SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES: "Tears of a Clown." Originally released in 1967, but it didn't become a hit until 1970. Sometimes, a hit takes time.

SHARON VAN ETTEN & LUCY DACUS play Austin City Limits.

WHITNEY plays World Cafe.

FRAMPTON CAME ALIVE in 1976; Paste has your video.

JEFF PARKER of Tortoise shares "Go Away."

BOB DYLAN, played by Timothee Chalamet as direcetd by James Mangold?

TINY MIX TAPES goes on hiatus; it's the end of an era.

IN MEMORIAM 2019: The Musicians We Lost.

THE NUMBER ONES looks at Nick Gilder's absurdly horny, post-glam, problematic power-popper "Hot Child In The City."

HARVEY WEINSTEIN was charged with four counts of sexual assault in Los Angeles County as his trial on similar charges in New York City is set to begin this month.

KNIVES OUT: A sequel is in the works.

CHRISTIAN BALE is in talks to join Chris Hemsworth in Marvel's Thor: Love and Thunder.

KATE BECKINSALE is spending time with Pete Davidson's best friend, Machine Gun Kelly.

THE ROCK is in training for DC's Black Adam.

STAR WARS: What does the future hold?

QUENTIN TARANTINO identifies the soundtrack that defined the decade, and it's not one of his.

HIPPO found swimming in family's pool on New Year's Eve.

CAT LOVERS less likely to go to church, research suggests.

WOODCHUCK attack in Beaver Dam.

THE SMITHEREENS: "Behind The Wall Of Sleep", Live on TheTube, 1987.

BECK & ST VINCENT joined NIRVANA's remaining members for a benefit mini-set.

CRAIG FINN, PATRICK STICKLES and more played tribute to the late Silver Jews and Purple Mountains founder David Berman.

CLAIRO, viral sensation, visits World Cafe.

FIELD MUSIC shares the WWI-themed “Do You Read Me?”

MICHAEL STIPE shares a video for “Drive to the Ocean.”

WILCO is profiled at Relix.

CAROL KAYE: The legendary bassist is not thrilled with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel or The Wrecking Crew documentary.

THE 60 BEST ALBUMS of the 1960s, according to Paste.

BILLBOARD is changing how it calculates its charts.

THE NUMBER ONES looks at Exile's late '70s genre melting pot "Kiss You All Over."

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE:  The Rise of Skywalker easily threepeats atop the chart with 33.7MM on a 53 percent drop, slipping back behind The Last Jedi, tho this may be a function of releasing this one closer to Christmas, a decision that may cost the House of Mouse 100MM.  Jumanji: The Next Level places with 26.5MM on a 25 percent drop that's pretty leggy considering the first one was a surprise and this one wasn't.  Little Women shows with 13.6MM on a leggy 19 percent drop, making the complaints about people not seeing it all the more strange.  The Grudge debuts in the fourth slot with11.3MM against a 10MM budget, and it will die quickly with an "F" CinemaScore.  Frozen II rounds out the Top Five with another 11.3MM on a 33 percent drop, approaching 450MM domestic, which is 50MM more than the original made in domestic theaters.

THE GOLDEN GLOBES were handed out to these folks. Congrats! (And sympathies to Scorsese.)

ROD STEWART and his eldest son, Sean, were allegedly involved in an altercation in Palm Beach, Florida, on New Year’s Eve.

STAR WARS' next saga reportedly will be set during the High Republic.ALSO: There's a rumored 3-hour version of The Rise of Skywalker.

CAMERON DIAZ and BENJI MADDEN welcomed their first child.

MARTIN SCORSESE and GRETA GERWIG were among those chatting at THR's Director's Roundtable.

TERRY GILLIAM talked to The Independent about #MeToo, the trials of being a white man, and why he's decided to become a ‘black lesbian in transition.'

MOVIES ARE GETTING LONGER, but are they getting worse?

STUDIO GHIBLI confirmed that they're working on two movies in 2020 - including one directed by legendary co-founder Hayao Miyazaki.

A BLACK-CAPPED CHICADEE, a Tufted Titmouse, and a female Red-bellied Woodpecker all feed from a hand.

AN ORPHAN ORANGUTAN learns to open a coconut.

EVEN THE BEAR  is like...how did you not see me?

AUSTRALIA is burning so much that the magpies sound like fire engines.

