Topic: Karl

SUSANNA HOFFS sings "Eternal Flame" at a karaoke bar.

MusicNOW is advance streaming a 10th anniversary comp featuring Sufjan Stevens, Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors, Robin Pecknold, and more. But be careful you don't end up listening to the Ace of Base LP at the link.

SARAH BETHE NELSON advance streams Fast-Moving Clouds.

AERO FLYNN advance streams a self-titled LP.

POPE advance streams Fiction.

VAN MORRISON and the late BOBBY WOMACK collaborated on a version of “Some Peace Of Mind.”

MY MORNING JACKET shares "Big Decisions" ahead of The Waterfall.

MODEST MOUSE drops "Of Course We Know" ahead of Strangers to Ourselves.

ELO: Because I "Can't Get It Out Of My Head."

SUPERCHUNK talks about The Replacements.

PURITY RING talks to Stereogum about their new aesthetic, their dynamic as writing partners, and their self-appointed classification of “future pop.”

SOUL ASYLUM is profiled at The Current.

MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND: Shara Worden talks to Paste about her fifth LP, This Is My Hand.

BILL COSBY: Another Jane Doe from the 2005 civil case against Cosby speaks exclusively to BuzzFeed News.

BOBBI KRISTINA BROWN's family denies they're shooting a reality TV show.

HILARY DUFF talks about her views of love post-marriage and what she thought about Aaron Carter's famous declarations of love.

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE & JESSICA BIEL share a birthday Instagram. She's 33.

STAR WARS spinoff director Chris Weitz had some comments about the standalone while out promoting Cinderella.

THE UNITED KINGDOM: Ten men, nine of whom are Asian, have been charged by police investigating child grooming and sexual exploitation in Rochdale.

IRAN rejected on Tuesday as "unacceptable" U.S. President Barack Obama's demand that it freeze sensitive nuclear activities for at least 10 years but said it would continue talks on a deal, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported.

IRAQ: A U.S. military official who briefed news media about Iraq's upcoming offensive to retake Mosul provided inaccurate information but should never have publicly discussed war plans anyway, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Tuesday.

A CAT learns to speak, freakily.

COYOTES roam fearlessly in suburban New York.

STONED RABBITS: A DEA agent claims that if a bill regarding edible medicinal marijuana passes in Utah, the state's wildlife may "cultivate a taste" for the plant, lose their fear of humans, and basically be high all the time.

AOSHIMA ISLAND: Six Cats for Every Girl.

THE BANGLES, "Going Down to Liverpool," with Leonard Nimoy.

MATTHEW E. WHTE advance streams Fresh Blood.

THE DISTRICTS stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

EMMY THE GREAT performs in the WNYC Soundcheck studio.

THE ACORN drops "Influence" ahead of Vieux Loop.

THE LEFT BANKE: "Walk Away Renee."

JIMMY PAGE gave an oral history of "Kashmir" to The Guardian.

JESSICA PRATT talks to American Songwriter about her move to Drag City.

TWENTY ROCK MEMOIRS That Don't Hold Back.

TEN SONGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW WERE WRITTEN ABOUT CELEBRITIES....according to...The Onion.

LEONARD NIMOY, the sonorous, gaunt-faced actor who won a worshipful global following as Mr. Spock, the resolutely logical human-alien first officer of the Starship Enterprise in the television and movie juggernaut “Star Trek,” died on Friday morning at his home in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles. He was 83.  The NYT obit omits his run on Mission: Impossible and his great turn in the 70s version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.  The obit gives you his cover of "If I Had a Hammer," but not his take on "Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town."  The affection for Nimoy is apparent in the WaPo's jump headline for his obit there, and this billboard in South Carolina.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Focus tops the chart with 19 million -- below the low side of estimates and well short of the 35 million Will Smith used to average.  It truly is After Earth for the Not-So-Fresh Prince.  There's a race for te rest of the slots that won't be fully sorted until the actual receipts are counted:  Kingsman: The Secret Service has an estimated 11.8 million, a seemingly leggy showing that likely puts it in the black worldwide.  The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water has an estimated 11.2 million and also looks profitable at this point.  Fifty Shades of Grey has an estimated 10.9 million on a 51 percent drop; wildly profitable, but droping quickly--playing like the Twilight fanfic it originally was.  The Lazarus Effect rounds out the Top Five with an estimated 10.6 million, which is likely fine against a 3.3MM budget.

LUPITA N'YONGO: Her stolen Oscars dress was returned under odd circumstances.

MICHELLE RODRIQUEZ caught flak for criticizing minorities getting white superhero riles in Hollywood.

TAYLOR SWIFT talked to the Telegraph about her cultural weight, the future of LPs, celebrity friendships, and so forth.

CINDY CRAWFORD says a recent leaked photo of her was doctored to make her look haggard.

NORWAY: A radical Islamic preacher has been arrested in Norway after praising last month's deadly attack on the Charlie Hebdo satirical weekly in Paris, police said Friday.

RUSSIA: Former PM and prominent opposition figure Boris Nemtsov was killed just a few hours after a radio interview in which he denounced Putin’s “mad, aggressive” policies and the day before he was to help lead a rally protesting Russia’s actions in the Ukraine crisis and the economic crisis at home.

