THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with BIG STAR! Live in Oxford, circa 2001, courtesy of Friend of Pate Ken King and social media.  Posies Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer join the legendary Alex Chilton and original drummer Jody Stephens for a full set of timeless and influential power pop.  Your setlist inludes "In the Street," "Don't Lie to Me," "When My Baby's Beside Me," "I Am the Cosmos" (Chris Bell), "Way Out West," " 'Til the End of the Day" (The Kinks), "The Ballad of El Goodo," "Back of a Car," "Thirteen," "Baby Strange" (T. Rex), "Feel," "September Gurls," "Thank You Friends," a blues jam that turns into "Snatch It Back and Hold It" (Junior Wells, Buddy Guy), "Patty Girl" (Gary and the Hornets), "Hot Thing," and "Slut" (Todd Rundgren).

THE MARS VOLTA is advance streaming Noctourniquet.

THE WEDDING PRESENT stops by WNYC Soundcheck to talk and play songs old and new.

RETRIBUTION GOSPEL CHOIR stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set

LANA DEL REY stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

THE ROLLING STONES, Live in Perth, Feb. 24, 1973.

THE dB's, Live at Criminal Records, April 11, 2011. (Thx again, Ken!)

THE DEL FUEGOS from Boston Mass., with "Don't Run Wild."

SHARON VAN ETTEN talks to The Quietus about Tramp, toughening up and learning to camouflage heartache.

KATHLEEN EDWARDS talks to DIY about chaning things up on Voyageur. (Thx, Chromewaves.)

ROCK & SOUL: PopMatters considers whether music critcism is racist.  Somehow, the author missed this.  Related: Rock music makes you racist. It's science!

DEVO's PARADOX: Why some art can't be appreciated in its own time.

CUTOUT BIN: From the Apples In Stereo to Carla Thomas, from Tony Orlando & Dawn to Fear, from Carly Simon to the Feelies, plus Big Star, Smashmouth, The Heavy, Springsteen, the Waterboys and more  -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.

THE HUNGER GAMES, currently scoring 88 percent on the ol' Tomatometer, is this weekend's sole wide release. And the midnight showings near me were already sold out by the time I checked for tickets. The estimated opening is somewhere around 125 million.

WHITNEY HOUSTON died from drowning and the "effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use," the Los Angeles County coroner's office said Thursday. The manner of death was listed as an "accident."

HILARY DUFF and her husband of 18 months, NHL star Mike Comrie, welcomed their first child.

KIM KARDASHIAN explains why she ignored her family's opinions of her ex, Kris Humphries.

RHIANNA visited ASHTON KUTCHER late at night. Hmm.

KATHY BATES will play Charlie Harper's ghost on "Two and a Half Men."  And Charlie Sheen is delighted.

GWYNETH PALTROW slags KATE MOSS. Not unlike Predator vs Alien.

"THE SITUATION"  is in rehab not just for prescription drugs, but also for alcohol, according to TMZ; if true, it could pose big problems for next season's "Jersey Shore."

TERROR in FRANCE: Mohammed Merah, the 23-year-old Frenchman who claimed responsibility for killing four men and three children was shot dead on Thursday after security forces stormed the apartment where he had been holed up for more than 30 hours, French officials said. His killing foiled hopes that he might answer crucial questions on the shadowy path of homegrown terrorists and what networks might aid them.

EGYPT: Muslim Brotherhood officials said on Wednesday that the group was debating whether to field its own candidate in Egypt's upcoming presidential contest, after failing to persuade several outside figures to run with the group's backing.

AFGHANISTAN: Disagreement within the Taliban over peace talks is damaging peace negotiations, the Foreign Relations Advisor of the Afghan High Peace Council Mohammad Ismail Qasimyar said Thursday.

A PUPPEH... and a patient cat.

CHICKEN on the LAM captured in Manitowoc.

A PET LIZARD's chemotherapy causes wedding postponement.

WOUNDED BLACK BEARS sleep it off.

