THE POLYPHONIC SPREE plays Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" for the A.V. Club Undercover.

IVAN & ALYOSHA drop The Cabin Sessions EP of demos for free (or a tip).

TRAMPLED BY TURTLES stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

ELECTRIC GUEST stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

NILS LOFGREN stopped by World Cafe for a chat and mini-set I missed the first time around. Includes my favorite Nils tune, "No Mercy."

CAT POWER drops "Ruin" ahead of her upcoming Sun LP.

FIONA APPLE & THE ROOTS played "Anything We Want" and McCartney's "Let Me Roll It" for Fallon.

GLEN HANSARD talks to Rolling Stone (and the NYP) about the Tonys, his solo album, and Springsteen.

BEIRUT: Zach Condon talks to Hot Press about The Rip Tide, shivering ‘naked' before the world and why, under the surface, he feels Irish. (Thx, LHB.)

LLOYD COLE essays David Bowie's Low LP at Salon.

DAVID LOWERY (CVB, Cracker) schools an NPR intern on "Free Culture" at The Trichordist.

ALEC BALDWIN punched a photog after obtaining his marriage licence with Hilaria Thomas.

JOHNNY DEPP & VANESSA PARADIS have "amicably separated" after 14 years and two children. Presumably ,"amicably" is French for "generously."

LINDSAY LOHAN was barred from driving while shooting "Liz and Dick," for insurance reasons. Oops.

KRISTEN STEWART has vaulted to the top of the annual Forbes list of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood. Number two may be even more surprising.

KATE UPTON is (ahem) profiled in GQ.  And here are 21 Upton GIFs for Gratuitous Wednesday.

BOBBY BROWN and fiancée Alicia Etheredge tied the knot Monday.

NICK STAHL's family and friends are once again searching for the Terminator 3 actor.

ANGELINA JOLIE looks as much like Maleficient as you would guess.

EGYPT: Hosni Mubarak was on life support in hospital on Wednesday, Egyptian military officials said, denying a report that the ousted president was clinically dead. However, Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.

SYRIA: Government forces surrounded and began shelling Sunni districts in the city of Homs.

IRAN and the six powers started a new round of talks over Iran's nuclear program. Ahmadinejad has said he plans to leave politics next year after his second term as president ends.

PAKISTAN: The Supreme Court dismissed Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Tuesday, drastically escalating a confrontation between the government and the judiciary and plunging the political system into turmoil.

17 DOGS, 1 SURFBOARD: That's a record.

AN OCTOPUS got the joyride of its life last week when it somehow became stuck on the gential slit of a bottlenose dolphin.

A FARMER herds 5000 ducks throuch a town in China.

A GATOR T-boned a car on Interstate 275.

SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS drops a video for "The Night."

NEW RELEASES from Smashing Pumpkins, Glen Hansard, Delta Rae, Beat Connection, and more are streaming this week via Spinner.

A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS is advance streaming Worship.

GLEN HANSARD plays a Tiny Desk Concert at the offices of NPR.

ADULT SWIM is offering free tracks weekly again this summer.  Plus, the freebies from 2010 and 2011 are still available.

PAUL McCARTNEY turned 70 yesterday, so it's a belated "Brithday" for him, along with a Polyphonic Spree cover of "Live and Let Die" for Twofer Tuesday.  Plus,  how the Guardian and the Observer originally reported his key Days in the Life.

THE BEST of 2010 (So Far), based on aggregated reviews at Acclaimed Music.

GARBAGE: Shirley Manson tlks to Drowned In Sound about feelings of inadequacy, career longevity and more... 

THE SILVER JEWS are essayed at the Jewish Daily Forward. (Thx, LHB.)

INDIE LABELS still depend on major label distribution.

JENNY McCARTHY accidentally sent a naked shot of herself to her son's 80-year-old dentist. The photo was intendwd for her boyfriend, Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher.

JACK OSBOURNE has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

LINDSAY LOHAN partied until 1 a.m. the day after being treated for "exhaustion."

SHIA LeBEOUF does full-frontal nudity in the new Sigur Ros video.

SCARLETT JOHANSSON & BRADLEY COOPER: Giving it another try?

CHARLIE SHEEN plans to retire after Anger Management.

MAD MEL UPDATE: Gibson parties until 4 a.m. at Maria Menounos' home.

GIULIANA & BILL RANCIC are expecting a boy.

BRET MICHAELS reviews Rock of Ages.

WOODY ALLEN spoke to the New York Times about four movies by Italian filmmakers that influenced him most profoundly.

EGYPT: News organizations declared Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood the winner of the country's first competitive presidential race on Monday just hours after the ruling military council issued an interim constitution granting itself broad power over the future government, all but eliminating the president's authority in an apparent effort to guard against just such a victory. After the last-minute power grab Sunday night, the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) pledged Monday to honor its promise to hand over power to the newly elected president by the end of this month.

