JENN GRANT goes door-to-door to "Getcha Good." A snappy start to your week.

BRIGHT EYES is advance streaming The People's Key. 

THE WATSON TWINS do three free songs for Daytrotter.

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

CASS McCOMBS drops "County Line" in advance of Wit's End.

TELEVISION: "Horizontal Ascension" is an early recording from a 1974 rehearsal, when Richard Hell was in the band.

TALKING HEADS: A vintage clip of "Psycho Killer" from the OGWT.

JOHN LYDON talks to the L.A. Times about "Mr. Rotten's Scrapbook," a limited edition mishmash of his drawings, paintings, photos, poems, scribbles and reminiscences.

GANG OF FOUR: Jon King talks about the new LP with All Things Considered, which adds tracks and a montage of bands inspired by the Gang.

LIZ PHAIR talks to BlackBook about her years in Wicker Park (a/k/a Guyville).

BETTY LaVETTE talks to the Raleigh News and Observer about Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: The Rite tops the chart with 15 million against a 37 million budget; it's a weak showing, but Anthony Hopkins is likely big enough globally to save this one. No Strings Attached drops to the No. 2 slot with 13.7 million -- a decent hold ensuring a decent hit, most likely due to weak competition and Natalie Portman buzz.  The Mechanic and The Green Hornet are in an estimated dead heat at 11.5 million, with The King's Speech within spitting distance at 11.1 million in its first wide weekend.  Jason Statham continues to make cost-effective movies; Green Hornet held well considering the Statham competition; and King's Speech is a classic platform release for an Oscar contender.  Below the fold, Oscar nomination buzz helped True Grit more than Black Swan, but the latter has now grossed seven times its production budget.

CHARLIE SHEEN has checked back into rehab, but tells RadarOnline: "People don't seem to get it.... Guy can't have a great time and do his job also?" Sounds like he's committing to sobriety!  As for the "great time" part, there's the 30K check he wrote to an adult video actress during the last party to land him in the hospital.

JESSE JAMES: Ex-wife (and ex-adult video actress) Janine Lindemulder was arrested just outside Austin, TX this morning on a warrant for harassing Jesse in a series of "abusive" phone messages.

DEMI LOVATO completed her stint in a treatment facility and is already back in L.A.

DAVID ARQUETTE has also checked out of rehab.

KATE HUDSON explains why she kept her pregnancy on the downlow.

CLINT EASTWOOD: As he takes on the story of J. Edgar Hoover, the filmmaker talks about movie lawmen, his Korean War days and the flat tax.

HENRY CAVILL (The Tudors) has landed the role of Superman in the Zach Snyder reboot.

THE DIRECTORS GUILD AWARDS went to these folks. Congrats! Tom Hooper's win for The King's Speech may give him or the picture momentum in Oscars voting.

THE SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS went to these folks. Congrats! Even more momentum for The King's Speech, Christian Bale and Natalie Portman..

CHARLIE CALLAS, a rubber-faced comedian who cavorted on television and the nightclub circuit in the 1960s, '70s and '80s, often punctuating punch lines with sound effects emanating from his motormouth, died on Thursday in Las Vegas. He was 83.

EGYPT: The Lede blog at the NYT is as good a place as any to follow stories and social media on the continuing street protests in Egypt. It appears that the US would prefer some sort of managed transition to a more open and democratic society, in hopes of giving more secular reform groups a chance to catch up to the more organized Muslim Brotherhood.  But the US likely has little leverage at this juncture, as David Warren and Leslie Gelb note in their assessment of the downside for the US and the West generally.

TERROR in the US: Said Jaziri, a radical cleric from Tunisia who was deported from Canada in 2007, was arrested as he was being smuggled across the Mexican border in the trunk of a car.

IRAQ's security forces are confronting significant problems as the US military prepares to withdraw from that country by the end of this year, according to a new report by a top oversight official.

IT'S KITTY MIDNIGHT MADNESS at the Winnepeg Humane Society! Come on down!

LUCKY KITTEN rescued from a lightpole and adopted.

A FISH beauty treatment craze, where customers' dead skin is nibbled off their feet by garra rufa fish, has raised concerns that the fish would have to be starved to behave in this way.

