THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with MICHAEL JACKSON! I'm not making a habit of this, but he did die 5 years ago this week, making it an apt moment to revisit his hits with the Jackson 5, like  "I Want You Back," "ABC," "The Love You Save" and "Never Can Say Goodbye," and solo hits like "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," and "Billie Jean," which not only broke the color barrier at MTV, but also ushered in an era of big-budget videos that may have peaked with the John Landis-directed "Thriller," the title track of the mega-seller that also spawned smashes like "Beat It."

THE AFGHAN WHIGS stopped by WFUV's Studio A for a chat and mini-set.

SAINT PAUL & THE BROKEN BONES stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set. 

JENNY LEWIS performs in the WNYC Soundcheck studio.

MIKE KOZELEK is advance streaming Live at Biko.

IAN McLAGAN stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.  

WOODS drops the garage-psychedelic "Tomorrow's Only Yesterday" as a B-side.

FIELD MOUSE drops "Everyone But You" ahead of Hold Still Life.

WILD CHERRY: "Play That Funky Music." It's what they do.

DAVID CROSBY, GRAHAM NASH, photographer Joel Bernstein, and recording engineer Elliot Mazer talk to the Wall Street Journal about the 1974 CSNY tour.

G-L-O-R-I-A! Dave Barry explains why it's the Best Song Ever.

FIELD REPORT: Chris Porterfield talks to Stereogum about the substance abuse, spirituality, and similes behind their sophomore LP, Marigolden.

EXTENDED PLAY: NME lists 50 must-have EPs.It's missing The Replacements' Stink.

CUTOUT BIN: From Vince Guaraldi to Led Zeppelin, from Prince to Husker Du, from the Go-Gos to Nick Drake, plus Billy Bragg, the Beach Boys, the Cookies and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.

NOW SHOWING:  Transformers: Age of Extinction is this weekend's sole wide release, currently scoring 15 percent on the ol' Tomatometer.

ROB KARDASHIAN'S  family wants Rob to get help for what they say is a very bad drug problem ... sources directly connected with the family tell TMZ.

LINDSAY LOHAN is confirmed to star in Speed The Plow. All the notoriously tardy leading lady has to do now is turn up on time for eight shows a week.

SHIA LaBEOUF was escorted out of Roundabout's production of Cabaret at Studio 54 during the show's intermission in handcuffs. At least he's not in the new Transformers pic.

SHAILENE WOODLEY: Vanity Fair has outtakes from her interview with the mag.

ZOE SALDANA: Pregnancy rumors.

UKRAINE is entering into a trade agreement with the European Union today that has already sparked a rebellion, toppled a president and ignited an armed conflict with pro-Russia separatists. As a shaky cease-fire in the east entered its final hours Thursday, thousands of Ukrainians in cars stuffed with belongings lined up at the border to cross into Russia, some vowing never to return.

VENEZUELA: Already grappling with street protests led by the right, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is facing a new threat from an unlikely place: old-school leftists who accuse him of betraying the socialist legacy that carried him to power.

IRAQ has bought used fighter jets from Russia and Belarus to battle Islamist militants after long delays in the delivery of F-16 planes from the U.S. left troops without air support. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Thursday that Syrian warplanes targeted militants earlier this week on the Syrian side of the Iraqi-Syrian border. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham took control of the town of Mansouriyat al-Jabal and a nearby oil field. A suicide bomber killed 19 people in Baghdad. The military claimed it killed 32 ISIS fighters in airstrikes in Tikrit and in Anbar.  Is an ISIS caliphate no more than a pipe dream?

COCO-CHAN eats corn and watermelon. And plays with her food.

A BLACK BEAR crashes a kid's birthday party. Literally.

EARTHWORMS invade Alberta.

UM, YEAH: A zoo in Switzerland is the latest to be embroiled in controversy, after it not only killed a healthy bear cub but will now stuff and display it to teach children that "nature can be cruel."

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with MICHAEL JACKSON! I'm not making a habit of this, but he did die 5 years ago this week, making it an apt moment to revisit his hits with the Jackson 5, like  "I Want You Back," "ABC," "The Love You Save" and "Never Can Say Goodbye," and solo hits like "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," and "Billie Jean," which not only broke the color barrier at MTV, but also ushered in an era of big-budget videos that may have peaked with the John Landis-directed "Thriller," the title track of the mega-seller that also spawned smashes like "Beat It."

