Topic: Karl

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...FROM THE BYRDS TO THE EAGLES!  Via Aquarium Drunkard, a BBC documentary on the music coming out of Los Angeles, "beginning in the mid-60s with the Byrds, on through its eventual, comparatively bleak, decline."  Plenty of archival footage and new interviews, Tubed in seven parts, embedded at the Daily Swarm. (Inside joke: Somewhere during Part 4, Craig O'Neill will observe that you cannot deny the power of Tapestry.)

KT TUNSTALL stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

LISSIE did three free songs for Aquarium Drunkard.

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED: Guest DJ Daniel Lanois rolls out tracks from Jimi Hendrix, Sly & the Family Stone, Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band and more in the latest edition of the long-running series.

GIRLS dropped "Alright" as an advance from the upcoming EP. More than alright, really, with a bit of early-REM feel to it. 

GILLIAN WELCH & DAVID RAWLINGS: Roio has their Revival demos.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: An epic take on "Because The Night," live in Houston, TX, on Dec. 8, 1978.

WILCO bassist John Stirratt and multi-instrumentalist Patrick Sansone talk to the Boston Herald about thier side project, Autumn Defense.

JOSE GONZALEZ talked to Seattlest about Junip and more.

10 ALBUMS WORTH A SECOND LISTEN, according to Crave. (Thx, LHB.)

CUTOUT BIN: From Talking Heads to Joan Jett, from Yo La Tengo to Al Green, from the Clash to Lee Hazlewood & Nancy Sinatra, plus Jimi Hendrix, Guided by Voices, Lulu, David Johansen, Gang of Four 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 Unstoppable, which is currently sooring 86 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; Skyline, which was not screened for ctitics (uh-oh!); and Morning Glory, which opened Wednesday scoring 58 percent.

DEMI LOVATO: The Disney starlet caught on camera snorting cocaine in a shocking booze and drugs binge, according to RadarOnline -- but they don't have the video, and haven't seen it.

ANGELINA JOLIE opens up about her home life, including Pax's culinary skills, in the December issue of Vogue magazine.  There is also a second trailer for The Tourist online.

JESSICA SIMPSON is "flipping out" after learning that her ex, Nick Lachey, is engaged, but sang a different tune on Ryan Seacrest's KIIS-FM radio show when asked for her reaction.

DINO DE LAURENTIS, the high-flying Italian film producer and entrepreneur behind such movies as "Barbarella," "Mandingo," "Serpico," "Death Wish," "Three Days of the Condor" and "Blue Velvet" died on Wednesday at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif. He was 91.  A family friend wrote the final screenplay of "Hannibal" for De Laurentis and got an amazing gift above and beyond the ridiculous paycheck.

BUTCH PATRICK, the guy who played the original Eddie Munster, checked himself into a New Jersey rehab facility to seek treatment for a 40-year addiction to cocaine, weed and alcohol.

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES allows Christopher Nolan to meet pretty much every hot young actress in town.

THE SIMPSONS were renewed for a 23rd season of animated adventures, taking it past a landmark 500th episode.

THE FAVE TV SHOWS of Democrats and Republicans.

25 CLASSIC TV TITLE SEQUENCES, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly.

MARTIN SCORSESE on Ingmar Bergman.

BABY OTTERS learning to swim.

CHARLIE the TEACUP YORKIE survived a 100K effort to evict him from an NYC condo board.

WHEN RACCOONS ATTACK: It's the seventh attack since June in Alameda County, CA (Oakland).

PIGGY BANK made of real piglet has the Winnipeg Humane Society squealing.

PORPOISES saved Dick Van Dyke.

SOUNDGARDEN played "Black Rain" and "Hunted Down" for Conan on TV and the web.

THE SOFT BOYS are streaming the reissue of the classic Underwater Moonlight.

LOS LOBOS played a Tiny Desk Concert at the offices of NPR.

MUMFORD & SONS played First Ave; you can stream the gig on demand.

PETER WOLF CRIER did three free songs for Daytrotter.

GERRY RAFFERTY -- best known for his solo hit "Baker Street" -- is reportedly fighting for his life after suffering kidney failure.

QUEEN dumped EMI for Universal, who will reissue remasters of the band's catalog next year. Killer news.

LOCAL NATIVES: Ryan Hahn does an Interview about touring, the creative process, and what local natives do in Italy.

THE TWILIGHTS SAD's James Graham's talks to The Scotsman about the band's new album, morbid lyrics and a possible career in Hip-Hop.

