JOHN VANDERSLICE makes the third and fourth stops on his tour of blog love, giving live takes of "The Tower" to Brooklyn Vegan and "The Parade" to YANP.

NEW ORDER:  Departing bassist Peter Hook seems to be threatening court action against the others on HisSpace.  Bizzare Love Triangle, anyone?

BOB DYLAN:  Sony wants your opinion on Mark Ronson's "re-version" of "Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)" before it's sent to radio stations.

THE DITTY BOPS, who last year raised an environmental flag by doing their entire coast-to-coast tour via bicycle, talk to the San Francisco Chronicle about their new Farm Tour and their plastic outfits.

FIERY FURNACES:  At Fluxblog, Matthew Perpetua has early impressions of the upcoming Widow City album, noting in part that "The Who-isms of the previous Fiery Furnaces albums seem to have been replaced by nods to Led Zeppelin..."  he also posted "Navy Nurse" from the LP.

FAIRPORT CONVENTION cover The Merry Go Round's  "Time Will Show The Wiser" in a rare 1967 TV gig with original vocalist Judy Dyble.

THE METRO (f/k/a Caberet Metro):  Chicago suburban paper The Daily Herald marks the venerable club's 25th anniversary with tributes from some of the musicians who have trod its stage.  I have plenty of great bands there -- the dB's, the Replacements, Husker Du, Pate...

LEMONHEADS:  The Jefito blog has posted a collection of Lemonheads and Evan Dando B-sides, soundtrack and tribute-album contributions, collaborations with other artists, live recordings, and other rarities.  Among the tracks are covers of Buddy Holly, Big Star, ABBA and Richard Thompson.  You an jukebox 'em via the ol' HM, though you may have to click a page or two to get to Jul 27.

AIRSTREAM CONVENTION: News about the hipped-up new design for the classic trailer (see the designer interviewed at Dwell) immediately put me in the mood for one of my fave tracks from The Service.

PETE DOHERTY-KATE MOSS UPDATE:  The troubled singer calls the supposedly sober supermodel a "nasty old rag," but he can't quit her.  Then again, The Libertines may be the only thing Doherty has ever succeeded at quitting.  Moss had a screaming fit, smashed pictures and threw a wine glass at a wall when she heard that Doherty had made a desperate rambling, and very public plea to get her back in his life.

BRITNEY SPEARS:  Fed-Ex may yet fight for full custody of the now-divorced couple's children.  The pop tart's lawyer's has had the current custody order sealed by alleging "criminals ... might target the minor children for financial gain."

ROSIE O'DONNELL has decided that her new target is the seemingly oft-disoriented Paula Abdul.

REESE WITHERSPOON & JAKE GYLLENHAAL supposedly broke-up, but were snapped together outside Jake's Hollywood Hills home.

SCARLETT JOHANSSON, contrary to some circulating reports, will not portray pr0n star Jenna Jameson in the film adaptation of her autobiography.

SEAN PENN reportedly was offering relationship advice outside Skybar at the Shore Club in South Beach.  Nothing like some words of wisdom from someone who allegedly tied first wife Madonna to a chair for several hours one New Year's Eve (allegedly not in a fun way, either).

LINDSAY LOHAN:  Despite the DUI and cocaine charges hanging overhead, her latest movie deal is still on track, according to the film's producer.  So she's not uninsurable... yet.  And having linked to the 911 call from the car Lohan chased, it's only fair to link Lohan's own 911 call.

MICHAELANGELO ANTONIONI, the Italian director whose depiction of alienation made him a symbol of art-house cinema with movies such as Blow-Up and L'Avventura, has died at 94.  Along with Ingmar Bergman, the existentialist director trifecta remains open.  BONUS:  Here's The Yardbirds aping The Who while playing "Stroll On" (a/k/a "Train Kept-a Rollin'") in Blow-Up.

KIRSTEN DUNST:  Her new London pad is a hive of activity.  She has booted rocker bf Johnny Borrell from the place because he's too messy.  And her late night parties are irking her new neighbors.

WOODY ALLEN sparked a prison brawl last week.

IRON MAN:  If studio lawyers beat you to the Comic-Con clip I linked yesterday, and you missed the update, not all is lost.

COMIC-CON, btw, kicked the a$$ of a reporter from the L.A. Times.

HARRY POTTER and the IRANIAN THEOCRACY:  Media close to mullahs in Tehran cannot seem to decide whether the boy wizard angers the Zionist regime or is "a billion-dollar Zionist project" of the global conspiracy.

A GITMO DETAINEE who spends 22 hours each day in an isolation cell is fighting for the right to stay in the notorious internment camp.

GLOBAL PORKING:  A group of British Muslims have opposed plans for a pet food factory to be built as possible pork emissions will violate their religious rights.

PAKISTAN:  Meet the new red mosque... same as the old red mosque.

IRAQ:  So, how's the "surge" going?  The civilian death rate has been reduced by 36 percent since May, while US combat deaths have dropped to an eight month low.  The numbers of arms caches uncovered so far this year is 3,698, up from 2,726 for all of 2006, according to the US military command.  In June, 23000 tips were called in to coalition and Iraqi forces -- four times the number at this point in 2006.  Sunnis in Baghdad's western neighborhood of Amiriya that were with of al-Qaeda last week are now fighting AQ alongside US forces.  The sticking point remains Iraqi politics.  Prime Minister al-Maliki faces a revolt within his party, according to officials in his office and the political party he leads.  The Iraqi paper al-Mada announced that a new round of mediations will be headed by Pres. Talabani, in an attempt to reconcile the Sunni Iraqi Accord Front with the ruling establishment and dissuade it from abandoning the cabinet. With tribal sheiks and insurgent groups joining the US against AQ, it could be that reconciliation may start at the local level.  Adm. Michael G. Mullen, nominated to chair the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Cmte that maintaining current troop levels in Iraq beyond next April would force planners to extend tours of duty beyond 15 months, a decision he said he opposed.

IRAQ in the MEDIA?  Barely.  Congress isn't voting on Iraq, so coverage plummeted, as the policy debate (fourth-biggest story at 4%) was followed by the impact of the war on the homefront (fifth at 3%) and events in Iraq (sixth at 3%).  Indeed, the only outlets where actual "events in Iraq" made the top five stories were online.  Everyone spent much more time on the CNN/YouTube debate that -- despite tons of hype -- did not draw as big an audience as the debate on CNN in New Hampshire in June.

NO SOONER does the presumptive World's Tallest Horse meet the World's Smallest Horse than a challenger appears for the tallest title.  The story does not update us on Thumbelina's charity drive.

BUSCHI the ORANGUTAN is holding his first solo exhibition of his paintings in a zoo in Germany.

PIGEONS are going on the pill in Hollywood.  Can Botox be far behind?

THE SWARM:  Rogue honeybees were rounded up by Canadian mounties after a palace coup this week caused a split in a hive near Ottawa.

KNUT UPDATE:  The polar bear cub whose legendary cuteness doubled attendance at the Berlin Zoo since his debut in March needs to drop a few pounds.