THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

with MUSIC TELEVISION!  The cable phenom debuted on tomorrow's date in 1981. The first four hours included The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star," while the rest of the first day included Pat Benatar's cover of "You Better Run," Rod Stewart's "She Won't Dance With Me," The Who's "You Better You Bet," PH.D's ""Little Susie's On The Up," Cliff Richard's "We Don't Talk Anymore," The Pretenders' "Brass In Pocket", Todd Rundgren's "Time Heals", REO Speedwagon's "Take It On The Run," Styx's "Rockin' The Paradise", and many more.  BONUS: Stereogum ranks the debut videos.

COUNTING CROWS played World Cafe from Home.

ANGEL OLSEN covers Men Without Hats’ “Safety Dance.”

MATT BERNINGER covers the VU's "I'm Waiting for the Man."

ZZ TOP will continue after the death of Dusty Hill, with the band's longtime guitar tech, Elwood Francis, taking over bass duties.

BLEACHERS: Jack Antonoff talks about working with Springsteen.

SLEAFORD MODS: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview.

RYAN ADAMS pleaded for a “second chance” in music, revealing he's on the verge of losing his home after the collapse of his career.

GEORGE CLINTON at 80: Diving Deep Into The Funk Of His Legacy.

SCARLETT JOHANSSON filed a lawsuit Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court against Disney, alleging her contract was breached when the media giant released Black Widow on its Disney+ streaming service at the same time as its theatrical debut.  The House of Mouse is going to need a better response than this.

BRITNEY SPEARS' doctors want Dad out of the conservatorship?

JAMIE LEE CURTIS revealed that her younger child is transgender.

HAWKEYE: Jeremy Renner talks about Kate Bisho... and Hailee Steinfeld.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, VOL. 3 will be Dave Bautista's final turn as Drax.

DOCTOR WHO: Jodie Whittaker and showrunner Chris Chibnall are exiting.

THE NICOLAS CAGE PARADOX: The power and peril of stardom in a post-theatrical age.

RAY SUBERS explains how movie studios figure out the “tracking” numbers, how comfy people are with returning to theaters, and more.

JARED LETO, as Jeffrey Tambor in House Of Gucci.

DOOGOS with well-coordinated choreography.

HOW TO Get A Kiss.

THERE ARE TWO Kinds of Dogs.

ANNA B SAVAGE lays a Tiny Desk Concert from Home.

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED features Gustaf and Wet Leg, Lanterna, Steady Holiday, and more.

THE CONNELLS return after 20 years with “Steadman’s Wake” and “Really Great.”

LANA DEL REY joins BLEACHERS on "Secret Life."

THE BEATLES: Giles Martin talks to Rolling Stone about his fab remixes.

SMASHING PUMPKINS are planning a 33-track concept album.

THE NUMBER ONES looks at Fine Young Cannibals' slick retro rumble "Good Thing."

BOB ODENKIRK is in stable condition after suffering what was termed as a “heart related incident” on he Better Call Saul set.

THE SUICIDE SQUAD: James Gunn may have saved the day.

KELLY CLARKSON will be paying 200K in monthly spousal support.

MARY HARTMAN, MARY HARTMAN is getting a reboot at TBS. Can Fernwood 2-Night be far behind?

ARTHUR, canceled at PBS after 25 seasons.

KEVIN SMITH: Even "He-Man" manages to be controversial.

RON POPEIL, an inventor and the face of infomercials for “as-seen-on-TV” products like Showtime Rotisserie and Pocket Fisherman, has died. He was 86.

YO GOT ME a Puppy?

AN OLYMPIC HORSE, doing the Safety Dance.

NOPE, I'm not going home.

A HUNGRY ELEPHANT Crashes Through a Kitchen Wall Searching For Salty Snacks.

ELO: Because I "Can't Get It Out Of My Head."

RHIANNON GIDDENS visits World Cafe.

THE AQUARIUM DRUNKARD PICTURE SHOW has Jack Name, Orions Belte, Stereolab, L’Eclair, Galaxie 500, Babe Rainbow, Spencer Cullum and beyond.

PORRIDGE RADIO covers The Shins' "New Slang."

LIARS shares “From What The Never Was.”

NICK CAVE, on Nick Drake and Nico.

LAURA NYRO: The phenomenal singers' singer the 60s overlooked.

GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE has a second trailer online.

LAMB has a trailer online.

