THE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with ARETHA FRANKLIN, Live in Stockholm, 1968! The "Lady Soul" concert was broadcast on Swedish TV, including "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," "Come Back Baby," "Dr Feelgood (Love Is A Serious Business)," "Since You've Been Gone (Sweet Sweet Baby)" "I  Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)," "Chain Of Fools," and "Respect."

MEMORIAL DAY RADIO: WOXY starts running its Modern Rock 500 on Saturday. Chicago's WLS reverts back to classic Top 40 format Monday for the Big 89 Rewind.

CAT POWER: The Guardian Music Blog wonders whether she can regain the momentum she lost to her breakdowns and misbehavior.  Yes, she can.

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED: New tracks from Mates of State and Sam Phillips highlight the latest edition of the long-running NPR series.

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS: TIME magazine profiles the 20-year phenomenon that spans the generations. Here's the video podcast for "Seven" mentioned in the profile.

KID ROCK: You may be hearing a mutant hybrid of Warren Zevon, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Bob Seger "All Summer Long." Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid.

TOP 5 DRIVING SONGS, as compiled by Carrie Brownstein, former guitarist for Sleater-Kinney and host of NPR's Monitor Mix blog.

RICHARD HAWLEY: Frank Yang, being lucky enough to see him play the Royal Albert Hall, has plenty of A/V linkage for someone you should know.

THE TING TINGS' meteoric ascent from TheirSpace to a major-label record deal and an iPod commercial, is chronicled on NPR's Day to Day.

THE CONSTANTINES guitarist Steve Lambke talks to JamBase as the band quits their day jobs.

CUTOUT BIN: From Elvis Presley to Elvis Costello, from Otis Redding to R. Dean Taylor, from Kenny Rogers to Devo, Janis Joplin, The Replacements, Faith No More and the Undisputed Truth, this Friday's fortuitous finds can be jukeboxed or streamed individually on the Pate page at the ol' HM.

CAMERON DIAZ plays a mother who shaves her head in support of her ill daughter in the upcoming My Sister's Keeper.

JESSICA ALBA's May 19 wedding to boyfriend Cash Warren might be one the most strategically sound decisions the actress has made in her career.

JODIE FOSTER cheated on her lesbian partner of 14 years with a younger, prettier woman who is now her new girlfriend, according to the National Enquirer.

TOM-KAT UPDATE: Cruise has sicked his lawyers on luxury baby boutique Petit Tresor, accusing them of babbling to the tabs about Suri's outrageously expensive designer duds.

SHANIA TWAIN: People has a pic of the alleged other woman in her separation from her husband of 14 years, music producer Robert "Mutt" Lange. Marie-Anne Thiébaud the longtime secretary and house manager at the couple's estate in Switzerland, denies that she split up the marriage.

WINONA RYDER & KEANU REEVES are not a couple, according to OK! magazine, contardicitng a prior claim in Star magazine.

OK!'s TOP 50 MAN CANDY: Considering I linked to Maxim's Hot 100, I thought it only fair to link something for the ladies (and gay dudes, I suppose).

BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA: The scariest trailer I have seen in years.

TERROR IN THE UK: Police arrested a "radicalized" convert to Islam after he was injured in a bomb explosion in a city center on Thursday. The 22-year-old, who suffered cuts to his eye and facial burns in the explosion and remains in police custody at a hospital, has a history of mental illness.

TRENDS IN GLOBAL TERRORISM: A study released on Wednesday reports a decline in fatal attacks of terrorism worldwide and says US think-tank data showing sharp increases were distorted due to the inclusion of killings in Iraq.

IRAQ: Iraqi soldiers moved unhindered through Baghdad's vast Sadr City district on Wednesday as Shiite militiamen who have long controlled the area faded from view and schools and businesses began to reopen after weeks of strife. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani expects Iraqi forces will take control of security of all Iraqi territories by the end of this year. Gen. Petraeus said on Thursday he expects to recommend further troop cuts this year after a 45-day pause in withdrawals that begins in mid-July. Joint US-Iraqi forces on Thursday arrested 29 AQI gunmen in a military operation south of Baquba. AQI is stepping up its racketeering campaigns as the military clamps down on its operations.

ANTEATER EATS WITH A SPOON: And sucks Cheez Whiz right from the can.  Let's go to the video.

RUPERT the TORTOISE has escaped through a hole in a garden fence. His owner has warned he can be aggressive and he has been known to bite children and dogs.

THE SWARM attacked two men at a Fountain Hills, AZ home and also stung six emergency workers trying to rescue them.

A HERD OF WILD BOARS thwarted a suspected car thief's getaway in northern Germany.

MEXICAN DONKEY UPDATE: "Blacky" has been freed from jail after doing time for assault and battery. Let's go to the video.