Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.claudepate.com/ PostNuke Powered Site en-us http://www.claudepate.com/images/logo.gif http://www.claudepate.com/ admin@claudepate.com http://www.claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2318 THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:...with DEVO!  It's Friday, so here they are on Fridays (ABC's ill-fated attempt to ape SNL) in 1980, playing "Girl U Want" and "Gates of Steel," along with "Whip It" and "Uncontrollable Urge" -- each with costume changes.  The band returned in 1981, where they played "Theme From Adventures of The Smart Patrol" and "Jerkin' Back 'n' Forth," followed by "I Saw Jesus" and "Through Being Cool," then their cover of "Working in a Coal Mine."  BONUS: Vintage Devo, covering "Satisfaction" on French TV.VAMPIRE WEEKEND stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.FITZ & THE TANTRUMS stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.VILLAGERS stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.BUDDY MILLER & JIM LAUDERDALE played a Tiny Desk Concert at NPR.TWEENS: Stereogum rounds up three tracks from the fuzzy garage poppers. ROBERT POLLARD drops "Atlantic Cod" from his new project, Teenage Guitar. LAURA MARLING drops "Once" ahead of Once I Was An Eagle.  ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS don't want to go to "Chelsea." BREEDERS: The Last Splash gets an oral history at SPIN. AUSTRA: Katie Stelmanis talks to Stereogum about avoiding the sophomore slump. THE FLAMING LIPS: Wayne Coyne covers Bowie's "Heroes" in the the (near) nude and plays Pictionary  with Julie Bowen and Demi Lovato.POGUES guitarist Phillip Chevron has been diagnosed with terminal head and neck cancer. Chevron fought the same disease in 2007. CUTOUT BIN: From Joan Jett to Clem Snide, from the Clash to Wilson Phillips, from REM to the Shirelles, plus Devendra Banhart, Earth Wind & Fire, Naked Eyes, Jackson Browne and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM. STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS is this weekend's sole wide release, scoring 87 percent on the ol' Tomatometer. My blurb ran yesterday, icymi.EMMA WATSON is profiled by W magazine and talks about her role in The Bling Ring.ZOE SALDANA has been spotted out and about with Italian artist Marco Perego.BROOKE MUELLER was shot down in court again in her latest attempt to have Denise Richards stripped of temporary custody of the boys.DEMI MOORE & ASHTON KUTCHER: The divorce seems tooth and nail right now, but reportedly the case could settle as early as next month.BRAD BIRD gives THR a few tantalizing nuggets about why he didn’t enlist for Star Wars: Episode VII duty and whether we’ll ever see an Incredibles 2.NO. No no no no no. THE UNITED STATES: Fazliddin Kurbanov, an Uzbek, was arrested in Boise, Idaho and charged with helping the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan to build a weapon of mass destruction for a terrorist act overseas. Authorities have found that Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev left a message claiming responsibility for the attack and saying it was "collateral damage" and retribution for US military action in Afghanistan and Iraq.SYRIA: Russia has not abandoned efforts to broker a diplomatic solution to the conflict... and shipped advanced antiship cruise missiles to Assad. A possible use of chemical weapons by government troops last month was reported.EGYPT: Islamist gunmen kidnapped seven security personnel in the Sinai and demanded the release of imprisoned Islamists.SNEEZING ANIMALS: Let's go to the video. TWO BALD EAGLES crash land at the Duluth International Airport.THE HORNET NEST SEX STORY was too good to be true. A DEER was desperate to board that bus. But there was no bomb wired to the speedometer. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2317 VAMPIRE WEEKEND played "Ya Hey" and Everlasting Arms" on Fallon.THE NATIONAL plays a set that features songs from the record "Trouble Will Find Me" live on KEXP from The Cutting Room Studios in New York City.  JAPANTHER advance streams Eat Like Lisa Act Like Bart. LONELY WILD stops by The Current for a chat and mini-set.ALL SONGS CONSIDERED: Tracks from Sam Phillips, Daughter, Front Bottoms and more highlight the latest edition.MAYER HAWTHORNE & JESSE WARE team up on "Her Favorite Song." SONNY & THE SUNSETS drop "Palmreader" ahead of Antenna To The Afterworld.KING KHAN & THE SHRINES work it like Wilson Pickett in "Land of the Freak."BREEDERS bassist Josephine Wiggs talks to PopMatters about recording Last Splash.TELEKINESIS: Michael Benjamin Lerner talks to the Village Voice about working with Jim Eno of Spoon.JIM JAMES talks to the Dallas News about Regions of Light and Sound of God. (Thx, Chromewaves.) WILL OLDHAM, ranked by Stereogum. STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS is dedicated to our post-9/11 veterans, and it's fairly easy to see why.  As the title suggests, JJ Abrams' second outing with the Enterprise touches on our darker post-9/11 impulses and our efforts to overcome them (that said, it's not a particularly political film; it's more spice for the stew).  Like another ST sequel -- The Wrath of Khan -- this one is also about how much to follow protocols, taking personal responsibility, the danger of hubris to hero and villain alike, and sacrifice.  That list, btw, is not all-inclusive, if you know what I mean and I think that you do.  Aside from the returning cast, Bendedict Cumberbatch (BBC's Sherlock) is sufficiently badass as the terrrorist "John Harrison" wink wink and Alice Eve is fetching, even with an accent ill-suited to her character.  Near the end, there is a moment -- a very short line of dilaogue -- as wrong as it is inevitable, and I wish the screenwriters had figured out how to do it better.  Otherwise, a fine piece of popcorn fare sure to be enjoyed by those who liked the ST reboot, and perhaps even by some who were less than charmed by the last one.ANGELINA JOLIE is also planning to undergo surgery to remove her ovaries.CHARLIE SHEEN wants to expose what he believes is a crass ploy by ex-wife Brooke Mueller to make her brother the guardian of their kids so she can still get her hands on Charlie's gigantic child support checks.CHRIS PINE & JAKE GYLLENHAAL in a Sondheim musical?ASHTON KUTCHER & DEMI MOORE's contentious divorce has now spiraled into a 10 million dollar battle over his venture capital fund with Madonna's manager Guy Oseary and billionaire Ron Burkle. KATIE HOLMES has been asked out seven times on the set of the Spike Lee-produced “Mania Days.” JOHNNY DEPP & AMBER HEARD engaged? Take it with a truckload of salt.THE UNITED STATES: Seven people were caught trespassing after midnight on Tuesday at the Quabbin reservoir in Belchertown, Mass., which supplies water to Boston and 40 other communities.SYRIA: Rebels detonated two car bombs simultaneously outside the central prison in Aleppo, attempting to free inmates, including al Qaeda members.EGYPT: The Egyptian prosecutor's office says evidence shows three suspects linked to al Qaeda targeted the US and French embassies in Cairo, as well as an Egyptian army facility in the Sinai Peninsula, according to state news. IRAQ: Insurgents killed 35 Iraqis in a string of bombings, including a suicide attack, in Baghdad, Mosul, and Kirkuk. Al Qaeda fighters killed two Awakening members near Abu Ghraib. Security forces captured an al Qaeda leader in Fallujah.  A GOAT ON A HORSE: Let's go to the video.LION CUBS surprised zookeepers at the Hang Zoo, in lower Austria.A CHIMP's fuzzy photos are set to sell for big bucks.A GATOR attacked a man fleeing a traffic stop. Civic minded reptile. Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2316 DALE EARNHARDT JR JR gets a little animated for "Dark Water."YO LA TENGO stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.  MAGICAL CLOUDZ advance streams Impersonator. CLOUD CULT stops by KEXP for a live set that features songs from the album “Love.”METZ rips through a mini-set of songs off their debut self-titled album at KEXP. MAVIS STAPLES is joined by Jeff Tweedy and son on the funky "“I Like The Things About Me.” Nasty guitar from Jeff. ERIC BURDON & JENNY LEWIS revisit "Don't Let me Be Misunderstood" for True Blood. ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER drops and talks about "She's A Mirror" ahead of Personal Record. DAVID BOWIE plays "Young Americans" for Cavett, looking and sounding too much acquainted with the Thin White Duke.THE NATIONAL: The Dressner Bros. talk to The Guardian about making the much-anticipated Trouble Will Find Me. SAVAGES: The Guardian profiles a verrry serious band (who might secretly dig Elton John).POP MUSIC's WORST FINANCIAL DISASTERS, according to NME. SHANE MacGOWAN: The Pogues frontman is looking for a dentist. ANGELINA JOLIE is hailed as "heroic" by Brad Pitt for undergoing a double mastectomy. Her mom is also proud. BEYONCE cancels a concert amid pregnancy rumors. BILL HADER is leaving SNL. CARRIE UNDERWOOD: Not ready for children. GWYNETH PALTROW knows she is a ‘lightning rod’ — and doesn't care.ZOE SALDANA: Lt. Uhura says she may end up with a woman. MORENA BACCARIN (Firefly, V, Homeland) is expecting her first child. HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER reveals the mother. THE UNITED KINGDOM:  Prime Minister Cameron said Britain intends to double its nonlethal aid to the Syrian opposition over the next year.IRAN is presiding over the United Nations Conference on Disarmament. You can't make this stuff up.AFGHANISTAN: The Taliban forced 40 schools in Zabul to shut down. More than 150 schoolgirls and five teachers were poisoned in Herat.AFRICAN ELEPHANT charged by a drunken tourist. SEX WITH A HORNETS' NEST can be fatal. In case you were wondering. KITTEN RESCUE strands police officer in tree. You're doing it wrong. A GORGEOUSLY UGLY FISH seeks a mate at the London Zoo. Wed, 15 May 2013 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2315 SHE & HIM "Never Wanted Your Love," Dave. THE NATIONAL advance streams Trouble Will Find Me via iTunes. DAFT PUNK advance streams Random Access Memories, via iTunes. JOHN GRANT streams Pale Green Ghosts. SAVAGES, Live from Ministry of Sound.STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK: "Incense and Peppermints" plus "Tomorrow" for Twofer Tuesday.PRIMAL SCREAM: Bobby Gillespie talks pop and politics with DIY. VAN DYKE PARKS now claims he was victimized by Brian Wilson's buffoonery? Ouch. JIMI HENDRICKS, MILES DAVIS & PAUL McCARTNEY would have been an awesome supergroup. THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN:  Two youths were arrested after toppling a statue of Phil Lynott in Dublin. LINDSAY LOHAN: Prosecutors won't let her bail on Betty Ford.ANGELINA JOLIE had a preventative double mastectomy. BEYONCE & JAY-Z expecting a second child?  