THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with A CHRISTMAS SHINDIG! The full episode has gone dark, but still-available clips from 1964 include The Beach Boys' "Dance, Dance, Dance," Bobby Sherman and Donna Loren singing "Keep on Searching," the Righteous Brothers doing "The Jerk" and an awesome milk commercial, Adam Faith with "Watch Your Step," and "Santa Claus Is Back In Town", Bobby Sherman with "Sleigh Ride," Donna Loren returning with a Spector-esque, but rougher "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," and The Beach Boys deliver a set including "Little Saint Nick," "Monster Mash" (yes, really) "Papa Oom Mow Mow," "Johnny B. Goode," and "We Three Kings."

JAY SOM visits KEXP.

HOT CHIP visits KEXP.

PHISH, Live at Nassau Coleseum, Dec. 1, 2019. Including Talking Heads' "Cities."

THE KINKS, with the evergreen "Father Christmas."

1973: The Death Rattle, but fans Almost Famous knew that.

25 GREAT EPs from 2019, according to Stereogum.

DEPECHE MODE's 1980s seduction of Eastern Europe, and late stage capitalism.

CMJ is relaunching in 2020.

THE RAMONES' heirs settle a long-running trademark dispute.

NOW SHOWING:This weekend's sole wide release is Playmobil, which is currently scoring 23 percent onb the ol' Tomatometer.  But Dark Waters expands wide scoring 92 percent.

R KELLY Is Charged With Using Bribes to Marry Aaliyah at Age 15. Meanwhile, Joycelyn Savage asserted she had been "hacked," and that a series of online accusations published last month that said that the R&B singer had sexually and physically abused her were false.

MULAN has a trailer online.

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE apologized to JESSICA BIEL after his "strong lapse in judgment" with a co-star. She'll stand by him.

JOHNNY DEPP's reps have now denied he is working on the musical that will blame Jackson's sex abuse allegations on a glove that feeds on "virgin boy blood."

FELICITY JONES and husband Charles Guard are expecting their first child.

WATCHING BRAD PITT: Is he watching us?

DECEMBER 7, 1941: A "date which will live in infamy." I'll be watching Tora! Tora! Tora! this weekend. BTW, the first nation invaded by the US after entering WWII was Morocco, then Algeria, iirc. War is strange.

TOFFI tried her best; the couch is canceled.

DAVE THE DUCK had something removed after trying to mate 10 times a day.

A SINGLE-CELL CREATURE makes complex decisions without a nervous system. Same, tbh.