GNARLS BARKLEY drops the video for "Run," which features a cameo from Justin Timberlake and seems inspired in part by the 80s TV show Graffiti Rock.  BONUS:  It looks like ?uestlove has leaked another track from the upcoming Gnarls LP.

NEW RELEASES: The Gutter Twins, What Made Milwaukee Famous, The Acorn and more are streaming in full via Spinner this week.  Kathleen Edwards releases Asking For Flowers.  The Felice Brothers make their Dylanesque, rootsy debut.  White Hinterland is streaming demos from an album recommended by LHB.

THE GUTTER TWINS, a/k/a Mark Lanegan + Greg Dulli, are profiled in the Seattle P-I, calling them "the Beast and the Beast."

KATHLEEN EDWARDS talks to the NYDN, Country Standard Time and the Seattle Times about her new album and hockey. (Thx, Chromewaves.)

RAY DAVIES:  Fresh Air mashes up a 1995 interview with Terry Gross about The Kinks and more with tracks from Ray's new solo LP, put together by Dave Davies (from the Philly Daily News, not Ray's brother), streaming on demand via NPR.

VAN HALEN:  The tour has hit a bump.  Eddie Van Halen is undergoing a battery of comprehensive medical tests to determine a defined diagnosis and recommended medical procedures.  I'm pretty sure that is deliberatley vague.

WILCO played "Hate It Here" and "Walken" on the Peacock Saturday night, so you can stream them via RedLasso for your Twofer Tuesday.

VAMPIRE WEEKEND's tour of the UK was highlighted by gastric distress and a hit-and-run incident.

THE ZOMBIES are touring behind their 1968 album Odessey & Oracle, for the first time.

SHELBY LYNNE pays tribute to the late Dusty Springfield with nine covers on her new LP, which earned a feature on Weekend Edition, streaming on demand via NPR.  The idea was suggested by... wait for it... Barry Manilow.

JEFF HEALEY, the blind Canadian rock and jazz musician, died Sunday after a battle with cancer, friends said. He was 41.

AMY WINEHOUSE has been diagnosed with impetigo, a highly contagious bacterial skin infection that causes pimple-like lumps.

WINONA RYDER & BLAKE SENNETT (of Rilo Kiley, The Elected) engaged?  Denied, unverified...

KATE HUDSON with a baby bump (and Owen Wilson) in Miami?  The bikini pics say otherwise.  What we do know is that Hudson has no idea who Katherine Heigl is.  It's tempting to say catty, but it is more likely flaky.

DREW BARRYMORE announced on Monday's Oprah Winfrey Show that she is donating a million bucks to the World Food Programme to help feed children in Africa.  Frolicking on the beach with bf Justin Long must agree with her.

JOHNNY DEPP helped David Hasselhoff resolve his divorce by presenting him with the barbers chair used in his movie Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street.

THE FRENCH HOTEL hit the town with... a Buddhist monk?

BRITNEY SPEARS:  Paparazzo Adnan Ghalib has been seen with another woman - fueling rumors his romance with the pop wreck is over for good.  He has been getting cosy with LA waitress Amanda Pagel.  Maybe dating the crazy woman seemed less compelling once her dad got control of her money.  Or maybe dad had him checked.

JAMIE LYNN SPEARS, the knocked-up 16-year-old sister, went shopping for baby clothes in light blue.

ELLEN PAGE: The infamous SNL lesbian sketch is online, and the rumors dissected at Wired's Underwired blog.

JERI RYAN and her husband, chef Christophe Eme, are the parents of a baby girl.  I just hope Barack Obama sent her a nice gift basket.

VICTORIA'S SECRET has gotten "too sexy?"  Cue Vader.  And Right Said Fred.

MARION COTILLARD is "in shock" over the reaction to her 9/11 conspiracy theorizing.  Her rep claims the comments -- which included doubts about the 1969 moon landing -- were taken out of context.  Well, she is French.

TURKEY is "clarifying" prior reports that scholars from 23 Turkish universities were working on a 'reform" version of the Hadith.

