THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

... with  SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK!  The seminal series of animated shorts premiered 40 years a go last month, so if you are certain age, they are seared in your memory.  If not, you're in for a treat. They covered any number of subjects, but most memorably multiplication in nuggets like "My Hero Zero", "Three Is a Magic Number" and "Lucky Seven Sampson".  The best-known short may be "Conjunction Junction", part of a grammar series including "Nouns" and "Verb - That's What's Happening".  The bicentennial brought forth a series of "America Rock" cartoons like "No More Kings" ,"The Preamble" to the Constitution, and the other best-known candidate, "I'm Just a Bill".

YO LA TENGO dropped by The Current studios to chat with Mary Lucia and play a few songs. Ira Kaplan talks to Fresh Air about the new LP.

RA RA RIOT stopped by WNYC Soundcheck or a preview of their synthier new album, Beta Love.

ICEAGE: the Danish post-punkers play a quick and dirty set at KEXP.

RON SEXSMITH has an interview plus tracks up at All Things Considered. His new album streams in full this week at Spinner.

SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES: "Tears of a Clown." Originally released in 1967, but it didn't become a hit until 1970. Sometimes, a hit takes time.

TITUS ANDRONICUS frontman Patrick Stickles talks to PopMatters about keeping overheads low on tour while being on a major label, the relationship between punk rock and masculinity, and what he’d be up to if the band ceased to exist.

EELS: Mark ‘E.’ Everett talks to The Line Of Best Fit about the making of Wonderful, Glorious... and about further topics with Drowned In Sound.

SLEATER-KINNEY, ranked by Stereogum.

30 EXCELLENT SONGS (With Parentheses in Their Titles).

CUTOUT BIN: From X to Harry Belafonte, from Fountains of Wayne to UFO, from the Rolling Stones to the Specials, plus Pete Townshend, Chris Stamey, Suede, The Crystals 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 Identity Thief, which is currently scoring 28 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; and Side Effects, currently scoring 82 percent.

MARILYN MANSON passed out on stage in Canada after coming down with the flu.

LINDSAY LOHAN is spending her days and most nights back in her teenage bedroom on Long Island?

KRISTIN CAVALLARI says JAY CUTLER (a/k/a Jerkface) proposed by text message and sent her ring in the mail.

KIM KARDASHIAN wants her legal battle with Kris Humphries to be over by the time she gives birth to her and Kanye West's child in July. So old-fashioned.

STAR WARS spinoffs reportedly include a young Han Solo saga, and a bounty hunter adventure with Boba Fett.

THE UNITED STATES is urging the European Union to designate Hezbollah a terrorist entity.

TUNISIA: Hundreds of protesters in Tunis and Gafsa called for regime change and clashed with police, continuing protests that began yesterday when opposition leader Chokri Belaid was shot dead by two unknown assassins.

ALGERIAN warplanes and attack helicopters repelled a three-hour coordinated assault on an army barracks by some 50 militants armed with rocket-propelled grenades.

IRAN's leader Khamenei rejected an offer from the US for direct talks over its nuclear program. The US and Western nations imposed a new round of economic sanctions on Iran.

SYRIA: Inching closer to the center of Damascus, rebels overran government positions on a key road. Government forces responded with air and artillery attacks. The Pentagon's top leaders said that they favored supplying weapons to rebels locked in a grinding civil war with the Syrian government, a position that put them directly at odds with the White House.

EGYPT: Several hardline Muslim clerics issued a fatwa calling for the killing of prominent opposition leaders. The government condemned the action and increased security around the opposition leaders' homes.

PYGMY GOAT, Happy Feet.

A DISABLED GOLDFISH gets an underwater wheelchair.

DOGS are now forced to be microchipped in England.

A HEN makes pancakes with the help of a new gadget.

UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA is "So Good At Being In Trouble."

THE MOUNTAIN GOATS stopped by Oregon Public Broadcasting for a session.

