THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with KATRINA & THE WAVES! "Walking On Sunshine" turns 25 this week, earning the song and the band a feature on All Things Considered, and an indie tribute EP assembled by Brooklyn Vegan. But we can dig a little deeper for pop gems like "Brown Eyed Son," "Do You Want Crying?", "Que Te Quiero" and "Red Wine and Whiskey."  BONUS: Guitarist, songwriter and Soft Boy Kimberley Rew also wrote "Going Down to Liverpool," later covered by The Bangles.

FYFE DANGERFIELD of the Guillemots stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a chat and mini-set.

THE FEELIES stopped by the World Cafe for a mini-set.

CAITLIN ROSE did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.

VAMPIRE WEEKEND drops "Jonathan Low" from the Twilight: Eclipse soundtrack. Vampire synergy.

THOSE DARLINS have a short documentary streaming at Paste.

HOT CHOCOLATE: "You Sexy Thing." Believe in miracles?

MOUNTAIN GOATS frontman John Darniells talks to Straight.com about the band's 17th LP.

CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG talks to Drowned in Sound about her dad (Serge), her film career and her own intriguing musical journey.

PHIL COLLINS: At The Quietus, Gary Mills hits the ground running with a one-man Dunkirk-style rescue mission for the sake of the reputation for the drumming Tory homunculus.

THE NINE GREATEST RUSH SONGS, according to Paste.

IS GOOGLE KILLING the music download?

THE CUTOUT BIN: From Brinsley Schwartz to Iggy Pop, from Bob Dylan to Murray Head, from the Undertones to REO Speedwagon, plus Katrina & the Waves, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Los Bravos, OK Go, Led Zeppelin 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 Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, currently scoring 46 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; and Sex and the City 2 (which technically opened yesterday), scoring 15 percent.

GARY COLEMAN is currently listed in critical condition in a Provo, Utah, hospital. UPDATE: Multiple media sources are reporting that Coleman is dead at age 42.

JESSE JAMES: Dad is explaining the black eye and broken arm he supposedly inflicted on Jesse during his childhood. Sister Julie James says Jesse's claim of child abuse is "completely true."

TIGER WOODS' legal team told him he can't date until his divorce is finalized. Meanwhile, Elin Nordegren is planning an extended trip to China within the next few months.

LINDSAY LOHAN: Planning to fool her alcohol-monitoring bracelet?

JOHN TRAVOLTA & KELLY PRESTON say they are having one baby, not two.

KENDRA WILKINSON says her sex tape broke her heart, despite evidence that she tried to sell it herself and is making a truckload of money from it.  Somehow, her husband has been understanding about the whole thing.

HEATHER LOCKLEAR will not be charged with hit-and-run.

50 CENT shed 54 pounds for his upcoming film ‘Things Fall Apart,' in which he plays a football player stricken with cancer.

40 LITTLE-SEEN, SHOULD BE MOVIE CLASSICS, according to The Obscure, the Forgotten, and the Unloved (via LHB). I think Modern Romance is the only one of them I've seen, and heartily recommend it.

NORTH KOREA vowed to attack any South Korean ships which violate their disputed border and Seoul's navy staged its own show of strength amid continuing high tension over the sinking of a warship.

AFGHANISTAN: Intellectuals and respected Afghan professionals are convinced the US is funding the Taliban to prolong the conflict and maintain influence in the region.  Meanwhile, an Afghan police commander claimed that his forces killed a top Pakistani Taliban leader during a clash in Nuristan province. The report has not been confirmed by US officials.

DOG RESCUED from a fence. Stay for the end.

BERTIE may well be the Ugliest Cat in Britain.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: Fish with hands.

SNAKE in a MOTEL in Mason City, IA.

AN ABDUCTED TARANTULA was returned safely to a Maryland library.

26 HEADLESS CHICKENS baffle Alaska State Troopers.

KITTEH survives 30 minutes in a washing machine on spin cycle.

PAUL WELLER reunited onstage with Bruce Foxton to play The Jam's "Eton Rifles."  The two already reunited on Weller's upcoming solo LP, Wake Up the Nation.

NADA SURF stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a chat and mini-set. 

DELTA SPIRIT is advance streaming History From Below.

ARCADE FIRE: The full tracks teased on their website are popping up online.

ONE ESKIMO did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.

THEODORE also did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter, starting with a raucous cover of "Engine Number Nine."

BECK'S RECORD CLUB continues covering INXS's Kick with "Never Tear Us Apart."

THE MORNING BENDERS: Chris Chu lists a few of his favorite things for Pitchfork's Guest List.

BOOKER T. JONES is profiled at the Telegraph, where he reminds us that "Green Onions" was a B-Side. Who cares what's on the flip side? I do!

SIDE 1, TRACK 1: All Songs Considered is making a list.

