Topic: Karl

THE FOURTH of JULY WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with THE BEACH BOYS!  It's Pate Reunion Weekend and time to "Do It Again."  Because folks my age will always remember their mammoth July 4th concerts at the Washington Monument -- as with this 1980 take o­n "Good Vibrations."  Their "Lost Concert" from 1964 includes "Fun, Fun, Fun," "Long, Tall Texan," "Little Deuce Coupe," "Surfer Girl," "Surfin' USA," "Shut Down," "In My Room," "Papa Ooh Mow Mow," and "Hawaii." Their take on "Dance, Dance, Dance" from Shindig! later that year is like a slice of Christmas in July.  There's also a nifty twofer of "I Get Around" and "'When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)" from their first UK TV appearance o­n Ready Steady Go!  The Andy Williams Show serves up "Help Me, Rhonda," while The Jack Benny Hour produced these quick takes o­n "Barbara Ann" and "California Girls."  There's a primitive video for "Wouldn't It Be Nice" that starts with a cameo from Brian Wilson's dogs (Banana and Louie), who appear at the end of the Pet Sounds LP.  And I'll finish with a live version of "God Only Knows" from the 1967 European tour -- one of the last Brian would do for a decade or so.

RAY CHARLES performs "America The Beautiful" like no one else.

INDEPENDENCE DAY: Bruce Springsteen, circa 1978, before it came out on The River.

AMERICAN MUSIC: The Violent Femmes, circa 1992.

DAVE ALVIN: Hey, baby, it's the "4th of July."

JAMES LILEKS: Truth.

THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER: From 2008, Hidden Track serves up 12 video versions. And the only ones not working now are Jimi Hendrix and Whitney Houston.

THE UNITED STATES prepares to celebrate the anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain on July 4, 1776. As the Wikipedia notes, this is a little arbitrary: New Englanders had been fighting Britain since April 1775; the first motion in the Continental Congress for independence was made o­n June 8th; and the Congress voted 12-0 for independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain o­n July 2, 1776. Even so, the publication of the Declaration was momentous .  If you're not in DC, the best way to see and learn about the Declaration may be through the Charters of Freedom website. Or you can watch Mel Gibson, Michael Douglas, Renee Zelleweger, Kevin Spacey, Wynona Ryder and other Hollywood folk read the Declaration.

Of course, the holiday more broadly celebrates the American Revolutionary War, and the Founders' unlikely victory. People with the highest standard of living and the lowest taxes in the Western World fought a sometimes unpopular war for our freedom. Early o­n, the Revolutionaries (also known as "Americans" or "Patriots") had the active support of about 40 to 45 percent of the colonial population. By 1779, there were more Americans fighting with the British than with Washington, which is why Washington needed help from the French, the Spanish and freed Blacks. You can separate fact from fiction regarding the sacrifices and fates of the Founders at Snopes. You can hear two-time Pulitzer Prize winner David McCullough read from the first chapter of his 1776 via NPR. Or watch a nifty clip on the passage and public reading of the Declaration from the John Adams miniseries.

NOW SHOWING: The weekend's wide releases include Terminator: Genisys, which is currently scoring 25 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; Magic Mike XXL, currently scoring 58 percent; and Faith of Our Fathers, which critics have not bothered to review.

DEBBIE HARRY turned 70 yesterday. Stereogum recently ranked Blondie's albums, while NME delivered 25 fun facts about the singer.

CHANNING TATUM is profiled by Vanity Fair.

KIM KARDASHIAN is on the cover of the Rolling Stone, because she's a giant in the music biz. Oh wait.

JENNIFER GARNER reached her breaking point with Ben Affleck's drinking and gambling and that's why she pulled the plug on their marriage ... sources connected with the couple tell TMZ.  Or was it Affleck's career comeback that did them in? The options aren't mutually exclusive.

JENNIFER LAWRENCE ditches Chris Martin for Nic Hoult again.