KEITH RICHARDS, Lord of the Undead, did not attack a Swedish journo, according to his rep.

DEMI LOVATO: The Disney teen darling was boozing and snorting cocaine like a rock star before she checked into a treatment center last week, a bombshell report reveals.

PINK is knocked up. So you better get the party started.

BRET MICHAELS denied rumors that he had an affair with Miley Cyrus's mother.

LINDSAY LOHAN is working on getting a "work pass" so that she can get out of rehab to discuss her next movie Inferno before her January 3 release date, according to RadarOnline.

MAD MEL UPDATE: The plot between Gibson's baby mama and her bodyguard thickens.

HEIDI MONTAG & SPENCER PRATT were trying to "buy fame," but now "have no money" and live on 400 dollar weekly allowance from Pratt's dad.

JOHN MAYER has been involved in a steamy romance with married TV chef Giada De Laurentis, according to the ever-relaible Star.

GEORGE W. BUSH & KANYE WEST patch things up.

ALEC BALDWIN is not running for Congress at the moment.

THE CMA AWARDS went to these folks.

VETERANS' DAY:  Today is the 92nd anniversary of the end of WWI.  My traditional link still holds up today:  "Mustang" at Social Sense reviews the holiday's history and thanks vets for the present.  The WaPo's David Ignatius did an excellent piece last year that may be more true today. Special Programming Note: ESPN's weeklong salute to vets will be in Friend of Pate Sylvia Hauser's neighborhood 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Eastern.

TERROR in the USA: A mail bomb intercepted last month at an English airport could have exploded over the East Coast of the US, British police said Wednesday.

NORTH KOREA: A UN report demonstrated NoKo's support for the Syrian, Iranian, and Burmese nuclear programs.

IRAN will test-fire a domestically-manufactured version of the S-300 anti-aircraft missile system. Meanwhile, Tehran wants to promote peace and security at nuclear talks with world powers, but won't talk about what it insists is its right to continue nuclear activities.

THE ZOMBIE CATERPILLAR is controlled by Voodoo Wasps.

THE TUBEROUS BUSHCRICKET has broken an unlikely world record: largest testicles in relation to body weight.

TWO PYTHONS were reunited with their owner after they both turned up in the home of a former neighbor and one appeared on TV.

A LEOPARD bathes in the light of a rainbow. Ooh.

THE WRECK of the EDMUND FITZGERALD: The legend lives o­n from the Chippewa o­n down of the big lake they called Gitche Gumee. Today marks the 35th anniversary of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald -- 729 feet-long, 75 feet in breadth, 39 feet in depth, weighing 13,632 gross tons -- an ore bulk carrier with a capacity of 25,000 tons. When it was launched o­n June 7 1958, at the Great Lakes Engineering Works in River Rouge, Michigan, Fitzgerald was the largest ship o­n the Great Lakes. Here's misty, water-colored video of the launch.

The "Queen of the Great Lakes" sank in the eastern end of Lake Superior during a fierce storm -- including snow squalls -- that pounded the ship with 30-foot waves. The crew of 29 men perished; without witnesses, a definitive reason has never been determined. A Coast Guard report suggested that faulty hatches failed to keep water out of the ship's cargo holds, though others believe the ship struck an uncharted shoal and took o­n water. A documentary created and aired by the Discovery Channel concluded the loss was due to freak waves that overwhelmed the faulty hatches.

After the wreck, the Rev. Richard Ingalls went to Mariners' Church in Detroit and rang its bell 29 times, o­nce for each life lost. The church continues to hold an annual memorial, which includes reading the names of the crewmen and ringing the church bell. Here's video of Rev. Ingalls recounting that night. Ingalls will be performing this year's memorial service at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society.

At the request of family members surviving her crew, Fitzgerald's 200 lb. bronze bell was recovered by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society in 1995, as a joint project with the National Geographic Society, Canadian Navy, Sony Corporation, and Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. The bell is now o­n display in the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. Here's a brief video from o­ne of the underwater explorations of the wreck. Throw in the 3-D animation, and you'll feel just like Bill Paxton.

The song by Gordon Lightfoot spent 21 straight weeks o­n the pop charts, peaking at No. 2. And there's a homemade video for it, which I highly recommend. Beats the tar of Celine Dion! (PS:  Ken King -- who has lived o­n the U.P. of  Michigan, says the gales of November are quite something.)

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POMEGRANATES, who bring a touch of early U2 to their sound, did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.

