CASS McCOMBS performs "Windfall" at the Highland Park Masonic Lodge for Hobo FM.

LOS CAMPESINOS! play a Tiny Desk Concert.  And yet: This performance contains language not suitable for all audiences.

M.I.A. is advance streaming /\/\ /\ Y /\.

ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

THE GRATEFUL DEAD & THE BEACH BOYS: Live at the Fillmore East, April 27, 1971.

MAVIS STAPLES drops "You Are Not Alone" (written by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy) as an advance track.

EELS drop "Spectacular Girl" as an advance track.

BOOKER T & THE MG's: "Green Onions," live in '68.

FAITH NO MORE frontman Mike Patton talks to PopMatters about the band's reunion, his storied career, and massages from men in togas.

THE SUBMARINES talk to SPIN about their upcoming album, Blake's relation to The Great Gatsby author F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the difficulties writing, recording, and touring with your spouse.

WILCO did not renew its contract with Nonesuch, and is forming their own label.

TED LEO is reportedly considering retiring in 2011, citing low record sales and an "unsustainable" model for doing business.

LINDSAY LOHAN may have come with a profane message on her fingernails for the Los Angeles Superior Court when she appeared for her probation revocation hearing -- and it could spell more jail time.

MAD MEL UPDATE: Gibson is caught on tape admitting that he hit the mother of his love child, according to RadarOnline.

MEGAN FOX & BRIAN AUSTIN GREEN: Wedding photo.

ANGELINA JOLIE talks family matters with Parade magazine to promote Salt.

CAMERON DIAZ talks to Harper's Bazaar about her booty, which is clearly of more interest than Knight & Day.

ELLE MACPHERSON admits using a banned substance.

ROB LOWE wants to buy Miramax?

AL QAEDA: Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al Qosi, a Sudanese detainee held at Guantanamo, pled guilty to charges of conspiracy and material support for terrorism before a military commission Wednesday.

IRAN: The United Arab Emirates ambassador to the United States said Tuesday that the benefits of bombing Iran's nuclear program outweigh the short-term costs such an attack would impose.  He said Iran has not been deterred from supporting terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah now, when it doesn't have a nuclear arsenal. So why, he asked rhetorically, would Iran be more cautious in its support for terrorism if it did.

AFGHANISTAN: Why Kandahar locals turn to the Taliban.

THIS TORTOISE really digs having its shell brushed.

A 9-FT GATOR was euthanized in Oakland, FL.

SUPER SQUID Sex Organ Discovered. Hentai fans rejoice!

A ONE-ARMED, ONE-LEGGED MONKEY slaughters a man's chickens.

FANG ISLAND have a new video for "Careful Crossers."

SHE & HIM played a set for World Cafe Live.

THE CHURCH stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

YOUNG VEINS: Last July, Panic! at the Disco had finished a round of touring arenas to support its ambitious and critically lauded second album. Then Ryan Ross and Jon Walker abruptly quit to start the Young Veins, inspired by '60s British Invasion and California pop like the Zombies and Love.  Check 'em out.

OF MONTREAL dropped a new track "Hydra Fancies," in the Believer's 2010 Music Issue.

DUNGEN dropped "Marken Låg Stilla" as an advance track to their next LP.

LIZ PHAIR has a new album, Funstyle, available at her website. Some find it baffling.

JOHN LENNON: Roio has his 1972 King Biscuit Flower Hour.

ARTHUR LEE joins THE FUZZTONES on "7 and 7 Is." Because it's today.

PAUL WELLER is profiled by the Irish Independent.

SERGE GAINSBOURG: Joann Sfar's biopic is the peg for stories about his controversial catalog, his continuing influence, and his women.

THE FENDER TELECASTER at 60: Legendary guitarists, including Andy Summers and Graham Coxon, on why they love the iconic guitar.

PRINCE: "The Internet is completely over."

LINDSAY LOHAN was sentenced to 90 days in jail for violating her probation in her DUI case, followed by a 90-day inpatient rehab program.  She also got served with legal papers in a civil lawsuit while she was in the courtroom elevator yesterday.

MAD MEL UPDATE: Oksana Grigorieva not only has Gibson's vile and profane rants on tape, but she is also sitting on potentially explosive photos that will show her bloodied and bruised after a confrontation with the Oscar-winner.

JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT, who was great in (500) Days of Summer, is profiled in Details in advance of the opening of Christopher Nolan's Inception, which currently has a perfect score on the ol' Tomatometer..

GEORGE MICHAEL has been arrested after he crashed his car into a shop front in the early hours of the morning.