SYRIA: The UN suspended its observer mission due to the danger from increasing levels of violence.

IRAN: Time is running out for a diplomatic solution to Western concerns about Iran's nuclear program, Israeli President Shimon Peres said Monday in an interview with CNN.

BABY MEERKATS: Let's go to the video.

RUPERT: The biggest domestic cat ever?

A PYTHON surprises a motel worker.

TURTLES & TORTOISES have terrifying sex organs.

GLEN CAMPBELL drops a video for his final single, "A Better Place," which includes a Josh Homme cameo.

BEACHWOOD SPARKS are advance streaming The Tarnished Gold.

THE BEACH BOYS: Highlights from several recent concerts are streaming via NPR.

RAMONA FALLS stopped by Oregon Public Broadcasting for a chat and mini-set.

PETER BUCK: "10 Million BC" is the first track from the fmr REM axeman's solo LP -- debuted on radio by the Dream Syndicate's Steve Wynn.

CEREMONY covers The Ramones "I Don't Wanna Be Learned/I Don't Wanna Be Tamed."

DAVID BYRNE & ST. VINCENT drop "Who" from their upcoming album, Love This Giant.

POP MUSIC: Are you ever too old for it? Let's talk about it.

RADIOHEAD'S drum tech died in a stage collapse.

THE BEST of 2012 (So Far), according to The Guardian.

THE POGUES get a memoir from accordionist James Fearnley.

THE POLARIS MUSIC PRIZE Long List is out.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted tops the chart with another 35 million on a mere 41 percent drop. This will be one of the sleeper hits of the summer, but will face stiff competition from Pixar's Brave next weekend.  Prometheus places again with 20.2 million on a steep 60 percent drop; it will still turn a tidy profit globally... but what might have been, eh?  Rock of Ages debuts at No.3 with 15.1 million, which seems problematic against a 75 million budget.  Snow White and the Huntsman checks into the fourth slot with 13.8 million on a likely relieving 40 percent drop; thereimagining has made 242.2 million worldwide against a reported 170 million production budget (and a larger rumored budget).  The debut of That's My Boy rounds out the Top 5 with 13 million, in which Adam Sandler begins to show he cannot turn out a 20 million opening for every awful project he does.  And against a 70 million budget, too.

LINDSAY LOHAN: Paramedics were called after she was "unresponsive" at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Marina del Rey -- but she was not hospitalized.

DRAKE is or is not facing arrest in the Chris Brown bar fight.

RYAN REYNOLDS & BLAKE LIVELY are nesting.

JONAH HILL is set to play a role in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained.

ALFRED HITCHCOCK: From silent film director to the inventor of modern horror.

ADAM SANDLER: That's My Boy is just the latest in a long string of excruciating comedies. Why is he still a box-office star?

RODNEY KING, whose beating by Los Angeles police in 1991 was caught on camera and sparked riots after the acquittal of the four officers involved, was found dead in his swimming pool Sunday at 47.

PRES. OBAMA publicly acknowledged for the first time on Friday that United States military forces had taken "direct action" against groups affiliated with Al Qaeda in Somalia and Yemen.

SYRIA: Syrian rebels have held meetings with senior US government officials in Washington as pressure mounts on the US to authorize a shipment of heavy weapons, including surface-to-air missiles to combat the Assad regime. Russia's chief arms exporter said Friday that his company was shipping advanced defensive missile systems to Syria that could be used to shoot down airplanes or sink ships if the United States or other nations try to intervene to halt the country's spiral of violence. The US government has enlisted Britain's help in a bid to stop a ship suspected of carrying Russian attack helicopters and missiles.

EGYPT: Turnout over two days of voting that ended on Sunday night will help delineate the legitimacy of the country's first post-uprising president, but the people's mandate may matter little with the military controlling crucial executive and legislative powers.

IRAQ: Thirty-two people were killed in a pair of car bombings that again targeted Shia pilgrims in Baghdad.

BABY RACOONS: On the deck. In the house. Sampling the nuts.

WILDLIFE EXPERTS trying to reunite a pair of giant tortoises who split up after a 115 year romance have shelled out 4,500 GBP - on a life-sized replica 'other woman.' It's not going as planned.

A MOOSE abruptly ends a 100 mph car chase.

IT'S A CROC EAT CROC world out there.

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE...

... with THE RASCALS!  I was delighted to find one of my fave clips, their cover of "Mickey's Monkey" in a medley with "Turn On Your Love Light."  A second live medley includes a pair of Rascals originals, "I've Been Lonely Too Long" and "Come On Up." Plus, a copy of "A Girl Like You" has returned to the Tube.  Round it out with the live-instudio version of the obligatory "Good Lovin'."

BEST COAST stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

MAYER HAWTHORNE stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD is streaming their Hypnotic Knights EP.

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT sings your favorite gum jingles.

LaBELLE: "Lady Marmalade." I coulda used a little more cowbell.

