KATE PIERSON trades Fred Schneider for Fred Armisen in "Mister Sister," the single from her upcoming solo debut.

NOISE TO THE WORLD 2, featuring tracks from Deer Tick, Dum Dum Girls, and more, is streaming.

ROBYN HITCHCOCK stopped by World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

BENJAMIN BOOKER plays the Rockwood Music Hall.

MIKE DOUGHTY stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

PATSY CLINE & FERLIN HUSKY: "Let It Snow!"

MY MORNING JACKET: Jim James talks to Rolling Stone about two new albums.

KATHLEEN EDWARDS talks to the Toronto Star about quitting music (for now, anywat) and opening a cafe named Quitters.

JOHNNY MARR talks to Willamette Week about Portland, beards, the theremin, and more.

NPR's 50 FAVE ALBUMS of 2014, with streaming tracks.

BILL COSBY: One of the women accusing the comic of sexual assault may have found a way around the statute of limitations.

TAYLOR SWIFT is secretly dating The 1975's Matt Healy.

KATE HUDSON was spotted making out with Derek Hough before she and Muse rocker Matt Bellamy publicly split.

FREIDA PINTO & DEV PATEL: The Slumdog Millionaire costars have called it quits on their relationship after almost six years.

EVANGELINE LILLY talks about about marching to her own drum in Hollywood.

THE SAG AWARDS nominations were announced.

LIBYA: The UN is expanding peace talks in Libya to include the rival government based in Tripoli, in addition to the internationally recognized government currently in Tobruk.

UNITES STATES Secretary of State John Kerry asked Congress for a green light to go after Islamic State affiliates anywhere in the world as debate on a new authorization for use of force got underway Tuesday.

THE ISLAMIC STATE has executed several of its own militants, including the group’s top official in Mosul, on charges of espionage, Kurdish sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Tuesday.

A YELLOW LABRADOR opens the fridge.

A TURQUOISE CAT has been turning heads on the streets of a Bulgarian seaside resort.

...AND THERE WERE CALVES all over the Turnpike.

A SHEEP wearing a festive red-and-green sweater who was found wandering around Omaha has been reunited with his owner.

OFF! dropped a video for “Over Our Heads” featuring Jack Black, skydiving, LSD, gore, a grizzly bear, and more...

EX HEX performs in the WNYC Soundcheck studio.

STRAND OF OAKS performs on Soundcheck in the Greene Space at WNYC.

CHARLI XCX is streaming Sucker via iTunes.

THE RED AUNTS stream their deluxe greatest hits compilation, Come Up For A Closer Look.

OF MONTREAL drops “Bassem Sabry” ahead of Aureate Gloom.

DENT MAY drops "I'll Be Stoned For Christmas."

SHARON JONES & THE DAP-KINGS: “Ain’t No Chimneys In The Projects.”

JACK WHITE launched his own virtual reality app.

JOANNA NEWSOM talks about her side gig in Paul Thomas Anderson's big-screen adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s 2009 novel Inherent Vice.

THE PIXIES: The A.V. Club looks at Doolittle, 25 years later. Get Off My Lawn.

THE TOP 50 ALBUMS of 2014, according to SPIN.

CHARLIE SHEEN settled his latest custody war with Brooke Mueller, who accused him of drunken visitations with his kids and excessive corporal punishment.

RAPPER EARL HAYES & VH1 STAR STEPHANIE MOSELEY are dead in an apparent murder-suicide. Reportedly, Floyd Mayweather witnessed it via FaceTime.

PRINCE WILLIAM & KATE & BEYONCE & JAY-Z: Paparazzi Apocalypse.

CAM NEWTON: The Carolina Panthers QB suffered two “transverse fractures” in his lower back following a car wreck and will remain in the hospital overnight, according to the Carolina Panthers.

CHRISTIAN BALE meant no disrespect to George Clooney when he publicly advised him to stop whining.

JOAQUIN PHOENIX is engaged to his yoga instructor.

NICOLE KIDMAN talks to Elle about babies, breakups, and life with Keith Urban.

IRAQ's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi pressed outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Tuesday for more air strikes and weaponry to accelerate what he called the "descent" of Islamic State.

IRAN: The US has privately accused Iran of going on an international shopping spree to acquire components for a heavy-water reactor that American officials have long feared could be used in the production of nuclear weapons-grade plutonium.

A DOG comforts a friend having a bad dream.

DONKEYS enjoy a beer as much as the next guy.

ROGUE SHEEP on the lam in Ypsilanti, MI.

FRANKENLOUIE, the world's oldest two-faced cat, has died at the age of 15.

JOHN LENNON: "(Just Like) Starting Over."

