THE JESUS & MARY CHAIN:  The band's real first reunion show since 1998 at Pomona's Glass House was called "rocky" by Tony Pierce at LAist, but other attendees commenting at Stereogum disagreed...and my prior online encounters with Pierce give me more confidence in the 'Gum folk.  No Scarlett Johansson singing backup, but Giant Drag queen Annie Hardy (linked here on Friday) joined in on "Just Like Honey."  Both of the first two links have an extra clip.  BONUS:  Here's video of "Sidewalking."  DOUBLE-BONUS:  Scarlett Johansson did show for the Coachella festival.  ALSO:  Jim Reid is working with Rhino Records on an extensive rarities box set.

COACHELLA got plenty of press, but I enjoyed the coveage from Stereogum and even Rolling Stone, who had Grizzly Bear's Ed Droste blog it for them.

GUILT BY ASSOCIATION:  Some of the biggest names in indie music -- including Devendra Banhart, Superchunk, Mike Watt, Jim O'Rourke and Luna -- have recorded versions of their favorite guilty pleasures for a compilation due August 7th.  You can stream Petra Haden's fab take on Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" (which also quotes Wilson Phillips), plus Will Oldham's cover of Mariah Carey's "Can't Take That Away" and Devendra Banhart's cover of Oasis' "Don't Look Back in Anger" at the AlbumSpace -- where all are the subject of a video contest. 

IGGY POP talks to Spinner about Mike Watt, Steve Albini and Ashlee Simpson.

GLENN MERCER, late of the Feelies and Wake Ooloo, has a solo album coming from Pravda Records (where you can still get your Pate on).  Wheels In Motion will feature ex-Feelies Stan Demeski, Vinny DeNunzio, Dave Weckerman, Anton Fier (all played drums on various tracks) and Brenda Sauter (bass).  You can stream a couple from Glenn at HisSpace.

SEEN YOUR VIDEO:  Speaking of guilty pleasures, they don't get much guiltier than Al Stewart's "Year of the Cat."  "Strolling through the crowd like Peter Lorre?'  NTTAWWT.  But at least I posted the shorter version, from the Old Grey Whistle Test.

CROWDED HOUSE will release its first album in nearly 15 years in July, featuring Smiths/Modest Mouse guitarist Johnny Marr on a pair of songs.

THE WHITE STRIPES:  I've been remiss in not mentiong a few things about Icky Thump, which is due June 19th.  You can check out the cover art, which has Jack and Meg dressed as a Pearly King and Pearly Queen.  Paste has the track listing.  And most important, the title track was played on XM radio, which means it has turned up on the ol' HM.

PETER BJORN & JOHN:  Peter answers questions for Gothamist, including "What came first, the music or the misery?" (which he may not have caught as a High Fidelity reference).  In the Washington Post, Bjorn talked about the "Young Folks" and the Stop Peter Bjorn and John blog: "That was one of the best blogs I ever read," Yttling says, "but it stopped too early."  The trio plays DC's 9:30 club tonight, so you should be able to stream it live on NPR, and on demand starting Tuesday.

THE TRAGICALLY HIP has a live set streaming from the World Cafe via NPR.  Pate fans may be amused to discover one of the songs in the set is titled "Bobcaygeon."

PETE DOHERTY UPDATE:  The troubled singer and Carl Barat have dismissed the idea of a full-blown Libertines comeback, following their recent reunion at London's Hackney Empire earlier this month.

BRADGELINA:  The National Enquirer is reporting that Jolie has a potentially fatal "serious health problem" (does it get more serious than fatal?), claiming she is "losing her hair", suffers "uncontrollable shaking" and is plagued by blinding headaches.  It adds that Pitt will stand by the actress, despite rumours that he wants Jennifer Aniston back.  I dunno... these pics of Jolie autographing some dude's balls look alright.  Other rumors have the couple discussing a sequel to Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE:  Folks took the pre-Spidey weekend off, with no films cracking the $10 million mark.  Disturbia took number one for the third week, making $9.1 million on a mere 30% drop; it has performed well above expectations and raises Shia LeBouf's profile for the fourth Indiana Jones flick.  The Invisible and Next debuted at $7.6 million and $7.2 million; two flops that may have to make their money on the Spidey overflow next weekend.  Fracture was not far behind at $7.1 million this weekend, but its performance has been anemic overall.   Blades of Glory rounds out the Top Five, having now made $108.1 million on a $60 million budget.  Disney's Meet the Robinsons falls to sixth, earning $4.9 million in its fifth weekend.  Hot Fuzz added 464 venues, earned $4.8 million, and dropped a negligible 18%.  Vacancy slid from fourth to eighth, earning $4.2 million, and dropping a serious 45%.  WWE's The Condemned finishes ninth; its per screen average is below even other WWE movies.  Are We Done Yet? wasn't, but will be next weekend.

ALEC BALDWIN may have dumped CAA as his agency last week because a video posted on FunnyOrDie.com -- a site started by CAA's Will Farrell -- that showed Dora the Explorer listening to his infamous phone rant against his daughter.

