MAZZY STAR eases us into the week with "California." Kinda the downside of Zeppelin IV.

ELF POWER advance streams Sunlight on the Moon.

THE TURNER BROS are advance streaming Act 1.(Thx, Jon Hahn.)

ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ROOTS, Live at the Brooklyn Bowl. A full set.

J RODDY WALSTON and the BUSINESS stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set. 

SHOCKING BLUE: She's your "Venus."

MOUNTAIN GOATS: John Darnielle talks to Modern Farmer about... goats. (Thx, LHB.)

BILLY BRAGG: The British invented Americana.

WALKING THE SUNSET STRIP: A Fading Beacon of Cool. 

MISSION OF BURMA: Best wedding band ever? (Dunno. Pate and the Young Fresh Fellows are likely in the team photo.)

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Prisoners tops the chart with 21.4 million, unofficially kicking off Oscars season (Moneyball and The Town are prior years' early entries). Despite the stellar cast and mega-release, that's a solid, but not blockbuster opening.  At a 46 million budget, Prisoners will make solid money, esp. given Jackman's international appeal.  Insidious 2 places with a predictably steep 64 percent dive at 14.5 million, but a 60 million total against a 5 million budget almost ensures a third installment.  The Family shows with 7 million on a steep-for-comedy 50 percent drop, but at 25 million domestic, will likely profit against a 30 million budget. Instructions Not Included moves up to No. 4, a leggy performance which is now N0. 6 alltime on the Spanish language chart for North America.  Battle of The Year debuts at the bottom of the Top 5 with 5 million, which is likely disappointing against a 20 million budget.  Below the fold, The Butler cracks the 100 million mark in seventh-place.  So maybe the Butler unofficially kicked off Oscars season even earlier.

ANDY SAMBERG & JOANNA NEWSOM got married at a luxury retreat in Big Sur.

MILEY CYRUS broke down crying in Vegas while she performed a song rumored to be about her break up with Liam Hemsworth. She's reportedly shocked Hemsworth has already moved on. Eliza Gonzalez is telling friends she and Hemsworth are in love. Gonzaelz has been called a plastic surgery addict.

THE EMMY AWARDS went to these folks. Jeff Daniels was surprised, too.

JON GOSSELIN pulled a gun on a photog in Pennsylvania. This is what happens when you put the spotlight back on, people.

LINDSAY LOHAN's mother faces mortgage foreclosure.

MATTHEW McCONNAUGHEY discusses his crash diet for “Dallas Buyers Club.” 

STAR WARS VII: JJ Abrams wants it to feel more real than the prequels.

SYRIA: A former chemical weapons chief in the regime's army said he had on three occasions defied orders to use chemical weapons, and claimed that the regime has already transferred some of its chemical weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon and to Iran via Iraq.

RUSSIA offered to send a small detachment of observers to Syria to help with the destruction of its chemical weapons arsenal.

GERMANY's spy chief said that about 170 German Islamists have traveled to Syria for jihad, and warned that 50 have gone to Syria in recent months.

EGYPT: The Youth Movement of Tawhid and Jihad in Egypt in a recent statement declared war on the US and said the Egyptian army is simply an arm of the US.

IRAQ: Al Qaeda in Iraq killed more than 70 people in a series of suicide attacks and bombings in Baghdad and Bayji.

EAGLE CAM: Let's go to the in-flight video.

POISON-PROOF RATS are discovered in Sweden.

850 SNAKES were found in a raid on an animal control officer on disability. Authorities also say they found a few tarantulas and a couple of freezers with frozen mice and alligator carcasses.

A YOUNG HORSE, left alone on a farm in New Brunswick while his pals were away for training, found mischief that made him news this week when he climbed onto his owners' roof.

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with ROY ORBISON! The man with the soaring bel canto left us 29 years ago yesterday. How legendary is he? For his 1987 "Black & White Night" at the since-demolished Coconut Grove in L.A., Orbison's stage band included Jackson Browne, T-Bone Burnett, Elvis Costello, k.d. lang, Bonnie Raitt, J.D. Souther, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, and Jennifer Warnes, along with the rhythm section from Elvis Presley's fabled late '60s and early '70s touring band. The set list included "Only The Lonely," "Dream Baby," "Blue Bayou," "The Comedians" (written by Costello for Orbison), "Ooby Dooby" (quiet audio) "Leah," "Running Scared," "Uptown," "In Dreams," "Crying," "Candyman," "Go, Go, Go (Down the Line)," "(All I Can Do Is) Dream You," "Claudette," "It's Over" and -- of course -- "Pretty Woman." 

THE SELECTER stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

THE BAND: Live in DC, July 17, 1976. Just months before The Last Waltz.

UNCLE TUPELO: Live in St. Louis,August 15, 1990.