J MASCIS played a Tiny Desk Concert at the offices of NPR.

FRANKIE ROSE performs live in the KEXP Studio.

FRAZEY FORD joined KEXP listeners in the Roadhouse.

BEN WATTplays a mini-set at KUTX.

TWIN SHADOW dropped "Turn Me Up" ahead of a new album that's back on track.

BOB GELDOF, by his own admission, is responsible for two of the worst songs in history: "'Do They Know It's Christmas?" and "We Are The World."

THE 2014 PITCHFORK READERS' POLL is open.

JONI MITCHELL talks to Morning Edition about her new four-disc boxed set, Love Has Many Faces.

THE 20 BEST ALBUMS of 2014, according to The A.V. Club.

THE 20 BEST VIDEOS of 2014, according to Pitchfork.

GRUMPY CAT denies earning 100 million dollars.

AMAL CLOONEY denies pregnancy reports.

LEO DiCAPRIO reportedly broke it off with Toni Garrn again, and picked up 20 women at a club.

LINDSAY LOHAN is recording with Duran Duran? Too good to check. 

KATE HUDSON and her fiancee Matt Bellamy have called off their engagement, and the actress has moved on with Derek Hough.

MARK WAHLBERG wants to wipe his criminal record clean so he can become a reserve police officer.

KEN WEATHERWAX, who played Pugsley on The Addams Family TV show, died at his home Sunday in California after having a heart attack.

SYRIA: Israel conducted two airstrikes near Damascus on Dec. 7; one took place near Dimas, which houses military facilities, and the other hit near Damascus International Airport. Both the Syrian regime and Iran condemned the attack. UN observers have documented numerous interactions between Israeli forces and Syrian rebels in the Golan Heights.

ISLAMIC STATE fighters have lost the initiative in Iraq and are now "on defense" with far less ability to generate the kind of ground maneuvers that enabled the extremists to capture large chunks of Iraq earlier this year, a senior U.S. general said Monday.

A BABY PIG, in slow motion.

COPPER THE POLICE DOG has been credited for saving the life of a missing 6-year-old Utah boy who accidentally fell into an open manhole and became trapped underground.

A DEER burst through the front doors of a New Jersey home, darted through the residence and ransacked the master bathroom. Insert your punchline about the woods here.

A LLAMA...in a Santa hat. He will kill them later.

SEAN ROWE covers Richard Thompson's classic "1952 Vincent Black Lightning," live in Troy, NY.

RYAN ADAMS and his band performed an extensive set for WFUV at the legendary Electric Lady Studios in the West Village.

REAL ESTATE joined Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

TOM WAITS: Nighthawks on the Radio (1976) has been re-upped.

JASON MOLINA: North Star Blues Session (2003) has been re-upped.

THE RAMONES: "Merry Christmas (I Don't Wanna Fight Tonight)."

THE WRENS finally finish their album, after a harrowing trip to the ICU with near-death pneumonia.

PRINCE: Author Alan Light tells the Purple Rain story on All Things Considered.

PARLIAMENT: George Clinton goes into detail about partying with Sly Stone, encountering zombies and recording some of the funkiest records of all time.

BRADFORD COX: The Deerhunter frontman has been hospitalized after a car accident and is currently in a hospital in his home state of Georgia.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Mockingjay Part 1 remains atop the chart with 21.6 million in the traditionally slow post-Thanksgiving weekend.This third film continues to lag the second, but at 560.5 million worldwide, it's profitable marketing for the big finale (at least,if it follows the Harry Potter trajectory).  Penguins of Madagascar shows again with 11.1 million on a 56 percent drop. Although this franchise does well worldwide, it's getting hard to see how this one profits before the home market.  Horrible Bosses 2 climbs two notches to show with 8.6 million, though that's a 44 percent drop from its opening -- usually not a great hold for a comedy, but probably alright for this weekend.  Big Hero 6 slides to the fourth slot with 8.1 million on a 57 percent drop that shows how much this weekend hits family movies; having recouped its production budget domestically, it stands a good chance of profiting in Asian and European markets later this month.  Interstellar rounds out the Top 5 with 8 million on a 49 percent drop; this one is likely well into the black at 593 million in worldwider receipts.

THE GRAMMY nominations are announced. Not exactly a banner year, but then I'll be less disappointed when the winners are announced.

BILL COSBY will likely face investigation by the LAPD.

MILEY CYRUS & PARIS HILTON made out in front of Miley's new boyfriend.

MEGAN FOX & BRIAN AUSTIN GREEN escaped unharmed from an accident with a drunk driver.

EMILY DESCHANEL is pregnant and expecting her second child with husband David Hornsby.

