THE HOLD STEADY play a 5-song set for The interface. Craig Finn and Tad Kubler talk to the Wall Street Journal about tracks on the Stay Positive album that officially comes out tomorrow; audio clips at the link.  Finn also talks to Gothamist about the album, having a higher profile, and more...

THE FACES -- minus the late Ronnie Lane -- are reportedly reuniting for a tour, and possibly an album.  Ian McLagan tells the BBC: "I think what we'd probably do is a couple of gigs in London and then there's talk of some in America. I think we should do Austin to rock Austin. I don't care about LA but I mean Chicago and Detroit - they made the Faces."  Guitarist Ronnie Wood may be looking to get out of the house now that he's fallen for an 18-year-old Russian waitress.

XPoNENTIAL MUSIC FEST gigs from artists like Alejandro Escovedo and Beth Orton should be streaming on demand via NPR by the time you read this.

THE SUB POP SINGLES CLUB: The Return of the Return of Khan.

PATRICK PARK does the four free songs thing for Daytrotter, which calls them "examples of finding the most silent and yet prevailing tragedy of low self-worth and convoluted identity (no real, honest place in the world to call one's own) and trying to straighten those things out with grit and a notion."

BACHMAN-TURNER OVERDRIVE: "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet."  Because it's summer. Plus, cowbell.

SHE & HIM:  The lovely and talented Zooey Deschanel talks to the Guardian.

WYNTON & WILLIE talk to NPR's All Things Considered before an appearance on The Tonight Show.  Music tracks at the link also.

PATTI SMITH is interviewed by The New York Times about punk, poetry and family life.

LYLE LOVETT says he has "never made a dime" from album sales during his two-decade career, and hopes to rectify that situation when his contract with Curb/Universal expires.  I can't say I've ever heard an artist say something nice about Curb Records.

BRADGELINA: Jolie gave birth to twins Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline as unicorns pranced beneath rainbow-filled skies in Nice, France.

MAMA LYNN SPEARS talks to OK! magazine about how she's going to be there to help her 17-year-old's mothering skills.

NICOLE KIDMAN & KEITH URBAN buy a 4.7 million dollar pad in Beverly Hills; so much for getting grounded in Tennessee.

MILEY CYRUS seems to have had some quasi-jailbaity photos hacked from her iPhone.

DAVID LEE ROTH was not saved from an allergic reaction by highway cops; it was an imposter: "The only thing I'm allergic to is criticism."

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Hellboy II: The Golden Army takes the top slot with 35 million. This was right in line with tracking numbers, and suggests that the pic will make money in US theaters and will not have t wait to become a hit on DVD sales, as the original did (making 51 million there alone).  I saw it and enjoyed it, though I didn't fall in love with it, despite a fantastic musical moment I won't spoil. Hancock placed with 33 million, better than expected, given the strength of the July 4th numbers. Journey to the Center of the Earth came in third with 20 mill, knocking WALL-E into fourth with 18.5 mill.  After a big opener, the robot may fare worse overall in the US than some other Pixar pics, though international biz may make up for it (the sparse dialog helps overseas).  Wanted drops to fifth, but has already made back its production budget (if only Jolie had given birth on Friday!). Meet Dave flops, opening in seventh place. Get Smart breaks 100 mill; Indiana Jones breaks 300 mill.

MADONNA: The Daily Mail has excerpted her brother's tell-all book, including a lesbian liason with someone named Ingrid.

AMY WINEHOUSE: New video of apparent drug-taking.

JOSH BROLIN, JEFFREY WRIGHT and others filming Oliver Stone's "W" were arrested Saturday during a bar fight at a downtown Shreveport, LA.

THE DARK KNIGHT: Michael Caine predicts Heath Ledger will get a posthumous Oscar nod for his turn as the Joker.  Director Christopher Nolan tells the Telegraph why he thinks Ledger's performance will blow people away. Some gurus think the flick could make 130 million in its opening frame.

SIENNA MILLER was... wait for it... caught canoodling on camera with new boyfriend Balthazar Getty during a secret romantic break on the Amalfi Coast in Italy. Some of the pics at the link are NSFW.

