THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

... with DISCO DEMOLITION NIGHT! This Sunday marks the 30th anniversary of the anniversary of Disco Demolition Night, a promo event occurring during a scheduled twi-nite doubleheader between the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers that would prove to be the most ill-conceived promotional idea since the infamous "Ten Cent Beer Night" in Cleveland in 1974. Though some incorrectly think it had to do with racism, homophobia, etc., the event had much more to do with the fact that Chicago radio station WDAI forced out morning host Steve Dahl o­n Chirstmas Eve 1978, to switch to a disco format. A man who is cashiered wearing a Santa suit tends to carry a grudge. Dahl re-surfaced at WLUP with "Do You Think I'm Disco?" -- a parody of Rod Stewart's "Do You Think I'm Sexy?" with lyrics that targeted yuppie narcissism and materialism. He also did a bit where he pretended to blow-up disco records, which Mike Veeck, the son of Sox owner (and legendary showman) Bill Veeck, thought could be turned into a promotion whereby admission was 98 cents (because WLUP was FM 98) for anyone who brought a disco record to be blown up between the two games. It was far more successful and less controllable than either Dahl or Veeck imagined, with young people storming the park to enter, creating a fog of marijuana smoke in the stands, sailing records like frisbees, throwing firecrackers and ultimately storming the diamond after the scheduled demolition had concluded and Dahl was en route to the announcer's booth for the second game.  This compilation of local news coverage from the night is pretty darned good, with cameos from Bill Kurtis and Greg Gumbel.  The Chicago Tribune has a photo gallery, and interviews Dahl, with embedded video.

IDA MARIA did five free songs for Daytrotter, two previously unreleased.

SUMMER MIX: Tom Moon streams a few new songs for the road.

LIZ PHAIR: Exile in Guyville, Live at the Fillmore, June 23, 2008.

SPOON frontman Britt Daniel talks to Decider about about the new album's progression-including how AC/DC and Dabney Coleman factored into it-and what to expect from this weekend's hometown stand. The Austin American-Statesman surveys the band's rise.

MARK OLSON talks to Decider about about the past and future of the Jayhawks.

FREE: "All Right Now." Wouldn't be Summer without it.

THIRTEEN SURPRISINGLY ENJOYABLE SONGS about the end of the world. With an embedded jukebox.

GLASVEGAS: Rab Allan was interviewed by Contactmusic at the Glastonbury fest about their follow-up LP, opening for U2, and more...

RHETT MILLER talks to KTVU and the Colorado Springs Independent.

CUTOUT BIN: From AC/DC to Gram Parsons, from Spinal Tap to Stevie Wonder, from Thin Lizzy to Tommy Keene, plus The Hollies, Wilco, Black Joe Lewis, Wilco, Talking Heads 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 Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno, which is currently scoring 75 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; and the teen comedy I Love You, Beth Cooper, currently scoring 10 percent.

ALAN RUCK (who plays a Dad in "I Love You, Beth Cooper") was already 29 when he played Cameron Frye in 1986's "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"? Whoa.

MICHAEL JACKSON: Arnold Klein admitted he once donated sperm - but continued dodging questions about being the father of Michael Jackson's two oldest children.

RYAN REYNOLDS & SCARLETT JOHANSSON are planning to adopt... someday.

KRISTEN STEWART not pregnant. Shocka.

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS: Quentin Tarantino talks to Variety about the final cut, possible prequels, the star system, and the future of adult drama.

THE HURT LOCKER expands to 50 screens this weekend. The first eight minutes are streaming via Hulu.

WHIP IT, a roller-derby comedy starring Ellen Page, Drew Barrymore and Kristen Wiig, gets a first look at USA Today.

AUGUSTUS GLOOP got lucky. Vincent Smith Jr was unlucky.

AFGHANISTAN: The US military is sending thousands of mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles to Afghanistan, even while a new version is being built.

IRAN: Opposition supporters defied an enormous security presence on the streets of Tehran to gather, by some estimates, in the thousands. The Lede is back on the case, too.