Multiple sources say that's "silly."JESSICA SIMPSON is furious at her ex-husband Nick Lachey after he made a shocking gay joke about her creepy dad, Joe. JAMES FRANCO: Linked to “Game of Thrones” star Emilia Clarke and “Spring Breakers” co-star Ashley Benson.MICHAEL DOUGLAS talks to Vulture about playing Liberace, his son's imprisonment, and beating stage IV cancer. KIEFER SUTHERLAND has closed a deal for a new installment of 24 on Fox. DR. JOYCE BROTHERS, a former academic psychologist who, long before Drs. Ruth, Phil and Laura, was counseling millions over the airwaves, died on Monday at her home in Fort Lee, N.J. She was 85. THE UNITED STATES Justice Department secretly obtained two months of Associated Press phone records in an investigation likely tied to the disclosure of a foiled al Qaeda plot in May 2012.EGYPT: Gamaa Islamiyya called on the US to delist it as a terror organization. The group also called for the release of Omar Abdel Rahma, the blind Sheikh. LIBYA: Two RPG missiles hit the offices of the Port Authority in Tripoli. An explosives-rigged car blew up near a hospital in Benghazi, killing nine people. A small bomb exploded outside a Benghazi police station.SYRIA: The opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the two-year conflict has killed at least 82000 people so far and 12500 are missing.A PUPPY hiccups. Aw.A HERD OF GOATS will be brought in to clear vegetation at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.LOUDLY FORNICATING FROGS disturb neighbors in Baraboo, WI.A "MONSTER" CARCASS washed ashore in New Zealand last week. Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2314 VAMPIRE WEEKEND hit 30 Rock to play "Diane Young" and "Unbelievers" from their imminent LP. SATURDAY LOOKS GOOD TO ME advance streams One Kiss Ends It All. SAM AMIDON advance streams Bright Sunny South.THE HANDSOME FAMILY advance streams Wilderness. LOCAL NATIVES plays a lively set of songs from their latest album "Hummingbird" live on KEXP at the Triple Door.EVERY MOTHER'S SON: "Come On Down to My Boat," baby.GALAXIE 500: CBS News covers a new oral history of the band.THE XX frontwoman Romy talks to The Guardian about dark nights, darker attire and the pressures of hosting your own festival.PALMA VIOLETS are profiled by Interview. MARNIE STERN: THE "lady who shreds" talks to the Washington Examiner about her new album and how she unwound her previously dense song structure for these tracks. WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Iron Man 3 repeats atop the chart, as expected, with 72.5 million. That's a 58 percent drop from its monster debut, but Stark & Co. will cross the billion-dollar mark worldwide this week. The Great Gatsby places with a strong 51.1 million debut, about 10-15 millionabove studio and tracking estimates.  Aussie subsidies push Baz Luhrmann's budget down from 190 million to about 105 million, so Gatsby will likely be rolling in it.However, its "B" Cinemascore suggests it may not have legs to face the summer onslaught of big releases (like Star Trek: Into Darkness this week).  Even so, it's Luhrmann's biggest debut and Leonardo DiCaprio's second-biggest (after Inception, not Titanic, surprisingly).  Pain And Gain shows with, er, 5 million (a bit of a drop from Gatsby); Peeples debuts 4.9 million -- proving Tyler Perry needs to show up in drag to make big money -- but the budget was a mere 15 million.  42 rounds out the Top Five with another 4.7 million and an 84.7 million total against a 40 million budget.Oblivion sinks below the fold, but will turn out alright on overseas grosses.THE GREAT GATSBY: Baz Luhrmann's take on the F. Scott Fitzgerald masterwork is not as bad as I had hoped. Outside the fabled Gatsby galas, Baz is generally less over-the-top than the insane Moulin Rouge. Indeed, this film even feints in the direction of trying to boost the chemistry between Jay and Daisy, which is the central weekness of the novel.  And yet, by making Daisy more sympathetic (a choice emphasized by casting Carey Mulligan), the sociopolitical aspect of the story is subverted, making the ham-fisted delivery of same by Tobey Maguire's Nick at the finale ring almost as hollow as his shouting in Gatsby's manse.  What remains is spectacle and melodrama.  The film largely succeeds on those levels -- and given the number of times Hollywood has failed to capture the esssense of the book, perhaps that's as good as can be hoped for. But it's a lesser film for trying to have it all, which is perhaps a tad ironic.LINDSAY LOHAN: Docs at The Betty Ford Center have cut off her precious supply of Adderall — and now, she's hell-bent on making her escape.KHLOE KARDASHIAN & LAMAR ODOM were SWATted -- and this one was dramatic, with cops racing to the scene with guns drawn.BROOKE MUELLER  is making a full-court press to move her twins from Denise Richards' home to Brooke's brother's home.KATE UPTON: Vogue profiles America's Favorite Bombshell. MILEY CYRUS leads Maxim's Top 100 Women of 2013. Yes, really.LIBYA: In Benghazi, two police stations were attacked and a bomb exploded next to a military police camp. Gunmen killed an intelligence officer in Derna. BP followed the US, France, and the UK in pulling some staff out of Libya due to security concerns. Anti-militia protesters in Tripoli blamed Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood for supporting anti-government militias. The Justice Minister said an agreement had been reached with militiamen so they would relax their siege of the Foreign Ministry; in other reports he denied any such deal.EGYPT: The Interior Minister announced the arrest of three members of an al Qaeda-linked cell that was said to be planning a suicide attack on a Western embassy in Egypt. At least one member of the cell had traveled to Iran and Pakistan for military training. Privately Egyptian officials said the target was the US embassy.SYRIA: A Russian official backtracked on the recently announced US-Russian plan to convene a meeting between the Assad regime and the opposition to resolve the conflict; he said holding such a meeting by the end of May is "impossible." Forces loyal to Assad are beginning to turn the tide of the country’s war, bolstered by a new strategy, the support of Iran and Russia and the assistance of fighters with Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement. THE BIRDS: A flock of eagles descended on the Unalaska Safeway parking lot last week, prompting police intervention.THE SQUIRREL THREAT: Their Top Five Crimes. EMILY & RISHI:She's a six year old girl; he's an oranguntan. He wanna be like you.REAL-LIKE MOWGLI Tippi Degre spent her whole childhood playing with wild animals including lion cubs, a mongoose, a snake, a cheetah, baby zebra, giraffes and crocodiles. Mon, 13 May 2013 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2313 THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:...with ARETHA FRANKLIN, Live in Stockholm, 1968! The "Lady Soul" concert was broadcast on Swedish TV, including "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," "Come Back Baby," "Dr Feelgood (Love Is A Serious Business)," "Since You've Been Gone (Sweet Sweet Baby)" "I  Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)," "Chain Of Fools," and "Respect."ROBYN HITCHCOCK stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.CHARLES BRADLEY stpped by The Current for a chat and mini-set. PHOSPHORESCENT: Matthew Houck visits the KEXP studios along his band to perform his brand of indie rock featuring songs from his latest record "Muchacho."LOW stopped by World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.  THE LOVE LANGUAGE drops "Calm Down" ahead of Ruby Red. WILLIAM SHATNER, BEN FOLDS & JOE JACKSON: Just some "Common People." VAMPIRE WEEKEND talks to Pitchfork about the making of Modern Vampires of the City. GOGOL BORDELLO: Eugene Hutz talks to Rolling Stone about throwing Latin American music into his Balkan stew. ORIGINAL MTV VJS NINA BLACKWOOD AND MARTHA QUINN talk to USA Today to promote their joint memoirs of the early days of the once-revolutionary channel. 20 UNEXPECTED COVER SONGS, compiled by the HuffPost. CUTOUT BIN: From REM to the Coasters, from Billy Bragg to James Brown, from Thomas Dolby to King Khan, plus, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Proclaimers, Ramones, Bruce Foxton and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM. NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases are Baz Luhrmann's take on The Great Gatsby, which is currently scoring 42 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; and Tyler Perry Presents Peeples, also scoring 42 percent.AMERICAN IDOL is axing Mariah Carey, Randy Jackson, Nicki Minaj, and Keith Urban.AMANDA BYNES pleaded no contest to driving on a suspended license. NINA DOBREV & IAN SOMERHALDER split, making The Vampire Diaries a bit awkward. MACAULAY CULKIN has moved in with Babyshambles frontman Pete Doherty in Paris. What could possibly go wrong? 24 may return as a limited series on Fox. Kiefer Sutherland is negotiating and establishing a perimeter. THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. may have its woman in Alicia Vikander. THE WORLD'S END: Director Edgar Wright, with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) have an international trailer for the completion of the Cornetto trilogy. HEZBOLLAH leader Nasrallah said Syria will provide the terror group with "game-changing weapons" as a strategic response to Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah weaponry in Syria.SYRIA: The Syrian Army is trying to retake lost territory in Qusayr, Aleppo, and Idlib.LIBYA: Militiamen continue to blockade the Foreign and Justice ministries. Prime Minister Zeidan said militiamen threatened him with a grenade and a gun during negotiations yesterday. Security forces evicted irregular brigades from 56 sites in and around Tripoli.EGYPT: An American citizen was stabbed near the US embassy in Cairo. Authorities discovered a cache of weaponry in the South Sinai. Two senior Muslim Brotherhood officials failed to show up for a speaking engagement at a Washington, D.C. think tank; their current whereabouts are unknown. THE CAT That Loved Concrete. FEED ME, SEYMOUR: A new species of carnivorous plant has been found in Aichi Prefecture, on the central-southern coast of Japan's main island.GRASSHOPPERS swarm ex-Beatle Paul McCartney in Brazil. PYTHON in a Winnipeg dumpster. Fri, 10 May 2013 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2312 PATE REUNION:  Jon, Mike & Jon (and we hope Ron) will be retaking a stage somewhere near Iowa State University on July 5th, 2013, just one short decade after their last reunion gig.  