THE HELIO SEQUENCE stopped by World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

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

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED: Tracks from MBV, Youth Lagoon, Cloud Cult and more highlight the latest edition.

THE JAMES HUNTER SIX  is dropping a soulful new LP this month (produced by one of the Dap-Tone dudes); the title track is "Minute by Minute."

THE HOLLIES: "I Can't Let Go."

BRIAN ENO, interviewed by LAURIE ANDERSON.

CRAIG FINN writes for ClashMusic about Fightened Rabbit and their new track, "State Hospital."

THE 20 BEST-GLAM ROCK SONGS, according to The Guardian's Jon Savage.

"STAND BY YOUR MAN": An Oral History.

KRISTEN STEWART plans to dump ROBERT PATTINSON, a source tells RadarOnline.

RHIANNA... and JUSTIN BIEBER?  Given that she was spotted in court with the heinous Chris Brown, it seems unlikely.

KIM KARDASHIAN's doctor thinks Kim's unborn baby may be at risk, because of the stress Kris Humphries is causing by dragging out their divorce. Litigation is fun!

LEIGHTON MEESTER & ADAM BRODY are an item.

FERGIE pregnant? Josh Duhamel says there's no new news, which may be a denial.

PHIL SPECTOR: The HBO pic has a trailer online. Wigtastic.

NORTH KOREA: China said it was "extremely concerned" about North Korea's threat to go beyond a third nuclear test.

MALI: France announced it will begin pulling its nearly 4000 troops out of Mali in March, handing over operations gradually to the UN-backed AFISMA force of some 8000 troops."

SYRIA: After a lull, heavy fighting broke out in Damascus. Rebels said they had gone on the offensive against strategic targets in the city's southern neighborhood of Jabar.

IRAN: At the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation summit in Cairo, Ahmadinejad called for a strategic alliance with Egypt and proposed a loan to the cash-strapped country. Egypt's response was cool.

EGYPT: Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the opposition National Salvation Front coalition, denounced a fatwa that authorized the killing of NSF members. An NGO linked to the Muslim Brotherhood called for the National Council for Women and other women's rights associations to be abolished.

SLOTHS: Sink or swim?

THE WORLD'S LONGEST CAT has passed away.

LEAVE THE KID, TAKE THE CORN SNAKE: Not a line from The Godfather.

THE BOBCAT POPULATION is on the rise... in New Jersey.

SUEDE returns with "It Starts Ands With You."

THE dB's play a five-song set at Sound Opinions.

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

NIKI & THE DOVE stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session. 

BLACK HISTORY MONTH brings a soulful livestream from The Current.

PRINCE drops another new track, "Breakfast Can Wait."

THE SMITHEREENS: "Behind The Wall Of Sleep" Live on The Tube, 1987.

ROBYN HITCHCOCK spun tunes with Stereogum and talks about his new album, what’s on his reading list, and how eating falafel led to “Balloon Man.”

DJANGO DJANGO is profiled by Scotland's Sunday Mail.

LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM talks to Relix about his live disc, the music biz, and more...

VINYL sales rose a whopping 19 percent over the year before. It’s the fifth consecutive cycle in which purchases in the format have increased, each time to levels beyond any previous year in the history of accurate sales accounting.

BRITNEY SPEARS has a choice between two casinos, one of which is part of Caesars Entertainment Group.

JOHN TRAVOLTA failed to get a sexual assault claim sent to arbitration; it could go to a public trial.

MONICA & CHANDLER, together again?

FRANK OCEAN told police he was called a “f**got” during his brawl with Chris Brown, moments before Brown threatened to shoot him.  BTW, a district attorney says Brown likely faked his community service.

KATIE HOLMES is back dating, tentaively.

JUDY GREER scores a big advance for her first book.

DENMARK: Lars Hedegaard, president of the Danish Free Press Society and a critic of Islam, survived an assassination attempt outside his home.

BRITISH police named seven additional suspects in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing. All of them were said to be members of the Jamahiriya Security Organisation; two died in the Libyan revolution.

