THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

... with THE SOUND OF MOTOWN!  This Ready Steady Go! special from 1965 kicks off with Smokey Robinson and The Miracles singing "Ooo Baby Baby," Dusty Springfield joined by Martha Reeves and The Vandellas on "Wishin And Hopin'" and "Can't Hear You No More" followed by The Supremes singing "Stop! In The Name Of Love," and The Temptations singing "My Girl," and Martha Reeves and The Vandellas return for "Dancing In The Street."  The Supremes come back with with "Shake," followed by Martha Reeves and The Vandellas with "Nowhere To Run." Up next is Smokey Robinson and The Miracles with "Shop Around,"The Supremes ask "Where Did Our Love Go?",then a medley with Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, The Supremes, Steveie Wonder and all performers joining in on "Mickey's Monkey," all backed by the Earl Van Dyke Sextet.

THE SHINS: James Mercer visited KEXP for a solo acoustic set featuring songs from the forthcoming album "Port Of Morrow."

PERFUME GENIUS stopped by KEXP for a session.

THE CRANBERRIES, now reunited, played live at WNYC Soundcheck... with "Zombie" as a web extra.

MIKE DOUGHTY (Soul Coughing) talks about his darkly comic memoir, "The Book of Drugs" and performs live at WNYC Soundcheck.

JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP: Live in Noblesville, IN, July 4, 1992.

LOS CAMPESINOS! make "Songs About Your Girlfriend" visual, with an assist from exotic dancers.

BON IVER: Justin Vernon talks to SPIN post-Grammys about his pre-show anxiety, his Grammy gripes, and the band's future.

SHEARWATER: Jonathan Meiberg talks to PopMatters about making Animal Joy a more immediate and personal album.

HOSPITALITY is profiled at Paste.

TEAR-JERKERS: It's science!

CUTOUT BIN:  From Soft Cell to Richard & Linda Thompson, from Buzzcocks to Brenton Wood, from Neil Young to Urban Dance Squad, plus the Kinks, Tom Jones, Dirty Looks, Tommy James, Glen Campbell 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: This Means War, which is currently scoring 24 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, scoring zero; and The Secret World of Arrietty, scoring 91 percent.

WHITNEY HOUSTON's family deny excluding Bobby Brown from the singer's funeral, but may be trying to keep him from leeching onto their daughter, the sole heir to Whitney's fortune.  Kevin Costner, Houston's co-star in The Bodyguard, is planning to speak at her funeral.  Whitney visited a doctor three times in the days before she died in a Beverly Hills hotel room bathtub, according to the ever-reliable Star magazine.

KHLOE KARDASHIAN basically admits she doesn't know who her biological father is.

HEIDI KLUM & SEAL: Which one is still wearing a wedding ring?

JASON BATEMAN and wife Amanda Anka welcomed a baby girl, Maple Sylvie Bateman.

CHRIS BROWN denies trying to pick up a woman with the line, "I promise I won't beat you."

JESSICA SIMPSON will reward a Biggest Loser challenge winner with a visit to her personal showroom.

DINER: Vanity Fair essays how a novice director and his raw cast broke all the rules-and stumbled into genius. And to think the suits wanted to lose the sandwich scene.

SEVEN MOVIES Better Than The Books They Were Based On.

TERROR in the USA: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian-born "underwear bomber" who tried to blow up an airliner over Detroit on Christmas 2009, has been sentenced to life in prison.

AL QAEDA's BIGGEST THREAT: Ibrahim al-Asiri is the sort of terrorist who keeps intelligence officials awake at night. 

IRAQ: The Supreme Judicial Council accused Vice President Hashemi of operating a death squad that was involved in 150 bombings and assassinations since 2005.

LION CUBS hug a park worker on his last day at work.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: Now they're taking our pizza.

CATS really make people crazy.

DOGS Underwater.

SHEARWATER drops a video for "Breaking The Yearlings."

KATHLEEN EDWARDS played a mini-set at World Cafe Live.

CRAIG FINN played a TIny Desk Concert at the offices of NPR. He spoke to RFT Music about the topics dearest to his heart: booze, bands, flags and Jesus.

FUN is advance streaming Some Nights. Reminds me a little bit of Queen (tho much less than The Darkness does).

PRINCETON is advance streaming Remembrance of Things to Come, which showcases the weaving of East Coast prep school pop and sunny California road trip jams.

TINDERSTICKS is advance streaming The Something Rain.

ANDREW BIRD drops "The Crown Salesman," the B-side to his new single. Who cares what's on the flip side? I do.

LAURA MARLING has a new video for her song “All My Rage."

TALKING HEADS: Chris Frantz amd Tina Weymouth talk to Billboard about the Chronology DVD, which finds them longing a bit for a reunion.