TRUE DETECTIVE stars Rachel McAdams and Taylor Kitsch are dating. 

MILEY CYRUS was caught canoodling on camera with model Stella Maxwell. 

STEPHEN COLBERT interviewed EMINEM on a Monroe, Michigan public access show, presumably for use on The Late Show.

ROBERT DOWNEY JR & PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON are collaborating on a live-action Pinocchio.

STEVE JOBS, starring Michael Fassbender, has a trailer online. 

CREED: The next generation Rocky movie has a trailer online. 

SIR NICHOLAS WINSTON, who organised the rescue of 669 children destined for Nazi concentration camps, has died aged 106.

YEMEN: Around 1200 prisoners, including al Qaeda suspects, escaped during clashes at a jail in central Yemen. 

THE ISLAMIC STATE threatens to topple Hamas in the Gaza strip.

IRAN's Central Bank has successfully repatriated 13 tons of gold as part of a package of sanctions relief provided to Iran by U.S. and Western powers. 

TWIGGY: Another Fourth of July tradition, the water-skiing squirrel. Great story. Compelling and rich.

RANDY BULLS had to be hosed down to enable the rescue a cow. 

A THERAPY TORTOISE comforts the residents of a Florida nursing home. 

THESE FLATWORMS plunge their penises into their own heads to inject themselves with sperm (when they must).

FATHER JOHN MISTY covers Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs," solo and unpluggedy.

HEARTLESS BAST^RDS stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

RICHARD THOMPSON stopped by World Cafe for a chat and mini-set. 

SURFER BLOOD  plays a mini-set on KEXP's Midday Show.

RYLEY WALKER also plays a mini-set on KEXP's Midday Show. 

RICHARD HAWLEY drops "Which Way" ahead of Hollow Meadows. 

THE MINUS 5 plays The Runaways' "Cherry Bomb" for the A.V. Club Undercover.

COURTNEY BARNETT discusses her favorite songs at Pitchfork. 

MARK KOZELEK paid tribute to late Yes Bassist Chris Squire. 

WILCO: The Guardian profiled the band's Solid Sound festival. 

AC/DC, who made their music available on iTunes only in 2012, are making their music available on Spotify, Apple Music and Rdio. 

BEN AFFLECK & JENNIFER GARNER are getting divorced after ten years of marriage. 

KATY PERRY is battling nuns over the sale of a convent. 

SEAN PENN threw a big birthday party/first date with Minka Kelly. 

GWYNETH PALTROW is reportedly playing the field. 

EVANGELINE LILLY is expecting her second child. 

PARIS HILTON has threatened to sue the plane crash hoaxters. 

DWAYNE JOHNSON: The Rock is profiled by Esquire. 

STAN LEE may have phoned 911 over the weekend, but was looking fit at the Ant-Man premiere. 

SYRIA: U.S. intelligence agencies believe there is a strong possibility the Assad regime will use chemical weapons on a large scale as part of a last-ditch effort to protect key Syrian government strongholds if Islamist fighters and other rebels try to overrun them.

IRAN: The deadline for the nuclear talks is extended by a week. Shocka. 

DOGS STUCK: A BuzzFeed supercut. 

THE BIRDS: Angry birds near Houston much less fun than the videogame. 

AN ESCAPED GIANT RHEA BIRD could disembowel you in a single strike. 

SERVICE ANIMAL FRAUD targeted in Florida. 

BILLY CORGAN medleys Smashing Pumpkins' Gish into three minutes.

SUEDE played Glastonbury. 

PALMA VIOLETS played  live on KEXP’s Midday Show. 

RICHARD SWIFT dropped a mixtape at Aquarium Drunkard. 

PANDA BEAR shares his PBVSGR Remixes EP.

THE ARCS: Dan Auerbach’s Black Keys side project  drops “Outta My Mind."

GARY WRIGHT will always be known as the "Dreamweaver," but add "Love is Alive" (with More Cowbell) and you have Twofer Tuesday.

THE CLASH's seminal London Calling was influenced by soccer?

