THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with THE BOX TOPS!  Before tackling the power pop of Big Star and becoming an icon of proto-indie rock, Alex Chilton cut his musical chops as the singer for this blue-eyed soul group out of Memphis.  Best known for their take on Wayne Carson Thompson's "The Letter," which ruled the charts in 1967, the follow-up, "Neon Rainbow," would get as high as No. 24 later that year. "Cry Like a Baby" was a major hit in 1968.  They hit the Mike Douglas Show for a twofer of "Turn On a Dream" and "Soul Deep," the latter being their final Top 40 hit.  The group became increasingly disenchanted with the managers, lawyers, and promoters that exploited them; the band would dissolve by February 1970.

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED show cases "great music from bands we'd never heard of before," including Bowerbirds, Amber Rubarth and Try Me Bicycle.

THE LAST SHADOW PUPPETS, a/k/a Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys and Miles Kane of The Rascals, did a chat and stripped-down mini-set for the World Cafe you can stream on demand via NPR. You can stream their full album of symphonic, '60s-tinged pop through the weekend via Spinner.

THE CAVE SINGERS vocalist Pete Quirk talks to DC's Express about switching to neo-folk from the post-grunge sound of the now-defunct Pretty Girls Make Graves.

EL PERRO del MAR: Sarah Assbring talks to Vancouver's Straight about how mortality affected the recording of the just-released From the Valley to the Stars.

THE TING TINGS: "Shut Up and Let Me Go" is the track of the new iPod ad, which is a good excuse to relink the new single, "That's Not My Name."

PAUL WELLER turns 50 this month. The Telegraph surveys three distinct chapters of his life in music.

VAMPIRE WEEKEND also gets a profile in the Telegraph, talking about all of the band's perceived influences.

THE KILLS get a profile in Metro Toronto and a rave live review from Frank Yang at Chromewaves, with plenty of A/V linkage.

CUTOUT BIN: From Marilyn Monroe to Richard Hell, from Smoosh to The Supremes, from the Woodentops to Wilco, Elvis Costello and the Starland Vocal Band, this Friday's fortuitous finds can be jukeboxed or streamed individually on the Pate page at the ol' HM.

SPEED RACER, as you'll see in the next blurb, is getting mostly bad reviews, with some critics really hating it.  I completely understand why, but cannot bring myself to hate it, and not just because I love the original cartoon.  The script is a disaster.  It is on the one hand over-plotted, with too many bit characters whose relevance is never fully explained.  On the other hand, it often fails in basic exposition in ways that distance you from the movie.  A number of the bad reviews find the Wachowskis' "car-fu" so unrealistic that they never feel as though the characters are in real peril.  I did not have as much of an issue with that as with the failure of the script to establish a particular level of cartoon action, so that you know what the rules of "car-fu" are.  Thus, the race that works best is the road rally in the second act, because we instinctively understand the more realistic environment better.  The track races which bookend the film are less satisfying because their exposition is non-existent, leaving the viewer clueless as to the relative import of the twists, turns, obstacles, etc.  The Wachowskis would even have done well to take the remixes of the Speed Racer music that plays over the end credits and bring them into the movie itself; the limited animation of the 60s original required that the tension and drama be carried in no small part by that music.  All of that being said, the movie is a psychedelic visual feast.  There is plenty of racing action for the kids, and some solid family messages for a family movie. I found myself leaving the theater liking it, despite its major flaws.  But I would have loved to love it.

NOW SHOWING: In addition to Speed Racer, which is currently scoring 35 percent on the ol' Tomatometer, this weekend's other wide release is the rom-com What Happens in Vegas, which is scoring 42 percent. It is probably another big weekend for Iron Man, methinks.

LIV TYLER & ROYSTON LANGDON have decided to separate, her rep confirms to People magazine.  Wasn't my fault.

MINNIE DRIVER denies that musician Craig Zolezzi is the father of her unborn child, adding that he is English and "sort of in the same business." And she's got a countrified music albuum coming out, with cameos from Ryan Adams and his band The Cardinals, as well as Liz Phair.

BRITNEY SPEARS: Part of her return appearance from CBS's How I Met Your Mother is already online. The ever-reliable Star magazine claims that the pop wreck and Fed-Ex are having weekly steamy phone sex sessions, which if true disproves the existence of God.

JEN & JOHN: After filming for three months in Miami, Jennifer Aniston has big plans for the wrap party of Marley & Me, including a special performance by her new man, John Mayer.  Plus, we have a lovely new profanity-laden video, "Makin' Music with John Mayer," courtesy of FunnyOrDie.

