MATES OF STATE play the Replacements' classic "I Will Dare" for the A.V. Club Undercover. Yes, that's a trumpet.

MAN OR ASTROMAN? did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.

PLANTS & ANIMALS stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

TELEVISION: Captain's Dead has alternate takes from Adventure.

THE ROLLING STONES: Roio has posted Unreleased Vols. 1 and 2 (1963-66).

THE POLICE: "It's Alright For You." Almost forgot this little gem.

BECK talks to Pitchfork about the Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World soundtrack, working with Stephen Malkmus, Record Club, and a new Beck album.

JOANNA NEWSOM is profiled by the Seattle Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.

ARCADE FIRE talks to CBC News about  The Suburbs.

LOLLAPALOOZA PREVIEW, via the Chicago Sun-Times.

CHARLIE SHEEN's jail sentence will last seconds, before going to 30 days' rehab in Malibu. 

LINDSAY LOHAN: Excerpts from her pre-jail interview.

MAD MEL UPDATE: Was it the painkillers talking?

TIGER WOODS is giving up the Orlando-area home he and soon-to-be ex-wife Elin once shared as part of the couple's multi-million divorce settlement, according to RadarOnline.

GISELLE BUNDCHEN would like to force women to breastfeed. Which is why she's a model and not a rocket scientist.

BILL COSBY: Tweets of my death are greatly exaggerated.

MISCHA BARTON is done with Hollywood. You can't fire her... she quits!

HOLLYWOOD'S HIGHEST-PAID ACRESSES, courtesy of Forbes.

THE MTV VMA nominees are announced. Lady Gaga leads with a record 13 nods.

INCEPTION Ripped-Off Scrooge McDuck & The Beagle Boys!

IRAN's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said today that music is "not compatible" with the values of the Islamic republic, and should not be practised or taught in the country.

PAKISTAN: France and Britain are pushing Islamabad to do more about the Taliban (as opposed to helping it through the ISI).

IRAQ: July was the country's deadliest month in two years, amid a drawdown of US forces and political instability. The US is pressing to get deadlocked Iraqi politicians to form a new government before the end of August.

SHARK Swims Ashore. Candy-Gram!

CHIHUAHUA MIX, attacked by a coyote, saved by pitbulls.

DOG eats a man's big toe, saves his life.

DRAKES are adaptable.

MATES OF STATE play the Replacements' classic "I Will Dare" for the A.V. Club Undercover. Yes, that's a trumpet.

MAN OR ASTROMAN? did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.

PLANTS & ANIMALS stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

TELEVISION: Captain's Dead has alternate takes from Adventure.

THE ROLLING STONES: Roio has posted Unreleased Vols. 1 and 2 (1963-66).

THE POLICE: "It's Alright For You." Almost forgot this little gem.

BECK talks to Pitchfork about the Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World soundtrack, working with Stephen Malkmus, Record Club, and a new Beck album.

JOANNA NEWSOM is profiled by the Seattle Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.

ARCADE FIRE talks to CBC News about  The Suburbs.

LOLLAPALOOZA PREVIEW, via the Chicago Sun-Times.

CHARLIE SHEEN's jail sentence will last seconds, before going to 30 days' rehab in Malibu. 

LINDSAY LOHAN: Excerpts from her pre-jail interview.

MAD MEL UPDATE: Was it the painkillers talking?

TIGER WOODS is giving up the Orlando-area home he and soon-to-be ex-wife Elin once shared as part of the couple's multi-million divorce settlement, according to RadarOnline.

GISELLE BUNDCHEN would like to force women to breastfeed. Which is why she's a model and not a rocket scientist.

BILL COSBY: Tweets of my death are greatly exaggerated.

MISCHA BARTON is done with Hollywood. You can't fire her... she quits!

HOLLYWOOD'S HIGHEST-PAID ACRESSES, courtesy of Forbes.

THE MTV VMA nominees are announced. Lady Gaga leads with a record 13 nods.

INCEPTION Ripped-Off Scrooge McDuck & The Beagle Boys!

