PATE REUNION UPDATE:  Jon, Mike & Jon (and we hope Ron) will be retaking a stage somewhere near Iowa State University on July 5th, 2013, just one short decade after their last reunion gig.  Clear your calendar for something transcendent, a train wreck, or both!  If you're on the Facebook, check in with the event page.

JASON MOLINA of Songs: Ohia and Magnolia Electric Co., has died from organ failure following a well documented battle with alcoholism. He was 39 years old. Pitchfork offers a "Farewell Transmission" and "Hold On Magnolia" for a terminal Twofer Tuesday.

NEW RELEASES from Black rebel Motorcycle Club, Low, Josh Rouse and more are streaming this week via Spinner.

THE STROKES are advance streaming Comedown Machine.

DEPECHE MODE is advance streaming Delta Machine via iTunes.

PEACE is advance streaming In Love.

VAMPIRE WEEKEND drops "Diane Young" and "Step" ahead of Modern Vampires In The City, just in time for Twofer Tuesday.

BOBBIE SMITH, of the Detroit soul group the Spinners died of complications of pneumonia and influenza, following a diagnosis of lung cancer. He was 76. His tenor voice was out in front on a number of the Spinners' biggest Atlantic Records hits in the '70s, including "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" and  "I'll Be Around."

WILCO: Jeff Tweedy talks to The Age about the band's trajectory, and shifting mentally from The Whole Love to the road.  He talks to FasterLouder about green rooms, soul legend Mavis Staples and Chicago deep dish pizza. (Thx, LHB.)

THE JOY FORMIDABLE reveals the inspiration for one of the songs on their new LP at The Line Of Best Fit.

GUIDED BY VOICES: The massive discography, ranked by Stereogum.

THE 24 BEST DAVID BOWIE SONGS, according to Paste.

LINDSAY LOHAN copped an 11th hour plea deal and will spend 90 days in lockdown rehab, dodging the jail bullet.

LIL WAYNE has been moved out of the Intensive Care Unit at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles after doctors determined his condition has stabilized.

MICHELLE SHOCKED cleared out San Francisco club Yoshi's and shut down the venue, after she went on an anti-gay tirade.

JULIANNE HOUGH: Single and ready to mingle.

TIGER WOODS & LINDSEY VONN are stepping out as a couple.

GWYNETH PALTROW says she nearly died from a miscarriage.

MICHAEL JORDAN won dismissal of a paternity suit, though the woman has leave to refile.

NORTH KOREA threatened an attack on Japan, and accused the US of cyberattacks on its Internet servers.

SYRIA: The opposition Syrian National Coalition met in Istanbul to form an interim government. After a yearlong siege, rebels broke through a blockade of the city of Homs. Government jets attacked Syrian rebels inside Lebanon; the US State Department called it a "significant escalation."

PAKISTAN: The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan suspended peace talks with the government.

EGYPT: Authorities detained 10 Palestinians who were trying to transport ammunition from the Gaza Strip into the Sinai.

PUG vs MECHA-SPIDER: Who you got?

THE GASTRIC BROODING FROG may live to give birth through its mouth again, with help from scientists. They've spared no expense.

RUSSIAN BEARS picked the wrong week to stop huffing airplane fuel. And Leon's getting laaaaargerrrr.

A GIANT SEA CUCUMBER uses its anus as a second mouth. Too many punchlines.

PATE REUNION UPDATE:  Jon, Mike & Jon (and we hope Ron) will be retaking a stage somewhere near Iowa State University on July 5th, 2013, just one short decade after their last reunion gig.  Clear your calendar for something transcendent, a train wreck, or both!  If you're on the Facebook, check in with the event page.

THE STROKES get nostalgic "All The Time."

WAVVES is advance streaming Afraid Of Heights.

JULIAN LYNCH is advance streaming Lines.

RA RA RIOT stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

JOSH RITTER performs The Beast in Its Tracks.

SUFJAN STEVENS shares a demo of the unreleased song, "Julia."

SIMON & GARFUNKEL: "I Am a Rock" on French TV.

