THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with A CHRISTMAS SHINDIG! The full episode has gone dark, but still-available clips from 1964 include The Beach Boys' "Dance, Dance, Dance," Bobby Sherman and Donna Loren singing "Keep on Searching," the Righteous Brothers doing "The Jerk" and an awesome milk commercial, Bobby Sherman with "Sleigh Ride," Donna Loren returning with a Spector-esque, but rougher "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," and The Beach Boys returning for a set including "Little Saint Nick," "Monster Mash" (yes, really), "Papa Oom Mow Mow," "Johnny B. Goode," and "We Three Kings."

SQUIRREL NUT ZIPPERS plays KEXP.

MGMT: Never before seen video from 2003.

KURT VILE covers "Must Be Santa."

SON LUX shares “Don’t Say It’s Too Late.”

SKY FERREIRA shares "Leash."

CHAPPELL ROAN's Spotify Wrapped.

BECOMING LED ZEPPELIN has a trailer online.

SCRUBS: The reboot moves closer to reality.

AFI's Top Films and TV of 2024.

THE CRITICS' CHOICE AWARDS nominations are out.

HOLLYWOOD'S BIGGEST WINNERS & LOSERS of 2024, per THR.

AMBER HEARD is expecting her second baby.

MACAULAY CULKIN's kids are fans of the movie.

PAUL SCHRADER, on Taylor Swift, Guilt, Drunk Blogging, and more.

THE BEST COMEDY SPECIALS of 2024.

REMEMBER: Pearl Harbor.

A GOLDEN EAGLE carries a fox in heavy winds.

SHEEPDOG PUP's first day at work.

A GIANT LEATHERBACK TURTLE, rescued.

THE RAVEONETTES' 2011 video for 2001's "The Christmas Song."

TV ON THE RADIO plays a Tiny Desk Concert.

SHARON VAN ETTEN & THE ATTACHMENT THEORY shares “Southern Life (What It Must Be Like).”

MARY IN THE JUNKYARD shares "Bear Walk."

BOB DYLAN, on his upcoming biopic.

PITCHFORK's Top 30 Albums of 2024.

STEREOGUM's Staff Faves of 2024.

THE MOUNTAIN GOATS: John Darnielle lists his favorite Grateful Dead songs.

ROBERT PATTINSON: The Last True Movie Star?

WICKED has been named best picture by the National Board of Review.

THE SPIRIT AWARD nominations are out.

HARRY POTTER: HBO is circling British actor Paapa Essiedu to play one of the hottest TV roles being cast this year. But the show has been pushed to 2027.

ALWAYS TRUST MIKE MYERS, by Austin Powers director Jay Roach.

DAKOTA JOHNSON: Agent of Chaos.

MARSHALL BRICKMAN recalls a career almost too crazy to be true.

A MAN revives a dog with CPR.

A DOG AND A CROW, just hanging out together.

HAWK vs HEN: Who You Got?

THE RAMONES: "Merry Christmas (I Don't Wanna Fight Tonight)."

THE SOFTIES play KEXP.

LUCINDA WILLIAMS covers The Beatles' “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”

BONNIE "PRINCE" BILLY shares "London May.'

STEREOGUM's 50 Best Songs of 2024.

NME's 50 Best Songs of 2024.

PITCHFORK's 100 Best Songs of 2024.

THE DEAD BOYS are using AI.

SNOW WHITE has a trailer online. Oof.

WICKED Could Shock Everyone and Win Best Picture.

LORD OF THE RINGS: Watch eight minutes of The War of the Rohirrim.

THE BOYS: Malcolm Barrett has been accused of sexual assault.

SABRINA CARPENTER & BARRY KEOGHAN are on a break.

ANGELINA JOLIE would “hate” for there to a be a biopic of her life.

KEIRA KNIGHTLEY plays "Believe" on her teeth for Cher. As one does.

THIS SEAL could have gone his whole life not knowing lizards exist.

A HUSKY makes fun of the owner's injured leg.

I HOPE YOU BROUGHT ENOUGH for everyone.

A PUPPY takes its medicine.

