PAUL WESTERBERG: "Valentine," solo circa 2004. 

THE DECEMBERISTS stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session, including a cover of R.E.M.'s "Cuyahoga," from 1986's Life's Rich Pageant.

ELEVENTH DREAM DAY, Rick Rizzo and Tara Key drop new tracks.

THE GREENHORNES provide a chat and live twofer to the World Cafe.

BITTER PILLS: Five Breakup songs from NPR.

ERIC CARMEN: "All By Myself" on TOTP.

DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS: Patterson Hood talks to the WSJ about the influence that a nearly forgotten Alabama songwriter played in creating "Go-Go Boots" and about the Truckers' bid to record a classic prom song. Also: Does indie rock discriminate against the South?

ARCADE FIRE talks to The Guardian about verging on the bigtime and more: "When I wonder if Butler's fondness for apocalyptic imagery stems from religion, he says it had more to do with early exposure to John Milius's cheesy 80s action movie Red Dawn."

TEENAGE FANCLUB: The Quietus surveys their career, with plenty of embeds.

THE SMITH WESTERNS leave the garage.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Just Go With It tops the chart with 31 million. A romantic comedy scores big for Valentine's Day weekend; who knew? It should ultimately make back its 80 million budget and then some.  Justin Bieber: Never Say Never was just behind with 30 million against a budget of only 13 million. Gnomeo and Juliet debuts in the third slot with 25.5 million, which likely isn't too bad for this rather unlikely movie.  The Eagle is in the No.4 position with 8.6 million, which says as much about the field as it does the movie. The Roommate rounds out the Top Five with 8.4 million, with a 26 million total against a 16 million budget.  Below the fold, The King's Speech and No Stirngs attached continue to show legs.

JENNIFER ANISTON celebrated her 42nd birthday on Feb. 11 by having an intimate dinner with Jake Gyllenhaal in NYC.

LINDSAY LOHAN's bad taste in jewelry could be the key to her defense, because according to TMZ's research, the necklace in question may not have enough value to constitute felony grand theft.

CHARLIE SHEEN flashed several gold teeth during a meet-and-greet with UCLA's baseball team.

ELIZABETH TAYLOR remained in a Los Angeles hospital for treatment of congestive heart failure.

THE GRAMMYS went to these folks. The televised part was live-blogged by ArtsBeat.

EGYPT: On Friday, I wrote that the big question would be what the military would do... and now we know.  As protesters were swarming into the streets Friday morning for what was expected to be the biggest and most volatile demonstrations in the three-week revolt here, the Supreme Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces issued a statement over state television and radio indicating that the military, not Mr. Mubarak, was in effective control of the country.  Although protesters wildly cheered Mubarak's ouster, Egypt's new military authorities say they are dissolving parliament and suspending the constitution. And Mubarak used the 18 days it took for protesters to topple him to shift his vast wealth into untraceable accounts overseas.

IRAN jammed BBC's Persian TV service due to its coverage of the unrest in Egypt.

ALGERIA: Thousands defied a government ban on protests and a massive deployment of riot police to rally in the capital Saturday, demanding democratic reforms a day after similar protests toppled Egypt's authoritarian leader.

BOXER vs DALEK: Who you got?

GOING TO NEED A Bigger Boat.

AUSTRALIANS  trying to rebuild in the wake of Cyclone Yasi have been warned to stay away from cassowaries - huge flightless birds with claws that can disembowel a human - on the hunt for food after their habitat was destroyed by the storm.

MALE SQUIDS go into a frenzied rage from just a touch of a female pheromone.

A RAT that appeared in the cabin of an Alaska Airlines flight Thursday morning as the plane was pulling away from the gate delayed the flight and caused passengers to switch planes.

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with THE SWEET!  The bubble-glam rockers are probably best known for the trifecta of "Little Willy," "Ballroom Blitz" and "Fox on the Run," though they also charted with the harder-edged "Action" and the more ballad-y "Love is Like Oxygen."  All of those clips also feature the band's rather unique fashion sense, but you have to see the clip for "Wig Wam Bam" -- complete with headdress -- to see the band at its most ridiculous.

YUCK: Formed by childhood friends with a shared love for guitars and fuzz and melody, this band proves that lo-fi rock is in rude health.  But singer Danny Blumberg hasn't put much thought into labels. At the moment, it's easy to find streaming tracks on the ol' HM.

IVAN & ALYOSHA play a Tiny Desk Concert at the offices of NPR. Tim Wilson talks to Boise Weekly about th band as it kicks off a tour. (Thx, LHB.)

SONGS IN THE KEY OF PHILLY: A streaming mega-playlist from WXPN.

THE BEATLES: Artifacts, The Definite Collection Of Beatles Rarities 1958-1970.

THE ROLLING STONES, Live at Leeds, March 13, 1971.