IRAQ: Bombings killed more than 40 on Thursday in the worst violence since US combat troops withdrew from urban areas last week, while US forces released five Iranian officials suspected of aiding Shiite insurgents.

JESSE the CAT was outcatted by her owner.

A DRUNKEN BADGER blocked a road near Goslar in northwestern Germany.

A SWARM OF TUTRTLES closed a runway at JFK Airport.

A GOAT was rescued from a tree, but not with cooking spray.

A NEW MONKEY has been discovered in a remote area of the Amazon.

AN 8-FT GATOR was lassoed in an apartment in Oakland Park, FL.

HEY, GANG: Just some musical items today. I plan to be back with all of the regular junk for Friday!

SONIC YOUTH played DC's 9:30 Club; you can stream the whole gig on demand via NPR.

THE DEAD WEATHER album is streaming via iLike.

THE HEAVY stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set streaming now via MPR.

STEVE EARLE stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set streaming now via NPR.

SON VOLT: Jay Farrar does a markedly flip Q&A with the Denver Post.

OF MONTREAL: Kevin Barnes talks to The Quietus about... Woody Allen?

WHY MUSIC MOVES US: New research explains music's power over human emotions and its benefits to our mental and physical well-being.

CASEY KASEM has finished his American Top 20 song countdown. He never topped this NSFW long-distance dedication.

THIS JUST IN: MICHAEL JACKSON IS STILL DEAD.

DIRTY PROJECTORS: "Stillness Is The Move." Come for the song, stay for the huskies and llamas.

BOWERBIRDS did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter. Remember, their new album is streaming in full this week at Spinner.

LOS CAMPESINOS! did five free songs thing for Daytrotter.

CHAIRLIFT played a World Cafe Live gig streaming on demand via NPR.

GREAT NORTHERN stopped by Oregon Public Broadcasting for a chat and mini-set on audio and video.

THE TWILIGHT SAD drops a video for "I Became a Prostitute."

ELENI MANDELL answers the infamous 20 Questions for PopMatters.

RHETT MILLER talks to Paste about the Old 97's upcoming covers EP, David Foster Wallace, and the possibility of reviving his feud with Ryan Adams via Twitter.

BISHOP ALLEN frontman Justin Rice spoke with Under the Radar about the current LP, touring in a recession, and future plans.

WYE OAK talks to You Ain't No Picasso about a variety of firsts.

MICHAEL JACKSON: The Mayor of Los Angeles is asking Jacko fans for money to offset the reported 2.5 million cost (possibly as high as 4 mill) for the late singer's funeral. Plus, here's your Neverland ghost hoax video.

LINDSAY LOHAN is accused of stealing a fake tanning formula in a newly-filed lawsuit in Nevada.

ROBERT PATTINSON & KRISTEN STEWART having a child? Doubt it severely.

BAYWATCH may return as a bigscreen comedy.  Didn't Howard Stern already try this on cable TV?

MEGAN FOX had to wash Michael Bay's Ferrari in a video audition for Transformers. Now why isn't that a DVD extra?

CINEMASH: Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt recreate part of the 1986 film Sid and Nancy to promote their upcoming flick, (500) Days of Summer. As suggested in their movie, Zooey plays Sid.

LEBOWSKI FEST is going on tour. Dude.

AFGHANISTAN: Kyrgyzstan's president has signed into a law an agreement allowing US military forces to continue using a crucial airbase to ship supplies to troops in Afghanistan.

PAKISTAN: The US killed 14 Taliban fighters in the latest airstrike in Pakistan's Taliban-ruled tribal agency of South Waziristan. Of the 27 US strikes carried out in Pakistan this year, 19 of them took place in South Waziristan. Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud is buying and selling children for suicide bombings, Pakistani and US officials said.

IRAN: Reformist leaders called for the release of opposition detainees. The government said it will hold the US responsible if Israel attacks. Mousavi said he will lead the "legal opposition" to Ahmadinejad's government.

