THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with SLY & THE FAMILY STONE! Watch 'em rip through a medley of "Everyday People" and "Dance to the Music," plus "Hot Fun in the Summertime," "Don't Call Me N*gger, Whitey," and "I Want to Take You Higher" on network TV, circa 1969.

THURSTON MOORE stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session... and plays the UBS Forum.

KEN STRINGFELLOW stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

4 AD REVISITED: Robin Guthrie (Cocteau Twins) & Brendan Perry (Dead Can Dance) perform on the air at KEXP.

NIRVANA: The Nevermind Sessions.

FLAMING LIPS & LIGHTNING BOLT have a joint EP which has turned up online.

NEWPORT FOLK FEST: Tracks from Earl Scruggs, Tegan & Sara, Gillian Welch, Wanda Jackson and more are part of a streaming preview at NPR.

DIAMOND KNIGHTS: "Destination Diamonds".  For the 70s vibe in the heat of late July.

MICK JAGGER: Closet Conservative?

THE FIVE BEST MUSIC STREAMING SERVICES, according to Lifehacker.

CREEM: Don't call it a comeback yet.

THE PERIODIC TABLE of Heavy Metals.

CUTOUT BIN: From the Clash to KC & the Sunshine Band, from fIREHOSE to Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, from Eddie Cochran to the Sweet, plus the Ramones, Yardbirds, Tommy Keene, the Hues Corp. and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are now streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.

NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases are: Cowboys & Aliens, which is currently scoring 43 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; The Smurfs, currently scoring 11 percent; and Crazy, Stupid Love, scoring 74 percent.

AMY WINEHOUSE: Sudden abstinence from alcohol might have been what led to her death, according to a report. Hmm.

JENNIFER LOPEZ is expected to close her American Idol deal this week.

JOSH GROBAN talks to GQ about kissing Emma Stone in Crazy Stupid Love (which got cut from the film) and more...

DENISE RICHARDS opens up about her series of botched boob jobs... and her Hollywood lesbian experience, just in time for Gratuitous Friday.

FRIENDS: An even friendlier show than I remembered.

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 4 moves back to Dec. 21, supposedly based on bullish sentiment.

THE 10 GREATEST UNMADE MOVIES, according to PopMatters.

TERROR in the USA: A US serviceman is in custody after he allegedly admitted he was planning an attack on the US Army base at Fort Hood, TX, the same base where 13 people were killed in a 2009 terror attack.

LIBYA: Rebel officials have recalled Abdel Fattah Younes, who is leading the military campaign against Gaddafi, from the front line. Younes defected to the rebel side in February, was being questioned after rumors circulated that he was suspected of having had secret talks with Gaddafi's government.

IRAN has nominated a senior leader in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps to lead OPEC.

IRAQ:  Pres. Talibani pardoned 50 Mahdi Army fighters and leaders. The Mahdi Army's Promised Day Brigade claimed it carried out five attacks over the past week against US forces in Baghdad, Dhi Qar, Wasit, and Maysan.

PUPPY fakes its own death.

AN ORPHAN ZEBRA only eats when his keeper wears stripes. Aw.

THE STORK delivered five babies to a nest in Burgenland, Austria, which experts are claiming is a sensation.

HORDES OF BATS: A drought in Texas, where 1.5 million bats are living under a bridge in Austin, has fuelled a bat frenzy with locals gathering each night to view the nocturnal creatures.