THE PIPETTES o­n ICE: Italian skater Valentina Marchei chose "Pull Shapes" for her performance at the Ice Gala 2006 ice skating competition (actually held earlier this month). And the crowd claps for more, even before she calls for it.

SUFJAN STEVENS: Thousands of fans and scalpers queued for free tickets to hear Sufjan play the Kennedy Center (with an orchestra) o­n February 5th. It looked like this.

CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH put out their sophomore album yesterday. Forgot to mention it, but you can stream a couple at TheirSpace.

THE BROKEN WEST: The World Cafe's David Dye calls their debut album "Brimming with catchy hooks and sweet harmonies." you can stream a couple via NPR. And if you did not stream the whole album last week, you can -- and should -- stream a number of tracks via the HM at the moment.

KISS has partnered with comic book production company Platinum Studios to create a new comic book entertainment company called the Kiss Comics Group. The first book will be three feet tall. Sadly, I do not think I have the original KISS comic books.

THE MC5: This take o­n the bluesy "Motor City is Burning" was shot for Beat Club, but was never broadcast, hence the bluescreen background. Normally, it would have looked like this uncensored take of "Kick Out The Jams."

BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB has announced details of their upcoming album, Baby 81, due o­n May 1st. You can stream an unplugged version of "666 Conducer," via the ol' HM.

VIETNAM: People tend to fall into opposing camps o­n this band (not unlike the war). But I think it is fair to say they recall the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club more than the Black Crowes. NPR is streaming a couple from the World Cafe.

ROGUE WAVE drummer Pat Spurgeon received a kidney and underwent successful transplant surgery o­n January 12th.

LEE HAZLEWOOD: In the face of his impending "dirt nap," Australia's The Age takes an in-depth look at the pop master's life and legacy: "Today his sound is often called cowboy psychedelia, best represented by the trippy "Some Velvet Morning." But it's a genre of o­ne: No o­ne else has ever sounded quite like him." Much, much more at the link.

PETE DOHERTY-KATE MOSS UPDATE: The troubled singer and the supposedly sober supermodel checked secretly into a rehab facility together, though London's ever-reliable Sun seems careful to avoid claiming that Moss is in fact going into rehab.

SIENNA MILLER and DIDDY looked cozy at Sundance. Then they were spotted partying at NYC's Bungalow 8 last Saturday night and caught o­n camera being escorted to her NYC hotel around 9 a.m. by Diddy, whose people tried to obtain the film. Video of a very uncomfy-lookin' Diddy at that last link.

LINDSAY LOHAN'S extraordinary privileges at Wonderland have now driven disgruntled residents out of the rehab facility, according to TMZ. The center has reportedly become lax across-the-board to avoid charges of favoritism. The standard denials are issued. At least Li-Lo has a defender in Gwyneth Paltrow.

BRITNEY SPEARS is wearing the Star of David again, while o­n-and-off bf Issac Cohen buys the pop tart seven pairs of panties for Valentine

DEAN & BRITTA: The former Luna-tics tell Harp about albums that changed their lives. As Dean names The Feelies -- and I just blurbed The Feelies last Friday -- I was in the mood to watch "Nightnurse" and the unplugged Le Blogotheque performance of "The Sun Is Still Sunny."

NEW RELEASES: The stateside arrivals of Lily Allen and Paolo Nutini are among those streaming in full from Spinner. The recently retired Lewis Taylor is followed by The Lost Album, which I'm glad was found. Beirut has posted "Elephant Gun" from a new EP. Melbourne's Love of Diagrams has posted three tracks from their EP, which is in a kinda Joy Div meets Wire with a hint 'o' Sonic Youth sorta space. And while it's not a new release, Peter, Bjorn and John's Writer's Block is streaming in full from the Booth. Unless they changed it this morning.

ROGER WATERS is tired of behaving like a "snotty kid" and trying to look o­n the bright side of life.

ARCTIC MONKEYS: You can stream the lads' surprisingly fantastic cover of the Barbara Lewis classic "Baby, I'm Yours" via Spinner. It's very Merseybeat.

THE POLICE are rumored to be playing the Grammys on Feb. 11th, most likely one of three songs: "Every Breath You Take," "Message in a Bottle" or "Roxanne."

OF MONTREAL bassist Bryan Poole talks to the Daily Californian about the degree of control frontman Kevin Barnes now has over the band's output.

FLAMING LIPS & CAT POWER crank out the Black Sabbath o­n ACL with a rendition of "War Pigs." (Thanks to Pate's first drummer, Ron Hahm, for tracking that down.)

PAUL WELLER, featured here yesterday, has turned down Queen Elizabeth's invitation to become a Commander of the British Empire.

STEVE EARLE: IckMusic has posted a live gig from Tradewinds in Sea Bright, NJ, circa Feb. 1998 in two-parts. Plus, you can jukebox via the ol' HM.

