RECORD TRAFFIC on Wednesday. Thanks, y'all!

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with THE WHO! Live at the Charlton Athletic Football Ground in London, May 18, 1974.  Your setlist includes: "Substitute," "I'm A Boy," "Tattoo," "Young Man Blues," "Baba O' Riley," "Behind Blue Eyes," "See Me, Feel Me,"  "Magic Bus," "My Generation,"  "Naked Eye," "Let's See Action" and "My Generation Blues."

ARCADE FIRE is advance streaming Reflektor.

BARS OF GOLD advance streams Wheels.

KING KHAN & THE SHRINES stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

PRIMAL SCREAM stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

LISSIE stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

COLIN MELOY drops "Do You Remember Walter?" ahead of his Kinks covers LP.

LVL UP drops "Cross The Sea" ahead of a split single.

WE ARE SCIENTISTS: "After Hours," for the weekend.

LED ZEPPELIN: Robert Plant found unreleased material, but there may be an unusual obstacle to its release: John Paul Jones.

THE SADIES talk to Beatroute and the Ottowa Citizen about Internal Sounds. (Thx, Chromewaves.)

THIRD EYE BLIND was ordered to pay 448K to their fmr guitarist.

JONI MITCHELL, ranked by Stereogum. 

CUTOUT BIN: From Chuck Berry to Roxy Music, from Paul Simon to Twisted Sister, from Nirvana to Steely Dan, plus the Smithereens, King Khan, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Uncle Tupelo 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: Jackass Presents Bad Grandpa, which is currently scoring 67 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; and The Counselor, currently scoring 35 percent. Conventional wisdom is the old man will dethrone Gravity.

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY: Irish actor Jamie Dornan is in negotiations to replace Charlie Hunnam as Universal hopes to start production in early November.

KIM KARDASHIAN & KANYE WEST will reportedly have a short engagement. Kim's stepdad Bruce Jenner was not invited when Kanye West popped the question to Kim Kardashian.

KATHARINE McPHEE was already separated when snapped kissing her former Smash director Michael Morris. His wife, Mary McCormack, reportedly wants to split.

TORI SPELLING's money troubles are so bad her husband can't afford a vasectomy.

MORENA BACCARIN nd her husband Austin Chick welcomed a baby boy on Tuesday, Oct. 22.

MICHAEL JACKSON tops the new Forbes list of top-earning dead celebs.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER has a teaser trailer online.

EGYPT: Authorities discovered a field hospital in the Sinai thought to be used by Islamist militants. Authorities raised the alert level on the Libya border to prevent the infiltration of militants. An official in Gamaa al-Islamiya said the group will not return to violence and does not necessarily support the return of Mohammed Morsi. Supporters of former president Morsi called for mass protests on Nov. 4, the day Morsi goes to trial.

SYRIA has released 61 female detainees as part of a hostage swap. Regime and Hezbollah forces retook most of Hteitat al-Turkman in Reef Dimashq from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham, the Al Nusrah Front, and rebel groups after days of heavy fighting.

IRAQ: Security forces captured eight al Qaeda operatives, including a senior leader, near the Syrian border.

IRAN could produce enough weapons-grade uranium to build a nuclear bomb in as little as a month, according to a new estimate by one of the USA's top nuclear experts.

HIPPO FLATULENCE: Never gets old.

EUROPE GONE WILD: Bison are making a comeback on the Continent.

A VENOMOUS CRUSTACEAN -- the first ever -- was found living in underwater caves.

RACING PIGEONS busted in doping scandal.

OVER 20 MILLION SERVED: Thanks for stopping by, y'all!

THE DISMEMBERMENT PLAN yuk it up while "Waiting."

THE FLAMING LIPS advance stream Peace Sword, an EP based on the upcoming Ender's Game movie.

BOB MOULD played the Secret Stage at the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival.

MOONFACE: Spencer Krug (Wolf Parade/Sunset Rubdown) advance streams Julia With Blue Jeans On.

PAUL SIMON, Live in Osaka, April 1, 1974.

BILLY JOE ARMSTRONG & NORAH JONES drop “Long Time Gone” ahead of their Everly Brothers tribute LP. Yes, really.

