CREAM began its three-night reunion at Madison Square Garden. While the Boston Globe had a boffo review, Rolling Stone, the New York Daily News and The New York Times were a bit more restrained in their praise.

WILCO has four tracks from the upcoming live DVD available for view in streaming Quicktime.

THE HIVES recently did a DJ stint playing some of their favorite tunes for the Ausie Broadcating Corp., which can be streamed from the link.

THE BLUE VAN: If you think the Hives are okay, you may well like The Blue Van, a Danish outfit that cites The Who, The Small Faces, The Sonics and the MC5 as influences. You can stream a few from MySpace. There are a couple of MP3s for download at You Ain't No Picasso, including a cover of "Have Love, Will Travel," but it's not killing music, as they are available through the band's website. But if you go to the band's site, you can also snag a cover of "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag."

ELVIS PRESLEY: Most everyone has seen the King with President Nixon, but Elvis World Japan has a directory full of other celebrity meetings, including Rosalyn Carter, B.B. King, Jane Russell, country great Hank Snow, Sophia Loren and many, many, more.

MYSTERY TRAIN: Locust St. is killing music with the original single by Little Junior's Blue Flames.

THE POSIES: Jon Auer is interviewed in Losing Today.

COLDPLAY frontman Chris Martin has revealed that Coldplay's lyrics need improving? How about "admitted?" Speaking of admissions, Martin -- recently named the world's sexiest vegetarian -- admits he eats things that have breathed.

PAVEMENT: Turquoise Days is killing music with a bunch of live covers, including Echo & the Bunnymen, the Velvet Underground and the Pixies.

TED NUGENT thinks that Sharon Osbourne should be slapped silly. And to think the Nuge used to say things that could be considered controversial...

THE ARCTIC MONKEYS: London's Guardian asks, Have they changed the music business? the correct answer is "no," though they do show how the business is changing.

PETER GABRIEL will be organizing the opening ceremonies for the World Cup.

FIERY FURNACES' newest scores a mere 4.0 o­n the Pitchfork: "Rehearsing My Choir is a sprawling piano opera starring Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger's grandmother, Olga Sarantos, and it's every bit as terrible and fantastic as it sounds." And it's not doing much better at Metacritic.

WONDERWALL: The Top Five Ironic Versions of the Oasis staple are listed by the Harvard Independent.

PUMP AUDIO helps independent musicians and artists who are o­n small labels, or unsigned, get their songs o­nto cable TV and into commercials.

PETE DOHERTY-KATE MOSS UPDATE: The troubled singer pens a piece for London's Guardian to explain... why he should write a theme song for his favorite soccer team. After all, a man has to have priorities.

GWYNETH PALTROW has cryptically confirmed she is pregnant again. She has also slammed reports she criticized Britain and plans to return to her native America: "The British press are just ridiculous. I've never said anything like that." Of course, she reportedly made the comments to the US edition of Marie Claire magazine...

BETTING o­n CELEBS: Speaking of pregnant celebrities, online gamblers think it's likely that Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z are expecting. They also pick Angelina Jolie as most likely to be the next Bond girl over Jessica Alba.

GEORGE CLOONEY: For future reference, it's okay to go to the hospital before the spinal fluid starts leaking from your nose. You're a bigtime movie star; someone will take you to the hospital if you demand to go.

DANNY BONADUCE may be sober, but he still can't seem to get happy: "It's embarrassing, but I'm at my happiest when I'm getting punched in the face," he tells FHM magazine.

SUSAN SARANDON: Yeah, it was kinda inevitable that you would have to talk to your son about playing a lesbian vampire.

AL PACINO: James Caan, Ed Harris, Robert DeNiro, Andy Garcia, Meryl Streep, Marisa Tomei, Charlize Theron and Keanu Reeves were among those saluting Pacino as he was presented with the 2005 American Cinematheque Award o­n Friday. As a tribute to Pacino's career, each of them shouted the last part of their speeches. Except Colin Farrell, who gave his speech sans pants. That last bit is true.

BRADGELINA UPDATE: Pitt and Jolie may be working o­n a full-frontal pictorial together, if In Touch magazine is to be belived. In the meantime, we make do with a pic of Jolie alongside her equally crazed looking brother at the Worldwide Orphans Foundation Benefit Gala. At least they didn't make out this time.

SEN. JOHN McCAIN will guest-star in an episode of 24 this season, playing an ambitious Senator who thinks he should be the pretend President o­n the show.

EVA LONGORIA: The Desperate Housewife just wants to hang out at the Wal-Mart in San Antonio. Or she's planning a future career in stand-up comedy.

VINCENT D'ONOFRIO, star of Law and Order: Criminal Intent, forced the early end of an NBC-mandated sex harrassment sensitivity seminar by berating a network attorney over the issue of whether an actor might need to watch pornography in his trailer.

ALEC BALDWIN: Maybe his custody battle with Kim Basinger would be less bitter if he could land a date.