BRITNEY SPEARS admits in Cosmopolitan magazine that she'd never let her sons have careers in Hollywood.

JAMES BOND 23 remains indefinitely suspended (but not necessarily dead) due to MGM's financial troubles.

THE TOP 40 MOVIES FILMED IN CHICAGO, according to Chicago magazine. Guess which movie tops the chart?

IRAN has unveiled haircuts that according to officials are in line with Iranian and Islamic principles.

PAKISTAN: A former detainee held at Guantanamo Bay for nearly three years has been arrested in Pakistan on terrorism charges.  Privately, the US-Pakistan relationship is often marked by mistrust and double-dealing as Pakistan runs double agents against the CIA and the agency tries to penetrate Pakistan's closely guarded nuclear program.

IRAQ hopes for a spectacular oil boom to revive its political fortunes.

FRO the CAT: Rick-rolled.

DOG nurses a kitteh... Mass hysteria!

A PYTHON used by a South African fortune-teller to control the progress of teams in the World Cup was seized by animal welfare inspectors.

A BABY BIRD gets help from a new pair of shoes.

THE NEW PR0NOGRAPHERS delivered a sweet take on "Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk" at the Ed Sullivan Theater.

NEW RELEASES:  Stuff like Jimmie Vaughan and Kylie Minogue are streaming in full from Spinner, instead of stuff liek Robert Pollard or even Big Boi.  What's up with that?

R.E.M.: The double-disc reissue of Fables of the Reconstruction is streaming via KCRW.

SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS is advance streaming Disconnect from Desire.

WAVVES is still advance streaming King of the Beach, icymi over the holiday weekend. Because you shouldn't miss it. (Content warning.)

ADMIRAL RADLEY (Grandaddy frontman Jason Lytle and drummer Aaron Burtch along with Ariana Murray and Aaron Espinoza of Earlimart) is advance streaming I Heart California.  Advisory: This album contains explicit adult language.

MANFRED MANN: "Do Wah Diddy" and "The Mighty Quinn" are your Twofer Tuesday.

GANG OF FOUR singer / co-songwriter Jon King gets all academic with DIY, and discusses his views on songwriting, "subject-matter", and the secret to selling records but not selling out. (Thx, LHB.)

ROBERT CHRISTGAU talks to the L.A. Times about the end of the Consumer's Guide.

THE SADIES: Dallas Good talks to ChartAttack about the more spooky and psychedelic vibe onn the band's latest LP.

LOU REED: The Velvet Underground legend infuriates fans with a 'fearless night of non-rock' with Laurie Anderson and John Zorn.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE:  The Twilight Saga: Eclipse easily topped the weekend with 69 million.  The sparkly vampires have hauled in 161 million since opening on midnight Wednesday -- but one wonders whether the studio is entirely happy, given that New Moon made 164 million in its opening 5 days, absent a big holiday weekend.  July 4 is a bit of a confounder for franchises historically; this installment could still outgross the second by the end of its run.  The Last Airbender placed with 40.6 million (57 million since opening Thursday) against a 150 million budget.  A big drop next weekend could doom any hopes for a sequel and further tarnish the rep of M. Night Shamalayan.  Toy Story 3 showed with 30 million.  Its 49 percent drop was not unexpected over the holiday weekend, and it will break the 300 million barrier shortly, making it the odds-on favorite for the year's biggest grossing movie (yes, even counting Harry Potter later this year).  Grown-Ups drops even more steeply, but its 18.5 million puts it near recouping its 80 million budget.  Knight & Day rounds out the Top Five with 10.2 million, but it has only made 45.5 million domestic against a 117 million budget.

JENNA FISCHER married screenwriter Lee Kirk this weekend in a private ceremony.

CARRIE PREJEAN & KYLE BOLLER got hitched. 

MELISSA ETHERIDGE went to court Friday to formally end her partnership with Tammy Lynn Michaels, seeking joint custody of their 3-year-old twins.

LINDSAY LOHAN: Jasmine Waltz, the cocktail waitress who, according to reports, hit Lindsay Lohan in the wee hours of Friday morning, has denied striking the actress.

THE FRENCH HOTEL was arrested, then cleared, of pot charges at the World Cup.

HEATHER LOCKLEAR just completed a 30-day, in-patient rehab program for prescription drugs.

JESSICA SIMPSON is reportedly dating ex San Francisco 49ers tight end Eric Johnson.

THE HOBBIT: Delays could cost the production Ian McKellen.

