PARQUET COURTS' video for "Black And White" is not in color.

THE FRESH & ONLYS advance stream House Of Spirits.

CLEANUP is streaming Sun Life.

WRECK & REFERENCE advance stream Want.

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED: Tracks from Conor Oberst, Jenny Lewis, My Brightest Diamond, and more highlight the latest edition.

ROBYN HITCHCOCK covers the Psychedelic Furs’ "The Ghost In You" ahead of The Man Upstairs. Fun fact: I met the woman about whom the song was reportedly written.

NEKO CASE drops “These Aren’t The Droids,” ahead of the 2776 compilation.

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS: "I'm an Adult Now."

THE BLACK KEYS: Patrick Carney talks to Carrie Brownstein about the complications of social media, the surreal nature of success, negative press, misconstrued interview statements, and more.

LED ZEPPELIN: A lawsuit has been filed claiming that the iconic Led Zeppelin song "Stairway to Heaven" was far from original.

SONGS OF THE SUMMER Since 1962, compiled by Mashable.

THE 50 BEST LPs of 2014 (So far), according to SPIN.

RHIANNA: Apparently, a see-through dress is still edgy, even at  the Council of Fashion Designers of America's fashion awards.

JONAH HILL threw a homophobic slur at a paparazzo, apologized on Howard Stern. Same stuff, different celeb.

KEIRA KNIGHTLEY is the Elle UK cover story.

BEYONCE is profiled by the New York Times magazine.

STAR WARS: EPISODE VII will apparently include a familiar object, according to the latest TMZ spoiler pic.

DR. STRANGE may be helmed by a rising horror director, Scott Derrickson.

UKRAINE: As President Obama prepared to meet with Ukraine's president-elect for the first time Wednesday, the U.S. continued to rule out providing weapons to help Ukraine fight against pro-Russian insurgents. Ukrainian troops on Tuesday launched an offensive against pro-Russian insurgents in the eastern city of Slovyansk and advanced through the city’s outskirts, the nation’s interior minister said.

NIGERIA: Suspected Boko Haram militants bombed a sports bar near a military special operations base in Mubi in Adamawa state yesterday, killing at least 18 people and injuring 19; a suspect has been arrested.

LIBYA: Khalid Haftar's Libyan National Army claimed that it now controls about 80 percent of Benghazi, after clashes and airstrikes that included bombing the former Crown Prince's palace in the Fuwayhat area, which Ansar al Sharia was using as a headquarters.

AFGHANISTAN: To pull off the prisoner swap of five Taliban leaders for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the White House overrode an existing interagency process charged with debating the transfer of Guantanamo Bay prisoners and dismissed long-standing Pentagon and intelligence community concerns based on Top Secret intelligence about the dangers of releasing the five men, sources familiar with the debate tell TIME.

A DOUBLE-AMPUTEE CAT navigates the stairs.

THE BIRDS: A woman was knocked out cold by a hawk in Forest Hills, PA.

A LARGE HOG escaped an exploding barbeque in Barrie, Ontario.

"RAT GIRL" has single-handedly launched an infestation of San Francisco after releasing thousands of rodents on to the streets of the city.

THE ORWELLS visit "North Ave."

CHRISSIE HYNDE advance streams Stockholm.

DEATHCATS advance stream All Hail Deathcats.

LUST FOR YOUTH advance streams International.

PHOENIX perfoms a Takeaway Show for La Blogotheque.

WAR: As the days get shorter, "Low Rider" and "Spill the Wine" (with Eric Burdon) are your Twofer Tuesday.

BOB MOULD lists his favorite books for The Week, starting with one from Jimmy Webb.

JACK WHITE apologizes. To everybody.

"HANDSOME DICK" MANITOBA is interviewed by Dave Springer, aka Tutu & the Pirates front man Little Richie Speck, at the Chicago Reader.

THE OLD 97s are profiled by the Illinois Entertainer.

STAR WARS: EPISODE VII adds Lupita Nyong'o and Game of Thrones' Gwendoline Christie to its cast. TMZ has spoiler pics from the set.

BRAD PITT talks about the nutter who assaulted him on the red carpet.

CHRIS BROWN was released from jail.

V. STIVIANO: Donald Sterling's galpal was pummeled by two men who shouted racial slurs at her outside a restaurant in the Meatpacking District Sunday night, her lawyer claimed. Funny that should happen right after a video of her own racial remarks surfaced.

SCOUT WILLIS talks about walking topless around NYC in protest of Instagram's policy about NSFW photos.

SHAILENE WOODLEY & BRIE LARSON get a lengthy joint profile in New York magazine. Can't believe they skipped Larson's rockstar turn in Scott Pilgrim vs The World. Oh yeah.

CASEY KASEM's wife throws meat at his daughter while referencing biblical scripture after her husband is removed from the home by an ambulance.

UKRAINE: Five militants were killed in the volatile eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk on Monday after they took part in a large coordinated assault on a border guard base, an official at the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service told CNN.

