BILLY BRAGG & COURTNEY BARNETT cover the Velvet Underground's "Sunday Morning." She doesn't seem used to TV, but warms up to it.

THE BLACK KEYS play a set Live on Letterman.

CONOR OBERST previews songs off his latest solo album, Upside Down Mountain, live at WNYC's Greene Space.

DAN CROLL stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

THE ROOTS stream …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin.

MICHAEL JACKSON: The posthumous stream of XSCAPE.

GUIDED BY VOICES: Robert Pollard talks to Brooklyn Vegan about artistic evolution, inspirations, working at a craft, besting the Beastie Boys at basketball, and more...

THE FLAMING LIPS' former drummer apologizes and retracts his accusations against Wayne Coyne.

EFFED UP: Damian Abraham and Mike Haliechuk talk to Pitchfork about what it means to sustain success in an underground genre like hardcore, the realities of living out your teenage rock'n'roll fantasies, and their raw new album, Glass Boys.

THE MEMORABLE CHOREOGRAPHY of Music Videos.

SOLANGE KNOWLES: Was she provoked before attacking Jay-Z? Was it business, or personal? Has it happened before? Have they patched things up, or is it just PR?

ALEC BALDWIN was busted for illegal biking in NYC.

MIRANDA KERR's billionaire boyfirend brawls with a pal after splitting from his wife for the supermodel.

MICHELLE WILLIAMS has reportedly split up with Dustin Yellin after a year of dating.

CASEY KASEM has gone missing, withut so much as a long-distance dedication.

BEN AFFLECK appears as Batman. Sigh.

CHANNIN TATUM has been cast as Gambit in an X-Men spinoff flick. Oy.

H.R. GIGER, the fantastical artist best known for his concepts in Alien, has died at the age of 74 following a fall.

UKRAINE: Militants ambushed a convoy of Ukraine soldiers Tuesday, killing six soldiers as both sides had been moving toward possible peace talks in Kiev. The people of Ukraine feel much more loyal to Europe than to Russia, and a clear majority back economic sanctions against Russia, according to a CNN poll of 1000 people across the country conducted in the past week.

NIGERIA: US surveillance planes and commercial satellites are being used to help find a large group of girls kidnapped by Boko Haram. The Nigerian government indicated it is open to talks with the kidnappers.

IRAQ: The Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham killed 24 people, including three soldiers, in a series of bombings in Baghdad.

DANCING KITTENS: An oldie but a goodie.

PANDA LOOK-ALIKES are the hot pet in China.

A 12-FOOT PYTHON has been returned to its owner after a slithery stop at a Central Texas home where a woman earlier bathed her pet guinea pigs.

SMARTER DOGS through technology.

EUGENE McGUINNESS drops a video for "Godiva" that's filled with guitar face.

THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART played songs from its upcoming album live in WNYC's Greene Space

TEMPLES visited The Current for a chat and mini-set. 

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

COLDPLAY is streaming Ghost Stories via iTunes.  It's not my bag, even though I enjoy the idea of somehow annoying Gwyneth Paltrow.

LYKKE LI drops “No One Ever Loved” from The Fault In Our Stars soundtrack.

COCKTAILS drop  “Bob Pollard’s Mind" as a single from Adult Life.

URGE OVERKILL:  Their killer '93 single "Sister Havana" and their even more famous cover of Neil Diamond's "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon" are your Twofer Tuesday.

SHARON VAN ETTEN gets the big feature treatment at Pitchfork.

THE FLAMING LIPS will play on the next Miley Cyrus LP.

THE HORRORS frontman Faris Badwan listed his favorite album...covers at The Quietus.

ST VINCENT has her own signature coffee.

JAY-Z was attacked by SOLANGE KNOWLES (his sister in law) in an elevator at the Met Gala. Beyonce cannot keep 'em separated.The hotel is shocked the video leaked. Shocked, I tell you.

BEN AFFLECK's card-counting bust was also caught on video.

GEORGE CLOONEY and Amal Alamuddin celebrated their engagement at a party in Malibu on Sunday. But is his engagement....good for the Druze?