JAMES VINCENT McMORROW is "Cavalier" on the first single from his new LP Post Tropical.

ARETHA FRANKLIN plays "It Won't Be Long," which certainly was not about her career.

CMJ 2013 DISCOVERIES from All Songs Considered and Rolling Stone.

SAVAGES are profiled by Under The Radar.

GUIDED BY VOICES cut ties with drummer Kevin Fennell after he put his kit up on eBay for 55K.

ROD STEWART's cash demands foil a Faces reunion.

KRISTEN STEWART & ROBERT PATTINSON have been secretly hooking up since they broke up?

LINDSAY LOHAN reportedly dismissed her sober coach; she has become a regular at a downtown dive, partying into the wee hours with drunken pals.

PRINCE GEORGE: Christening deets.

LAMAR ODOM claims he has not been blackballed from the Kardashian family.

MINKA KELLY & CHRIS EVANS have broken up after a year of dating.

TOM HARDY has agreed to play Elton John in Rocket Pictures' Rocketman.

ANCHORMAN 2 has another trailer online. 

SYRIA: The Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee warned that al Qaeda is developing a safe haven in Syria along the Iraqi border, where it is planning attacks against the West, much as al Qaeda did in Afghanistan. He said there are now over 10K "committed" al Qaeda members in eastern Syria, more than the number of foreign fighters in Iraq during the US occupation.

PAKISTAN: Despite repeatedly denouncing the CIA’s drone campaign, top officials in Pakistan’s government have for years secretly endorsed the program and routinely received classified briefings on strikes and casualty counts, according to top-secret CIA documents and Pakistani diplomatic memos obtained by The Washington Post.

IRAQ: Al Qaeda's Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham killed 14 people in bombings that targeted civilians in Baghdad and Madain.

THE LION WHISPERER gets a good morning hug.

A GIANT OARFISH CARCASS found dead off Catalina Island has been dissected and will be split between several universities for research.

DUNG-HOARDING BEETLE caught galloping.

DOG BITES HORSE, Horse Bites Woman. The horse may have gone mad.

BESNARD LAKES drop a NSFW video for "Color Yr Lights In."

LOS CAMPESINOS! advance stream No Blues.

MINOR ALPS: Juliana Hatfield and Matthew Caws (Nada Surf) advance stream Get There.

WORRIERS advance stream their poppunk debut, Cruel Optimist.

ELLIOTT SMITH, Live at the Black Cat, April 17, 1998. Includes covers of John Lennon, The Zombies, and Big Star.

LINDA THOMPSON is joined by ex-husband Richard and son Teddy on her new LP, profiled by Fresh Air.

SUPERCHUNK drops an unpluggedy version of "Breaking Down."

WOODEN SHIPS drop "Back To Land," the title track to their next LP.

CUT COPY drops "We Are Explorers" ahead of  Free Your Mind. A bit too synth-dance for me, but maybe you'll dig it.

SUFJAN STEVENS drops a proto-demo for "Impossible Soul."

NOEL HARRISON, son of the actor Rex Harrison, best known for recording the hit song "The Windmills Of Your Mind" for The Thomas Crown Affair soundtrack, has died at 79.

SLEIGH BELLS: Derek Edward Miller talks to Drowned In Sound about his reawakening from Reign, how working on Bitter Rivals is his most 50/50 split yet with Alexis, and how taking-up boxing can make you feel exactly like Rocky Balboa.

SKY FERREIRA talks to Stereogum about her tumultuous year and long-delayed debut LP.

CASS McCOMBS talks to Stereogum about writing songs, doing press, and his epic new double-LP.

DONNA SUMMER, reconsidered by PopMatters.

KIM KARDASHIAN & KANYE WEST are engaged. Can she beat her previous best of 72 days of marriage?

KATHARINE McPHEE  is dating her former Smash director Michael Morris; both are married.

CASEY KASEM may have but a few months to live.

JENNA JAMESON is adamant she was not whacked out on prescription drugs during a bizarre live TV interview.

AMY POEHLER & TINA FEY inked lucrative deals to host the Golden Globes.

AVATAR is getting three sequels. When does Jar-Jar turn up?

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL: Wes Anderson's next movie has a trailer online.