LINDSAY LOHAN has a new song, "Bossy," posted online. She really needs to get movie work. Really.

KATHERINE HEIGL would like to leave Grey's Anatomy for more movie works, but she's under contarct to the ABC show.

INDIANA JONES and the KINGDOM OF UH-OH: An early review at Ain't-It-Cool-News (w/spoilers) is not good.

THE SPIRIT: Will Eisner's 1940's classic comic is headed for the big screen, thanks to Frank Miller (The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City, 300).  Trailer at the link (current temp score from The Untouchables).

JESSICA ALBA competes in a staring contest to boost boyfriend Cash Warren's Internet startup, iBeatYou.  Video at the link.

GLOBAL WARMING may cause Greenland to gain independence from Denmark.

IRAN & IRAQ: Iran has protested to Iraq over reports that Baghdad had backed the United Arab Emirates' claim to three islands in the Gulf, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

IRAQ: Iraqi soldiers for the first time warned residents in Sadr City to leave their houses, signaling a new push by the US-backed forces against Shiite extremists who have been waging street battles for seven weeks.  The leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, was arrested in the northern city of Mosul, the Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman said Thursday. News of the arrest was also reported by Iraqi state television, but the US military has not confirmed the report. I'll believe it when I see it.  Bill Roggio has  background on al-Masri.

BABY HEDGEHOGS: Awww...

BABY GIRAFFE: Awww...

A MISSING CAT in Cornwall, England, is spotted by a woman nearly 4000 miles away in America, via webcam.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: Militant squirrels are secretly behind the kamikaze iguana who took down the electrical grid in Taramac and Pompano Beach, FL.

R.E.M. has a new video for "Hollow Man," the second from their Accelerate album.

GANG OF TWO:  The full Gang of Four reunion is short-lived.  Bassist Dave Allen and drummer Hugo Burnham are moving on, although singer Jon King and guitar-player Andy Gill will continue, focusing on writing and recording new music as Gang of Four.

BLACK KIDS stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set you can stream on demand via MPR.

THE REPLACEMENTS & HUSKER DU:  Check out a vintage Q magazine profile of the Mpls scene from 1987 in Wolfgang's Vault.

LOU REED & LAURIE ANDERSON spent ten bucks on their wedding, which was performed by NPR host and bluegrass musician Nick Forster.

SAD KERMIT covers Elliot Smith's "Needle in the Hay," with spoilers for those who have yet to see the Royal Tenenbaums.

TOKYO POLICE CLUB stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set you can stream on demand via MPR.

THE VASELINES are rumored to be reuniting for the SubPop 20th Anniversary party.

PRINCE is putting out a photo book chronicling Prince's 21 consecutive sold-out shows at London's O2 Arena last year, including a CD culled from the intimate, small-venue gigs the artist played after-hours.

SIGNS YOU MAY BE A HIPSTER, courtesy of the Morning News.

ASHLEE SIMPSON & PETE WENTZ are set to have a shotgun wedding next weekend in California?

AMY WINEHOUSE was arrested and held in custody Monday for possession of Class A drugs. The charges were brought as a result of a damaging video of the star smoking crack cocaine and talking about taking Valium while appearing dazed and disorientated, which was made public in January this year.

BRADGELINA: Jolie is set to birth twin daughters, according to the ever-relaible Star magazine.

MARIAH CAREY & NICK CANNON: Their wedding photo is the new cover of People magazine.

MADONNA is desperately seeking publicity with another onstage girl-on-girl kiss in France.  At this point, wouldn't Madge get more pub kissing a dude?

THE DARK KNIGHT: Having mentioned that Aaron Eckhart leaked a big spolier, I note that a picture has surfaced on the Internet.  Plus, rumors are already rolling on the story for Batman 3.

GO, SPEED... UH-OH: The Wachowski's adaptation of the Japanese cartoon of the '60s and '70s -- has been tracking unimpressively in prerelease surveys. At present, "Speed Racer" appears on track to gross 25-35 million this weekend, though family moviegoers are notoriously tough to track before openings.  Fortunately for Warner Bros, most of its splashy effects were done with relatively affordable green-screen technology.

ELLEN PAGE set to play one of English literature's most famous characters, the eponymous heroine of Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre."

ROBIN WILLIAMS and his estranged wife Marsha Garces Williams have pledged to be "honest, cooperative and respectful" during their divorce proceedings, according to court papers released Tuesday.

CSI PALM BEACH: Gary Dourdan has been charged with three felonies for possession of a controlled substance -- one charge each for heroin, cocaine and ecstasy.