THE BLUE-TAILED SKINK goes extinct.

THE SHINS played a "Simple Song" and a full length concert at the Ed Sullivan Theater.

ZEUS, which tends to have a 70s vintage sound, is advance streaming Busting Visions.

NICK LOWE stopped by Sound Opinions for a chat and some songs.

ANAIS MITCHELL stopped by World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED: Portlandia's Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen guest DJ and talk about the music they grew up with.  Some gems in the list.

DUSTY SPRINGFIELD: "The Look of Love." It was going to be on a TV show Sunday, but not so much now.

JOHNNY RAMONE's posthumous autobiography is excerpted by New York magazine.

OF MONTREAL: Kevin Barnes talks to L.A. Weekly about how depression has affected his career over the years, why he thinks Skrillex is important, and the ambitious new stage setup he'll be bringing to the Wiltern tonight.

THE HEAD AND THE HEART is profiled by the Portland Press-Herald. (Thx, Chromewaves.)

INDIE BANDS & ADVERTISING: A trend still on the rise.

REESE WITHERSPOON is about 12 weeks pregnant with her third child.

WHITNEY HOUSTON sex tapes? Ray J adamantly denies it.

DIANNA AGRON (Glee) is in the middle of a love triangle involving actor Sebastian Stan and NFL quarterback Tim Tebow.

MINKA KELLY and WILMER VALDERRAMA were spotted getting close at L.A.'s Greystone Manor.

JOHNNY DEPP and... Ashley Olsen? Oh, the ever-reliable InTouch magazine...

THE SITUATION denies he's in rehab... but admits he has a problem with his meds.

JESSICA BIEL committed to the second female lead in the Sacha Gervasi-directed Alfred Hitchcock And The Making Of Psycho.

EDDIE IZZARD is in final negotiations to star in and produce NBC's Munsters reboot, Mockingbird Lane.

TERROR in FRANCE: Mohamed Merah, suspected of shooting dead seven people in the name of al Qaeda boasted to police on Wednesday he had brought France to its knees and said his only regret was not having been able to carry out his plans for more killings.

SYRIA: Gunmen in eastern Syria announced they were forming the "God is Great" Brigade and joining the country's rebellion. They swore allegiance to the Free Syrian Army and vowed to topple President Bashar Assad. But unlike many other rebel bands, they wrapped their proclamation in hard-line Islamic language, declaring their fight to be a "jihad," or holy war, and urging others to do the same.

AFGHANISTAN: The Taliban arrested two senior leaders in Ghazni for engaging the Afghan High Peace Council.

IRAQ: Al Qaeda in Iraq claimed credit for a series of bombings and attacks across the country on March 19 that killed 46 Iraqis.

POLAR BEAR CUBS: Aw.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: Militant rodents have eaten nearly 10000 tulip bulbs at a park in Windsor, Ontario.

A 400-LB GORILLA escaped his cage at the Buffalo Zoo, biting a female zookeeper before being tranquilized and captured in what a SWAT team leader called, "the scariest thing I've ever done."

CATS prefer to listen to the music composed in their frequency range and tempo rather than human music.

YOUNG THE GIANT plays "Ignition (Remix)" for the A.V. Club Undercover. And it's kinda awesome.

SHARON VAN ETTEN returns to Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

S / S / S: Sufjan Stevens, Sox Lux and Serengeti stream Beak & Claw.

WHISKEYTOWN at the 7th Street Entry, Oct. 30, 1997.

FLAMING LIPS, Live in Claremont, CA, Oct. 14, 2002.

BECK drops "Looking For a Sign" from the Jeff Who Lives at Home soundtrack.

NICK CAVE & DEBBIE HARRY drop a cover of The Gun Club's "The Breaking Hands" from an upcoming Jeffrey Lee Pierce tribute benefit LP.

THE BEATLES: The Fab Three (plus Jimmy Nicol on the throne) get a bit swamped blaying "Can't Buy Me Love" which came out this week in 1964.