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL MUSIC? Over the weekend, NPR interviewed Tom Heddon, o­ne of two composers for NFL Films, which shoots and scores the league's highlights films and blooper reels.

PETE DOHERTY-KATE MOSS UPDATE: The troubled singer has reportedly been asked to star in a new reality TV show, which will lock up celebrity drug addicts while they try to get clean. The supposedly sober supermodel may lose her endorsement deal with Rimmel, not because of any misbehavior, but because she is the ripe old age of 33.

TOM-KAT UPDATE: Holmes is having problems finding work because of her marriage to Cruise and his belief in Scientology, according to Hollywood insiders. Nevertheless, Jennifer Lopez and hubby Marc Anthony continue to cozy up to TomKat, according to TMZ and Perez Hilton.

THE FRENCH HOTEL: parisexposed.com -- the website displaying personal dirt from the storage locker of the airheaded heiress -- has been shut down. But a lot of it seems to be floating around the 'net for free. NSFW, obvs.

GREY'S ANATOMY: Isaiah Washington's pals are saying he's not anti-gay, painting his slur as part of an anger management problem. T.R. Knight, who was the subject of the slur, is rumored to be threatening to leave the show, though his rep and the network deny it.

JESSICA SIMPSON is serving as John Mayer's band-aid. And his Grammy date.

CARMEN ELECTRA a pr0n starlet? No, but she is playing o­ne in an upcoming British flick, I Want Candy.

LINDSAY LOHAN is getting blacklisted by stars like Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman.

HILARY DUFF, usually seen as a goody-two-shoes, took the opportunity of her split from Good Charlotte rocker Joel Madden to get sloppy drunk at Hollywood hotspot Hyde. Indeed, the Duff sisters reportedly were "all over" their two man-dates.

SPIKE LEE will reportedly direct an NYC-based pilot for NBC, after planned NBC drama about post-Katrina New Orleans was scrapped. What would Kanye West say?

BRUCE WILLIS is kicked in the head for making Die Hard 4.

INDIANA JONES 4 will begin production in June 2007, with a release date of May 2008. Harrison Ford comments: "I don't know if the pants still fit but I know the hat will."

IS HOLLYWOOD TOO TIMID FOR THE WAR o­n TERROR? Novelist Andrew Klavan has a piece in the L.A. Times answering, "pretty much."

GEORGE CLOONEY flatly denies dating PAMELA ANDERSON. But he seems to be looking for love in his Nespresso coffee commercial.

IRAN: A coalition of leading human rights groups have called o­n UN officials to rebuke Iran for its campaign of Holocaust denial. Barry Rubin asks what a nuclear Iran would do, short of using nuclear weapons.

IRAQ: The US plans to go public with new evidence o­n Iran's role in fomenting Iraq's civil war and in working with terrorists killing American soldiers. Bill Roggio has more details o­n the huge battle near Najaf, where new estimates have 300-350 insurgents killed, with minimal losses to the Iraqi and US forces. ITM has more o­n "militants" fleeing to Syria.

IRAQ in the MEDIA: Agency France-Presse finds a new level of dumb with this lede: "The White House has stood by President George W. Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq, despite growing public opposition and a chorus of criticism from lawmakers in Congress." What's more, VP Dick Cheney still supports it! Who'da thunkit?

PANDA is a miniature guide horse for her blind handler, Edie. A children's book has been written about them.

FROZEN DUCK RISES AGAIN: The duck that survived two days in a refrigerator after being shot by a hunter was declared dead during surgery, but perked up a few seconds later after some chest compressions and oxygen. Video at the link.

UNCAGED HEAT: Prison cats are paroled from Vermont's largest women's prison.

PYTHONS: A huge python believed to have eaten 11 dogs was captured by villagers near Kampung Pogoh, Malaysia. Meanwhile, Florida is considering requiring python registration.

SNAKE and RATS o­n a PLANE: A Bruneian couple o­n budget carrier AirAsia denied smuggling the pet snake, but admitted to the 46 baby rats found in their backpack.

THE ANNUALS played an unpluggedety mini-set you can stream or download from the Interface. They recently made their network TV debut with an electric, two-drummer version of "Carry Around."

THE STOOGES have posted the aptly-titled "My Idea of Fun," from their upcoming reunion LP, The Wierdness, for streaming via TheirSpace.

GUIDED BY VOICES: The Electrifying Conclusion, documenting the band's last performance (at Chicago's Metro, no less) airs tonight o­n Starz Cinema. Check your local listings.

DAVID BOWIE: Jefitoblog is killing music by posting Naked & Wired, which is 18 tracks of demos and TV appearances by the Thin White Duke. Those prone to guilty conscience can jukebox it via the ol' HM.

THE POLICE are rumored to be rehearsing a reunion tour at North Vancouver's Lions Gate Studios.

CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH drummer Sean Greenhalgh tells the New York Post that staying DIY made sense because it made dollars: "The reason that we decided to continue to do it ourselves is really economic as much as anything else. We make more money doing it ourselves than we would with a label." Hard numbers at the link.

PAUL WELLER: With a career-spanning CD in stores and a similar DVD o­n the way, Weller talked to Billboard about a number of subjects, including the demise of The Jam: "It would have been nice to have conquered America, but, ya know, I haven't lost sleep over it. I'll be more disappointed in the fact that there are an awful lot of people in America that don't know my music. If they did, I think they'd like it. But it doesn't stop me sleeping at night..." The Jam certainly gave the US a try, even stooping to be interviewed by Robb Weller o­n AM Chicago, a show whose final hostess was some woman named Oprah. When the band got to the West Coast, they performed "Heatwave" and "Strange Town" o­n a show that must remain nameless, with a crowd clad (inappropriately) in proto-80s fashion.

THE SMASHING PUMPKINS have announced their first official tour dates, which are June festival dates in Germany.

THE APPLES IN STEREO have posted two new songs o­n TheirSpace. Two more new tracks, "7 Stars" and "Sundial Song," can be streamed via the ol' HM. All very much in line with their sunny psych-pop pedigree.

TOM WAITS settled his lawsuit against a German division of General Motors over television commercials that he says mimicked his vocal style without his permission. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but in a statement Mr. Waits

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE...

...with THE FEELIES: The Jonathan Demme-directed clip for "Away" -- shot at the legendary Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ -- probably best captures the band's more hyperkinetic live show, even moreso than this early clip of the title track to the band's first LP, "Crazy Rhythms." But songs like "Away" and "Deep Fascination" also had an etherial quality that I thought distinguished them from other groups inspired by the Velvet Underground. Their network TV debut o­n Late Night with David Letterman, "Doin' It Again," rocks more, though that's in part because it's really just Glenn Mercer, Bill Million and Dave Weckerman with Paul Shaffer's band. I like that Dave seems a bit unsure introducing them, but was clearly won over by the performance.

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED is streaming new and advance tracks from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Modest Mouse, Lucinda Williams, Erin McKeown and more.

JOHNNY MARR talks to Harp about being "the new guy" in Modest Mouse. Contrary to the rock stereotype, Marr is the stay-at-home type, with his family encoraging him to get out and about.

THE 2006 BLOGGREGATE -- a weighted survey of bloggers

REUINTED, AND IT FEELS SO GOOD: Crowded House are set to reform for a world tour 11 years after they spilt. Manchester indie band James are to reform after a five-year hiatus. Dinosaur, Jr. has signed with Fat Possum, which will release in the spring unveil the band's first album with its original lineup since 1989. Even Sneakers did a o­ne-off opening for Mitch Easter and the reunited dB's. And we have a full-on Van Halen Reunion Warning from Billboard. The logical clip here seemed to be Crowded House playing "Don't Dream It's Over" at their "farewell to the world" concert. But I've thrown in VH's "Dance The Night Away" and James's "Laid" for good measure.

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE QUEEN: Damon Albarn (and ex-Clash bassist Paul Simonon) mess with MPR's Steve Seel, strting with Albarn's insistence that they are an orchestra, not a band, and are not named The Good, The Bad & The Queen. Streaming audio at the link. And you can stream TGTB&TQ in full via Spinner this week.

HOOTS, HOLLERS & BARBARIC YAWPS: PopMatters attempts to categorize the shrieks and wails and uhs and hey-hey-heys that exalt the passion of performing in the midst of the performance itself. There is a scene in the director's cut of Almost Famous addressing this as well, but (sadly) it's not o­nline.

THE MILLION-DOLLAR TRIO: Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, and Ray Price plan to release a jointly recorded, two-disc, 22-song collection of newly-recorded country classics o­n March 20th. Plenty of cameos, too.

LUCINDA WILLIAMS talks about her upcoming album and comments o­n her body of work for Harp magazine. At the moment you can stream a bunch of Lucinda's body of work via the ol' Hype Machine.

THE BOY LEAST LIKELY TO play "Hugging My Grudge" o­n GMTV in the UK. You can stream more songs -- including their cover of George Michael's "Faith" -- via MySpace. The duo is now being promoted by the guy who launched the Spice Girls, which I find hilarious.

BONO is promoting "trade, not aid" by partnering with college students in Ohio o­n a T-shirt business.

OF MONTREAL frontman Keith Barnes talks to Harmonium about getting out of the indie ghetto and gives details of the current tour -- e.g., the elaborate staging, cover songs, etc. You can stream Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? in full via Spinner this week.

I'M WITH THE BAND: YesButNoYes reaches into the "Where Are They Now?" file to track down famous rock groupies of the 70's.

PETE DOHERTY UPDATE: As previously rumored, the troubled singer's band Babyshambles has signed with Parlophone records for a reported