HERE WE GO MAGIC stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

MAVIS STAPLES stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

LAURA MARLING: Hear the Brit-folker cover Johnson C. Frank and Neil Young for a new single produced by Jack White.

THE FLAMING LIPS played "I Can Be a Frog" on Yo Gabba Gabba.

JOHNNY FLYNN, aspiring Brit-folker, talks to the Dallas Observer about driving through Appalachia and more... (Thx, Chromewaves.)

PREFAB SPROUT's Paddy McAloon answers The A.V. Club's questions by e-mail, asking about his career, his influences, and his philosophies of songwriting.

DRESDEN DOLLS and Amanda Palmer are profiled by Neil Gaiman for SPIN.

MATT & KIM: Matt Johnson talks to the NYDN about traipsing naked through Times Square and being called a hipster.

MAD MEL UPDATE: Oksana Grigorieva believes Gibson was cheating on her with multiple women during their relationship - and now she wants to take it a step further and ask the women if the actor ever attacked them.

RACHEL WEISZ & DARREN ARONOFSKY split after nine years of marriage.

HEIDI MONTAG & SPENCER PRATT were held at gunpoint by local police in a horrifying case of mistaken identity.

CONAN O'BRIEN got off to a strong start on TBS.

DAKOTA FANNING was named fer private school's homecoming queen for the second year in a row. Aw.

RACHEL BILSON & HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN are giving their romance another shot, after calling off their engagement in August.

THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS nominees are announced; Twilight, Iron Man 2, and Inception feature heavily.

TRON: LEGACY releases a third and final trailer.

AL QAEDA is being infiltrated by western intelligence agencies, with help from Islamic allies.

IRAN suggested resuming nuclear talks this month in Turkey, while slamming the UN's nuclear watchdog.

AFGHANISTAN: Nearly all Afghans want their government to make peace with the Taliban despite their growing dislike for the insurgency, according to a survey funded in part by the US government.

KUNG FU HAMSTER: Incredible footage shows the tiny ninja attacking two Russian youths as they walk through a cornfield.

A MOUSE was discovered in a naked arrestee in Oconee County, SC.

THE BHOOTBILI, a cat-dog-mongoose cryptid, terrorizes an Indian neighborhood.

A SMOKING CHIMP has been rescued from a zoo in Lebanon.

BEN GIBBARD & ZOOEY DESCHANEL duet on "I'll Never Find Another You" in Seattle.  Throw in The Seekers' original for Twofer Tuesday.

NEW RELEASES from Springsteen, Ronnie Spector, Summer Camp, the Concretes and more, plus reissues from KC Accidental, Bad Religion  and more are streaming this week at Spinner.

MORNING BENDERS stopped by Oregon Public Broadcasting for a chat and mini-set in audio and video.

SHEARWATER releases Shearwater Is Enron, a free instrumental album. (Thx, LHB.)

NEIL DIAMOND is rolling out the covers, some of which are part of a feature from All Things Considered.

PULP is reuiniting for a series of shows next year. Folks will no longer have to rely on Shatner to hear "Common People."

NEW PR0NOGRAPHERS: AC Newman talks about a variety of topics with Under the Radar. (Thx, LHB.)

CHESS RECORDS is essayed at The Guardian.

CARIBOU: Dan Snaith talks to Soundproof about the evolution of his sound on Swim. (Thx, Chromewaves.)

LIZ PHAIR reviews the Keith Richards memoirs for the NYT.

LINDSAY LOHAN reunited with her estranged father for the first time in 7 months at the Betty Ford clinic.

MILEY CYRUS blames her success for her parents' divorce.

CHARLIE SHEEN's adult film actress hookup has a teenage arrest record. Shocka.

COURTENEY COX says she would be too shy to date after separating from David Arquette.

GIRLS GONE WILD honcho Joe Francis got hitched.

ROBERT DOWNEY, JR tackles the challenging role of Mr. Peanut.

HOLLYWOOD'S MOST OVERPAID ACTORS, according to Forbes.

ISLAMISM in the UK: Britain's education watchdog has published positive reports praising Muslim schools for their contribution to community cohesion - even in the case of a school which openly states that Muslims "oppose the lifestyle of the West". The inspector responsible for many of the reports has been accused of having links to radical Islamist organizations.

AL QAEDA: Anwar al Awlaki, the US-born al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula cleric, called for the murder of US citizens.

