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Topic: Karl

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Arthur Conley, Sniff 'N' The Tears, REM, The Un-definitive 200, KIller Frogs   Printer-friendly page   Send this story to someone
Wednesday, March 14, 2007 - 08:00 AM
Posted by: kbade

Karl

DO YOU LIKE GOOD MUSIC?  You know, "Sweet Soul Music," by Arthur Conley.

MORE ROCK HALL REDUX:  Spinner has now broken out a number of individual video clips from the induction ceremonies.  So if you wanted to skip right to the REM stuff including their take on Iggy Pop's "I Wanna Be Your Dog" with Patti Smith, you can do it.

SUE TUBE:  Viacom, which demanded that YouTube remove 100,000 infringing clips last month, has now filed a lawsuit against the Google-owned video-sharing site.

BRIGHT EYES:  Conor Oberst was the latest guest DJ on NPR's All Songs Considered, featuring songs from the new EP alongside The Cure, Jackson Browne and more.

THE FLAMING LIPS are in talks with Broadway producer Des McAnuff (the Who's Tommy, Jersey Boys)  about a Broadway version of Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.

SEEN YOUR VIDEO:  I will trust Ken King to notify Craig O'Neill that I have found the clip for "Driver's Seat," by Sniff 'N' The Tears.

R.E.M. :  The four original members have covered John Lennon's "Instant Karma" as the title track of a charity album benefiting Amnesty International's campaign to end the Darfur genocide.  Rolling Stone's blog has an audio interview with REM on the day of their induction into the R&R Hall of Fame.

THE DEFINITIVE 200 -- a list of "200 ranked albums everyone should own"-- was developed by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers in celebration of the art form of the record album.  It's probably easier to see the whole list at once via the R&R Hall of Fame.  The list is supposed to be comprised of original albums and soundtracks, with no "greatest hits" collections or "Now"-type compilations.  It's a rule that allows Saturday Night Fever onto the list, along with many lesser soundtracks.  And it's a rule NARM skirts in putting Elvis Presley At Sun on the list.  The Sand Diego Untion-Tribune lists the list's more obvious flaws and omissions, though it incorrectly reports that John Coltrane is omitted (A Love Supreme checks in at No. 78).  Lists are intended to stimulate debate, but any list that includes four Metallica albums, Creed, and the Forrest Gump soundtrack, while leaving out the Ramones, Elvis Costello, The Smiths, Talking Heads, Tom Waits, The Velvet Undergorund, The Byrds and The Kinks is hardly a definitive list of what everyone should own.

THE ONE AM RADIO gets an audio feature on the World Cafe that you can stream from NPR.

LEVON HELM  former drummer for The Band, is suing a Manhattan advertising firm over the use of the band's signature song, "The Weight," in a television commercial for Cingular.

JOHNNY DEPP has vowed not to return to the set of Sweeney Todd until his daughter is fully recovered from her mystery illness.

ANNA NICOLE SMITH IS STILL DEAD, so look for original vampire slayer Kristy Swanson to play a faux-Smith when the model's sad death is ripped from the headlines on Law & Order.

SYLVESTER STALLONE faces a drug charge in Australia.  Rocky allegedly tried to import 48 vials of a restricted human growth hormone when he arrived in Sydney last month.

REGIS PHILBIN is taking a leave of at least five weeks from Live with Regis & Kelly undergo heart bypass surgery.  "Had a nice chat with Dave (Letterman), he highly recommends it," Philbin joked.  "He would like to do it again, I think."

LEONARDO DiCAPRIO'S bodyguards were reported to have been arrested after a scuffle with photographers in Jerusalem, but it turns out they were just taken to a local police station for questioning.  After police got things sorted out, a TRO was issued to keep photogs away from Leo and his gf, supermodel Bar Rafaeli.

LINDSAY LOHAN:  It appears her Dad was due to be sprung from prison.  Once known as the "Hollywood Dad from Hell," he's now an ordained minister, ready to spread the word and "make amends for his past mistakes."  I wonder what he would say about Lohan being spotted with Jude Law at all hours of the hight.  And what he would say about a report that she was spotted drinking beer in a club last weekend.  Or the report of Li-Lo running over a photographer in NYC.