DONALD STERLING is asking for forgiveness. Oh sure.

LINDSAY LOHAN  is set to swap her wild New York nights for a potentially more lucrative life in London.

BRITNEY SPEARS is extending her Vegas residency for a reported 12 million bucks.

SHERRI SHEPHERD has filed her own legal docs for divorce ... days after her estranged husband Lamar Sally filed his own docs.

UKRAINE: Buzzfeed goes inside the separatists' shadow war. Russia stopped short on Monday of outright recognition of the contentious referendums organized by separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk, Russian-speaking provinces of southeast Ukraine, instead using the results to intensify pressure for a negotiated autonomy for those provinces.

NIGERIA has insisted it will not agree to a request to free imprisoned Islamic militants in return for the release of dozens of kidnapped schoolgirls.

IRAN: A report by U.N. experts says Iran’s purchases for its banned nuclear and missile programs have slowed recently which could be the result of the changed political climate under President Hassan Rouhani or its use of new clandestine methods.

SYRIA: The Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham's spokesman blamed al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri for the jihadist infighting in Syria, dismissed his order for ISIS to quit Syria, and said ISIS had refrained from attacking Iran at al Qaeda's request.

A HUNGRY BUNNY eats raspberries.

BLOODTHIRSTY CANNIBAL RATS cause walls to bleed in British public housing.

ACID-SPEWING BEETLES inspire bank security.

GOATS don't have it so baaaad.

GRIZZLY BEAR's Daniel Rossen sings Gene Clark's "Some Misunderstanding."

CONOR OBERST is advance streaming Upside Down Mountain

HALEY BONAR is advance streaming Last War.

JOLIE HOLLAND is advance streaming Wine Dark Sea.

NEIL FINN (Split Enz, Crowded House) performs on WNYC Soundcheck.

SHARON JONES and the DAP-KINGS:  The video for "100 Days, 100 Nights" was directed by Adam Elias Buncher, who achieved the old skool look using two vintage TV cameras bought on eBay for 50 dollars each.

TORI AMOS talks to Weekend Edition about "standing by the creations" that make up her identity at midlife.

WEEZER's Blue Album turned 20 (goml), so Flavorwire recruited indie musicians to write about each track.

CAT POWER talked to The Observer about  her nomadic spirit, Patti Smith and a near-death experience.

TUNE-YARDS: Merrill Garbus talks to SPIN abouther musical influences, from 80s pop to Africa.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Neighbors tops the chart with 51 million against an 18 million budget.That's almost instant profit, and a surpise win over the less that Amazing Spider-Man 2, which dropped 59 percent to place with 37.2 million and a 147.9 million domestic total against a considerably larger budget. That said, Spidey already has 550 million worldwide, an likely needs to reach 650 million to profit. The Other Woman shows with 9.1 million; it has roughly 120 million worldwide against a 40 million budget, so the rest from hereon is gravy. In the fourth slot, Heaven Is Real does a leggy 7 million, bringing its domestic total to 75.2 million against a 12 million budget (foreign receipts are negligible). Captain America: The Winter Soldier rounds out the Top 5 with 5.6 million, approaching 250 domestic and 450 billion more overseas. Below the fold, Moms' Night Out and Legends of Oz had less-than-stellar debuts, though Moms at least had a mere 5 million budget.

LINDSAY LOHAN has sworn under penalty of perjury she suffered a miscarriage.

KIM KARDASHIAN had a Paris-themed bridal shower in Beverly Hills.

ZOE SALDANA has crossed planes and trains off the list; no word about automobiles.

THE COLBERT REPORT will be succeeded by The Minority Report With Larry Wilmore.

SHERRI SHEPHERD is getting divorced; her husband wants their unborn child.

TMZ is getting sued for sexual discrimination.

UKRAINE: Voters streamed into polling stations Sunday in eastern Ukraine to vote in controversial referendums held by pro-Russian activists eager to declare independence from Kiev. A CNN crew saw several people vote twice at one polling station, where the ballot boxes were decorated with new Donetsk independence flags. With voting still going on, one separatist leader said the region would form its own state bodies and military after the referendum, formalizing a split that began with the armed takeover of state buildings in a dozen eastern towns last month.

