THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE: ...with MICHAEL JACKSON! I'm not making a habit of this, but he did die a year ago today, making it an apt moment to revisit his hits with the Jackson 5, like "I Want You Back," "ABC," and "Never Can Say Goodbye," and solo hits like "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," and "Billie Jean," which not only broke the color barrier at MTV, but also ushered in an era of big-budget videos that may have peaked with the John Landis-directed "Thriller," the title track of the mega-seller that also spawned smashes like "Beat It." BONUS: Vanity Fair has a piece on The "Thriller" Diaries. THE JAYHAWKS stoppeed by The Current for a chat and mini-set. MAPS & ATLASES do the four free songs thing for Daytrotter. TELEVISION: Captain's Dead has alternate takes from the Adventure LP to stream or download, which ties in nicely to yesterday's Adventure-related blurb. MODEST MOUSE: Captain's Dead also has a very rare, very early cassette-only album to stream (with a link to a download). THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO: An NPR intern is forced to listen. WEIRD AL YANKOVIC played a Tiny Desk Concert at NPR. Semi-related: Legendary radio host Dr. Demento talked to NPR's Morning Edition after leaving the airwaves for the Internet last month. ELVIS COSTELLO: "The Other Side of Summer." NEW PR0NOGRAPHERS frontman Carl Newman talks to the Washington City Paper about his smart, eccentric pop songs, how the band approaches recording albums, and his thoughts on his critics. And there are outtakes about making a living as a middle-class indie rocker, about what he dislikes about the term "power-pop," about the novels of David Mitchell. DEVO: Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale spoke to TIME about the de-evolution of man, the fading record industry, and the subversive inspiration of Madison Avenue. THE BEST OF 2010 (so far), according to Paste and Gorilla vs. Bear. THE BEST INDIE ALBUMS, from the 1960s to the present, according to Motel de Moka, which inexplicably excludes The Replacements' Let It Be. (Thx, LHB.) VANILLA ICE is actually a somewhat successful real estate developer. THE CUTOUT BIN: From Dexy's Midnight Runners to Alice Cooper, from Big Brother & the Holding Company to Killing Joke, from Dr. John to the Violent Femmes, plus the Byrds, the Band, the Feelies, Sly & the Family Stone and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM. NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases are Grown-Ups, currently scoring 09 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; and Knight and Day, which actually opened Wednesday and is scoring 52 percent. And yet, it's likely Grown-Ups will make more money, and that Toy Story 3 will crush both of them. LINDSAY LOHAN's assistant, who quit earlier this month, has been offered a series of huge, five-figure deals to dish on her famous ex-boss. JEREMY LONDON: The man accused of kidnapping the actor and allegedly forcing him to smoke drugs says they went on a consensual alcohol and drug induced "joyride for hours" on the night of June 10 in Palm Springs. BRITNEY SPEARS reportedly has been sneaking phone calls to Adnan Ghalib, the paparazzo ex-boyfriend widely blamed for enabling the media circus of 2007-2008 that led to her infamous mental breakdowns. VAL KILMER took the unusual step of going before a county commission in rural New Mexico to make amends with some of his neighbors who are angry over disparaging comments attributed to the actor over the years. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 4: Will Paramount choose not to accept it? DEBBIE GIBSON vs TIFFANY: Syfy promises an epic battle between the former teen pop idols, who will star in "Mega Python vs. Gatoroid." THE GREEN HORNET has a trailer online. HALF OF AL QAEDA has been eliminated? IRAN: The mothers of three American hikers held in Iran on suspicion of espionage said they hope a report that their children were arrested on the Iraqi side of the border will help lead to their release. AFGHANISTAN: Gen David Petraeus, as the new US commander, will re-examine the rules of engagement, which some soldiers believe have prevented them from defending themselves. CAT in a JAR, versus a dog. THE BIRDS: Postal deliveries have been disrupted in a Devon seaside town after attacks by seagulls. SWIMS WITH THE GATORS: A 37-year-old Tallahassee man was charged with disorderly conduct at Wakulla Springs State Park after jumping out of a tour boat to "swim with the alligators." CHIPMUNKS with Star Wars and Lego figures. SHARK vs SHARK: A ten-foot great white shark was nearly sawed in half in Queensland Australia - by what investigators believe was a twenty-foot great white shark. What say you, Police Chief Brody?
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