CHINA: The Lede has moved from Iran to the clampdown on unrest in the PRC. I almost don't blame them, as the Communists are doing a better job at suppressing communication with the outside world.

OTTO the ENGLISH BULLDOG really doesn't want to wear a raincoat.

SEVEN EFFING COWS prompt a profanity-laden 911 call.

30 HUNGRY CHIMPS decide to raid the fridge at Britain's Chester Zoo.

WOMAN MARRIES DOG in a ceremony attended by a traditional priest and local, curious villagers in Aburi, Ghana.

A CHINESE RABBIT loves South Korean soap operas so much she attacks her owners if they change the channel.

ELVIS PERKINS IN DEARLAND: "Chains, Chains, Chains." Chains cubed.

NEW RELEASES: Son Volt, Tiny Vipers, Factory Records, Marcy Playground and more are streaming this week via Spinner.

PATRICK WOLF did the three free songs thing for Daytrotter.

JULIE DOIRON plays a Tiny Desk Concert in the NPR Music offices, and did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter at SxSW.

MERGE RECORDS founders Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance have an interview+tracks at NPR marking the label's 20th anniversary.

ROLLING STONES classics "Satisfaction" and "Tumbin' Dice" are your Twofer Tuesday.

OF MONTREAL frontman Kevin Barnes talks to The Skinny about the "divisive" Skeletal Lamping album and touring the UK (Thx, LHB).

DIRTY PROJECTORS: Dave Longstreth talks to Pitchfork about the new album and its new band dynamic.

JAY REATARD talks to the Village Voice about failures, Canada, hot dogs, and his worst New York City gig.

ALLEN KLEIN, who managed the business affairs of Sam Cooke, the Rolling Stones and, for a short time, the Beatles, and who was both admired and feared for his reputation as a fierce negotiator, died on Saturday of complications from Alzheimer's disease. He was 77. Critic Bill Wyman calls him the biggest crook pop music has ever seen.

MICHAEL JACKSON: A L.A. Superior Court judge granted control of Jacko's assets to the executors of his will, over the objections of his mother. Oh, and I think his public funeral, but it's hard to tell, what with the media blackout.

BILLY MAYS's pallbearers all wore the blue OxyClean shirts.

TOM GREEN is in serious condition at Golden State Regional Hospital after a minor car accident that turned ugly, and fast.

STEVE McNAIR's wife may have been faked out by the quarterback sneak. The 19-year-old found dead with the former pro QB hoped to marry him.

JOYCE DeWITT, best known as Janet on Three's Company, was arrested for DUI on July 4th in El Segundo.

JENNA FISCHER will wed writer Lee Kirk.

JENNIFER'S BODY now has a red band trailer online.

CADDYSHACK: The "Where Are They Now?" file.

COUNTER-INSURGENCY: "Six Reasons Insurgencies Lose."

THE STANS: A complex assault on a base in Afghanistan's Paktika province was stopped short by US troops, who then hunted down the Haqqani Network fighters behind the attack. In Pakistan, Taliban heavy Hafiz Gul Bahadar issued night letters warning tribesmen he would use suicide bombers against anyone cooperating with the government. In a reversal of public opinion, most Pakistanis now consider terrorist groups a "critical threat" to their country and support their government in its fight against the Taliban in Swat valley.

IRAN: Supreme Leader Khamenei warned the West about the "negative impact" of their election meddling. The top leaders of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard publicly acknowledged they had taken over the nation's security during the post-election unrest and warned late Sunday, in a threat against a reformist wave led by Mir-Hossein Mousavi, that there was no middle ground in the ongoing dispute over the reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

KITTEH KARATE: Let's go to the video.

ELEPHANTS BEAT HUMANS in a hotdog eating contest, scarf down bananas just to rub it in.

PET PSYCHIC put to the test.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: A Bengal tiger with no stripes.

U2 goes green playing "Sunday Bloody Sunday" for the people of Iran.

GARY LOURIS & MARK OLSON did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter at SxSW.

WHITE RABBITS stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set, streaming via MPR.