CULT of the iPOD: The Justice Department is examining Apple's tactics in the market for digital music, and its staff members have talked to major music labels and Internet music companies, according to several people briefed on the conversations.

JESSE JAMES is now blaming child abuse for his cheating on Sandra Bullock. His stepmom calls the claim "a bunch of crap."

JOHN TRAVOLTA & KELLY PRESTON are having twins, according to the ever-reliable Star.

ELLEN DeGENERES has started a record label and signed a kid from YouTube.

LINDSAY LOHAN: The Portrait of Dorian Li-Lo.

HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: Spy photos. Slightly spoilery if you haven't read the book.

DIANE KEATON & ELLEN PAGE are doing a pilot for HBO.

ART LINKLETTER, who as the gently mischievous host of TV's "People Are Funny" and "House Party" in the 1950s and '60s delighted viewers with his ability to get kids - and grownups - to say the darndest things on national television, died Wednesday. He was 97.

TERROR in NYC: US officials, in an urgent visit, sought to convince Pakistan that Washington would be under intense pressure to respond if another plot with ties to the Pakistani Taliban led to American casualties.

AFGHANISTAN's intelligence agency has arrested a group of Taliban members believed to be behind last week's attack in Kabul, which killed 20 people.

IRAQ: The US grapples with shifting from amilitary- to diplomatic-run effort.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: A militant rodent disrupted the Yankees-Twins contest at Target Field earlier this week.

A HORDE OF FROGS forced the closure of a key Greek highway for two hours.

A MAJOR GRASSHOPPER INVASION could descend this summer on Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska and the Dakotas, damaging rangeland and crops, ranchers, farmers and scientists say.

SHARKS can become invisible. What say you, Police Chief Brody?

GOAT RAPE traumatized actor Adrien Brody.

PEARL JAM invites Ben Bridwell (Band of Horses) onstage at MSG to cover Temple of the Dog's "Hunger Strike."

DAVE RAWLINGS stopped by the KEXP studios for a chat and mini-set. 

THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

FRIGHTENED RABBIT stopped by Oregon Public Braodcasting for a chat and mini-set in audio and video.

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED: Tracks from Sleigh Bells, Light Pollution, Bettye LaVette, the Buzzcocks and more are heard in the latest installment of the long-running series.

PETER HOLSAPPLE & CHRIS STAMEY of the dB's perform Gene Clark's "Here Without You" at Off Broadway in St. Louis, Missouri.

TED LEO is briefly profiled by Filter.

NEW PR0NOGRAPHERS frontman Carl Newman's 10 Steps to Making Your Own Maple Syrup. Yes, really.

PHIL SPECTOR has produced an album in prison; the LP from his 29-year-old wife is relased digitally on June 8.

SLIPKNOT bassist Paul Gray was found dead in a hotel in Urbandale, Iowa.

DAVID HASSELHOFF has been taken to the hospital after an alleged three-day alcohol bender, according to RadarOnline.  The Hoff denies it.

LINDSAY LOHAN can still take two drugs, in spite of Judge Marsha Revel's drug testing requirement - and one of the drugs could be at the root of Lindsay's problem.

SANDRA BULLOCK reportedly would not be watching Jesse James on Nightline.

KENDRA WILKINSON's sex tape comes out today -- a week early, due to popular demand.

MEGAN FOX's replacement on Transformers 3 is likely to be Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

TOM CRUISE is Esquire's cover boy.

REESE WITHERSPOON is shacking up with her agent boyfriend, Jim Toth, after dating for four months.

SEX & THE CITY 2 is "blatantly anti-Muslim"?

THE MIDEAST: The top American commander in the Middle East has ordered a broad expansion of clandestine military activity in an effort to disrupt militant groups or counter threats in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and other countries in the region, according to defense officials and military documents.

NORTH KOREA is to cut all relations with South Korea, Pyongyang's official news agency reports.

IRAN: Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi said he is opposed to sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program but has accused the government of "adventurism."

KUNG FU BEAR: Let's go to the video.

SHERLOCK the VULTURE joins the police force.

THE SWARM: A truck carrying 17 million bees crashes in Minnesota.

AN ELEPHANT is caught on camera, draining a hot tub.

DONKEY BUGGERY: Is there anything lower?

PEARL JAM invites Ben Bridwell (Band of Horses) onstage at MSG to cover Temple of the Dog's "Hunger Strike."

DAVE RAWLINGS stopped by the KEXP studios for a chat and mini-set. 

THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

FRIGHTENED RABBIT stopped by Oregon Public Braodcasting for a chat and mini-set in audio and video.

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED: Tracks from Sleigh Bells, Light Pollution, Bettye LaVette, the Buzzcocks and more are heard in the latest installment of the long-running series.

PETER HOLSAPPLE & CHRIS STAMEY of the dB's perform Gene Clark's "Here Without You" at Off Broadway in St. Louis, Missouri.