SYRIA: Kurdish forces dealt a blow to Islamic State by capturing an important town on Friday in the latest stage of a powerful offensive in northeast Syria, a Kurdish militia spokesman said.

IRAQ: The U.S. military's goal to retake Iraq's second largest city from the self-proclaimed Islamic State has been pushed back several months at least, defense officials told The Daily Beast.

A 280-LB CATFISH, caught with a rod and reel. Bigger boat not required.

BABY RABBITS listed for sale on Craigslist as "imperfect snake food" are on the road to recovery, thanks to a group of rescues that stepped in to save them.

BEAR ATTACKS have quadrupled in Florida.

THE PUYA CHILENSIS is a plant that traps and eats sheep.

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with the YOUNG FRESH FELLOWS!  If you have never heard the fabulous sounds of Scott McCaughey's pre-grunge Seattle pop combo (or even if you have), you'll want to sample the "Young Fresh Fellows Theme" as an appetizer.  But the main course is live from Portland's Pine Street Theater on December 20, 1991.  This 80-minute show includes -- but is not limited to: Jonathan Richman's "Someone I Care About"; "Where Is Groovytown?"; "Hillbilly Drummer Girl"; "My Boyfriend Is In Killdozer"; "Two Brothers"; "Hang Out Right";  "Sitting On A Pitchfork"; "Taco Wagon"; The Kinks' "Picture Book"; "Two Sides To The Story"; "Lost In Space"; "I Don't Let The Little Things Get Me Down"; "Tomorrow's Gone"; "Amy Grant"; "Reunion"; "I Got My Mojo Workin' (And I Thought You'd Like To Know)";  "Go Go Gorilla"; and "Backroom of the Bar." Not to mention snippets of "Suzy Q," "Heart and Soul," "The Ballad of the Green Berets" and a particularly disastrous take on The Beatles' "Please Please Me."

SLEATER KINNEY, Live at the 9:30 Club.

JEFF ROSENSTOCK advance streams We Cool?

ARIEL PINK stops by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

BEECH CREEPS advance stream their self-titled debut.

PURITY RING advance streams Another Eternity.

THOM YORKE and Massive Attack’s Robert “3D” Del Naja stream the soundtrack to The UK Gold.

WOLF ALICE drops a "Giant Peach" ahead of  My Love Is Cool.

MANFRED MANN'S EARTH BAND, "Blinded by the Light," Live in '75.

JIMMY PAGE talked to All Songs Considered about the 40th anniversary of Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti; NME listicles 21 Things you may not know about the Zep's famed double-set.

JENNY LEWIS talks to Under the Radar about her suit, The Voyager, sleepless nights, and more. (Thx, LHB)

U2's Apple stunt is still paying off.

NEW RELEASES are on Friday, starting this Summer, according to the Business, and by the Business, I mean the Industry.

NOW SHOWING: This weekend'swide releases are Focus, which is currently scoring 55 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; and The Lazarus Effect, which is scoring 18 percent.

THE KARDASHIANS have signed a record-breaking, 100MM-plus deal to remain with E! for another four years.

MARGOT ROBBIE is profiled by Harper's Bazaar.

LUPITA N'YONGO's  now-famous Oscar dress — adorned in pearls — was stolen right out of her hotel room.

DREW BARRYMORE is writing a collection of autobiographical essays.

KANYE WEST apologizes to Beck and Bruno Mars.

BOBBI KRISTINA BROWN  was taken out of a medically induced coma, but she began having violent seizures.

THE ISLAMIC STATE destroyed a priceless collection of statues and sculptures from the ancient Assyrian era, inflicting what an archaeologist described as incalculable damage to a piece of shared human history.

EGYPT: Four bombs exploded in Cairo, killing one person and wounding at least seven. The Egyptian military killed dozens of suspected jihadists during operations in the Sinai. Egyptian President Sisi and visiting King Abdullah II of Jordan urged international cooperation in counterterrorism efforts.

SYRIA: The Assyrian Human Rights Network claims that the Islamic State now holds 262 Christians hostage after an offensive that took over nearly a dozen Assyrian villages. The Islamic State's masked British executioner of Westerners has been identified as Mohammed Emwazi from west London. Syrian Kurdish forces cut off one of the Islamic State's supply lines from Iraq in northeastern Syria.

LLAMAS went on the lam in Sun City. And Vancouver. Squirrels wanted for questioning.

A GORILLA works out at the zoo.

A DOG AND AN OWL, living together... mass hysteria!

A ZOOLOGIST bathes with a crocodile.

DJANGO DJANGO drops a video for "First Light."

CHRIS WEISMAN advance streams The Holy Life That’s Coming.

ECHO LAKE advance streams Era.

HELSINKI advance streams A Guide For The Perplexed.

PILLOW TALK advance streams their What We Should Have Said EP.

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS will give you a live performance of Flood for your email address.

THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH drops "Sagres," ahead of Dark Bird Is Home.

NICK DIAMONDS (Islands, The Unicorns) drops "The Sting" ahead of City Of Quartz. Sounds nothing like Marvin Hamlisch.