DAVID BOWIE: The A.V. Club considers The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars 40 years later. The Guardian reprints a vintage 1972 interview.

NPR's favorite songs and albums of 2012 (so far). Plenty of embeded audio.

THE BEST OF 2012 (so Far), according to SPIN.

THE BEATLES' ALBUMS, ranked by NME. They are wrong, of course. USA Today rates the 20 Best Beatles songs. They are wrong, of course.

CUTOUT BIN: From the Jam to Merle Haggard, from Bobby Hebb to the Meat Purveyors, from Joe Jackson to Billy Swan, plus The Who, Ted Leo, Booker T & the MGs, Guided by Voices and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.

NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases include: the film version of Rock of Ages, currently scoring 45 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; and That's My Boy, which is scoring 17 percent.

CHRIS BROWN sustained a nasty gash on his chin - apparently a wound from a bottle attack - after his entourage allegedly clashed with Drake's crew in a NYC nightclub brawl?

COURTNEY COX filed legal docs responding to David Arquette's divorce petition, and just like David ... she did it without a lawyer.

CHARLIE SHEEN talks to the NYT about Anger Management and and anger management.

JAKE GYLLENHAAL recently had some dates with his crush Minka Kelly, who had turned him down cold when he first asked her out last fall.

SCARLETT JOHANSSON does not like being labelled as 'the sexiest woman alive'.

ITALIAN police arrested ten people with alleged links to Greek anarchists, who are suspected of involvement in a series of attempted terrorist acts in Italy, Germany and France in recent years.

GITMO: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has asked to wear military-style clothing at his upcoming war crimes trial.

EGYPT's Supreme Constitutional Court, made up of judges appointed by Hosni Mubarak before his ouster last year, ordered the dissolving of the Islamist-dominated parliament and upheld the right of Mubarak's former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq to run for president. The rulings came only two days before the start of this weekend's runoff election between Shafiq and the candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood.

AFGHANISTAN: Fourteen schoolgirls were poisoned in Kabul. One day after ISAF said it would not conduct airstrikes on homes, the US Department of Defense said strikes on homes could occur.

A DOG steals food off the counter.

CAT & MOUSE game ends with a potentially fatal case of the Black Plague.

BULL FIGHT linked to pig threat.

BABY CHEETAHS at the National Zoo.

BOWERBIRDS are "Overcome With Light" in their newest video.

METRIC played a 6-song set at the UBS Forum.

SMASHING PUMPKINS is advance streaming Oceana via iTunes.

JONATHAN BOULET is streaming We Keep The Beat, Found The Sound, See The Need, Start The Heart.

DANIEL JOHNSTON played a Tiny Desk Concert at the offices of NPR.

SUPERCHUNK is streaming their cover of "Cruel Summer" via Spotify.

ELVIS COSTELLO: "The Other Side of Summer."

OF MONTREAL: Kevin Barnes talks to Spinner about returning to a more collaborative mode.

GILLIAN WELCH talks to the Austin Chronicle about how songs change, her fallow songwriting period and more... (Thx, LHB.)

PAUL WILLIAMS talks about his songs, both famous and obscure, with The A.V. Club.

JIMI HENDRIX & JIM MORRISON are headed toward the hologram treatment.

WORLD WAR Z: Brad Pitt's 170 million dollar zombie project is a nightmare.

THE LONE RANGER budget is back up to 250 million...and possibly over schedule.

THE KARDASHIANS: Khloe is undergoing fertility treatment. Kanye West wants to get Kim pregnant.

CHRISTINA APPLEGATE is not in Anchorman 2 yet.

PORTIA de ROSSI is set to play Lily Munster in the NBC reboot.

HUGH LAURIE is in negotiations to play the villain in the Robocop reboot.

THE 25 BEST SUMMER VACATION MOVIES, according to Complex.

TERROR in the USA: A federal court sentenced Haji Bagcho, an Afghan drug kingpin, to life in prison for conspiring to sell heroin in the US and use the proceeds to fund the Taliban.

SYRIAN government forces appeared to be preparing another massacre, in the town of Haffa. UN observers attempting to reach the town were fired upon. Rebel forces tried to smuggle civilians out of the town.

EGYPT's  parliament has for the second time approved an assembly to draft a new constitution after the first attempt was criticized for including too many Islamists... but the list of 100 names immediately triggered similar objections from liberals and Christians, raising the prospect of fresh legal challenges to the new assembly in the courts.

IRAN: The wide gap that remains between Iran and world powers over Iran's nuclear program is being filled by a diplomatic blame game, a week before talks are due to resume in Moscow.

A DOG nurses SIBERIAN TIGER CUBS... Mass hysteria!

50 CENT the GOOSE survives being shot seven times.

DOES A BEAR GO IN THE WOODS? Will he stop you from doing the same?

WOOFSTOCK: They are stardust; they are golden retrievers.