WHITE RABBITS singer and multi-instrumentalist Stephen Patterson revisits his band’s historyin song at The A.V. Club.

DAN WILSON talks to The Scotsman about his alter ego, Withered Hand. (Thx, LHB.

PATRICK WILSON talks to Billboard about getting back to basics on Adventures In Your Own Backyard.

THE BLACK KEYS apologize to Nickelback? Not really.

LINDSAY LOHAN "entertained" adult film actor Alex Torres while her father was asleep in the same house, the actor tells RadarOnline.

ADRIANA LIMA and her husband, former NBA player Marko Jaric, are expecting their second child.

TOM HANKS & GLENN FREY participated in a controversial 2004 fundraising auction where both engaged with a white businessman who is in blackface.  After the video surfaced, Hanks said he was blindsided at the event.

RICHARD GERE: Not a fan of Pretty Woman.

AMANDA SEYFRIED & JOSH HARTNETT go public at Trader Joe's.

MIKE "THE SITUATION" SORRENTINO is in rehab for substance abuse. Shocka.

PENELOPE ANN MILLER, most recently of The Artist, has filed for legal separation from her husband.

TERROR in FRANCE: Authorities believe the same gunman who shot three French soldiers last week also murdered three children and a rabbi at a Jewish school in Toulouse and filmed the school murders. France's terrorism alert is at its highest level.

AFGHANISTAN: The final US-led fighting season against the Taliban is about to start.

IRAQ: Forty-six Iraqis were killed in a series of suicide attacks and car bombings in Karbala, Kirkuk, Baghdad, and other cities. Security forces detained a senior al Qaeda in Iraq leader in Baqubah.

ROBO-SQUIRREL vs RATTLESNAKE: Who you got?

HORNY VIKING MICE rampaged through Scotland, Ireland and Iceland, impregnating locals and mixing their Viking mouse genes in the native rodent populations.

THE PEABODY HOTEL DUCKS get their own blog.

A FOX mugged a Kent man and forced him into handing over his dinner.

BON IVER's video for "Towers" is Hemingway meets Sendak. Or something.

NEW RELEASES from The Shins, Margot and the Nuclear So & Sos, Daniel Rossen (Grizzly Bear) and more are streaming this week via Spinner.

THE TWILIGHT SAD rip through a gorgeously-textured set live on KEXP at the Triple Door.

COLD WAR KIDS play an energetic set live on KEXP.

PAVEMENT's second show ever, Aug. 12, 1990 at Maxwell's in Hoboken, N.J.

ROY ORBISON provides vintage performances of "Running Scared" and "Oh, Pretty Woman" for Twofer Tuesday.

CRAIG FINN talks to The Guardian about his solo album, divorce, the Vapours and more...

OF MONSTERS & MEN talked to Spinner before they made the trek to SXSW.

ADELE: More copies of 21 have sold in the UK than than Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon.

KEITH RICHARDS, LORD OF THE UNDEAD, regrets his autobiography offended Mick Jagger.

ROSIE O'DONNELL signed a multimillion-dollar deal for a talk show that was supposed to save Oprah's failing network. Instead, it tanked. And at least one former staffer calls it a "f***ing hellhole."

ASHTON KUTCHER has signed up to be the 500th "astronaut customer" that will blast into space aboard Virgin Galactic -- but plans to return.

WHITNEY HOUSTON's daughter is not engaged to the late singer's "adopted" son, according to her rep.

STACY KIEBLER is in talks to join "The X Factor" as negotiations continue with Britney Spears to be a judge on the upcoming season.

CHARLIZE THERON is available to work with Michael Fassbender's manhood.

JOSH LUCAS is just married -- and expecting a little one.

THE DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES TRIAL ends with a hung jury. Expect a rerun.

SNOW WHITE & THE HUNTSMAN has a new trailer online

TERROR in GERMANY: The trial began of Ahmad Wali Siddiqui, a German-Afghan citizen charged with membership in both al Qaeda and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.