JESSICA SIMPSON:  The pneumatic blonde's envy over her sister's current success has Jessica calling Ashlee's new look "trampy."

POST SECRET:  There is no way of knowing whether one of these celebs is hiding a baby, but that hasn't stopped folks from speculating.  The name of the relevant picture file is intriguing.

DEMI MOORE and ASHTON KUTCHER are facing a new round of pregnancy rumors.

GREEN MOVIES:  The New York Times notes that a slew of upcoming releases have environmental themes, including The Simpsons Movie and the remake of The Creature From the Black Lagoon.  Yet the same paper on the same day has an article on scientists alarmed at what the alarmism of Al Gore and his three-alarm film on global warming, An Inconvenient Truth.

EVANGELINE LILLY:  Wednesday is a good day to point y'all to a picture of the Lost hottie almost losing her bikini bottom in the surf.

KEIRA KNIGHTLEY is outraged by a pr0nographic comic book depicting her having sex with Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp... all in their Pirates of the Caribbean regalia.  Disney was reported to be considering taking legal action, but these things have a way of leaking all over the Internet.  BTW, that last link is SFW, but beyond that...

FRENCH JEWS, fearing persecution from militant Muslims, are flocking to Florida.  The latest State Department human rights report, issued last week, cited more anti-Semitic incidents in France during the first nine months of 2006 than during the same period in 2005 -- but fewer than in the first nine months of 2004.

IRAN:  Major powers moved closer to agreement on a modest package of new sanctions against Iran likely to include an embargo on Iranian arms exports and an asset freeze on more individuals and companies associated with Tehran's nuclear and missile programs.  Iran's Foreign Minister said the nation was prepared to offer "necessary" guarantees on its nuclear program -- if the issue is withdrawn from the UN Security Council.

IRAQ:  Gen. David Petraeus tells USA Today that Coalition forces have detained about 700 members of Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army in Baghdad; a White House memo said 16,000 suspected insurgents are already being held by allied forces.  A Washington Post article by Thomas Ricks claiming that the February 2006 Samarra mosque bombing was not a major tipping point for the war is thoroughly debunked by Evan Kohlmann at the Counterterrorism Blog.  Coalition forces completed a nine-day sweep throughout Baghdad to disrupt the city's car bomb network.  For the moment, it seems to have disrupted the bomb factories, as there have been no VBIED attacks in the 48 hours since, as I write this.  Al-Sabbah reports that Coalition forces are planning to launch a campaign against terrorists in Diyala province (The AP now reports 700 troops have already arrived there.)  Acting on a tip, seven people were arrested over suicide bomb attacks on Shiite pilgrims in the central city of Hilla that left around 120 dead.  Many Iraqis will put their ethnic and sectarian differences aside for two hours tomorrow to unite in rooting for their national soccer team in its Olympic soccer qualifying match against North Korea.

KILLER FROGS are threatening the lily pond in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.  They're clawed!  They're carnivorous!  They're cannibalistic!  Let's go to the video.

SQUIRREL NEWS:  Albino Squirrels vie to become one of the "Seven Wonders of Illinois."  Meanwhile, in Cape Town, South Africa, city officials are denying the rumor that that the city council wants to put squirrels on the pill.

CATS:  A new study shows that they do not like men with long beards, especially long dark beards.  And they are confused by goatees and Van Dykes.

CAT GOT YOUR TONGUE?  No, but the dog has this boy's lip.

A LEGLESS PANDA needs a hand to help her sex life.  The "legless" joke writes itself.

4479 Reads

New Releases, Zombies, Bangles, Pipettes, Suicide Squirrrels   Printer-friendly page   Send this story to someone
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 - 08:00 AM
Posted by: kbade

Karl

THE FRATELLIS are a British band that have been getting blog buzz stateside, particularly since they landed the latest iPod commercial.  But I prefer, the longform version of "Flathead" which features pin-ups as well as silhouettes -- so sue me.  More on them in the next item...