ISLAMISM in the UK: A BBC drama has triggered a barrage of complaints after it showed gruesome images of a Muslim being beheaded. The show sparked new claims of anti-Christian bias in BBC programs.

NORTH KOREA: The latest phase of six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear program ended Saturday with agreement on a timetable for North Korea to disable its nuclear facilities. Japan has refused to take part, saying Pyongyang must first resolve the issue of Japanese citizens abducted in the 1970s and 1980s.

IRAN: Popular Mechanics examines what an Israeli airstrike on Iran's nuclear facilities migh look like.  The Information Dissemination blog looks at international political signposts along the way to any attack that might come this autumn.  The Times of London claims that Pres. Bush has told the Israeli government that he may be prepared to approve a future military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities if negotiations with Tehran break down.

IRAQ: US and Iraqi negotiators reprotedly have abandoned efforts to conclude a comprehensive agreement governing the long-term status of US troops in Iraq before the end of the Bush presidency. The Bush administration is considering the withdrawal of additional combat forces from Iraq beginning in September, according to administration and military officials, raising the prospect of a far more ambitious plan than expected only months ago.  ABCNews looks at the feasibility of withdrawing US combat brigades within 16 months (here's the video version).  The Iraqi gov't is handing out street money to rebuild basic services and jumpstart the economy by quickly distributing as much of the country's glut of oil revenue as possible.

PAY NO ATTENTION to that kangaroo behind the curtain!

DOGS are looking forward to the Olympics in China.

PET-FRIENDLY RESTAURANTS are revieiwed by the London Telegraph.

INDIANA DAIRY FARM will be visited by state environmental officials this week as part of an effort to determine what is causing huge bubbles in the operation's manure lagoon.

AN AUSSIE SHARK was found in a swimming pool at one of Sydney's most popular beaches on Friday, apparently swept into the baths by a freak wave.

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with THE 1965 NME POLL WINNERS' CONCERT!  The Animals perform "Boom Boom," "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood." and "Talkin' Bout You/ Shout"  The Moody Blues play "Bo Diddley" and "Go Now."  Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders play "Game Of Love" and "Just A Little Bit Too Late." Herman's Hermits play "Wonderful World" and "Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter." Donovan plays "You're Gonna Need Somebody On Your Bond" and "Catch The Wind." The Kinks crank out "You Really Got Me" and "Tired Of Waiting For You." The Rolling Stones play "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love/ Pain In My Heart," "Around And Around" and "The Last Time." The Beatles play "I Feel Fine," "She's A Woman" "Baby's In Black," "Ticket To Ride," and "Long Tall Sally."

GREEN RIVER is reuniting and playing previously unreleased songs at the two-day 20th anniversary bash of Sub Pop Records

MATES OF STATE stopped by KUT's Studio 1A for a chat and mini-set you can stream on demand via NPR.

RON SEXSMITH talks to the Associated Press about the biz and his new album, which is streaming through the weekend via Spinner.

DUNGEN is currently streaming "Satt Att Se," the new single and album opener from their upcoming LP.

BRIAN WILSON rolls out a trailer for his upcoming concept album "That Lucky Old Sun," which finds him back at the studios beneath Capitol Records.

T-BONE BURNETT is profiled by PopMatters.

SAM BUCK ROSEN does the four free songs thing for Daytrotter, including one unreleased.

PHIL SPECTOR is getting sued by Ronnie Spector, Darlene Love, Fanita James (Bob B. Soxx) and others for unpaid royalties.

CUTOUT BIN: From the Bay City Rollers to Bob Dylan, from The Stooges to Steely Dan, from Otis Redding to Josie Cotton to Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds can be jukeboxed or streamed separately via the Pate page at the ol' HM.

JESSICA BIEL talks about marriage, kids, Dancing with the Designers and more at Harper's Bazaar.  There's behind-the-scenes video of the photoshoot also.

NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases include Hellboy II: The Golden Army, currently scoring 87 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; Eddie Murphy's Meet Dave, currently scoring 27 percent; and the Disneyfied, 3D is some theaters Journey to the Center of the Earth, which is scoring a surprising-to-me 60 percent.

CHRISTIE BRINKLEY DIVORCE TRIAL ends in a sudden settlement, after a negotiations seemed to fall apart the otther day. Brinkley received sole custody of their two children (w/ sole decision-making power), and gets to keep all 18 properties in the Hamptons, for 2.1 milion.

MADONNA & BRITNEY SPEARS will reportedly appear together almost naked apart from tiny leather bondage pants and knee-high boots in the video they have made for Madge's upcoming tour.

JACKO hits a toy shop in pajamas, a surgeon's mask, a rasta wig and a wheelchair. Pic at the link.

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS: Quentin Tarantino has just sent out his long-anticipated WWII movie script  to four studios, and it appears to have landed with New York magazine's Vulture blog, which proclaims it "exactly as batshit over-the-top insane as we hoped... it reads like Kill Bill meets The Dirty Dozen meets Cinema Paradiso." No cast is yet in place, though Brad Pitt's name has surfaced.

BRUCE CAMPBELL talks about Burn Notice, the Evil Dead and more in a video series for Entertainment Weekly.

JEN & JOHN: Did Aniston find "a batch" of love letters from Mayer's ex-girlfriend Jessica Simpson in his guitar case? A source claims they were surprisingly well-written, so I'm doubting it.  BONUS: Pics from Simpson's birthday party.

SACHA BARON COHEN & ISLA FISHER have been forced to postpone their wedding over religious issues.

UMA THURMAN's engagement may be bumming out Elle Macpherson.  OTOH, Uma is probably not thrilled about her ex Ethan Hawke marrying the ex-nanny of their kids, either.

IRAN test-fired more long-range missiles overnight in a second round of exercises.  However, Iran's Revolutionary Guards doctored a photo of the first missile test to conceal a failure of one the missiles to launch.  The fauxtography was caught by Charles Johnson's Little Green Footballs, which has previously uncovered fauxtography during the recent Israeli-Hezbollah conflict and played a major role in exposing the 60 Minutes document scandal that caused Dan Rather to get the boot from CBS.

IRAQ's army and police will be fully manned and operational by mid-2009, possibly as early as April. Turkey and Iraq signed trade and security agreements, while Kuwait will name an ambassador to Iraq. US troops captured a "key" Special Groups leader in Baghdad. Iraqi forces captured five Special Groups operatives in central Iraq. Iraqi troops captured 20 insurgents in Babil, 19 in Baghdad, and 10 Islamic State of Iraq fighters in Mosul. Coalition forces detained 30 al Qaeda fighters.

BIKER DOGS seems to be a new trend. Here's Minnie.

A SERVAL was captured in Midtown Atlanta Thursday morning. No, I'm not going to tell you what a serval is.

BABY ELEPHANT debuts at the Pittsburgh Zoo. Awww...

TURNING CATS INTO HATS: More ewww than awwww.

TINY CREATURES, otoh, are definitely awww....

A LARGE SHARK has been spotted just off the beach at Martha's Vineyard. What say you, Police Chief Brody?

THE FLAMING LIPS rehearse the "Tommy Medley" they will perform in tribute to the Who at VH1's annual Rock Honors concert in Los Angeles.

BEST OF 2008 SO FAR: You can stream the top picks of the NPR Listeners' Poll, with a linkthrough to the full list of results.

ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO is interviewed at Aquarium Drunkard, along with two MP3s -- one of which is a cover of the Gun Club's "Sex Beat."

THE WATSON TWINS stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set (including a cover of The Cure's "Just Like hEaven") you can stream on demand via NPR.

STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN? Market value is over half a billion dollars US.

ALBERT HAMMOND, JR. has a brand new video out for "GfC," which sounds a bit like the Strokes, but perhaps more Wilco-ish.

CALEXICO has a new behind-the-scenes trailer for their upcoming alum.