THE REPLACEMENTS, Live at the Ritz Theater, NYC; July 27, 1987.

NICOLE ATKINS covers Roy Orbison's classic, "Crying" unpluggedy.

DEERHOOF guitarist Ed Rodriguez talks to Muzzle of Bees about the Deerhoof vs. Evil, the band's new label, their self-leaking of the album, and some of their favorite records.

THE SMITHS: Andy Rourke talks to the HuffPo about his time in Manchester's iconic band, the 80's music scene, music today and his current endeavors.

BRIGHT EYES: Conor Oberst talks to Vanity Fair about spirituality, aging, protest songs and the perils of writing confessional lyrics.

THE 50 DRUGGIEST ALBUMS, according to NME.

CUTOUT BIN: From John Williams to Led Zeppelin, from Queen to The Clash, from R.E.M. to The Heavy, plus the dB's, Beatles, Big Country, J. Geils, the Soul Survivors and more  -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are now streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.

NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases include: the Sandler-Aniston rom-com Just Go With It, which is currently scoring 14 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, currently scoring 60 percent; the animated Gnomeo and Juliet, scoring 51 percent; and The Eagle with 43 percent.

LINDSAY LOHAN tried walking out of the store with a diamond earring days before the necklace incident at the center of her felony case, according to the police report... but that report has inconsistencies a defense attorney could exploit.  She's interested in a no-jail plea deal (no, shinola, Sherlock).

SCARLETT JOHANSSON: Simtten with Sean Penn? That's one of the signs of the apocalypse, isn't it?

TOM CRUISE & KATIE HOLMES (and a custom RV) turn up in a story about the FBI's investigation of the CoS for human trafficking and using free labor.

CHARLIE SHEEN and Brooke Mueller have filed final divorce papers, and now they just have to wait it out a few months before they're officially former spouses.

KELSEY GRAMMER is officially divorced.

CRISPIN GLOVER talks to The Guardian, as odd as ever.

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, the retro-prequel, now has a trailer online.

FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF: Baseball Prosepectus figured out which Cubs game the gang attended in this part of the movie... and the day on which the gang was filmed at Wrigley Field.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN: Happy 202nd birthday to the 16th President of the United States. Two things you may not have known about Honest Abe: (1) he was an early adopter of the telegraph; and (2) he once sported a punky haircut.

PAKISTANI officials said Pres. Obama's national security advisor summoned Pakistan's ambassador to the White House Monday evening to deliver a threat from the president: Release Raymond Davis, an American being held in Lahore for killing two Pakistanis, or face the consequences.

EGYPT: The Lede continues to provide updates on street protests in Egypt. The big surprise yesterday that Mubarak is not leaving (though the spin is that he transferred his powers to VP Suleiman) likely means protests and possible revolt in the streets today, leaving open the question of how the military will respond.

IRAN: Opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi is under house arrest after calling for renewed street protests against the government. Opposition websites reported a series of arrests of political activists and journalists as the regime struggles to prevent the news of the planned protest from spreading. The Netherlands froze diplomatic relations with Iran over the execution of a Dutch-Iranian citizen. Iran's envoy to Russia said Iran is ready to resume talks with the West over a nuclear fuel-swap deal.

NIGEL GOES SLEDDING: Let's go to the video.

FERAL PIGS: Huge, ever-growing packs of wild swine are running rampant, destroying crops, killing wildlife and spreading disease everywhere they go, according to the US Dept. of Agriculture.

SNAKE attacks lawyer. Lack of professional courtesy punchline goes here.

RUBIX the CAT: Shot 19 times and lives. Sure, it was a BB gun, but still impressive.

RAPHAEL SAADIQ drops a video for "Good Man."

CROOKS did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.

SXSW: Here's over 140 free songs from artists performing at this year's fest.

TOM JONES shares songs of romance and heartache for Valentine's Day as Guest DJ of All Songs Considered.

THE STROKES: The full track for "Under Cover of Darkness" is now online.

J MASCIS drops "Is It Done" (ft Band of Horses' Ben Bridwell) in advance of Shades of Why.

THOSE DARLINS' just wanna "Be Your Bro."

DESTROYER: Dan Bejar talks to Interview about songwriting, the new sound of Kaputt, etc.

THE KINKS are deluxe reissuing seven albums, including my favorites, Face to Face and Something Else.

DUM DUM GIRLS' Dee Dee shares a few of her favorite things for a Pitchfork Guest List.

THURSTON MOORE disses Steve Albini in the foreign press. In fairness, Albini started it.

ELTON JOHN, PAUL SIMON & NEIL YOUNG are among the presenters for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 2011 induction ceremonies.

GUITAR HERO is officially dead.