AMANDA PEET gave birth to a baby boy on Sunday, her third child with husband David Benioff.

THE UNITED STATES  released six Guantanamo detainees to Uruguay, including Jihad Ahmed Mujstafa Diyab, who had been assessed a "high-risk" detainee with extensive connections to al Qaeda's global network. The US handed over Latif Mehsud and two others detained by US forces in Afghanistan in 2013 to Pakistani authorities. US officials said the unsuccessful raid to rescue US hostage Luke Somers and Pierre Korkie, a South African, from AQAP in Yemen was undertaken after receiving intelligence that the two men were about to be executed.

FRANCE: Nabil Ouerfelli and Yasmine Znaidi, two leaders of the Paris and Gaza-based Islamic charity Pearl of Hope, have been charged with financing terrorism, and the charity has been shut down.

SYRIA: The Associated Press has a five-part look at the embattled city of Kobani.

A PYGMY GOAT acts like a puppy dog.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: Much of the Tampa campus at University of South Florida was without electricity Thursday morning, the work of a militant squirrel.

MICE implanted with human brain cells become smarter.

COWS ON THE LAM in Red Wing, MN.

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with ELTON JOHN! Half of a live show captured by the OGWT on Christmas Eve, 1974.  Your setlist includes: "Grimsby" (incompete), "Rocket Man," "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," "Daniel," Grey Seal,"  "Bennie And The Jets," "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds," "I Saw Her Standing There," "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me," "Honky Cat," "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting," "Crocodile Rock," "The B^tch Is Back," "Your Song," and "White Christmas."

NICK LOWE & LOS STRAITJACKETS stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set, including "Peace Love & Understanding," dedicated to the late Ian McLagan.

THE NEW BASEMENT TAPES: Elvis Costello, T-Bone Burnett, Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Marcus Mumford (Mumford & Sons), Rhiannon Giddens (Carolina Chocolate Drops) and Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes) stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

SPOON stopped by WFUV Live for a chat and mini-set.

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED surveys The Year In Music.

QUARTERBACKS drop "Center" ahead of their self-titled debut.

THE KINKS, with the evergreen "Father Christmas."

BILLY BRAGG writes about the late Ian McLagan at The Guardian.

PATTERSON HOOD talks to the Florence Times-Daily about playing solo in the Shoals. (Thx, LHB.)

THE BEST ALBUM COVERS of 2014, according to Pitchfork.

TEN THINGS you should know about The Trashmen.

THE CUTOUT BIN takes a hiatus this week, as I recover from a cold.

NOW SHOWING: The Pyramid is the only major release this weekend, on only 550 screens, scoring 20 percent on the ol' Tomatometer.  This is typical for the post-Thanksgiving frame, a lull before the holdiday season kicks off with Exodus: Gods and Kings and Top Five.

TERMINATOR GENISYS has a trailer online.

SPECTRE will be the title of the 24th official James Bond film, which announced its cast yesterday.

BILL COSBY's lawyers have struck back at one of his accusers in court, declaring that she tried to extort him for a quarter-million dollars and that she attempted to sell her story to a tabloid a decade ago.

MARIAH CAREY's NBC performance Wednesday night was...Oof!

TYLER PERRY and his longtime girlfriend, Gelila Bekele, welcomed their first child, son Aman Tyler Perry, last Sunday.

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH is officially cast as Marvel's Doctor Strange.

RYAN REYNOLDS is closing a deal on Deadpool, the character he originated in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

DECEMBER 7, 1941: A "date which will live in infamy." I'll be watching Tora! Tora! Tora! this weekend. BTW, the first nation invaded by the US after entering WWII was Morocco, then Algeria, iirc. War is strange.

THE ISLAMIC STATE has set up training camps in eastern Libya and the American military is closely monitoring the situation. After hree months of U.S.-led air strikes, Islamic State fighters have surrendered little of their self-declared caliphate to the broad sweep of forces arrayed against them.

IRAQ: The heads of two prominent Sunni Anbar tribes expressed unease about the prospect of cooperating with the US against the Islamic State, and repeated calls for the Iraqi government to support them with funds, weapons, and ammunition.

AFGHANISTAN: A Pentagon report on the green-on-blue attack in Afghanistan in August that killed a US general and wounded 16 Coalition troops found no evidence that the attack was instigated by the Taliban, but faulted Afghan officials for lack of cooperation with the investigation.

YOU CAN LEAD A HORSE TO WATER: Let's go to the video.

ELECTRIC EELS work like Tasers.

A PIGLET was rescued from the sea by the RSPCA.

THE IKEA MONKEY is looking for a new home.