IRAN:  The United Nations Security Council has escalated the pressure over Iran's nuclear program by imposing more economic sanctions on Teheran.  It was immediately dismissed by Iran as illegal and illegitimate.   The sense of a diplomatic win was tempered. "The Iranians have beat the international community back so hard," said a US official. "The snail's pace (of diplomacy) is letting them enrich uranium. They're playing us all."  But at the Counterterrorism Blog, Victor Comras writes that the new sanctions appear to go well beyond previous resolutions, and for the first time may actually have some bite.

IRAQ should build on a recent string of economic and budgetary successes by strengthening its oil and banking industries, the US Treasury's top international adviser said.  US News reports on "Baghdad's New Normal."  After almost five years of war, many young Iraqis, exhausted by constant firsthand exposure to the violence of religious extremism, say they have grown disillusioned with religious leaders and skeptical of the faith that they preach.  The US military claims to have proof that armed groups supported by Iran are trying to sabotage Iraq's US-backed Awakening Councils.

KNUT UPDATE:  Now weighing 22 stone, with six-inch claws, the polar bear is a little less cute than he was as a cub.

CHARLIE BROWN, a black-and-white cat, is down to seven lives after surviving a tornado and a fire in Clinton, Ark.

WARNING:  A Chinese restaurant diner has been paid compensation after a fat cat fell through the roof and landed on him.

MOCHA the ELEPHANT has been fitted with an artificial limb after stepping on a landmine at the Thai-Burma border.

A RAT named TONY BLAIR has launched a career as an artist, causing a stir in art circles with his latest masterpiece sculpted entirely out of avocado.

THE RUTLES will get together to celebrate its 30th anniversary of All You Need Is Cash at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood on March 17.  Organizers say it will be the first time Dirk, Barry, Stig and Nasty have appeared together since the program was made.  If you don't have time to watch the whole thing, you can spare a few minutes for "Hold My Hand" (from the Ed Sullivan Show) and "Cheese and Onions" from the Yellow Submarine Sandwich soundtrack.

AMERICAN MUSIC CLUB stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set you can stream on demand via NPR.  Or you can stream the new album via Merge.

BOB MOULD is interviewed by Reveille about albums as documents, the Twin Cities and more.  Plus, the video press kit for the new album is embedded at the link.

STEPHEN MALKMUS is not just an indie icon; he's also a master of Scrabble.

STEVE EARLE & ALLISON MOORER stopped by WFUV for a chat and mini-set you can stream on demand via NPR.  It was recorded last October, but it was new to me.  Earle also talks to Canada's Hour about prison, Iraq and more.

THE BLUEGRASSS SCENE in NYC?  The New York Times is all over it.

THE BLACK CAB SESSIONS:  The Guardian's Tom Templeman finds the smallest, quickest and hippest gig in town in the back of a London black cab, where he held the boom mike for Spoon's Britt Daniel, who plays "I Summon You."  That's in glorious Quicktime, but you can see it on YouTube also.

DUFFY offers a track-by-track breakdown of her debut album, not yet available in the States.  You can, however, stream a few tracks from DuffySpace.

ROLLING STONES singer Mick Jagger escaped an assassination plot hatched in 1969 by the Hells Angels, a new BBC documentary has claimed.

ACE FREHLEY says he's laid down the law, forbidding booze or drugs among all band and crew members along for his solo tour.

PETE DOHERTY is reportedly working with his former Libertine bandmate Carl Barat on a musical.

AMY WINEHOUSE is being paid £500,000 by a top fashion house for a single appearance.  On other good news, police will be taking no further action against the troubled siger in connection with their ongoing investigation into an allegation of an attempt to pervert the course of justice that has her husband incarcerated.

