-fighting hero, starring Seth Rogen and Stephen Chow.  That's pretty wacky.

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT: Superbad and Juno star (and before that, hello, George-Michael Bluth!)  Michael Cera has finally agreed to do the feature film project, acording to E!'s Kristin Dos Santos.

PAKISTAN: A new Waziristan Taliban alliance has been formed on the orders of Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar.

IRAQ: Security forces detained 100 suspected insurgents in a major operation in Ninewa province. American troops are beginning to pull back from bases and outposts that were linchpins in the US surge.

THE CAT is not your secretary. You would think any cat owner would know this.

A GIANT WHITE RABBIT led coppers on a low-speed chase around Canterbury.  I couldn't decide whether to go with a reference to Alice, Harvey, or Chaucer.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: A frog with seven legs.

POSSUM runs rampant through the Wests Leagues Club down under. Guess he wasn't playing.

CONFUSE-A-GATOR: A bit like Confuse-A-Cat, though attaching magnets to their heads seems a bit dangerous.

JANES ADDICTION sneaked in a pre-reunion gig at L.A.'s Echoplex last week, so you get more than Twofer Tuesday.  Selections include "Wh0res", "Ain't No Right," "Had A Dad," "Mountain Song," "Ocean Size" and "Stop."

NEW RELEASES: Black Lips, J.J. Cale, The Wrestler sdtk and more are streaming this week at Spinner. Clem Snide releases a Hungry Bird, while Laura Gibson releases Beasts of Seasons.

NELLIE McKAY did the nine free songs thing for Daytrotter, five previously unreleased.

THE ACORN did the standard four free songs thing for Daytrotter.

ALELA DIANE stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set streaming on demand via MPR.

THE BONGOS: "Numbers With Wings" was nominated for Best Direction at the first MTV Video Awards.

GRIZZLY BEAR FRONTMAN Ed Drozte talks to Pitchfork about the upcoming album, the BAM show, the Radiohead tour, the Web Sheriff and more...

THE DECEMBERISTS plot out a two-set tour.

JENNY LEWIS talks to Blurt about her busy dance card, her family history and more...

PAVEMENT & SILVER JEWS alumni mashed up for a wedding reception in Nashville, unleashing "badass renditions of wedding staples like 'Proud Mary,' 'Bennie and the Jets' and a rendition of 'What a Fool Believes' that we couldn't help think was directed at all of us gawkers who were clogging up the place."

CHARLES BARKLEY is officially going to jail after pleading guilty to 2 counts of DUI.

NICKY HILTON was allegedly attacked by a hobo at the IHOP in West Hollywood.

MADONNA looked younger than ever at the 2009 Vanity Fair Oscar party Sunday, according to US magazine, which then helpfully reminds us that Madge is not opposed to plastic surgery, just to discussing it.  Meanwhile, People gushes over Madge sending David Banda's old clothes and copies of her children's book to Banda's old orphanage.  Tax write-off, I'm saying.

BRITNEY SPEARS reportedly was sneaking calls to Sam Lutfi and Adnan Ghalib on a prepaid phone.

ADRIANNA LIMA eloped with NBA star Marko Jaric on Valentine's Day.

WILLIAM SHATNER wants to be Prime Minister of Canada.

SHERLOCK HOLMES will be wrestling and sleeping with Dr. Watson in Guy Ritchie's upcoming flick.

COMING ATTRACTIONS: /Film has the three-minute montage of upcoming Hollywood bigs that ran at the end of the Oscars.

THE OSCARS did not hit record low TV ratings this year, just the third-lowest. Get out the champagne!

SEAN PENN: I wasn't going to comment on his Oscar speech, but it is odd that the man felt obligated to lecture his fellow citizens on gay rights, given that the dictatorships he defends are so much worse.

IRAN offered to stop attacking coalition troops in Iraq nearly four years ago in an attempt to get the West to accept Tehran's nuclear program, a British diplomat told the BBC in an interview aired Saturday.  So I guess we've stopped pretending that Iran wasn't aiding terrorists in Iraq, which is something. Iranian authorities have blocked two Web sites promoting the presidential bid of Mohammed Khatami, reformists said Saturday, in a first sign that powerful hard-liners might seek to thwart his challenge to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the June 12 election.

AFGHANISTAN: The Kyrgyz parliament voted Thursday to force the US military to abandon its air base here - part of what many say is a Kremlin-backed initiative - posing a severe setback to American efforts in Afghanistan.

IRAQ: US and Iraqi forces have launched a new military campaign they hope will put an end to a stubborn insurgency in restive Nineveh province, seen as a final holdout for Sunni Islamist militants.

KID RIDES GIANT PYTHON: Let's go to the video. Jim Morrison also rode the snake, and we all know hot that turned out.

CHANEL, a wire haired Daschund, is the world's oldest living dog aged 102 (in canine years). Slideshow at the link.

SNAKES in a SUITCASE: A cool security photo nailed a smuggler trying to sneak 44 snakes and lizards - including an endangered albino python - on a flight out of Australia.