Clear your calendar for something transcendent, a train wreck, or both!  If you're on the Facebook, check in with the event page.JON PRATT rehearses the Pate deep cut, "It's A Crime," to prep for the reunion.IRON & WINE: Sam Beam stops by WNYC Soundcheck for an unplugged set. JAMIE LIDELL played solo, with the help of a table full of electronics, live in the WNYC Soundcheck studio.THE VEILS visit the KEXP studios and perform a set of tunes from the album "Time Stays, We Go."PALMA VIOLETS stop by The Current for a chat and mini-set.  GRANT HART drops "Is The Sky The Limit?" and "Letting Me Out" ahead of The Argument, a double album based on John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost. I think I prefer the latter track, but ymmv.QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE dropped “I Sat By The Ocean” and “If I Had A Tail” on Belgian radio.DAVID BOWIE brings in Gary Oldham and Marion Cotillard for "The Next Day," which is likely NSFW. PATTI SMITH talks to L.A. Weekly about Banga, her memoirs, and more. (Thx, LHB.)ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER talks to Stereogum about making her Personal Record, her upcoming “full band” tour, and the vague future of Fiery Furnaces. THE MARS VOLTA gets a retrospective from PopMatters. 1963: The Guardian looks back at the year that would define rock and pop music for the next 50 years.BRITNEY SPEARS confirms she's doing a Vegas residency. CHRIS & LUKE HEMSWORTH staged an intervention to end brother Liam's engagement to Miley Cyrus. JENNIFER LAWRENCE photobombs Sarah Jessica Parker at the 2013 Met Gala in NYC.MICHAEL JACKSON was a "monster" and sexual abuser, according to the lawyer for famed choreographer Wade Robson. Jacko's estate calls the claims outrageous and pathetic.NICK LACHEY says the best part about being divorced from Jessica Simpson is that he no longer has to play grabass under the table with Creepy Papa Joe.ROBERT DOWNEY JR. is looking for Tony Stark money to reprise his Iron Man role. Will the Mouse pony up?WYNONA RYDER was told she was not pretty enough to be an actor. MOROCCO: A prominent Salafist preacher issued a takfir fatwa against Moroccan human rights activist Ahmed Assid for suggesting that religious school textbooks could lead youth to violence, and called for Assid to be 'silenced.'ALGERIA: The opposition Islamist Movement for a Peaceful Society party chose hardliner Abderrezak Mokri as its new leader during the fifth party congress, held over the weekend in Algiers. The congress was attended by Islamist leaders from Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Syria, Egypt, and the Palestinian group Hamas.LIBYA: A veteran diplomat gave a riveting minute-by-minute account of the lethal terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, last Sept. 11 and described its contentious aftermath in nearly five hours of testimony at a charged Congressional hearing that reflected the weighty political stakes perceived by both parties. IRAQ: Keeping silent on terrorist groups and failing to co-operate with security forces is prohibited under sharia law, a number of Iraqi clerics said.CATMAN: Duhnuh nuhnuh nuhnuh nuhnuh...TAPEWORMS burrowed into the brain of a British volunteer in Madagascar. The penguins are still cute, though.MAYBE THE BEAR ate your monkey. THE GIANT SNAILS invade Houston. Thu, 09 May 2013 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2311 GIRL CRISIS: Members of Chairlift, Class Actress, Au Revoir Simone, TEEN and more cover the Bangles' hit "Walk Like an Egyptian." (Was actually written by Liam Sternberg, but you know what I mean.)VAMPIRE WEEKEND advance streams Modern Vampire of the City via iTunes. PATTY GRIFFIN streams American Kid. PISTOL ANNIES advance stream Annie Up. ALL SONGS CONSIDERED: New tracks from the Polyphonic Spree, Akron/Family, Eleanor Friedberger and more highlight the latest edition of the series. SHARON JONES & THE DAP-KINGS reurn with "Retreat," and it's anything but. My fave of theirs in a while! MIKAL CRONIN covers The Proclaimers and Sixpence None The Richer on Ukelele. SUFJAN STEVENS sings on Chris Schlarb's cover of the Beach Boys' "'Til I Die."ROGUE WAVE drops “Siren’s Song” ahead of Nightingale Floors.SIR PAUL McCARTNEY: "Birthday."THE INVENTION OF DAVID BOWIE: A longread from the New York Review of Books. (Thx, LHB.) NOAH AND THE WHALE: Charlie Fink talks to The Observer about the new album, and the last one's PR treadmill: "For us, the coasts are great, then some spots in the South, then it's getting to Chicago. On the way to Chicago is where you find the challenges."BUILT TO SPILL, ranked by Stereogum.THE BAND's 10 BEST SONGS, according to Stereogum. RAY HARRYHAUSEN, the animator and special-effects wizard who found ways to breathe cinematic life into the gargantuan, the mythical and the extinct, died on Tuesday in London. He was 92 and lived in London. LINDSAY LOHAN is being allowed to take Adderall at the Betty Ford Clinic... for now.CHARLIE SHEEN & DENISE RICHARDS were in court Tuesday as the judge pored over what sources say is a shocking report about conditions in Brooke Mueller's home.RACHEL LEIGH COOK and her husband, Vampire Diaries star Daniel Gillies, are expecting their first child. TIGER WOODS embarrasses LINDSEY VONN at a celebrity gala after party. Shocka.ANNE HATHAWAY goes blonde. TOM CRUISE has officially decided to accept Mission: Impossible 5.GIRLS GONE WILD founder Joe Francis may be going to jail for attacking a woman at his mansion in 2011. SPOCK vs SPOCK: It's an extended Audi ad, but a good one. Extra points for the song.THE UNITED STATES: A Pentagon report blamed the Chinese government and military for cyberattacks on US governmental and defense contracting websites, and suggested cyberwarfare has become part of Chinese military strategy.SYRIA: The US and Russia agreed to try to convene a meeting later this month between the Assad regime and the opposition in an effort to resolve the Syrian conflict.LIBYA: Defense Minister Barghathi resigned but then withdrew his resignation after being asked to remain by the prime minister and others. The government issued a statement denying that any of the ministers had resigned. Militiamen continue their siege of the Foreign and Justice Ministries. A Navy officer was assassinated in Benghazi. A US diplomat in Tripoli said special operations assistance during the 2012 attack on the Benghazi consulate was requested but denied.IRAQ: Security forces captured a senior al Qaeda leader in Mahmudiyah just two days after he entered Iraq from Syria, and three al Qaeda fighters who were transporting IEDs in Anbar.NECTAR-FEEDING BATS may have the most dynamic tongues in the mammal world, according to a new study. A DOME-HEADED DINOSAUR roughly the size of a large dog once roamed the plains of southern Alberta, a team of Canadian scientists announced Tuesday.BILLIONS OF CICADAS: A horny insect horde is set to hit the East Coast of America in search of sex after lying dormant for almost two decades. HOW CAN BUMBLEBEES commit crime? Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2310 IGGY & THE STOOGES play a First Listen Live concert at (Le) Poisson Rouge. Plus a vintage 1972 profile from Nick Kent.NEW RELEASES are down at the reportedly shuttered Spinner, but they promise to return. THE ORANGE PEELS advance stream Sun Moon. DUNGEONESSE advance streams their self-titled debut LP. SMALL BLACK advance streams Limits of Desire. VERONICA FALLS play a live set of their signature lively reverb-heavy music from their latest record "Waiting for Something to Happen" on KEXP. JAMES BLAKE: The english electronic R&B artist James Blake stops by the KEXP studios for a live set of music featuring songs from his latest record, "Overgrown." ROBERT POLLARD drops “I Killed A Man Who Looks Just Like You.” THE ROLLING STONES were joined by TOM WAITS on "Little Red Rooster" at Oakland’s Oracle Arena. And why not a vintage clip of "The Last Time" for Twofer Tuesday?R.E.M.: The deluxe reissue of Green is marked with an hour-long 1988 interview reposted by Pitchfork. BURT BACHARACH talks to Weekend Edition about his memoirs, the value of melody, and writing a song about rain for a movie scene that had none.NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL: An unecessary defense of the band, at Drowned In Sound.LAURYN HILL has been sentenced to 3 months in prison for failing to pay taxes on about a million bucks.THE ABBA MUSEUM opens today. LINDSAY LOHAN was saved from almost certain arrest by the lawyer she once stiffed and fired ... this according to the judge.CHRIS PINE talks to Out magazine about his breakup with model Dominique Piek, his friendship with Zachary Quinto and more...BEYONCE talks to ABCNews about her family, her new movie, and the reax to her trip to Cuba. CHRIS BROWN confirmed his latest breakup with Rhianna. JUSTIN BIEBER was attacked onstage in Dubai. TEEN MOM Farrah Abraham now has a NSFW trailer for her, er, videotape and dropped another clip that's even more NSFW.SYRIA: Carla del Ponte, a leading member of the UN's team investigating possible use of chemical weapons in Syria, said there were "strong concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof" that sarin gas had been used by Syrian rebels.  However, the White House disagrees. EGYPT: An alcohol seller was gunned down by men believed to be Islamist militants in the Sinai.LIBYA: Militiamen blockaded the Foreign Ministry again, after pressing Congress to pass a law barring Gaddafi-era officials from holding public office. The militiamen now demand the removal of Prime Minister Zeidan. A ROTTWEILER and A DEER, playing together...mass hysteria!A PLAGUE OF TOXIC CATERPILLARS invades the UK. TORTOISES in dino-cosies.  A GROUNDHOG terrorizes the Bridgeton Little League. Dinsdale! Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2309 PHOENIX, performed "Trying to Be Cool" and "Drakkar Noir" at the Ed Sullivan Theater before a full Live on Letterman webcast.ELUVIUM advance streams Nightmare Ending. CLASSIXX advance streams Hanging Gardens. SHOVELS & ROPE play songs from their debut on Mountain Stage. THE MEN brought an alt-country, punk rock-americana set to the KEXP studio for a session of songs mostly off of the album "New Moon".QUEEN was killer back in '74.VAMPIRE WEEKEND: Ezra Koenig and Rostam Batmanglij talk to All Songs Considered about New York, mischief and the new LP. JEFF HANNEMAN, who died of liver failure at 49 on Thursday, was the songwriter, sometimes-lyricist and shredding fingers behind some of Slayer's most enduring songs. RID OF ME: An oral history of the PJ Harvey album that just turned 20. Get Off My Lawn.13 SONGS About Losing Your Virginity. There Will Be Meatloaf.WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Iron Man 3 dwarfed all competition with 175.3 million, the second-highest opening ever afterThe Avengers.  IM3 already has a worldwide gross of 680.3 million -- easily beating the total grosses for the first two Stark sagas.  It will likely finish somewhere around the 5th to 7th all-time grosser... until 2015 brings and Avengers sequel, anyway. Marvel magic plus Disney marketing = Box Office Gold, Jerry. Pain And Gain placed a distant, distant second with 7.6 million on a 62.5 percent drop.  42 shows with 6.2 million.  Oblivion heads there with 5.8 million (thanks the marketers for opening this abroad well ahead of Iron Man).  The Croods round out the Top 5 with 4.2 million.LINDSAY LOHAN checked into the Betty Ford Clinic for what is to be a three-month stay.KEIRA KNIGHTLEY married Klaxons keyboardist James Righton in a low-key ceremony. CHARLIE SHEEN's twin boys were removerd from the home of their mother Brooke Mueller, after officials decided her house was an “unsafe environment” for children. The children are now in the care of Denise Richards.REESE WITHERSPOON: Bonus crazy arrest video. JAIME KING and husband Kyle Newman are expecting their first child later this year.SNOW WHITE & THE HUNTSMAN could become a trilogy. Sigh.THE UNITED STATES: The FBI has found radical Islamist material, including al Qaeda's online magazine, on the computer of the widow of slain Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev.SYRIA: anonymous Obama administration officials now tell the New York Times the President's comments about a "red line" in Syria was an ad-lib. Oh boy. Regardless of whether this is truth or spin, and whatever one thinks about US involvement in Syria, or about the Obama administration, one has to wonder how the world's less rational regimes will take this sort of story.EGYPT: The secular opposition is reaping scant benefit from the Muslim Brotherhood's difficulties in government.LIBYA: An armed militia attacked and broke up a meeting of government supporters in Benghazi.IRAQ: Insurgents killed seven Iraqis in a bombing at a Sunni mosque in Baghdad. Al Qaeda killed two soldiers in Taji. Security forces detained a wanted al Qaeda leader in Mawahil and three al Qaeda propagandists in Anbar. MURPHY THE BEAGLE skateboards, plays rugby.I WAS SWALLOWED BY A HIPPO: "The hippo who tried to kill me wasn't a stranger – he and I had met before a number of times..." MAN AGAINST SNAIL: An epic battle is raging in South Florida. SHOW AND TELL: University students have been known to get up to wild antics in the past but no-one could have imagined an alligator would be found in one of their cars on campus. Mon, 06 May 2013 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2308 THE CINCO DE MAYO WEEKEND STARTS HERE: ...with LOS LOBOS: "I Got Loaded" (with an added snippet of "Turn On Your Lovelight") from their fabulous first full-lengther, How Will the Wolf Survive? "Don't Worry Baby," "Evangeline," "Our Last Night," and "A Matter of Time" were on that album, too.PEE WEE HERMAN: "Tequila." Obvs.HERB ALPERT & THE TIJUANA BRASS: Rare video of "A Taste of Honey" from 1967.CHEAP TRICK brings you the Mariachi mash-up of "Surrender."JIMMY BUFFETT: Margaritaville. Obvs.LIZ PHAIR: "Cinco de Mayo." Obvs.LAURA MARLING talks to The Observer about lyrics, love, her new album and why she decided to move from London to L.A.JOE BOYD spoke recently with Rolling Stone about Nick Drake's legacy, the similarities between Lucinda Williams and Drake and why he doesn't see there ever being a Nick Drake biopic.SAVAGES get the big feature treatment at Pitchfork. THE 100 MOST UNDERRATED INDIE SONGS, according to Mandatory.  CUTOUT BIN:  From Cheap Trick to The Church, from Johnny Cash to Taco, from Fountains of Wayne to Frank Zappa, plus Guided By Voices, Humble Pie, James Brown, The Smiths and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM. IRON MAN 3 is this weekend's sole wide release, scoring 83 percent on the ol' Tomatometer... and rightly so.  It's not quite the sheer Summer box office delight The Avengers delivered, but better than the Stark sequel that was overstuffed to pave the way for The Avengers.  Back on his own (sort of), this is Tony Tony Tony, which is to say Robert Downey Jr at his Downiest, thanks in part to director / co-writer Shane Black, who was previously responsible for the very Downey Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Black takes the chair from Jon Favreau, who nonethless reprises his role as Happy Hogan here). Downey and Black again demonstrate a remarkable ability to balance the glib with the humainty, this time accomplishing it within the Marvel Universe's unique blend of the epic and absurd. The Iron Man movies have previously borrowed some elements from the Extremis reboot in the comic book, starting with the nifty relocation of the origin from Vietnam to Afghanistan.  IM3 lifts much more from Extremis, albeit with some twists to pump of the comedy and the action.  Ten-year-old comic book geek me would be dismayed with the treatment of the Mandarin (Irona Man's primary nemesis) in this flick, but middle-aged me smiled and let it drop, particularly because the script allows the great Ben Kingsley to really play. Rebecca Hall and Guy Pierce also have fun with their roles as Maya Hansen and Aldrich Killian (both of whom figured in the Extremis books).  Post-Avengers, should you stay to the end of the credits? Yes.  Should you linger even a little longer than that? Yes again.REESE WITHERSPOON pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct. Frankly, the crazytown arrest video speaks for itself. LINDSAY LOHAN violated her rehab deal and checked into a different facility that is reportedly unlicensed.CHRIS KELLY: The Krs Kross rapper's untimely death may involve cocaine and heroin. KIERA KNIGHTLEY will reportedly wed Klaxons keyboardist James Righton in France this weekend. GWYNETH PALTROW cops to the occasional marital problems. FHM's 100 SEXIEST WOMEN OF 2013: Mila Kunis tops the list. SYRIA: Government forces launched intense assaults against rebel forces in Homs and Deir al Zour.IRAN: The Basij force of Iran's Revolutionary Guard has said in a statement posted by Iranian news outlets that several of its websites have come under cyberattack.IRAQ: The UN said that more people were killed in April than in any month since 2008. MAX THE DOG goes viral by driving thru Brooklyn. GEMUNU THE ELEPHANT ambushes wildlife travelers for food. A MYSTERY MARSUPIAL sparked a police hunt in Lancashire. JACK THE CATTLE DOG has mad balancing skills. Fri, 03 May 2013 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2307 PATE REUNION:  Jon, Mike & Jon (and we hope Ron) will be retaking a stage somewhere near Iowa State University on July 5th, 2013, just one short decade after their last reunion gig.  Clear your calendar for something transcendent, a train wreck, or both!  If you're on the Facebook, check in with the event page.PATE's MIKE KELLY & RON HAHM added bass, dums, and backing vocals to JON PRATT's rockabilly reboot of "She's So Special."  Mike sent it to me, but props to Ron for putting it on the Tube.FREE ENERGY stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.JOSH RITTER stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.  LEAGUES stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set. ALL SONGS CONSIDERED: Tracks from Iggy and the Stooges, The National, Black Angels and more highlight the latest edition of the series. HOT CHOCOLATE: "You Sexy Thing." Believe in miracles?GUIDED BY VOICES: Tobin Sprout talks to PopMatters about picking up where the "classic" lineup left off in 1997. DEERHUNTER: Are Bradford Cox's antics overshadowing his art? MY MORNING JACKET, ranked by Stereogum. THE 10 BEST BRIGHT EYES SONGS, according to Stereogum.CHRIS KELLY, half of the 1990s kid rap duo Kris Kross who made one of the decade's most memorable songs with the frenetic "Jump," has died, according to authorities. He was 34. What say you, Justin Timberlake? LINDSAY LOHAN has less than 24 hours to hightail it to Seafield Center in New York ... but even as she packs her bags she's telling people she may bail on the rehab facility because they won't let her smoke.JENNIFER ANISTON & JUTSIN THEROUXdelayed their wedding to avoid competing with the Bradgelina nuptuals. AMANDA BYNES says she's not crazy. Which settles it.MARIAH CAREY & NICK CANNON renewed their vows on their 5th wedding anniversary at a lavish private ceremony at Disneyland. NAOMI CAMPBELL's five-year relationship with her Russian billionaire boyfriend, Vladimir Doronin, is on the rocks.KELSEY GRAMMER is cast as the villain in the next Transformers flick. THE UNITED STATES: Federal prosecutors charged three acquaintances of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev with helping to cover up the crime. Kazakhstan nationals Dias Kadyrbayev and Azamat Tazhayakov are accused of deliberately destroying evidence; and Robel Philippos, a US citizen, is accused of lying to investigators.MALI: The Pentagon said the US has sent about 10 military personnel to Mali to provide "liaison support" to French and African troops in the battle against Islamists in the north, and that 12 other US military personnel are assigned to the US embassy in Bamako. ISRAEL: Former Prime Minister Olmert warned that Hezbollah may already possess chemical weapons.LIBYA: Some 170 detainees escaped from Sebha prison yesterday; some have returned voluntarily to their cells, but a large number have disappeared.EGYPT: A blogger and activist known for criticizing President Morsi was detained by authorities.A CAT ASKS: "Got Milk?" THE HORNY, FREEZING EXPLODING WOOD FROG quacks like a duck. THE FLANNEL MOTH that looks like Donald Trump. A WILD TIGER visits the zoo, looking for a date. Thu, 02 May 2013 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2306 TAKEN BY TREES: "Only You." FITZ & THE TANTRUMS advance stream More Than Just A Dream. FLEETWOOD MAC streams Extended Play. Check the sidebar. BEN HARPER & CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session. THE CHAPIN SISTERS play songs from their covers LP, A Date With the Everly Brothers, on Mountain Stage. THE BLACK KEYS go "Cruising" on an Adult Swim comp. BLONDIE: Debbie Harry and Chris Stein talk to The Guardian about the making of "Heart of Glass." THE FLAMING LIPS: Wayne Coyne talks to Stereogum about The Terror, nothing, and absolutely everything. MICK RONSON: Sideman and Starman. OLOF ARNALDS talks to The Rumpus about her first English-language record.