THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

... with SHINDIG! This special, featuring groovy gals, is Tubed in three parts. Part 1 includes the Shangri-Las - "Give Him A Great Big Kiss"; Aretha Franklin - "Shoop Shoop Song"; Leslie Gore - "Judy's Turn To Cry"; and Ketty Lester - "Love Letters." Part 2 includes -- The Toys - "Lover's Concerto"; Jackie DeShannon - "What The World Needs Now"; The Supremes - "Baby Love" and Fontella Bass - "Rescue Me." Part 3 includes The Blossoms - "I Like It Like That"; Petula Clark - "Downtown"; and Tina Turner - "Ooh-Poo-Pah-Doo."

JIMMY CLIFF stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

RHETT MILLER & THE SERIAL LADY KILLERS play a set of tunes from his newest solo album, The Dreamer, at KEXP.

DIAMOND RUGS, ft members of Deer Tick, Black Lips, and Los Lobos, played live from NYC on KEXP.

U2, Live in Dublin, Aug. 28, 1993.

JONATHAN RICHMAN gives a rare interview to SF Weekly about the internet, air conditioning, and being a Godfather of Punk. So why not a live take on "Roadrunner" at Joey Ramone's birthday party? (Thx, LHB.)

JOE PERNICE talks to the Calgary Herald about forthcoming albums from the Scud Mountain Boys and the Pernice Bros.(Thx, Chromewaves.)

THE KINKS are dropping sets of BBC archives.

THE BEST ALBUMS of 2012 (So Far), according to Paste, with embedded previews via Rdio. More from Uncut.

22 MUSIC LEGENDS, from Steve Albini to Brian Wilson, give advice to aspiring musicians via Blurt: Part 1 and Part 2.

CUTOUT BIN: From First Class to Supergrass, from the Zombies to the Jesus & Mary Chain, from Bruce Springsteen to Terry Jacks, plus CCR, Grant Hart, the Beach Boys, Jane's Addiction, The Yarbirds and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.

NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases include: Ted, currently scoring xx percent on the ol' Tomatometer; Magic Mike, which is currently scoring xx percent; People Like Us, scoring xx percent; and Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection, which predictably was not screened for critics.

ANN CURRY left Today yesterday.

ALEC BALDWIN and his bride-to-be have so little faith that their A-list guests and closest relatives won't blab about their wedding-reception plans that the details will be sent by text message on the day of their nuptials. Leakers will be punched out by the groom.

GEORGE CLOONEY & JENNIFER ANISTON board a private jet together; paparazzi spontaneously combust.

JOHNNY DEPP & AMBER HEARD are "100 percent dating."

ASHTON KUTCHER & MILA KUNIS: Not exclusive.

EVA LONGORIA & EDUARDO CRUZ: Dunzo.

COMMUNITY: The entire cast - including Chevy Chase - will return, in the wake of the firing of show creator Dan Harmon.

TOTAL RECALL: The reboot has a new trailer online.

IRAN's hardline government has hailed the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Mursi's victory in Egypt's first democratic presidential polls as "an Islamic awakening" in the region.

EGYPT's religious affairs ministry has sent a letter to all the country' imams ordering them not to accept invitations from Tehran to visit Iran or face "serious" punishment. Egypt's presidency planned to reveal how Islamist President-elect Mohamed Mursi would be sworn in at the weekend in a ceremony whose symbolism the Muslim Brotherhood and interim military rulers have both struggled to shape.

PIGLET vs CAT, Round 1.

2000 MICE were stolen by heroin addicts, but rescued by police.

PET HOARDING: A judge has ruled that a Florida man cannot care for nearly 700 cats removed from his cat sanctuary while he faces multiple animal cruelty charges.

ESCAPED ANIMALS = Ratings Gold, Jerry.

DOLPHIN & SEAL, inseparable pals... Mass hysteria!

BETTYE LaVETTE covers The Black Keys' "I'm Not the One" in a lyrical video.

THE HIVES play a Session and do a Q & A at Spinner.

MAPS & ATLASES perform a set of experimental yet accessible songs from their album "Beware and Be Grateful" live on KEXP.

DEVIN tears through a mini-set of garage-pop at KEXP.

PJ HARVEY: The Secret Solo Show.

LAVENDER DIAMOND drops “Oh My Beautiful World” ahead of Incorruptible Heart.

TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS: "Here Comes My Girl."

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS give Spinner a track-by-track tour of their latest LP.

CAT POWER: Chan Marshall talks to Pitchfork about the trial and error that went into her forthcoming LP, Sun.

FIONA APPLE talks to Interview about The Idler Wheel and more..

THE BEACH BOYS: Mike Love has already booked fall dates with his touring version of the Beach Boys, without the group's other principal founding members.  That is soooo Mike Love.

SIMON REYNOLDS & GREIL MARCUS talk and talk and talk...

CHARLIE SHEEN did not trash is hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton in NYC.

ANNA PAQUIN & STEPHEN MOYER are expecting twins.

LINDSAY LOHAN has settled with the 3 men she allegedly abducted and took on a wild drug-fueled car chase through Santa Monica back in 2007.