SAUDI Intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan said Saudi Arabia will make a "major shift" away from the US due to the US' policies towards Syria and Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the 2011 revolt in Bahrain.

SYRIA: Al Qaeda-linked rebels stormed the Christian town of Sadad, which is near several arms depots, and killed nine civilians in the streets. The Syrian National Coalition refused to participate in Geneva talks unless their aim is to remove President Assad from power.

EGYPT: Security forces broke up a protest between supporters and opponents of the Muslim Brotherhood at Cairo University. Prosecutors plan to try four policemen allegedly involved in the deaths of over 35 Islamists in August.

IRAN: You'll be shocked to learn that significant gaps remain between what the Iranians offered and what the six negotiating powers seek in order to reduce fears Iran wants to build nuclear weapons.

SHAKE: Dogs are ready for their slo-mo closeups for a new book. Let's go to the video.

PIGEONS WITH CAMERAS smuggled cigars from Cuba.

BERLIN DOGS need to avoid overdosing on addict feces.

WHEN SHARKS ATTACK: Punch 'em in the eye.

DEAN WAREHAM drops a video for "Love Is Colder Than Death."

WHITE DENIM advance streams Corsicana Lemonade. And there seems to be a tinge of vintage ZZ Top among the garage-psych this time.

WH0RES advance stream Clean. A bit heavy for me, but I suspect Pate bassist Mike Kelly might dig it.

SUPERCHUNK played the Secret Stage at the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival.

THE BASEBALL PROJECT, featuring members of R.E.M., Dream Syndicate and the Minus 5, played live at Musicfest Northwest.  

KURT VILE drops "Feel My Pain" from the upcoming A Big World Out There (And I Am Scared) EP.

BAD RELIGION drops “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” from their upcoming Christmas Songs LP. Because of course.

JANIS JOPLIN with BIG BROTHER & THE HOLDING COMPANY play "Summertime" and "I Need a Man to Love" -- in one of their last performances together -- for Twofer Tuesday.

ELLIOTT SMITH: Consequence Of Sound pays the latest tribute to the singer-songwriter who passed 10 years ago this month.

ARCADE FIRE: Wim Butler talks to JAM about Reflektor. (Thx, Chromewaves.)

JULIANNA BARWICK talks to PopMatters about touring Europe, her pop obsessions, and more.

PARAMORE: Hayley Williams talks to Rolling Stone about sexism in the music industry, Sinead vs Miley, and more.

BRITNEY SPEARS is going to incredible lengths to cover up her reported plans to lip-sync her way through her much-hyped Las Vegas residency.

RASHIDA JONES thinks female celebs need to stop acting like wh0res. (Ahem.)

CEE-LO GREEN: Cleared of sexual assault, charged with ecstacy possession, pleads not guilty.

RUSSELL BRAND had sex with a man after trawling gay bars.

KELLY CLARKSON confirmed her marriage via Twitter.

KEANU REEVES did a Reddit Ask Me Almost Anything. Whoa.

EGYPT: Students from Egypt's al-Azhar University continued to protest and call for the reinstatement of former president Morsi.

LIBYAN Prime Minister Zeidan said Libya faces massive security challenges as its army and police forces have been "infiltrated" by persons and forces seeking to prevent its stability.  Al Qaeda eyes Gaddafi's old arsenal.

CATS STEALING DOG BEDS: Let's go to the video.

A GIANT WORM has been eating fish in a British aquarium for years without detection.

ARTHUR "was giving all the hallmarks of being a very stoned dog." Fortunately, he didn't bogart this model's stash.

BIG FISH: While vacationing in Thailand for his birthday, Keith Williams hooked a 134-pound carp, believed to be the biggest ever caught.

NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL: Stereogum compiles bootleg video from Saturday's reunion show.

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE advance streams the 10th anniversary edition of Transatlanticism.

WILLIAM ONYEABOR advance streams the compilation, Who Is William Onyeabor?

BLITZEN TRAPPER stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set. 

LORD HURON stopped by Studio 1A at KUTX for a mini-set.

MARTI JONES & TIM LEE (The Windbreakers) cover The dB's classic, "Neverland." With Beatle Bob cameo.

PAUL McCARTNEY talks about his New album with World Cafe.