THE AFGHAN WHIGS stopped by WFUV's Studio A for a chat and mini-set.

SAINT PAUL & THE BROKEN BONES stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set. 

JENNY LEWIS performs in the WNYC Soundcheck studio.

MIKE KOZELEK is advance streaming Live at Biko.

IAN McLAGAN stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.  

WOODS drops the garage-psychedelic "Tomorrow's Only Yesterday" as a B-side.

FIELD MOUSE drops "Everyone But You" ahead of Hold Still Life.

WILD CHERRY: "Play That Funky Music." It's what they do.

DAVID CROSBY, GRAHAM NASH, photographer Joel Bernstein, and recording engineer Elliot Mazer talk to the Wall Street Journal about the 1974 CSNY tour.

G-L-O-R-I-A! Dave Barry explains why it's the Best Song Ever.

FIELD REPORT: Chris Porterfield talks to Stereogum about the substance abuse, spirituality, and similes behind their sophomore LP, Marigolden.

EXTENDED PLAY: NME lists 50 must-have EPs.It's missing The Replacements' Stink.

CUTOUT BIN: From Vince Guaraldi to Led Zeppelin, from Prince to Husker Du, from the Go-Gos to Nick Drake, plus Billy Bragg, the Beach Boys, the Cookies and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.

NOW SHOWING:  Transformers: Age of Extinction is this weekend's sole wide release, currently scoring 15 percent on the ol' Tomatometer.

ROB KARDASHIAN'S  family wants Rob to get help for what they say is a very bad drug problem ... sources directly connected with the family tell TMZ.

LINDSAY LOHAN is confirmed to star in Speed The Plow. All the notoriously tardy leading lady has to do now is turn up on time for eight shows a week.

SHIA LaBEOUF was escorted out of Roundabout's production of Cabaret at Studio 54 during the show's intermission in handcuffs. At least he's not in the new Transformers pic.

SHAILENE WOODLEY: Vanity Fair has outtakes from her interview with the mag.

ZOE SALDANA: Pregnancy rumors.

UKRAINE is entering into a trade agreement with the European Union today that has already sparked a rebellion, toppled a president and ignited an armed conflict with pro-Russia separatists. As a shaky cease-fire in the east entered its final hours Thursday, thousands of Ukrainians in cars stuffed with belongings lined up at the border to cross into Russia, some vowing never to return.

VENEZUELA: Already grappling with street protests led by the right, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is facing a new threat from an unlikely place: old-school leftists who accuse him of betraying the socialist legacy that carried him to power.

IRAQ has bought used fighter jets from Russia and Belarus to battle Islamist militants after long delays in the delivery of F-16 planes from the U.S. left troops without air support. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Thursday that Syrian warplanes targeted militants earlier this week on the Syrian side of the Iraqi-Syrian border. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham took control of the town of Mansouriyat al-Jabal and a nearby oil field. A suicide bomber killed 19 people in Baghdad. The military claimed it killed 32 ISIS fighters in airstrikes in Tikrit and in Anbar.  Is an ISIS caliphate no more than a pipe dream?

COCO-CHAN eats corn and watermelon. And plays with her food.

A BLACK BEAR crashes a kid's birthday party. Literally.

EARTHWORMS invade Alberta.

UM, YEAH: A zoo in Switzerland is the latest to be embroiled in controversy, after it not only killed a healthy bear cub but will now stuff and display it to teach children that "nature can be cruel."

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with MICHAEL JACKSON! I'm not making a habit of this, but he did die 5 years ago this week, making it an apt moment to revisit his hits with the Jackson 5, like  "I Want You Back," "ABC," "The Love You Save" and "Never Can Say Goodbye," and solo hits like "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," and "Billie Jean," which not only broke the color barrier at MTV, but also ushered in an era of big-budget videos that may have peaked with the John Landis-directed "Thriller," the title track of the mega-seller that also spawned smashes like "Beat It."

THE AFGHAN WHIGS stopped by WFUV's Studio A for a chat and mini-set.

SAINT PAUL & THE BROKEN BONES stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set. 

