GUADALCANAL DIARY: From the "Where Are They Now?" file (and MTV's 120 Minutes), we have a semi-live take on "Watusi Rodeo."

THE JESUS & MARY CHAIN visits World Cafe.

JEFFREY SILVERSTEIN covers Chip Taylor, Steely Dan, Jim Ford and Tom T. Hall for a Lagniappe Session.

WAXAHATCHEE shares "365."

ELBOW shares "Good Blood Mexico City."

TOKYO POLICE CLUB shares a farewell single, "Just A Scratch" and "Catch Me If You Can."

NEIL YOUNG is returning to Spotify.

CHRISTOPHER NOLAN's payday for Oppenheimer is close to 100MM.  Is "The Prisoner" his next project?

READY PLAYER TWO? Or a sequel to Election?

NEVE CAMPBELL will return as Sidney Prescott for the next film in the Scream franchise.  Guess she's getting paid.

MADONNA threw the hot post-Oscars party.

JAKE LLOYD, the original Anakin Skywalker, was admitted to a mental health facility after suffering a psychotic break in March 2023.

SHARON STONE claims that legendary producer Robert Evans wanted her to sleep with a co-star.

KATE BECKINSALE was recently hospitalized.

MONKEY MAN has a trailer online.

SYDNEY SWEENEY gets the ultimate Slate treatment.

CURIOUS EMPEROR PENGUINS investigate a wildlife camera.

A DUCK with happy feet.

AN UNSUCCESSFUL Sneak Attack.

ERIC CARMEN, who became an icon of power pop as the frontman of the Raspberries before achieving even bigger hits as a solo artist in the 1970s and ’80s, has died at age 74.  Folks are going to go for “Go All the Way,”or "I Wanna Be With You," or "All By Myself," but "Overnight Sensation" is the one, srsly.

KARL WALLINGER, the former Waterboys multi-instrumentalist who became the sole member of the successful ’80s and ’90s psych-pop project World Party has died at 66.  A nice video selection at the link.

THE STROKES played live rarities at a benefit gig.

DAVE GROHL covers McCartney's "Live And Let Die."

THE 100 BEST BEATLES SOLO SONGS, according to Rolling Stone.

MADONNA called out a fan for sitting at her concert, though the fan was in a wheelchair.

10CC is touring the US after 30 years.

THE NUMBER ONES looks at Pink & Fun. singer Nate Ruess' power-ballad duet "Just Give Me A Reason."

THE OSCARS delivered their highest rating in four years, averaging 19.5 million viewers.  Helps when big, popular films are good.

WES ANDERSON reacted to his first Oscar, which he wasn't there to accept.

AL PACINO explains his delivery of the Best Picture vote.

OPPENHEIMER's Oscar-winning editor speaks to Vulture about the film's hardest scenes.

THE FIRST OMEN has a trailer online.

THE ROYALS: Kate Middleton apologizes for editing a family photo that still leaves her health status a mystery.

DAISY RIDLEY was not flooded with job offers post-Star Wars.

JODIE FOSTER is done with True Detective.

COYOTE v ACME still has a chance at a release?

A DOGGO gets his dance on.

CRUFT'S Best In Show.

A BULL does some showjumping.

BLUE SWEDE: "Hooked on a Feeling," introduced by the late Don Kirshner. Ooga-Chucka.

NEW RELEASES: Paste will point you to Bleachers, Kim Gordon, and more.

BILL'S INDIE BASEMENT has Astrel K, Meatbodies, and more.

THE BLACK KEYS shares "This Is Nowhere."

BILLY IDOL shares a cover of Rose Royce's  "Love Don't Live Here Anymore."

KIM GORDON, on Barbie, Kurt Cobain, the presidential election, and much more.

LIAM GALLAGHER would rather spend time with his Thai rescue dog than go on tour.

SXSW: Bands are dropping out over festival sponsorships by the US Army and defense contractors.

THE OSCARS went to these folks. Congrats.  Here's the high point. Or maybe this was it.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Kung Fu Panda 4 tops the chart with 55MM, a strong opening and one likely to be leggy given the relative lack of family fare on big screens right now.  Dune: Part Two places with 44MM on a 47 percent drop, which is strong for a tentpole and roughly similar to what happened with Oppenheimer last year.  Imaginary shows with 9.3MM, which is a little below predictions, but against a 10MM budget, it's probably fine.