NEW RELEASES:  Neil Young, Amy Winehouse, the Fratellis and Rosie Thomas are all streaming in full via Spinner this week.  Stax Records also has its 50th Anniversary compilation out today.

ROCK HALL REDUX:  Patti Smith reflected on her induction into the R&R Hall of Fame in The New York Times and there's info on her upcoming covers album in the New York Daily News.  Also in the local love category is "R.E.M. in the Hall," filled with photos, videos, interviews and such at Online Athens.  The Gainesville times gets reflections on REM from Pylon's Michael Lachowski.  NPR has posted archival interviews with Patti Smith, Ronnie Spector, and REM , as well as an audio feature on Grandmaster Flash.  You can get the blow-by-blow account of the evening -- complete with REM's Pete Buck launching his busted amp into the crowd -- via Spinner, where you can also watch the show on demand, starting with The Ronettes (backed by Paul Shaffer and a Wall of Sound) on "Baby, I Love You," "Walking In The Rain" (one of my faves) and (natch) "Be My Baby." Shaffer then reads a congratulatory note from Phil Spector to a shocked audience.  That's followed by a video of Hall of Fame highlights that almost justifies the existence of the institution.  Which reminds me to mention that if you follow that last link, you can get hooked up to past performances also.

THE ZOMBIES:  Colin Blunstone does an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle that begins with a discussion of the current popularity of zombies in general, but gets around to the subject of musical history.

GREGG ALLMAN, relaxing in Savannah, GA, tells PopMatters about how the Allman Brothers came to embrace improvisational jams, his distaste for how CDs and the iPod have affected music, and who he digs now.

THE BANGLES are "Going Down To Liverpool" to do nothing with Mr. Spock.  The song was written by once-and-future Soft Boy Kimberley Rew for Katrina and the Waves.  Add "Hero Takes A Fall," the single from their major label debut, and you have your Twofer Tuesday.

DEAN & BRITTA comment on a few of the fabled boy-girl pairs who came before them for the Boston Globe.  They cite Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg, whcih I think seals that the latest D&B video was inspired by ol' Serge.

THE PIPETTES are getting rave reviews for their first North American gigs in Toronto and Brooklyn, NYC.  Yummy pics at both links, too!  The ladies also score a "Song of the Day" slot at NPR with one of their lesser-known tunes, "The Burning Ambition of the Early Diuretics."  And you can stream their album from the official website.

CHARLIE LOUVIN:  The Phoenix thinks that the Country Music Hall of Famer's new self-titled album is a "missed opportunity," but you can listen to his rendition of "Great Atomic Power" with Jeff Tweedy to get a feel for it yourself.

PETE DOHERTY-KATE MOSS UPDATE:  The supposedly sober supermodel whisked the troubled singer off in a helicopter for a spring time picnic for his 28th birthday; both were spotted sporting rings on their wedding fingers.  For someone dating Doherty, it's odd to read that Moss views her four-year-old daughter Lila as a "partner in crime."

THE McCARTNEYS:  Heather Mills has agreed to accept a million divorce settlement from Sir Paul, dropping her demand for sole custody of the couple's daughter, Beatrice, and getting one of the ex-Beatle's homes, according to the uber-reliable News of the World.  The Daily Mail, meanwhile, has pics of Mills practicing for Dancing With the Stars that hold out the promise that she will be wearing silly outfits.

MADONNA reportedly will be doing a nude scene when she appears on FX's Nip/Tuck.  Cue Claude Rains.

SNOOP DOGG was busted in Stockholm, Sweden for suspected narcotics use.  Cue Claude Rains.

ELIZABETH HURLEY'S big fat Indian wedding was marred by a scuffle between journalists and security guards.

TOM BRADY and GISELE BUNDCHEN, contrary to prior gossip, are not expecting a child.  The couple is buying a house in New York and building a nursery in it -- for his expected child by Bridget Mynihan -- according  to the National Enquirer.

