I'M TAKING A SICK DAY, but hope to return tomorrow with all the usual tripe.  To tide you over, a few showbiz items: WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Clash of the Titans takes the…

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE: … with UPBEAT! Syndicated out of Cleveland, Upbeat never achieved the status of American Bandstand, but attracted any number of major acts from 1964-71, including Otis Redding on the…

FRUIT BATS cover H & O's "One On One" for The A.V. Club Undercover. BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set streaming via MPR. LOCAL NATIVES…

MGMT premieres their video for "Flash Delirium." DAVID BYRNE & FATBOY SLIM are advance streaming Here Lies Love via NPR. WYE OAK played a Tiny Desk Concert at the offices of NPR.…

BECK is joined by Liars, St. Vincent and Os Mutantes' Sergio Dias on "Guns in the Sky," the first track of his cover of INXS's Kick LP. NEW RELEASES: Dum Dum Girls, Holly…

LAURA MARLING released "Rambing Man" as a video from her I Speak Because I Can album. TEGAN & SARA stopped by Minnesota Public Radio's UBS Forum for a live performance in front…

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE: … with THE ANIMALS! I may have been quite remiss in not featuring them so let's dive in with their signature cover of "House of the Rising Sun" and…

FOALS drop a new video for "This Orient," which I prefer to the last one, "Spanish Sahara." THE NATIONAL debuted "Bloodbuzz Ohio" on the BBC as an advance track to High Violet.…

ARCTIC MONKEYS have a new video out for "My Propeller." JOANNA NEWSOM played the Sixth and I Synagogue in DC last night. You should be able to stream the whole gig on…

BEN FOLDS plays Chatroulette live in Charlotte. NEW RELEASES: Jenny Owen Youngs, Elliot Smith reissues, Mose Allison, Bettie Serveert, The Weakerthans and more are streaming this week via Spinner. THE HOLD STEADY…