ISLANDS frontman Nick Thorburn gives the L.A. Times a playlist of songs ruined by love.

FIONN REGAN answered 20 questions at PopMatters.

JOY DIVISION & NEW ORDER master tapes were discovered in a basement by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, along with jewels, gold and guns -- a trove worth roughly £1.1m.

WHITNEY HOUSTON had a premonition about her death. Someone was reportedly supposed to be with Houston at all times, including in the bathroom, to prevent a tragedy like this.  Sony claims the immediate postmortem price gouging on her albums was a mistake.

THE KARDASHIANS: Will Kim Kardashian carry Khloe and Lamar Odom's child?

BRADGELINA marriage rumors? Why not? It's been a few months.

CHRIS BROWN's  Grammys "all is forgiven" performance gets slammed by some celebs.

GEORGE CLOONEY talks to THR about modest paychecks, his friendship with Brad Pitt and why he hasn't had a drink since New Year's Eve.

WILLIAM SHATNER talks to the NYT about his one-man Broadway show.

NICOLAS CAGE talks to the HuffPo about what it's like to play a character that urinates fire, why his career is like Led Zeppelin, how he almost wound up in "Dumb and Dumber," and why "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" was a terrible experience.

UGGIE, the Jack Russell star of The Artist, will not make an appearance at the Academy Awards next week. Aw.

TERROR in the USA: Military prosecutors accused Majid Khan, 31, of conspiring with al Qaeda to blow up gas storage tanks in the US and bomb Western targets in Indonesia, and of trying to assassinate the president of Pakistan. Khan, currently detained at Guantanamo, is the husband of "Lady al Qaeda" Aafia Siddiqui, who is in prison for attempting to kill US interrogators in Afghanistan in 2008.

TERROR in NORWAY: Mullah Krekar, an Iraqi Islamist who moved to Norway in 1991 and founded the al Qaeda-linked Iraqi terror group Ansar al-Islam in 2001, admitted the threats he made about Norwegian leaders but said he is "not guilty."

THE TALIBAN refuses even to denounce "international terrorism," much less acknowledge any willingness to sever links with al Qaeda.

LIBYA: Many Libyans prefer strong leadership to democracy despite four decades spent under the rule of Gaddafi, a national survey suggests.

IRAN Besieged by international sanctions over the Iranian nuclear program including a planned oil embargo by Europe, Iran warned six European buyers on Wednesday that it might strike first by immediately cutting them off from Iranian oil.

AFGHANISTAN: The issues of night raids and transfer of detention facilities are the last impediments to a US-Afghan strategic partnership agreement, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told lawmakers.

A MINI-SCHNAUZER plays Pick One.

THE MOOSE WHISPERER: Vanessa Gibson has nurtured Jack since he was three days old so the Alaskan moose is now fiercely protective of his ‘mum'.

RUNAWAY SLED DOG reclaimed with enchiladas and roast beef.

MALACHY the PEKINGESE wobbled off with best in show at the Westminster Kennel Club.

OF MONTREAL played the "Dour Percentage" on Fallon, bringing staging per usual.

SLEIGH BELLS is advance streaming Reign of Terror at the NYT.

DAMIEN JURADO is advance streaming Maraqupoa.

THE FRONT BOTTOMS talk to World Cafe's David Dye about their lifelong friendship, writing songs in their teens and their live shows, and also perform live in the studio.

THE REPLACEMENTS, Live at the Ritz, Oct. 26, 1987.

PUBLIC IMAGE LTD.: "One Drop" went from the radio to teh internets.

HORSE FEATHERS drops "Fit Against The Country" ahead of Cynic's New Year.

THE DRUMS covered The Ronettes' classic "Do I Love You?" and have made it available for free at their Facebook page.

GIRLS: Christopher Owens covered "I Will Always Love You" at the Laneway Festival in Singapore last weekend, a likely tribute to the late Whitney Houston.

ADELE talks to Vogue about fame, family, and what the future holds -- she claims she's taking four or five years off.

LAMBCHOP: Kurt Wagner talks to The Guardian about Nashville, music, painting, Vic Chestnutt and more.

CRAIG FINN talks to The Quietus about his 13 most played LPs. I like all of them, love most of them, played all but one on the radion, iirc.

BONNAROO 2012 lineup is announced, including the Beach Boys.

LINDSAY LOHAN: New year, same not paying her income taxes.

JENNIFER ANISTON & PAUL RUDD promote new comedy Wanderlust in the new GQ.

JOHNNY DEPP hung out with with McCartney and Springsteen after the Grammys.

SEAN PENN blasts the UK for not giving the Falklands to Argentina.

KATE WINSLET goes back to Titanic (in 3-D) with USA Today.

GUILLERMO del TORO will direct a new take on the "Beauty and the Beast" tale that Warners has tapped "Bridget Jones's Diary" scribe Andrew Davies to write.  Emma Watson is in negotiations to star.