A BEAR rampaging through a Japanese supermarket for two days is lured out with honey, then killed.

GLAM XMAS:  Wizzard's awesome "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day" and Slade's "Merry Christmas Everybody" (1973's UK Xmas No. 1) are your Twofer Tuesday.

BETH GIBBONS plays World Cafe.

FACS shares "Desire Path."

KESTRELS covers Wham!'s "Last Christmas."

ELTON JOHN has lost his sight.

STEREOGUM's Top 50 Albums of 2024.

NPR's 50 Best Albums of 2024.

ROLLING STONE's 100 Best Albums of 2024.

THE NUMBER ONES looks at Bruno Mars' "That's What I Like."

KRAVEN THE HUNTER's first eight minutes are online.

TIM BURTON says he's “sure there will be” another collaboration with Johnny Depp in the future – but it probably won’t be an Edward Scissorhands sequel.

JOSH BROLIN's dad, James Brolin, slaughtered his pet pig and forced their family to eat it.

BRITNEY SPEARS is officially divorced from Sam Ashgari.

MARGOT ROBBIE, on The Wolf of Wall Street.

WILL FERRELL, on Elf.

JUDY GREER, on turning down Modern Family.

JUDI DENCH's parrot has a dirty mouth.

CATS & DOGS, livng together...

CATS & DOGS, living together...

A DOGGO returns home after five month in the wilderness.

U2 cover "Merry Christmas, Baby (Please Come Home)."

BILL'S INDIE BASEMENT has The Innocence Mission, Peter Perrett and more.

FATHER JOHN MISTY visits World Cafe.

FRANZ FERDINAND covers Chappell Roan’s "Good Luck, Babe!"

THE CHILLS: Hear "If This World Was Made For Me."

PAPA M joined RYLEY WALKER for two collaborative tunes.

HOT CHIP & SLEAFORD MODS share a split single, "Nom Nom Nom" b/w "Cat Burglar."

PULP's Mark Webber on his photo book and the band's new songs.

PRAS MICHEL, facing 22 years in prison for his 2023 conviction in a federal money laundering conspiracy, says he’s finished with the Fugees forever.

BOB BRYER, the former drummer for theatrical emo heroes My Chemical Romance, has died at 44.

WILLIAM CULLEN HART, co-founder of the legendary Athens, GA indie rock collective Elephant 6 and musician with the Olivia Tremor Control and Circulatory System, has died at 53.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE:  Theaters took in a record 420MM over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.  Moana 2 tops the chart with a record-shattering 221MM.  Wicked (Part One) placed with 117.5MM.  Gladiator 2 showed with 44MM.

JIM ABRAHAMS, the writer-director who with brothers Jerry and David Zucker turned the comedy genre on its ear with such zany efforts as Airplane!, Police Squad! and The Naked Gun films, died Tuesday. He was 80.

WICKED's stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were paid the same salary for their work.

RIDLEY SCOTT, dissed by his cinematographer.

MARILYN MANSON has dropped a lawsuit he filed against Evan Rachel Wood and abandoned a related appeal attempting to revive his previous defamation claim. The musician has agreed to pay her Wood’s attorneys’ fees.

DENIS VILLENUEVE explained why he isn’t keen on directing a Star Wars film.

CHARLIZE THERON is joining the Nolan-verse.

JUDE LAW secretly followed Nicholas Hoult around before filming their new movie together.

RUPERT GRINT has been ordered to pay £1.8million in taxes after losing a legal dispute with HM Revenue and Customs.

WAYNE NORTHROP, an actor known for his roles on Dynasty and Days of Our Lives, has died. He was 77.

MARSHALL BRICKMAN, who won an Oscar for writing “Annie Hall” alongside Woody Allen and also collaborated with him on “Sleeper,” “Manhattan” and “Manhattan Murder Mystery,” died Friday in Manhattan. He was 85.

VITO THE PUG won the 2024 National Dog Show.

ORCAS start wearing dead salmon hats again after ditching the trend for 37 years.

BUNNY Agility Course.

A WEINER PUP's first snow.