HEATH LEDGER:  DEA agents have ruled out a pair of doctors from Los Angeles and Houston as the sources of the OxyContin and Vicodin found in the bloodstream of late movie star.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE:  Will Farrell's Semi-Pro won the top slot with 15.2 million dollars -- a figure that qualifies as a flop for Farrell and an ignominious end to New Line Studios.  It is about half of what most predicted it would mke.  Vantage Point slips to second and has now grossed a 41 million total, exceeding the production budget.  The Spiderwick Chronicles fell a respectible 33.3 percent, but has made only 55 million on a 90 million budget.  The Other Boleyn Girl snuck into fourth place with a mere 8.3 million -- a high per screen average, but it remains to be seen if it will have legs.  That put Jumper in fifth place, having made 66 million on an 85 million budget.  Step Up 2 and Fool's Gold also dropped two slots.  Penelope debuted in eighth with four million.  No Country For Old Men rode the Oscar back into the Top Ten, placing just behind Penelope.  The adorable Juno rounds out the Top Ten, having cleared over 135 million here and over 179 million worldwide to date.

ELLEN PAGE, who played the adorable Juno, poked fun at rumors she is a lesbian in a SNL sketch.  NTTAWWT.

BRITNEY SPEARS had her personal shrink, and a court appointed doctor chauffeured to her house for a personal visit, which is evidence the pop wreck is complying with court orders and treatment schedules.

SCARLETT JOHANSSON is up for auction on eBay today.  If you get that date, just don't call her a grungy teenager.

COLIN FARRELL has a new addiction -- taking Russian-style steam baths while covered in honey.

MARILYN MANSON & EVAN RACHEL WOOD engaged?  The 20-year-old actress is sporting a rock...

JENNIFER LOPEZ & MARC ANTONY have named their kids after cartoon characters.

COURTNEY COX is looking like Demi Moore these days.

MILEY CYRUS, a/k/a Hannah Montana, has an open invitation for Ryan Cabrera.

MARION COTILLARD, who received an Oscar last month for her performance as singer Edith Piaf in La Vie En Rose, is a 9/11 conspiracy theorist.  She's not too sure about the moon landing, either.

PRINCE HARRY returned home to Britain Saturday after a top secret layover in the desert and a debriefing at a Nato base.  US magazine also has a video of the prince in Afghanistan discussing his service, what Princess Diana would think, and corresponding with his father.

ISLAMIST TERROR in IRELAND?  Three Afghan men remain in Garda custody in Co Kerry on suspicion of terrorist activity.  BTW, Ireland is not involved in Afghanistan or Iraq.  But plenty of infidels live there.

IRAQ:  A US military helicopter fired a guided missile to kill a wanted AQI leader from Saudi Arabia who was responsible for the bombing deaths of five American soldiers, a spokesman said Sunday.  The strike was based on intelligence gathered in the Mosul area -- one of the last areas where AQI has a sizable presence.  Even so, gunmen on Friday kidnapped Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho in Mosul, police and the church said.  The US military also announced the capture of an insurgent leader in Diyala province who was recruiting and training women, including his wife, to wrap themselves in explosives and blow themselves up - the latest sign that AQI plans to keep using women to carry out homicide attacks.  The military also said Saturday it had captured a sniper instructor in Baghdad who had been trained by Iranians.  US casualties dropped in February, while Iraqi casualties rose slightly.  The Bush administration believes a halt in troop reductions in Iraq after July is needed in part to ensure a large enough force is present to provide security for local elections, a senior administration official said Friday.  And what I had suspected last Tues/Wed.

WILBEAR completes the cute polar bear cub trifecta, though this time the mom has not been a threat to the cub.  Let's go to the video.

MARCH OF THE PENGUINS:  The Daily Mail has incredible pics of thousands of king penguins instinctively herding their recently born young into giant huddles to stop them freezing to death on South Georgia, a British territory close to the Falklands.

A HUMPBACK WHALE startles two kayakers on the calm Pacific waters of Hawaii, before it is beamed aboard the Enterprise.  Pics at the link.

A FUGITIVE MACAQUE MONKEY bites three people in Spokane, WA.  Video at the link.

A PARAGLIDING CHIHUAHUA was rescued from a tree more than 100 feet above the ground after a joy flight went horribly wrong down under.  Video at the link.