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS: John Flansburgh talks to Abraham Levitan at the Chicago Reader about the 80s, magazines, Ivy League a capella groups, "Midnight Traiin to Georgia" and much more.

JAMIE LIDELL talks to PopMatters about his influences and his upcoming world tour.

WILD BELLE has an interview plus tracks at All Things Considered.

UNDERRATED DAVID BOWIE TRACKS, according to Flavorwire. 

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Oz the Great and Powerful repeats atop the chart with 42.2 million -- and given the lukewarm reviews, the 47 percent drop is not bad.  Oz now has 145 million domestic and 281.8 total worldwide against a 215 million budget.  In an upset, The Call places with 17.1 million against a 13 million budget.  The Incredible Burt Wonderstone shows with a 10.3 million debut, and will probably just about break even on its 30 million budget (plus marketing costs, etc.). Jack the Giant Slayer takes the fourth slot with 6.2 million and a 53.9 million total against a 195 million budget; not even foreign receipts are helping much. Ouch.  Identity Thief rounds out the Top Five with 4.5 million and a hefty 123.7 million domestic against a 35 million budget.

LIL WAYNE was hospitalized after a sizzurp overdose.

RYAN SEACREST & JULIANNE HOUGH are dunzo after two years, which is a long time to maintain a fascade.

DANNY DeVITO & RHEA PERLMAN, together again.

PRINCE WILLIAM & THE DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE have different preferences regarding the gender of their child.

CHARLIE SHEEN: Not Mr. Popularity at his daughter's school.

PHIL SPECTOR: The new HBO biopic doesn't make it debut until March 24, but it has already been panned both by Mr. Spector's wife and the family of Lana Clarkson, an actress for whose 2003 murder he is currently serving 19 years to life in prison.

THE UNITED STATES military's Africa Command warned that Nigeria-based Boko Haram is increasing its collaboration with al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and said some elements of Boko Haram are looking to attack the US and Europe.

MALI: Dozens of al Qaeda-linked fighters have been killed in the intervention and others have fled to hideouts in the remote region.

LIBYA closed its embassy in Cairo because of recent Copt protests at the embassy against persecution of Christians in Libya.

SYRIA: Rebels extended their control over parts of Ghouta, an agricultural area to the south and east of Damascus.

EGYPT: Two former Mubarak government ministers were acquitted of corruption charges.

A JUMBO TEACUP KITTEN: Let's go to the video.

BAT-CATCHING SPIDERS have been reported from virtually every continent with the exception of Antarctica.

PHUKET: A Russian couple were arrested on Koh Khai Nok and accused of possession of three baby macaques – a protected species.

THE WOOLY MAMMOTH remains the front-runner for de-extinction.

PATE REUNION UPDATE:  Jon, Mike & Jon (and we hope Ron) will be retaking a stage somewhere near Iowa State University on July 5th, 2013, just one short decade after their last reunion gig.  Clear your calendar for something transcendent, a train wreck, or both!  If you're on the Facebook, check in with the event page.

THE ST. PATRICK'S DAY WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with JOE STRUMMER and THE POGUES!  People will be getting their drink and dance on, so enjoy Joe, Shane and the band putting a Celtic spin on "London Calling" and "I Fought The Law" for St. Patrick's Day, 1988. Follow that up with the Dropkick Murphys' videos for "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" (which you may have heard in Martin Scorsese's The Departed) and "The Wild Rover."  Round it out with an Old Grey Whistle Test of my fave Pogues song, "Sally MacLennane," and a Shamrock Shake.

ALT-J: Live at Stubb's for SXSW.

YOUTH LAGOON: Live at Stubb's for SXSW.

WAXAHATCHEE: Live at SXSW.

DAVE GROHL keynotes SXSW.

GANG OF FOUR (albeit with only Andy Gill as a founding member) drops "Broken Talk" ahead of a new EP. 

BEWARE THE IDES OF MARCH: The friendly stranger in the black sedan.

ROBYN HITCHCOCK talks to Consequence of Sound about the new record, his attachment to Norway, his upcoming retrospective concert, and how rock and roll is an old man’s game now.

