IRON & WINE played a new song for Jimmy Fallon, and the show's blog has 'em covering New Order's "Love Vigilantes."

DUNGEN did three free songs for Daytrotter, one previously unreleased.

BLITZEN TRAPPER stopped by the OPB studio for a chat and mini-set now streaming on demand.

DAVID BYRNE is streaming his live EP.

GRIZZLY BEAR is profiled by the Village Voice in a piece that also reviews the band's new album: "If the result sounds like a ridiculously gilded Brian Wilson rip-off, well, maybe it is. But what's amazing is how loose and organic Veckatimest is, as if the band cobbled the whole thing together over one beer-soaked weekend..."

LITTLE JOY are off to the beach in "Next Time Around."

JOHN VANDERSLICE talks to Paste about life on and off the road, working with an orchestra, and more...

ST. VINCENT: Annie Clark talks to Decider about the cinematic influences on her Actor LP.

APOSTLE OF HUSTLE: Andrew Whiteman talks to the Vancouver Sun and BlogTO about the band's newly-released album, which is streaming in full this week via Spinner.

BRIAN WILLIAMS, bigtime news anchor, talks to Inside Jersey about Springsteen and the indie music he's covering in his new, web-based briTunes series.

OLIVIA WILDE, who tops this year's Maxim Hot 100, was described by runner-up Megan Fox as "so sexy, she makes me want to strangle a mountain ox." Slideshow at the link for Gratuitous Thursday.

JACKO has already postponed several of the first dates of his "This Is It" run of concerts at London's O2 Arena.

ORLANDO BLOOM engaged to galpal Miranda Kerr?

MILEY CYRUS may join Chase Crawford in a remake of Footloose.

SARAH JESSICA PARKER sat down with Access Hollywood and talked about surrogacy and expecting twins.

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS gave four clips to Movieweb before screening at the Cannes Film Fest.

GHOSTBUSTERS 3 moves forward with the original cast, with plans to pass the torch to a new generation, according to Dan Ackroyd.

SPIDER-MAN 4: Sam Raimi is looking at a screenplay and unsure about Kirsten Dunst returning as Mary Jane Watson.

IRAN: Pres. Ahmadinejad claimed the military has tested a missile that can reach Israel, southeastern Europe, and US bases in the Middle East.

IRAQ: Elections have been postponed one month to January 2010.

THE MALAY EAGLE OWL: Let's go to the video.

A FISH which can trigger hallucinations when eaten has been been discovered in British waters.  Blame -- or credit -- global warming.

MEGA-SHREW: Scientists have found the fossil remains in Spain of a new species capable of shooting venom out of blood-colored teeth.

BALD EAGLES are making a comeback, with an appetite for great cormorant chicks that threatens to wipe out that bird population in the United States. Endangered pickem.

OVER 1000 POSSUMS have been nursed back to health by a woman in Austin, TX.  Pics at the link.

WHITE RABBITS pulled out the "Percussion Gun" at the Ed Sullivan Theater.

A.C. NEWMAN stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set streaming now via NPR.

THE FLATLANDERS: Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock and Joe Ely stopped by the KUT studio for a chat and mini-set streaming now via NPR.

GOSPEL GOSSIP visited The Current for a chat and mini-set streaming at MPR (with video).

A CAMP: Nina Persson (also of The Cardigans) talks to The Yorkshire Evening Post about doing a second album after eight years, moving from Sweden to NYC, etc.  There's a link to ACampSpace there, plus SPIN has a couple of free MP3s.  (Thx, Chromewaves).

NICK LOWE: "It's not like I'm in competition with Coldplay." Indeed. They wish they were that good. "So It Goes."

THE MEAT PUPPETS: Curt Kirkwood is interviewed by American Songwriter. Because who doesn't think of Nirvana as being like the ‘Sham-Wow' guy? (Thx, LHB.)

JOHN VANDERSLICE talks to Decider about his new LP (out this week), his studio, raw rock, etc.

THE THERMALS are featured in the latest edition of ABC News Amplified.

ST. VINCENT: Annie Clark talks to the Dallas Morning News about stitching together her second album in GarageBand.

JESSICA BIEL's looks are hurting her career, according to her. Oh, the curse of being hot in Hollywood. It's like no one takes you seriously.

PATRICK SWAYZE's rep says that reports of his death are greatly exaggerated.

A-ROD... and Kate Hudson?

MAD MEL UPDATE: Gibson's pregnant galpal did not break up his marriage, according to her mother.

GWYNETH PALTROW & SCARLETT JOHANSSON unfriendly on the Iron Man 2 set? Too good to check! Capture any catfight footage for the DVD, Mr. Favreau.