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with the DAVE CLARK FIVE!  Singer and keyboardist Mike Smith passed away yesterday at 64 years old, just before.his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 10th.  Wherever he is now, I hope he's "Glad All Over," which hit No.6 on the US charts in April 1964.  The DC5 had several more hit songs in the US during 1964-67, including "Bits and Pieces" (No. 4, May 1964), "Cant You See That Shes Mine" (No. 4, July 1964), "Because" (No. 3, September 1964), the fabulous "Catch Us If You Can" (No. 4, September 1965), "Over And Over" (No. 1, December 1965), and "You Got What It Takes" (No. 7, May 1967).  BONUS: "Any Way You Want It."  DOUBLE BONUS: "Do You Love Me?" 

YACHT ROCK:  Former Doobie Brother Michael McDonald talks to Time Out NY about the Internet comedy serial and more.

TILLY & THE WALL are streaming a new track, "Beat Control," that's more dance-y than tap-dance-y, but very catchy.

ISOBEL CAMPBELL & MARK LANEGAN are re-teaming for a second album of raw duets with a country edge.  A good excuse to relink to "Ramblin' Man," which is not a cover.

THE RAVEONETTES continue their blog interview tour at You Ain't No Picasso.

BLACK MOUNTAIN is creating quite a stir with its muscular progressive and neo-psychedelic sound.  The quintet is riding the wave of buzz for their sophomore LP, according to bassist Matt Camirand: "The crowd response is inspirational. People are losing their sh-t. It's f---ing sweet."  Though NBC doesn't make it easy, you can watch 'em play "Stormy High" for Conan if you select Feb. 22nd, Act 5, at the link.

MAGNETIC FIELDS:  Is that frontman Stephin Merritt singing the Wrigley's gum ad that aired during Wednesday night's episode of American Idol?

DAVENDRA BANHART, a leading practitioner of what he does not like to have called "freak folk," has posted his own personal interactive "Dress Me" doll on his website.

KEITH RICHARDS, LORD of the UNDEAD, dishes on Mick Jagger, Led Zeppelin and more...

CUTOUT BIN:  From The Archies to The Zombies, from Muddy Waters to Thunderclap Newman, from Prince to Billy Bragg, this Friday's fortuitous finds can be jukeboxed or streamed individually on the Pate page at the ol' HM.

BRADGELINA:  Jolie (w/ Gen. David Petraeus above) penned a Washington Post op-ed about the refugee crisis in Iraq: "My visit left me even more deeply convinced that we not only have a moral obligation to help displaced Iraqi families, but also a serious, long-term, national security interest in ending this crisis..."

NEW RELEASES:  This weekend's wide releases are Will Ferrell's Semi-Pro, which is currently scoring 24 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; the pig-nosed fantasy drama Penelope, which is currently scoring 55 percent; and Scarlett Johansson & Natalie Portman in The Other Boleyn Girl, which is scoring 54 percent (though it makes 73 percent among top critics). No Country For Old Men hopes to capitalize on its Best Picture Oscar by expanding back to 2000 screens.

BRITNEY SPEARS flummoxed staff at the Betsey Johnson on Melrose Ave. this month by turning up with a Dolce & Gabbana dress she wanted the store to copy - in all white - to be ready by that evening.

DENISE & CHARLIE:  Sheen is now urging viewers to boycott the upcoming E! series starring ex-wife Richards and their two young children.

LINDSAY LOHAN talks to Paper magazine on the chances of her reviving her career after her troubled past year.  The mag's blog has outtakes from her photo shoot, in which she wears clothes.  Speaking of which, Hef would like Li-Lo to reprise her Marilyn Monroe tribute for Playboy.

HEATH LEDGER:  Federal drug investigators are probing two doctors over the actor's untimely death, according to the New York Daily News.  Authorities want to know if the drugs were prescribed illegally. A law enforcement source told the paper: "It's not clear if there was any wrongdoing."  Aussie TV has aired excerpts from Ledger's Nick Drake video.

THE SIMPSONS:  Dallas QB Tony Romo reportedly thinks gf Jessica will have trouble winning country music fans.  Ouch.  Meanwhile, kid sis Ashlee confirms she is wearing a promise ring from her bf, rocker Pete Wentz, because he has yet to ask her creepy dad-manager Joe's permission.