BRITNEY SPEARS:  Did a nightclub's security cameras capture the pop tart partying hard with the club's female dancers?  The club says no, but a source tells NYDN's Rush & Molloy that "If that thing goes on the Internet, there's going to be big trouble. It might be what they need to take Spears' kids away from her."  The UK's super-reliable Daily Express reports that Spears  has confessed to doctors that she has been suffering from bulimia since she was 16.

SIENNA MILLER took on the stalkerazzi at NYC nightclub Plumm, seizing a photog's camera and deleting photos of her living it up at a performance by her new rocker boyfriend, Jamie Burke.

PAM ANDERSON & TOMMY LEE reuniting?  Or just french kissing each other goodbye?

OPRAH WINFREY'S newly-opened school in South Africa is so strict that it's freaking out the students' parents.

JENNIFER LOPEZ and MARC ANTHONY are rumored to be fighting over having kids and Scientology.

TOM-KAT UPDATE:  Cruise reportedly tried to convince CNN's Larry King of the virtues of Scientology and took King on a personal tour of a church exhibit that attacks psychiatry.

WHO ARE THOSE GUYS?  An elite group of Native American trackers called the Shadow Wolves may be joining the hunt for Osama bin Laden and other top terror masters.

ANDY ROONEY suggests that the US Army and Navy is increasingly comprised of "losers" from "the botton of the barrel."  In reality, the average reading level of new soldiers is roughly a full grade level higher than their civilian peers and enlistees' high school graduation rate is 17 percent higher than their civilian peers.  And despite issuing more so-called "moral waivers," misconduct by our troops appears to be declining in recent years as recruit quality has generally improved.  Rooney's rant does not seem to be motivated by antiwar sentiment so much as a personal hatred he had for serving in the Army during WWII.  Ironically, he notes that many of the people he served with -- now often called "the greatest generation" -- are people he thinks would have needed moral waivers today.

IRAN:  Russia announced indefinite delays to a joint nuclear power project and accused Tehran of abusing its goodwill.  Russia's main news agencies all quoted "an informed source" as complaining: "We are suffering losses in terms of foreign policy and our image while they stand their ground... If they do not respond to the questions of the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), let them answer for themselves."  The state-run press claimed the family of missing former deputy defense minister Ali Reza Asgari visited the Turkish embassy in Tehran and accused the US and Israel of kidnapping him.  And they apparently produced photos of the family.

IRAQ:  At ITM, Mohammed writes that Iraqis weren't very tuned in to the Baghdad conference, while Omar writes about the IED fragment that landed in his yard.  Controversial Sunni Arab politician Salih al-Mutlaq talked to Radio Free Europe about former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's efforts to build a new nonsectarian, nonethnic political bloc.  Allawi's current party was one objecting to the debate of a draft law on oil and gas on the agenda of the Iraqi Parliament's session on Monday.  A senior figure in al-Qaeda in Iraq was arrested on Monday northeast of Baghdad, the official spokesman of the city's new security plan said.  The L.A. Times has a piece on how the new plan's round-the-clock security generates tips which lead to small victories that are the hallmark of classic counter-insurgency tactics.  One example in the story has a US spy drone surveilling a high-value target who was shacked up with a prostitute.  In a new tactic, the Islamic State of Iraq burned both Sunni and Shiite homes in a neighborhood of Muqdadiya, a city in Diyala Province.  Al-Mada claimed that the pro-government clans have completely expulsed Al Qaeda fighters from downtown Ramadi; if true, this would be extremely significant... but other outlets have not confirmed the story, possibly due to attacks on phone service in the city.

SUICIDE SQUIRRELS:  The threat is finally recognized in the USA Today.  Across the pond, folks are spearheading the European Squirrel Initiative to address the grey squirrel threat.

MAN SAVES BULLDOG with mouth-to-snout action.

PET HOARDING AS EDUCATION:  A kindergarten teacher known as the "Critter Lady" and her menagerie including a boa constrictor, turtles, frogs, small mammals and a monster toad were shaken up in a two-car collision while en route to a wildlife lecture in NYC.

DON'T BRING YOUR CAT to your child exploitation sting/arrest, please.  As it involves a 14-year-old, I'm skipping the obvious punchlines.