(Thx, LHB.)10 OF THE MOST UNDERRATED BANDS of the 21st Century. LINDSAY LOHAN may blog about her lessons learned after rehab. KIM KARDASHIAN & KANYE WEST don't wnat your baby gifts; just donate to Chicago Children's Hospital.AMANDA BYNES has access to all of her money, despite her reportedly erratic behavior. JENNIFER LAWRENCE & NICK HOULT: Together again?  CATHERINE ZETA-JONES is returning to treatment for her bipolar II disorder.PINK tells Glamour she's a "reformed slut." JASON COLLINS' ex-fiance had no idea he was gay. WORLD WAR Z, from Stunning Budget Overages and a Reshot Ending to Lots of On-Set Drama. THE UNITED STATES:  One of the brothers suspected of carrying out the Boston bombings had made links with two figures in the Islamist anti-Kremlin insurgency in the Northern Caucasus, both of whom were killed by Russian security forces, a security source said Monday.SYRIA: President Obama is preparing to send lethal weaponry to the Syrian opposition and has taken steps to assert more aggressive US leadership among allies and partners seeking the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, according to senior administration officials. The British government is exercising more caution in its attempts to arm the rebels fighting the Bashar Assad regime in Syria, following intelligence reports and warnings by other governments that the major part of the rebel movement has been taken over by Jihadist groups with links to Al-Qaeda. IRAQ: Insurgents killed six Iraqis in bombings in Baghdad and Nahmudiyah. Tribes in Anbar handed over 16 al Qaeda operatives to the government.A LION CUB, A DOG, and and a ball of yarn. AN INVASIVE PREDATOR FISH that can live out of water for days is to be hunted in Central Park. MOTORWAY drivers were left astonished after spotting two dairy cows crammed onto the back seat of a small family car.HAMSTER BOWLING: Can the Olympics be far behind? Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2305 IRON & WINE played "Grace for Saints and Ramblers" for Fallon.  That's quite an ensemble, Sam.NEW RELEASES from Cayucas, Hawk & Dove, Midnight Oil and more are streaming this week via Spinner, or until AOL shuts down Spinner entirely. THE FLAMING LIPS perform Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, from start to finish.KURT VILE played live on Sound Opinions. VILLAGERS: Conor O'Brien plays a solo acoustic set featuring songs from Villagers' second album "{Awayland}" live on KEXP from the Cutting Room studios in NYC. BEADY EYE takes a "Second Bite Of The Apple" before releasing BE. THE WALKER BROS: I cauht Seeking A Friend For the End of the World again on cable recently, reminding me to link  "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)" and "Stay With Me, Baby" for Twofer Tuesday.PRIMAL SCREAM: Bobbie Gillespie talks to Drowned In Sound about the new record, Primal Scream's legacy, former band members, the lack of dissent within the arts and how fatherhood has changed him. NEIL YOUNG: Inside the making of 1969's classic 'Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere' DAVID BOWIE summarizes The Next Day in 42 words.IGGY POP's High School Yearbook Photo.IRON MAN 3 opens to a massive 198.4 million overseas, beating out The Avengers' 185.1 million. JOHNNY DEPP & AMBER HEARD were spotted getting cozy again at a Rolling Stones concert. REESE WITHERSPOON claimed her baby son stole her brain shortly before her disorderly conduct arrest. MICHAEL JORDAN got hitched to Cuban-American model Yvette Prieto.MICHAEL JACKSON's wrongful death trial opened. TEEN MOM star Farrah Abraham who finally struck a high six-figure deal for her sex tape. Klassy.JASON COLLINS, an NBA center, came out as the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. THE UNITED STATES: Two Congressmen said there are "persons of interest" in the Boston Marathon bombing case who are in the United States.ISRAEL: Prime Minister Netanyahu ordered his ministers not to comment on the ongoing situation in Syria. Netanyahu also said that Iran has not yet crossed the nuclear red line he set at the UN.SYRIA: A bomb attack in Damascus on the convoy of the Prime Minister killed six people but he escaped the assassination attempt.IRAQ ordered 10 predominantly Sunni Muslim satellite television channels to cease broadcasting Sunday, accusing them of encouraging the sectarian unrest that left more than 200 people dead in a week of violence.  BABOONS invade and ransack homes in South Africa.GIANT RATS terrorize Rotorua, New Zealand. IS THAT A KING SNAKE slithering between your legs on the highway? DRUG-SNIFFING DOGS are available for hire to suspicious parents. Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2304 OVER 17 MILLION SERVED! Thanks for stopping by, y'all!FEIST holographically plays three cities at once. SHE & HIM advance stream Vol. 3.MIKAL CRONIN advance streams MCII.LOW performs live in the WNYC Soundcheck studio, and Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker reflect on two decades of playing music together.THE BLACK ANGELS stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.  THE MOODY BLUES hit the charts with "Go Now" before going psychedelic.GEORGE JONES, who has died aged 81, was country music's most stylish and emotional singer. The Oxford American compiles a playlist.The AARP lists 10 facts about the country legend.STEVEN VAN ZANDT talks to Spinner about reuniting the Rascals, mourning Clarence Clemons, and praising Springsteen. CHARLES BRADLEY talks to Spinner about hardships and wrapping his head around his belated career. MATMOS talks to PopMatters about the unexpected directions that the concept of ESP took them. WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Pain and Gain ruled the modest box office roost with 20 million before the blockbuster season starts Friday. Given a 26 million budget, this ain't bad for a minor Michael Bay film, despite a lousy C+ CinemaScore suggesting lousy word of mouth.  Oblivion plummets 53 percent to place with 17.4 million, and a 64 million total against a 120 million budget, but the additional 134 million in foreign receipts shows why you open this two weekends before Iron Man 3 turns up in the US. The Jackie Robinson biopic 42 shows with a leggy 10.7 million and 69 million total against a 40 million budget.  The Big Wedding debuts in the fourth slot with 7.5 million against a 35 million budget. Ouch.  The Croods round out the Top 5 with another 6.6 million. ASHTON KUTCHER got into a violent melee with security at Stagecoach.VINCE VAUGHN and his wife Kyla will welcome their second child together this summer.PEACHES GELDOF and husband Thomas Cohen are now proud parents to two little boys. CHRIS BROWN's father prefers his hothead son stay away from Rhianna.EMMA STONE is in talks to star in a revival of “Cabaret,” according to an individual with knowledge of her plans. JEFFREY WRIGHT was arrested in NYC early Saturday morning for DWI.MELISSA GILBERT & TIMOTHY BUSFIELD got hitched. THE UNITED STATES: Russian authorities this week turned over information about Boston Marathon bomber Tamarlan Tsarnaev and his mother Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, including the fact that mother and son discussed jihad in a telephone conversation in 2011, and that Zubeidat also spoke about jihad with a man in Russia who is under investigation by the FBI. Mother and son were added to the CIA's terrorism database in late 2011.RUSSIA: Security forces looking for Islamist militants rounded up 140 Muslims, including 30 foreigners, from a Moscow prayer room; it was not clear whether they would be charged.LIBYA: A bomb damaged a police station in Benghazi.SYRIA:  Reports by Washington that the Syrian regime may have used chemical weapons have raised questions whether the US will follow through on its threat to intervene on the ground.EGYPT: The Egypt Independent was banned from going to the presses with its scathing criticisms of the Muslim Brotherhood-dominated government.IRAQ: Sunni tribes in Anbar formed the "Army of Pride and Dignity" and are preparing to defend the province from government forces.A RED PANDA does gymnastics. GENETICALLY-MODIFIED SHEEP glow in the dark. MYSTERY HORSE... are you ready for your mystery horse... AN ALLIGATOR strutted across the fairway and into a bunker during the Zurich Classic golf tourney in Louisiana. Mon, 29 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2303 THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:... with LLOYD COLE & THE COMMOTIONS! Live in Munich circa 1985, which means it's almost all stuff from their brill debut LP.  