CHIMP ATTACK UPDATE: The chimp's mother was gunned down in 2001 by a teenager after she and two other primates escaped their Missouri ranch and wreaked havoc, sources and experts told NYDN.

SHARKS hit by economic downturn. You're gonna need a smaller boat.

THE WHITE STRIPES closed out Conan O'Brien's stint on Late Night with "We're Going To Be Friends."

U2 is streaming their new album; you may have to click on the cover to bring up all the tracks.

M WARD & JOHN WESLEY HARDING played the World Cafe on Friday, so you can stream the gig online via NPR.

BEN KWELLER also stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set streaming via MPR.

TOMMY KEENE guest edited MAGNET last week, making a streaming late-night mixtape and writing about Sparks, "Dark Shadows," the Baldwin Fun Machine, British boogie-glam outfit Silverhead, seeing Led Zeppelin in 1969, Rock ‘n' Roll dressing rooms, the Trutone Music store, and Sally Crewe.

ANTONY & THE JOHNSONS stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set streaming via MPR.  And by the Ed Sullivan Theater to play "Aeon."

ANDREW BIRD talks to the Seattle Times about "going for an old, soaring, big, almost classic-country vocal sound" on the Noble Beast album.

43 SONGS ABOUT MONEY, compiled by Pimp Your Finances.

A.C. NEWMAN talked to ChartAttack about his solo LP and the New Pr0nographers, Brian Wilson and more...

ELO bassist Kelly Groucutt has passed away at 62 from a heart attack.

THE OSCARS went to these folks, in one of the flattest, predictable shows in a long time -- aside from the superfluous, flamboyant musical numbers (host Hugh Jackman dancing with Anne Hathaway for Nixon/Frost, with Hathaway as Nixon, may rank up there with that Rob Lowe & Snow White trainwreck). My personal highlight would be the guy who made the Best Animated Short saying "Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto," though the guy who balanced the Oscar on his chin after winning Best Documentary for "Man on Wire" was a close second.  Not as bad as the last Emmy Awards show, but sheesh. Here's the obligatory gallery of red carpet photos. UPDATE: Defamer has a collection of clips from the show.

THE SPIRIT AWARDS went to these folks. A big night for The Wrestler, Milk, and Synedoche NY, as the originally indie Slumdog was excluded.  And Mickey Rourke's rambling, profanity-laden acceptance speech was the highlight, natch. Way better than any of the Oscar speeches.

THE RAZZIES went to these folks. A night that will live in infamy for Mike Myers (Worst Actor) in The Love Guru (Worst Picture).  The French Hotel managed to snag both Worst Actress (The Hottie and the Nottie) and Worst Supporting Actress (Repo: The Genetic Opera).  And we cannot say enough about Uwe Boll who was named Worst Director for three movies.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Tyler Perry's Madea Goes To Jail tops all with 41.1 million, even eclipsing the last Madea's 30 mill opening.  Taken dropped 40 percent, but still took in another 11.4 million, which must be music to FOX's ears.  Coraline dropped a mere 25 percent to take in 11 million, pretty amazing for a post-holiday weekend.  Coraline is now Focus Features' third biggest film, passing Lost in Translation and Atonement, trailing only Burn After Reading and Brokeback Mountain.  He's Just Not That Into You slid 56 percent post-Velentine's Day, taking in 8.5 million.  Slumdog Millionaire actually increased 10 percent in advance of the Oscars, rounding out the Top Five with 8 million.  Below the fold, Friday the 13th plummeted 80 percent, Confessions of a Shopaholic skidded 53 percent, and Fired Up opened down in the ninth slot.

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRESS: The heartbroken ex-fiancé of Slumdog Millionaire beauty Freida Pinto tells the uber-reliable News of the World how the film's success and her "infatuation" with co-star Dev Patel finished their relationship.

WATCHMEN are the current cover story at Entertainment Weekly. Or the six-cover story.

NICOLE RICHIE is pregnant again.

JACKO is on the brink of a £150million comeback - with 30 London gigs, according to the ever-reliable Sun.

AL QAEDA founder Sayyid Imam al-Sharif, who goes by the nom de guerre Dr Fadl, has begun an ideological revolt against Osama bin Laden, blaming him for "every drop" of blood spilt in Afghanistan and Iraq.

ISLAMISM in the UK: British Muslims are providing the Taliban with electronic devices to make roadside bombs for use in attacks against British forces serving in southern Afghanistan, according to London's Telegraph.

BABY MEERKATS Zanzibar and Nairobi are already a huge hit with visitors to Taronga Zoo, in Sydney.  Lets go to the video.

OTTER-CAM: Probably the opposite of what you would think.

DOG trapped on a cliff holds out for a female rescuer. Good Boy!

BABY MONKEY born at the Calgary Zoo. Awww...some pic at the link.

PET HOARDING? The Humane Society of Missouri said it rescued more than 150 dogs and a Bengal tiger from a substandard dog breeder near Seneca.