JENNY LEWIS performs in the WNYC Soundcheck studio.

MIKE KOZELEK is advance streaming Live at Biko.

IAN McLAGAN stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.  

WOODS drops the garage-psychedelic "Tomorrow's Only Yesterday" as a B-side.

FIELD MOUSE drops "Everyone But You" ahead of Hold Still Life.

WILD CHERRY: "Play That Funky Music." It's what they do.

DAVID CROSBY, GRAHAM NASH, photographer Joel Bernstein, and recording engineer Elliot Mazer talk to the Wall Street Journal about the 1974 CSNY tour.

G-L-O-R-I-A! Dave Barry explains why it's the Best Song Ever.

FIELD REPORT: Chris Porterfield talks to Stereogum about the substance abuse, spirituality, and similes behind their sophomore LP, Marigolden.

EXTENDED PLAY: NME lists 50 must-have EPs.It's missing The Replacements' Stink.

CUTOUT BIN: From Vince Guaraldi to Led Zeppelin, from Prince to Husker Du, from the Go-Gos to Nick Drake, plus Billy Bragg, the Beach Boys, the Cookies and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.

NOW SHOWING:  Transformers: Age of Extinction is this weekend's sole wide release, currently scoring 15 percent on the ol' Tomatometer.

ROB KARDASHIAN'S  family wants Rob to get help for what they say is a very bad drug problem ... sources directly connected with the family tell TMZ.

LINDSAY LOHAN is confirmed to star in Speed The Plow. All the notoriously tardy leading lady has to do now is turn up on time for eight shows a week.

SHIA LaBEOUF was escorted out of Roundabout's production of Cabaret at Studio 54 during the show's intermission in handcuffs. At least he's not in the new Transformers pic.

SHAILENE WOODLEY: Vanity Fair has outtakes from her interview with the mag.

ZOE SALDANA: Pregnancy rumors.

UKRAINE is entering into a trade agreement with the European Union today that has already sparked a rebellion, toppled a president and ignited an armed conflict with pro-Russia separatists. As a shaky cease-fire in the east entered its final hours Thursday, thousands of Ukrainians in cars stuffed with belongings lined up at the border to cross into Russia, some vowing never to return.

VENEZUELA: Already grappling with street protests led by the right, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is facing a new threat from an unlikely place: old-school leftists who accuse him of betraying the socialist legacy that carried him to power.

IRAQ has bought used fighter jets from Russia and Belarus to battle Islamist militants after long delays in the delivery of F-16 planes from the U.S. left troops without air support. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Thursday that Syrian warplanes targeted militants earlier this week on the Syrian side of the Iraqi-Syrian border. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham took control of the town of Mansouriyat al-Jabal and a nearby oil field. A suicide bomber killed 19 people in Baghdad. The military claimed it killed 32 ISIS fighters in airstrikes in Tikrit and in Anbar.  Is an ISIS caliphate no more than a pipe dream?

COCO-CHAN eats corn and watermelon. And plays with her food.

A BLACK BEAR crashes a kid's birthday party. Literally.

EARTHWORMS invade Alberta.

UM, YEAH: A zoo in Switzerland is the latest to be embroiled in controversy, after it not only killed a healthy bear cub but will now stuff and display it to teach children that "nature can be cruel."

WILD BEASTS take some sort of trip to "Mecca."

BROKEN BELLS play a full set Live On Letterman.

BOB MOULD stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set. 

OWEN PALLETT performs in the WNYC Soundcheck studio.

CENTRO-MATIC plays a mini-set at KUTX. 

GASLIGHT ANTHEM goes "Rollin' and Tumblin'" ahead of Get Hurt.

CONNECTIONS "Beat The Sky" ahead of Into Sixes.

THE PIPETTES: "Your Kisses are Wasted On Me." Before it all went wrong. Sigh.

PRINCE: Purple Rain turns 30 this week; Stereogum ranks his albums.

RICHARD REED PARRY of Arcade Fire and Bell Orchestre talks to Drowned In Sound about  Music for Heart and Breath, the irritations of playing wearing a stethoscope, and why nobody should care about Metallica playing Glastonbury.

SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS announces a postumous album.

THE 50 BEST LPs of 2014 (So Far), according to Pretty Much Amazing.