ISABELLA ROSSELLINI plays bugs and snails in a series of short films on how small creatures get down, commissioned by the Sundance Channel.  For one clip, she hired her son and his friends to play the male bees.

LEBANON's long-simmering political crisis erupted into gunfire and explosions Wednesday when a labor strike devolved into clashes between rival Hezbollah and government supporters. Most Sunnis back Prime Minister Fuad Saniora's government, while Shiites generally support the opposition led by Hezbollah, which the U.S. has labeled a terrorist organization. Lebanon's government has declared illegal an extensive telecommunications network run by Hezbollah. Tension is also high after the chief of security at Beirut airport was removed for alleged Hezbollah sympathies.  Helzbollah has besieged the Beirut airport and no longer has good relations with the Lebanese army.

IRAN: Two leading clerics declare that Pres. Ahmadinejad would be better off concentrating on Iran's social problems -- most notably its double-digit inflation -- than indulging his wacky religious beliefs. Nine million Iranians cannot read or write out of a population of at least 71.5 million, a newspaper reported Wednesday. Israel now believes the Islamic Republic will master centrifuge technology and be able to begin enriching uranium on a military scale this year, according to The Jerusalem Post.

IRAN & IRAQ: A Sunni fundamentalist from Kuwait who has been linked by the UN and the US to al-Qaeda said in an interview published Wednesday that Iran is supporting Sunni Arab insurgents fighting American troops in Iraq. The Iraqi government is preparing its case on Iran's involvement in the Shia insurgency. "It's a bit disingenuous to believe such quantities of up-to-date weapons manufactured this year, last year, can flow into the country without the knowledge of the Iranian government," said Iraq's ambassador to the UN. An Iraqi Sunni delegation on a visit to Cairo on Wednesday urged Arab countries to act against what it called the "Iranian occupation" of Iraq. Former Iranian president Mohamad Khatami was under fire from hardliners on Monday after comments interpreted as accusing the country's clerical leaders of supporting insurgents in the Middle East.

IRAQ:  A proposed election law could hurt the political movement of Moqtada al-Sadr -- whose Mahdi Army militia followers have been battling US and Iraqi troops in Baghdad's Sadr City.

SHARK SURFIN': Let's go to the video!

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: Retirees on the Riverside estate in Grantham, England, went without television for two months - thanks to rogue squirrels. The squirrel attack knocked out the television signal in at least 15 flats on the estate. Repairs to the cable were not been possible while the squirrels continued to wreak havoc in the area.

A PITBULL turns up in the engine compartment of a pickup truck in Vacaville, Calif.

THREE ELK die in a tragic zoo opening incident.

MINNESOTEAN SEA MONSTER is so hard to track that a 50 grand reward is out for proof it exists.

RADIOHEAD has joined with MTV to make video of "All I Need" to raise awareness of human trafficking.

NEW RELEASES: The Last Shadow Puppets, the Submarines, Matmos, Republic Tigers, Neil Freakin' Diamond and more are streaming in full this week via Spinner.  The Long Blondes release Couples.  The Morning Benders release Talking Through Tin Cans.  Elvis Costello releases Momofuku digitally, after dropping the vinyl a few weeks back. And Nine Inch Nails is giving away downloads of its album.

BECK may surprise us with a new album in the next 4-6 weeks, with help from people like Danger Mouse and Cat Power.

TIM FITE does the four free songs thing for Daytrotter, including two from the forthcoming Fair Ain't Fair album.

THE REPLACEMENTS:  There's a crash course in their early works at North by Northwestern, for all you youngsters out there. (Thx, LHB.)

THE HEAVY perform "Oh, No!" and "Sixteen" (which owes a bit to "I Put A Spell On You") live on The Current's stage at SxSW for your Twofer Tuesday.

ELBOW is losing money on its US tour, due to the US dollar's dropping exchange rate against the British pound.  Shoulda asked to be paid in Euros in the contracts...

LES SAVY FAV: Tim Harrington talks to Pitchfork about the new digital-only live album, After the Balls Drop, and the band's last studio effort, Let's Stay Friends.

DeVotchKa sousaphonist-bassist Jeanie Schroder talks to Straight about trying to build on the visibility of the Little Miss Sunshine soundtrack with A Mad & Faithful Telling: "You don't want to get all this attention and then make something that sucks..."

BAD SONGS BY GOOD BANDS:  Count 'em down at Spinner.

SCARLETT JOHANSSON & RYAN REYNOLDS, who have been dating since Spring 2007, are engaged. She turned up at the Costume Institute Gala sans Reynolds but flashing a fabulous rock on her left hand. Congrats to them.