OWEN WILSON & KATE HUDSON are hooking up again, a Wilson insider tells US magazine.

ROSIE O'DONNELL is plotting a return to network television.  She can't quit you.

BOY GEORGE: The former Culture Club singer, pleaded not guilty to the charge of chaining a Norwegian male escort to the wall of his Shoreditch home.

BEN CHAPMAN, who played the "Gill Man" in the 1954 3-D classic, Creature from the Black Lagoon, passed away Thursday of congestive heart failure in Honolulu. Chapman served in the Marines in the Korean War and received a Silver Star, a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts.  He was 79

THE JUSTICE LEAGUE looks to be back on for a Summer 2009 release.

IRON MAN:  New trailer.  New Goodness.

PRINCE HARRY, third in line to the English throne, has been fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, spending the past 10 weeks with the lives of British troops in his hands in his key role as a battlefield air controller.  The prince has seen action, called in airstrikes, and done patrols,   He was told about his deployment by his grandma, the Queen.  Though this had leaked in a small way about eight weeks ago, emergency plans to extract Prince Harry were being drawn up after Matt Drudge took the story global.  He should not plan on a vacation in the UK anytime soon.

IRAN:  Pres. Ahmadinejad declared on Thursday that Iran was the world's "number one" power, as he launched a bitter new assault on domestic critics he accused of siding with the enemy.  The comments came a day after former top nuclear negotiator Hassan Rowhani launched an unprecedented attack on Ahmadinejad's foreign policy, accusing him of using "coarse slogans and grandstanding."

IRAQ:  US and Iraqi forces should be in full control of Mosul by the end of July, according to Col. Michael A. Bills, commander of 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment.  Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen said the Joint Chiefs are preparing for a new president, but warns of a "chaotic situation" and would "turnaround the gains we have achieved," in the event of a precipitous withdrawal.  US-backed Sunni volunteer forces, which have played a vital role in reducing violence in Iraq, are increasingly frustrated with the US military and the Iraqi government.  Since Feb. 8, thousands of fighters in restive Diyala province have left their posts in order to pressure the government and its American backers to replace the province's Shiite police chief.

BILLY the BOXER has adopted an abandoned baby goat as his surrogate child.  He sleeps with the goat, licks her clean, and protects her from any dangers at Pennywell Farm wildlife centre at Buckfastleigh, near Totnes, Devon.  Even more awww...some pics at the link.

TINK & PINK:  A Dachshund adopts a piglet.  Awww...some pics at the link.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT:  A suicide squirrel takes down the grid in Bend, Oregon. KTVZ notes that these militants cause tens of thousands of costly blackouts every year.

THE "BIRD BOY":  Russian investigators say he is suffering from "Mowgli syndrome" - referring to the character from The Jungle Book who was abandoned and raised in the wild.

A RARE LEOPARD CUB, born 14 weeks ago, made her public debut at a UK zoo under the watchful eye of her mother Ascha.  Awww...some pics at the link.

THE B-52's have a new album Funplex, -- the band's first collection of fresh material since 1992 -- coming next month.  Kate Pierson says it's influenced by New Order, but the advance download of "Hot Corner" is accurately described by guitarist Keith Strickland as "loud, sexy rock & roll with the beat pumped up to hot pink."  You can stream it via the ol' HM.  To balance it off, I went with the video for the wistful "Deadbeat Club."

SHEARWATER has a new album, Rook, coming in June on Matador, which posted "Rooks" as an advance track for download.

WILCO & JOHN DOE played DC's 9:30 Club last night, so you should be able to stream the gig on demand now via NPR.

NICOLE ATKINS stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set you can stream on demand via MPR.

THE RAVEONETTES continue their blog interview tour at Chromewaves.

BUDDY MILES, who co-founded and played drums in Band Of Gypsys with Jimi Hendrix, passed away Feb. 26 in Austin, Texas, at the age of 60. A cause of death has yet to be announced.

