THE BLACK KEYS back a demented Val Kilmer as part of the next Terence Malick movie. Look closely and you'll see Rooney Mara and Michael Fassbender.

AC NEWMAN stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

AFGHAN WHIGS stop by World Cafe to play and discuss songs they'd written as younger artists.

DWIGHT YOAKUM stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED: Tracks from Andrew Bird, Ty Sehall, Brian Eno and more highlight the current edition of the series.

BEN GIBBARD recorded "Hard One To Know" and "Bed of Roses" exclusively for The Current.

IKE & TINA TURNER cover "Respect" in Olympia, circa 1970. 

MUMFORD & SONS: The band's rise to what passes for mainstream success these days is assessed by the L.A. Times.

KATHLEEN EDWARDS divulges to DIY just what went into the voyage for her next chapter.

TORI AMOS talks to Spinner about the election, teens and sandwiches.

NICOLE ATKINS, who named an album after Neptune City, talks to the Village Voice about Hurricane Sandy and more.

KRISTEN STEWART & ROBERT PATTINSON: K-Stew dodges the relationship question on the Today Show.

ARIEL WINTER, the 14-year-old actress who plays Alex Dunphy on "Modern Family," has been removed from her home by a judge amid pparental abuse allegations.

LINDSAY LOHAN is telling friends the cops are on such a vendetta to bring her down.

CEE LO GREEN and the woman accusing him of drugging and sexually assaulting her have a history.

JOHNNY DEPP & AMBER HEARD were spotted getting cozy at AV Nightclub in LA.

DIANE SAWYER: Punchy -- or drunk -- on election night?

CARRIE FISHER, like Harrison Ford, wants in on more Star Wars movies. Lordy.

IRAN: The U.N. nuclear chief said Monday that Iran is not cooperating with an investigation into suspected secret work on nuclear weapons.

EGYPT: Four months since Egypt elected veteran Muslim Brotherhood politician Mohamed Mursi as president, human rights activists say hardliners are trying to impose Islamist ways on society.

AFGHANISTAN: The United Nations added the Haqqani Network to its list of designated terrorist groups. The UN said the Haqqani Network works with the Taliban to destabilize Afghanistan and has links to al Qaeda.

A PUG barely touches these stairs.

50 WILD ELEPHANTS went on a drunken rampage through an Indian village.

A BREACHING WHALE leapt out of the sea off South Africa and landed on a boat, injuring three men.

AN AGORAPHOBIC OWL who is afraid of flying outside has been given his own red brick house.

THE LUMINEERS: "Ho Hey." Let's go.

EL PERRO DEL MAR is advance streaming Pale Fire; she's officially a dance artist now.

THE BABIES are advance streaming Our House On The Hill.

WILD NOTHING brings dreamy, expansive pop to KEXP's CMJ broadcast from Union Square Ballroom.

CALEXICO stopped by KEXP for a live performance.

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE drops the non-LP track "Crimson."

THE ONLY ONES: "Another Girl, Another Planet," live in '79.

THOM YORKE talks Atoms For Peace with Rolling Stone.

SAMBASSADEUR guitarist Joachim Läckberg talks to Interview about the band's forthcoming full-length, due in late 2013, and premieres the "Memories" B-side, "Hours Away."

PUBLIC ENEMY: A 25-year legacy, reviewed by TIME.

KEITH RICHARDS & ROD STEWART will be best men at Ronnie Wood's wedding.

LINDSAY LOHAN reportedly will be charged with the crime of lying to police after her car accident in June on Pacific Coast Highway.

CHANNING TATUM will be announced as "Sexiest Man Alive" by People next week.

JACK NICHOLSON: If he knew then what he knows now. Pls, tales of The Shining.

HARRISON FORD is up for another turn as Han Solo. Oh boy.

ALFRED HITCHCOCK: His 20 Best Quotes, according to Paste.

SAUDI ARABIA's support for Afghanistan has been steady but inconspicuous over the years. But that is about to change.

IRAN's quest for a nuclear weapon has been the subject of much debate this election season, but the presidential candidates rarely discuss the most imminent danger Iran poses to the United States: cyberwarfare.

AFGHAN CORRUPTION... and how the US facilitates it.

AN ELEPHANT learns to speak Korean.