BANDIT RUBIO, a Chihuahua, wins a celebrity impersonation contest as Donald Trump.

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS!  Live and ferocious in June 1978, Part 1 includes "Mystery Dance," "Waiting For The End Of The World," and "Lip Service."  Part 2 includes "Two Little Hitlers," "The Beat," and "Night Rally." Part 3 continues with "This Year's Girl," "No Action," and "(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea."  Part 4 rocks on with "Lipstick Vogue" and "Watching The Detectives." Part 5 concludes with "Pump It Up" and "You Belong To Me."

GOLDWAX RECORDS: A History Of '60s Memphis Soul, via Fresh Air.

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED: Tracks from First Aid Kit, Cowboy Junkies, Yuck and more feature in the latest edition of the long-running NPR series.

ABIGAIL WASHBURN did six free songs for Daytrotter.

BELA FLECK also brought the banjo for four free songs at Daytrotter.

IRON & WINE: Sam Beam's promo blitz continues with a session at Morning Becomes Eclectic.

NIRVANA: The Demotapes.

LEONARD COHEN plays "So Long, Marianne," circa 1979.

ALEX WINSTON, upcoming singer-songwriter-popster, is profiled by BBC Radio 1. (Thx, LHB)  Her debut isn't out yet but you can stream a few via the ol' HM.

DEREK & THE DOMINOS: Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs is getting the special edition treatment in March, including previously unreleased material and two rare tracks produced by Phil Spector.

JAYHAWKS: Mark Olson speaks with PopMatters at length about the band and its history.

CORIN TUCKER tells PopMatters how her new band came to be, how it's different from Sleater-Kinney, and where she's headed to next...

PATTI SMITH is working on a new album... and a detective novel.

GLADYS HORTON, who co-founded the 1960s Motown group the Marvelettes and sang on hits including "Please Mr. Postman," died Wednesday night at a Sherman Oaks nursing home. She was 65.

CUTOUT BIN: From Slade to the Specials, from Joe Jackkson to Wanda Jackson, from the Four Tops to Guided by Voices, from Johnny Thunders to the Beatles, plus the Jam, Hindu Love Gods, Big Star, Thin Lizzy and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are now streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.

NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases are: The Rite, currently scoring 17 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; and The Mechanic, scoring 51 percent.

CHARLIE SHEEN was in the middle of a marathon "party" last night and this morning with 5 women before something went so wrong, he ended up on a stretcher in an ambulance and rushed to the hospital.  RadarOnline claims Sheen's problem may be an ulceration.

KATE HUDSON laughs off the rumor she's engaged to Matt Bellamy, thinks she's having a girl.

KRISTEN STEWART is courted to play Snow White, perhaps opposite Viggo Mortensen as the Huntsman.

LINDSAY LOHAN calls 911 on the paparazzi.

CHELSEA HANDLER dumped 50 Cent just before the holidays, leaving the 35-year-old rapper "heartbroken"?

KENDRA WILKINSON: Another video from the past headed to the market?

EGYPT: Police fought protesters in two cities in eastern Egypt on Thursday and Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohamed ElBaradei arrived back in the country to join a major demonstration on Friday to try to oust President Hosni Mubarak.

YEMEN: Thousands of Yemenis took to the streets of the capital to demand a change of government, inspired by the unrest that has ousted the Tunisian leader and spread to Egypt.

IRAN: UK banks froze the account of Iran's English news service, PressTV.

THE GORILLA that walks like a man. Page Frankie Valli and the ghost of Charlton Heston.

A DOG that became stranded on an iceberg in the Baltic Sea has been adopted by his rescuers.

BATS use living toilets made of carnivorous plants.

300 BLACKBIRDS found dead recently near Athens, Alabama, appear to have died from flying into or being struck by a large object, such as an tractor-trailer rig.

THE GO! TEAM drops videos for "Secretary Song" and "Super Triangle" in time for Twofer Thursday.

CHARLIE LOUVIN, Country Hall of Famer and half of the Louvin Bros. (whose  harmonies inspired everybody from the Everly Brothers to Emmylou Harris to the Byrds), died at 83 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.  He did four free songs for Daytrotter just last year.