EGYPT: A court freed Ayman al Zawahiri's brother, Mohammed, and five others from prison.

BABY SLOTHS get potty trained.

WHEN BEARS ATTACK your butt.

SNAKE in a Toilet. Again.

LUCKY the DOG: Aptly named.

FIONA APPLE debuted new songs like "Anything We Want" and "Every Single Night" at her SXSW comeback.

HOWLER plays a high-powered, scuzzed-out set of songs live on KEXP from Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop in Austin during SXSW.

IMPERIAL TEEN also brings their playful sound to Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop for a live set on KEXP during SXSW.

POLICA, Live In Concert: SXSW 2012.

LOWER DENS, Live In Concert: SXSW 2012.

GARBAGE drops "Blood For Poppies" in advance of Not Your Kind Of People.

ADAM & THE ANTS: "Dog Eat Dog." Gonna look real good (yeah, right).

BOB MOULD talked to The Current about the recent news of his signing to Merge Records, what to expect from his new album (which is being mixed now) and why he decided to perform the seminal Sugar album Copper Blue from start to finish at his SXSW show.

THE SHINS' second act is profiled at the New York Times.

THE CULT: Ian Astbury talks to Spinner about the new album, Native American issues, Neil Young and more.

JOSIE DeCARLO, the inspiration behind Josie McCoy of the 1970s rock band cartoon series 'Josie and the Pussycats,' is dead. Her age is unknown.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: 21 Jump Street tops the chart with 35 million, a significant overperformance raising the question of whether it will be effective counter-programming to The Hunger Games next weekend.  The Lorax drops 41 percent to second, with 22.8 million -- but has a domestic 158 million haul against a 70 million production budget.  No wonder they're already talking about a CGI reboot of Cat in the Hat.  John Carter skidded 55 percent with 13.5 million; it will take huge overseas biz to break even on its 250 million price tag.  Project X plunged 64 percent to the fourth slot with 4 million -- but 48 million total to date against a 12 million budget ain't bad biz, even if it is bad filmmaking.  A Thousand Words rounds out the Top Five with 3.8 million; its 12.1 million total isn't bad for a movie that sat on a shelf for years.  In sum, all the action this weekend was in the top two or three pics, as cineplexes brace for The Hunger Games, which most gurus pick to open over 100 million.

GEORGE CLOONEY and his dad were arrested in a DC protest against the Sudan crisis.

WHITNEY HOUSTON's daughter has been showing off a huge diamond engagement ring once owned by the late singer.  Bobbi Kristina is seemingly engaged to Whitney's "adopted" son.

NEVE CAMPBELL is expecting her first child.

ALI LANDRY abstained before (second) marriage.

DARK SHADOWS has a trailer online.  It's a comedy, set in 1972.

PROMETHEUS, the Alien prequel or whatever, has a new trailer online.

INDIA: Police linked the bomb attack on an Israeli diplomat to the failed bomb attack in Thailand. Israel blamed Iran for both attacks.

SYRIA: The supply of black market weapons to rebels has been depleted. Iraq said it would not allow Iran to transit weapons to Syria.

IRAN: While American spy agencies have believed that the Iranians halted efforts to build a nuclear bomb back in 2003, the difficulty in assessing the government’s ambitions was evident two years ago, when what appeared to be alarming new intelligence emerged, according to current and former United States officials.

AFGHANISTAN: Russia's foreign minister said that NATO's forces should remain in Afghanistan until they have fulfilled their mandate. He also said Russia was concerned about the spread of the insurgency from the Afghan north into Central Asia.

TRUFFLES the GUINEA PIG has successfully broken the world long jump record for his species.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: Eyewitness News discovers a horny rodent is a dangerous rodent

ELEPHANTS in CAPTIVITY are becoming too inbred, so a German researcher has amassed a sperm bank of wild elephant semen for zoos to draw on. It hasn't been easy.

JOCKO the BULL, father of hundreds of thousands of the world's most productive dairy cattle, has died in France of natural causes at 27.  A nation mourns.