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with ECHO and the BUNNYMEN!  Live at the Royal Albert Hall, circa July 1983.  Your setlist includes: "Going Up," "With A Hip" and "All That Jazz"; "All My Colours (Zimbo)" and "Silver"; "The Cutter" and "The Killing Moon"; "Rescue" and "Never Stop"; and "Over the Wall." Your encores are "Crocodiles" and a wide-ranging take on "Do It Clean."

NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide release is The Grudge, which is urrently scoring 14 percent on the ol' Tomatometer.

QUASSEM SULEIMANI was killed by a US airstrike at the Baghdad airport.  Most people don't know who he is and you're one of them, you could do worse than these pieces in Foreign Policy, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic.

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

THE WAR ON DRUGS cover Neil Young, Patti Smith, and the Pretenders at their first shows in over a year.

ILLUMINATI HOTTIES shares "Post-Everything."

FRANK YANG's Albums of 2019, reminding me how much I miss Chromewaves.

BROOKLYN VEGAN's Top 141 Albums of the 2010s.

THE TOP ROCK SONGS OF THE DECADE, according to Billboard, virtually assuring this decade will be better.

THE NUMBER ONES looks back at A Taste Of Honey's euphoric disco hit "Boogie Oogie Oogie."

A QUIET PLACE, PART 2 has a trailer online.

MARIAH CAREY's Twitter account was hacked.

KEVIN SPACEY Settles Sexual Assault Lawsuit After Accuser's Death.

SHARON STONE was temporarily blocked on the Bumble dating app.

MICHELLE WILLIAMS is engaged to the Tony Award-winning director of Hamilton, Thomas Kail; the two are also expecting their first child together.

TERI GARR was hospitalized on Monday but is doing "fine," according to her rep.

LORI LAUGHLIN reportedly 'practicing martial arts' so she'll be ready for (a minimum security) prison?  Too good to check!

33 DIRECTORS Pick Their Favorite Movies of 2019.

JACK SHELDON, the stand-out jazz trumpeter and affable Merv Griffin sidekick whose gave voice to the Schoolhouse Rock classics I’m Just a Bill and Conjunction Junction, has died. He was 88.

SYD MEAD, the visual artist and futurist who helped shape the look of influential sci-fi films including “Blade Runner,” “Tron,” “Aliens” and “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” died Monday of complications from lymphoma in Pasadena, Calif. He was 86.

NEIL INNES, the British humorist and musician who was an honorary member of the Monty Python comedy troupe and made a name for himself with a nutty assortment of musical and television projects, including the Beatles parody band the Rutles, died on Sunday near Toulouse, France, where he had lived in recent years. He was 75.

AUSTRALIA: Where you get to watch two Roo’s in a boxing match on the back patio with your morning cup of joe.

THE CAENHILL COMMUNITY CENTRE had its first rush hour of 2020, even if Smudge the Cat was having none of it.

A DOGGO, playing Jenga.

A COLORADO PUP thrown up against a car by a man high on meth has found a new home after an overwhelming response at the local Humane Society.

THE NEW YEAR HOLIDAY STARTS HERE:

...with THE BEAT FARMERS!  Making a tradition of this more sober than usual, professionally-shot, early BF gig recorded at Universal Studios, including "There She Goes Again" (VU); "Road to Ruin," "Bigger Fool," "Reason to Believe" (Springsteen), "Powderfinger" (N. Young), "Happy Boy," "Big Ugly Wheels," "Bigger Stones," "Gun Sale at the Church," "Dallas Blues," "I Wanna Be Free," "Lakeside Trailer Park," "Death Train," and "Seven Year Itch."  If you're new to the band, my picks would be "Bigger Stones," "Happy Boy" and the cover of your choice.  BONUS:  Now how much would you pay?  But wait... there's more!  If you really want to see someone put the "bar" in "bar band," watch these NSFW clips from Houston, TX of the late Country Dick Montana leading the band through "Lucille" (K. Rogers) -- complete with his favorite beer bottle stunts -- followed by "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Wino," "Are You Drinkin' With Me, Jesus?" and "Mondo."  SUPER-SPECIAL BONUS: Country Dick rolls out "California Kid" and "Anarchy in the UK" (Language warning).

THE JAYHAWKS, Live at the Palace Theater.

WFUV'S HOLIDAY CHEER includes mini-sets from Yola, Mumford & Sons, Nathaniel Rateliff, and Mavis Staples.

THE CACTUS BLOSSOMS perform a Microshow at St. Paul's Virginia Street Church.