GARY OLDMAN 's apology was not accepted by the Anti-Defamation League.

GEORGE CLOONEY wants to be Governor or Senator or something.

ADAM LEVINE insists he never had sex with Lindsay Lohan.

CHRIS BROWN rejected a plea bargain in his Washington assault case.

MADONNA was wearing Islamic garb on Instagram.

THE GEORGE LUCAS MUSEUM will be built in Chicago. Yay?

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD gives a first look to Entertainment Weekly.

NORTH KOREA has threatened a "resolute and merciless" response against the US unless it bans a film about an attempt to assassinate the country's leader, Kim Jong-un.

UKRAINE: Russia's upper house of parliament voted Wednesday to revoke the right of President Vladimir Putin to use troops in Ukraine as efforts continue to calm a separatist uprising in Ukraine's east.

VENEZUELA: University students and government opponents protested in Caracas on Tuesday, demanding the release of people who have been arrested in street demonstrations in recent months.

IRAQ: Sunni militants in Iraq took control of several small oil fields and targeted one of the country’s largest air bases Wednesday, while a suicide bomb blast rocked an outdoor market just south of the capital of Baghdad.

A GREAT WHITE SHARK was spotted off of Cape Cod, right at the height of tourist season.

REGINA THE OCTOPUS predicts US-Germany tie, meaning Americans will advance to 2nd round of World Cup. That's just science.

A PUPPY got his head stuck in a car wheel.

A CAT supervises a polices earch of its home.

VERUCA SALT drops a video for "It's Holy," the B-side to their return single.

THE NATIONAL ran through a nearly two hour set at Celebrate Brooklyn.

BEVERLY advance streams Careers.

TURN TO CRIME streams Can't Love.

BRIAN ENO & KARL HYDE advance stream High Life.

SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS drop their swan song, a cover of Joey Ramone's "I Got Knocked Down (But I'll Get Up)."

RICHARD HELL & THE VOIDOIDS: Vintage video of "Blank Generation," with a little "Love Comes in Spurts."

THE ANTLERS: Peter Silberman and Darby Cicci talk to PopMatters, separately.

THE ENGLISH BEAT: Dave Wakeling, the sole remaining original member, is crowdfunding a new LP under that moniker.

IGGY POP gets an apology from Amnesty International.

SONG OF THE SUMMER? Musicians gave their picks to Flavorwire.

GARY OLDMAN: The quasi-apology for his Playboy interview is coming soon.

JUSTIN BIEBER was in a car accident in Bev Hills after a paparazzi chase.

HOPE SOLO: The 911 Tape.

LANA DEL REY and her fiance, Barrie-James O'Neill, have split.

ELIZA DUSHKU split with longtime boyfriend Rick Fox and moved back to Boston to, eventually, go to school.

DEAL OR NO DEAL model's husband kills himself amid marital woes, after pics of her with Leonardo Dicaprio and Adrian grenier turned up online.

PREDATOR getting a reboot from Shane Black? That might be interesting.

THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO!

ELI WALLACH, who was one of his generation’s most prominent and prolific character actors in film, onstage and on television for more than 60 years, died on Tuesday. He was 98.

UKRAINE: A cease-fire between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists appeared to be in danger Tuesday as President Petro Poroshenko said he may end the weeklong agreement early.The announcement came after rebels shot down a Ukrainian military helicopter Tuesday near the city of Sloviansk.

PAKISTAN: Gunmen fired on a Pakistan International Airlines plane as it was landing in the northern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Tuesday night, killing a woman on board and injuring three crew members in the third incident at a Pakistani airport this month.

LIBYA teeters near chaos ahead of national elections.

IRAQ: Sunni militants are consolidating their hold on a swath of Iraq and now threaten the integrity of the Iraqi state, U.S. military and intelligence officials said. Iraqi sources denied that Tarbil and Al-Waleed have been seized by ISIS militants.

CAT vs CHIPMUNK: Who you got?

A MONKEY using an iPhone. Nature photographer Marsel van Oosten shares the full story behind his amazing shot and technique.

A GREAT WHITE SHARK was captured about a mile off Rockaway Beach.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: Militant rodents, have attacked one guy's phone and internet services at least 30 times.