VENEZUELA said on Sunday it had freed most of the 243 youth activists arrested in raids last week on street camps set up to protest against President Nicolas Maduro's socialist government. Maduro has reacted furiously to calls in the United States for punitive measures against his government for alleged rights abuses in response to three months of street protests.

NIGERIA: Suspected Boko Haram militants blew up a bridge connecting Adamawa and Borno states, killed a number of people, and abducted a woman and her two children; on May 5, militants blew up a bridge that linked Nigeria to Chad. About 50 of the kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls were reportedly sighted in the Central African Republic last week accompanied by armed Seleka rebels.

EGYPT: The chief prosecutor's office accused 200 members of the Sinai-based jihadist group Ansar Bayt al Maqdis (Ansar Jerusalem) of terrorism, conspiracy with al Qaeda and Hamas, fighting and training in Syria, and carrying out 51 attacks including suicide bombings. The group also allegedly cut a deal with former president Mohamed Morsi to refrain from attacks in exchange for the release of some of its members. Sources said 98 of the 200 suspects are at large.

SYRIA: Regime forces began sweeping Old Homs city for mines, and civilians returned, as the last 360 rebel fighters were evacuated.

IRAQ: The Iraqi military has launched an offensive to retake the city of Fallujah from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham and allied tribes.

AN OCTOPUS opens a jar from the inside.

A PIG on the lam slowed traffic on I-30 in Little Rock.

SEVEN BABY SKUNKS that don't stink.

OUROBOROS: The snake that eats its own tail.

OVER 25 MILLION SERVED. THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

... with THE HOLLIES!  Improbably live in Split, Croatia, circa 1968 -- just months before Graham Nash left the band.  Your set list includes "Stewball," "On A Carousel," "Dang Me," "Very Last Day," "Do The Best You Can," "A Taste Of Honey," "Jennifer Eccles," and "Carrie Anne."

TORI AMOS advance streams Unrepentant Geraldines.

BECK stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for his first radio performance behind Morning Phase.

THE BASEBALL PROJECT returned to the WNYC Soundcheck studio to perform some songs of the new album and to geek out on all things baseball.

WESLEY STACE, a/k/a John Wesley Harding, played a set on the Mountain Stage. 

BLONDIE ha been dropping the tracks from Ghost of Download at The Guardian. Should be all there today.

THE VOGUES: It's a "Five O'Clock World" on Friday.

GRUFF RHYS talks to Drowned In Sound about his favorite travel albums.

THE AFGHAN WHIGS are profiled at Filter.

SWANS: Michael Gira talked to Stereogum about the new album, crowdfunding, and why he’ll never play a song the same way.

CUTOUT BIN: From the Who to the Modern Lovers, from Steve Earle to Sparks, from Sam & Dave to the Dukes of Stratospheare, plus Built To Spill, Violent Femmes, La Sera 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 Neighbors, which is currently scoring 75 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; Legends of Oz, which is scoring 11 percent; and Moms' Night Out, currently scoring 18 percent.

KIM KARDASHIAN & KANYE WEST can't get married, because their prenup is still being hashed out.

DONALD STERLING continues to say things.

PAULA PATTON talks about her "deep love" for Robin Thicke in Vanity Fair...but didn't say whether they're back together.

REESE WITHERSPOON: Love (advice) in an elevator.

GWYNETH PALTROW is clearing up and defending comments she made last month about working women.

CLUELESS: Class reunion.

THE FLINTSTONES are headed back to the big screen, animated this time.

LEE MARSHALL, voice of Tony the Tiger, is dead at 64. He was... you know.

UKRAINE: A day after claiming to have withdrawn thousands of Russian troops from Ukraine’s border, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin presided over East bloc military maneuvers Thursday that included tests of Russia’s nuclear forces and live firing of intercontinental ballistic missiles. Also, a separatist leader in Donetsk, capital of the restive region with a large Russian-speaking population, said Sunday's referendum would be held despite Putin’s “respected” advice.