PATTERSON HOOD talks to the Baltimore Sun about his solo work, gaining his father's respect and other topics. (Thx, LHB.)

DISCOGRAPHIES, tweeter of same, is running a SXSW Diary at The New Yorker.

TODD RUNDGREN: Relive the making of A Wizard, A True Star -- starting in the back of Max's Kansas City in 1973.  Lester Bangs would call it the death rattle.

CUTOUT BIN: From the Pogues to the Tom Tom Club, from Simon & Garfunkel to She & Him, from the Buzzcocks to Cat Power, plus David Bowie, Loverboy, Cracker, Led Zeppelin and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.

NOW SHOWING:This weekend's wide releases include The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, currently scoring 36 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; and The Call, currently scoring 41 percent.

LENA DUNHAM answers 20 Questions for Playboy. Read it for the articles.

JUSTIN BIEBER is apologizing for sniping at Lindsay Lohan and her financial woes.

LINDSAY LOHAN: Prosecutors have ended plea negotiations and are preparing for a trial Monday.

CHARLIE SHEEN issued a call to arms against a school where his daughter was allegedly horribly bullied — and Charlie's method of retaliation involves toilet paper and feces.

MILEY CYRUS & LIAM HEMSWORTH are clinging to a hope of reconciliation.

ANNA KENDRICK & EDGAR WRIGHT are dunzo after four years.

JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT mulls freezing her eggs.

15 CLASSIC TEEN REBELLION MOVIES, compiled by The Playlist.

IRAN accelerated its military support for the Assad regime, alongside Russia. Arab interior ministers at a security meeting in Riyadh accused Iran of supplying "logistic help to terrorist operations" in Bahrain and Yemen.

SYRIA: Britain and France pushed the EU to lift its arms embargo on Syrian rebels. They were prepared to arm the rebels even without unanimous EU support. Russia said arming the rebels would be illegal. A top French counterterrorism judge warned that some 50 to 80 French citizens are believed to have traveled to Syria for jihad, a number much higher than previously acknowledged.

EGYPT: A government inquiry found that police shot most of the nearly 900 people killed in the uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak.

CORGNELIUS just wants to be chased.

LARGE KANGAROO SCROTUMS are in short supply for a souvenir-making taxidermist after the continuing rain drove kangaroos beyond the range of shooters.

A PAIR OF PANDAS were sat in front of a pr0n movie to get them in the mood during mating season.

A CALGARY ZOOKEEPER who accidentally allowed gorillas to escape their enclosure has been fired.

PATE REUNION UPDATE:  Jon, Mike & Jon (and we hope Ron) will be retaking a stage somewhere near Iowa State University on July 5th, 2013, just one short decade after their last reunion gig.  Clear your calendar for something transcendent, a train wreck, or both!  If you're on the Facebook, check in with the event page.

CHRISTOPHER OWENS drops a video for "Here We Go Again."

THE MILK CARTON KIDS stopped by WNYC Soundcheck for a chat and mini-set.

THE LONE BELLOW palyed a Tiny Desk Concert at the offices of NPR.

WILD NOTHING recently stopped by WFUV's Studio A for a chat and mini-set.

ELLIE GOULDING stopped by World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

JOE COCKER is "Feelin' Alright," with a little help from his friend.

BRYAN FERRY talks to Spinner about The Jazz Age and The Great Gatsby soundtrack.

PHOSPHORESCENT: Matthew Houck knocks a couple back and talks to Pitchfork about losing his mind on the road and his ambitious new LP, Muchacho.

SWANS frontman Michael Gira talks to Stereogum about aging, social networking and life after The Seer.

AGNETHA FALTSKOG has a new album coming. After nine years, there's something going on.

OLIVIA WILDE got over 17000 hate-tweets from Justin Bieber fans.

MILEY CYRUS has split with her fiancé, “Hunger Games” star Liam Hemsworth, multiple sources tell Page Six.

MITT ROMNEY & TIGER WOODS join the growing list of hacked celebs and politicos.