IRAN: US Defense Secretary Gates rebuffed Israeli calls for credible threats of military force against Iran's nuclear program. Turkey's president opposes a NATO missile shield that singles out Iran.

A HUNT COUNTY DOG defines loyalty.

A RADIOACTIVE RABBIT was trapped on the Hanford nuclear reservation, before it could become ginormous and threaten the entire city.

THE BIRDS: Seagull attacks... during a horse race.

DEFORMED FERAL CATS find home at a beer garden.

CHIHUAHUAS and pomeranians are on the list of Queenland''s 100 most menacing dogs, suggesting a general lack of menacing dogs in Queensland.

THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH dropped a video for "Love Is All."

THE GREENHORNES are advance streaming Four Stars.

STEREOLAB is advance streaming Not Music.

SOMEONE STILL LOVES YOU BORIS YELTSIN stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

MATT COSTA stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

PAUL McCARTNEY fielded an all-Macca ensemble for "Comin' Up."

ROKY ERICKSON talks to the Washington Post about his legendary career... after he wakes up.

DAWES: Taylor Goldsmith talks to the Boston Globe about the band's California sound. (Thx, LHB.)

MORNING BENDERS: Christopher Chu e-mails with Eye Weekly about cogintive dissonance.

BILL WYMAN posts Mick Jagger's fictional response to the Keith Richards memoirs.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Megamind tops the chart with about 47.7 million, just a tad under the projected 50 million.  Animated 3-D films seem to opening a bit softer than their live action equivalents, but have shown legs; Despicable Me is still raking in cash overseas.  Megamind will hold those 3-D screens (and ticket premiums) until Tangled arrives on Nov. 24.  Due Date places with 33 million, a tad over the projected 30 million -- but will need a few weekends to recoup its 68 million production budget.Tyler Perry's For Colored Girls... shows with 20.1 million -- a bit below his average, but not much below, once you account for the seriousness of the subject matter.  And with a 21 million budget, this will be yet another profitable movie for Tyler.  The leggy Red drops a mere 17 percent to the fourth slot with 8.9 million and a 71.8 million on a 58 million budget.  This one likely won't break 100 million in the US, but 90 million seems doable.  Rounding out the Top Five, last week's champ, Saw 3-D, which drops 64 percent and makes another 8.2 million, for a 38.8 million total on a 20 million budget.  Below the fold, Paranormal Activity 2 and Jackass 3-D continued to add to their profit margin, while Clint Eatwood's Hereafter is looking like a failure, with a 28 million total against a 50 million budget.

JILL CLAYBURGH, , an Oscar-nominated actress known for portraying strong, independent women, died from chronic leukemia: she was 66.

LILY ALLEN is being treated for the potentially lethal blood poisoning condition septicaemia.

MILEY CYRUS is under fire for indulging in an ice cold Corona at a nightclub in Spain.

LeANN RIMES denies the report that she's engaged to Eddie Cibran, but E! News is sticking by the story.

JOHNT TRAVOLTA & KELLY PRESTON are naming their soon-to-be born baby boy Benjamin.

SPIDER-MAN 3: Martin Sheen and Sally Field are in talks to play Uncle Ben and Aunt May... and it seems like Mary Jane will not be in the reboot.

BOND 23 is technically back in the pipeline, according to the MGM bankruptcy filing.

KEVIN BACON, sculpted in bacon.

AL QAEDA operatives in Iraq tried to unleash deadly terror in the skies by deploying a pair of kamikaze canines on a US-bound plane, a French newspaper reports. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility for the two package bombs found on board cargo planes in late October. The Saudis supplied the intelligence that was used to disrupt the plot, but US officials doubt the official Saudi story.

IRAN said it suspended the trial of three Americans hikers captured near the Iran-Iraq border last year. One of the Americans has been released and returned to the US. Iran has accelerated the construction of a natural gas pipeline to Pakistan.

AFGHANISTAN: Saudi Arabia's foreign minister says Riyadh has halted mediation efforts between the Afghan government and the Taliban because the fundamentalist movement has refused to break ties with al-Qaeda.

IRAQ's political groups have reached a power-sharing agreement in which Nouri al Maliki will stay on as prime minister.

BEAR CLIMBS A TREE STAND: Let's go to the video.

GRIZZLY BEAR chases a bison in Yellowstone National Park.

LIZABETH the JACK RUSSELL TERRIER was saved from the jaws of a crocodile in Tampa.

HUNDREDS OF ORPHANED SLOTHS find a new lease on life at a sanctuary in Costa Rica.