JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT (Inception, 500 Days of Summer) covers Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance." Yes. Really. 

JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.

THE NELS CLINE SINGERS played a Tink Desk Concert at the offices of NPR.

PETER WOLF CRIER stopped by the MPR booth at the Minnesota State Fair to play a few songs.

STEVIE WONDER, Live in Brighton, July 4, 1973.

THE GODFATHERS: "Birth, School, Work, Death."  Post-Labor Day, school starting... we got the middle covered.

THE XX won the 2010 Mercury Music Prize. Congrats!

WEEZER frontman Rivers Cuomo ponders rebirth, growing up (or not) and connecting with fans.

MORRISSEY talks to The Guardian, and it's all very Morrissey.

NICK CAVE talks to The Guardian about Grinderman, his "lower self."

BRITNEY SPEARS: A bodyguard who claims to have been sexually harassed by Spears is filing a lawsuit, claiming Britney repeatedly exposed herself to him and abused her children.

HALLE BERRY has been spotted cozying up to her Dark Tide costar Olivier Martinez, in his hometown of Paris.

THE FRENCH HOTEL: Yet another story of her using a "special" place to hide her drugs, though "special" is debatable at this point. Will she be in a reality show with Charlie Sheen's wife, Brooke Mueller?

BRADGELINA drop another 40 million on yet another mansion.

KENDRA WILKINSON, before the plastic surgery.

PLAYMATE Karissa Shannon, as previously rumored, is Vivid Entertainment's next target.

STAR TREK: The five-year mission started 44 years ago.

PAKISTAN: Interior Minister Rahman Malik on Wednesday announced a major crackdown against all militant organizations, including those involved in sectarian violence and separatism. I'll believe it when I see it.

AFGHANISTAN: Pres. Karzai might talk tough about dealing with endemic corruption that has weakened his country for so long, but tangible results have been hard to find.

IRAQ: Al Qaeda in Iraq has demanded local shopkeepers in Mosul pay "protection money" to ensure shipments of goods.

CAT HOUSE on the KINGS: A unique no-cage, no-kill cat & dog sanctuary in Parlier, California.

COW BELCHES, a major source of greenhouse gases, could be decreased by an unusual feed supplement developed by a Penn State dairy scientist.

FALLING CAT spurs mass lawsuit.

A BOBCAT started a fire that engulfed 5 acres of land in California. The bobcat is not going to be okay.

OSHINE the ORANGUTAN has been put on a healthy diet after becoming the fattest primate in Britain.

THE ACORN drops "Restoration" from the first video from No Ghost.

NEW RELEASES REDUX, ICYMI: Albums from Interpol, Bachman & Turner, Sam Prekop, Dick Dale and more are streaming this week via Spinner.

WEEZER is advance streaming Hurley.

BELLE & SEBASTIAN dropped "Write About Love" on teh Twitter.

XPoNENTIAL MUSIC FEST: Highlights from Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeroes, Dr. Dog, The Walkmen and more are streaming via NPR.

WISCO: A Tribute To Wilco's Summerteeth is posted by Muzzle of Bees in hopes you'll donate to the Wisconsin Humane Society.

RARE EARTH: "I Just Want to Celebrate." Yeah, yeah.

THE PIXIES: Frank Black talks to the Philadelphia Inquirer about Doolitle.

BEST COAST: Bethany Cosentino talks to Drowned in Sound about the genesis of the band, Frankie Valli, and more...

PAVEMENT is accepting submissions from guitarists to play with them on Fallon's show Sept. 23rd.

JOHN LENNON's killer was denied parole for the sixth time.

THE FRENCH HOTEL got special treatment at the Clark County Detention Center. Shocka.

TAYLOR SWIFT thinks Kanye West's musical apology to her is self-promotion.

AMY POEHLER will host the SNL premiere, but don't look for Jenny Slate.

JAMES FRANCO entertains himself frequently when he's alone.

CLINT EASTWOOD could have been Superman or James Bond? Maybe he really wanted to be Sub-Mariner.

WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS has a new clip online.

TERRY GILLIAM says the financing collapsed for his Don Quixote flick.

PETER BOGDANOVICH has a blog, with a bloggy title.

IRAN has accelerated its nuclear program and currently possesses a sufficient supply of enriched uranium to make three nuclear devices, assuming it speeds up enrichment to 90 percent, according to a new report by the International Atomic Energy Agency.  As it turns out, raising the purity to 90 percent is relatively easy.

AFGHANISTAN: The Taliban is again trying to terrorize people from listening to music or watching TV. A record number of female candidates for parliament face the worst political intimdation since 2001.

A TERRIER practices passive resistance.

THE GREAT MONTANA SHEEP DRIVE was marred by rain and directionally-challenged sheep.

THE SWARM: A 53-year-old Attleboro, MA, woman was stung more than 500 times in an encounter with a wasp nest outside her home, local fire officials said.

A 9-FOOT GATOR was found in a Ormond Beach, FL storm drain. It is not going to be alright.

THE DRUMS are "Down By The Water."

NEW RELEASES: Spinner didn't update on Labor Day, but they probably will today, so check in throughout the day.