SUPERGRASS has a little harder edge in the new video for "Bad Blood" than I remember them having in the past... but it has been awhile, hasn't it?

JEFF MANGUM, formerly of Neutral Milk Hotel, is profiled in Slate as the J.D. Salinger of Indie Rock.

BASIA BULAT, the singer-songwriter first promoted by Arcade Fire member Howard Bilerman, gets a twofer at the World Cafe, which you can stream via NPR.

LOU REED, JOHN FOGERTY and TOM HANKS are among the presenters at this years Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

CULT of the iPod:  Apple has become the second largest music retailer in the US, only trailing Wal-Mart.

AMY WINEHOUSE is being begged by friends to return to rehab - fearing that she is "getting back to her worst," according to the ever-reliable Sun.  The troubled singer reportedly will launch a line of cosmetics and clothes for all the teenage girls who want to look like her.

BRITNEY SPEARS:  Paparazzo bf Adnan Ghalib is reportedly bragging to friends that she is going to have his baby, according to the ever-reliable Star magazine.  Which leads the tab to point to a current bulge which may be a bag of Chee-tohs, natch.  Meanwhile, a federal judge officially rejected a civil rights challenge to the pop wreck's conservatorship case, allowing her father to maintain his temporary control of her $100 million estate.

THE McCARTNEYS:  Intimate details of Sir Paul's divorce from Heather Mills will be made public by a High Court judge, due to the "overwhelming interest" the case has attracted.  Sources close to the case have said they expect Mills to receive between £20 million and £30 million - a huge sum, but less than some estimates.

JACKO will avoid foreclosure on his Neverland Ranch property with a new loan, a Jackson insider told CNN Wednesday.

TOM-KAT UPDATE:  Holmes' rep denies OK! magazine's new cover story, which asks whether the Stepford wife of Cruise is expecting.

NICOLE KIDMAN's rep says the pregnant star didn't down wine at the Academy Awards, denying a Cindy Adams item in the New York Post.

BRADGELINA will have their next child in France to honor the actress's late French-Canadian mother, according to the ever-reliable Sun, which also reports Jolie is not pregnant with twins.  The Daily Mail, otoh, claims Pitt has confirmed to friends that they are having twins.  US Weekly speculates that Jolie's last-minute backing out from a pre-Oscars party where she and Pitt would run into Pitt's ex, Jennifer Aniston, was "either very Machiavellian or very passive-aggressive."

THE SIMPSONS:  Jessica is headed for Kuwait to do a show for the troops on March 10.  Sister Ashlee was spotted with what appears to be an enagement ring at a signing of her new CD in NYC.

ORLANDO BLOOM may need to shower more often to keep his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Victoria's Secret model Miranda Kerr -- according to the ever-reliable Star magazine.

DUMBLEDORE!  Irish actor Michael Gambon, 67, who plays the Hogwarts headmaster in the Harry Potter franchise, is involved in an unusual love triangle with his wife of 45 years, Lady Anne Gambon, and movie set designer Philippa Hart, who's 25 years his junior and gave birth to his baby last May.

JENNY McCARTHY will not be be walking down the aisle with Jim Carrey: "What is it a guarantee of? I'll be yours forever? I'll be faithful? Bull!"

SUMMER GLAU talks to The A.V. Club about going from a ballerina to the human weapon River Tam in Firefly and Serenity and the "good" Terminatrix on The Sarah Connor Chronicles.  She really wants to be in a Western.

ISLAMISM at HARVARD:  Harvard University has moved to make Muslim women more comfortable in the gym by instituting women-only access times six hours a week to accommodate religious customs that make it difficult for some students to work out in the presence of men.

TURKEY is preparing to publish a document that represents a revolutionary reinterpretation of Islam - and a controversial and radical modernization of the religion.  According to Fadi Hakura, an expert on Turkey from Chatham House in London: "You can't say, for example, that the verses of violence override the verses of peace. This is used a lot in the Middle East, this kind of ideology."