SHERLOCK HOLMES: Do you really want to see Rachel McAdams handcuff Robert Downey Jr. to a bed? Of course you do.

BRITNEY SPEARS is being sued by a former bodyguard for on-the-job injuries.

RACHEL BILSON wuz robbed!

IRAN'S NUCLEAR SHOPPING LIST, uncovered by legendary Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau and Sen. John F. Kerry: "Frankly, some of the people we've consulted are shocked by the sophistication of the equipment they're buying."

THE STANS: Gen. David Petraeus answers questions submitted by the New York Post.  A mid-level al Qaeda leader known as Dr. Arshad Waheed was killed in the March 15 airstrike in Pakistan along with four other al Qaeda and Taliban fighters.  A Pakistani army unit has rescued a family who are claiming the Taliban tried to force them to marry off their daughters to members of the group. Grain of salt, though this is the sort of thing that tripped up Al Qaeda in Iraq's Anbar province.

SPIDER-CAT, Spider-Cat/ Does whatever a Spider-Cat does. Pics and video at the link.

DUCKLINGS talked off a ledge in Spokane, WA. Pic and video at the link.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: A man near Prince William Forest Park is doing his part.  Are you?

SLUMHOG MILLIONAIRE is the new mascot for the St. Paul Saints.  Awww...some pic at the link.

KIDNEY NOW: Elvis Costello, Mary J. Blige, Rhett Miller,  Sheryl Crow, Beastie Boys Mike D and Ad-Rock, Moby, Cyndi Lauper, Michael McDonald, Norah Jones and more were part of an all-star charity benefit for Milton Greene on the season finale of 30 Rock, but you can download the video for "He Needs A Kidney" at iTunes, with proceeds benefitting the National Kidney Foundation. Or you can stream it, if you get there before the lawyers do.

NEW RELEASES: White Rabbits, Van Hunt, Passion Pit, Jason Lytle, Apostle of Hustle, Flipper, the Beach Boys, Nick Cave, and more are streaming in full this weeke via Spinner.

WHITE RABBITS also played the World Cafe last Friday; you can stream the gig now via NPR.

DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS played the Mountain Stage; you can stream the gig now via NPR.

DAN DEACON played DC's 9:30 Club over the weekend, so you can stream the gig on demand via NPR.

THE BEACH BOYS' first UK TV appearance, on Ready, Steady, GO!, November 6, 1964.  "I Get Around" and "When I Grow Up," for Twofer Tuesday.

TORI AMOS is advance streaming her album.

BAT FOR LASHES stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set streaming on demand via NPR.

PETER BUCK talks about demos for the next REM album, and his otherwise busy schedule, with Pitchfork.

ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN: Ian McCulloch comments on Colonel Timothy L. Korpa bringing Ocean Rain to the International Space Station.

MAD MEL UPDATE: Gibson's girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva, is reportedly pregnant with his child.

CYNTHIA NIXON announced her engagement to girlfriend Christine Marinoni.  From the picture, I'm guessing Nixon is the femme in the relationship.

BRITNEY SPEARS may make an unscheduled stop on "American Idol" this week?

ALEC BALDWIN may want to stay away from the Philippines for a while. And talk shows.

JAMIE FOXX named as a potential contender for the role of Frank Sinatra in Martin Scorcese's biopic? They already did this for Bob Dylan, so I'm guessing not.

MEGA-SHARK vs GIANT OCTOPUS:  People embeds the trailer along with comments from star (and former teen pop star) Deborah Gibson.

WOODY ALLEN setlled his lawsuit against American Apparel for five million.

DON PARDO retires as the voice of SNL.

PAKISTAN is rapidly adding to its nuclear arsenal even while racked by insurgency, raising questions on Capitol Hill about whether billions of dollars in proposed military aid might be diverted to Pakistan's nuclear program.   Top US senators on Friday underscored the need for India and Pakistan to reduce troops on the Kashmir border to allow Islamabad to fight the Taliban on its Afghan border more effectively.

IRAQ has released 132838 prisoners under an amnesty law.  Kurdistan will pump natural gas to Europe.  Locals and US troops worry as the US prepares to withdraw from Sadr City in Baghdad.

ADVANCED CAT YODELING: Let's go to the video.

SPARKY the CAT was adopted by a British couple who flew to Michigan to adopt him.

THE DOG-O-MATIC is a mini car-wash that transforms pets from filthy to fluffy in half an hour.  Or until the dogs rise up in rebellion against humankind.  Pics at the link.