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Brad Delp RIP, Squeeze, Phil Spector, Dog vs. Shark   Printer-friendly page   Send this story to someone
Monday, March 12, 2007 - 08:00 AM
Posted by: kbade

Karl

BRAD DELP, the lead singer for the band Boston, was found dead Friday in his home in southern New Hampshire. He was 55.   Police said an incident report would not be available until today.  On Friday night, the band's website was taken down and replaced with the statement: "We just lost the nicest guy in rock and roll." The Boston Globe's Steve Morse, who had known Delp since the group first played the Boston Garden in 1977, agrees, as does Brett Milano of the Boston Herald.  Bandmate and brother-in-law Barry Goudreau has posted a message at his website also.  The band was rumored to be planning a summer reunion tour.  The man had an amazing voice, introduced to most of us on the instant classic, "More Than A Feeling."

GRAVE MEN:  Coincidentally, John Harris just visited UK rockers' grave sites for London's Guardian.  Pic of a black dog visiting John Bonham's resting place at the link.

JAMES BROWN was finally laid to rest Saturday in a crypt emblazoned with the words "Godfather of Soul," according to the Rev. Al Sharpton.  Yes, Anna Nicole Smith managed to die and get buried in the time between Brown's death and funeral.  And JB's sopt is reportedly temporary.

THE ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME Induction Ceremonies will be streaming via Spinner tonight at 8:30 EST.  Plenty of of R&R Hall goodies at Spinner also, as I noted last Thursday.  The ceremonies will also be televised on VH1 Classic and its high-definition MTV sister channel, MHD.  L.A. Times critic Robert Hilburn lists who he thinks should be "deductees" from the Rock Hall.  REM's Mike Mills fears the band may have to play a Van Halen medley.

PTICHFORK MUSIC FEST tickets go onsale today at noon CST.  Confirmed acts so far include Cat Power, Iron & Wine, Grizzly Bear, and Of Montreal.

WILCO is unfazed by the leaks from their upcoming Sky Blue Sky album.  Indeed, the band has always had a laid-back attitude about such things on the assumption that their fans will ultimately support them financially.  So far, they have been right.

SQUEEZE has jumped on the reunion tour bandwagon and will play UK shows under that name this fall for the first time since 1999.  So far, no word on who will be joining Difford & Tilbrook, or whether they will be coming to North America.  In the meantime, you can pick from among "Up the Junction" (from Top of the Pops), "Cool For Cats," "Black Coffee In Bed," "Is That Love" (again from TotP), "Tempted," a live take on "Take Me I'm Yours," and "Hourglass."

THE PHIL SPECTOR TAPES:  London's Telegraph is posting audio from an interview conducted just 36 hours before actress Lana Clarkson was shot dead in the legendary producer's mansion.

THE BEST INDIE SONGS EVER:  Rolling Stone's blog is taking nominations.

THE BESNARD LAKES make "Song of the Day" at NPR with "Disaster," which is anything but: "When combined with the rolling swing of the drums and the psychedelic falsetto harmonies, comparisons to The Beach Boys are inevitable."

THE HOLD STEADY keyboardist Franz Nicolay is flattered by the recurring Springsteen comparisons: "Everyone in the band is a Springsteen fan. I don't hear it as much as a lot of people do, but sometimes I think that's just shorthand for 'rock band with piano or wordy lyrics.'"  The whole band has drinks at at Momofuku Noodle Bar in NYC's East Village with Kate Rocland of the New York Times.

PETE DOHERTY-KATE MOSS UPDATE:  The troubled singer has asked ex-Libertine bandmate Carl Barat to be the best man at his wedding to the supposedly sober supermodel.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE:  Moviegoers were prerpared for box office glory, propelling 300 to a March record opening estimated at million, edging out Ice Age: The Meltdown, even with an R rating.  It is the the third biggest opening weekend ever for a R-rated flick, finishing only behind The Passion of the Christ and The Matrix Reloaded.  Wild Hogs dropped to second place with $28 million, while Bridge to Terabithia would up in the third slot with $6.9 million as Ghost Rider dropped to fourth with $6.8 million.  Zodiac seemingly suffered the brunt of the 300 onslaught, dropping to fifth with $6.77 million.  The Number 23 earned $4.33 million (and will be lucky to break even), followed by Norbit, which earned $4.31 million (and may break the $100 mill mark).  Music and Lyrics continued to disappoint with $3.8 million, while Breach managed to hang on to a top ten spot, because Reno 911! Miami and Black Snake Moan dropped out of the top ten, leaving Amazing Grace to round out the field.