IRAN:  Russia threatened to back further UN sanctions over Iran's nuclear program unless it halted uranium enrichment in the next few days.  Pres. Ahmadinejad said that Iran's recently launched research rocket was built in just nine months without using any foreign models.  A top cleric criticized Pres. Ahmadinejad for his ongoing "coarse" verbal assaults against Israel, the AFP news agency reported.

IRAQ:  The presidential council rejected the bill setting up provincial elections, sending it back to parliament for further review.  The three-member panel, however, approved the 2008 budget and another law that provides limited amnesty to detainees in Iraqi custody.  The leader of the Supreme Islamic Council of Iraq called for the creation of an autonomous Shia region to help quell the ethnic conflict in Iraq.  Baghdad's chief intelligence officer said Iran is working to destroy the Awakening movements, while raids against the Special Groups terror cells have not abated.

A GIANT PYTHON ate Scotty, a silky terrier-cross chihuahua.  I'm just spitballing here, but maybe the Peric family might have wanted to pick up the phone when other pythons entered their garden, near the northern Queensland city of Cairns, and swallowed the family cat and a guinea pig.

"SEA REX":  A fossilised pliosaur unearthed on an Arctic island in Norway, measures 50ft from nose to tail and is the largest marine reptile known to science, capable of crushing a car between its massive jaws... if there had been cars 150 million years ago.

MALE SPIDERS play dead to get the chicks.  Males that played dead were also allowed to copulate longer than males that did not.

CINDY the SPANIEL can balance almost anything on her tiny paws and nose.  Pics at the link.

DAISY the GOAT may be the answer for Mr Charles Tombe, the Sudanese man who was forced by village elders to marry a goat, but who was goat-widowed in 2007.

OVER FIVE MILLION SERVED:  Thanks for making Pate a part of your day...

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND:  A "new" live recording from the VU has surfaced, featuring a "new" song.  You should be able to stream it at the moment via the ol' HM.  The new song is "I'm Not a Young Man Anymore."  The video is a NSFW live take on the classic "Sweet Jane" from their reunion concert.

THE BOY LEAST LIKELY TO have another advance track, "I Box Up All the Butterflies" streaming via Pitchfork.

THE RAVEONETTES continue their blog interview tour at The Tripwire.

LES SAVY FAV stopped by KEXP's Seattle studio for a chat or mini-set to support its new album, Let's Stay Friends, which you can stream on demand via NPR.

ERIC CLAPTON & STEVE WINWOOD:  USA Today reviews the former Blind Faith bandmates' opening night of a three-show gig at Madison Square Garden, their first full concerts together in almost 40 years.  So, would you like to see a little of "In the Presence of the Lord?"

BEACH HOUSE:  The indie duo tells the Baltimore Sun that they were inspired by the music of the Zombies, Elliott Smith and the early Brill Building pop of Dusty Springfield. I would say it's a bit more ethereal than that, but you can check out "You Came To Me," the first video from their sophomore album, and judge for yourself.  You can stream the whole album this week via Spinner.

DUFFY talks to the Irish Independent about sudden notoriety: "Lots of people want to talk to me, but I'm honestly not that interesting... People should just listen to my record - it says everything about me."  Or they can check out the live BBC session she has posted at DuffySpace (not in the regular player, just scroll down a bit).  She performs "Mercy" and Hot Chip's "Ready For the Floor."

VAN HUNT:  The neo-soul man's third album, Popular, may be "lost" in the turmoil that has enveloped EMI, but his story is told in the Philadelphia Weekly and at Obscure Sound, with streaming tracks at the latter.

NICK CAVE, at 50, tells the Guardian that in some ways, life is no longer worth living; in others, it has never been better.  He tells the Scotsman: "The more alienated an artist becomes, the more interesting they become..."

TEGAN & SARA tell Laura Barton of the Guardian that their album, The Con, refers to... life.  According to Sara: "Well, it prevents you from thinking about what the reality is, which is that we're all just shuffling towards death and we're all going to lose everything."

NATALIE PORTMAN is infatuated with SCARLETT JOHANSSON's breasts: "Seriously, I would really want to grab Scarlett's breasts. She's got beautiful ones."

