JIMMY RUFFIN, who had hits with "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" and "Hold On (To My Love)," died Monday in a Las Vegas hospital. He was 78. No details were immediately available about the cause of death.

HISS GOLDEN MESSENGER stopped by World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

FIELD REPORT stopped by World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

ANNIE LENNOX stopped by World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

SEPTEMBER GIRLS advance stream their Veneer EP. It does not sound like Big Star.

FAITH NO MORE's first new track since 1997 has a family-unfriendly title.

SUSAN drops “Pancake,” from their new Just Call It 7″.

PLIMSOULS: "A Million Miles Away." Classic power-pop.

BILLY BRAGG takes on Taylor Swift, explains his presence on Spotify.

CHERRY GLAZERR: The fast-rising rock trio fronted by two 17-year-old students gets profiled by the L.A. Times.

DIRTY BEACHES: Alex Zhang Hungtai talks to Pitchfork about the soundtrack to his life.

JASON ISBELL was asked to audition for The Voice. Really.

CHRIS HEMSWORTH is People magazine's “Sexiest Man Alive” for 2014.

RYAN GOSLING has repeatedly turned down People magazine's annual “Sexiest Man Alive” issue.

BILL COSBY: NBC and Netflix shelve projects with the comedian after rape allegations resurfaced. His concerts continue.

JENNIFER LAWRENCE was compared to Joan of Arc or Jesus Christ by Donald Sutherland.

TAMRYN MANNING was arrested for making criminal threats against a former close friend, but the DA has already declined to prosecute.

THR's ACTRESS ROUNDTABLE talks about everything from Jennifer Lawrence's hacked photos to the recent attention on Renee Zellweger's face.

X-MEN APOCALYPSE searches for young Jean Grey and Cyclops.

THE ISLAMIC STATE: CENTCOM said that between Nov. 17 and Nov. 19, US and partner nations carried out 24 airstrikes in Iraq against the Islamic State and six airstrikes against the group in Syria; the US also conducted one airstrike near Haram in northwest Syria against al Qaeda's "Khorasan Group." US military records show that the US Air Force has carried out about two-thirds of the 956 airstrikes against the Islamic State between Aug. 8 and Nov. 16. The Islamic State killed five people in a suicide attack in Irbil and 10 more Iraqis in three separate bombings in Baghdad. The Iraqi military claimed it killed the Islamic State's war minister and three aides in Mosul, 13 Islamic State fighters in northern Babil, and 10 more in Tikrit.

AFGHANISTAN: John Sopko, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, called the US' 3-billion dollar nation-building effort in Afghanistan "an abysmal failure."

CATS: Can they be trusted?

A GREAT DANE gave bith to 19 puppies. That's a lot of litter.

A GAY BULL was saved from the slaughterhouse by charity donations, including from Sam Simon, co-creator of The Simpsons.

PETA stole a family dog and killed it. The fruit basket will make it all better.

JIMMY FALLON & THE ROOTS filled in for U2 with "Desire" after Bono was injured in a cyclling accident.

ARIEL PINK advance streams the polarizing pom pom via Spotify. 

HANNAH LOU CLARK advance streams her Silent Type EP. 

CYMBALS EAT GUITARS performs a mini-set at KEXP. 

STARS performs in the WNYC Soundcheck studio.

LIZ PHAIR drops the seasonal "Ho Ho Ho"  from the upcoming Amazon comp All Is Bright.

GRUFF RHYS drops “Set Fire To The Stars”, also the title of a Dylan Thomas biopic. 

UNWED TEENAGE MOTHERS drop the poppy "Whose Girl Are You" ahead of their debut LP. 

NITE FIELDS drop “You I Never Knew” aheead of Depersonalisation. 

HUSKER DU: "The Girl Who Lives On Heaven Hill" and "I Apologize," live at First Ave, circa 1985.

TV ON THE RADIO is profiled by SPIN. 