RICHARD JENI, noted comedian, is dead from an apparent suicide.  Comedienne Elaine Boosler pays tribute at the HuffPo.

LIZ HURLEY and Arun Nayar got married yet again -- this time with a traditional exchange of garlands and a Hindu ceremony to finalize their marriage in Nayar's native India.

THE McCARTNEYS:  People are actually wagering on whether Heather Mills' leg will fall off during this season of Dancing With the Stars.

ANTONELLA BARBA, already getting offers from the pr0n industry following her exit from American Idol, should expect a call from Playboy magazine.

SALMA HAYEK is engaged to and pregnant (presumably by) François-Henri Pinault, the CEO of luxury goods firm PPR, which owns Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, as well as a French department store and national music chain.

MADONNA:  The Material Mom's nanny is currently shopping a tell-all memoir detailing the inner workings of the Madonna-Guy Ritchie household.  It has reportedly been bought by Crown and claims -- among other things -- that Madge is an overly strict mother who won't allow anybody to make noise in the house while she's sleeping and who imposed a complete house ban on all television, newspapers or magazines.

NIP/TUCK has slated guest appearances from a boatload of celebs, including Madonna and Nicole Kidman.  You wouldd think they were giving free plastic surgery or something.

COURTNEY LOVE is being sued for an unpaid 180 grand rehab bill.  That sounds like a lot of money, but we are talking about rehab for Courtney Love.

MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL is in final negotiations to replace Katie Holmes for The Dark Knight, the' sequel to Batman Begins.

BRADGELINA:  Jolie talks to Newsweek about celebrity, refugees and her life in New Orleans.  Jole reportedly told the uber-reliable News of the World that she narrowly escaped a kidnapping plot during a visit to an unnamed destination in her capacity as a UN Goodwill Ambassador.  Her recent decision to adopt a boy from Vietnam provides inspiration to the Gallery of the Absurd.

SPAIN is much more of a terror target today than before, due to renewed Al Qaeda threats and "synergy" between Al Qaeda and the Maghreb groups.  Last month, AQ No. 2 Ayman Zawahiri called on Islamic radicals in the Maghreb to "raise the flag of jihad" over North Africa and Spain "to once again feel the soil of Al Andalus beneath your feet," according to transcripts. Al Andalus refers to that part of Spain controlled by Muslim forces for seven centuries until their expulsion by a Roman Catholic army in 1492.  If only Spain would pull out of Iraq.  Oh, wait...

THE 'STANS:  The US is stepping up its hunt for Osama bin Laden by dispatching additional CIA operatives and paramilitary officers to Pakistan to kill or capture the Al Qaeda leader.  Gulbuddin Hekmatyar now claims he has not split with the Taliban.  I was skeptical of the initial report to the contrary.  Afghan and Iranian border forces clashed after the Iranians entered Afghan territory.

IRAN:  There continue to be conflicting reports over whether former deputy defense minister Ali Reza Asghari has defected to the West.  He is believed to have documents proving a link between the Iranian military establishment and terror groups including Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah, as well as the Mahdi Army in Iraq and the SCIRI's Badr Corps.  If Asgari has defected, "it may represent the biggest intelligence coup for the U.S. and Israel in Hezbollah's history," Nicholas Noe of Mideastwire.com, an expert on Hezbollah, wrote on Syriacomment.com.  The Times of London claims Asgari had been spying on Iran since 2003.  Meanwhile, Sunni insurgents kidnapped four soldiers of Iran's Revolutionary Guard; the group denied ties with Al Qaueda and the Taliban.  The Mullocracy celebrated International Women's Day by beating and arresting peaceful demonstrators and censoring the news.  An the Iranian economy continues to melt down; Iran could cease to be a net oil exporter altogether in 2015.