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED: New tracks from Beck, Best Coast, and Cate Le Bon highlight the latest edition.

MIDLAKE drops "Provider" ahead of Antiphon.

THE PIXIES talk to CNN about EP-1 and life after Kim Deal.

BILL CALLAHAN (Smog) is profiled by SPIN.

THE TOP 10 DECEMBERISTS SONGS, according to Stereogum. No "Infanta"? Really?

DONUTS named after bands. (Thx, LHB.)

CUTOUT BIN: 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: Prisoners, which is currently scoring 82 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; and Battle of the Year, currently scoring 10 percent.

ZAC EFRON did rehab for cocaine addiction not once this year, but twice, after a major relapse.

MILEY CYRUS & LAIM HEMSWORTH: He reportedly secretly moved out of their pad a while ago. Also, Cher has regrets.

ASTON KUTCHER & MILA KUNIS were two familiar faces among the throng of thousands who paid their respects at the funeral of Kabbalah Chief Rabbi Philip Berg.

JAY Z & BEYONCE top the latest Forbes list of the highest-earning celebrity couples.

JOHN GOSSELIN: The former reality star is now a waiter who lives in the woods.

SYRIA: Deputy Prime Minister Jamil said the conflict has reached a stalemate and the government will call for a ceasefire at the Geneva Two conference. US intelligence indicates the Assad regime has been moving chemical weapons since the US-Russian deal was reached for their surrender.

RUSSIA: Putin said he could not be "100 percent" sure the Assad regime would follow through on the deal to surrender its chemical arms but that recent moves by the regime "inspire confidence." Uh-huh.

IRAQ: US Ambassador to Iraq Lukman Faily said al Qaeda is pushing the country to civil war.

A BABY ELEPHANT, A ROOSTER, and a HUMAN try to awaken a sleepy dog.

...AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: A dog that looks like Vladmir Putin.

A POTBELLIED PIG on the lam was captured in Austin, TX.

A RUNAWAY COW delayed trains on the Bristol to Exeter line.

ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ROOTS cover the Specials’ “Ghost Town” and John Lennon’s “I Found Out.”

FRANZ FERDINAND plays acoustic at WFUV. 

CLOUD CONTROL drops by KEXP to perform some psychedelic pop from their 2013 album Dream Cave. 

YOUTH LAGOON stopped by World Cafe for a chat and mini-set. 

LYLE LOVETT plays a mini-set at KUTX. 

BEACHWOOD SPARKS drops "Make It Together" from their "lost" LP, Desert Skies.

HONEYBLOOD drops their debut single, "Bud."

BRENDAN CANNING (BSS) drops "Bullied Days" ahead of You Gots 2 Chill.

EARTH, WIND and FIRE: Because it's "September."

JIMI HENDRIX: Linda Keith lent a young blues player a guitar belonging to her boyfriend, Keith Richards – and the rest is history.

SMASHING PUMPKINS: Billy Corgan tells CNN "God is the third rail of rock music."

SAM PHILLIPS talks to PopMatters about her Pretty Time Bomb. 

10 HAPPY MORRISSEY SONGS, compiled by Paste.

MILEY CYRUS: You know you're in bad shape when you're getting crap from Cher.

LIAM HEMSWORTH: Keep the 250K engagement ring, Miley... I'm busy making out with singer-actress Eiza González.

JAY-Z & BEYONCE had one wacky bodyguard.

JENNIFER ANISTON denies pregnancy rumors. Again.

MARK WAHLBERG graduates high school at 42.

MADONNA did a Reddit Ask Me Almost Anything.

RUSSIAN Foreign Minister Lavrov said Syria has recently given him evidence that the rebels conducted the gas attack in Damascus on Aug. 21; he promised to turn it over to the UN. The president's chief of staff said Russia has never supplied warheads with sarin to any country, and that the type of rocket with Cyrillic lettering cited in the UN report on the gas attack was made in the 1950s and 1960s and supplied to many countries, including Libya.

LIBYA: A Benghazi criminal investigation officer was killed by a car bomb yesterday; two more car bombs detonated in Benghazi the day before. US special forces said to be involved in a training mission at Salahuddin reportedly withdrew after the theft of "important" equipment last month in two raids by a militia.

IRAQ: Al Qaeda in Iraq killed six Iraqis in three car bombings in Mosul and Tuz Khurmatu, and also killed an Iraqi soldier in a sniper attack in Haswa. Security forces captured al Qaeda's military leader for Babil and two of his aides.

FLYING KITTENS vs FLYING PUPPIES... in slow motion.

A TIGER SHARK would like to borrow your camera.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT may be in your coffee cup.

GRUMPY CAT lands an endorsement deal, remains grumpy.

STEVE MASON (Beta Band) shouts "Fire!" in a crowded video. (No, it's not Hendrix or Arthur Brown.)