BON IVER is profiled (w/audio) at JamBase.

EXENE CERVENKA is interviewed on NPR's Day to Day, with a take on creating in a vacuum.

DEVO: Four out five dentists recommend it.

MADONNA: New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez was smitten with Madge six months ago when he was exchanging text messages with her while dining with a friend in Miami. When Lenny Kravitz learned he was being accused of having an extramarital affair with Alex Rodriguez's wife, Cynthia, he "looked like he was going to throw up," according to a witness.

CHRISTIE BRINKLEY DIVORCE TRIAL: Hopes of a settlement -- raised by an unexpected recess yesterday -- were stalled when both parties returned to the courtroom before adjourning for the day.

JAMIE LYNN SPEARS, 17-year-old mom, has the baby pics coming to OK! magazine.

MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY sold the first baby pics of his newborn to OK! for a cool three million, reportedly. Well, alright alright alright...

BRADGELINA baby bic will sell for megabucks, but the buyer must agree not to call the couple Brangelina.  Well, I never do.

BEN AFFLECK & JENNIFER GARNER are expecting their second child, according to new reports.

PAM ANDERSON has made a career out of flaunting her figure, but the Hollywood sex siren won't be stripping off in the Aussie Big Brother house, where she is set for a three-episode arc. Leaking that won't kill the ratings.

DENISE RICHARDS has reportedly put her Hidden Hills, California home on the market after neighbors complained to local officials about the actress using the estate for her reality show.

AMY WINEHOUSE hit a pubgoer in the face during a night out, it has been claimed.

HONOR KILLING in GEORGIA? A Clayton County man was behind bars Sunday, accused of killing his own daughter. Investigators said 54-year-old Chaudhry Rashad was so outraged at his daughter, Sandela Kanwal, and her plans for divorce that he killed her after a heated argument at the family's home.  Investigators said Rashad confessed to strangling the 25-year-old woman.  Rashad wept in court Tuesday, saying, "I have done nothing wrong." Rashid, who is being held without bond, told the judge he wanted to observe his Muslim beliefs in the Clayton jail.

IRAN's Revolutionary Guards test-fired nine missiles in war-game maneuvers on Wednesday, including at least one the government in Tehran described as having the range to reach Israel -- presumably to supplement their peaceful generation of nuclear power.

IRAQ: Two perspectives on Prime Minister al-Maliki's talk of a timetable for withdrawal of US troops, via the Wall Street Journal, and Iraq The Model's Mohammed Fadhil.

A ZOOKEEPER'S CAT has adopted a baby red panda abandoned by its mother and is nursing the cub along with her own kittens, the Artis zoo said Wednesday.

TUNNELING INTRUDER is stopped by Odie, a 4-year-old male Chihuahua, and his owner, who was packing a .357 Magnum.  But mostly by the owner with the Magnum.

HEY IS THAT A BAT IN YOUR PANTS, or are you... oh, it is a bat.  And this is not the "bat in a bra" story linked here yesterday.

TICKS ON A PLANE delayed a Des Moines bound United Airlines flight from Denver for six hours.

REDUCING COW EMISSIONS 'is key to tackling climate change.'  Lovely pic of a cow with a plastic collection tank.

FLEET FOXES played DC's Black Cat the other night, so you can stream the gig on demand via NPR.  Greg Kot briefly profiles the band on his blog at the Chicago Tribune. And the has some evocative claymation in the new video for "White Winter Hymnal," courtesy of singer Robin Peckhold's brother.

MORE NEW RELEASES: I should have noticed that albums from Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Willie Nelson & Winston Marsalis and Los Lonely Boys are streaming in full via AOL.

THE POLARIS MUSIC PRIZE nominees are announced, complete with MySpace links.

KATE PIERSON of the B-52s has a leaked nudie pic?  I won't link it, though you can figure out where to find it.

BEN FOLDS talks to Paste about his Eurotour and his upcoming album, now slated for Sept. 16th.

MAN MAN performs "Doo Right" in a Black Cab Session.