ROBERT PATTINSON was dissed by Katy Perry, Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez.

SETH MacFARLANE and... Alexis Knapp?

THE 25 BEST MOVIES of 2012 (So Far), according to Paste.

FRANKENWEENIE has a new trailer online.

YEMEN: Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has established a new base in the Al Mahfad area in Abyan province. Yemen's foreign minister admitted that the US is conducting drone strikes against AQAP.

SYRIA: Gunmen attacked a pro-Assad TV station near Damascus, destroying the station and killing seven employees. President Assad said the country was at war and no effort should be spared to achieve victory. The UN said violence had worsened since the attempted peace plan in April.

EGYPT: A court struck down a decree giving the military authority to detain civilians.

PAKISTAN: Western states pressured China at closed-door talks last week to address concerns about its plans to expand a nuclear power plant in Pakistan and provide more information, but were rebuffed.

HAMLET the MINI-PIG navigates the stairs.

BOWSER BEER is crafted for a canine clientele.

A TREE-CLIMBING DOG proved less adept at descent.

LARRY the CAT occupies 10 Downing Street.

JENS LEKMAN drops a video for his comeback single, "Erica America."

REGINA SPEKTOR played Le Poisson Rouge; you can stream the whole gig on demand.

SUMMER MUSIC PREVIEW: All Songs Considered previews tracks from The Avett Bros, The Antlers, Cat Power, JEFF the Brotherhood and more....

100 ESSENTIAL NOISE POP SONGS, compiled by KQED and streaming via NPR.

PINK FLOYD on the BBC, 1970-71.

BEST COAST covers Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon" for a tribute LP.

THE MUSIC EXPLOSION: "Little Bit O'Soul."

KEITH RICHARDS (Lord of the Undead) & JACK WHITE: What could go wrong?

PAUL WESTERBERG & TOMMY STINSON are collaborating on a song for a Slim Dunlap benefit LP.

THE SLITS: Viv Albertine talks to BBC6 about being confined to her room and banned from the bus while on tour with the Sex Pistols and the Clash, and her exile from the music industry.

THE 40 GREATEST BAND NAMES, according to SPIN.

NORA EPHRON, an essayist and humorist who became one of her era's most successful screenwriters and filmmakers, making romantic comedy hits like "Sleepless in Seattle" and "When Harry Met Sally," died Tuesday night in Manhattan. She was 71.

JENNIFER LAWRENCE rushed to the aid of a teenage girl who collapsed on her front lawn Monday, calling paramedics and waiting with the girl until help arrived.

ZACH GALIFIANAKIS is engaged.

ASHTON KUTCHER & MILA KUNIS are dating, according to the ever-reliable Life & Style.

JOHN TRAVOLTA, beset by legal claims by strange men, gropes his wife, Kelly Preston, at the "Savages" premiere in Los Angeles.

JASON LEE and wife Ceren welcomed a son over the weekend.

CHER reveals producers are at work developing a Broadway musical based on her life.

JAMES CAMERON will shoot three Avatar sequels simultaneously? Please make it stop.

TURKEY: Following Syria's shoot-down of a Turkish jet, Turkey warned Syria to stay away from its borders. Turkey's prime minister said that his country would offer all possible support "to liberate the Syrians from dictatorship."

SYRIA: Fierce fighting broke out around elite Republican Guard posts in the capital of Damascus. The rebel Free Syrian Army captured a military base in the northern town of Daret Ezzah. The UN said Syria is too dangerous for peacekeeping monitors to resume their mission.

IRANIANS protesting soaring food prices launched a spontaneous three-day boycott of milk and bread purchases, in a sign that growing economic hardship could lead to more civil disobedience.

THE UNITED STATES: The FBI disclosed that it has tracked over 100 cases of Islamic extremists within the US military.

BEARS wrestle on a front lawn in Lakewood, FL.

A COLLARED GATOR waits for the bus in... Enfield, CT?

A RARE RHINO BABY could be a vital rescue-line for the dying Sumatran Rhino species.

A THRILL-SEEKING RUNAWAY PIG is rescued at a theme park in Nottingham.

MATT & KIM drop a video for "Let's Go" ahead of Lightning, ft. Pat the Roc.

NEW RELEASES from They Might Be Giants, The Offspring, Everclear, A Place to Bury Strangers, Beachwood Sparks, Echo Lake, Jesca Hoop, Joe Jackson and more are streaming this week via Spinner.

DIRTY PROJECTORS play a spare set at KEXP.

WUSSY, whom Robert Christgau calls "the best band in America,"stops by KEXP for a session.

TINARIWEN soundchecks for Oregon Public Broadcasting.

THE RAVEONETTES drop "Observations" ahead of Observator.

THE JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION drops "Black Mold" ahead of Meat And Bone.

GARY WRIGHT will always be known as the "Dreamweaver," but add "Love is Alive" (with More Cowbell) and you have Twofer Tuesday.

JACK WHITE pleasantly surpises a BBC interviewer.

DAVID BYRNE talks about his first musical, about the rise and fall of Imelda Marcos, with All Things Considered.