SIMON & GARFUNKEL: "I Am a Rock", stripped down on French TV.

THE MOUNTAIN GOATS: John Darnielle talks to Junkee about loner adolescents, nerd culture, and his novel. (Thx, LHB.)

COLLEN GREEN talks to Stereogum about I Want To Grow Up, which is also embedded with the interview.

MADONNA fell off stage at the BRIT Awards. Has she never seen The Incredibles?

ROXY MUSIC: Ten of the Best.

LINDSAY LOHAN and her community service organization are trying to bamboozle the judge into giving her credit for time she spent performing onstage.

BRUCE JENNER is unlikely to be charged with vehciular manslaughter.

LADY GAGA has signed on to star in the fifth edition of American Horror Story.

BOBBI KRISTINA BROWN was taken off life support, but remains on life support.

BEN AFFLECK & JENNIFER LOPEZ had a low-key, under-the-radar reunion at the Oscars.

LEONARDO DiCAPRIO hit on Dakota Johnson during the SNL40 afterparty.

DEMI LOVATO  was rushed to the hospital on Tuesday after contracting a lung infection.

AMERICA's NEXT TOP MODEL contestant Jusmar Gonzaga-Garcia was a victim in a triple homicide.

LOVE & MERCY: The Bian Wilson biopic has a trailer online.

ISLAMIC STATE fighters have abducted 100 Sunni Muslim tribesmen near the Iraqi city of Tikrit, local tribal leaders said on Wednesday, apparently to neutralize suspected opponents before a widely expected army offensive. Thousands of ancient and irreplaceable manuscripts were burned by ISIS fighters after militants raided Mosul library in Iraq.

AFGHANISTAN: The danger posed by the Islamic State to Afghanistan is minimal at the moment. Yet that hasn’t stopped fears from swirling through the nation and the corridors of power. American and Afghan officials say they view the group as a serious potential threat.

NDUME THE ELEPHANT reunites wih the man who rescued him 26 years ago. Memory like an...oh, yeah.

WHEN OWLS ATTACK: A Dutch town has advised residents to arm themselves with an umbrella when going out at night after a mysterious spate of bloody rogue owl attacks.

A GREAT WHITE SHARK is operating in Washington State's coastal waters.

A LITTLE GIRL who recently started feeding crows in her garden was surprised when the birds began bringing her presents in return.

THE LOUISVILLE LEOPARD PERCUSSIONISTS rehearse a Led Zeppelin medley. And Jimmy Page can dig it.

SUEDE played a six-song set at the NME Awards.

BEN LEE dropped a mixtape of his work with Zooey Deschanel, Ben Folds, Neil Finn, and more.

MDNR & SWEET VALLEY drop the Dance 4 A Dollar EP.

ANDREW COMBS advance streams All These Dreams.

MAC McCAUGHAN of Superchunk drops “Lost Again,” ahead of his solo debut.

BUILT TO SPILL drops "Living Zoo" ahead of Untethered Moon.

GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR dropped an eight-minute excerpt of "Peasantry or 'Light! Inside of Light!'" ahead of Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress.

"DON'T YOU (FORGET ABOUT ME":: The Oral History. At the time, I recall Pate bassist Mike Kelly remarking on the precision drumming.

FATHER JOHN MISTY is Interviewed by Chris Wallace.(Thx, Frank Yang)

VETIVER: Andy Cabic talks to Aquarium Drunkard about DJing, remixes, the upcoming tour, etc.

KATE PIERSON of the B-52s talks to Morning Edtion about her solo debut.

NEW MUSIC is Killing Music. Or something.

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY star Jamie Dornan has not quit the sequels, despite widespread reports.

BRUCE JENNER was traveling at 38 miles an hour when he struck the Lexus on Pacific Coast Highway earlier this month.

KYLIE JENNER, 17, is buying a 2.7 million house.

LEONARD NIMOY, reportedly hospitalized with chest pains last week, was up and tweeting yesterday.

MICHAEL KEATON puts away his Oscars acceptance speech.

CHRIS PINE & ZOE KRAVITZ got fans talking over the weekend when they arrived at Charles Finch and Chanel's seventh annual pre-Oscar dinner at Madeo restaurant in Beverly Hills.

JESSICA CHASTAIN has closed a deal to join Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron in Universal's The Huntsman.

SPECIAL REPORT: How Iran's military chiefs operate in Iraq.

THE ISLAMIC STATE is effectively taking over Libya. What happens if they reach the Mediterranean?  Also, Graeme Wood rounds up reaction to his widely-discussed analysis of "What ISIS Really Wants" (to which I mentally append, "What It Really Really Wants").

SYRIA: Assyrians in northeastern Syria villages awoke Tuesday to ISIS militants at their doors, with the Islamist extremists abducting scores from the Christian group and forcing hundreds more to run for their lives, an advocate said.

MAPLE THE DOG's got a feevah.

CARNIVOROUS BLADDERWORT has some mind-bending genetic material.

GERBILS may have been responsible for the Black Death, not rats.

A SWEDISH FARM CAT called Missan could be about to claim a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's oldest living cat.