DAVID LEE ROTH was saved by two Ontario police officers after suffering anaphylactic shock from his allergy to nuts.

KAKI KING did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter, one previously unreleased.

COMING TO THE SMALL SCREEN: The Osbournes will host an hour-long variety show in the grand tradition of Donnie & Marie or Sonny & Cher.  Elvis Costello has started taping his "Spectacles" which will see Costello having conversations and collaborations with guests like Elton John, Lou Reed, Elvis Presley's guitarist James Burton, and more...

BETTYE LaVETTE talks to the Montreal Gazette about the silver lining of not having become an R&B star.

LINDSAY LOHAN got a diamond ring from Samantha Ronson worth nearlly 22K for her 22nd birthday.  Ronson also posted a pic of her and Lindsay kissing on her MySpace page.  NTTAWWT.

JESSICA SIMPSON got a head start on her 28th birthday (Thursday), which included taking a header into a post office sign.

MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY and longtime girlfriend Camila Alves have welcomed their first child into the world, Levi Alves McConaughey.

NICOLE KIDMAN & KEITH URBAN: Is their baby's name a jab at Scientology? Probably not, but Kidman probably doesn't mind if you think it is.

STING is hardly walking on the moon after learning that his teenage daughter Coco shared a tent with Pete Doherty at Glastonbury.

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE BATMAN:  PopSugar has highlights and pics from Christian Bale's sitdown and photoshoot for GQ.

CHRISTIE BRINKLEY should get custody of her two youngest children, according to the court-appointed psychologist in her divorce trial.  Dr. Stephen Herman testified that her ex Peter Cook is a narcissist whose unrealistic expectations could "cause great harm to the children."  Later, Brinkley answered accusations that she's an angry, vindictive wife with enough vitriol to temporarily shut up her husband's ace divorce attorney.

FRIENDS REUINION rumors appear to have been exaggerated.

IRAN will hit Tel Aviv, US shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and American interests around the world if it is attacked over its disputed nuclear activities, an aide to Iran's Supreme Leader was quoted as saying on Tuesday.  An Iranian who infiltrated Iran's Revolutionary Guard for the CIA accuses the mullahs of orchestrating - among other things - the 1988 explosion of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

IRAQ said for the first time yesterday that it wanted to set a timetable for withdrawal of US troops from its territory. The White House said it is not negotiating a "hard date" for a US withdrawal from Iraq despite Baghdad's call for a timetable, but did not rule out "time-frames" discussions with the Iraqi government. The comments reflect the political dilemma confronting Maliki and other members of his Shiite-led government. Their primary rival in upcoming provincial elections, Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, is a leading critic of the American presence who has long called for a timetable, a position that is widely popular among Iraq's majority Shiites.

CANINE KAHUNAS: About 60 dogs, big and small, competed for medals and bragging rights last week at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort Surf Dog Competition in Imperial Beach, Calif. Prizes included a pet vacation at the resort and a feature in Modern Dog Magazine. Pics and video at the link.

HEY, IS THAT A BAT IN YOUR BRA, or are you... oh, it is.

MERCEDES-CLIMBING GOAT arrested in Capshaw, Alabama.  The role of the dog is yet to be determined.

MONKEY ROBOT CONTROL only started with the arm; now monkeys can control entire robots, making one walk on a treadmill.

FIRST FERRET?  One more possible historic moment in the US presidential election.

SHERIFF HITS COW en route to invesitigate a complaint of.... guess what?

BLOC PARTY consorts with those d^mn dirty apes in the video for a new song, "Mercury."

NEW RELEASES: David Bowie's oft-bootlegged Santa Monica '72 gig, a Bowie tribute, Ron Sexsmith, The Baseball Project, a Joe Strummer doc sdtk and more are among those streaming in full via Spinner this week.  Beck releases Modern Guilt. The Capstan Shafts release the lo-fi Fixation Protocols. CocoRosie

ADVANCE STREAM albums from Black Kids and The Vines before their US release dates.