PORTISHEAD: Geoff Barrow shares the soundtrack of his life at The Observer (usually it's Pitchfork doing this) with audio links.

GLEN CAMPBELL's final L.A. show was studded with cameos.

JOHN TRAVOLTA is sued for assault by the cruise ship steward who claims Travolta exposed himself during a neck massage and then embraced him.  Travolta's lawyer calls it ludicrous.

KIM KARDASHIAN's legal team began grilling the reality star's ex, Kris Humphries, in Minneapolis.

JENNY McCARTHY's new Playboy cover is online.

CHANNING TATUM is laughing off accusations that he used the real-life stories of two former male strippers he once worked with in his new movie, Magic Mike.

JENNA JAMESON was charged with DUI after slamming her car into a pole instad of dancing around it.

ZOOEY DESCHANEL may have a new boyfriend. Only Siri knows for sure.

SYRIA: Thirty-three members of the Syrian military and their families defected to Turkey.  Fmr Syrian Brigadier Gen Ahmad Berro, who defected earlier this month, says the Syrian army is tired of fighting the uprising and calls on his colleagues to defy the orders of the Syrian government.

EGYPT: Mohamed Mursi, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, began forming a new government.

AFGHANISTAN: Poisoning attacks on girls' schools are taking place with increasing frequency in the northern provinces of Takhar and Sar-i-Pul.

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE DOG makes his escape.

A RUNAWAY COW is apprehended by German police after invading a woman's kitchen. 

DOGS get "Prozac" for their emotional problems.

CALF licks a CAT... Mass hysteria!

THE SHINS drop a no-frills video for "No Way Down."

SEXTON BLAKE Plays the Hits, from Springsteen to Supertramp to Milli Vanilli.

DELTA RAE stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session. 

JOHN WESLEY HARDING, btw, is now hosting a variety show called Cabinet of Wonders.

THE MIX: The Songs Of The Summer, 1962-2012, courtesy of NPR and Spotify.

THE HEAVY drops "What Makes a Good Man?" ahead of The Glorious Dead. How do you like them now?

YEASAYER drops "Henrietta" ahead of their Fragrant World LP.

JOY DIVISION's surviving members talk about "Love Will Tear Us Apart."

WILCO frontman Jeff Tweedy discusses good and bad infliences at Boise Weekly. (Thx, LHB.)

FIONA APPLE talks to Pitchfork about the joys of feeling pain, the most consistent relationship of her life, and her bold new album.

WOMEN WHO ROCK, according to Rolling Stone. Empowering or ghettoizing?

EARWORM: More science.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Brave tops the chart with 66.8 million, solidly in line with non-Toy Story Pixar openings (a little less than Up, which had the benefit of a Memorial Day weekend debut).  Despite this formidable competition, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted placed with 20 million on a mere 40 percent drop, leaving a 200 million domestic gross a possibility. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter showed with 16.5 million, but a 69 million budget and limited overseas prospects makes this a cruel summer for producer Tim Burton and his brand of vampires.  Prometheus drops 52 percent from second to fourth, but will still turn a tidy profit worldwide.  Rock of Ages and Snow White and the Huntsman photo finish to round out the Top 5 with 8 million apiece -- but they're quite different stories.  Rock of Ages is tanking with little more than its  28 million domestic total against a 75 million budget.  Below the fold, That's My Boy is similaly tanking in the seventh slot.  Seeking a Friend for the End of the World debuts in the ten slot with 3.8 million, but cost only 10 million to make.

KIM KARDASHIAN: Kris Humphries told his ex, Myla Sinanaj he knew Kim hooked up with Kanye West because he was mysteriously absent from the big wedding.

ALEX TREBEK: What is a mild heart attack?

GWYNETH PALTROW & CHRIS MARTIN are in escrow on one of the most spectacular estates on the westside of Los Angeles.

CALEB FOLOWILL & LILY ALDRIDGE welcomed their first child, daughter Dixie Pearl Followill, on Thursday, June 21 in Nashville.

JAMES MARSDEN is expecting a baby with sultry Brazilian model Rose Costa just months after splitting with his wife of 11 years.

JOHN TRAVOLTA and his lawyer were sued Thursday for trade libel by the author of an incendiary book about the actor.

MIA WASIKOWSKA and Zoe Aggeliki are in the running for the Hunger Games sequel.

SYRIA: As evidence mounts of militant forces among the Syrian opposition, senior US and European officials are increasingly alarmed by the prospect of sophisticated weapons falling into the hands of rebel groups that may be dangerous to Western interests, including al Qaeda.

EGYPT: Election regulators named Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood the winner of Egypt's first competitive presidential elections, handing the Islamist group a symbolic triumph and a new weapon in its struggle for power with the ruling military council.

PAKISTAN: A State Department report notes that harassment of US official entities in Pakistan has "reached new levels of intensity" since the events of 2011. The report describes the harassment as "deliberate, willful and systematic" and says it included blocking shipments for both assistance programs and construction projects.

A COCKATOO dances to AC/DC.

BABY RACCOON freed from storm drain.

SEAL PUP rescued from a bathtub.

LONESOME GEORGE, a giant tortoise believed to be the last of its subspecies, has died.