LIAM HEMSWORTH: Is he ready for Hunger Games megastardom? Or squirrels?

DAVID KELLY, best known for his roles in Waking Ned Devine and Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, has died at 82.

TERROR in SWEDEN: Noting that Sweden is now at a 'real risk' for terror, a change from its 'relatively low' risk status four years ago, the government announced a new counterterrorism strategy.

IRAN: The United States and Europe are considering unprecedented punishment against Iran that could immediately cripple the country's financial lifeline. But it's an extreme option in the banking world that would come with its own costs.

AFGHANISTAN: The Taliban have met with US officials to discuss possible peace talks, but do not want to negotiate with Afghan Pres. Karzai's government, a Taliban spokesman said Tuesday.

IRAQ: Insurgents killed an Awakening leader and two of his bodyguards in an IED attack in Anbar. Security forces detained 20 wanted men in Mosul and Diyala.

A BLACK BEAR is hibernating --or not -- in a Wisconsin drain tunnel.

SHARK swallows another shark whole.

DIRECT-TO-DOG ADVERTISING: Bakers, a British dog food manufacturer, has created an ad that features high-pitched sounds and barks that only dogs can hear, designed to draw Fido toward the TV screen.

WHEN A SEA LION ATTACKS... Shakira.

PAUL WESTERBERG: "Valentine," solo circa 2004.

NEW RELEASES from Tennis, Islands, Eisley, Polica, Phenominal Handclap Band, Cotton Mather, Field Music, Young Magic, Heartless Bast^rds, Rosie Thomas, and more are streaming this week at Spinner.

PERFUME GENIUS is advance streaming Put Your Back N 2 It.

CURSIVE is advance streaming I Am Gemini.

HUNTERS are streaming their Hands On Fire EP.

THE DECEMBERISTS drop "One Engine" from The Hunger Games soundtrack.

THE SHINS drop "The Rifle's Spiral" before Port of Morrow.

THE MARS VOLTA drops "The Malkin Jewel" ahead of Nocturniquet.

ERIC CARMEN: "All By Myself" and "Never Gonna Fall In Love Again" for Twofer Tuesday.

ISLANDS: Nick Thorburn talks to Vulture about A Sleep & A Forgetting, moving west, and occasional Mister Heavenly bassist, Michael Cera.

THE TWILIGHT SAD: James Graham talks to Drowned In Sound about the band's new direction, how working with Andy Weatherall is a breeze and what it takes to be the next Craig David...

CHARLES BRADLEY: Better late than never.

(ANOTHER) MAJOR LABEL NIGHTMARE: A quirk in US copyright law is about to allow a whole bunch of top artists to take back rights to their music, potentially forcing labels to pay big money to reacquire songs they have owned for decades. The epicenter appears to be... the Village People.

WHITNEY HOUSTON's family was told by L.A. County Coroner officials the singer did not die from drowning, but rather from what appears to be a combination of Xanax and other prescription drugs mixed with alcohol, according to family sources.

KATE UPTON is the SI Swimsuit Edition cover model and a woman Esquire loves. Call it Gratuitous Tuesday.

KIM KARDASHIAN & REGGIE BUSH reunited?

KATY PERRY's latest song, debuted at the Grammys may be a not-so-subtle dig at ex Russell Brand.

SIENNA MILLER is pregnant and reportedly engaged to Tom Sturridge.

HUGH HEFNER's oldest son Marston was arrested after allegedly attacking Playmate of the Year Claire Sinclair.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER dropped a trailer on Abe's birthday. Well played.

THE MOST INFLUENTIAL Sci-Fi Films.

YEMEN: Ansar al Sharia, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's political front, beheaded two Saudis and a Yemeni who were accused of spying for the US.

ASSAILANTS targeted Israeli diplomats in India and Georgia in near-simultaneous strikes Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed on archenemy Iran, and its Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah. Iran denied responsibility for the attacks.

HEZBOLLAH renounces its support of Iran in the event Israel bombs Iran's nuke facilities? Hmm.

IRAQ: Tribal leaders and security officials describe a small but increasing flow of weapons to Syria from Anbar Province and areas around Mosul, the northern city that is a headquarters for Al Qaeda in Iraq.

A TOUCAN is annoyed by a toy bird.

HUNDREDS OF DUCKS march on the highway.

BUGGSY the TORTOISE found after five months, stuck in a fence.

DOGGIE BLOOD DONORS save other pups.