THE KARDASHIANS: A deposition has surfaced in the Kim Kardashian/Kris Humphries divorce in which the producer of Kim's reality show confesses Kim re-shot her reaction to his marriage proposal.

MIRANDA KERR is modeling a neck brace after a car collision.

ED ASNER has been hospitalized for exhaustion after cutting short his performance at Marquette Pavilion in Gary on Tuesday. 

VERONICA MARS may be headed to the big screen via Kickstarter. 

THE UNITED STATES granted exemptions to 10 European nations and Japan from Iran sanctions because those 11 nations have recently reduced their imports of Iranian oil.

MALI: The UN is considering the creation of a 10000-strong heavily armed rapid deployment force in Mali as part of a peacekeeping mission after the French-led intervention is over.

SYRIA: Government troops and rebels fought for control of key neighborhoods in northeast Damascus. Fighting erupted between Damascus and the Golan Heights in what could be a new battlefront.

EGYPT: A film about Egypt's Jews was banned by authorities.

A DOG rides a jumping mini-pony.

LOCUSTS continue to swarm near the Egyptian-Israeli border ahead of Passover.

POLAR BEAR CUBS forced into a media cute-off.

CHAMP: Happiest Dog in the World?

WAVVES has a "Demon to Lean On" for you.

COLLEEN GREEN is advance streaming Sock It To Me.

SXSW 2013: All Songs Considered showcases some great new discoveries. SPIN has a 60-track mix.

TEGAN & SARA stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

AARON NEVILLE: The legendary N'awlins R & B and soul singer visits KEXP for an exclusive live performance.

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS perform "I Palindrome I" for Dave. A selection for 3-13-13

RICHARD HELL answers 21 Questions for Vulture.

15 NOTABLE DAVID BOWIE CAMEOS, spotted by The A.V. Club.

THE ROLLING STONES, ranked by Stereogum.

PETER BANKS, the original guitarist for progressive rock legends Yes, has died. He was 65.

TAYLOR SWIFT: Hundreds of letters addressed to the country superstar -- many unopened -- were discovered in a south Nashville recycling dumpster over the weekend.

CELEBRITIES HACKED: The hackers who obtained Michelle Obama's financial records — along with some of the biggest celebs in the world — aren't just seeking recognition ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ they have been “using” the credit information.

KELLY OSBOURNE has returned home and has been given a clean bill of health by her doctor after a 5-day hospital stay following a seizure.

LINDSAY LOHAN: Can attorney David Wohl save her from jail?

EDWARD NORTON is going to be a Dad.

TINA TURNER has become the oldest person to star on the cover of Vogue magazine. She's 73.

ELIN NORDEGREN:  Tiger Woods' ex-wife is quietly dating her older Florida neighbor, billionaire coal magnate Chris Cline.

MELISSA McCARTHY lands a much coveted role opposite Bill Murray in St. Vincent De Van Nuys.

THE UNITED STATES: The director of national intelligence said the al Qaeda-linked Al Nusrah Front is establishing a foothold in Syria.

SYRIA: Heavy fighting continued for a third day in the strategically important city of Homs in central Syria. Fighting renewed around Aleppo airport in northern Syria.

EGYPT: Jama'a al-Islamiya and the Muslim Brotherhood announced that they and other Islamist groups are forming civilian militias with authority to make arrests.  Authorities thwarted an arms smuggling attempt from Libya. Tribal leaders in the Sinai warned that Salafi jihadists are planning a "wave of attacks." Egyptian authorities will consider banning the sale of alcohol in airport duty-free shops.

IRAQ: A resurgence of Sunni identity and demonstrations against the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is weakening Iraqi nationalism and intensifying sectarianism.

A DEER IN THE OCEAN: I think that's what the guy says.

UKRAINIAN ATTACK DOLPHINS are on the loose in the Black Sea. They don't have frickin' lasers attached to their heads, but close enough.

TWO COWS have been euthanized after authorities allege a Valdese man drove his SUV offroad in Morgontown, NC, and struck the farm animals with the vehicle and then attacked the creatures with a box cutter knife.

SAMUEL L. DOGSON: The baddest muthf*cking dog on the block.