WILD NOTHING dropped a video for "Only Heather."

ADAM GREEN & BINKI SHAPIRO team up for an expertly crafted set of '60s-inspired folk-pop, live in the KEXP studio.

A.C. NEWMAN stopped by World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

CODY CHESNUTT strolls through an electrifying set in front of a live audience for KEXP.

KEVIN AYERS, frontman for legendary British psych-prog rock group Soft Machine, has passed away. He was 68.  In 2007, his final solo album featured appearances from members of Neutral Milk Hotel, Teenage Fanclub, Ladybug Transistor and others. Video at the link.

FOALS drummer Jack Bevan talks to The Line Of Best Fit about Holy Fire, the future of guitar music and bands, etc.

ROBERT PLANT has hinted that he's open to a Led Zeppelin reunion next year.

JAMIE LIDELL discusses the soundtrack of his life at Pitchfork.

THE MODERN LOVERS: A group of Massachusetts residents is campaigning to make "Roadrunner" by Jonathan Richman the state's official rock song. Do you know the offical rock song of Ohio? It's not by Neil Young or The Pretenders.

CLIVE DAVIS stands by his memoir, denies bullying Kelly Clarkson.

LINDSAY LOHAN returned a gorgeous, beaded, floor-sweeping designer gown at half its original length.

OSCAR PISTORIUS: The Olympian accused of murdering his model girlfriend had testosterone and needles in the house, according to police.

JESSICA SIMPSON wants to name her second baby "Ace." Yes, Really.

SCARLETT JOHANSSON engaged? Not so fast...

KRISTEN STEWART has been voted the least sexy actress in Hollywood by British men.

KRISTEN WIIG & SETH ROGEN filmed a little somethin' for the upcoming season of Arrested Development.

MARK HAMILL muses about the new Star Wars movies.

NORTH KOREA posted another propaganda video on YouTube. It shows President Obama and US troops in flames, and ends with a simulation of a nuclear test.

BAHRAIN: The head of public security said Iran's Revolutionary Guards were responsible for setting up a terrorist cell in Bahrain.

LEBANON: A former Lebanese minister and two Syrian Intelligence officers were indicted for plotting a wave of bomb attacks in Lebanon. The plots were allegedly instigated by the Syrian government.

SYRIA: Fighting between government and rebel forces ground on around Damascus and Aleppo airport. Arms shipments to the rebels slowed. Assad declared: "We are sure we will win."

EGYPT: Jama'a al-Islamiya and 13 other Islamist parties announced the formation of "armed squads" that they say will help the police "fight vandals, thugs and groups like the Black Bloc."

RAMBO THE CAT does the Harlem Shake.

HOTTENTOT GOLDEN MOLES think size matters.

ONE HATCHBACK, Four Men, Eleven Sheep.

A FROZEN PUPPY was saved from squishing by a garbageman in Muncie, IN.

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.

BEN GIBBARD, COLIN MELOY & PETER BUCK cover R.E.M.'s "You Are the Everything."

MOUNT MORIAH is advance streaming Miracle Temple.

HOW TO DESTROY ANGELS is advance streaming Welcome oblivion.

RA RA RIOT stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

PRINCE: "That Girl Thang" surfaces online.

MARNIE STERN reminds us that "Nothing Is Easy."

CASS McCOMBS drops a new track, "If You Loved Me Before."

THE FOUR TOPS: Levi Stubbs works up a sweat on live French TV, belting out "I'll Be There."

YO LA TENGO bassist James McNew talks to Spinner about staying curious and working with a new producer.

THE COURTEENERS: Proof that four guys can still shake the world.

BUKE & GASE: Arone Dyer plays some tunes with Stereogum and chats about life as a musician, why Buke & Gase don't like talking about their songs, and why Metallica should take up the buke.

THE WAH-WAH PEDAL: A brief history.  (Thx, LHB.)

CLIVE DAVIS comes out in his new memoir, and dishes about working with artists like Bruce Springsteen, Whitney Houston, and Kelly Clarkson.  And Clarkson is already returning fire.

BRITNEY SPEARS has a new mystery man.

