THE WALKMEN take on R.E.M.'s "Driver 8" as the final installment of The A.V. Club Undercover.

INTERPOL guest DJ a session of Theft of the Dial and take BlackBook to their favorite haunts.

SHAWN LEE stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

MACHETE opens Sept. 3rd; Alt.Latino is streaming music from the soundtrack.

THE SMITHS, Live in L.A., Aug. 25-26, 1986.

DR. HOOK & THE MEDICINE SHOW: "Cover of the Rolling Stone." A fairly deranged live version.

TITUS ANDRONICUS frontman Patrick Stickles talks to the Dallas Observer about geography, journalism's future and The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension. (Thx, LHB.)

LCD SOUNDSYSTEM frontman James Murphy tells The Quietus that the band may not retire, along with bits on studio nightmares, death threats and working with Arcade Fire.

LISSIE talks to Spinner about the power of cover tunes.

IS ROCK OVER? Vice explores whether the frontier is closed.

LINDSAY LOHAN talks to Vanity Fair about her career, her trial and her loss of control.

MAD MEN are on the cover of the Rolling Stone, albeit with questionable Photoshopping.

THE FRENCH HOTEL: A supposed longtime pal accused the spoiled wildchild of using her vagina as a hiding place for her drug stash. Too good to check.

DR. DREW & RACHEL UCHITEL visit Ground Zero. Yes, really.

ZSA ZSA GABOR has been rushed back to the hospital, but it's supposedly nothing life-threatening.

FRED SAVAGE: Reports of his death were greatly exaggerated.

HOLLYWOOD'S BEST ACTORS FOR THE BUCK, according to Forbes.

LIBYA freed 37 prisoners late on Tuesday, including at least one former detainee at Guantanamo Bay, who had been jailed for links to radical Islamist groups but have since renounced violence.

AFGHANISTAN: The withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan from next July will begin with a general "thinning out" of forces rather than any large-scale drawdown, says Gen. Petraeus.

CLAIRE the CAT hasn't mastered Duck Hunt yet.

DRUNKEN BABOONS plague Cape Town's exclusive suburbs.

A SUICIDAL GOOSE caused a traffic jam after wandering on to a road and refusing to budge.

A FLYING CARP knocked Brad Pennington out of the Missouri River 340 endurance kayak race.

DYEING DOGS: Hot in China.

VAMPIRE WEEKEND covers Springsteen's "I'm Goin' Down" in Vancouver.

NEW RELEASES:  Albums from Sonny and the Sunsets, Jenny and Johnny, Neon Indian, Shonen Knife, and more are streaming this week via Spinner.  Richard Thompson is streaming via AOL.

THE WALKMEN are advance streaming Lisbon. 

THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

SURFER BLOOD did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.

LOST IN THE TREES also did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.

THE BEACH BOYS: Lei'd in Hawaii, Aug. 25, 1967.

GREASE is the word marking the start of another school year, with "Summer Nights" and "You're the One That I Want" marking Twofer Tuesay.

4AD's classic album covers, minimalist style and cult bands still revered by fans as it marks three decades at the cutting edge.

LAND OF TALK: Elizabeth Powell talks to the Montreal Gazette about losing her voice and finding it.

FALL PREVIEW: Anticipated albums are noted by Paste and Dose.

SEPTEMBER SONGS, suggested by the Oakland Tribune. (Thx, LHB.)

TIGER WOODS moved into a new bachelor pad in downtown Manhattan over the weekend.

THE FRENCH HOTEL was charged with felony drug possesssion; a plea deal is unlikely.

LINDSAY LOHAN's ex-girlfriend Sam Ronson has been named in a brutal dog attack that occurred near her L.A. apartment.

MADONNA's adopted Malawian daughter Mercy won't meet the man who claims to be father.

LEONARDO DiCAPRIO: A judge says there is enough evidence for a woman to stand trial on a charge of slashing the actor's face with glass during a 2005 party.

BETTY WHITE is going Inside the Actor's Studio.

TERROR in the USA? Two men taken off a Chicago-to-Amsterdam United Airlines flight in the Netherlands have been charged by Dutch police with "preparation of a terrorist attack," US law enforcement officials tell ABC News.

IRAN: An Iranian official said Tehran will strike Israel's Dimona reactor if attacked. The Iranian state media called French first lady Carla Bruni the "first prostitute."

A DOG dances the merengue. We've seen the dog before, but this clip is even better.

MILLIONS OF KILLER SQUID have woken from the deep to cause carnage among some of the world's richest fishing grounds.

A BEAR made his last stop for pizza and beer in Trapper Creek, Alaska.

CANADIAN CATTLE are getting a little wine with their feed.

MGMT drops a video for the title track to Congratulations.

THE THERMALS are advance streaming Personal Life.

JUNIP, a project featuring Swedish singer José González and some his closest friends, is advance streaming Fields.

JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE is advance streaming Harlem River Blues.

LCD SOUNDSYSTEM stopped by the World Cafe (by way of London) for a chat and mini-set.

SUFJAN STEVENS is streaming a new single, "I Walked."