JASON LYTLE also stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set, streaming via MPR.

VIC CHESTNUTT did a mini-set for Mountain Stage, now streaming via NPR.

BILLY BRAGG plays a new song in a camper at the Glastonbury festival.

WILCO: Jeff Tweedy talks to the Washington Post about the new album's surprises, former Wilco member Jay Bennett's recent untimely death and more.

JOHN VANDERSLICE talks to American Songwriter about non-concept songwriting, the danger of losing your ego, and more.

BAT FOR LASHES: Natasha Khan goes stage prop shopping with the New York Times.

LED ZEPPELIN & ABBA are being offered the bank to fill Jacko's O2 arena gigs.  The promoter wants alternate shows, despite the possibility of the most awesome double-bill of all time.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: For now, it's Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen in a photo finish over the first Saturday July 4th since 1998, with each pulling in an estimated 42.5 million.  Despite the havok of the holiday, the robots have pulled in 293.5 million in 12 days in the US.  Ice Age 3 had a three-day take of 42.5 million, and 67.5 million since Wednesday, slightly better than expected.  Public Enemies debuted in the third slot with 26.1 million (and 41 million since Wednesday).  That's pretty good, given the holiday and the fact that it's a period piece, though it could use a good second weekend against its 100 million budget.  The Proposal dropped to fourth place, but the drop was amere 31 percent; it has pulled in 94.2 million on a 40 million production budget.  The Hangover rounds out the Top Five with another 10.4 million; it should outgross Wedding Crashers (209 million) by next weekend.

STEVE McNAIR, former NFL QB, was found shot to death inside the living room of a downtown Nashville condominium. A check of McNair's body at the scene by medical examiner staff this evening showed that he was shot multiple times. A female friend of McNair's, Sahel Kazemi, age 20, was also found dead in the living room. She appeared to have a single gunshot wound to the head.

MICHAEL JACKSON squirms through sex abuse questions on a video uncovered by the News of the World.

MADONNA will pay tribute to Michael Jackson during her Saturday concert at London's O2 arena, on the very same stage Jackson was to kick off his comeback tour this summer.

DAVID CARRADINE died from asphyxiation and the way the actor's body was bound allowed the medical examiner who oversaw a private autopsy to rule out suicide.

ADOLF HITLER reacts to Michael Jackson's death.

MEGAN FOX "says some very ridiculous things," according to Transformers director Michael Bay. And when Bay thinks that, it's a problem.

LINDSAY LOHAN & SAMANTHA RONSON: Together again?

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE & JESSICA BIEL: On the rocks?

HARRY POTTER's Rupert Grint is recovering from a "mild bout" of swine flu. Grint, who plays Ron Weasley, has admitted having a crush on his co-star Emma Watson.

OUR FRIENDS, THE SAUDIS would turn a blind eye to Israeli jets flying over the kingdom during any future raid on Iran's nuclear sites, according to the Times of London.

NORTH KOREA: Two independent scientists say the regime may be using an old Soviet ballistic missile to boost a rocket capable of reaching the West Coast of the United States.

AFGHANISTAN: The Russian government has agreed to let American troops and weapons bound for Afghanistan fly over Russian territory, officials on both sides said Friday.

IRAN: Former President Mohammad Khatami and an important group of religious leaders have joined those disputing the last election.  Meanwhile, the regime has declared Mir Hossein Mousavi a US agent and invented an Interpol investigation into the shooting death of 26-year-old "Neda." The Lede will continue to update the situation.

DOG WALKS HORSE: Let's go to the video.

HONEYBEE HORDES use two weapons - heat and carbon dioxide - to kill their natural enemies, giant hornets.

HUGE SPERM OF ANCIENT CRUSTACEANS: Sperm of modern ostracods can reach 10 times their body length.

A BABY PANDA goes on display at the Chiang Mai Zoo. Awww...

A BLIND POODLE  who fell into a storm drain has been happily reunited with her Long Island owner. Awww...

DESERT-LOBSTER DISPUTE turns pair into sagebrush heroes.