PETE TOWNSHEND & ROGER DALTREY had a Kanye West moment at Glastonbury. 

JOHNNY MARR talks pop and politics at TLOBF. 

THE BEST of 2015 (So Far), according to NPR Music. 

JEREMY RENNER  talks to Playboy about his sexuality without saying anything.

GOLDIE HAWN's ex claims she poisoned their son and film star daughter Kate Hudson against him and vows to ‘break all ties with them’.

CAITLYN JENNER got a big reception at NYC's gay pride parade.

PARIS HILTON was subjected to a terrifying plane crash hoax. 

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE played with the band at the wedding of Jessica Biel's college roomie.

THE CELEBRITY 100: Forbes lists the Highest Paid Superstars of 2015.

SPIDER-MAN: The next reboot will be partly inspired by John Hughes. 

JACK CARTER, a brash, caustic comic who became a star in early television and sustained a career of more than a half-century in TV, nightclubs, movies and on stage, has died at 93.

A NEW JERSEY MAN  was arrested at his home Monday morning for allegedly conspiring to provide material support to ISIS.

SYRIA's foreign minister said in Moscow on Monday Russia had promised to send political, economic and military aid to his country, where the army is coming under some of the heaviest pressure since the start of the civil war. 

IRAN: A senior U.S official in Vienna said negotiators will not make tomorrow's deadline on an agreement on Iran's nuclear program. Shocka.

A DOG beats the baby to saying "Mama."

SHARK BITES MAN, Man punches shark in head.  

PYTHON EATS PORCUPINE, Regrets It Later. Dinsdale! 

A BLACK BEAR crashed a college party at Lehigh. 

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with THE RAMONES! Live at CBGB's circa October 1977.  Your setlist includes: “Blitzkrieg Bop”; “Sheena is a Punk Rocker”; “Beat on the Brat”; “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue”; “Rockaway Beach”; “Cretin Hop”; “Oh,Oh, I Love Her So”; and“Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World.”

CALEXICO stoppeb by WFUV's Studio A for a chat and mini-set. 

FRASER GORMAN advance streams Slow Gum. 

ECSTATIC VISION advance streams their debut album, Sonic Praise. 

KING DUDE advance streams Songs of Flesh & Blood - In The Key of Light. 

REFUSED advance streams Freedom.  

SHAFT's OLD MAN: A soul jazz soundtrack to an imaginary black 60s spy film. 

RICKED WICKY, a/k/a ROBERT POLLARD drops "Tomfoole Terrific" ahead of King Heavy Metal. 

DUNGEN returns with "Åkt Dit", ahead of Allas Sak. 

BLOOD MOON drops "All U Got". 

VERUCA SALT shares their 'Empty Bottle". 

THE CLASH AT DEMONHEAD covers Metric's "Black Sheep." I remember when Envy was Nat.

ST VINCENT: Annie Clark discusses collaborating with david Byrne and falling off stage in an hour-plus Times Talk. 

WAXAHATCHEE: Katie Crutchfield gets an in-depth profile at Pitchfork. 

BRIAN WILSON is adding US tour dates on the popularity of the Love and Mercy biopic. 

QUEEN is releasing a Bohemian Lager. 

NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases are Ted 2, which is currnetly scoring 45 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; and Max, currently scoring 37 percent. 

JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT and husband Brian Hallisay have welcomed a son, their second child together.

BOBBI KRISTINA BROWN may soon become a murder case.

CAMERON DIAZ is reportedly taking a year off from making movies to “be a wife and try to have a baby” with husband of five months, Good Charlotte rocker Benji Madden. 

BEN AFFLECK destroys a PBS show. 

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER opened up to talk show host Howard Stern about his split from Maria Shriver, his love child, and his son Patrick's relationship with Miley Cyrus. 

PATRICK McNEE, who played the iconic role of John Steed in the 1960s British television series, The Avengers, has died at 93. 