Your setlist includes: “Are You Ready To Be A Heartbroken?”, “2cv”, “Patience”, “Brand New Friend”, “Four Flights Up”, “Rattlesnakes”, “Speedboat”, “Forest Fire”, “Sweetness” and  “Perfect Skin”.PHOENIX stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.DEAD CAN DANCE stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.PICKWICK stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set. GUIDED BY VOICES: The Bug House compilation.THE POLICE want to get "Next To You."THE NATIONAL: Matt and Tom Berninger talk to Spinner about their evolving relationship, how Tom got Bryan Devendorf to do an interview while taking a shower, and the new song "I Should Live in Salt," which Matt wrote about Tom during this process.ANDY PARTRIDGE talks to Spinner about his two new experimental collaborations.THE BOY LEAST LIKELY TO talks Drowned In Sound through the making of their fourth album, 'The Great Perhaps'.ONAFUR ARNALDS talks to PopMatters about the long recording of For Now I Am Winter.CUTOUT BIN: From U2 to Toni Basil, from the Replacements to the Specials, from Teenage Fanclub to ABC, plus Dexy's Midnight Runners, Guided By Voices, Nick Lowe and Darryl Hall, Echo & the Bunnymen  and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM. NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases are: Michael Bay's Pain And Gain, which is currently scoring 45 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; and The Big Wedding, scoring... zero.JUSTIN BIEBER's tour bus was raided by Swedish police who allegedly found marijuana on board.JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT on the X Factor? JESSICA SIMPSON's parents are divorced. ZOOEY DESCHANEL gets an apology for being named the Boston Marathon bomber. CHLOE GRACE MORETZ seems to have her head on straight. THE MEN FROM U.N.C.L.E.: Arnie Hammer and Tom Cruise. SYRIA: US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said that the military has evidence that the Syrian government has used sarin twice "on a small scale." Young men from Kyrgyzstan are beginning to join rebel groups in Syria.EGYPT: Authorities are questioning an 11-member jihadist cell that was apprehended last week. The cell, which is made up of Egyptian, Palestinian, and Lebanese citizens, was plotting to target an Egyptian military installation in Rafah. The Salafi Nour party said none of its members will take a post in the Egyptian cabinet, which is expected to be reshuffled next week.AFGHANISTAN: ISAF commander General Dunford said there is "improved security across the country." Security forces captured eight Pakistani Taliban fighters in Panjwai district in Kandahar.IRAQ: Thirty-one "militants" and 10 policemen were killed during clashes in Mosul; it is unclear if the militants are members of insurgent groups or Sunni protesters. Two policemen were killed in an attack at a checkpoint in Fallujah.THE CUBS: Lions, Tigers and Hyenas. IS IT OKAY TO TATTOO YOUR DOG? Um... no. A BIG CAT was on the loose in the English countryside at the turn of the last century, scientists say. A SHARP-NOSED POLICE DOG helped catch a suspect after sniffing him out from two miles away. Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2302 TEGAN & SARA drop a video for "I Was A Fool," starring Mae Whitman (Parenthood, Arrested Development, Perks of Being A Wallflower).ANNUALS stream Time Stamp.  THE JOY FORMIDABLE play a quick live set consisting of acoustic renditions of their songs at KEXP.LADY LAMB THE BEEKEPER stopped by World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.DEAD LEAF ECHO streams Thought and Language, inspired by the work of Vladmir Nabokov. (Thx, LHB.) HEBRONIX, a new project from former Yuck-er Daniel Blumberg, drops "Unreal." THE BEACH BOYS: "Wendy." Live, no sync. Really big show.IRON & WINE: Sam Beam talks to the New York Times about songwriting and the new sounds on his new LP. THE ZOMBIES: Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone talk to All Songs Considered about their early touring days, the making of their most revered work, Odessey and Oracle, breaking up before the album was released, and making music all these years later. BELINDA CARLISLE speaks with The Advocate about her new album, Icon; overcoming addiction; and why she’s head over heels for the LGBT community. CORDELL "BOOGIE" MOSSON, whose rubbery bass guitar gave the classic albums by Parliament and Funkadelic much of their buoyant, elastic, bouncing-off-of-the-walls character, died on Thursday at 60. No cause of death was announced. GWYNETH PALTROW: People's 2013 Most Beautiful Woman. Yes, really.JENNIFER LOPEZ was approached by Fox execs to return to “American Idol” for the balance of the season ... to replace Mariah Carey.  But the plan was abandoned when Carey's team threatened legal action. JUSTIN BIEBER is giving up his controversial monkey. AMANDA BYNES has been hearing voices and talks to herself in unintelligible sentences, according to RadarOnline.JENNIFER ANISTON & JUSTIN THEROUX delay their wedding. ZACH BRAFF is crowd-funding his next movie. WAYNE'S WORLD: Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, and director Penelope Spheeris buried -- or avoided -- the hatchet at an AMPAS screening of the 1992 comedy. ISRAELI intelligence agencies remain divided over whether the Assad regime has used chemical weapons in Syria.EGYPT: An adviser to President Morsi resigned over "the slowness of decision-making and monopolization by the Brotherhood."IRAN is storing millions of barrels of oil on tankers in its territorial waters as Tehran struggles with tougher Western sanctions on its vital seaborne export trade, ship industry sources say. A JACK RUSSELL TERRIER plays in the sand.72000 LADYBUGS were released in the Mall of America in an effort to protect the large amounts of the mall's greenery, which are usually plagued by aphids.SIX ANIMALS scientists say can dance. A 40-YEAR-OLD CROC lives at an East German water treatment plant. Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2301 MAC DeMARCO plays Weezer's "Undone -- The Sweter Song" for The A.V. Club Undercover.!!! advance streams THR!!!ER. YO LA TENGO played a Tiny Desk Concert at the offices of NPR.FOALS stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session. STEVE EARLE stopped by the KEXP studios to perform live songs from his newest record "The Low Highway."JENS LEKMAN has shared a new song, "Regarding a Package." THE CONNELLS: " '74-'45. " Read more about this Raleigh, North Carolina quintet at Trouser Press.THE RASCALS: Felix Cavaliere and Gene Cornish talk to the Village Voice about their Steven Van Zandt-enabled reunion.JIM JAMES talks to The Current about demos, inspiration, Questlove and more. BOB DYLAN is touring with Wilco and My Morning Jacket (and sometimes Richard Thompson). THE ORIGINAL MTV VJs have written a collective memoir.  REESE WITHERSPOON ducks the media as police video of her disorderly conduct arrest gets published online. KIM KARDASHIAN: Pregnancy isn't all sunshine and rainbows. SHAKIRA: Motherhood is not all sunshine and rainbows. BEYONCE has banned photogs from her shows, increasing the value of unflattering pics taken by attendees. JANICE DICKINSON: The one-time supermodel has declared bankruptcy.KRISTEN STEWART was seen getting into a car with man who appears to be her former lover, Rupert Sanders... on the same day beau Robert Pattinson jets out of L.A.THOR: THE DARK WORLD has a UK trailer online. ALLAN ARBUS,  who left the successful fashion photography business he and his wife, Diane, built to become an actor, most memorably playing the caustic psychiatrist Maj. Sidney Freedman on the hit television series “M*A*S*H,” died on Friday at his home in Los Angeles. CANADA: The two suspects in an al Qaeda plot to bomb a passenger train, Chiheb Esseghaier and Raed Jaser, appeared in court in Montreal and Toronto, respectively. Iran's Foreign Minister called Canadian officials' claims linking the plotters to al Qaeda operatives in Iran "ridiculous" and "hilarious." The investigation began after a tip from a Toronto imam over a year ago.LIBYA: A massive car bomb destroyed much of the French embassy in Tripoli and wounded two guards. The Foreign Ministry said a French-Libyan team would investigate the "terrorist act."IRAQ: Al Qaeda killed five family members of an Awakening leader. Security forces captured an al Qaeda governor in Babil.A BABY RHINO learns to walk.HUCKLEBERRY was crowned this year's most ‘Beautiful Bulldog' at the annual Drake University competition in Des Moines, Iowa.TIGER IN THE BATHROOM: I Just Can't Stop It. AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: Vending machines for dogs. Wed, 24 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2300 CHRISSY AMPHLETT, the raunchy lead singer of the Australian rock band Divinyls whose hit "I Touch Myself" brought her international fame in the early 1990s, died at her home in NYC on Sunday, following battles with breast cancer and multiple sclerosis. She was 53 years old. NEW RELEASES from Airborne Toxic Event, the Neighborhood, The Boy Least Likely To, Junip, Fort Frances and more are streaming via Spinner. AKRON/FAMILY advance streams Sub Verses. BEACON advance streams The Ways We Separate. (Not really my bag, but maybe yours.)OS MUTANTES advance streams Fool Metal Jack. GUIDED BY VOICES drop "Flunky Minnow" ahead of English Little League, out next week. Sweet.NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS dropped "Animal X" for Record Store Day. BEST COAST dropped “Fear Of My Own Identity” for Record Store Day. My fave of theirs for a while.RICHIE HAVENS, who opened the 1969 Woodstock music festival and energised the crowd with his version of "Motherless Child/Freedom", died of a heart attack on Monday at the age of 72, his talent agency said. KIM GORDON details her breakup with Thurston Moore at Elle. Ouch.KEVIN DREW (Broken Social Scene) talks to PopMatters about the 10th anniversary of his Arts & Crafts label. THE FLAMING LIPS guitarist Steven Drozd talks to PopMatters about The Terror and more.TALKING HEADS, ranked by Stereogum.REESE WITHERSPOON apologized after being arrested for disorderly conduct, admitting she is 'deeply embarrassed' by the way she behaved.LINDSAY LOHAN snorted cocaine off her wrist in a bathroom during a paid appearance at a nightclub in Miami on New Year's Eve 2009, according to a new tell-all memoir by controversial gossip blogger Nik Richie.MILEY CYRUS & LIAM HEMSWORTH: Following reports they have postponed their wedding, issues between the couple continue to overshadow their romance. TARA REID was seen demanding a discount at an LA store while picking out an outfit for Coachella, then getting thrown out. BUSY PHILIPPS announced she's pregnant with her second child. THOR: THE DARK WORLD gets a first look from USA Today. (Spoiler alert.)THE UNITED STATES: Charges were filed in federal court in Massachusetts against Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.CANADIAN authorities broke up a major terrorist plot, arresting Raed Jaser, 35, in Toronto, and Chiheb Esseghaier, 30, in Montreal. The al Qaeda-linked terrorists planned to bomb a passenger train in the Toronto area and possibly other targets.JORDAN is said to have opened two corridors of airspace to unmanned Israeli drones, allowing them to monitor the situation in Syria.EGYPT announced plans to restart its nuclear program with the help of Russia.A CAT. On a Roomba. Dressed as a shark. Chasing a duck.53 KING COBRAS --   the world's most venemous snake -- were seized from a car in Hanoi. THE SQUIRREL THREAT: According to a new study, red squirrels born to mothers with high level of stress hormones are able to outcompete others for food and territories.WHEN GATORS ATTACK: A father and son canoe trip took a terrifying turn on Friday when the 6-year-old fell into the water and into the jaws of an eight-foot gator at the Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge in Boynton Beach, FL. Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2299 PHOENIX plays “Entertainment,” “Trying To Be Cool,” “Drakkar Noir,” and “Chloroform” on Kimmel.IGGY & THE STOOGES advance stream Ready To Die. DEERHUNTER advance streams Monomania.   