IRAN allegedly sold Syria an advanced radar system in an arms transfer that took place in mid-2009.  Meanwhile, Sakineh Mohammadie Ashtiani, a mother of two, could be stoned to death at any moment under the terms of a death sentence handed down by Iranian authorities.

AFGHANISTAN: The 101st Airborne Division is now taking on the Taliban in "The Heart of Darkness."

TURTLECAM: Let's go to the video.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: A two-headed calf.

TABBY CAT rescued from a storm drain after four nights.

COWS stare unamazed as Shakespeare boosts milk production.

THE FOURTH of JULY WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with THE BEACH BOYS!  Because folks my age will always remember their mammoth July 4th concerts at the Washington Monument -- as with these 1980 takes o­n "Good Vibrations",  and "Do It Again." Given the time of year, I have to include this 1964 clip of "Surfin' U.S.A." which I think is from the same gig that produced these takes on "Little Deuce Coupe," "In My Room" and "Fun, Fun Fun." Their take on "Dance, Dance, Dance" from Shindig! later that year is like a slice of Christmas in July.  There's also a nifty twofer of "I Get Around" and "'When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)" from their first UK TV appearance o­n Ready Steady Go! The Jack Benny Hour produced these quick takes o­n "Barbara Ann" and "California Girls."  There's a primitive video for "Wouldn't It Be Nice" that starts with a cameo from Brian Wilson's dogs (Banana and Louie), who appear at the end of the Pet Sounds LP.  And I'll finish with a live version of "God Only Knows" from the 1967 European tour -- one of the last Brian would do for a decade or so.

RAY CHARLES performs "America The Beautiful" like no one else.

A MIX FOR AMERICA: Streaming via NPR.

INDEPENDENCE DAY: Bruce Springsteen, circa 1978, before it came out on The River.

THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER: From 2008, Hidden Track serves up 12 video versions. And the only ones not working now are Jimi Hendrix and Whitney Houston.

THE UNITED STATES prepares to celebrate the 233rd anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. As the Wikipedia notes, this is a little arbitrary: New Englanders had been fighting Britain since April 1775; the first motion in the Continental Congress for independence was made o­n June 8th; and the Congress voted 12-0 for independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain o­n July 2nd. Even so, the publication of the Declaration was momentous .  If you're not in DC, the best way to see and learn about the Declaration may be through the Charters of Freedom website. But you can watch Mel Gibson, Michael Douglas, Renee Zelleweger, Kevin Spacey, Wynona Ryder and other Hollywood folk read the Declaration, after a short introduction by Morgan Freeman.

Of course, the holiday more broadly celebrates the American Revolutionary War, and the Founders' unlikely victory. People with the highest standard of living and the lowest taxes in the Western World fought a sometimes unpopular war for our freedom. Early o­n, the Revolutionaries (also known as "Americans" or "Patriots") had the active support of about 40 to 45 percent of the colonial population. By 1779, there were more Americans fighting with the British than with Washington, which is why Washington needed help from the French, the Spanish and freed Blacks. You can separate fact from fiction regarding the sacrifices and fates of the Founders at Snopes. You can hear two-time Pulitzer Prize winner David McCullough read from the first chapter of his 1776 via NPR. Or watch a nifty clip on the drafing of the Declaration from the John Adams miniseries, which is running again on HBO tomorrow night.

DAVE ALVIN: Hey, baby, it's the "4th of July."

WAVVES is streaming King of the Beach, which was just named Best New Music by Pitchfork.

SLEIGH BELLS: Alexis Krauss talks to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about the adjustment period going from session musician and school teacher to unleashed frontwoman. 

CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS are profiled at PopMatters.

FRANZ NICOLAY (ex-Hold Steady) is interviewed at Largehearted Boy by Demander's Karen Kanan Correa about his chapbooks. I love that in the first segment, Franz mentions both oysters and snails without any reference to Spartacus.

DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS: Mike Cooley talks to The Boot about the band's country influences, and their opening slot for Tom Petty. (Thx, LHB.)

ARETHA FRANKLIN will duet with former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at a fundraising event for inner city children in Philly.

THE TOP 50 BEATLESONGS, according to Gibson.

THE BEST ALBUM COVERS, according to Flavorwire.

CUTOUT BIN: From Linda Ronstadt to the Ramones, from Sly & the Family Stone to the Housemartins, from Billy Bragg to William Shatner, plus X, the Steve Miller Band, Dick Dale, the Kinks, the Modern Lovers and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.

NOW SHOWING:  In addition to The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, which is scoring 50 percent on the ol' Tomatometer, The Last Airbender opened on Thursday with a Tomatometer reading of 06 percent.  Not looking good for M. Night Shamalayan, is it?