SUPERCHUNK is advance streaming Majesty Shredding.

OF MONTREAL is advance streaming False Priest.

BLONDE REDHEAD is advance streaming Penny Sparkle.

MAVIS STAPLES is advance streaming You Are Not Alone.

ROBERT PLANT is advance streaming Band of Joy (featuring Buddy Miller).  Plant also talks to the New York Times about the album.

JANIS JOPLIN with BIG BROTHER & THE HOLDING COMPANY play "Summertime" and "I Need a Man to Love" -- in one of their last performances together -- for Twofer Tuesday.

JENNY & JOHNNY: Jenny Lewis talks to the L.A. Times about leaving the Bob Dylan Fantasy Camp.

BILLY BRAGG talks to Billboard about working with Rosanne Cash and Joe Henry on a new LP.

THE SWANS: Michael Gira talks to the New York Times in a meaty profile marking the band's reunion.

PASTE: An associate editor writes about the death of the print version of the magazine.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: The American topped the Labor Day chart with 16.4 million; it took in 19.5 million since opening Wednesday against a 20 million budget. Machete placed with 14 million, also against a 20 million budget.  Takers dropped to a close third with 13.5 million; its total is almost 40 million against a 32 million budget.  The last Exorcism dropped a big 57 percent to the No. 4 slot with 8.8 million; not so bad considering its 33.6 million total on a 1.8 million budget.  Rounding out the Top Five was Going the Distance, which took in only 6.9 million against a 32 million budget; Drew Barrymore has been on a bad streak in recent years.  Overall, the box office came in about where it has the past couple of years.

MACHETE was the best-reviewed flick of the weekend, but it really did not work for me.  Robert Rodriguez expanded his faux trailer from Grindhouse into a full-blown Mexploitation flick that starts with great promise, but the plot ends up meandering, and the action at the end is so poorly-directed that I found myself waiting for it to end.  There has also been a discussion of the politics, which are an especially over-the-top version of that found in the original flicks of the genre.  The politics are largely window-dressing, and would have been forgiveable if they didn't produce a very out-of-character moment for Jessica Alba that strained credulity, even for a cartoonish movie like this.  Machete wasn't a bad movie, but it failed to rise above the mediocrity of the grindhouse genre to which it pays homage.

LINDSAY LOHAN has "multiple offers" for her first television interview since getting out of jail/rehab - and one of her biggest suitors is "Today." Meanwhile, Lohan apparently struck a baby stroller with her car, and reportedly saw it before hitting it.

JOHN TRAVOLTA requested that charges be dropped against the two men accused of attempting to extort 25 million bucks from him after the death of his 16-year-old son.

CHRIS KLEIN did four days in jail on his latest DUI bust.

SPENCER PRATT may be sued by the Playboy Playmate claiming he removed a sex tape involving her and her boyfriend.

WYCLEF JEAN & SEAN PENN are feuding.

WILLIAM SHATNER was profiled by the New York Times Magazine.

IRAN is paying Taliban fighters 1000 bucks for each US soldier they kill in Afghanistan, according to a report in a British newspaper. An Iranian woman who'd already been condemned to death faces another sentence of 99 lashes because of a case of mistaken identity in a photograph, according to foes of the execution. The UN atomic agency expressed alarm Monday about Iran's decision to bar some of its inspectors, suggesting that its efforts to monitor the country's nuclear program were suffering as a result.

IRAQ: Will the Iraqi military seek US assistance after 2011?

SNEAKY CAT is watching you.

SKINKS: Scientists have caught the process of evolution in action as a species of Australian lizard abandons egg-laying for live births.

RABBITS need to turn off their cellphones before sticking them in their pants.

ALASKAN MOOSE end the summer with a pool party.

HUNGRY BEARS plague towns from coast to coast.

THE LABOR DAY WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with CHEAP TRICK, live at ChicagoFest '81!  Your set list includes: "Stop This Game," Hello There," "I Want You to Want Me," "On Top of the World," "Reach Out," "Baby Loves to Rock," "Gonna Raise Hell," "Dream Police," "Ain't That a Shame," "Surrender," "Just Got Back," "Day Tripper" and "Goodnight." You can access the individual songs from the link, or let the whole thing roll.

SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

ROCKY VOTOLATO did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.

EXTRA LENS (John Darnielle and Franklin Bruno) is advance streaming Undercard.

FREDDIE MERCURY is one of NPR's 50 Great Voices.

NIRVANA: Roma, which may be their last known live recording, from February 22, 1994.

BOB DYLAN: Roio offers still-unreleased tracks from the infamous Great White Wonder.

POP CANDY has a new podcast featuring tracks from The Like, Superchunk and more...

AQUARIUM DRUNKARD has a new summer mixtape from Mondo Boys.

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED Guest DJ Jim Jarmusch Previews The All Tomorrow's Parties Music Festival.  Includes a great track from The Greenhornes with Holly Golightly.

FIRST CLASS: "Beach Baby" falls into that category of summer song Oliver Wang described last year as "tinged with fragility and marked by melancholy."  It's even more true of the long version, with those French Horns and choral vocals in the c-section...