AFGHANISTAN: The sense of pride expressed by officials of the Obama administration at the release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is not shared by many of those who served with him, veterans and soldiers who call him a deserter whose "selfish act" ended up costing the lives of better men.

IRAQ: For all of its problems, parliamentary democracy does seem to be taking root.

A DOG base jumps.

A PUPPY drove a car into a Massachusetts pond.

A CRAB CASTRATING BARNACLE zombifies its prey.

THE SWARM: Don't go back to Beeville.

RYAN ADAMS covers the Pointer Sisters' "Neutron Dance" at a tech conference.

FIRST AID KIT is advance streaming Stay Gold.

JOSE JAMES is advance streaming While You Were Sleeping.

MARY GAUTHIER is advance streaming Trouble & Love.

WYE OAK performs in the WNYC Soundcheck studio.

PETULA CLARK goes "Downtown" on the Dean Martin Show (originally from TOTP). The lights are much brighter there.

JACK WHITE gets a meaty profile at The Guardian, touching on matters personal and musical.

SHARON VAN ETTEN is interviewed by Fred Armisen about her new LP.

OWEN PALLETT shares his favorite albums with The Quietus.

RUSH: The Guardian's  ten picks are largely non-obvious.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Maleficent tops the chart with 70 million, an overperformance that suggests it may be profitable on its 180 million budget, particularly as audiences appear to be more forgiving than the critics, handing out an "A" ConemaScore.  X-Men: Days of Future Past places with 32 million; that 64 percent drop is steep, but the mutants already haveover 500 million in worldwide sales.  The debut of A Million Ways to Die in the West shows with 17 million, which may not be bad against a 40 million budget....but the heavy marketing campaign is not included in that figure.  Godzilla grabs the fourth slot with 12.2 million on a 60 percent drop; the big lizard has roughly 375 million total worldwide so far, with China and Japan yet to come.  Blended rounds out the Top 5 with 8.4 million on a 41 percent drop; this one may not see profits until well into the home market.

ANN B. DAVIS, veteran comic actress best known for playing Alice on The Brady Bunch, has died after a fall at home. She was 88.

JUSTIN BIEBER told a racist joke to friends while his own photographer was rolling.

V. STIVIANO: Donald Sterling's gal pal is also on tape making racist comments.

CHARLIZE THERON & SEAN PENN: Ready to wed?

GINNIFER GOODWIN and Josh Dallas welcomed a baby boy.

MELISSA ETHERIDGE  and partner Linda Wallem married on Saturday night.

RAY J was busted by Beverly Hills cops Friday night after a disturbance at a swanky hotel allegedly turned into a violent confrontation with officers.

JOSH BROLIN is playing Thanos in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy.

AFGHANISTAN: President Obama decided to trade five top Taliban commanders held at Guantanamo Bay for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl without consulting Congress because officials believed the soldier's life was in danger, according to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.

SUDAN's foreign ministry on Sunday repudiated a pledge the government would order the release of Meriam Ibrahim, the mother sentenced to death for apostasy.

EGYPT: An alleged Muslim Brotherhood member was killed in Cairo when a bomb he was carrying to attack police exploded as he was riding a motorbike.

IRAQ: Nearly 800 people--mostly civilians--were killed in violence across Iraq in May, the United Nations said on Sunday, making it the deadliest month so far this year.

OTTERS playing an organ at the National Zoo.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: Police rescued a woman from a militant squirrel who invaded her handbag.

A BLACK BEAR chilled out in a Daytona Beach hammock.

CATCALLS: What do meows mean?

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

... with POWER POP (REDUX)! For whatever reason, I have considered Summer the ideal season for gems like the Raspberries' "Go All The Way" and "I Wanna Be With You", Badfinger's "No Matter What" (which Pate covered on occasion and "Baby Blue"), and even Todd Rundgren's "I Saw the Light" and Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me."  Ditto for more obscure tracks like The Rubinoos "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" (see also their vintage cover of "Please Please Me") and Pezband's "Baby It's Cold Outside" and "Close Your Eyes."

PRIMAVERA SOUND FESTIVAL is streaming two channels of live music, including the Pixies, The National, !!!, Drive-By Truckers, Dr. John and The Nite Trippers, Sharon Van Etten, and more. Check the link for times.

THE BOTH: Aimee Mann and Ted Leo play a set at the Rockwood Music Hall for WFUV.

THE OLD 97s stopped by World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

GABRIEL KAHANE is advance streaming The Ambassador.

PRIESTS advance stream Bodies and Control and Money and Power.

THE DECEMBERISTS debut two new songs live.

THE POSIES do a little bit of "Black Night" before covering Chris Bell's "I Am the Cosmos."

OWEN PALLETT talks to PopMatters about how he created some of the most affecting songs in In Conflict, discussed the “affectation” he uses to be a more efficient producer and talked about why the Oscars should take note from the spirit of Canadian award shows.

ANNA CALVI talks to The Guardian about learning from touring with Nick Cave and more...

TUNE-YARDS: Merrill Garbus talks to Reverb about inspirations and more. (Thx, LHB.)