OSCAR PISTORIUS: Charges against the Olympian have been upgraded to premeditated murder.

PRINCE MICHAEL JACKSON is now an ET correspondent, undoubtedly due to his mad journalism skillz.

MILA KUNIS confirmed that she is interested in playing the role of Anastasia Steele in the Fifty Shades of Grey movie after all, despite initially saying no.

DR. DREW speaks out about the suicide of Mindy McReady, the fifth Celebrity Rehabber to die in the past two years.

NORTH KOREA threatened South Korea with "final destruction."

SYRIA: United Nations investigators said that Syrian leaders they had identified as suspected war criminals should face the International Criminal Court. Government reinforcements arrived in Aleppo following rebel advances.

ISRAEL plans to open a field hospital near the Syrian border to treat those wounded in the Syrian conflict.

IRAQ: Insurgents killed an Iraqi Army officer and three family members in Mosul and an Awakening leader in Madin. Security forces five al Qaeda fighters in Anbar and seven more in Ninewa.

A DESERT RAIN FROG looks and sounds like a squeaky toy.

LAB RATS are given a "sixth sense" by US researchers, someday may see dead rats.

PYTHON CHALLENGE UPDATE:  A mistake made by a professor led to the wrong person being named winner in the longest-snake-captured category of the heavily publicized Florida's Python Challenge.

OVER 100000 DOLPHINS spotted off the coast of San Diego caused a spectacle for nature watchers as they traveled together in an enormous pack.

PRIMAL SCREAM returns in "2013," with an assist from MBV's Kevin Shields.

NEW RELEASES from Nick Cave, Atlas Genius, Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside, Samantha Crain, Sam Shelton and more are streaming this week via Spinner.

JOHNNY MARR is advance streaming The Messenger.

ATOMS FOR PEACE is advance streaming AMOK. If you have problems with the band's site, you can use NPR.

BILAL is advance streaming A Love Surreal, which is funky and a bit trippy in that Sly Stone/ Prince/ Van Hunt sort of vibe.

PHOENIX dropped "Entertainment" on the BBC ahead of Bankrupt!

I WANT CANDY from The Strangeloves and a super-charged Bow Wow Wow for Twofer Tuesday.

NICK CAVE discusses his new album -- and driver rehab -- with the ever-reliable Sun.

CHRIS STAMEY talks to Magnet about his new solo LP and his various collaborations.

INDIES: Maybe less indie than you thought.

ALEC BALDWIN allegedly called a black New York Post photographer a racial epithet, a "crackhead" and a "drug dealer" during a confrontation on an East Village street yesterday morning, prompting police to intervene.

FERGIE & JOSH DUHAMEL are expecting a baby, the singer confirmed on Twitter Monday.

RHIANNA was reportedly attacked by someone who is not a Chris Brown fan.

KIM KARASHIAN has ben axed from The X Factor.

TAYLOR SWIFT is being sued in the wake of a cancelled Canadian hoedown.

FOREST WHITAKER gets an apology from the deli that accused him of shoplifting.

W. WATTS BIGGERS, who with his partner Chet Stover created the 1960s cartoon “Underdog” and wrote its infectious theme song, died on Feb. 10 at his home in Manomet, Mass. He was 85.

NORTH KOREA: The EU tightened economic sanctions imposed in response to North Korea's third nuclear test.

TURKEY: Foreign Minister Davutoğlu said there is no connection between jihad and terrorism and that those who make the connection are "neo-cons and pro-Israelis in America."

SYRIA: The EU amended the sanctions on Syria to allow more non-lethal aid, but rejected easing the arms embargo. Rebels captured a government checkpoint near the strategically important Aleppo airport.

EGYPT: The government is preparing to ban the sale of alcohol "in new residential settlements on the outskirts of Cairo, Alexandria and other big cities." An aide to President Morsi said the Egyptian pound will not collapse. Egyptian authorities announced the discovery of 225 tunnels under its border with Gaza as an Israeli delegation arrived in Cairo for more security discussions.

AFGHANISTAN: Critics expressed worries Monday that a presidential order barring Afghan security forces from requesting international airstrikes during operations in residential areas could hobble government troops even as they prepare to take over full responsibility for security in the country from international forces.