BEDHEAD: The best 90s band you never heard? 

THE SHAZAM EFFECT: Data science has been good for the industry...but is it good for music? 

THE HUNDRED BEST TRACKS OF THE DECADE (So Far), according to FACT. 

KIM KARDASHIAN's nude photoshoot made her feel confident in herself...and renewed interest in her sex tape. 

CHARLES MANSON plans to marry a 26-year-old woman who left her Midwestern home and spent the past nine years trying to help exonerate him. 

DWIGHT HOWARD is under criminal investigation for child abuse.

MILEY CYRUS & PATRICK SCHWARZENEGGER are falling in love? 

TRACY MORGAN was in a coma for days with a traumatic brain injury after a highway crash in which his van was struck from behind by a Wal-Mart Stores Inc. truck five months ago, according to his lawyer.

BILL COSBY: What we do and don't know about the rape allegations against him.

CHANNING TATUM is profiled in the December Esquire. 

GLOBAL TERROR ATTACK DEATHS rose sharply in 2013. 

LIBYA: The black flag of ISIS flies over government buildings in the city of Derna, population of about 100,000, not far from the Egyptian border.

SYRIA: A regime airstrike killed at least 13 people and wounded 20 in Aleppo, according to SOHR. Kurdish forces captured six buildings used by the Islamic State and significant weapons and ammunition near Kobane; the US-led coalition conducted seven airstrikes overnight near the embattled city. Jihadists and US-backed rebels have reportedly aligned in the battle for Aleppo; meanwhile "a ranking Turkish source" claims that the Free Syrian Army has abandoned its bid for Aleppo.

A UNITED NATIONS PANEL has urged the Security Council to order all countries to seize oil trucks coming in and out of territory controlled by jihadists in Iraq and Syria and to impose a global moratorium on the sale of antiquities from the two countries. 

QUESO THE PIT BULL is afraid of going through doorways. 

EROTICALLY-ENTWINED EAGLES crash-landed in a Seattle park. 

DRUNKEN BIRDS are nursed to sobriety in the Yukon. 

AVIAN FLU been confirmed at a duck breeding farm in East Yorkshire .

SONNY & THE SUNSETS drop a video for "Cheap Extensions" ahead of Talent Night at the Ashram.

KING TUFF stopped by World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

KAREN O  stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

GALA DROP advance streams II. Electro-psych isn't really my bag, but it's interesting.

LOU REED, Guest DJing on WPIX, circa 1979.

LOS CAMPESINOS! drops "When Christmas Comes,” ahead of A Los Campesinos! Christmas EP.

THE SMASHING PUMPKINS drop the new-wavey "Tiberius" ahead of Monuments To An Elegy.

CAVE PEOPLE drop "Cluster" ahead of their Older EP.

AC/DC goes "Rock Or Bust."

BOTH SIDES NOW: Joni Mitchell performs her 1968 song in 1970 and in 2000, for a reflective Twofer Tuesday.

STEVE ALBINI spoke in Melbourne about the advantages of the internet, the death of the major label system, copyright law and that ‘purple dwarf in assless chaps'.

IDLEWILD frontman Roddy Woomble ranks the indie band's albums.

DROPKICK MURPHYS scrapped the last date on their US tour after a man threw himself in front of their bus in a suspected suicide.

U2: Bono injured his arm in a Central Park cycling accident and requires surgery. Between thta an the airplane mishap, not a good week for ol' Paul.

CHRIS PRATT is profiled by GQ and is one of the mag's Men of the Year.

AMY ADAMS is profiled by Vogue.

TILA TEQUILA gave birth to her first child, a baby girl, on Sunday.

JADEN & WILLOW SMITH talked to the New York Times Magazine, and Will & Jada likely wish they had not.

JENNIFER LAWRENCE talks about shopping at IKEA, among other things.

AMANDA BYNES apologized for making death threats against her father.

