THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE...

... with THE MINUTEMEN! San Pedro, California's greatest musical export took apart rock, jazz and funk and put the pieces back together in a jagged collage.  They are caught here in an acoustic session for a cable-access show from Hollywood, circa 1985. Part 1 includes "Corona," "Themselves," "Badges," "I Felt Like A Gringo," and "Time" (Richard Hell). Part 2 includes "Lost" (Meat Puppets), "Ack Ack Ack Ack," "History Lesson Part II," and "Tour Spiel." Part 3 is "Little Man With A Gun In His Hand." Your bonus outtakes from the session are "The Red And The Black" (Blue Öyster Cult) and "Green River" (Creedence Clearwater Revival).

DINOSAUR, JR. and LOU BARLOW played DC's 9:30 Club last night, so you should be able to stream the whole gig on demand today via NPR.

YO LA TENGO returned to The Current for a chat and mini-set streaming via MPR.

THE 50 GREATEST COVER SONGS, according to SPIN, with embedded audio. BONUS: Covers that are better than the originals are discussed at The Current blog.

MOJO NIXON has 13 free albums for download at Amazon. 

RAY DAVIES and DAVID BOWIE duet on "Waterloo Sunset," live at the Tibet House Benefit, Carnegie Hall, New York in Feb. 2003.

POPCANDY PODCAST: Fanfarlo, Headlights, Rufus Wainwright, Pugwash and more are streaming via USA Today.

DESERT ISLAND DISCS, also from USA Today's Whitney Matheson.

LUCINDA WILLIAMS talks to the Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot about a life on the road.

BUCKWHEAT ZYDECO stopped by the World Cafe for a mini-set streaming via NPR.

SKA: The history and future of the genre is essayed at PopMatters.

CUTOUT BIN: From Toni Basil en Espanol to the Chi-Lites, from Grand Funk to Crooked Fingers, from U2 to the Sweet, plus Flock of Seagulls, the Posies, the Beach Boys, Jim Reid, the Kinks, Sam and Dave, the Go! Team and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.

NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide release is Couples Retreat, which is currently scoring 7 percent on the ol' Tomatometer.

RUSSELL BRAND and KATY PERRY are heating up.

DAVE LETTERMAN is looking at a 300 million dollar divorce, according the the ever-reliable National Enquirer.  Meanwhile, his former assistant-galpal has been banned from his CBS set.

DR. PHIL is being sued by a woman who claims he held her captive inside his production offices, forced her to stare at a naked man - and then grabbed her left breast.

CHRISTIE BRINKLEY and ex PETER COOK want each other chucked in jail.

JOE FRANCIS GONE WILD, on video, ironically.

ELLEN PAGE is writing and producing an HBO comedy.

EMMY ROSSUM and ADAM DURITZ: Caught canoodling, as the actress ends her secret marriage.

OUR FRIENDS, THE SAUDIS demanding behind closed doors that oil-producing nations get special financial assistance if a new climate pact calls for substantial reductions in the use of fossil fuels.

AFGHANISTAN: Anthony Loyd revisits his old regiment and reports on the daily ordeal of life on Afghanistan's bloodiest battlefront.

IRAQ: The US Marines complete their mission in Anbar province.  What follows is an open question.

WILLOW can read from cards, which has the Today Show staff fearing for their jobs.

BOOMER might be the world's tallest living dog. Pic at the link.

A DEAD DEER IN A CLOWN SUIT. In Sioux City, IA. And we have video.

A FOUR-WEEK-OLD KITTEH was the focus of a two-day rescue effort after she got stuck in the engine block of a car in a mall parking lot.