EIGHT SIGNS your cat is actually a dog.

A POLICE DOG gave a statement in a court case. Read to the archetypal British ending.

SWEATY COWS forced an emergency mayday landing at Heathrow airport.

A GIANT EGG mysteriously appears in Shonomish, WA.  Dispatch Agent Cooper.

SHADOW MORTON, the songwriter and producer behind such 1960s pop classics as "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" and "Leader of the Pack" -- both recorded by the Shangri-Las -- died Thursday in Laguna Beach from cancer. He was 71.  He also produced records by Janis Ian, Vanilla Fudge, Iron Butterfly (including "In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida"), and the New York Dolls.  As a rarity, here's his demo for the Shangri-Las' "Dressed In Black."

CHELSEA LIGHT MOVING: Thurston Moore's new band advance streams its self-titled debut.

SHOUT OUT LOUDS are advance streaming Optica.

PETULA CLARK is streaming Lost In You, a mere 57 years after her debut. Includes covers of Elvis Presley, John Lennon and Gnarls Barkley. And a new version of "Downtown."

YO LA TENGO did a Valentine's Day session at WNYC Soundcheck.

JIM JAMES drops "A New Life," the lead single from his new LP. Everything goes better with backup dancers.

LOCAL NATIVES get a meaty Pitchfork profile.

CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN bassist Victor Krummenacher talks to PopMatters about La Costa Perdida.

KEN STRINGFELLOW talks to NOW about lessons learned from REM,Alex Chilton and Neil Young. (Thx, Chromewaves.)

COVER VIDEOS on the Tube could start generating some more revenue for the music industry.

TONY SHERIDAN, the singer and guitarist who collaborated with the Beatles during the band's early days in Hamburg, died on Saturday at the age of 72.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: A Good Day To Die Hard tops a close chart race with 25 million, and a 33 million total over the whole St. Valentine's frame. That's below tracking estimates of 45-50 million over the Thurs-Sun period.  John McClane will need overseas grosses to save him this time.  Identity Thief placed with 23.4 million, on a leggy 32 percent drop; it didn't get good reviews but has already made twice its 35 million production budget. Safe Haven, the seemingly obligatory Nicolas Sparks adaptation, earned 30 million over the Valentine's frame, 21.4 million of that over the weekend, which is pretty solid.  Escape From Planet Earth takes the fourth slot with 16 million, which is bad for animation, but good for a Weinstein animated flick; the profit here will be in the home market.  Warm Bodies rounds out the Top 5 with 9 million this weekend and a 50 million total against a 30 million budget.  Below the fold, the much-hyped Beautiful Creatures debuts in the sixth slot with 10 million from Thurs-Sun against a 60 million budget; not Twilight here.

HUGH GRANT is a dad for the second time.

MINDY McCREADY reportedly killed herself.

KIM KARDASHIAN has a due date for her baby and now a trial date for her divorce from NBA player Kris Humphries.

FORREST WHITTAKER is furious with a NYC deli that he claims wrongly accused him of shoplifting.

RHIANNA & CHRIS BROWN: Already off again?

THANDIE NEWTON claims she was sexually abused by a casting director as a teen.

LINDSAY LOHAN: Mooching off Ashton Kutcher?

JENNIFER LAWRENCE will rejoin Silver Linings Playbook's Bradley Cooper ad direcor David O. Russell in a movie about Abscam.

HARRISON FORD will return in Star Wars, Episode VII: Han Solo and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

GEORGE WASHINGTON: Though now lumped in with everyone for Presidents' Day, tomorrow is the birthday of the "Father of his Country."  In 1776, David McCullough notes that when Washington took command in July 1775, he thought he would be home at Mount Vernon by Christmas. McCullough catalogs Washington's blunders -- many of them nearly fatal to the Cause -- but concludes: "He was not a brilliant strategist or tactician, nor a gifted orator, not an intellectual... He had made serious mistakes in judgment. But experience had been his great teacher from boyhood... and above all, Washington never forgot what was at stake, and he never gave up." That, as much as anything, is why Washington is usually ranked among the greatest of US presidents. not to mention the subject of a profane, animated rap cartoon.