NORTH KOREA: South Korea said the UN would impose tougher sanctions if North Korea went ahead with a third nuclear test. North Korea threatened to go beyond a third nuclear test because of "hostile" UN sanctions. North Korea loaded a video on YouTube showing a US city in flames after missile attack.

IRAN: An ally of Ahmadinejad was arrested by his opponents, highlighting a schism in Iran's politics. Ahmadinejad traveled to Egypt, becoming the first Iranian leader to do so since 1979. Iran agreed to a new round of talks with world powers over its nuclear program.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: A spider that sounds like a motorcycle.

A KINKAJOU was captured in Wise County, TX.

A BABY ZEBRA debuts at the Phoenix Zoo.

A ROGUE OTTER ate £10,000 worth of an elderly couple's fish.

PATE REUNION UPDATE:  Jon, Mike & Jon (and we hope Ron) will be retaking a stage somewhere near Iowa State University on July 5th, 2013, just one short decade after their last reunion gig.  Clear your calendar for something transcendent, a train wreck, or both!  If you're on the Facebook, check in with the event page.

REG PRESLEY, lead singer of 60s rock band The Troggs, has died aged 71, following a bttle with lung cancer.  Here, then is "Wild Thing" and "Love Is All Around" for Twofer Tuesday -- plus "With a Girl Like You"as a bonus track.

NEW RELEASES from Jim James, Eels, Ron Sexsmith, The Bronx, Guards and more are streaming this week via Spinner.

THE BRYAN FERRY ORCHESTRA is advance streaming The Jazz Age, which re-imagines Ferry's work and the songs of Roxy Music as if they were performed by a 1920s jazz band.

CUFF THE DUKE is advance streaming Union. I dug it.

P^SSED JEANS is advance streaming Honeys.

MELODY'S ECHO CHAMBER drops “Je Me Perds De Vue” is a B-side to the "Crystalized" single.

ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK drop "Atomic Ranch" ahead of English Electric.

FRIGHTENED RABBIT: Scott and Grant Hutchison talk to Drowned In Sound about the importance of honest songwriting, the band’s fresh approach to recording and the transition to a major record label.

CHRISTOPHER OWENS: How self-doubt, touring and a brush with armed robbers inspired the medieval troubadour vibe of his debut solo album, Lysandre.

YO LA TENGO talks to Bon Appetit about their new foodie video and eating on the road. (Thx, LHB.)

ELTON JOHN's Top 10 Crazy Concert Costumes.

BRITNEY SPEARS has been in negotiations to do a residency in Las Vegas the past several months, and now she's one step closer to inking a deal.

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE denies calling Britney Spears a "b^tch," except possibly in that Britney way.

SUPERBOWL BLACKOUT: Boomer Esiason claims he was told that the Superdome power went out twice during Beyonce's halftime rehearsals. Just sayin'.

LINDSAY LOHAN decides to pay her old lawyer.

KEIRA KNIGHTLEY talks acting, fashion and such at Marie Claire.

IRON MAN 3: The extended Super Bowl spot.

THE UNITED STATES expects to keep some troops in Afghanistan after the NATO mission ends in December 2014. The US also is developing new rules for its cyberwarfare program to address growing security concerns.

IRAQ: The head of the Awakening warned that al Qaeda is returning to Anbar province.

IRAN could consider a new round of talks between Iran and six world powers over its nuclear program. Delaying tactic?

LEBANON: A judge issued arrest warrants for two top Syrian intelligence officials.

SYRIA: The leader of the rebel Syrian National Coalition called on President Assad to respond to his offer for a dialogue.

A BABY PANDA and her Mom.

IRANIAN SPACE MONKEY: A senior Iranian space official says one of two official photos of its famed simian space traveler depicted the wrong monkey, but that the primate really did fly up into orbit and return safely.

MARTA was voted MVP of Puppy Bowl IX.

POLAR BEARS: Not in as bad a shape as the conventional wisdom had led us to believe.

BABOONS vs SAUDIS: Who you got?