WHITNEY HOUSTON, who ruled as pop music's queen until her majestic voice and regal image were ravaged by drug use, erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, has died. She was 48. Here's the full NYT obit, including that paramedics from the Beverly Hills Fire Department spent close to 30 minutes trying to revive her. Although the cause of death is unknown, it is increasingly looking like Whitney may have fallen asleep or lapsed into unconsciousness in the bathtub and drowned, perhaps due to a mix of alcohol and Xanax.  Ex-hubby Bobby Brown is reportedly devastated. Daughter Bobbi Kristina has been to the hospital twice since Whitney's death. Dionne Warwick and Cissy Houston said Whitney seemed fine just before her death.  Both are said to be hysterical with grief.  Hotel staff said Houston partied heavily at the Beverly Hills Hotel prior to her death.  THR collects her iconic moments on video, including her performance at Super Bowl XXV.  But I'll leave you with David Byrne's fab cover of "I Wanna Dance With Somebody."

LAMBCHOP is advance streaming Mr. M.

SINEAD O'CONNOR is advance streaming How About I Be Me (And I Be You)? (Yes, really.)

SHARON VAN ETTEN played World Cafe Live; you can stream the whole gig on demand.

EISLEY is steaming their Deep Space EP.

SCREAMING FEMALES claim "It All Means Nothing" in advance of Ugly.

THE FIVE AMERICANS: "I See The Light."

THE GRAMMY AWARDS went to these folks. Congrats to everyone (except Chris Brown)!

PAUL McCARTNEY played and was paid tribute by Foo Fighters, Neil Young, Coldplay and more at the Grammy-related ceremony honoring Sir Paul as the MusiCares' 2012 Person of the Year.  Video at the link.

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND is suing Andy Warhol's estate for trademark infringement.

DEXY'S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS is back together and ready to release its fourth album.  You can hear 2 minutes at the link.

RONNIE WOOD turned down an offer to join Led Zeppelin, because he thought they were a "bunch of farmers."

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: The Vow tops the chart with 41.7 million, well above tracking estimates of 30 million. The estimates were likely based on Dear John, an earlier tear-jerker with Channing Tatum released at Valentine's Day.  Obviously, adding Rachel McAdams put a touch of The Notebook charm on this one, which will do big business tomorrow as well.  Safe House placed close behind with 39.3 million, again well ahead of estimates in the low 20s.  Those estimates were likely based on Denzel Washington super-reliable openings in that range, but adding Ryan Reynolds may have helped, as well as counter-programming for Valentine's Day weekend.  Both filmas could make 100 million domestically, and Denzel usually does well overseas.  Journey 2: Thy Mysterious Island showed with 27.9 million, which is quite good considering it had to compete for family and 3-D dollars with the No.4 rerelease of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, which made 23 million (pretty much paying for its 3-D conversion).  All the big debuts knocked last week's winner, Chronicle, down to the last rung of the Top 5 with 12.3 million.  However, chronicle now has a domestic total of 40.2 million against a 12 million budget.

DEMI MOORE is seeking help from none other than spiritual guru Deepak Chopra.

MADONNA: Police are looking for Robert Dewey Hoskins, a man convicted of threatening to kill Madonna, who walked away from a Los Angeles-area mental hospital last week.

AMANDA SEYFRIED and... Josh Hartnett? Hey, if you can't trust Star magazine...

MACAULAY CULKIN: Just look at him, then make the face.

ANGELINA JOLIE is looking to play Disney's Maleficent, which seems about right.

RUSSELL CROWE is talking to Warner Bros. about starring in Harker, a reimagining of Bram Stoker's Dracula that tells the vampire story from the point of view of Jonathan Harker, who - instead of his traditional role as a lawyer - is now a Scotland Yard detective investigating the Count's string of grisly murders in England.

KATHERINE HEPBURN got around, according to a new book.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN: Happy 203rd birthday to the 16th President of the United States. Two things you may not have known about Honest Abe: (1) he was an early adopter of the telegraph; and (2) he once sported a punky haircut.

SAUDI ARABIA would move quickly to acquire nuclear weapons if Iran successfully tests an atomic bomb, according to a report.

YEMEN: The chief of the Criminal Investigation Department in Al Houta was killed by "gunmen;" al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters are suspected of carrying out the attack.

SYRIA's military has begun stockpiling chemical weapons and equipping its soldiers with gas masks near the city of Homs, opposition sources reported.

EGYPT: The Muslim Brotherhood demanded that military rulers cede control of the government, stepping closer to a long-anticipated confrontation between the ruling generals and the Islamist-dominated Parliament.

PAKISTAN: The talks between the US and Taliban in Qatar have ended without reaching any results, a Pakistani TV channel has reported.

DON'T MESS WITH THE PUG: Let's go to the video.

TANK the CAT: From life on the streets to cat show winner.

DOLPHINS talking whale in their sleep.

A HORSE blew up a hyperbaric chamber, killing itself and a veterinary employee.

MYSTERIOUS MANURE FOAM causes pig farms to explode.