IRAN's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said today that music is "not compatible" with the values of the Islamic republic, and should not be practised or taught in the country.

PAKISTAN: France and Britain are pushing Islamabad to do more about the Taliban (as opposed to helping it through the ISI).

IRAQ: July was the country's deadliest month in two years, amid a drawdown of US forces and political instability. The US is pressing to get deadlocked Iraqi politicians to form a new government before the end of August.

SHARK Swims Ashore. Candy-Gram!

CHIHUAHUA MIX, attacked by a coyote, saved by pitbulls.

DOG eats a man's big toe, saves his life.

DRAKES are adaptable.

OF MONTREAL preview "Sex Karma" on Fallon with an assist from Solange Knowles. Kinda reminds me of vintage Prince.

NEWPORT FOLK FEST: Sets from Calexico, Dawes, A.A. Bondy, Bitzen Trapper and more are streaming on demand from NPR.

GORILLAZ played Damascus with Bobby Womack, De La Soul, members of the Clash and other guests; you can stream the gig via NPR.

JESCA HOOP played the World Cafe Live on Friday, so you can stream the gig on demand now. 

AUTOLUX is advance streaming Transit Transit.

THE FLAMING LIPS "See the Leaves" at the Ed Sullivan Theater.

ARCADE FIRE: Win Butler talks to the Montreal Gazette about the surprises to be found on The Suburbs.

VAN DYKE PARKS, collaborator with Brian Wilson, The Byrds, Loudon Wainwright III, Silverchair, Ry Cooder, Joanna Newsom, Inara George, Ringo Starr and Bob Dylan, talks to the Hattiesburg American about his Mississippi roots, working with other musicians and his future plans. (Uber-thanks, LHB.)

EDWARD SHARPE and the MAGNETIC ZEROS were profiled by the Boston Globe and All Songs Considered on their way to Newport.

JON SPENCER talks to Eye Weekly about PitchFest, his new reissues and more... 

JANE WIEDLIN talks to Digital Spy about falling off a cliff, her new comic book, and more...

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Inception three-peats at No.1 -- a rare feat for a non-sequel, non 3-D pic -- bringing in another 27.5 million and strong performances during the week, too.  As it heads toward the 200 million mark, Inception is already DiCaprio's second-biggest film.  Dinner for Schmucks strongly places with 23.3 million, after winning Friday night.  Salt shows with 19.3 million, on a 47 percent drop; any profit is likely to come from overseas.  Despicable Me stayed pretty strong in the fourth slot with 15.5 million; as a likely 200 million earner, it and Inception show there's still a market for new ideas.  The Cats & Dogs sequel rounds out the Top Five with an anemic 12.6 million on a 85 million budget.  Below the fold, Charlie St. Cloud opened in sixth place 12.1 million; maybe Zac Efron is regretting bailing on that Footloose remake these days.

MAD MEL UPDATE: Why Oksana Started Recording Gibson's Rants. Grigorieva says Gibson is "trivializing domestic violence" by claiming she tried to extort him -- in a video interview with RadarOnline.  OTOH, she is in secret negotiations to appear in the next season of Dancing With The Stars.

LINDSAY LOHAN may be replaced on the Linda Lovelace biopic.  She is also rumored to be headed for the Morningside Recovery clinic after her jail stint.  Lohan will be treated for addiction to methamphethamine and bipolar disorder during her court ordered 90 days in rehab.

CASEY AFFLECK is hit with a second sexual harassment claim.

HEIDI & SPENCER PRATT, contrary to reports last week, are closer to done, as Heidi filed for divorce.

LAURENCE FISHBURNE's daughter is going to be an adult film actress.

IRAN: How the CIA Got It Wrong on Iran's Nukes.

AFGHANISTAN: Al Qaeda still maintains an extensive network in the country. Time magazine looks at what cutting a deal with the Taliban would do to Afghan women.

IRAQ: Nearly five months after disputed parliamentary elections, leading Iraqi politicians say they have all but abandoned hope of resolving the impasse before fall. The protracted stalemate is a scenario U.S. officials have long dreaded.