THE SPECIALS turned the Ed Sullivan Theater into a "Nite Klub" like it was 1979.

MYNABIRDS: Laura Burhenn talks with PopMatters on coming to terms with being a good person through her music, working with the enigmatic Richard Swift, and why Ringo Starr is so misunderstood.

OF MONTREAL's Kevin Barnes is profiled by New York magazine.

JOHNNY MARR talks soundtracks with MOJO.

AQUARIUM DRUNKARD Justin Gage shares his current faves with Paste.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: The Last Exorcism tops the chart with 21.3 million (on a 1.8 million budget). That exceeds expectations, as does Takers placing with 21 million on a 20 million budget.  However, the weekend lived down to expectations for the pre-Labor Day frame, with the lowest total receipts since April.  The Expendables dropped 44 percent to the third slot with 9.5 million, but has now recouped its 80 million production budget domestically, with foreign grosses as gravy.  Eat Pray Love slid 42 percent to the fourth spot with 7 million, recouping its 60 million budget domestically, again with foreign receipts as gravy.  The Other Guys manages to cling to the bottom of the Top Five with 6.6 million, and is thisclose to recouping its 100 million budget domestically (with more uncertain forteign sales to follow).  Below the fold, Avatar's Special Edition comes in 12th with a mere 4 million.

THE FRENCH HOTEL was busted for cocaine possession in Vegas, but claims it wasn't her purse. Silver lining? She takes a nice mugshot.

HEIDI MONTAG & SPENCER PRATT: Vivid now wants to see the sex tape.

LINDSAY LOHAN has handed the reins of her messy finances to Lou Taylor, the savvy, no-nonsense Nashville businesswoman who guided Britney Spears back from the brink. However, friends of the actress worry that she's in danger of sliding back into her old ways.

GEORGE MICHAEL checked himself into rehab following his car crash last month.

THE EMMY AWARDS went to these folks.

THE TOP 20 ESSENTIAL SCI-FI TV SHOWS, according to io9.

AFGHANISTAN: A senior American staff officer has been sacked after publishing a rant against the bureaucracy and endless PowerPoint briefings at Nato's Kabul headquarters. The rate of Afghan refugees voluntarily returning to their war-torn country from neighboring Pakistan and Iran has doubled so far this year as improved security prompted them to repatriate, according to the United Nations' refugee organization.

IRAQ: Ayad Allawi, Iraq's former and possibly future prime minister, discusses the withdrawal of US troops, the power struggle in Baghdad and the "very high possibility" of a new war in the Middle East. Iraq's current prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, put his nation on its highest level of alert for terror attacks, warning of plots to sow fear and chaos as the US combat mission in the country formally ends on Tuesday.

CORGIS on a TREADMILL: Let's go to the video.

A LIVE TIGER CUB is not carry-on luggage.

A GOAT wandering around the eastern Missouri town of Mexico has gained enough attention to have his own Facebook page.

4800 CHICKENS scared to death?

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

... with THE TOP 50 VIDEOS of the 90s, according to Pitchfork! The 50 they missed are at Culture Bully. As a sampler from the first list, try Frank Black's "Headache," Wilco's "Outtasite," Chris Issak's "Wicked Game," Smashing Pumpkins' "1979," Sinéad O'Connor's cover of "Nothing Compares 2 U," Nine Inch Nails' "Closer," Beck's "Devil's Haircut," Yo La Tengo's "Sugarcube" and the Beatie Boys' "Sabotage." From the second list, try Aerosmith's "Crazy," Guns N' Roses' "November Rain," Lenny Kravitz's "Are You Gonna Go My Way?" Primus's "Wynonna's Big Brown Beaver" and R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion." Both feature some grunge classics, so how did both lists miss Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun"?

STARS stopped by WFUV for a chat and mini-set. 

95 SONGS For Driving On Interstate 95. But I think this would work for most road trips.

PHOSPHORESCENT stopped by World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

IRMA THOMAS, the Soul Queen Of New Orleans, is one of NPR's 50 Great Voices.

SUPERCHUNK, Live at Duke, Sept. 26, 1997. 

BRIAN WILSON talks to Tom Ashbrook about his new album of Gershwin music. (Thx, LHB.)

THE JACKSON 5 vs NIRVANA: "Smells Like Rockin' Robin." Brill.

RAY DAVIES is collaborating with Spoon, Bruce Springsteen , Frank Black, Lucinda Williams, Mumford & Sons, the late Alex Chilton and more on a new LP.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN is releasing 'The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story' on Nov 16. The Deluxe Package comprises over six hours of film and more than two hours of audio across 3 CDs and 3 DVDs.

MY MORNING JACKET is returning from hiatus, as chronicled by The Democrat and Chronicle and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. (Thx, LHB.)

THE TOP 10 ANGRY BREAK-UP SONGS, according to TIME.

CUTOUT BIN: From Buzzcocks to Marty Stuart, from Simon & Garfunkel to Johnny Thunders, from Steve Earle to the Pipettes, from the Easybeats to the Beat Farmers, plus Dick Dale, Marlena Shaw, Rockpile, Elvis Costello and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.

NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases are The Last Exorcism, which is currently scoring 65 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; and Takers, scoring 36 percent on thin reviews. Plus, Avatar returns in a special edition to squeeze a little more money out of those who don't care much about hackneyed plot and cardboard characterizations.

LINDSAY LOHAN: Deals her mother is making for her involving post-rehab interviews and product placement are keeping the actress solvent and flush enough to pay her 130K rehab bill, with money left over.

SPENCER PRATT & HEIDI MONTAG going into couples counseling? Why, it's almost like a reaity show or something. Meanwhile, Montag wants to have a meeting with Vivid Entertainment about the sex tape she denies exists.

JENNIFER ANISTON & JOHN MAYER back together? Hell no, says Mayer, with choice profanity for the Huffington Post.

GARY BUSEY witnessed a collision in Malibu earlier this week ... and rushed to the scene to help out a 21-year-old man who was injured in the wreck.

TERROR in CANADA: Three men arrested in Canada on terror-related charges -- one of whom was reported to have once auditioned for the "Canadian Idol" TV show -- were plotting bomb attacks and had connections to a group fighting coalition forces in Afghanistan, police said on Thursday.  Wanna see his audition? Yes, you really do.

IRAN proposed a consortium with Russia to produce nuclear fuel.  Ahmadinejad will discuss military aid to Lebanon, during a trip to Beirut.

PAKISTAN: The Taliban threatened to attack foreign aid workers delivering relief for the floods that have paralyzed much of the country.

IRAQ: Sunnis, many of whom joined the insurgency after the 2003 US-led invasion, now fear the departure of US forces will cement Shi'ite Muslim -- and Iranian -- domination.

JOSIE'S CATS have a dream.

BAT winged in gun battle.

YOU MESS WITH THE BULL, you're gonna get the goose.

MASS. SHARK SIGHTING turns out to be a hoax. Just like in the move, until...

BOOKER T. & THE DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS kick of a set Live in the Artists' Den with "Green Onions." Bettye LaVette makes a cameo.

LOS LOBOS stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

WIDESPREAD PANIC stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED: Tracks from Richard Thompson, Robert Plant, Maximum Balloon and more highlight the latest installment of the long running series.

THE DEL McCOURY BAND did five free songs for Daytrotter, including Richard Thompson's "1952 Black Vincent Lightning."

TOKYO POLICE CLUB tackles Billy Squier's "Everybody Wants You" for The A.V. Club Undercover. And they crunch on it nicely.

KRISTIN HERSH talks to The Quietus about her solo record Crooked, a new Throwing Muses album and the death of the music industry.

VAMPIRE WEEKEND frontman Ezra Koenig talks to the Seattle Times about his music, rap, and his rap music (w/ audio).

LOU BARLOW talks to Express Night Out about working with the Missingmen.

ANDREW LOOG OLDHAM resurfaces in South America.

TIGER WOODS: Elin Nordegren breaks her nine-month silence in an exclusive interview with People magazine. Tiger responds.

LINDSAY LOHAN was released from her court-ordered rehabilitation at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. The bill is a reported 40K per week.  Her lawyer claims Li-Lo will have rigorous outpatient treatment.

HEIDI MONTAG sat down exclusively with Life & Style to tell-all about her plastic surgery regrets, revealing that she wants her outrageous G implants removed. That it might make her sex tape more marketable is purely coincidental.

SANDRA BULLOCK will give her first TV interview since splitting with Jesse James on Tuesday.

JOHN TRAVOLTA & KELLY PRESTON are expecting a boy.

DAVID HASSELHOFF will compete on the 11th season of ABC's Dancing With the Stars, reports the new Us Weekly.

ANGELINA JOLIE will make her debut as a director - and a screenwriter - for an upcoming feature film: a romance set against the 1992-1995 Bosnian war.

VAMPIRES have brought about seven billion dollars into Hollywood.

IRAN: Tehran will begin the search for new uranium deposits inside the country. Israeli President Peres warned the IAEA over Iran's nuclear activities. Iran's defense minister said that his country is ready to equip Lebanon's army with weapons. On the plus side, Iran's "ambassador of death" is more like the "ambassador of minor damage to unintended target."

YEMEN: For the first time since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, CIA analysts see one of al-Qaeda's offshoots - rather than the core group now based in Pakistan - as the most urgent threat to US security, officials said. Then again, the CIA is far from infallible.

AFGHANISTAN: Dozens of schoolgirls and teachers were sickened Wednesday by poison gas in Afghanistan, medical and government officials said. International Security Assistance Force officials say intell reports indicate some pockets of low insurgent morale. Afghan officials say US plans to begin drawing down forces in Afghanistan from next July are "invigorating" insurgents.

TOY POODLES jam on some free jazz.

DORMICE are getting bridges costing £190,000 in Sotuh Wales. 

40 DANGEROUS SNAKES, one man, 114 days, one tiny room.

PANDA BEAR bamboozled by a birthday cake.