IN THE WORKS:  New albums from Dungen, Grizzly Bear (a "sunnier" effort) and The Avett Brothers (to be produced by Rick Rubin).

CALEXICO: Joey Burns talks to Beatroute about the back-to-basics approach to the upcoming Carried To Dust, while John Covertino talks to Metro Times about playing festivals.

ABBA: Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson quashed any hint of a musical reunion, despite the four band members getting together last weekend at the Swedish movie premiere of Mamma Mia.  The Independent asks Tim Rice the secrets of the band's enduring (if kitchy) appeal of songs like "SOS" and "Take A Chance On Me."

HA HA TONKA does the four free songs thing for Daytrotter, one previously unreleased.

KIM GORDON of Sonic Youth is interviewed in Issue 666 of TimeOut NY about her hearing, her Free Kitten side project and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

ANTIETAM gets an in-depth profile at PopMatters, befitting their strange, 28-year trip, including interesting stuff on the recording of their double album, Opus Mixtum. Audio link at the link also.

MGMT is profiled in New York magazine, mostly on trying to live up to the buzz.

NICOLE KIDMAN & KEITH URBAN welcomed their first child together, daughter Sunday Rose, born Monday morning in Nashville.

CHRISTIE BRINKLEY seeks comfort in ex Billy Joel as her bitter divorce rages on. Brinkley also said Monday that she's devoted her life to her children and - in stark contrast to her playboy hubby - hasn't gone out on a single date since she learned of his philandering two years ago.

DREW BARRYMORE & JUSTIN LONG have split, her rep tells US magazine.  Was she too PC for him?

EVA MENDES talks about substance abuse and being a Latina in H'wood in Interview magazine, via the HuffPo.

HUGH HEFNER once faced death in a bizarre sex toy incident.

ELLEN DeGENERES & PORTIA de ROSSI were... wait for it... caught canoodling on camera on a yacht off the Italian coast.  The good news is that only Portia was topless for any of this.  The bad news is that the photos do not flatter her.  So much so that I would recommend the new Marissa Miller photoshoot for GQ instead.

MADONNA: Alex Rodriguez's relationship with Madge was "an affair of the heart" - not "sexual infidelity" - according to Cynthia Rodriguez's lawyer. Does she know A-Rod may have a stabbin' cabin in NYC? Guy and Madge's peeps reportedly have been planning the current are-they-or-aren't-they divorcing drama for months, hoping the hubbub will sell more tickets to her upcoming tour.  Or is that the counter-spin? Britney Spears will join Madonna on her tour, but only through a taped video performance, Access Hollywood has confirmed.

OUR FRIENDS, THE SAUDIS: A Saudi appeals court is due this week to review the case of a biochemist and his female student sentenced to jail and flogging after a lower court ruled their research contact was a front for a telephone affair. The man was sentenced to 8 months in prison and 600 lashes and his student to 4 months in prison and 350 lashes last November for establishing a phone relationship that led her to divorce her husband.

IRAN: Pentagon chiefs fear that Israeli plans for an attack on Iran's nuclear program will fail to destroy the facilities because neither the CIA nor Mossad knows where every base is located. Perhaps a head fake, but seems likely.

IRAQ: In Helsinki, all of the main Iraqi political parties signed onto a statement of principles for working on further reconciliation. The Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq aims to capitalize on the disarray within Moqtada al-Sadr's movement ahead of provincial elections planned for October.  The United Arab Emirates has forgiven nearly 7 billion dollars in Iraqi debt. Prime Minister al-Maliki raised the prospect of setting a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops as part of negotiations over a new security agreement with Washington. US officials in Baghdad had no immediate comment.

STRANDED KILLER WHALE hitches a ride back to the ocean.

MINIATURE DACHSHUND finds a diabetic's toe a tasty treat.

OCTOPUSES have been given Rubik's Cubes in a study aimed at easing their stress levels in captivity.

ZARA UPDATE: The lion cub may be headed for Africa, but has made friends with the housecat.

LIVE CHICKEN SALES double in Austin, TX.  Some say people are looking for fresh eggs, but it could be the bingo competition.