SOLANGE KNOWLES released wedding pics that are very Solange.

UKRAINE: As fighting increases in eastern Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin is vowing that Moscow will not allow pro-Russian rebels in the region to be defeated while Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is threatening "total war."

YEMENI tribes say they will resist Houthi takeover of oil facilities.

IRAN: The United States is disappointed with Iran's failure to engage with a U.N. nuclear agency investigation into suspected atomic bomb research.

THE ISLAMIC STATE: CENTCOM reported that since Nov. 14, US forces have conducted 11 airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria, and US and partner forces have carried out 20 airstrikes in Iraq against the group. A US intelligence official indicated that US targeting in Syria and Iraq is hampered by insufficient intelligence on the ground.

A SEAL sexually harrasses a penguin. And the other penguins just watch. The BBC is on it.

A TEXAS DOG jumped on the back of an ambulance to ride on the bumper after his 85-year-old owner was taken to the hospital. 

A SNAKE appears to have committed suicide.

DO LABRADORS bite the most?

BAND AID 30 busts out “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” again, this time to help combat Ebola.

FLAKE MUSIC: James Mercer's pre-Shins band is advance streaming the reissued When You Land Here, It's Time To Return.

TWO INCH ASTRONAUT is advance streaming their second album, Foulbrood.

JOHN MELLENCAMP stopped by World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

METRONOMY stopped by WFUV's Studio A for a chat and mini-set.

NANCY SINATRA: "These Boots Are Made For Walking." Are you ready?

TV ON THE RADIO, essayed by Ann Powers.

THE MOUNTAIN GOATS' John Darnielle, interviewed by Paste.

ARIEL PINK continues to troll everyone, especially Grimes.

THE TEN WORST BEATLES SONGS, according to Vice, in full-on troll mode.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Dumb and Dumber To tops the chart with 38.1 million, almost matching the film's production budget in its first weekend. Insofar as Jim Carrey's comedies tend to do well overseas, the question now is how well it does as counter-programming when The Hunger Games storms cnemas this week, particularly with a B- Cinemascore.  Big Hero 6 places with 36 million with a 36 percent drop,suggesting this will perform on par with Disney's successful Wreck-It Ralph. Interstellar shows with 29.2 million on a 39 percent drop.  The Nolan flick has grossed about 322 million worldwide,and probably needs 500 million to profit.  Beyond The Lights debuts in the fourth slot with 6.5 million; against a reported 7.2 million budget.  Gone Girl hangs onto the bottom of the Top 5, with another 4.6 million and 319 in worldwide receipts to date.

THE HOLLYWOOD FILM AWARDS: Awards season kicks off with a strange Johnny Depp speech, a risque Ben Affleck joke, and a Kirsten Stewart wardrobe malfunction.

EVAN RACHEL WOOD and Katherine Moennig have split.

AMANDA BYNES has Daddy issues.

KRISTIN CHENOWETH is single once more.

SOLANGE KNOWLES tied the knot with video director Alan Ferguson in New Orleans on Sunday.

THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY will not have a CGI Philip Seymour Hoffman.

DANIEL BRUHL is set to play the villain role in the next Captain America: Civil War.

GLEN A. LARSEN, who was behind a string of hit series in the 1970s and '80s, including Magnum, P.I., Knight Rider, Quincy M.E. and the original Battlestar Galactica, died Friday at UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica. He was 77.

THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES on Saturday issued a list of 83 Islamist groups which it classified as "terrorist organizations".

THE ISLAMIC STATE's rapid consolidation of the Sunni parts of Iraq and Syria has used a double-pronged strategy to gain the obedience of Sunni tribes. While using their abundant cash and arms to entice tribal leaders to join their self-declared caliphate, the jihadists have also eliminated potential foes, hunting down soldiers, police officers, government officials and anyone who once cooperated with the United States as it battled Al Qaeda in Iraq.  But its propaganda masks setbacks on the ground.