JON PRATT covers Charlie Brown's "Wrap Yourself in a Christmas Package."

U2: Crushingly obvious, I know. 

NICK CAVE & SHANE MacGOWAN: "What a Wonderful World."

ABBA wishes you a "Happy New Year,"  but it doesn't sound anywhere as celebratory as "Take A Chance On Me." 

THE MOUNTAIN GOATS perform "This Year" at the M-Shop in Ames, IA.

OTIS & CARLA have a "New Year's Resolution."

JOE JACKSON: Pate frequently attempted "One More Time" to often hilarious effect, so today I stick with Joe's early material, including "Sunday Papers" live on the OGWT, "Kinda Kute" on the Kenny Everett Video Show, and a Beat Crazy-era run of "On Your Radio."  The Rock Goes To College show provides live takes on "It's Different For Girls,"  "I'm The Man," and this pulsing version of his signature "Is She Really Going Out With Him?"  BONUS: The appropos finale, "Got The Time?

FLUXBLOG's epic 2019 Survey Mix, with three bonus thematic mixes.

CHRISTMAS reunited during Yo La Tengo's Hannukah run.

THE BEST REISSUES & ARCHIVAL ALBUMS of 2019, according to NPR.

THE PITCHFORK READERS' POLL results for 2019. 

THE NUMBER ONES looks at the Rolling Stones' masterful disco-era adaptation "Miss You," the Commodores' "Three Times A Lady" (a successful piece of pure, distilled romantic gloop), and Frankie Valli's slick and strange aquarian disco theme song "Grease."

IN MEMORIAM: Bands We Lost in 2019.

DAVE RILEY, bassist for the punk band Big Black, has died at 59.

SLEEPY LA BEEF, a beloved rockabilly veteran active since the 1950s, died December 26 at the age of 84.

THE SUNDAY LONGREADS' Best of 2019. BONUS: One of the listed authors, Katherine Miller, also curates a Best of 2019.

THE ZOMBIES: "This Will Be Our Year."

THE BEST TV PERFORMANCES of the Decade, according to Variety.

GLENN KENNY'S TOP 25 Films of 2019, and others.

A FRANK CONVERSATION WITH A RABBI About Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

SUE LYON, who at 14 was cast in the title role of Stanley Kubrick’s “Lolita,” a film version of Vladimir Nabokov’s eyebrow-raising novel about a middle-aged man who becomes obsessed with a 12-year-old girl, died on Thursday in Los Angeles. She was 73.

JERRY HERMAN, who wrote the cheerful, good-natured music and lyrics for such classic shows as “Mame,” “Hello, Dolly!” and “La Cage aux Folles,” died Thursday.  He was 88.

LEE MENDELSON, the longtime producer of 'Peanuts' TV specials who wrote the lyrics for the yuletide classic "Christmas Time Is Here," died on Christmas Day at the age of 86.

DON IMUS, who tested the limits of shock radio with his irreverent attacks on celebrities, politicians, racial and ethnic groups, women, gay people and practically anyone whose head stuck up out of the foxhole, died on Friday in College Station, Texas. He was 79.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker easily repeats atop the chart with 72MM on a 60 percent drop.That seems steep, but not as steep as The Last Jedi's slide and Episode IX seems set to surpass Episode VIII at this point in its run, despite opening 20 percent lower.  That said, it may top out about where TLJ did, at 620MM domestic.  Jumanji: The Next Level places with another 35.3MM on a 33 percent rise for the post-Christmas frame.  Little Women shows with 15.5MM and a 29MM total since its opening.  Frozen II holds its own in the fourth slot with 16.5MM with a 27 percent post-holiday bump.  Spies In Disguise rounds out the Top Five with 13.2MM (better than the Ferdinand movie that opened in this frame in 2017).  Below the fold, Cats continues to bomb and is set to lose around 71MM.

MEOWHAMMAD ALI, the cat superman.

A WHITE MOOSE, hanging out at the creek.

BROOKLYN'S SUBWAY RACCOON continues to evade capture.

QUICK! Blend In!

THE GOAT is just for starters.

IVAN KISLOV, a Russian mining engineer, spends his work breaks taking stunning photos of foxes.

A MINOT MAN stops a mountain lion at close range.

CHINESE PIG FARMERS used jammers to stop drones sent by criminal gangs to infect their pigs with swine fever. It was discovered when it started to affect civilian flights' navigation.