BOB ODENKIRK collapsed on the set of AMC’s Better Call Saul and was rushed to the hospital on Tuesday.

ASHTON KUTCHER & MILA KUNIS don't believe in bathing their kids or themselves too much.

PARIS HILTON denies she's pregnant and expecting her first child with her fiancé, Carter Reum.

MATT. DAMON.: The enduring career of the megastar no one really knows.

SEX & THE CITY: Sarah Jessica Parker and executive producer Michael Patrick King plan to turn the limited reboot into a multi-season show.

FILMMAKER Andrew Levitas has accused MGM of burying his film Minamata because of the publicized personal issues of Johnny Depp.

LUCASFILM hired a YouTuber on the strength of his Mandalorian deep fakes.

GENE SISKEL & ROGER EBERT: Movie Critics for the People.

A DOG still recognizes his friend after 10 months.

A DOG among the Koi.

MEANWHILE, at the Olympics...

AS YOU MIGHT IMAGINE, a little light on "news" today.

KAREN BLACK has a posthumous album.

JOHN HUTCHINSON, jazz guitarist and three-time Bowie bandmate, passed away the in hospital over the weekend following a long period of illness.

BRING IT ALL BACK: Is naff noughties pop is suddenly cool again?

MONEY TALKS: Why is selling out OK now?

THE NUMBER ONES looks at Milli Vanilli's unlikely origin story and at "Baby Don't Forget My Number," their first chart-topper.

BRITNEY SPEARS and her new lawyer have filied docs with the name of a person whom they want to manage the conservatorship ... as far as business deals are concerned.

BENNIFER are enjoying a romantic getaway in San Tropez.

BLACK WIDOW: Since the box office numbers dwindled fast, Disney and Marvel have decided to release the movie to digital platforms and Blu-ray/DVD much earlier than anticipated.

THE EXORCIST is getting rebooted as a 400MM trilogy.

GEENA DAVIS is still waiting for is a film industry with as much opportunity for women as there is for men.

PINK offers to pay Norwegian handball players' fines for ditching bikini bottoms.

BIRDS escorting a gator back to his pond.

A GOOSE, hitch-hiking.

A CORGI, having fun in the park.

POP MUSIC: Let's talk about it.

NEW RELEASES: Paste will point you to Leon Bridges, Anika and more.

BILL'S INDIE BASEMENT has Piroshka, Lou Hayter, and more.

FRUIT BATS covers the Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese Dream LP.

PRINCE's estate unvaults "Hot Summer."

JAPANESE BREAKFAST, covering Dolly Parton's "Here You Come Again."

BIG RED MACHINE features FLEET FOXES and ANAIS MITCHELL on "Phoenix."

ANDERSON EAST goes very 80s on "Hood of My Car."

BOB DYLAN was reportedly in good voice on his livestreamed Shadow Kingdom.

DAUGHTER's Alexis Marshall discusses the influences on his solo LP.

THE NUMBER ONES looks at Richard Marx's vague but sticky quasi-rocker "Satisfied."

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Two releases respecting the theatrical window –Universal’s Old and Paramount’s Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins– opened to blah results, respectively with 16.5MM and 13.35MM.  Black Widow showed with11.6MM on a 55 percent drop.  Last weekend's champ, Space Jam: A New Legacy, tumbled to the fourth slot with 9.56MM on a not-so-nice 69 percent skid. 

JACKIE MASON, whose staccato, arm-waving delivery and thick Yiddish accent kept the borscht belt style of comedy alive long after the Catskills resorts had shut their doors, and whose career reached new heights in the 1980s with a series of one-man shows on Broadway, died on Saturday in Manhattan. He was 93.

BENNIFER: It's on like Donkey Kong.

ADELE and agent Rich Paul, caught on camera.

MEGXIT: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will team up on a book about ‘leadership’ as part of their megabucks book deal.

HBO MAX is gaining traction with customers.

R KELLY: Federal prosecutors are seeking to have evidence of what they say are more alleged, but uncharged, crimes committed by the R&B singer  admitted at his upcoming trial in New York.

BLOW OUT at 40: Brian DePalma's dazzling 1981 masterpiece sees a never-better John Travolta find himself caught in a dangerous murder plot.

TRASH PARROTS Invent New Skill in Australian Suburbs.

UNVACCINATED SNOW LEOPARD at the San Diego Zoo catches COVID.

TEXAS NATIONAL PARK warns of acid-spraying "whip scorpions."

DOGGO at a wind farm.