THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with SHINDIG CHRISTMAS '64! Part One includes The Beach Boys' "Dance, Dance, Dance," Bobby Sherman and Donna Loren singing "Keep on Searching," the Righteous Brothers doing "The Jerk" and an awesome milk commercial. Part Two includes Marvin Gaye with "How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You" and Adam Faith with "Watch Your Step," plus Bobby Sherman singing "Sleigh Ride" and Adam Faith returning with "Santa Claus Is Back In Town."  In Part Three, Donna Loren returns with a Spector-esque, but rougher "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," and The Beach Boys deliver a set including "Little Saint Nick," "Monster Mash" (yes, really) "Papa Oom Mow Mow," and "Johnny B. Goode." Part Four brings Marvin Gaye with "Hitch Hike" and concludes with The Beach Boys on "We Three Kings."

TORI AMOS did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.

LOU BARLOW (Dinosaur, Jr., Sebadoh) performs solo material on Morning Becomes Eclectic.

BOB DYLAN: Captain's Dead has outtakes from Dylan's 1994 Unplugged set to stream or download.

THEFT OF THE DIAL: Director Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking, Juno, Up In The Air) stopped by The Current studios for an interview and as a guest DJ.

JOHNNY CASH, with June Carter Cash, family and friends, on "The 12 Days Of Christmas." Fish, meet barrel... Bang! BONUS: Captain's Dead has a set from Amsterdam circa Feb. 1972 to stream or download.

FRANK YANG lists his Best Albums of 2009. Emmy the Great and Fanfarlo could have been on my list, too.

THE TOP ALBUMS OF 2009, according to The A.V. Club.

THE TOP ALBUMS OF THE DECADE, according to Rolling Stone.

THE GUMMY AWARDS are posted at Stereogum.

NEIL DIAMOND covers Adam Sandler's "Chanukah Song."

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND: Lou Reed, Moe Tucker and Doug Yule did a joint Q & A at the New York Public Library. Video at the link.

LONDON CALLING: The Quietus re-evaluates the Clash's classic double-LP... and unfairly so, imho.  Its variety makes it The Clash's version of The White Album, but with stronger material overall.  Its eclecticism did not usher in a more "conservative" rock and roll of the 80s and beyond; as anyone who lived it knows, the more "conservative" rock was always there.  Rather, London Calling helped open ears to a wide variety of non-mainstream influences and may mark the spot where our music world became increasingly fractionalized, even before the Internet.

INGRID MICHAELSON does a Q & A with the Leeds Music Scene.

CUTOUT BIN: From Feist to Husker Du, from the Beach Boys to Sly and the Family Stone, from Tom Waits to Focus (yes, Focus!), plus Alex Chilton, the Replacements, the Suburbs, Smokey Robinson, the cast of Glee and more -- this weekend's fortuitous finds can be jukeboxed or streamed separately via the Pate page at the ol' HM.

NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases are Disney's The Princess and the Frog, which is currently scoring 80 percent on the ol' Tomatometer, and Clint Eastwood's Invictus, which is scoring 77 percent.  Up in the Air, scoring 89 percent, is also expanding, but not yet wide.

TIGER WOODS: People looks at Elin's nightmare.  Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer is removing placards of Tiger Woods from jewellery stores across Australia, but says the timing is unrelated to the champion golfer's recent transgressions.  Alleged mistress Rachel Uchitel has flipped out after learning how many women now claim to have had unprotected sex with Tiger, and plans to get tested for STDs. The ever-reliable Sun claims Tiger is is ready to quit golf in a desperate bid to save his shattered marriage.  Meanwhile, the owner of a now-defunct VIP escort service says in an exclusive interview that she counted Woods among her celebrity clients.

CARRIE UNDERWOOD bashes everyone from ‘American Idol' judge Simon Cowell to her Dallas Cowboy's ex, Tony Romo, at Esquire.

REESE WITHERSPOON and JAKE GYLLENHAAL about to get engaged?

BILLY JOEL and CHRISTIE BRINKLEY issued a statement about their daughter Alexa Ray Joel's recent hospital stay.

PEE-WEE'S PLAYHOUSE: The Movie.

AVATAR: The first reviews are in, and they are raves from Empire and Hollywood Reporter.

SCI-FI SUCCESSES OF THE DECADE: John Scalzi notes that out of the top 20 sci-fi movies of the last decade, 80 percent are based on comics or toys and/or a sequel and/or a remake.

LINDSAY LOHAN: Probably NSFW video, just in time for Gratuitous Friday.

PAKISTAN: An FBI team in Pakistan is investigating five American Muslim students who were arrested there yesterday on suspicion of plotting terrorist attacks.