JESCA HOOP did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.

DAYTROTTER compiled its own Best of 2010 tracks.

COLD WAR KIDS stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

THE MAMAS & PAPAS lip-synced "California Dreaming" really well o­n Hullaballoo, but not showing you the go-go dancers, who are worth the wait.

THE DECEMBERISTS top the Billboard chart, but what does it mean?

GANG OF FOUR frontman Andy Gill discusses the band's first album in 16 years, and how the Red Hot Chili Peppers stole their sound.

STEVE EARLE talks to Billboard about his new album and novel, plus his work on 'Treme.

WILCO have formed their own label, dBpm Records, whose releases will be distributed and marketed by Anti- Records.

PENELOPE CRUZ & JAVIER BARDEM welcome a baby boy.

MIKE TYSON is a dad for the eighth time, as far as we know.

JIMMY BUFFETT was rushed to a hospital in Australia after he fell off the stage during a concert. TMZ has the video.

LINDSAY LOHAN & SAMANTHA RONSON hit up a strange party last week - where the theme seemed to be bleeding from the eyes and weird 3D type glasses.

OPRAH WINFREY is "taking it slow" with her newly-revealed half-sister.

JESSE JAMES: New Nazi pics surface.

JESSICA SIMPSON may have to refight the battle to keep a 2005 exercise video off the market.

VINCE NEIL will serve 15 days in jail after pleading guilty on Wednesday to drunken driving.

WILL FARRELL has committed to a four-episode arc on NBC's comedy The Office.

JOHN TRAVOLTA has been approached to play the role of former mafia boss John Gotti in an upcoming biopic.

NAOMI WATTS has signed on to star in J. Edgar, the Clint Eastwood-directed biopic.

IRAN: Ahmadinejad lashed out at his political rivals during a recent speech. Israel's Vice President said Iran is taking Lebanon hostage by supporting Hezbollah in political upheaval. Germany sent senior diplomats to Iran to secure the release of imprisoned journalists.

AFGHANISTAN: Roadside bombs killed 268 American troops in Afghanistan last year, a 60 percent increase over the previous year even as the Pentagon employs new measures to counter the Taliban's makeshift weapon of choice. Defense officials attribute it to the surge in fighting overall.

A PIT BULL adopts a kitten...Mass hysteria!

KANGAROOS forced the postponement of the Hanging Rock Cup in Australia.

A 5-FOOT MONITOR LIZARD was found wandering around a condo complex in Riverside, CA.

LIVE FISH & CHICKS were tossed during a high school pep rally in Ft. Worth, TX.

IRON & WINE plays "Tree By The River" in a wine cellar (get it?) for La Blogotheque. Sam Beam is profiled by Pitchfork and talks to Drowned In Sound about the new album.

BEYOND CALIFORNIA DREAMIN': Stream 88 Songs Inspired By The Golden State.

BASIA BULAT plays a Tiny Desk Concert at the offices of NPR.

WHITE LIES stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

SONIC YOUTH is streaming a mixtape (incl new music from the band) via their website.

THE FEELIES drop "Should Be Gone" in advance of Here Before.

EARTH GIRL HELEN BROWN, another permutation of members from Sonny & the Sunsets and the Sandwwirches, drop, "Hit After Hit" as a debut track.

THE DEL LORDS extend "How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live?" Circa 1990.

BOB DYLAN arrived in NYC 50 years ago this week. The Village Voice is marking the event with videos, archival stories and more...

WANDA JACKSON talks to Morning Edition about her new, Jack White-produced album

TOM TOM CLUB: Chris & Tina look back -- and ahead -- at PopMatters.

UNIVERSAL will offer out-of-print CDs on demand via Amazon's CreateSpace.

ALEC BALDWIN, DEREK JETER and other celebs are targeted by tax collectors who think they're fibbing about where they really live to dodge New York City income taxes.

OPRAH's secret half-sister turned down tabloid cash for her story. Which might be easier to do when your new half-sister is Oprah Winfrey.