ANGELA KINSEY of The Office and her TV writer  husband have welcomed a baby daughter, named Isabel. Congrats to them, too.

DENNIS RODMAN entered an outpatient rehab facility Monday, just days after he was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic battery.  Good luck to him.

PEACHES GELDOF, Sir Bob's 19-year-old daughter, was caught on video buying drugs from Amy Winehouse's alleged dealer.  No congrats for her!

DINA LOHAN, Lindsay's mom, will be honored by Mingling Moms as one of Long Island's Top 20 Moms, the organization announced Monday.  Yes, really.

TOM CRUISE says his couch-jumping on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" seemed to set off a "confluence" of bad publicity for him, but he's not sure he would take it back.  Video at the link.

THE A-LIST is having trouble packing multiplexes based on star wattage alone.  It's increasingly clear that other elements, from established franchises to marketable concepts to such brand-name creators as Tyler Perry and Judd Apatow, either give actors a necessary boost or entirely replace them as the draw for moviegoers.  The Hollywood Reporter investigates, and presents nifty charts.

HARRISON FORD talks to the L.A. Times about returning to the iconic role of Indiana Jones after an 18-year hiatus.

IRON MAN 2 is set for April 2010, to be followed by Thor, Captain America and The Avengers.  BONUS:  Dvice gets you started on building your own Iron Man armor.

GO, SPEED... UH-OH: The early reviews are not good.  Ouch.

THE DARK KNIGHT: Here's a nice non-bootleg version of the third trailer currently running before Iron Man in theaters.  ALSO: Aaron Eckhart gives the L.A. Times a spoiler!

IRAN said on Monday it would not consider any incentives offered by world powers that violated its right to nuclear technology, ruling out a precondition to halt atomic work the West believes is aimed at making bombs.  Moreover, the Islamic theocracy will not submit to extensive nuclear inspections while Israel stays outside the global treaty to curb the spread of atomic weapons.

IRAN & IRAQ: Former president Mohammad Khatami has said exporting violence to other countries is "treason" against Islam and Iran's 1979 revolution, an apparent accusation that the country's hard-line rulers are engineering unrest abroad.  Hezbollah has been training Iraqi militia fighters at a camp near Tehran, according to US interrogation reports supplied to the Iraqi government. The Iraqi Minister of Defense Abdel-Qadir al-Ubaydi said a rocket exportable only by states has been found in Basra, a newspaper said Monday, while an Iraqi government spokesman sent mixed messages on Iran's role in his country.

IRAQ: The US is moving south, planning to upgrade facilities at Camp Delta and the Al Kut Air Base, which is about 140 miles southeast of Baghdad and just 35 miles from the Iranian border.  Milblogger Michael Yon writes in the NYDN that confronting the Shia militias is the storm before the calm.

A MONKEY on a GOAT on a TIGHTROPE: Let's go to the video.

FERAL PARROTS surviving in Brooklyn.

COMET the GOLDFISH has been trained to play soccer and basketball, and to dance the limbo.

A CROCODILE has been reported living in a rubbish-strewn local lake next to a supermarket in Swansea, England.

BEAR breaks its paw after dozing off and falling out of a tree in Orlando, FL.  Apparently not a Country Bear. And yes, the bear is going to be alright, Little Tommy. Pics and video at the link.

WE ARE SCIENTISTS stage a Western of sorts in the video for "Chick Lit," which may be the catchiest thing they've ever done.

TEGAN & SARA bring some of the banter featured here on Friday to a discussion of their current musicl faves in the New York Times.

THE WATSON TWINS stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set you can stream on demand via MPR.

STEPHEN MALKMUS talks to Canada's National Post about the differences between Real Emotional Trash and his previous albums.

ADELE: The 19-year-old British soul singer-songwriter has a chat and mini-set in audio or video at The Interface.

DESPERATELY SEEKING PAUL McCARTNEY: The upcoming indie mockumentary on a woman who turned down Paul's marriage proposal now has a trailer online. (Thx, Bena Warren.)

ISOBEL CAMPBELL talks to the Independent and The Scotsman about working again with Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees, Queens of the Stone Age) on their second LP, Sunday at Devil Dirt: "He'll be jolly one day and then he'll go back to being quieter than ever and it's as if you're not even there. I try not to take it personally but it's not always easy. For me, it's actually quite masochistic. Sometimes you want to put a whoopee cushion on his chair or blow a big raspberry at him - which I actually do sometimes!"

JAMES BROWN: A DNA test reportedly confirms that the late Godfather of Soul fathered the son of a woman who claims to be the singer's widow.