THE HOLDOVERS faces charges of plagiarism from screenwriter Simon Stephenson, whose credits include Pixar’s “Luca” and StudioCanal’s “Paddington 2.”

DAKOTA JOHNSON's candid comments about Madame Web aren't appreciated by Sony.

CHRISTOPHER WALKEN could have been Han Solo.

NATALIE PORTMAN is officially divorced from Benjamin Millepied.

THE BLUES BROTHERS: 44 things you may not know about the classic musical comedy.

STREAMING is the new basic cable.

THE RAZZIES went to these folks. Congrats?

A RUBBER COBRA is being used to teach orangutan orphans to fear snakes in the wild.

A POLAR BEAR with a new toy.

A HERON saves a fish instead of eating it.

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE...

...with ROCKPILE, a band that featured old pals Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds cranking out the rootsy pub rock. Let's start with "Teacher, Teacher" and "I Knew the Bride," along with this clip of "Heart," featuring Billy Bremner, which is odd at the start.  And here's the band rolling through Lowe's "So It Goes," and "Heart of the City," plus a cover of Elvis Costello's and "Girls Talk," which many associate more with Edmunds.

J MASCIS pals KEXP.

DJ SHADOW visits World Cafe.

WILD PINK shares "Air Drumming Fix You."

DON HENLEY “manipulated” prosecutors by withholding evidence in the "Hotel Califonia" lyrics case, the judge ruled.

BRYAN FERRY sold half his music catalog.

BLUR drummer Dave Rowntree will stand as a Labour candidate at the next general election.

STEVE LAWRENCE, the charismatic Grammy- and Emmy-winning crooner who delighted audiences for decades in nightclubs, on concert stages and in film and television appearances, died Thursday. He was 88. Here's Steve & Edie's take on Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun."

FALLOUT has a trailer online.

ZACK SNYDER told Joe Rogan that Batman is irrelevant if he can't kill people.

CHRIS MARTIN & DAKOTA JOHNSON are reportedly engaged, with Gwyneth's blessing.

LEA SEYDOUX said that being a female actor in Hollywood is “harsh”, while she finds that it is “easier” in Europe.

KURT RUSSELL still has one regret about filming The Hateful Eight.

MARGARET QUALLEY is set to play Amanda Knox in a Hulu limited series.

JAKE GYLLENHAAL: A Unified Theory.

RUPERT MURDOCH, engaged yet again at 93.

A DOG & BIRD play cat and mouse.

HIPPO vs LIONS: Who You Got?

WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER gets a visit.

WRECKLESS ERIC: The "Whole Wide World," of course. With Ian Dury on the throne.

FUTURE ISLANDS visits World Cafe.

U2 shares video of "Beautiful Day" from their Sphere finale.

NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS return with "Wild God."

CAMERA OBSCURA returns with "We're Going to Make It in a Man's World."

KIM GORDON shares "Psychedelic Orgasm."

FIONA APPLE joins IRON & WINE on "All In Good Time."

BEABADOOBIE covers old Ella Fitzgerald standard "It's Only A Paper Moon."

PHOSPHORESCENT shares "Impossible House."

HOW I LIKE R.E.M.: The Albums, pt. 1.

GARY GLITTER is being sued by one of his victims over the psychiatric damage caused by his abuse.

DIANE WARREN's 15 Oscar-Nominated Songs, Ranked by Stereogum.

DUNE: PART TWO made major inroads with younger viewers.

BOB IGER Pushes Back on Marvel Fatigue, but Says Disney Quietly Canceled Movies.

GAL GADOT gives birth to her fourth child.

THE HIGHEST PAID ACTORS of 2023, according to Forbes.  One might surprise.

THE IDEA OF YOU, ft Anne Hathaway, has a trailer online.

THE ROYALS: Kate Middleton's health status is shrouded in silence.  And a dominatrix threatens to publish nudes of Prince Harry.

BAMPIRE: A Horror-Comedy Based on Bambi, is Coming Soon.

A DOGGO: My Aim Is True.

PUP and Butterfly.

A GOOD BOY breaks up a Jiu-Jitsu match.