TED LEO is briefly profiled by Filter.

NEW PR0NOGRAPHERS frontman Carl Newman's 10 Steps to Making Your Own Maple Syrup. Yes, really.

PHIL SPECTOR has produced an album in prison; the LP from his 29-year-old wife is relased digitally on June 8.

SLIPKNOT bassist Paul Gray was found dead in a hotel in Urbandale, Iowa.

DAVID HASSELHOFF has been taken to the hospital after an alleged three-day alcohol bender, according to RadarOnline.  The Hoff denies it.

LINDSAY LOHAN can still take two drugs, in spite of Judge Marsha Revel's drug testing requirement - and one of the drugs could be at the root of Lindsay's problem.

SANDRA BULLOCK reportedly would not be watching Jesse James on Nightline.

KENDRA WILKINSON's sex tape comes out today -- a week early, due to popular demand.

MEGAN FOX's replacement on Transformers 3 is likely to be Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

TOM CRUISE is Esquire's cover boy.

REESE WITHERSPOON is shacking up with her agent boyfriend, Jim Toth, after dating for four months.

SEX & THE CITY 2 is "blatantly anti-Muslim"?

THE MIDEAST: The top American commander in the Middle East has ordered a broad expansion of clandestine military activity in an effort to disrupt militant groups or counter threats in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and other countries in the region, according to defense officials and military documents.

NORTH KOREA is to cut all relations with South Korea, Pyongyang's official news agency reports.

IRAN: Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi said he is opposed to sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program but has accused the government of "adventurism."

KUNG FU BEAR: Let's go to the video.

SHERLOCK the VULTURE joins the police force.

THE SWARM: A truck carrying 17 million bees crashes in Minnesota.

AN ELEPHANT is caught on camera, draining a hot tub.

DONKEY BUGGERY: Is there anything lower?

WYE OAK covers The Kinks' "Strangers" for The A.V. Club Undercover, with an assist from Shearwater frontman Jonathan Meiberg.

NEW RELEASES: Albums from Bettye LaVette, Fyfe Dangerfield, Crystal Castles, Karen Elson, Peter Wolf Crier, The Cure and more are streaming this week via Spinner.

THE DODOS are joined by Magik Magik Orchestra for three free songs at Daytrotter.

ROKY ERICKSON gets a feature plus tracks from All Things Considered.

FRIGHTENED RABBIT stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a chat and mini-set.

THE SMITHEREENS: Pat DiNizio sings "In a Lonely Place" with Suzanne Vega and "Blue Period" with Belinda Carlisle. A duo of duets for Twofer Tuesday.

OF MONTREAL: Kevin Barnes talks to the Tulsa World-Journal about the band's live shows, fans, makeup, music and upcoming album release, among other things. Bryan Poole talks to Kentucky.com about Barnes's methods and influences. (Thx, LHB.)

NEW PR0NOGRAPHERS Carl Newman and kathryn Calder talk to Dose about recording Together.

BIG STAR drummer Jody Stephens talks to the Nashville Scene about the band and the late Alex Chilton.

BOOTSY COLLINS launches Funk University, an online bass guitar school he is co-creating and curating with actor-entrepreneur Cory Danziger.

LINDSAY LOHAN said she saw no reason why she should face going to prison or rehab as she prepared for a court date Monday in her DUI probation case.  The actress was ordered to wear an alcohol-monitoring bracelet, will be subject to weekly random drug testing and is forbidden from drinking any alcohol as conditions for the actress to remain free on bail.

BRITTANY MURPHY's widower, Simon Monjack, was found dead late Sunday night at his home in the Hollywood Hills - the same home where his wife collapsed and eventually died five months earlier.

KENDRA WILKINSON's first pay check for the soon-to-be-released sex tape is a massive 680K, according to RadarOnline.

SARAH FERGUSON, the Duchess of York, was caught on video shamelessly plotting to sell access to her trade envoy ex-hubby Prince Andrew for £500K.

PAULA ABDUL is returning to the judges table as part of a new primetime talent competition series called Got to Dance.

GEORGE ROMERO talks zombie movies with the Boston Globe.

KOREA: South Korea announced steps to tighten the vice on the North's already stumbling economy in punishment for sinking one of its navy ships, with both sides intensifying war-like rhetoric.

IRAN: Ahmadinejad's speech in southern Iran was marred Monday by unemployed citizens demanding jobs.

IRAQ: Prime Minister al-Maliki warned that rushing the formation of the new government could reignite sectarian violence.

CAT and DOG, licking each other... Mass hysteria!

SNAKE in a SUV A/C: The reaction was understandable.

A CHIPMUNK stuffs his cheeks during a nut feast. So many punchlines.

THE BUCKET LIST for PETS: What does your dog want to do before he dies?