LOHAN LOWDOWN: Perez Hilton gets first-had news that Li-Lo is covering "The Edge Of Seventeen" o­n her new album, reportedly with a cameo from Stevie Nicks. Oh boy.

CULT OF THE iPod: The photo here is of an art piece, but you can now buy the iBelieve, billed as "a social commentary o­n the fastest growing religion in the world."

TOP TECH TRENDS, as divined by futurists asked by Wired News.

NANOTECH: FWIW, Nanodot is liveblogging the Foresight Conference.

GOOGLE would like to know a lot more about you to put in the Google Base.

THE NEW REPUBLIC has launched a blog called The Plank. On day one, there was a lot of discussion of... Michael Jordan.

A GRIM MILESTONE: That's what the AP called the 200th US military death in Iraq. That quote was used in a BBC story. ABC News also called it a "grim milestone." So did CBS News. And Scripps Howard News Service. And Canada's Globe and Mail. And the International Herald-Tribune, (though you may have seen the version that appeared in The New York Times.) And the New York Daily News. And London's Times. And NPR. And the Village Voice. And the San Francisco Chronicle. And the Chicago Tribune story that ran o­n Knight-Ridder's wire. And Islam Online. The picture to the right was on the front page of MSNBC.com on Tuesday. Lt. Col. Steve Boylan, the spokesman for the American-led multinational force, called o­n news organizations not to look at the 2,000th death as a milestone in the conflict, noting that it "is just as important as the first that died and will be just as important as the last to die in this war against terrorism and to ensure freedom for a people who have not known freedom in over two generations."

IRAQ: Bill Roggio posts o­n raids in Husaybah, Karabilah and Ushsh. Some women in Baghdad are taking up arms in private security jobs for reasons both personal and political. Seventy-nine percent of Iraqi voters approved the draft constitution; the press focused o­n Sunni Arab claims of vote fraud, though UN officials rejected them. These stories almost always quote Saleh Mutlaq and Hussein al-Falluji without mentioning that their NDC is home to many former Baathists and that the largest Sunni party, the IIP, has its sights set o­n the December elections. Indeed, the deadline for registering parties and electoral coalitions is Friday.

DOZENS OF PILOT WHALES have died after stranding themselves o­n a beach o­n the Australian island of Tasmania.

BADGERS break into a jail and attack the guards in Wiltshire, England.

UK PIGS: A West Yorkshire school has banned books containing stories about pigs from the classroom in case they offend Muslim children. British banks are banning piggy banks for fear of offending some Muslims. Neither seem to fear offending Muslims with the stereotype that they are all hotheads waiting for some excuse to blow their stacks.

GOLDFISH BOWLS are banned in Rome as animal cruelty. The city council also requires owners to regularly exercise their dogs.

DITTY BOPS are profiled in Paste, but that piece doesn't really capture their mix of influences, including appalachian folk and western swing. You can stream their album from their website and check out their calendar.

SUFJAN STEVENS gets a good concert review from London's Independent.

THE ARROGANTS: Gorilla vs. Bear is touting this band as "Beautiful indie pop music, recommended for fans of The Sundays or Mazzy Star." That's certainly in the ballpark. There are a few MP3s at the link, but plenty more at the band's site. or you can stream a few from the band's MySpace page.

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE: The Boston Globe talks to Kevin Drew about the self-titled album as a reaction to the band's sudden semi-success: ''We didn't want to come out swinging. We wanted to come out sliding." Toronto Life talks to BSS producer (and occasional member) Dave Newfeld about his style and role in making BSS records.

BLUEGRASS: Billboard reports that it's good times for the form, with live shows and satellite radio broadening the bluegrass audience, especially younger fans.

THE NEW YORK DOLLS play a wedding gig of sorts.

THIS BIRD HAS FLOWN, the indie tribute to Rubber Soul comes out today. Frank ay Chromewaves is largely unimpressed, and kills Nellie McKay's jazzy "If I Needed Someone" this week. Low's version of "Nowhere Man" pops up at You Ain't No Picasso. You can stream samples at the album's web site and stream a few complete tracks from the site's "media" page.

THE JAM: Where are they now? Ex-Jam drummer Rick Buckler has formed a Jam tribute band, while Bruce Foxton plays with Stiff Little Fingers and Paul Weller tours solo. ALSO: Pate fans of the old school should note today's US release of the BBC compilation. A review of the UK release suggests it's a hodgepodge of studio and live material. Will the extra live disc be included?

BONO says Yoko Ono thinks of him as John Lennon's "son." Would Julian Lennon consider that a compliment?

LIZ PHAIR: Carl Wilson covers the Phair hoax blog, and thinks she might have been better suited to "The Star-Spangled Banner" than "God Bless America" at the World Series. Considering that she was a bit flat and worse o­n the high notes, I'd have to agree. BTW, the first two people I asked about her World Series appearance had the same response: "I had to leave the room."

PROTEIN WISDOM: Jeff Goldstein is again talking back to 80s music.