17 LEGACY-DEFINING POSTHUMOUS ALBUMS, according to NME.

THE CUTOUT BIN: From Led Zeppelin to Chris isaak, from the Bangles to Steely Dan, from Bill Joel to Billy Idol, plus Love, Guided by Voices, Smashing Pumpkins, CreamMaleficient, which is currently scoring  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: Maleficient, which is currently scoring 44 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; and A Million Ways to Die in the West, currently scoring 34 percent.

BRAD PITT was allegedly struck by a Ukrainian prankster on the Maleficent red carpet.

THE KIMYE WEDDING featured a Golden Toilet Tower, last-minute marble statuary, a 45-minute toast from the groom, and more...

CHRIS EVANS & SANDRA BULLOCK "are in the early getting-to-know-each-other phase."

GWYNETH PALTROW declares getting insulted on the internet is like going to war, gets insulted on the internet.

SELENA GOMEZ has lupus?

QUENTIN TARANTINO & UMA THURMAN, together at last.

UKRAINE: At least 14 people, including a general, were killed Thursday when a Ukrainian military helicopter was shot down by "terrorists" near Slovyansk, acting President Oleksandr Turchynov told Parliament.

VENEZUELA: Russia opposes any foreign interference in the affairs of Venezuela, including the imposition of sanctions.

NIGERIA: President Jonathan said Nigerian forces will engage in a "full-scale" operation against Boko Haram. He also offered dialogue and reconciliation to those Nigerians who "joined hands with Al Qaeda and international terrorists" but wish to renounce violence and embrace peace. Boko Haram fighters attacked three villages in Borno state, killing at least 51 people and torching houses with petrol bombs.

LIBYA  is edging closer to chaos as two prime ministers are now competing for legitimacy.

EGYPT:  Former Egyptian army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi won a landslide victory in a presidential election on Thursday but a low turnout threatened to deprive him of the strong mandate he needs to fix the economy and face down an Islamist insurgency.

A GOAT AND A BURRO, living together.... mass hysteria!

THE PYTHON snuck into the woman's bed...twice.

A BEAR napped atop a power pole in Saskatchewan.

BARK BUDDY: A hook-up app for Dogs.

CONOR OBERST,  “Zigzagging Toward The Light."

CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN is advance streaming El Camino Real.

THE ORWELLS are advance streaming Disgraceland,via Spotify.

MUSEUM MOUTHis advance streaming Alex I Am Nothing.

DEVON WILLIAMS is advance streaming Gliding the Lily.

WOODS drop the oh-so-Byrdsy “Tambourine Light” as a single.

OLD HUNDRED drops “I’ll Be There (When You Die)" ahead of the I Don’t Want To Die EP.

BAKED drops  “Mick Jagger,” the lead single from debut full-length Debt.

FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE: "Hey, Julie."

OWEN PALLETT takes SPIN on a track-by-track tour of In Conflict.

EELS: Mark Oliver Everett talked to Stereogum about how Steve Perry turned up onstage.

CHRISSIE HYNDE: The Guardian revisist a classic 1979 Melody Maker interview in which she recalls her frustrating years trying to get a band together.

FAITH NO MORE's Mike Patton actually has the biggest vocal range in rock. (Thx, Nathan.)

EVAN RACHEL WOOD & JAMIE BELL have ended their marriage, a rep for the couple confirms.

HAYDEN PANETTIERE is pregnant and expecting her first child with fiance Wladimir Klitschko.

JUSTIN BIEBER and...Adrianna Lima?

LANA DEL REY sang at the Kimye wedding for free.

ROBERT PATTINSON talks to THR about life and acting after Twilight.

MAYA ANGELOU: the award-winning author, poet and civil rights activist has died.  She was 86.

UKRAINIAN Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has called on Russia to control its border to stop "terrorists" from crossing into his territory.  Chechnya's leader says the country hasn't sent fighters to join rebels in eastern Ukraine, denying a charge that gained substance after Chechens were reportedly found in the aftermath of recent fighting in Donetsk.

VENEZUELA alleged on Wednesday that the U.S. ambassador to Colombia has plotted to destabilize President Nicolas Maduro's rule, adding to tensions between the two countries as the U.S. House approved a measure calling for sanctions on officials in the South American nation over human rights abuses.

LIBYA: <font id="Zoom">The United States suggested on Tuesday that its citizens leave Libya "immediately" due to "unpredictable and unstable" security situation in the North African nation.

SYRIA: The Obama administration is considering authorizing a US military mission to train allegedly moderate Syrian rebels.

AFGHANISTAN: President Obama announced Tuesday that the U.S. plans to remove all troops from Afghanistan by 2016, starting with reducing the troop presence in the country to just 9,800 and an end to the U.S. combat mission at the close of 2014.

A GOAT riding a guy riding a bike.

A GOAT also prompts an emergency police call.

LITTLE MAMA gives birth to 23 puppies. Cruella de Ville unavailable for comment. 

THE HAWAIIAN BOBTAIL SQUID can, in the fashion of a Klingon cloaking device, deceive barracuda and other fish that would happily make a meal of the small creature.