AFGHANISTAN now faces a wave of refugees from Pakistan.

A YOUNG ELEPHANT vs 14 LIONS: Who you got?

BUDDY THE DOG got stuck in a cathouse.

TIGER ON THE LAM near Paris? Might just be a large cat.

BULLY CHIMPS are more likely to be fathers.

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

... with DAVID BOWIE! The 1980 Floor Show was really recorded live at the Marquee, circa October 1973.  It aired on The Midnight Special the following month. Your selist includes: "Sorrow," "Everything's Alright," "Space Oddity," "I Can't Explain," "Time," "The Jean Genie," and "I Got You Babe," ft. Marianne Faithfull.

CHUMPED advance streams Teenage Retirement.

J MASCIS stopped by World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

PAOLO NUTINI stopped by World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

TOM VEK stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

HEAVY ROTATION: 10 Songs Public Radio Can't Stop Playing.

PETER BJORN & JOHN cover Paul McCartney's "Put It There." It's a bonus track from the Sir Paul tribute LP.

EX-CULT drops "Cigarette Machine",” the title track from the band’s upcoming EP.

THE YOUNG FRESH FELLOWS THEME: T.G.I.F.

PINK FLOYD: Pipers at the Gates of Punk?

THE AFGHAN WHIGS: Greg Dulli takes SPIN on a track-by-track tour of the classic Gentlemen.

BONO's private plane lost a hatch as it was coming in for a landing in the German capital but the U2 singer was never in any danger. His luggage is another matter.

GENESIS, ranked by Stereogum.

CUTOUT BIN: I'm streaming a little more nostalgia via the Pate page at the ol' HM.

NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases are Dumb and Dumber To, which is currently scoring 26 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; and Beyond The Lights, scoring 84 percent.

RICHARD SIMMONS has been in a deep depression following an injury.

SEAN PENN & CHARLIZE THERON had their morning hike interrupted by cops Thursday ... after another hiker accused them of possibly mistreating Charlize's toddler ... but TMZ reported the police determined they did nothing wrong.

AMANDA BYNES and her parents are on the verge of getting sued for allegedly trashing the apartment where she's been staying.

JENNIFER LOPEZ inspired Sir-Mix-A-Lot's "Baby Got Back."

CAKE BOSS Buddy Valastro was arrested early Thursday AM for driving while intoxicated.

NICK LACHEY doesn't miss Jessica Simpson, it seems.

THERE WENT HONEY BOO BOO: Mama June admitted not only she believes that "something did happen" to Anna, but that she also dated another registered sex offender named Michael Anthony Ford - and he's daughter Lauryn "Pumpkin" Shannon's real dad.

AN OPEN SECRET: The spotlight again will be trained on the alleged sexual abuse of minors by powerful Hollywood players when Amy Berg's disturbing new documentary debuts in New York on Nov. 14.

THE ISLAMIC STATE & AL QAEDA: Militant leaders from both groups gathered at a farm house in northern Syria last week and agreed on a plan to stop fighting each other and work together against their opponents, a high-level Syrian opposition official and a rebel commander have told The Associated Press.

SYRIA: US and allied forces conducted 16 airstrikes in Syria since Nov. 10; 10 of them near Kobane. US President Barack Obama has requested a review of policy towards Syria and may be open to the deposition of the Assad regime, according to senior officials interviewed by CNN.

IRAQ: Kurdish leaders have quietly expanded a request to Washington for sophisticated arms and protective equipment to battle the Islamic State, but American officials have so far rebuffed the appeals out of concerns about defying the Iraqi government, according to Kurdish officials.

RAFI knows how to dog sled.

TIGGER ON THE LAM: Scores of police patrolled a small town west of the French capital on Thursday night after a tiger eluded a massive search and remained on the prowl in the region near Disneyland Paris.

...AND THERE WERE TURKEYS all over the highway.

HOW CATS decided to domesticate humans.