CHINA is indeed the "leading suspect" in the theft of potentially damaging information about federal and military personnel form OPM. 

TURKEY, a member of NATO, is siding with iSIS over the Kurds. 

THE ISLAMIC STATE in Syria is holding a grotesque “Koran memorization contest” in which the winners will be awarded female child sex slaves.  They've also destroyed two historic tombs at Palmyra.

IRAN: The United States and other nations negotiating a nuclear deal with Iran are ready to offer high-tech reactors and other state-of-the-art equipment to Tehran if it agrees to crimp programs that can make atomic arms.

THE RUNNING OF THE SHEEP, featuring Trouble the Cat. 

A RARE AMAZONIAN FISH discovered in a US lake does not really want to castrate you. 

COWS vs SHARKS: Which kill more in the US?

SEVEN SEA TURTLES have been released back into the ocean by the Virginia Aquarium. 

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS performs Destiny's Child's "Bills, Bills, Bills" for the A.V. Club Undercover.

RYAN ADAMS drops a three-track single on Spotify.

WIN WIN advance streams Primaries.

CLASS ACTRESS: Dance music isn't really my genre, but the Movies EP is exec produced by Giorgio Moroder and sounds it.

SONGS OF THE SUMMER, 1962-2015, streaming via NPR on Spotify.

IRON & WINE and BEN BRIDWELL cover Talking Heads' "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)".

BELLE & SEBASTIAN played "Allie" and "Suki in the Graveyard" for Seth Meyers.  The latter is one of my fave tracks from the band, tho this take is a little subdued to start.

DAVID BOWIE announced the first in a series of career-spanning box sets.

WOLF ALICE talks to The Guardian about taking years to make a debut LP.

LOW: Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker talk to Stereogum about their long, slow trip and their upcoming LP.

JENNY HVAL talks to Pitchfork about a particular form of soft rock.

KIM KARDASHIAN & KANYE WEST underwent an IVF gender-selection process this spring to predetermine baby No. 2's sex.

DIDDY is now also charged with making terrorist threats during the alleged fight with a UCLA football coach.

BOBBI KRISTINA BROWN is in hospice care and family members are now just waiting for the inevitable.

BRIAN WILLIAMS is getting a frosty welcome at MSNBC.

WILL ARNETT  has split from girlfriend Arielle Vandenberg.

SHIA LeBEOUF received 20 stitches and 13 staples to his head and finger following a bloody onset injury while filming a movie in North Dakota.

SPIDER-MAN:  Marvel and Sony have found their Peter Parker  —  The Impossible actor Tom Holland.

EGYPT reportedly intends to establish a free trade zone with the Eurasian Economic Union, comprising Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Armenia, by the end of 2016.  Losing economic influence with Egypt would represent a major reversal of bipartisan US policy dating back to the Nixon and carter administrations.  Meanwhile, Muslim Brotherhood clerics call for the overthrow of the current government.

AFGHANISTAN: Do you think it couldn't get much worse?

SAUDI diplomats in Khartoum believed Iran shipped advanced nuclear equipment including centrifuges to Sudan in 2012, according to a document leaked last week that WikiLeaks says is a cable from the embassy.

IRAN's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ruled out freezing sensitive nuclear work in the country for a long time and said sanctions imposed on it should be lifted as soon it reaches a final deal with major powers, state TV reported. Also, the deal would be unlikely to improve the world’s ability to react to a sudden effort by Iran to build a bomb.  So maybe not surprising that five former members of President Obama's inner circle of Iran advisers have written an open letter expressing concern that a pending accord to stem Iran's nuclear program "may fall short of meeting the administration's own standard of a ‘good' agreement" and laying out a series of minimum requirements that Iran must agree to in coming days for them to support a final deal.

A PUG's EYE VIEW of Dodger Stadium.

MOOSE RIDE sparks an investigation in Canada.

A NOTORIOUS INVASIVE WORM has invaded the US. No word on whether it raps.

A FLUORESCENT LAMB ended up mistakenly being eaten in France.