M. WARD & JIM JAMES started a blog about creme brulee. Yes, really.

LINDSAY LOHAN has been officially charged with felony grand theft. The L.A. County District Attorney believes Li-Lo is a seasoned fashion thief, and that's a primary reason why she's being prosecuted. Lohan pleaded not guilty; additional bail was set at 20K.

ASHLEE SIMPSON & PETE WENTZ are divorcing. Perhaps the surprise is the lack of prenup. Reportedly, no third party is involved.

CHARLIE SHEEN may be undergoing at-home rehab, but it hasn't stopped the star from achieving another ratings high with Two and A Half Men. Sitcom imitates sleaze. More than 9 of 10 viewers say Sheen's personal problems don't matter. Sheen has notified members of the show's crew that he will pay a portion of their salaries for the two weeks the show has been down.

MARK SANCHEZ: This is a story about a famous Jets quarterback's courtship of a 17-year-old girl and the girl's conflicting emotions about fame.

KATY PERRY & RUSSELL BRAND: Katy "started asking friends to recommend a marriage counselor," an "insider" tells Life & Style, which means you should take it with a shaker of salt, despite its palusibility.

KIM KARDASHIAN is interviewed by... Elizabeth Taylor.

JULIA ROBERTS will be playing the Evil Queen on The Brothers Grimm: Snow White. SEMI-RELATED: Famke Janssen will play the leader of the witches in Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters.

ZOOEY DESCHANEL is in negotiations to star an untitled single-camera comedy pilot for Fox.

ISLAMISM in INDONESIA: A Muslim mob rampaged in Java after a court passed down a five year sentence to a Christian accused of insulting Islam. The mob torched two churches and stormed the courthouse.

EGYPT: The Lede continues to provide updates on street protests in Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood said Wednesday it wants to promote democracy but does not intend to field a candidate for president. The MB spox added that they "reject the Islamist state," decades of evidence to the contrary. Yussuf al-Qaradawi, the Qatar-based Muslim Brotherhood preacher who exiled himself from Egypt in 1961, is a prosepective Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in this situation. Vice President Omar Suleiman said that al Qaeda operatives and fighters from "other armed Islamic organizations" escaped from prisons during riots last week. Members of the Muslim Brotherhood and Hezbollah are also known to have escaped. Meanwhile, Suleiman warns that the "soft coup" of the military could turn into a hard one if the protests continue.

IRAN: Iran's state prosecutor warned the opposition to not host protests in solidarity with Egyptian protesters.

AFGHANISTAN: Gen. Petraeus said he is expecting a brutal fight in the spring when Taliban insurgents try to return from their winter safe havens to areas already in control of international forces.

SLO-MO KITTEH: Let's go to the video.

THOROUGHBRED HORSES are getting their own beauty contest in Turkmenistan.

COCKFIGHTING is dangerous? Who knew?

PARROTS foil a robbery in Palmetto, FL.

CAT POWER unveils a new song at the Fillmore, before covering Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams."

TWILIGHT SINGERS are advance streaming Dynamite Steps.

THE DEARS are advance streaming Degeneration Street. 

MOGWAI is advance streaming Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will.

OKKERVIL RIVER drops "Mermaid," from a new single.

THE RAVEONETTES drop a ballad, "Forget That You're Young," in advance of Raven in the Grave.

SAM COOKE & JACKIE WILSON unexpectedly meet up on "Everybody Loves To Cha Cha Cha."

SXSW releases its music schedule, festival-goers!

JON SPENCER talks to PopMatters about the Blues Explosion reissues (and their hip-hop influences).

EBSEN & THE WITCH gives Drowned In Sound a track-by-track tour of Violet Cries.

THE XX's Jamie Smith talks to Pitchfork about the band and side projects.

AEROSMITH's sales have spiked since Steven Tyler joined American Idol.

LINDSAY LOHAN in the Superman reboot? Or Team Li-Lo desperately trying to change the story to something other than a possible grand theft charge today? BTW, Li-Lo's flunkies plan to say she didn't steal the necklace.

HALLE BERRY & GABRIEL AUBRY: Berry tells Ebony that she feels her daughter is black, just after her anonymous people accused Aubry of freaking out about the topic.

OLIVIA WILDE separated from her Italian prince eight years after the two eloped.

CHARLIE SHEEN will be returning to the set of Two and a Half Men before the end of the month, according to his lawyer.

JUDE LAW & SIENNA MILLER are dunzo. Again. For now.

CHRISTIAN BALE rips a movie critic who thought the actor's weight loss for The Fighter was a gimmick.

KATY PERRY talks to Elle about her chest and other stuff.

TINA FEY dispels myths about balancing career and motherhood in The New Yorker.

THE SPIDER-MAN MUSICAL opens to horrific reviews.