AFGHANISTAN: The Border Police are getting trained up: "Before, they basically told them to raise their right hand and gave them a gun and a uniform," said Lt. Col. Paul Cravey.

IRAQ: Prime Minister al-Maliki blamed recent bombings on political discord and a fractured society. By staking its reputation on improving security, Iraq's Shi'ite-led government has made itself a target for insurgents determined to undermine the prime minister ahead of national polls next year.

STEVE McQUEEN? More like MacGuyver.

TOO MANY CHIHUAHUAS in California, and Hollywood is blamed.

AND THERE WERE FROZEN TURKEYS all over the highway.

OSCAR, the bald parrot.

JAWBOX reunited for the first time in 12 years on the Fallon show, playing "Savory" on air and "FF=66" and "68" for the internet.

MASON JENNINGS stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set streaming via NPR.

THE SWELL SEASON played a set at the Triple Door in Seattle, which you can watch or hear via NPR.

THE BEST BRITISH BANDS OF 2009, with tracks from Fanfarlo, Richard Hawley, Gomez, Madness and more, courtesy of WFUV.

THE XX are profiled by Robert Christgau for NPR.

BOB DYLAN has an animated video for "Little Drummer Boy."

LIGHTSPEED CHAMPION: Dev Hynes is releasing free downloadable "bootlegs," starting with House-Sitting Songs: "At the time that I did it in May, I put it online and then took it off within the hour. I put it on this morning after listening and thought, 'Wow, this is pretty cool."

THE TOP 10 CHRISTMAS ALBUMS made by Jews, courtesy of Jewcy.

THE FLAMING LIPS are selling a Silver Trembling Fetus Christmas tree ornament. Video at the link.

MYSPACE has bought iMeem.

TIGER WOODS reportedly sent some embarrassing e-mail to Rachel Uchitel. Jaimee Grubbs has been romantically linked to George Clooney.  The mistress toteboard reportedly stands at lucky 13.

GISELE BUNDCHEN and TOM BRADY: It's a boy.

JESSICA SIMPSON and BILLY CORGAN spotted leaving a NYC hotel.

NICOLAS CAGE's baby mama is suing the actor for fraud and breach of contract, alleging she's been caught in the web of his financial mismanagement.

JENNIFER GARNER talks work and family with W magazine.

YOUTH IN REVOLT, starring Michael Cera, has a red-band trailer online.

SPIDER-MAN 4: Movieline reports that Raimi's sequel is circling John Malkovich and Anne Hathaway to play Spider-Man's adversaries, and neither evildoer is quite what you might have expected.

AS THE WORLD Doesn't Turn.

THE WORST MOVIES OF THE DECADE, according to Moviefone.

IRAN claimed that a new UN station to detect nuclear explosions built near its border is used for spying by the West. Saudi Arabia denied it kidnapped an Iranian nuclear scientist during the Haj. A judiciary official said Iran will "show no mercy" toward opposition protesters.

AFGHANISTAN: Gen. Petraeus warned Congress Wednesday that the military situation likely will "get harder before it gets easier."

IRAQ: A senior Mahdi Army facilitator with direct links to leadership in Iran was captured in Baghdad.

BUTTERFLY IN SPACE: Let's go to the video.

HOLY COW: Obviously.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: A suicide squirrel cut power to 9000 people in Ohio.

A RELUCTANT COW was rescued from Darwin Harbour in Australia.

THE BEATLES' Royal Variety Performance from 1963: "From Me To You," "'Til There Was You" and "Twist & Shout." John Lennon introduced the finale thusly: "For our last number I'd like to ask your help: Will the people in the cheaper seats clap your hands? And the rest of you, if you'll just rattle your jewelry..."  The incident came to mind because, when Lady GaGa met the Queen and performed in a red latex Elizabethan gown, she too asked the audience to rattle their jewelry.

NPR listeners pick The Best Music Of 2009. You can stream single tracks or a two-hour exravaganza.

LIARS released an advance track, "Scissors" from their upcoming LP to stream or download.

LIGHTNING DUST played a Tiny Desk Concert at the offices of NPR.

OS MUTANTES did a feature and two-fer at the World Cafe.

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS: "Santa's Beard."  Their cover of "New York City" is pretty seasonal, too.

NME publishes its 50 best albums and 50 tracks of the year.

ONE-HIT WONDERS OF THE DECADE, courtesy of Billboard.

NOTES ON THE NOUGHTIES: The musically fragmented decade.

SUN RECORDS: The Guardian pays tribute to the revolutionary ears of Sam Philips.

TIGER WOODS' mother-in-law was taken from his home to the hospital, but reportedly was released hours later.  Woods allegedly paid for some liposuction.  Mrs. Woods has bought a mansion in Sweden. Gatorade is shutting down production of their special brand of Tiger Woods' brew this month; the company calls it coincidental.  But no TV ads featuring Tiger have run since Nov. 29th. BONUS: Deadspin tours Tigerland.