NEKO CASE discusses the soundtrack of her life at Pitchfork.

MORRISSEY and the miracle of The Smiths. 

THE 20 BEST SEX LYRICS, according to Flavorwire. 

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Gravity threepeats atop the chart with 31 million on a mere 28 percent drop, as the space drama rockets is way to 170.6 million domestically. This is among the top 20 grosses for a third frame, in the rarified neighborhood of Toy Story 3, Up, and the original Iron Man.Place and show is a virtual photo finish between Captain Phillips and the  remake of Carrie.  For the former, 17.3 million on a 33 percent drop keeps Captain Phillips on the Argo track and in the Oscars discussion.  For Carrie, 17 million is a disappointment, even against a 30 million budget, given projections of 30 million and studio downplaying to the low 20s.  Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2 finishes fourth with 10.1 million, monopolizing the family film niche.  Escape Plan rounds out the Top 5 with a mere 9.8 million against a remored 70 million budget.  But Sly and Ahnuld do not have the biggest flop on this week's chart; that dishonor goes to The Fifth Estat, which debuted with a mere 1.7 million against a 26 million budget; that's the worst debut for a film opening in at least 1500 theaters this year. Ouch.

12 YEARS A SLAVE is only on about 20 screens nationwide, but you'll be seeing more about it as awards season revs up.  Directed by Steve McQueen and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor (Children of Men, Serenity), this adaptation of an 1853 memoir by Solomon Northup chronicles the story of a free Northern black man kidnappeded into slavery in the South.  Elijor turns in one of several stellar performances, along with Michael Fassbender as Northup's eventual slavemaster and Sarah Paulson as Fassbender's wife, who is almost as nasty, perhaps because she endures Fassbender's affection for one of his female slaves, played with harrowing tragedy by Lupita Nyong’o. (Co-producer Brad Pitt is decidedly less impressive in his role as a Canadian abolitonist.) The film is unsparing with regard to its topic and and unsentimental with regard to its characters, and all the more powerful for it. 12 Years A Slave may be the best film of the year.

MILEY CYRUS has been dating Theo Wenner (Jann's kid) since the summer, confirming that she and e-fiancé Liam Hemsworth lied about the timing of their split.

GWYNETH PALTROW: Vanity Fair is reportedly investigating a rumored affair with a billionaire.

KRISTEN BELL & DAX SHEPHERD got hitched.

KELLY CLARKSON obtained a marriage license.

BAR RAFAELI laments her single status, inadvertently reveals reason.

KHLOE KARDASHIAN & LAMAR ODOM: She stands to inherit millions upon millions if something happens to her addict husband.

MATTHEW PERRY & IZZY CAPLAN quietly split.

RYAN REYNOLDS got vomited upon during a flight to NOLA.

GIRLS MEET WORLD: Boy Meets World stars Danielle Fishel and Rider Strong both got married over the weekend, but not to each other.

THE WALKING DEAD season premiere, once all the numbers came in, became the most watched nonsports broadcast in cable history.

THE UNITED STATES  has quietly begun releasing 1.6 billion dollars in aid to Pakistan; most military aid had been frozen for much of the past two years due to strained relations.

SYRIA: A suicide truck bombing by the Al Nusrah Front killed 43 people in Hama and wounded dozens more; although an army checkpoint was targeted, 32 of the dead were civilians. The head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights accused the international community of hypocrisy for focusing on chemical weapons while thousands of Syrians are being killed by the ongoing conflict.

EGYPT: The trial of former president Hosni Mubarak resumed in a closed-door session. Security forces used teargas to disperse protests by Muslim Brotherhood supporters.

LIBYA: As many as 200 Egyptians taken captive on Oct. 18 by Islamist militiamen active in Benghazi were freed after their captors' demand that Egypt release 12 to 16 Libyan detainees, described variously as Libyan Muslim Brotherhood members or arms smugglers, was met.

KAYAK: The rescued hedgehog with the heart of a champion.

ITALIAN SHEEP REBELLED when police seized their ganja.

KILLER WHALES undergo menopause. Explains a lot.

WHY DID THE CHICKENS CROSS THE ROAD? Because they now have spiffy visibility jackets.