A ROGUE LEOPARD believed to have killed - and eaten - up to 15 villagers, including 10 small children over the past year is being hunted by Nepalese wildlife officials.

SNAKE in a MAIL BAG: Slithery delivery.

FIGARO the COCKATOO has learned to make and use tools.

FEIST gets a little desolate in her "Graveyard."

NEW RELEASES from Aerosmith, Mike Doughty, Ash, and more are streaming this week via Spinner.

BLOC PARTY shifts gears for a pared-down acoustic performance live on KEXP.

FATHER JOHN MISTY stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

DAUGHTER stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

THAT PETROL EMOTION: "Big Decision." Add Devo's "Freedom of Choice" for an election-themed Twofer Tuesday.

AC NEWMAN talks to DIY about paternity leave, Gerry Rafferty and more...

EFFED UP: Damian Abraham talks to Stereogum about fatherhood, touring and more...

SPIRITUALIZED: Jason Pierce talks to Drowned In Sound about America, festivals as the death of art, and more.

DAPHINI: Caribou's Dan Snaith has completed a transformation from electronic pop auteur to full-blown dancefloor fiend. He speaks to The Quietus about real world textures, mathematics and music.

KRISTEN STEWART talks to Movieline about her work in the adaptation of On The Road, in a rare non-sparkly vampire-centric interview.

KRISTEN BELL & DAX SHEPARD are expecting their first child.

AMANDA BYNES was not parading around nude in a tanning salon, according to the owner.

SHARON OSBOURNE reveals she had a double mastectomy after discovering she carries a faulty gene.

MILEY CYRUS: Going X-rated?

CASABLANCA SEQUEL? This could be the beginning of a terrible movie.

THE UNITED STATES added Qari Zakir to the list of global terrorists. He serves as head of the Haqqani Network's suicide operations in Afghanistan and the operational commander in Kabul, Takhar, Kunduz, and Baghlan provinces, and runs the network's training program.

SYRIA: Twenty rebels were killed when government jets bombarded the northern town of Haram. Fighting raged in Damascus and Aleppo.

IRAQ: Security forces detained a senior al Qaeda leader and two of his aides in Ramadi, and 35 more al Qaeda members in Anbar province.

AFGHANISTAN is considering expelling the staff of an influential global conflict-resolution think tank over a recent critical report, fueling concerns about Kabul's tolerance of dissent.

LOYAL CAT salutes owner.

TURTLE vs ANACONDA: Who you got?

A HEDGEHOG was rescued from a snack bag; it only took six people 3/12 hours.

CHIHUAHUA saved from COYOTE by a woman wielding a newspaper.

VAMPIRE WEEKEND, doing an appropos Hallowwen Kimmel hit, debuted "Unbelievers."

SNOW PATROL stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

LORD HURON plays a Tiny Desk Concert at the NPR offices.

CALEXICO stops by Oregon Public Broadcasting for a session.

PASSION PIT plays a Tiny Desk Concert at the NPR offices.

PERE UBU is back with a new song, "Free White," from a new album, Lady From Shanghai, due in January.

THE MAMAS & PAPAS: Can't trust that day.

TITUS ANDRONICUS and Punk Patriotism.

LOU REED: PopMatters catalogs his 10 spookiest songs. MTV Hive picks top covers of The Velvet Underground & Nico LP. (Thx, LHB.)

BOB MOULD, HUSKER DU & SUGAR: Ranked by Stereogum.

20 HITS written for other artists.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Wreck-It Ralph has this weekend's high score with 49.1 million, despite Hurricane Sandy, raising the prospect it will make money on its 165 million budget domestically and clean up worldwide. Flight places with 25 million, well above tracking estimates, but right about on target for a Denzel Washington movie. Look for this to clean up on a 31 million budget, and do well in awards season.  Argo shows with 10.2 million --  not bad in light of competition from Flight; Affleck & Co have grossed 75.9 million domestic against a 44.5 million budget.  The Man With the Iron Fists debuts in fourth with 8.2 million against a 15 million budget; pretty good for a flick that could go on to some cult following.  Taken 2 rounds out the Top 5 with 6 million on a 125 million run.  Below the fold, Cloud Atlas and Hotel Transylvania take it in the chops.

AMANDA BYNES threatens suit against InTouch magazine: "I'm not 'troubled.' I don't get naked in public. I'm 26, a multi-millionaire, retired. Please respect my privacy."