KIWI rocking the treadmill, seemingly in physical therapy.

MONKEYS hate flying squirrels, report monkey-annoyance experts.

FROZEN MICE are recalled after an outbreak of salmonella.

A GOAT is not part of the usual hotel room amenities.

A CAT is saved twice by the same firefighter. Aw.

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with THE RAMONES! Live at the US Festival in 1982.  Part 1 includes "Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?", "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment," "Rock 'n' Roll High School" and "I Wanna Be Sedated."  Part 2 has "Beat on the Brat," "The KKK Took My Baby Away" and "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow."  Part 3 concludes with "Chinese Rocks" and "Teenage Lobotomy."

I AM KLOOT, a Mercury Prize nominee, is advance streaming Sky At Night, which is sorta in the ballpark of Elbow and Richard Hawley. There doesn't appear to be a US release date... yet. Check it out, check it outers! (Thx, TV's Andy Levy.)

BAND OF HORSES stopped by The Current for chat and mini-set.

LAURA MARLING did a session at Morning Becomes Eclectic.

TIFT MERRITT stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

WILD CHERRY: "Play That Funky Music." It's what they do.

ARCADE FIRE gets a meaty profile from the NYT's Jon Pareles.

SLEIGH BELLS: Alexis Krauss talks to BlackBook about her days in a girl group, her high school sweetheart, and the truth behind her relationship with M.I.A.

WEEN: Dean talks to AOL about fishing, as though you were expecting something normal.

GARY NUMAN talks to Rolling Stone about his upcoming box set and US tour.

CUTOUT BIN: From the MC5 (NSFW) to Chris Bell, From Elvis Costello to the Exciters, from Wire to The Who, from Stiff Little Fingers to Barry White, plus She & Him, the Replacements, the Sonics, Temper Trap 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 Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, currently scoring 21 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; Charlie St. Cloud, which is scoring 09 percent; and Dinner for Schmucks, scoring 53 percent.

MAD MEL UPDATE: Sources connected to Oksana Grigorieva say that there are "third party witnesses" who will tell L.A. County Sheriff's investigators they saw Mel Gibson punch Oksana on January 6 during the blowout at her home. Plus, more audio.

LINDSAY LOHAN is meeting with multiple reps from rehab facilities.

GEORGE CLOONEY's girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis has been implicated in a cocaine scandal surrounding two nightclubs in Milan, Italy, according to RadarOnline.

JESSICA SIMPSON has had "several meetings" with the brass at "American Idol" in the hopes of taking over Simon Cowell's judging duties.  But maybe the show will pick Courtney Love.  Maybe there should be a spin-off called American Idol Judge.

DREW CAREY drops 70 pounds.

CHRIS KLEIN has decided to extend his stay in rehab.

HEIDI & SPENCER PRATT, despite papers filed, are still seeing each other, according to RadarOnline.

PAUL GIAMATTI will play Nikita Khrushchev in an HBO telepic about the Soviet leader's two-week tour of the US.

JAMES FRANCO, movie star, conceptual artist, fiction writer, grad student, and cipher is profiled by New York magazine.

LEONARD NIMOY spoke with The A.V. Club about his love of photography, his mythological influences, and how he put his current show together.

OUR FRIENDS, THE SAUDIS: An imam whose voice helped him become the first black Saudi to lead prayers at Mecca's Grand Mosque said he was wrong to speak against a fatwa prohibiting singing, in the latest spat between reformist and conservative clerics in the kingdom.

AFGHANISTAN: Haji Ghani is an illiterate, hashish-growing former warlord who directs a semiofficial police force and is known to show his anger through beatings. In Now Ruzi, a Taliban nest west of Kandahar, he is also US forces' main partner.

CARNITAS the MINI-PIG checks out the Sam Adams and some chips.

A BEAR came for the fruit, left with a stuffed bear.

PIGEONS on the pill in Provence. Tuppence a bag.

A ZEDONK, an unusual cross between a donkey and a zebra, is attracting attention at the Chestatee Wildlife Preserve in Dahlonega, GA, after being born there about a week ago.