VENEZUELAN  troops on Thursday rounded up hundreds of youth activists and dismantled camps set up to protest against President Nicolas Maduro, and a policeman was shot dead in the demonstrations and clashes that ensued around Caracas.

SYRIA: The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on six top Assad regime officials, a Russian bank that provided services to Syria, and two refineries owned by the regime.

GREAT WHITE SHARK: You're gonna need a non-inflatable boat.

LIONS & TIGERS can now roam outside their exhibits at the Philly Zoo. What could go wrong?

A FAMILY OF GEESE got a police escort on Interstate 80/94 in Chicago.

BUDDY, a golden retriever, kept guard over the body of his elderly owner after the 81-year-old died while skiing in Colorado.

JOHN DARNIELLE & JUSTIN VERNON join MEGAFAUN on the Grateful Dead's "Friend of the Devil."

THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART advance stream Days Of Abandon, which often recalls The Cure at their poppiest.

TEMPLES performed live in the KEXP studio with songs from their 2014 album, Sun Structures. 

THE PIXIES stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic to play new songs and old faves.

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED: Tracks from Tori Amos, Zee Ami, Solvents and more highlight the latest edition.

CHRISSIE HYNDE drops “You Or No One” ahead of Stockholm.

HAMILTON LEITHAUSER (The Walkmen) drops “In The Shallows,” the B-side to his "Alexandra" single.

SIR PAUL McCARTNEY: "Birthday."

THE BLACK KEYS talks to All Songs Considered about the making of Turn Blue.

SHARON VAN ETTEN talks to Exclaim about her "open-ended" LP, Are We There.

JULIANA BARWICK has a new EP and a new...craft beer?

EIGHTEEN SONGS WITH SEQUELS, compiled by The A.V. Club.

ANGELINA JOLIE opens up at Elle, by which I mean she's promoting Maleficent. 

WILL & JADA SMITH are not concerned their 13-year-old daughter is tweeting pics of her in bed with a 20-year-old dude.

NEIL PATRICK HARRIS is on the cover of the Rolling Stone. Naked.

MILEY CYRUS advises kids that smoking weed will keep you young and get you laid.

BRUCE WILLIS is now a proud father of five girls after his wife Emma gave birth to their second daughter together.

GEORGE CLOONEY and Amal Alamuddinare reportedly telling friends to save the date.

UKRAINE: Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to take steps Wednesday to pull Ukraine back from an escalating cycle of violence, asking pro-Russian separatists in the country to postpone a Sunday referendum on independence and indicating that he may be willing to recognize a national election later this month.

VENEZUELA: The government said today it will start rationing electricity in western Zulia state and water in Caracas as drought drains hydroelectric reservoirs.

SAUDI ARABIA: A Saudi court sentenced Raef Badawi, the founder of a human rights group, to 10 years in jail and 1000 lashes Wednesday over "insulting Islam," an activist said.

NIGERIA: Boko Haram militants in armored vehicles stormed the town of Gamboru Ngala in Borno near the Cameroon border, killing at least 300 people, and burning down 200 vehicles and nearly all of the houses and shops, in a 12-hour rampage.

SYRIA: About 1200 civilians and rebels, including fighters with the Al Nusrah Front and other Islamist groups, exited Homs in a deal with the Assad regime; each fighter was allowed to keep a rifle; and each of the buses evacuating them was allowed to take a rocket launcher and a machine gun. As part of the deal, the rebels agreed to allow aid into the pro-regime villages of Nubul and Zahra, which the rebels have besieged for over a year; and the Islamic Front released 45 hostages, including women and children, in Aleppo and Latakia who had been seized by the Islamic Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham in August 2013.

ELMO: The small dog with the quick reflexes.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: A militant rodent forced a truck off a bridge in Speegelville, TX.

A CHICKEN struck by a car at 70 m.p.h. lived and damaged the car.

GIANT CARNIVOROUS SNAILS...and they aren't slow.