NORTH KOREA uses cash couriers and fake names to outwit international sanctions.

YEMEN: The UN warned Yemen's former president and vice president that they would face sanctions if they interfered in the political process.

EGYPTIAN  authorities seized a weapons cache in El Arish. In another incident, one ton of explosives were found in a car headed from Cairo towards the Sinai.

IRAQ: Terrorists killed at least 37 Iraqis and wounded more than 130 people in a series of bombings in Shiite-dominated neighborhoods in Baghdad. A suicide bomber killed the head of Iraq's intelligence academy and two of his bodyguards in an attack outside of his home in Tal Afar.

KNOCK, KNOCK: Who's there? The cat of hard knocks.

MEET ZELDA, the border collie who can balance even hot dinners on her head.

BUNNIES are causing hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars in damage to cars at Denver International Airport.

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF ROACHES infest a bar in Austin.

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with THE BEATLES!  Here's the Fab Four's first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, just past the anniversary, remastered by, er, George Martin. Your set list includes "All My Loving," "'Til There Was You," "She Loves You," "I Saw Her Standing There," and "I Want To Hold Your Hand."  Anyone who has seen That Thing You Do knows Tom Hanks total copped the introductions from this bit of history.

THE XX played a Tiny Desk Concert at the offices of NPR.

YO LA TENGO stopped by World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

YOUNGBLOOD HAWKE plays acoustic at WNYC Soundcheck. 

TORO Y MOI stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

KRIS KRISTOFFERSON has an interview plus tracks with Weekend Edition. 

FRIGHTENED RABBIT played "The Woodpile" and "Late March, Death March" live at The Lamb for DIY.

JOHNNY MARR tells NME the story behind the Smiths’ classic, “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now,” playing the song for the first time in 25 years, with the guitar on which it was written (a gift from Seymour Stein).

TEGAN & SARA talk producers and songwriting with PopMatters.

THE 10 GOLDEN RULES of being in a DIY indie band.

THE REPLACEMENTS' Songs For Slim auction went almost shockingly well, raising over 106K for guitarist Slim Dunlap and his family.

THE WHO, ranked by Stereogum.

CUTOUT BIN: We're 80s/90s heavy-- with Big Audio Dynamite, Television, The Jam, REM, The Buggles, and Devo, plus some newer tracks that blend right in -- his Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.

KATE UPTON brushes off body criticism, because let's face it - those people are craaazy. 

NOW SHOWING ran yesterday, icymi.

BRADGELINA are putting their name to the wine previously known as Pink Floyd.

OSCAR PISTORIUS, the Olympian without legs who who became famous in the 2012, has been arrested for the murder of his girlfriend.

ASHTON KUTCHER & MILA KUNIS: Trouble in paradise? Only if you believe what Kutcher's last fling is speculating about in the ever-reliable Star.

BRITNEY SPEARS: The pop tart's rep is calling BS on Eve's insinuation that Britney didn't sing on her new release, "Scream & Shout."

AMANDA BYNES: The odd behavior continues.

SYRIA: Rebels shot down two military jets over Idlib province.

MALI: A document found in bombed Islamist headquarters in Timbuktu shows a plan by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb to muscle in on efforts of other Islamist groups in Mali.

TUNISIA: Prime Minister Jebali said he will resign if a new cabinet he proposes on Feb. 16 is rejected. Factions from the Islamist Ennahda party vowed to protest changes in the cabinet.

IRAN: A general in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards was assassinated while traveling in Syria. Iran attempted to acquire 100K specialized magnets used in uranium enrichment machines, indicating it planned to accelerate its nuclear program. Iran denied having supplied arms to Islamist militants in Somalia.

EGYPT: A four-person Israeli security delegation arrived in Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials.

KANGAROOS invade a golf tournament.

A PIT BULL TERRIER  is being hailed a hero after she saved a family from their burning home.

FISH may become greedy, risk-taking loners,due to traces of anti-depressants in the water supply.

A NEW OWL SPECIES believed to exist nowhere else in the world has been identified by accident on an Indonesian island when researchers in search of another bird noticed its distinct song.