THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE...

...with the MOUNTAIN GOATS at the M-SHOP, which Pate fans know is a fabulous, initmate venue in the Memorial Union at Iowa State University. There are four clips in total, though I'm partial as always to "This Year" and especially the anthemic finale of "No Children." Nice to see the kids in Ames are still as enthusiastic for the indie as they were in the 80s. BONUS: John Darnielle taks songwriting with the Sydney Morning Herald.

SXSW 2007: The Stooges, Bloc Party, Hoodoo Gurus, the Watson Twins, and the Stax 50th Anniversary Soul Review are among the first batch of confirmed acts. Pete Townshend is the keynoter; the interview series will include Gilberto Gil, Emmylou Harris, David Byrne, Terry McBride, Ricki Lee Jones, Booker T and Joe Boyd. The more curious can check the speculation at Donewaiting's unofficial festival blog.

WILCO: Rbally has posted a 2004 Italian gig, and we all know that TweedyCo is bootleg-friendly, so it's a guilt-free download. You can also jukebox it o­n the ol' HM.

DAVID VANDERVELDE is a wunderkind from my neck of the woods, so it's sad that Stereogum mentioned him first. He cites ELO, T-Rex, Todd Rundgren, and Colin Blunstone of The Zombies as influences, while his new label name-drops David Bowie as well. I recommend you stream a few from HisSpace, particularly "Jacket" and "Feet of a Liar."

STEPHEN MALKMUS: The former Pavement frontman talks about being a family man and drawing inspiration from "obscure Jesus music" he hunts down o­n eBay and elsewhere.

MODEST MOUSE gave up trying to stop the latest leak, so you can stream "Dashboard" from Pitchfork or at TheirSpace.

SEEN YOUR VIDEO: Me and Zero request you watch "This Beat Goes o­n/Switchin' to Glide" by The Kings. Sure, you're laughing derisively now, but you will click when no o­ne is watching. If nothing else, it's an excellent job of editing archival footage.

MY MORNING JACKET frontman Jim James talks to the L.A. Times about the annoying Southern rock label, the new live album/DVD and how the band was hurt by Sony's rootkit debacle. ALSO: The Stranger compares MMJ and Band of Horses, complete with the annoying Southern rock label.

THE FAKE FICTIONS got a nice profile in the Chicago Reader. You can stream their primitive power-pop at TheirSpace.

APPLES IN STEREO: Stereogum has posted a new track from the New Magnetic Wonder album due in February. You can stream "Energy" in all its lo-fi Beatle-esque goodness from the Hype Machine.

THE CUTOUT BIN: This Friday's fortutitous finds o­n the ol' HM include: Cheap Trick - Come o­n, Come o­n; Redd Kross - Lady in the Front Row; Kelley Stoltz - Birdies Singing; The Essex Green - Don't Know Why (You Stay); Great Lake Swimmers - See You o­n The Moon!; The Wrens - Ex-Girl Collection; Viva Voce - From the Devil Himself; The Kinks - Mindless Child Of Motherhood; Rockpile (with Robert Plant) - Little Sister (yep, that o­ne); Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint - Tears, Tears And More Tears; Gnarls Barkley - The Last Time (theirs, not the Stones'); Love - Be Thankful For What You Got; Hot Chip - Sexual Healing (Marvin Gaye); Lady Sovereign - Pretty Vacant (Sex Pistols); Art Brut - Nag Nag Nag Nag; Thea Gilmore - Ever Fallen In Love (Buzzcocks); Luna - Everybody's Talking (Harry Nilsson); The Greenhornes with Holly Golightly - There Is An End; and Richard & Linda Thompson - Shoot Out The Lights.

LINDSAY LOHAN had to have her appendix removed, after being diagnosed with appendicitis Wednesday. That's something even a million in jewelry won't fix.

NOW SHOWING: This weekend's big releases are: the Shrek wannabe Happily N'Ever After, which is scoring a whopping 5 percent o­n the ol' Tomatometer; the janitor-turned-secret agent "comedy" Code Name: The Cleaner, which does better with a whopping 6 percent; inspirational classroom drama Freedom Writer, which scores 60 percent; and Alfonso Cuaron's dystopian Children of Men expands to 1200 screens with a score of 92 percent.

AWARDS SEASON: The Screen Actors Guild Award nominees are announced.

DAVID DENBY has an excellent essay in The New Yorker what is wrong (and right) with the movie biz in the Internet Age. I have mere minor quibbles with it; for example, i think that new theaters with stadium seating and built-in cup holders rawk.

MISS-CONDUCT: Will Miss USA Tara Conner pose for Playboy when she leaves rehab? The Donald would insist it be in "good taste." So I'm guessing Playboy will lose interest.

BRITNEY SPEARS is aware that her image has suffered lately, according to manager Larry Rudolph, who told USA Today: "Britney knows exactly what she needs to do. She's taking all the right steps. Britney Spears will be back and absolutely at the top of the entertainment industry very soon." And by "right steps," we mean "looking skanky and staying out until 2:30 a.m." But even better, the French Hotel reportedly tricked the pop tart into thinking she had jeopardized her chances of ever having an orgasm again by lighting the filter end of her cigarette. I couldn't make that up, so if the National Enquirer did, I congratulate them.

THE FRENCH HOTEL, meanwhile, is reportedly sleeping with a monkey. A female monkey named Brigitte Bardot. NTTAWWT.

JENNIFER LOPEZ cannot shake those questions about her desire to birth a child. But PEOPLE en Espa