SCARLETT JOHANSSON getting cozy with SNL's Jason Sudeikis? He recently split from Mad Men's January Jones... but Scar-Jo's rep dismisses the story.

AL PACINO's latest bombs at Sundance.

SAM WORTHINGTON has been living life in the fast lane after recently splitting with his girlfriend of nearly three years, Natalie Mark.

GLEE: Off-set romance? BONUS: John Travolta turns down Glee. Too butch?

MICHAEL JACKSON: Dr. Conrad pleads not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the gloved one's death.

JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT has three Tiffany engagement rings all picked out, just in case. She thinks she's doing guys a favor... and she is, in the sense of a warning.

TERROR in RUSSIA: Reports say a Black Widow suicide bomber was involved in Moscow airport blast.

IRAN: The head of military intelligence for the Israeli Knesset said that sanctions are delaying advances in Iran's nuclear program. Venezuela will resume gasoline shipments to Iran after two-year break.

IRAQ: Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims marched and beat their heads and chests in ritualistic mourning in a major rite in Iraq's holy Shi'ite city of Kerbala on Tuesday, after attacks that killed dozens in recent days.

MARU: The box cat expands into paper.

A CHIHUAHUA was rescued from a burning home and given mouth-to-snout resuscitation in Colorado Springs.

WORMS will dance, if you provide a cool light show.

HUMAN-BITING MONKEY is back on the loose in Japan.

LONESOME GEORGE, the Galapagos's most eligible bachelor, is to be given two new potential mates in an attempt to finally produce offspring. A ready-made reality show for Animal Planet.

PETER BJORN & JOHN drop "Breaker Breaker" as an advance clip for the upcoming album.

NEW RELEASES: Iron & Wine, Deerhoof, John Vanderslice, Amanda Palmer and more are streaming this week via Spinner.

ESBEN & THE WITCH advance stream Violet Cries at the 'Gum.

PALE YOUNG GENTLEMEN did five free songs for Daytrotter.

R.E.M. won't be touring Collapse Into Now, but there's another advance track, "Überlin."

THE ROLLING STONES: 2120 South Michigan Avenue (The Unreleased 1964 Blues Album).

WANDA JACKSON & JACK WHITE cover Jimmy Kidd's "Shakin' All Over" and Bob Dylan's "Thunder On The Mountain" for Twofer Tuesday.

BEST COAST & WAVVES: Tourmates (and bedmates) Bethany Cosentino and Nathan Williams do a two-part interview with the L.A. Times.

JAYHAWKS Gary Louris and Mark Olson talk reunion with the Chicago Sun-Times.

PATTI SMITH is profiled by The Guardian.

ABIGAIL WASHBURN is also profiled by The Guardian.

BRUCE WILLIS is "soul crushing" to work with, according to director Kevin Smith, who has been behaving strangely lately, even for him.

OPRAH WINFREY reveals she has a secret half-sister, named Patricia, who was given up for adoption as a child.  So perhaps it is she who will bring balance to The Force.

JAIME PRESSLY, fresh off a DUI bust, is getting a divorce... and is accused of owing more than 637K in state and federal taxes.

LINDSAY LOHAN is telling her friends she is never evah clubbing again.

MADONNA's cougar ways bother her brother.

WHEN GEORGE CLOONEY said he didn't want to get married again, he forgot to tell his girlfriend first.

LEIGHTON MEESTER is the new Nylon magazine cover girl.

MTV's SKINS has now lost four major sponsors.

THE OSCARS nominations are announced; Film.com notes snubs and favorites.

THE RAZZIE AWARD nominations are announced.

NEWSWEEK hosts its annual Oscar Roundtable, with Natalie Portman, James Franco, Colin Firth, Annete Benning, Nicole Kidman and Michelle Williams.

IRAN: France is pushing for tougher sanctions on Iran after failed international negotiations. The US' point man on he sanctions regime against Iran is set to retire. Law enforcement officials in Tehran announced the creation of a new cyber police force to monitor the internet.

ALMOND the CAT never leaves his tree.

MISCHIEF: An apt name for a horse stuck in a swimming pool.

GAY CATS to marry in NYC.

OHIO CHIMP turns 52, which is old for a chimp.