MAD MEL UPDATE: In one of the most explosive, racist and vile outbursts by a celebrity ever caught on tape, Mel Gibson told the mother of his love child that the way she was dressed would get her "raped by a pack of n***ers," according to RadarOnline.

TIGER WOODS will be a single man by the end of the day, perhaps for a lot less than the 750 million bucks reported earlier this week.

BRITNEY SPEARS was visited by social workers as part of an investigation by the L.A. Dept. of Children and Family Services into charges that the singer abused her two sons, says RadarOnline.

KELSEY GRAMMER's third marriage is coming to an end.

PEE-WEE HERMAN myy be headed back to the big screen, with an assist from Judd Apatow.

AFSHAN AZAD, who has appeared in four Harry Potter movies, was allegedly attacked at her home in Longsight in Manchester on May 21. Her father and brother have been charged with threatening to kill her.  Will anyone be shocked if this turns out to be an attempted honor killing?

JEFFREY JONES, best known for his portrayal of a high school principal in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," has been charged with a single felony count of failing to update his sex offender registration.

THE BEST SHOT MOVIES of 1998-2008, according to cinematographers polled by... American Cinematographer, natch. 

100 GREAT MOVIES Every Guy Must See.

THE 100 GREATEST MOVIE INSULTS in 10 minutes. Content Warning for language/sexual allusions.

TWIGGY: For the Fourth of July weekend, why not another look at the water-skiing squirrel? Great story. Compelling and rich.

A PUPPY near death was rescued from a deep slot canyon on the Utah-Arizona border. Video at the link!

SWEARING PARROT F***s Off.

SMUDGE the TERRIRER hits the open road on a classic motorcycle.

SHARON JONES & THE DAP-KINGS play "Got to Be the Way It Is" at Rock the Garden 2010.

DR. DOG stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic  for a session.

WE WERE PROMISED JETPACKS did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.

GOOD OLD WAR stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

LAURYN HILL is one of NPR's 50 Great Voices... and it was something of a coup to actually interview her.

TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS: "Here Comes My Girl."

BRIAN WILSON Reimagines Gershwin.

GUIDED BY VOICES is reuniting for the Matador Records 21st Anniversary bash in Vegas. Pavement, Sonic Youth and others are also headed to the desert.

PHOSPHORESCENT: Matt Houck talks to PopMatters about hitting the road and writing Here's to Taking It Easy, which he calls a "really fun, classic rock record."

VAMPIRE WEEKEND say they plan to take "more time" in recording their forthcoming third album, compared to their previous two records.

TIGER WOODS is said by the ever-reliable Sun to be giving ex-wife Elin Nordegren 750 million bucks in exchange for her never speaking of their divorce or his affairs in public. And that's not all. It's also said the deal will ban Tiger from bringing a girlfriend to meet the pair's two children until he marries her.

LINDSAY LOHAN concocted a diabolical plan to defraud an L.A. boutique out of thousands of dollars ... according to a lawsuit that was to be filed Wednesday. Plus: Lohan's 2007 DUI case may have plea bargained quickly because the cop who took custody of the cocaine mistook it for a breath mint and threw it in the trash.

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE became the all-time highest-grossing pic for midnight runs, taking in over 30 milion in a few hours.

ZOE SALDANA is engaged, but not to Spock.

SANDRA BULLOCK & JESSE JAMES trusted each other when it came to coming up with a value of the assets they each held and the debts they each owed for the purposes of their divorce.

BRITNEY SPEARS is accused of beating her sons with a belt, and feeding them food to which the were allergic and making them ill, according to fmr bodyguard Fernando Flores.

MILEY CYRUS is ditching her wholesome image... and her fans are ditching her.

30 POST-APOCALYPTIC VISIONS of the 21st Century.

TERROR in NYC: Counterterrorism officials have linked one of the nation's most wanted al Qaeda operatives to last year's thwarted plot to bomb the New York subway system.

AFGHANISTAN: Blogger Bill Ardolino has initial impressions from his embed with the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, in Musa Qala, Helmand province.

IRAQ: A rumor in Baghdad indicates the State of Law and Iraqiya parties may band together to form a government.

NISSA the BORDER COLLIE retrieves her Frisbee from a tree.

MANCHAS the CHIHUAHUA died protecting a four-year-old boy from two pit bulls that got into the owner's apartment.

70000 TURTLE EGGS are to be scooped up to save them from death in the oily Gulf of Mexico.

STOLEN PUPPY RECOVERED: Aw.