BECK has started a Record Club, in which he and friends will cover an album in a day, and release a track a week.  The inaugural track is a lovely version of "Sunday Morning," from The Velvet Underground and Nico.

ELVIS PERKINS IN DEARLAND played the World Cafe on Friday; you can stream the gig on demand via NPR.

BAT FOR LASHES: Natasha Khan has an interview+tracks with NPR's Weekend Edition.

METRIC stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set streaming via MPR.

THE AVETT BROS are profiled by Paste and LexGo. (Thx, LHB.)

GUIDED BY VOICES: Pitchfork TV is airing "Watch Me Jumpstart" for one week only. Less than that now, so watch.

DINOSAUR, JR.: J Mascis tells The Quietus what he learned about American hardcore.

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE talks to The A.V. Club about the band's quasi-break through.

WILCO: Jeff Tweedy talks to the Las Vegas Sun, while John Stirratt talks to the Washington City Paper.

BEST OF 2009: Early contenders are considered by The A.V. Club and Pop Tarts Suck Toasted.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: The Proposal somewhat surprises at No. 1, with 34 million in receipts (against a 40 million budget).  Sandra Bullock never opened a movie above 20 million, until now -- so Ryan Reynolds has to be feeling pretty good today.  The Hangover drops to second place, but only drops 18 percent; it crossed the 150 million mark on a 35 million budget. Pixar's Up hangs tough in third, with 21.3 million; it has made 224 million domestically on a 175 million budget.  Year One debuted in fourth place, with a slightly better-than-expected 20.2 million; that's about average for Jack Black, and okay for Michael Cera -- with a 60 million budget, this one probably won't be a bomb. The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, otoh, dropped over 50 percent to land in fifth place; it has made only 43 million against a 100 million budget.  Below the fold, Night at the Museum makes back its budget in the US, and has made more than that overseas.  Star Trek hangs tough, while Land of the Lost and Imagine That stink up the joint.  Terminator Salvation is even making some okay coin worldwide.

PIXAR granted a dying 10-year-old girl's last request.

TRANSFORMERS 2 director Michael Bay is mighty miffed at the marketing of the sequel.

MONEYBALL STRIKES OUT: Sony/Columbia dropped the ball on "Moneyball," the Steven Soderbergh-directed Brad Pitt starrer that was supposed to begin production today. 

LINDSAY LOHAN & RYAN SEACREST spent the night together?  Supposedly, he is interested in a Li-Lo reality show, if that's not too oxymoronic.

MADONNA'S latest adoptee was secretly flown from her home country of Malawi into London early Saturday morning.

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS: Entertainment Tonight got exclusive footage... and talks over it. Thanks.

DAVID DUCHOVNY & TEA LEONI: Still in love?

FOOTLOOSE: The remake signs Julianne Hough of Dancing With the Stars.

THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN may be brought back to life by Universal.

IRAN: The Lede at the NYT continues to do yeoman's work keeping people updated with news from the Islamic theocracy's electoral crisis, including video of "Neda," a young woman shot right through the heart on the streets of Tehran.  The HuffPo's Nico Pitney is also doing good round-ups.  The Iranian-American Web site Tehran Bureau relays reports that "in Tehran they're massacring people."  The number of journalists reported to have been arrested since the June 12 election rose to at least 24. London-based Chatham House challenges some of the assertions about President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's reelection made by Iranian officials.

THE STANS: Siraj Haqqani, Abu Yahya al Libi, Abdul Haq, and two senior Taliban commanders met with the Pakistani Taliban chief to advise him to redirect his activities toward Afghanistan. The meeting took place the same week the US and Pakistani military launched airstrikes in South Waziristan and wounded a senior terrorist leader.  Pakistan seems to be focusing only on outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban's leader Baitullah Mehsud - at least five other prominent militant groups don't figure in the government's hitlist.

CAT VS. BAT: Let's go to the slo-mo video.

COW VS. CAR: Who you got?

THREE RED PANDA CUBS, plenty of awww...some pics.

PRISON-TRAINED PUPPIES help wounded troops.