BRYANT GUMBEL is being treated for lung cancer.

LINDSAY LOHAN with a controversial, NSFW photoshoot, just in time for Gratuitous Wednesday.

THE NEW VICTORIA'S SECRET AD, directed by Michael Bay, also just in time for Gratuitous Wednesday.

SANDRA BULLOCK and JESSE JAMES won a child custody battle against adult film actress Janine Lindemulder, who served six months in prison for tax evasion.

JENNA FISHER: Summer bride.

UMA THURMAN and her fiance, multimillionaire Arpad Busson, have called it quits.

THE HOBBIT: Casting starts this week. Tom Waits wants a role.

THE CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT FILMS OF THE DECADE, according to Film School Rejects.

THE TOP TEN MOVIES no one saw in 2009, according to Moviefone.

IRAQ: A series of devastating car bombings rocked Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least 121 people and wounding hundreds more, according to preliminary accounts by witnesses, the police and hospital officials.

COW-FU: Let's go to the video.

THE CIRCLE OF LIFE: Heron eats snake eating fish.

HEY, IS THAT 23 geckos and 20 skinks hidden in your underwear, or are you... oh.

POLAR BEAR gives birth to two cubs in a Canadian zoo... and has not eaten them. Yet.

SURPRISED KITTEH: The Untold Story.

THE SUBMARINES release a video for "Submarine Symphonika," which you may have heard in the latest iPhone ad.

NEW RELEASES: Animal Collective, Elvis Presley, Jimmy Buffett, John Vanderslice, Lifter Puller and more are streaming in full this week via Spinner.

SMASHING PUMPKINS: Billy Corgan releases "A Song for a Son" -- the first from his 44-trackTeargarden by Kaleidyscope.

GOV'T MULE played the World Cafe on Friday; you can stream the gig now via NPR.

PATRICK WATSON talked about his varied influences -- from contemporary indie rock, to 1940s cartoon music and impressionist composers -- on All Things Considered.

EDDIE VEDDER is engaged.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & the E STREET BAND told Paris last year that "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town."  But I still like the vintage video from Passaic, NJ in 1978.

SLY STONE has a record deal for a 2010 release.

CAT POWER talks to Australia's Courier Mail about writing her next album.

TOO MUCH JOY frontman Tom Quirk posts "My .47 Royalty Statement: How Major Labels Cook the Books with Digital Downloads."

VINYL and TURNTABLE sales continue to rise, though many of the latter now run iPods.

WHAT DO Fleet Foxes, Shrley Bassey, Muse and 2 Pac have in common?

TIGER WOODS: And then there were ten, including a former adult film starlet. Allegedly. Some claim Tiger's driver was uncovered. Radar claims that Mrs. Woods has moved out of the house.

ALEXA RAY JOEL was released from the hospital.

LINDSAY LOHAN spent the night at How I Met Your Mother star Jason Segel's pad in West Hollywood. And just did a ménage à trois magazine photo shoot, inspired by Johnny Depp and Kate Moss.

BRITNEY SPEARS' team has taken the first step toward ending the conservatorship.

DRACULA: After the Twilight saga, Summit Entertainment plans to revisit Dracula with Brad Pitt.

A BRADGELINA statue is intended to inspire "sexual healing for the room's occupants." So what's wrong with Marvin Gaye?

HARRY POTTER and the DEATHLY HALLOWS will feature a "very sexy" love scene in which actor Daniel Radcliffe appears nude alongside co-star Emma Watson.

THE BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS went to these folks.

THE MOST UNFAIRLY OVERLOOKED FILMS OF THE DECADE, according to Cinema Blend.

TERROR in the USA: New federal charges filed Monday allege that a Chicago man, who was arrested in October for planning terrorist attacks against a Danish newspaper and two of its employees, also conducted extensive surveillance of targets in Mumbai for more than two years preceding the November 2008 terrorist attack on India's largest city that killed approximately 170 people, including six Americans, and injured hundreds more.

IRAN: Security forces and militiamen clashed with thousands of protesters shouting "death to the dictator" outside Tehran University on Monday, beating them with batons and firing tear gas.  Journalists were banned from covering these events, and the regime slowed Internet access to a crawl. Meanwhile, Ahmadinejad claims the US is attempting to thwart the return of mankind's savior.

IRAQ: political leaders have resolved the election dispute.

FEEDING A WILD TURTLE: Let's go to the video.

COWS busted in house-licking incident.

CAT IN HART FLAT haz plague?

KIKI THE TORTOISE, whose energetic lovemaking made him a favourite with the French public, succumbs to an infection at age 146.