FRANKIE ROSE is advance streaming Herein Wild. 

ICONA POP advance streams This Is... Icona Pop. Not my thing, but maybe you love it. 

CHEAP TRICK visited Sound Opinions to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Live at Budokan.

PAVEMENT, Live in Amsterdam, Feb 3, 1994.

GOLDEN SMOG: Live at the Cat's Cradle, April 18, 1996.

BECK drops "Gimme" as an apparent one-off.

THE BEATLES: "You're Gonna Lose That Girl." "Yes, yes" from the "Yeah, yeah yeah" guys.

ELTON JOHN talks to The Guardian about his famous temper, his addiction to work – and trying to slow down at 66.

THE GO-GOS made history with Beauty And The Beat -- and barely survived it.

PHOSPHORESCENT: Matt Houck talks to The Daily Swarm about creative rebirth, touring, and writing that one magic song.

90s NOSTALGIA REVISITED Six musicians Morning Edition misses.

MILEY CYRUS & LIAM HEMSWORTH: He's moving on. Pronto.

ZAC EFRON completed a stint in rehab for a serious cocaine problem.

BEN AFFLECK responds to the casting Batlash.

SANDRA BULLOCK appears in Vogue to promote Gravity. Which is vaguely ironic.

JUSTIN THEROUX: Jennifer Aniston's fiance gets a profile in GQ.

LEO DiCAPRIO will be whitewashing Woodrow Wilson.

ISRAEL's Prime Minister Netanyahu is expected to meet with President Obama in Washington for talks that will likely center on Iran's nuclear program.

IRAN: Congress could soon pass a bill to further squeeze Iran's oil exports - and its nuclear program - but new sanctions may fail to cut the country's crude sales much more than existing ones already have.

EGYPT: Authorities reportedly arrested Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Gehad el Haddad. A court ordered the freezing of assets tied to Muslim Brotherhood leaders.

IRAQ: Al Qaeda in Iraq killed 33 people, including six soldiers, in a series of bombings and attacks in the cities of Baghdad, Fallujah, and Mosul.

DOGS remake the video for Tegan & Sara's "Closer." With help from Tegan & Sara. (The original, for reference.)

DOG shoots WOMAN.

AN 8-FOOT, 330 LB. CROCODILE was found under a man's bed, and the man was not James Bond. Pics at the link.

FEMALE SQUID wear fake testes to ward off male advances.

SUPERCHUNK is "Staying Home." Get off their lawn.

ISLANDS advance streams Ski Mask.

WHITE LIES brought their 80's inspired synth-rock to Morning Becomes Eclectic.

THE 1975: Matthew Healy plays a solo acoustic Tiny Desk Concert.

R.E.M., Live at Paleo Fests, July 27, 2008. 

THE KILLERS drop "Shot At The Night", an M83-produced track set for the band's greatest hits collection.

BEST COAST drop their new single, "I Don't Know How", which is a bit of a retro-ballad untill it kicks in big.

SLEIGH BELLS drop "You Don't Get Me Twice" ahead of Bitter Rivals, and the music is pretty sweet.

JULIA HOLTER talks to BOMB about the sound of the city and gets musicological about her new LP.

THE REPLACEMENTS: The Current extols the virtues of Let It Be and Pleased to Meet Me. Where is the love for Tim!?

JASON ISBELL tallies the wreckacge at the Portland Mercury. (Thx, LHB.)

WILLIAM SHATNER talks to Rolling Stone about his upcoming prog rock LP. 

MILEY CYRUS & LIAM HEMSWORTH have called off their engagement.She blames his questionable fidelity. Giving Robin Thicke a lapdance on TV and openly celebrating drug use had nothing to do with it, so shhh.

BRITNEY SPEARS will be paid 310K per show in Vegas.

KHLOE KARDASHIAN & LAMAR ODOM are living separate lives. Shocka.

LINDSAY LOHAN's mom had a dry birthday party after her DUI bust.

SNL is setting its new cast.

SYRIA: Footage has surfaced on the internet that gives the first tangible indication of Iran's involvement in the fighting in Syria on the side of Assad.  Indeed, it purports to show members of the Revolutionary Guard's elite Quds Force. Conversely, nearly half the rebel fighters in Syria are now aligned to jihadist or hardline Islamist groups according to a new analysis of factions in the country's civil war.

EGYPT: Authorities retook the town of Delga from Muslim Brotherhood supporters who had attacked the Christian community in the town since taking it over in July.

IRAQ: Al Qaeda in Iraq killed 11 people, including an Awakening leader and his family, in attacks throughout the country.

KITTEN TRAIN: Let's go to the video.

MAN punches GRIZZLY.

AN OWL blows his part at the wedding.

A GIANT COCKROACH invaded the White House.