LUCIUS stopped by WNYC Soundcheck for an in-studio session and interview.THE CAVE SINGERS perform for the first time in the KEXP studio as a four-piece, complimenting their expanded sound with bass and flute.NEIL DIAMOND gave a live performance of "Sweet Caroline," in the eighth inningof the first Red Sox home game since the Boston Marathon bombing.GAME THEORY: The Greatest Unknown 80s Band. (Thx, Charlie Vanek.) STORM THORGERSON, the co-founder of the UK design firm Hipgnosis, known for designing cover art for Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Genesis and Peter Gabriel, 10cc, Alan Parsons, and many others, died at the age of 69.WILLIE NELSON will play a concert on April 28 to benefit the West Volunteer Fire Department in the wake of the fertilizer plant explosions in West, Texas, near his hometown, which killed at least 13 people, including five volunteer firefighters, and injured 200.THE 10 BEST YEAH YEAH YEAHS SONGS, according to Paste.  WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Oblivion tops the chart with 38.2 million -- and already has another 112 million in foreign markets, ensuring profit on a 120 million production budget, even after marketing costs are tacked on.  It's good news for Cruise, coming off flops like Rock of Ages and Jack Reacher.  But its a far cry from Cruise's peak performance in the 80s and 90s, and may not be particularly leggy as the summer blockbusters roll out earlier every year.  42, otoh, places with 18 million on a leggy 34 percent drop.  It's already turning a profit domestically, which is crucial, given the limited appeal of baseball elsewhere.  The Croods show again, with another 9.5 million and a sequel announcment.Scary Movie V drops 56 percent to the fourth slot with 6.3 million and 22.9 million against a 20 million budget.  G.I. Joe: Retaliation rounds out theTop 5 with 5.8 million and has a global total exceeding the original -- which ain't bad for a movie that required reshoots and a 3-D conversion to deem it marketable by the studio.  Below the fold, the expansion of The Place Beyond the Pines lands it at No. 6, with 4.7 million and 11.5 million total against a 15 million budget.OBLIVION gets points in my book for not being a sequel or reboot -- but not that many points, given the frequency with which it borrows from earlier, better sci-fi flicks.  Tom Cruise is not called upon to play crazy stuntman here, for the most part (which may account for the film's lukewarm B- Cinemascore from audiences).  He's nicely flanked by Olga Kurylenko and Andrea Riseborough, who curiously get more characterization out of the screenplay than Cruise. It's not a bad film, but I was puzzled at what Joseph Kosinski and Co. were going for.  Oblivion is not a Spielbergian thrill ride or a Kubrickian thought-provoker.  As mysteries go, it's not very mysterious, either.  It looks great, and it has its moments... but it's easy to figure out why this got released in April instead of the Summer. REESE WITHERSPOON was arrested on a disorderly conduct charge for her allegedly diva behavior when her husband was pulled over under suspicion of driving while intoxicated.AL MICHAELS was arrested Friday night for suspicion of DUI. JUSTIN BIEBER & SELENA GOMEZ were caught canoodling again in Norway. KIM KARDASHIAN & KRIS HUMPHRIES are apparently divorced, on terms favorable to her. BRADLEY COOPER visited a victim of the Boston Marathon bombing in the hospital. NICOLE EGGERT was hospitalized after bungling a high-dive and brutally back-flopping into the pool during a taping of Splash. JANET JACKSON has reportedly given up her music career to move to the Middle East with her billionaire husbandand convert to Islam.CAMERON DIAZ to make Sex Tape with Jason Segel. SAUDI ARABIA will soon open a luxury rehabilitation center in Riyadh for al Qaeda terrorists. PAKISTANI police arrested former president Pervez Musharraf on Friday to face allegations he overstepped his powers while in office, marking a dramatic break with a political culture in which military rulers have remained untouchable. AFGHANISTAN: Taliban attacks are up 47 percent the first quarter of this year as compared to last.IRAQ: held its first election, for provincial councils, since the US withdrew at the end of 2011.A GINGER CAT playing with a vacuum goes viral on the net.ANOTHER GINGER CAT was rescued after spending two days marooned on top of a freeway sign in Elkhart, Indiana.PENGUIN CHICK gets a webcam.  PHIL THE PHEASANT: A real-life angry bird who has been terrorizing a family. Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2298 THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:... with GARAGE ROCK! Recent sad news put me in the mood for The Standells - "Dirty Water/ Why Pick On Me", but I couldn't stop there. Let's have a dozen Nuggets, like Music Machine - "Talk Talk"; Blues Magoos - "We Ain't Got Nothin' Yet"; The Knickerbockers - "Lies"; The Outsiders - "Time Won't Let Me"; Count Five - "Psychotic Reaction"; The Seeds - "Pushin' Too Hard"; 13th Floor Elevators - "You're Gonna Miss Me"; The Leaves - "Hey Joe"; Electric Prunes - "I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night," the Crazy World of Arthur Brown - "Fire" and The Nazz- "Open My Eyes."DAWES stopped by the UBS Forum for a set streaming via The Current. VAMPIRE WEEKEND: The Current unearthed a long-lost and never-aired in-studio performance recorded back in the spring of 2010. TAME IMPALA stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session. Also: Kevin Parker talks to NOW about his embrace of Moogs on the latest LP. (Thx, Chromewaves.) FITZ & THE TANTRUMS charge the KEXP studio with soulful pop from their sophomore full-length "More than Just A Dream."  THE LA's: "There She Goes." Again.AEROSMITH: Steven Tyler and Joe Perry talk to Spinner about their songwriting together, their lean years in Boston and the writing of "Walk This Way." PATTI SMITH's advice for young artists. PHOENIX talks to Drowned In Sound about success, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Bankrupt! THE TOP 100 ALTERNATIVE LPs OF THE '60S, according to SPIN. CUTOUT BIN: From Deee-Lite to The Jam, from Neil Diamond to the Violent Femmes, from Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show to the Psychedelic Furs, plus Game Theory, Rush, Prefab Sprout, Pink Floyd and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM. NOW SHOWING: This weekend's new wide release is Oblivion, which is currently scoring 58 percent on the ol' Tomatometer. Also, The Place Beyond The Pines expands wide at 81 percent.KIM KARDASHIAN &  KRIS HUMPHRIES could settle their never-ending divorce case as early as today.EDWARD NORTON and Shauna Robertson are not only parents, but husband and wife.EDDIE KAYE THOMAS (American Pie) had a one-night stand pull a knife on him, resulting in a police standoff. HEATHER LOCKLEAR buys that line about it being a beauty treatment. WEIRD SCIENCE: The corpse of John Hughes is molested by Joel Silver. I mean remade.10 CULT CLASSICS critics got dead wrong, according to Flavorwire. 10 TV SPINOFFS THAT GOT IT RIGHT, accoring to Paste.NORTH KOREA demands the US withdraw from the peninsula and the UN drop sanctions as among their conditions for resuming nuke talks. Couldn't see that coming. THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES arrested seven Arab nationals who were helping al Qaeda plan attacks on the country.SYRIA: Assad accused the West of supporting al Qaeda fighters in Syria and Libya, and warned that the militants would later strike back at the US and Europe.THE FBI released photos and video of two suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings, believed to be at large. No suspects have been arrested. The FBI appealed to the public for help in identifying the two men. AN ELK rescues A MARMOT from drowning... mass hysteria!A 12-FT GATOR kept a South Carolina couple practically hostage in their home for nearly five hours Saturday before it was captured and taken away.A WIDOWED SWAN is getting a mail-order mate. RAMA THE DOG is mistaken for a murderer on Google Earth. Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2297 SCOTT MILLER, the singer-songwriter behind Game Theory and The Loud Family, has died at the age of 53.  No cause of death was provided.  Click through to read the message from his webmistress, because she is offering the GT albums Distortion of Glory, Real Nighttime, The Big Shot Chronicles, Lolita Nation, 2 Steps From the Middle Ages and Tinker to Evers to Chance as free downloads via Dropbox.com.  And by all means, enjoy Miller's Chiltonian tones on perhaps his best-kown GT song, "Erica's Word." HAR MAR SUPERSTAR is advance streaming Bye-Bye 17. SUB POP 1000 is advance streaming at Pitchfork. YOUNG GALAXY is advance streaming Ultramarine. CHRISTOPHER OWENS is streaming and offering for download an acoustic version of his Lysandre LP.LAURA MARLING drops "Master Hunter" ahead of Once I Was An Eagle.GARBAGE & SCREAMING FEMALES team up to cover Patti Smith's "Because The Night." RICHARD THOMPSON: One of the world's greatest guitarists talks to The Quietus about why he prefers living in the suburbs, sidestepping 60s excess and his relationship with his back catalog. (Thx, Jon Hahn.) THE HIVES owe THE CARDIGANS three million dollars, and didn't know it. YEAH YEAH YEAHS talk to Stereogum about Mosquito and the evolution of life in the band. THE 20 BEST FLAMING LIPS SONGS, according to Paste. GWYNETH PALTROW beats out Anne Hathaway and Kristen stewart in a poll of Hollywood's Most Hated. Congrats, Goopy!LINDSAY LOHAN is still looking for a rehab clinic. RHIANNA: Pregnancy rumors persist. EDWARD NORTON and his fiancee, Shauna Robertson, welcomed a healthy baby boy in March.MALIN ACKERMAN also welcomes a baby boy. FRIENDS won't ever be there for you, except for syndication. PAT SUMMERALL, legendary sports broadcaster, died in his hospital room at Zale Lipshy University Hospital, where he was recovering from surgery for a broken hip. Click through to see how he would have written it.STAR WARS: Every summer, starting in 2015. MAN OF STEEL has an epic new trailer online.TURKEY: Security officials arrested 10 people in Konya province suspected of providing fighters and weapons to Syrian rebels. The arrests were sparked by complaints from families that an extremist group was recruiting their children. EGYPT: An Egyptian court gave Prime Minister Qandil a one-year prison sentence in absentia for not renationalizing the Tanta Flax and Oil Company. The retrial of former president Mubarak will commence on May 11.AFGHANISTAN: Hopeful signs from the Afghan Army.  