ALTAMONT:  Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of the infamous Altamont Speedway Free Festival, headlined and organized by the The Rolling Stones.  The event is best known for having been marred by violence, including one killing and three accidental deaths.  Entertainment Weekly's Owen Glieberman looks at the big picture, while The New York Times talked to the sister of Meredith Hunter, the man murdered at the fest.  Filmmakers Albert and David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin shot footage of the concert and incorporated it into a subsequent documentary film entitled Gimme Shelter -- and thanks to the marvels of modern technology, you can stream the movie on demand. BONUS: Chris Hillman of the Flying Burrito Brothers remembers.

DEVO is streaming a 1978 live set.

REGINA SPEKTOR played a mini-set for the World Cafe streaming now via NPR.

NEON INDIAN did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.

VAMPIRE WEEKEND: "California English Pt. 2" is the dizzily weird B-side to the band's "Cousins" single, and possibly NSFW.  Also, Ezra Koenig and Chris Biao talk image issues and second album syndrome with the Irish Times.

GLAM CHOPS: Art Brut's Eddie Argos has a "Countdown to Christmas."

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE are to make a bid to beat this year's winner of 'The X Factor' to the UK's Christmas Number One single position.

THE 85 BEST MORRISSEY SOLO SONGS, according to The Awl.

LALA is getting bought up by Apple.

THE WASHINGTON POST is a joke.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: In the traditionally weak post-Thanksgiving frame, The Blind Side rises to the No. 1 spot with 20.4 million (a 49 percent drop from last weekend).  It could hit the 200 million mark domestically, which would make a stunning year for Sandra Bullock, whose The Proposal was her biggest film since Speed.  Twilight: New Moon finally drops to the second slot with 15.7 million, with a domestic total over a quarter-billion.  Brothers debuted in the third slot with 9.7 million, which is tepid enough to remove it from most Oscars consideration.  A Christmas Carol climbed up a spot to No.4 with 7.5 million, and will likely increase its weekend revenues as we head toward the holidays.  Old Dogs rounds out the Top 5, making 6.9 million after a 59 percent drop from its opening.  Below the fold, Armored opend in sixth place with 6.6 million, while Everybody's Fine proved a misnomer with a tenth place debut.  Overall, the Top 12 took in 92 million; last year that figure was 76.7 million.

UP IN THE AIR made the lucky 13th slot on a mere 15 screens, with a 77,333 per screen average.  Director Jason Reitman's follow-up to the adorable Juno was (imho) a solid B, B+ effort.  That's maybe a bit below where a lot of critics would place it, so I should emphasize that I do recommend it.  George Clooney is usually pretty good when he's acting (as opposed to acting cool or political) and he turns in a nice performance here as a man who enjoys living without any personal entanglements (though it may not be all that big a stretch for him in some respects).  And Jason Bateman was his usual excellent self in a minor role.  But it's really Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga who give this movie its spark.  Perhaps the best thing I can say about this movie is that it was not formulaic, with a set of mixed endings I won't spoil here.

ALEXA RAY JOEL, the 23-year-old singer/songwriter daughter of Christie Brinkley and Billy Joel was hospitalized Saturday after ingesting a large number of sleeping pills in what police consider a suicide attempt.  She may have been upset over a boyfriend, and may have taken a homeopathic medication. (really?)

TIGER WOODS: Alleged Mistress Number Four has lawyered up, as the mistress count stands at six.

RIVERS CUOMO, Weezer's lead singer, has reportedly been hospitalized after a bus crash.

AMY ADAMS: Knocked up. Enchanting.

JESSICA SIMPSON and... Billy Corgan? Run, Billy, run!

ACTRESS SALARY REPORT: The Hollywood Reporter tells how top ladies are faring in the recession.

A FORMER GITMO DETAINEE who went through the Saudi "rehab" program has emerged as a leading ideologue and theologian for al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

IRAN's vice-president said today his country needs 20 industrial-scale uranium enrichment facilities, a potentially dramatic expansion of its nuclear program in defiance of UN demands.  Meanwhile, a simulation game played at Harvard last week had Iran closer to having the bomb, America failing to obtain tough UN sanctions; diplomatic relations with Russia, China and Europe strained; and Israel threatening unilateral military action.

DECEMBER 7, 1941: A "date which will live in infamy." I'll be watching Tora! Tora! Tora! on tonight. BTW, the first nation invaded by the US after entering WWII was Morocco, then Algeria, iirc.

DOGS decorate a Christmas Tree.

CHICKEN-LICKER charged with criminal damage.

A STRANDED TUNDRA SWAN may get a lift to the coast of British Columbia from Air Canada.

TINY BABY HEDGEHOG: Awww...some pics.