THE FRENCH HOTEL is returning to reality television and dating the brother of Nicole Richie's baby daddy.

NAOMI CAMPBELL was hospitalized in Sao Paulo and treated by one of Brazil's top specialists in infectious disease, the hospital's press office said Tuesday.  The temperamental supermodel reportedly had a small cyst removed.

SEAN PENN & DENNIS KUCINICH opened for a metal band the other weekend.  Dude!  That's my skull!

MISCHA BARTON:  The former OC hottie has been charged with four criminal counts related to a DUI arrest in December of last year.

TILDA SWINTON went to the Oscars with her German artist boyfriend Sandro Kopp, but phoned her long-term partner and the father of her ten-year-old twins to tell him she won, as their Scotland home has no TV.

EVA MENDES is back from the Cirque Lodge rehab center in Utah and is looking good after having been a presenter at the Independent Spirit Awards.

PAM ANDERSON is now seeking to annul her brief marriage to Rick Salomon rather than getting a standard divorce, according to court papers.

MADONNA went to jury duty in L.A. on three hours of sleep after the Oscars.

BRITTANY MURPHY is driving the crew on her new movie crazy with her increasingly bizarre behavior.

HARRY POTTER star Daniel Radcliffe was held tightly for an embarassingly lingering kiss from a male fan at an awards show in London.  NTTAWWT.  Pics and video at the link.

DREW BARRYMORE & JUSTIN LONG make each other's cheeks hurt... from all the smiling.

ELIZABETH BANKS & SETH ROGEN complete the effing trifecta with the incredibly NSFW and unbleeped video, "I'm Effing Seth Rogen," from the set of Kevin Smith's Zack And Miri Make A Porno.  Hey, once Matt Damon and Ben Affleck had done it, you just knew Kevin Smith would want to jump on the pile.  Who else was going to out-gross Sarah Silverman?

TERROR in the UK:  A man said to be one of the most important recruiters for Islamist extremism in the UK has been convicted at the end of a major trial.  Among those to have passed through Mohammed Hamid's camps were the four failed suicide bombers of July 21, 2005.

PAKISTAN inadvertently cut-off worldwide access to YouTube on Sunday, leaving network administrators and Internet activists wondering whether such a disruption could be reproduced by someone with more malicious intent.

AFGHANISTAN:  France may send hundreds of ground troops to east Afghanistan where NATO-led forces are fighting al Qaeda-backed insurgents, Le Monde newspaper reported on Tuesday.  The US is heading a campaign for what it calls a fairer sharing of the burden in the fight against Taliban insurgents. Britain, Canada, Poland and others have backed the US demand.  Germany, Italy and Spain have troops in relatively secure areas and have refused to send troops to southern and eastern provinces where the militants are most active.  ALSO:  Al Qaeda operatives are monitoring Facebook, possibly looking for personal info to attack the friends and families of soldiers.

IRAN:  Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised the handling of the nation's nuclear controversy by Pres. Ahmadinejad, who has often alarmed the West with speeches vowing no compromise.  "One example of an advance by the Islamic system has been the nuclear issue, in which the Iranian nation has honestly and seriously achieved a great victory," Khamenei was quoted by state radio as telling Iranian officials.

IRAQ:  Michael J. Totten blogs a patrol in Anbar province that shows the degree to which Iraqis are starting to run things, though this entry has an explosive ending.  The Defense Department is projecting that when the US troop buildup ends in July, there will be about 8000 more troops on the ground than when it began, a senior general said Monday.  I would think that would be the case at least through October, when Iraq has scheduled the provincial elections.

POLICE DOGS in Duesseldorf, Germany, will soon be equipped with blue plastic fiber shoes.

PET HOARDING:  Open up Shirley Neely's two fridges and you will find 75 hibernating tortoises.  Pics at the link.

IT'S ELEPHANT SEASON in South Africa, for the first time since 1994.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT:  A militant squirrel threatens Homer Simpson's food supply.

HORSES wandering along Interstate 64 stopped eastbound traffic at the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel in Virginia for about 30 minutes Tuesday morning.