EGYPT: The Lede continues to provide updates on street protests in Egypt.  The government made fresh pledges to create committees to study proposed democratic openings, but demonstrators came out in force to insist that they wanted more than an evolutionary plan by the existing authorities. And the protesters extended their range on Tuesday, with thousands storming the gates of Parliament demanding that it be dissolved. At Foreign Policy, historian Daniel A. Bell warns that Egypt's revolution could evolve later into a reign of terror.

IRAN: Turkey announced that it would not take action against Turkish citizens accused of smuggling missile components into Iran.

PAKISTAN: The Obama administration has suspended all high-level dialogue with Pakistan, a key US partner in the Afghanistan war, over the case of an American diplomat the Pakistanis have detained on possible murder charges, US and Pakistani officials said.

IRAQ: Is Prime Minister al-Maliki not running for a third term? Meanwhile, people in Kirkuk are united in their concern over what happens when the US pulls out.

TWO PUGS, ONE SLED: Let's go to the video.

AN UNWELCOME BEAR was chased away from Boulder Community Hospital by country music. Presumably, the opposite is true at Disney World.

PARROTS, like humans, choose to use one side of their body more than the other, with more of them left handed -- or, more precisely, left footed than anything else.

COW delivers rare set of Three Stooges.

NEW PR0NOGRAPHERS dropped a video for "Moves" with cameos from Paul Rudd, Bill Hader, TedLeo, Horatio Sanz, John Hodgman, Donald Glover and more...

NEW RELEASES: New stuff from Nicole Atkins, Cut Copy, Trail of Dead, Boxer Rebellion and more is streaming at Spinner this week.

MOONDOGGIES did three free songs for Daytrotter.

YOUNG RIVAL did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter, including a cover of "All I Have to Do is Dream." In a weird way, they're sorta like a more serious Young Fresh Fellows.

PAUL SIMON drops "The Afterlife" in advance of So Beautiful or So What.

LOVE TRACTOR plows through "Paint" and "Fun To Be Happy" in Athens, GA, circa 1983, for an instrumental Twofer Tuesday.

GANG OF FOUR: Andy Gill talks to the San Francisco Chronicle about the pressure of the reunion tour and their KISS moment.

RICHARD THOMPSON talks to PopMatters about his songwriting methods, his political frustrations, and what makes him such a great guitarist.

JONATHAN RICHMAN: The A.V. Club offers new fans entry points to his body of work.

YO LA TENGO: I missed them perform an episode of Seinfeld. Dang.

LINDSAY LOHAN will be charged with felony grand theft this week, according to RadarOnline. She reportedly told her advisors she had not been in the jewelry store which reported the theft of an expensive necklace... until the surveillance video proved otherwise.

SHIA LeBEOUF has been looking for a bar fight?

KELSEY GRAMMER and soon-to-be ex-wife Camille Grammer have struck a deal which will allow Kelsey to get a quickie divorce and marry his girlfriend.

CHARLIE SHEEN: Adult video actress Kacey Jordan is poised to star in a re-creation of her wild 36-hour bender with the Two and a Half Men star, according to RadarOnline.

PAUL HAGGIS, an Oscar-winning screenwriter, serves as key source in The New Yorker's 26-page undressing of the Church of Scientology.

THE WRITERS GUILD AWARDS went to these folks. Congrats! The wins for The Social Network and Inception may slow the momentum behind The King's Speech (though it may simply be that the Speech was ineligible).

SUPER 8: J.J. Abrams talks a bit about his latest secret project, not that it's been advertised during the Super Bowl.

FANTASTIC VOAYGE: Shawn Levy will direct the James Cameron-produced 3D tent pole remake.

TURA SATANA, whose authoritative presence, exotic looks and buxom frame commanded the attention of viewers of Russ Meyer's 1965 cult movie "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!", died on Friday evening in Reno, NV.  In later decades, the influence of Ms. Satana's no-nonsense attitude could be seen in pop-cultural artifacts ranging from "Xena, Warrior Princess" to Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill" movies.

EGYPT: The Lede continues to provide updates on street protests in Egypt.  Mubarak seems to be pursuing a rope-a-dope strategy to exploit the generational divide in the protest movement.

IRAN's opposition leaders take inspiration from protests in Egypt.

AFGHANISTAN: As many as 900 Afghan fighters have agreed to lay down their arms, but it is too soon to say if a drive to bring in low-level fighters can be decisive in curbing bloodshed. Meanwhile, the Taliban has established the rudiments of a civilian administration to complement their shadowy combat force, running schools, collect taxes and adjudicate civil disputes in Islamic courts.

SLO-MO CHIPMUNK: Let's go to the video.

A "SUPER-PACK" of 400 WOLVES has been terrifying a Russian town after leaving more than 30 horses dead in just four days.

A CHICKEN HOTEL opens in Cornwall.

A RACCOON ended a North Dakota team's bid for a fourth consecutive regional championship in high school wrestling.

MICE are being trained to detect would-be bombers and drug couriers at airports.