EL PERRO del MAR: Sarah Assbring talks to Pitchfork about her self-recorded and self-produced new album, From the Valley.

AMY WINEHOUSE is unfit to work on any new music projects, according to her producer and friend Mark Ronson.  The pair were supposed to be recording the theme tune for the next James Bond film, Quantum of Solace.

IRON MAN RULES the weekend box office taking in about 100 million in the US and 200 million worldwide.  That is far more than the 70 million consensus prediction for the US.  Iron Man enjoyed the 10th-best three-day opening ever, the 10th movie premiere to exceed $100 mil, and the No. 2 debut of all time for a non-sequel (behind only Spider-Man's $114.8 mil). Robert Downey Jr. has never fronted a movie that grossed 100 mil during its entire run, let alone in one weekend.  It has recouped its production budget of 150 million and is well on its way to recouping estimated total costs of 225 million.  It did all this despite failing to appeal to what industry insiders call ''all four quadrants'' - that is, its audience was not evenly divided between men and women, young people and older folks (a whopping 71 percent of ticket buyers were men and 64 percent were over the age of 25). Speed Racer may face his greatest foe in the Golden Avenger when he rolls into theaters this Friday.  The weekend's other wide release, Made of Honor, made 15 million.  Iron Man's repulsor rays were felt all down the rest of the Top Ten.

R. KELLY: A woman is set to testify at the R&B superstar's upcoming child pornography trial that she had a three-way sexual encounter with Kelly and the allegedly underage girl shown in the video at the heart of the case.

COURTNEY LOVE made a 3am trip to the emergency unit of LA's Cedars Sinai hospital complaining of laryngitis.  Moments after being released, she was off to get some smokes.  Hmmm...

JAMIE LYNN SPEARS, Britney's 17-year-old knocked-up sister, was feted with an intimate baby shower in Kentwood, LA.  The pop wreck was in attendance.

ROB LOWE:  It's a small world -- Laura Boyce, the second nanny accusing Rob Lowe and his wife of sexual harassment, also babysits for reality TV star Shanna Moakler.  Lowe's wife denounces the allegations against them as "lies meant to embarrass and humiliate."

KATE HUDSON apparently has herself a stalker.

TOM-KAT UPDATE:  This time, Oprah visit's Cruise's couch.  The Big O has a preview at her website.

NICOLE KIDMAN is reportedly set to play Dusty Springfield in a new biopic of the singer's life.

DREW BARRYMORE & JUSTIN LONG are secretly planning to marry in the Caribbean later this year, according to a source who overheard the couple planning the ceremony over a recent lunch date.

CSI star Gary Dourdan has issued a statement to Access Hollywood over his arrest for drug possession in Palm Springs last weekend, claiming the substances found in the car did not belong to him.

LINDSAY LOHAN began shooting her spot on ABC's Ugly Betty on Saturday.

PATRICK SWAYZE, who is battling pancreatic cancer, looked just a shadow of his former self as he went shopping this week.

ELISHA CUTHBERT has scored herself a new hockey player boyfriend, Calgary Flames defenseman Dion Phaneuf.

GLOBAL WARMING is blamed for a rise in shark attacks off the East Coast.  Just another thing to add to the list.

IRAN & IRAQ: An Iraqi delegation in Iran has confronted Iranian security officials with evidence that Tehran is providing support for Shi'ite militias battling Iraqi government forces, an Iraqi official said on Friday. "They presented a list of names, training camps and cells linked to Iran," Haidar al-Ibadi, a member of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Dawa party, told Reuters.  Though they admit nothing, Iran backs efforts by the Iraqi government to disarm militiamen, an Iranian news agency said on Sunday.  Maybe it's just happy talk, or maybe Iran is concerned about US military planning for a "surgical strike" against an insurgent training camp inside Iran if Republican Guards continue with attempts to destabilize Iraq.

IRAQ: The US Army targeted and destroyed a Special Groups command and control center in a Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System strike in Sadr City Saturday morning.  Bill Ardolino is back in Iraq, reporting that the fighting in Sadr City is causing the locals to turn against Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army in the Rusafa neighborhood in Baghdad.

AN ANARCTIC FUR SEAL is observed trying to have sex with a king penguin.  I blame global warming.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: Their rat allies shut down internet service for Qwest customers through Cochise County, AZ, while they secretly develop their own droid army.

A DOG was framed in a human castration case, but justice has prevailed in France.

A NANNY pulled a 2-year-old girl from the jaws of a coyote when the animal attacked the toddler and tried to carry her away in its mouth.

140 COWS stare unamazed as they are rescued by a military barge from flooding that has struck New Brunswick's capital region. Pic at the link.