SLOTH and CAT, cuddling together... mass hysteria!MY HOVERCRAFT: Thirty-three health workers have been disciplined for snooping at x-rays and other information on the man who had an eel removed from inside him at Auckland City Hospital.A WESTERN LOWLAND GORILLA & AN AMUR TIGER both gave birth at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium.NESTING GEESE take over a medical center parking lot. Thu, 18 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2296 FRIGHTENED RABBIT plays Cheap Trick's "Surrender" for The A.V. Club Undercover. THE BOY LEAST LIKELY TO advance streams The Great Perhaps, which finds them in a little synthier mode than the debut (though a little less synthy than the leadoff track suggests). JUNIP advance streams their self-titled LP. PHOENIX advance streams Bankrupt! via the iTunes.LOCAL NATIVES perform live in the WNYC Soundcheck studio.CAMERA OBSCURA drops the frothy "Do It Again" (not the Beach Boys or Steely Dan) ahead of Desire Lines. BLUE SWEDE: "Hooked on a Feeling," introduced by the late Don Kirshner. Ooga-Chucka.DIRTY PROJECTORS frontman David Longstreth talks to The Vermont Cynic about the recording process, what the touring lifestyle is like and the surprising influence of Lil Wayne on their style. (Thx, LHB.) THE ROLLING STONES: Mick and Keith discuss kicking it West Coast style at the L.A. Times. NICK DRAKE: Producer Joe Boyd talks about the musician's musician on All Things Considered. DESTROYER albums, ranked by Stereogum.  ROBERT DOWNEY JR talks to GQ about his 50 million dollar turnaround, his future as a superhero, and his prospects for someday winning an Oscar.KIM KARDASHIAN basically admitted she's been apart from Kanye West longer than they've been together.  MILEY CYRUS was snapped smokin' something in a club. JASON SEGEL checked himself into Alcoholics Anonymous in a desperate bid to win his battle with booze in the wake of his heartbreaking split from Michelle Williams, according to the ever-reliable RadarOnline. BRADLEY COOPER talks to Details about the dangers of playing a**holes, his near miss at the Oscars, and living with his mom again.EMILY BLUNT talks to InStyle about her style, husband John Krasinsci, and what she really thinks of acting in Hollywood.MIRANDA KERR wasn't dumped by Victoria's Secret; she moved on. You know how it works. FRANK BANK, a/k/a Lumpy Rutherford, died Saturday, a day after he turned 71. No cause of death was given.SAUDI ARABIA ejected and deported three men from the United Arab Emirates for being too handsome.SYRIA: Rebel forces repelled a government attempt in Idlib to capture the main highway into Aleppo; the artery remains contested.LIBYA: Congress designated the constitutional election law committee. A conservative women's group aiming to help build Libya as an Islamic state held its first meeting.IRAQ: Insurgents killed 35 Iraqis yesterday in a series of bombings and armed attacks throughout the country. The Interior Ministry announced that it hanged 21 prisoners convicted of terrorism-related charges.FELINE IDENTITY CRISIS: Let's go to the video.PANDA WATCH: The Edinburgh Zoo's giant pandas Tian Tian (Sweetie) and Yang Guang (Sunshine) are arriving at a brief, once-a-year mating window and keepers are anxiously waiting to see if their matchmaking efforts will pay off.THE SQUIRREL THREAT: A militant rodent knocks out power to three schools in Tampa. A ONE-EYED CAT trekked five miles in the snow to get back to its owner after being lost for ten days. Wed, 17 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2295 GEORGE JACKSON, who wrote songs for James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Clarence Carter, and the Bob Seger hit, “Old Time Rock and Roll,” has died at the age of 68. NEW RELEASES from Meat Puppets, Art Brut, and Spacehog, along with the Nick Drake Tribute and Arts & Crafts comp plus more are streaming via Spinner.NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS: Live at Stubb's for SXSW.YEAH YEAH YEAHS: Live at Stubb's for SXSW. BOY stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set. THE HOLD STEADY played “The Bear & The Maiden Fair,” featuring lyrics by Game ofThrones author George R.R. Martin, and music by the show’s composer Ramin Djawadi.POLICA features Justin Vernon on "Tiff."THEM: "Baby, Please Don't Go" and a fully live take on "Gloria" for Twofer Tuesday.CRAIG FINN: The Washington Square News features fave lyrics from The Hold Steady's scribe. (Thx, LHB.) YEAH YEAH YEAHS talk to The Guardian about 13 years fighting the critics, depression and each other.DAVID LEE ROTH Will Not Go Quietly. THE NATIONAL'S 10 BEST SONGS, according to Stereogum.  LINDSAY LOHAN insists she was clean as a whistle at Coachella.KRISTEN STEWART & ROBERT PATTINSON get pestered everywhere, including by hipsters at Coachella. OZZY & SHARON OSBOURNE have split up ... at least temporarily ... and they are now living apart.ANGELINA JOLIE: Topless with a horse. AMANDA SEYFRIED is the only actress in Allure's latest issue who doesn't appear nude, and she blames her publicist.CAREY MULLIGAN is profiled by Vogue in the run-up to The Great Gatsby. THE UNITED STATES: Twin explosions near the finish line of the Boston Marathon have killed two people and injured over 140 more.MALI: France proposed the creation of a UN force of 11200 military personnel and 1440 international police to take over security in northern Mali on July 1.SYRIA: The UK's Foreign and Commonwealth office expressed concern over reports that chemical weapons have been used by the Assad regime in urban locations in tactical military engagements in Syria.GERMANY: European security officials are looking into the possibility that an Iranian-run factory in Dinslaken may have been supplying equipment and materials for the Iranian nuclear weapons program.A CORGI PUP plays ball. Let's go to the video.BLUETITS offer insight into climate change. The joke writes itself. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF RAT-SIZED, HOUSE EATING SNAILS invade Florida. Where else? A DEAF DOG befriends a hearing-impaired, 10-year-old cancer patient. Is it dusty in here? Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.claudepate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2294 TEGAN & SARA got "Closer" on the Tonight Show before hitting Coachella.BRASS BED advance streams The Secret Will Keep You.STEVE MARTIN & EDIE BRICKELL advance stream Love Has Come for You.LAURA MVULA is advance streaming Sing to the Moon. R.E.M.: Murmur turned 30 on Friday (get off my lawn). Check out a dozen demos for one of the albums that made "college rock."THE LEFT BANKE: "Walk Away Renee."IAN McCULLCOCH: The Echo & the Bunnymen frontman talks to The Guardian about cleaning up his act, making a solo album and singlehandedly resurrecting David Bowie's career.CAMERA OBSCURA: Tracyanne Campbell talks to DIY about the tumultuous gestation of the upcoming Desire Lines. (Thx, Chromewaves.) GUARDS frontman Richie Follin talks to Stereogum about the making of the band’s record, the joys of touring, and what it’s like to step out from the shadow of his previous bands (Cults, Willowz). MUSIC FESTIVALS' 20 Most Iconic Moments.  WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: 42 tops the chart with 27.3 million, which means this old-fashioned sports bio will likely turn a decent profit on a 40 million budget. Scary Movie V placed a distant second with 15.2 million, less than projected and much less than the prior installment's 40 million opening. Even so, with a 20 million budget, overseas receipts are likely to men profit for the Weinsteins.  The Croods show with 13.2 million; without competition for family dollars, this looks to be running down, but with a worldwide total to date of almost 350 million against a 135 million budget.  G.I. Joe: Reatliation sinks to the fourth slot with 10.8 million, but has taken in roughly 250 million worldwide.  Evil Dead goes from last week's topper to rounding out the Top 5 with 9.5 million on a 63 percent plunge that looks more like a sequel than a reboot.  However, it has already made 41.5 million domestic against a 17 million budget. KIM KARDASHIAN showed up in a Los Angeles courtroom for a mandatory closed-door settlement conference in her divorce case Friday, but Kris Humphries was a no-show. TOM CRUISE has mags that have written scathing stories about Suri and/or Scientology on the persona-non-grata list for the premiere of his movie, "Oblivion." JUSTIN BIEBER visited the Anne Frank House, and wrote: "Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a belieber." The narcissism at the end is sad, but the silver lining is that a big chunk of his fans probably just learned about Anne Frank. THE 20 BEST TV SERIES FINALES, according to Paste. JONATHAN WINTERS, the comedic film and TV actor who was huge in the '70s and '80s on shows like “Mork and Mindy,” has died at age 87.ROMEO & JULIET: Oscar-nominated True Grit star Hailee Steinfeld and Douglas Booth play the star-crossed lovers in the new William Shakespeare adaptation from Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes. Damian Lewis, Ed Westwick, Paul Giamatti and Stellan Skarsgård among its supporting cast. Here's the trailer. NORTH KOREA: Secretary of State Kerry warned North Korea that going ahead with its threatened missile launch would be a "huge mistake"; he also said a recent intelligence report did not suggest that North Korea had "fully tested, developed" nuclear capabilities. SYRIA: Evidence of the use of chemical weapons has been discovered in a soil sample smuggled out of Syria, The Times of London reported on Saturday. IRAN: After a fruitless Six Powers meeting with Iran on its nuclear program, US Secretary of State Kerry said that President Obama "has determined to continue to pursue the diplomatic channel." IRAQ: Al Qaeda killed 14 people in two bombings outside of a mosque in the town of Kaanan in Diyala. An Awakening leader was assassinated in Kirkuk. Security forces uncovered a bomb factory in Kirkuk. A CHIHUAHUA  that caused quite a traffic jam on H-1 Eastbound in Hawaii Thursday morning has finally been reunited with his owner. (Thx, Zoey.)AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: A two-headed piglet. FROZEN TURKEY VULTURES fall from the sky in South Dakota. With God as my witness, I thought they could fly.THE SWARM: Police in San Sebastián de la Gomera have cordoned off an abandoned house after finding a seven-meter-long wasp nest. Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700