ROBERT PATTINSON & KRISTEN STEWART laughed and joked their way through first TV interview together since the affair scandal.

CEE LO GREEN: The woman who filed a police report accusing the singer of sexual battery secretly recorded a a reportedly damaging conversation with him.

JESSICA SIMPSON's dad denies stories he's gay. NTTAWWT.

BRITNEY SPEARS: A Los Angeles judge dismissed a lawsuit by Sam Lufti, the one-time confidante of the pop tart, ruling there was insufficient evidence to go forward with the trial on allegations of defamation, assault and breach of contract.

LEONARDO DiCAPRIO and supermodel Erin Heatherton are dunzo.

LIBYA: A bomb attached to a police car exploded in front of a Benghazi police station, injuring three policemen and damaging the building. Police have arrested several suspects.

SYRIA: A bomb attached to a police car exploded in front of a Benghazi police station, injuring three policemen and damaging the building. Police have arrested several suspects.

EGYPT: Salafists demonstrated in Cairo for greater use of sharia law in Egypt's constitution. Salafists clashed with Liberal protesters who chanted slogans against President Mursi. Police arrested 12 suspects linked to al Qaeda; weapons and explosives were also seized.

COATI nibbles FENNEC FOX...Mass hysteria!

RODENTS OF UNUSUAL SIZE: The new livestock?

DON'T BRING A DEER GUN to a bear fight.

HUNDREDS OF YETIS live in Siberia, according to a "controversial" Russian scientist.

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

... with TALKING HEADS! To maintain a low profile, I won't mention the title of this set, which should be known to some of you. I saw this tour and it remains one of the more impressive shows I have seen. This selection includes "Psycho Killer," "Heaven," "Thank You For Sending Me An Angel," "Found A Job," "Slippery People," "Burning Down The House," "Life During Wartime," "Making Flippy Floppy," "Swamp," "What A Day That Was," "This Must be the Place (Naïve Melody)," "Once In A Lifetime," "Genius Of Love" (as Tom Tom Club), "Girlfriend Is Better," Pate staple "Take Me To The River" and "Cross-eyed and Painless." 

ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFFITI stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

TWIN SHADOW stops by World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

MATTHEW DEAR stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

SUGAR: Live at Cat's Cradle, Nov. 19, 1994.

COUSTEAU: "The Last Good Day of the Year." Or close to it.

PETE TOWNSHEND talks to The Guardian and reads an excerpt from his autobiography.

BETH ORTON talks to All Things Considered about how songwriting is like maple syrup, and more.

THE TOP 5 BANDS That Should Be Way Bigger Than They Are is up for discussion at All Songs Considered.

BILL DEES, songwriter whose notable hits included Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman" and "It's Over," died in Arkansas last week at age 73.

CUTOUT BIN: From Patterson Hood to Toto, from Jimi Hendix to the Jesus & Mary Chain, from Led Zeppelin to This Mortal Coil, plus the Only Ones, Specials, Knack, Urge Overkill, Faces 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: Wreck-It Ralph, which is currently scoring 83 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; The Man with the Iron Fists, which is scoring 75 percent in early reviews; and Flight, scoring 82 percent.

CHARLIE SHEEN is back to his old ways, snorting cocaine and smoking crack on a daily basis, according to RadarOnline.

GENE HACKMAN had given clothes, money and rides to a homeless man whom Hackman slapped this week after the man became aggressive toward the Oscar-winning actor and his wife.

CHRIS BROWN decided to be a Taliban fighter for Halloween. Classy.

ASHTON KUTCHER & DEMI MOORE have taken no steps to end their marriage... legally.

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH (Sherlock) will star in a Brian Epstein biopic.

SYRIA: Secretary of State Clinton called for reorganization of the Syrian opposition to better reflect those fighting in the conflict, dismissing the Syrian National Council as remote and warning that extremist groups were trying to hijack the revolution.

IRAN: The Syrian revolution has significantly affected Iran's image in the Arab world and clearly had a negative impact on Arab perception of Iranian policies in the region.

EGYPT: Minorities Fear End of Secularism.

SLEEPY KITTY: The supporting cast makes this clip. (Thx, Zoey.)

500 CATS rescued from death in Chinese restaurants.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: Halloween edition.

THOUSANDS OF NYC RATS may have drowned in superstorm Sandy.