COWS stare unamazed as a British ice cream maker Frank Frederick flies in an Italian opera tenor to sing them in the hope they will produce creamier milk.

I'LL BE BACK, as the Governator whould say. Tomorrow.  Angels & Demons was your No.1 movie this weekend, but its 48 million was far less than the DaVinci Code's 77.1 million, or Star Trek's opening last weekend.  Trek made 43 million, a fairly impressive hold.  This week it will become the most successful Trek since the 1980s.  Trek is now almost certain to clear 200 million in the US, a big relief for Paramount.  Wolverine is in third and plummeting. Rounding out the Top Five this week are the counter-programming, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and Obsessed.

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with ARTHUR LEE & LOVE!  Pate used to cover their garage-y take on Bacharach's "My Little Red Book," but Arthur Lee's big triumph was the Forever Changes album, from which Lee played "Alone Again Or," "Maybe The People Would Be The Times Or Between Clark And Hilldale" "'You Set The Scene" on Later with Jools Holland, with strings and horns.

DANGER MOUSE + SPARKLEHORSE + DAVID LYNCH = Dark Night of the Soul, advance streaming via NPR. other artists appearing on Dark Night of the Soul include James Mercer of The Shins, The Flaming Lips, Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals, Jason Lytle of Grandaddy, Julian Casablancas of The Strokes, Frank Black of the Pixies, Iggy Pop, Nina Persson of The Cardigans, Suzanne Vega, Vic Chesnutt, David Lynch, and Scott Spillane of Neutral Milk Hotel and The Gerbils.

JULIANA HATFIELD does the four free songs thing for Daytrotter, two unreleased, including a cover of "It's Only Rock 'n Roll."

SONIC YOUTH, live at the Hollywood Palladium, August 1990.

THE VASELINES: Eugene Kelly talks to NOW about reuniting, while NPR's Carrie Brownstein asks whether it's better to reappear or disappear.

THE KILLERS played "A Dustland Fairytale" at the Ed Sullivan Theater. Again with the orchestral rock today.

JARVIS COCKER and his kids review current singles for The Guardian.

THE THERMALS singer/guitarist Hutch Harris talks to the Washington Post about the band's Yogi Bear philosophy.

MAXIMO PARK: Paul Smith talks to The Independent about how he joined the band, the upcoming album, etc.  Enrique Iglesias has a cameo.

THE SISTERS OF MERCY continue to polarize opinion like few other bands.

CUTOUT BIN: From Shiny Toy Guns to The Heavy, from Simon & Garfunkel to Led Zeppelin, from the Supremes to the New York Dolls, plus Pavement, Cheap Trick, the English Beat, Elton John and more  -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.

NEW RELEASES: This weekend's sole wide debut is Angels & Demons, which is currently scoring 40 percent on the ol' Tomatometer.

LINDSAY LOHAN gets a paying gig.

ROB LOWE settled sex harrassment suits brought by ex-nannies Jessica Gibson and Laura Boyce.

MADONNA reportedly wants to marry boytoy Jesus Luz, kabbalah style -- which may not be legally binding.

BARBRA STREISAND's long-hidden secrets will be bared in a new tell-all by her ex-boyfriend Hollywood producer Jon Peters -- who claims the beloved diva was sexually abused by a slimy movie mogul and had affairs with three of her leading men

FARRAH FAWCETT needs a miracle.

STAR TREK vs STAR WARS: They are your favorite movie (spoiler warning for Trek, natch).

THE BIG LEBOWSKI is added to The A.V. Club Cult Canon. Dude!

TERRY GILLIAM talks to the Times of London about the death of Heath Ledger and his latest film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.

IRAN: The Obama administration and its European allies are setting a target of early October to determine whether engagement with Iran is making progress or should lead to sanctions, said senior officials briefed on the policy.  The US wants a commitment on sanctions from Russia and China if negotiations founder. Good luck with that.

AFGHANISTAN:  The US has called on Afghanistan to carry out a thorough investigation into a spate of mysterious poisonings harming Afghan school girls.

IRAQ: A senior al Qaeda leader based in Syria who recruits and facilitates the entry of foreign fighters into Iraq has been sanctioned by the US Treasury Department.

SLEEPING PIGLETS still keep an ear out.

ORANGUTAN & DOG, living together, riding an elephant, appearing on Oprah... mass hysteria.

DOG vs MAIL CARRIER: The classic confrontation.

A DROWNING KANGAROO was rescued by a surfer on Kirra Beach in Australia.

EXCUSE ME, WAITER, there appears to be a baby rat in my stir-fry.