TOM-KAT UPDATE:  Cruise's friend Jenna Elfman is shooting down reports that the actor's five-month marriage to Katie Holmes is unstable.  Elfman, who, like Cruise, is a fellow Scientologist, rejects tabloid stories alleging that Holmes has been living in a "prison-like" environment and that Cruise has pushed her to adopt his spiritual beliefs.

BRITNEY SPEARS was pulled over by Beverly Hills police for allegedly speeding but was let off with a warning.

SNOOP DOGG has been banned from entering Australia after failing a character test, according to officials.

JESSICA BIEL keeps her distance from the Hollywood celebrity party scene, mainly because she has no interest in being photographed rolling out of nightclubs drunk.  She is also convinced she could take care of herself in a physical confrontation; thanks to the training she's received on action flicks, she feels "sort of feel unstoppable."

ANNA NICOLE SMITH IS STILL DEAD, and baby daddy Larry Birkhead got one million bucks richer in a secret deal with NBC that provided exclusives for the network's Today and Access Hollywood programs, and on its Bravo channel.

RICHARD GERE, ordered arrested by an Indian court for kissing Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty, offered a "sincere apology" for any offense he caused: "My clumsy attempt at a 'Shall We Dance' move was a naive misread of Indian customs and I assure you nothing more."  He also tried to get Shilpy off the hook: "Of course, I've felt terrible that she should carry a burden that is no fault of hers. The burden is mine and no one else's."

WILL & GRACE creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan will get "a s**tload" of money" in settling a lawsuit they brought against NBC, alleging the network screwed them out of a fortune in profits by cooking the books. In a twist, the jury had already rendered a verdict for $48.5 million plus an untold amount in punitive damages, but before the verdict was read, NBC lawyers told the court that they discovered new information that the juryforeman had a website which revealed he allegedly hated big corporations, which resulted in the foreman's removal and would have resulted in new deliberations.

REESE & RYAN BREAK-UPDATE:  Reese Witherspoon's rumored romance with co-star Jake Gyllenhaal is rumored to be dunzo, supposedly over family demands on Witherspoon's time.

FHM's 100 SEXIEST WOMEN 2007 is topped by Jessica Alba, but the entire list (with photos and webclips) can be found at the link.

IRAN has banned Western-style haircuts and eyebrow plucking for men.  Ther seems to be a similar ban in the Palestinan Territory.

TURKEY:  Some 700,000 Turks waving the red national flag flooded central Istanbul on Sunday to demand the resignation of the government, saying the Islamic roots of Turkey's leaders threatened to destroy the country's modern foundations.  More than 300,000 people took part in a similar rally in Ankara two weeks ago.

BIG FISHES CAUGHT:  Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi was captured by the CIA as he was attempting to travel back to his native country, Iraq to "manage" al Qaeda's operations, including plots on Western interests outside of Iraq.  He's so big he's listed just a few lines below Osama bin Laden in Executive Order 13224, executed by Bush on September 23, 2001.  He brokered the relationship between bin Laden and Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi.  Also in General Petraeus' public comments about conditions in Iraq, he noted the the detention of Abu Mustafa al-Sheibani, who is not a Baathist or a member of al-Qaeda, but was working for Iran, heading a network of insurgents created by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps with the express purpose of committing violence against US and coalition forces in Iraq. He was on the Iraqi Government's "41 most wanted" list.

IRAQ:  In a massive synchronized effort to disrupt the al-Qaeda network, Coalition Forces descended on targets in Anbar and Salah ad Din provinces, capturing 72 suspected terrorists and seizing bomb-making materials.  Up to 20 thousand policemen have been recruited by the Anbar Salvation Council in recent weeks.  The Iraqi Command of the Saddam's old Baath Party announced that 30 senior command members of the party have been expelled for attempting to divide the party, for contacting "foreign intelligence agencies," and for "high treason" against the party and nation.  Armed clashes broke out in Kadhmiya district in northern Baghdad after US forces stormed Muqtada Al-Sadr's office and arrested some of the people inside.  Details of a long-anticipated cabinet shake-up are due to be announced soon, two Iraqi members of parliament said.  And the NYT reports on the improved climate in Anbar province, while doing its best to assure us that doom could still be just around the corner.

TINY DANCER, a rust-colored, long-haired Chihuahua that may just be the world's smallest dog, weighing 18 ounces and standing not much more than 4 inches tall.  Born June 8, Dancer can't officially claim the title until he is 1 year old.  (Thanks, Dad.)

THE DOG-SHEEP SCAM, mentioned here Friday, looks to be an urban myth which last did the rounds in February 2006.

A ZHENGZHAO CITY CAT gave birth to four kittens, one of which looks like a white poodle.  Or maybe a sheep!

THE SQUIRREL THREAT:  A South Carolina squirrel seems to be shaking down local businesses in some sort of protection racket.  Meanwhile, a squirrel found dead of the plague near Denver raises questions about the rodents' WMD program.

PEGGY, a six-month-old Rottweiler cross, set fire to her home -- then survived by leaping into the bath and gulping air through the plughole.

HOGZILLA, the near-mythical monster hog that roamed south Georgia, is headed for the big screen in an indie horror flick.