SATURDAY was a record-shattering day of traffic here; thanks to everyone for stopping by!

PATE REUNION UPDATE:  Jon, Mike & Jon (and we hope Ron) will be retaking a stage somewhere near Iowa State University on July 5th, 2013, just one short decade after their last reunion gig.  Clear your calendar for something transcendent, a train wreck, or both!  If you're on the Facebook, check in with the event page.

TEGAN & SARA: The twins get "Closer" on Kimmel.

MY BLOODY VALENTINE released mbv, their first LP in 21 years, to stream and buy. The Quietus and NME are among those with track-by-track analyses.

SCREAMING FEMALES are advance streaming their Chalk Tape EP.

JENN GRANT plays songs from The Beautiful Wild at WNYC Soundcheck.

SAM COOKE & JACKIE WILSON unexpectedly meet up on "Everybody Loves To Cha Cha Cha."

ROBYN HITCHCOCK talks Alfred Hitchcock (no relation) at WNYC Soundcheck.

BRENDAN BENSON talks to Stereogum about parenthood and premieres the video for “Happy All The Time.”

THOM YORKE talks to All Songs Considered about Atoms For Peace.

MGMT have cited Aphex Twin and house music as influences during writing their forthcoming album.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Warm Bodies was the hottest this weekend, with a 19.5 million debut against a 30 million budget.  Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters plummets 53 percent to place with 9.2 million; even so, this has about 70 million in worldwide receipts aginst a 50 million budget.  Silver Linings Playbook climbed a notch to show with 8.1 million on a leggy 14.1 percent drop.  Mama drops two to the fourth slot with 6.7 million on a 49 percent drop.  Zero Dark Thirty rounds out the Top 5 with 5.3 million on a 45percent drop. I wonder whether the predominant male interest in the Super Bowl accounts for SLP doing better relative to Oscar competitor ZD30.  After all, below the fold, Bullet to the Head debuted in sixth place with 4.5 million against a 55 million budget.  Apparently, the success of The Expendables does not imply a residual audience for Schwarzenegger or Stallone separately.

PENELOPE CRUZ & XAVIER BARDEM are expecting their second child.

JUSTIN BIEBER: More weed, more problems. Plus codeine?

LINDSAY LOHAN is desperately trying to hire new counsel.

49'ERS FRANK GORE & MICHAEL CRABTREE prepped for the Super Bowl in a Nawlins strip club.

CHRISTINA RICCI is engaged.

AMANDA BYNES moves out of her NYC pad after an eviction threat.

JEREMY LONDON is off the hook in his domestic violence beef.

ED KOCH, the master showman of City Hall, who parlayed shrewd political instincts and plenty of chutzpah into three tumultuous terms as New York’s mayor with all the tenacity, zest and combativeness that personified his city of golden dreams, died Friday. He was 88.

NORTH KOREA: Kim Jong Un has told his frontline troops to prepare for war and has issued martial law for North Korea, South Korean media report.

THE UNITED STATES said it would conduct its own investigation of the suicide bombing today at the US Embassy in Ankara that killed two people, and warned Americans to avoid US diplomatic facilities in the country.

ALGERIA: The UK and Algeria agreed to strengthen their strategic partnership by sharing intelligence and cooperating in counterterrorism.

LIBYA: The European Union agreed to help Libya with border security for the next two years. The UK pledged to provide military trainers and police advisers. A Benghazi police station was bombed but no one was hurt.

SYRIA: US Secretary of State Clinton said Iran has stepped up its military and financial support to the Syrian government.

EGYPT: Thousands of protesters hurled stones and firebombs at President Morsi's palace gates as security forces fired tear gas and water cannons; at least 48 people were injured. More demonstrations occurred across the country.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: A horse plays the flute with his nose.

86 CAMELS died in a fire at a camel farm in southwest Germany. You're gonna cry.

A 15-FT GIANT PYTHON babysits for a 13-year-old boy in China.

A PIGLET is convinced it's a dog. That'll do.