THE TOP 200 TRACKS OF THE 90s, according to Pitchfork.

THE 40 BEST NEW BANDS, according to Stereogum.

THE POGUES are arguing online about the band's status.

TIFT MERRITT talks to the Santa Barbara Independent about her songwriting  process, mixtapes and more... (Thx, LHB.)

OK GO frontman Damian Kulash writes about net neutrality at the Washington Post.

ROYAL TRUX: Jennifer Herrema talks to Exclaim about her life in the band, , the reissue series, life on a major, that notorious Sweet Sixteen album cover and how Nelly is influencing the next RTX album.

PASTE ceases print publication, but continues online.

CUTOUT BIN: From Wire to Earth, Wind & Fire, from Big Star to Jimi Hendrix, from the Sweet to Matthew Sweet, from Iggy Pop to the Ronettes, plus the Replacements, King Floyd, the Ventures, Hoodo Gurus 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 Going the Distance, which is currently soring 38 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; The American, which is scoring 60 percent; and Machete, scoring 67 percent.

LINDSAY LOHAN was disinvited from the the Machete premiere.

THE FRENCH HOTEL's "borrowed purse" defense to her cocaine possession charge may have a hole in it.

JOHN TRAVOLTA has been involved in "lewd sex acts with other men" as part of a "secret gay spa subculture," according to the ever-reliable National Enquirer.

JENNIFER LOPEZ is in the final stages of negotiations with "American Idol."

JENNIFER ANISTON hit the town Wednesday night with Hard Rock Café heir Harry Morton.

HARVEY KEITEL replacing Steve Carell on The Office? I wouldn't bet on it.

NATALIE PORTMAN is already getting Oscar buzz for her work in Black Swan.

WERNER HERZOG answered questions from Twitter on video to promote his film My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? A highlight may be his account of saving a man's life after a car crashed in front of his house.

ZSA ZSA GABOR to be plastinated after death?

OLIVIA MUNN - the newest correspondent on The Daily Show - gets a feature in GQ.

AFGHANISTAN: Gen. Petraeus said initial approaches to some Taliban members as part of a reconciliation initiative have shown promise and could help resolve the conflict in the country. Meanwhile, US and Afghan troops beat back another attempt by the Haqqani Network to overrun a US base in eastern Afghanistan, the third such attack since Aug. 28th.

HOPPING OTTERS: Let's go to the video.

PINKY the PUPPY jumped to the rescue and saved her best friend, 9-year-old Richie Bragg, after he was attacked by a swarm of bees.

STRANDED WHALE put to death with explosives.

THE BIRDS: Mail delivery in Bayview, Calgary, has been temporarily suspended because a hawk has been nose-diving the local mail carrier. Not to be confused with the hawks in Moose Jaw, Sask.

BABY BLACK RHINO born at the Cleveland Zoo. Awww...some pics and video at the link.

THE RAVEONETTES cover the Stone Roses classic, "I Wanna Be Adored," for Doc Martens.

THE MYNABRIRDS did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter (though you can pay for lossless audio, too).

THE CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS stopped by the Current booth at the Minnesota State Fair for a live performance.

NEON INDIAN did a long-distance session for KEXP.

KAREN ELSON stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

THE TEMPTATIONS: "Psychedelic Shack." That's where it's at.

JENNY & JOHNNY: Jenny Lewis and Jonathan Rice talk to Vanity Fair about the virtues of duos, Elvis Costello and more...

TED LEO talks to Billboard about "Bottled in Cork," his video project with Funny Or Die.

SLEIGH BELLS: Alexis Krauss talks to Stuff (NZ) about the duo's genesis.

THE SEX PISTOLS launch their own perfume.

TIGER WOODS has taken out a 54.5 million dollar mortgage for a mega-mansion he's building on Florida's exclusive Jupiter Island.

HEIDI MONTAG & SPENCER PRATT have officially cut off negotiations with Vivid Entertainment honcho Steven Hirsch ... telling him they're no longer interested in hawking a sex tape.

ASHTON KUTCHER & DEMI MOORE: Cheating rumors from the evr-reliable Star magazine.

SAMANTHA RONSON faces a criminal investigation after her bulldog Cadillac reportedly killed a tiny dog near her West Hollywood home.

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE... and Quentin Tarantino?

CONAN O'BRIEN announces the name of his new show on TBS.

KICK-ASS 2 gets greenlit, based on DVD sales.

33 MUST SEE FALL FILMS, according to Indiewire.

PAKISTAN: The US government has designated the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan as a terrorist entity, and has named Hakeemullah and Waliur Rehman Mehsud as specially designated global terrorists.  The targets of recent Predator strikes suggest the priorities of the current US mission.  US officials have charged the leader of Pakistan's Taliban with planning attacks against American forces in Afghanistan, including last year's suicide bombing that killed seven CIA employees.

PANDA DOG: Is that his real coloring? Only his groomer knows for sure.

PET PIG sent to canine obedience classes.

THE SWARM: A beekeeper's vehicle rolled in North Canterbury, seriously injuring one of the occupants and unleashing hives of angry bees.

IDITARAD waterskiing.