PETE DOHERTY-KATE MOSS UPDATE: The shamed supermodel is writing poetry in rehab to help her relax.

KEIRA KNIGHTLEY wept for an entire day after a critic slammed her lap dancing performance in Domino. Fortunately, I've heard her performance in the upcoming remake of Pride and Prejudice is much better. In the meantime, if she wants to work o­n her lap dancing, I know how to do constructive criticism.

STEVE MARTIN received the eighth annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center Sunday night. In accepting the award, Martin pulled a slip of paper from his pocket, to read his favorite Twain "quote": "For God's sake, please don't name an award after me."

HOMER SIMPSON won the title of Philosopher Of The Decade from the British edition of Men's Health magazine. Editor Morgan Rees said: "These are people of real substance and solid achievement rather than temporary fame."

MISTER INCREDIBLE busted by the LAPD, along with Catwoman and others.

DASHTON: OK magazine is rumored to be furious at having paid three million for the lame B&W Kutcher-Moore wedding photos.

100 GREATEST MOVIES are to be listed by Total Film later this week, but the mag has already teased the Top Ten. Citizen Kane is number six, beaten by films including Fight Club. The number o­ne movie is funny.

BRADGELINA UPDATE: Jolie is furious with her Beowulf co-star Ray Winstone for leaking news about her alleged engagement to Pitt. Jolie is said to have refused to shoot any more scenes with Winstone until he apologizes. Meanwhile, Vaughniston is shacked up in the same West Hollywood villa where Billy Bob Thornton and Jolie began their affair.

WILLIAM SHATNER: The lower back pain that drove him to a hospital last week was caused by a kidney stone. Now he's showing it off o­n TV.

HOWARD STERN is losing audience even before his move to satellite radio.

ZOMBIE UPDATE: The Sci-Fi channel traces the history of Zombies and the possibility of contagious Zombochondria.

INTERVIEW WITH THE SAVIOUR: In two weeks, Anne Rice, the chronicler of vampires and witches, will publish Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, a novel about the seven-year-old Jesus, narrated by Christ himself. The advance notices say she's pulled it off.

WITCHES AND SATANISTS could use Britain's Racial and Religious Hatred Bill to trigger police investigations of their critics, should it become law. A similar law in Australia was used by a jailed witch to launch a criminal prosecution of the Salvation Army after it criticized witchcraft.

JESSICA ALBA seems annoyed that she always gets scripts that involve nudity: "Somehow, I don't think this is happening to Natalie Portman." Obviously, Alba has not seen Portman play a stripper in Closer, even though the pictures and even video is easy to find o­n the 'net. Do I need to note that, while not involving nudity, the links are probably NSFW?

IRAQ: Three enormous suicide bombs blew up near the Palestine Hotel -- home to many foreign journalists in Iraq --because the insurgents and jihadis know that the view from these hotels are what most media outlets show as representing Iraq as a whole. The head of the Arab League has strongly condemned the insurgents; the league previously supported Saddam and has been seen as biased toward Iraq's Sunni Arab minority. CNN has a video report o­n the effectiveness of Iraqi forces. Iraqi oil revenues were a record 2.6 billion dollars in September; a search of Google News suggests that the story is being ignored.

IRAQ II: Bill Roggio has posts up o­n unrest in Ramadi, the handover of four districts in Baghdad to the Iraqi Army, and conflicting press accounts o­n Miqdadiyah. However, the negative report from Knight-Ridder's Tom Lasseter linked there on the last point is contradicted not o­nly by the New York Times story mentioned, but also by outlets as diverse as Stars & Stripes and the Christian Science Monitor. Given Lasseter's record, I'm not surprised.

IRAQ BODY COUNTS: The Washington Post has a story about the U.S. military's revival of publicizing enemy body counts, which the story notes was "discredited" during the Vietnam War. Such body counts may not be the best way of measuring progress, but then why does the US media routinely publicize US military and Iraqi civilian deaths as though they are useful? The AP, Reuters and AFP are already anticipating the 2000th US military death.

CULT OF THE iPod: Looks like Apple will face a class-action lawsuit over those easily-scratched Nano screens, after all...

NANOTECH meets Kabbalah. Maybe it will be the theme of Madonna's next album. ALSO: Ten times lighter than steel, but 250 times stronger and superconductive! That's the hope for Buckypaper.

MAKE AN INFRARED CAMERA out of your old digital model. The French Hotel should take note.

HURRICANE KATRINA: All three levee breaches are looking less like acts of God and more like failures of engineering.

ROSA PARKS, dead at 92. By now, I would hope you already heard this, but better safe than sorry.

A DONKEY, LAMBS GOATS and ALPACAS are getting religion in Suffolk.

ANOTHER PYTHON, ANOTHER TOILET: Today's spotting comes from Kuala Lampur.

BRINGING YOUR PET COPPERHEAD TO SCHOOL sounds like a great idea, until it bites someone who may now lose an arm.

CATERPILLARS threaten the nation's maple syrup supply.