IRAQ:  US and Iranian diplomats were cautiously optimistic over the results of the regional meeting in Baghdad, though the two nations traded jabs behind the scenes..  On Friday, Joint US-Iraqi forces arrested a prominent commander of the Mahdi Army.  Special Iraqi Army Forces (with Coalition advisors) conducted raids Saturday in Sadr City against "rogue elements" of the Mahdi Army allegedly responsible for inciting sectarian violence in Baghdad.  Sources are telling IraqSlogger that areas in the southern parts of Baghdad, controlled by militant Sunni groups, are nearly deserted by their inhabitants, and even the security forces are not present.  I would take those reports with a grain of salt, given the array of security forces assigned there.  IraqSlogger is also hearing that Moqtada al-Sadr did not go to Karbala and remains in Najaf.  Coalition Forces killed one terrorist and captured 16 suspected terrorists including an alleged al-Qaeda media emir during raids Friday morning throughout Iraq.

IRAQ in the MEDIA:  Robert Kagan, one of the original advocates of the "surge" streategy developing in Baghdad, wonders whether the media has a backup plan in case the the "surge" works.  Well to start, there will be stories focusing on suicide attacks on Shiite pilgrims showing "the limitations of the US-led crackdown."  And focusing on attacks outside Baghdad.  The decrease in execution-style slayings by Shiite death squads will get mentioned in paragraph 15.  Very few of these stories will note that those pilgrims killed represent a tiny fraction of the millions of pilgrims who went to cities like Karbala for the Shia holiday.

IT'S DOG vs. SHARK... and the dog seems to get the better of the exchange!  Let's go to the video.

MORE DOG NEWS:  British dogs are working out.  American dogs are taking their meds, possibly on your dime.

CALL ME ISHMAEL:  A mother humpback whale and her baby lash out at snorkelers.  Let's go to the video.

JEALOUS CAT attacks its owner.  Beware the green-eyed gato.

WHACKING DAY in Sweetwater, TX, rattles ecologists.  The annual rattlesnake roundup is billed by the city as the biggest in the world.

HOW DO YOU GET CRABS FROM A GORILLA?  I cannot top that headline, but evolution has something to do with it.

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A Special Wilco Weekend Update   Printer-friendly page   Send this story to someone
Sunday, March 11, 2007 - 07:23 AM
Posted by: kbade

KarlWILCO is streaming the upcoming Sky Blue Sky album on Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 10 pm. EST, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. PST.  In glorious Quicktime.

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Wilco, Advance Fountains of Wayne, Cutout Bin, Lassie   Printer-friendly page   Send this story to someone
Friday, March 09, 2007 - 08:00 AM
Posted by: kbade

Karl

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

... with WILCO!  Anyone who has seen I Am Trying to Break Your Heart will appreciate the irony of Warner Bros. posting early Wilco videos on the Tube, including "Box Full Of Letters" and "I Must Be High" from A.M., as well as  "Outtasite (Outta Mind)" from Being There.

EDDIE VAN HALEN will not attend his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, because he has checked into rehab.

FOUNTAINS of WAYNE is streaming another track from the upcoming Traffic & Weather album called "Yolanda Hayes" (Real | Win).  You can stream "'92 Subaru" at TheirSpace.  Heather Browne is streaming "Michael & Heather at the Baggage Claim."  And you can stream samples from the whole album at the band's official store.

R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe tells USA Today that "The industry that was music is no longer" on the eve of his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: "Peter Buck always mentions the horse buggy whip factory and the feeling around the lunch table the day the automobile was introduced. That's the music industry, which is ripe for an immense recession. People either have their heads in the sand or they're trying to hold on to what still works and apply it to a completely new landscape."  I cannot help but think of Larry the Liquidator's speech in Other People's Money.

AN AQUARIUM DRUNKARD now has an Internet radio station hosted via Spinner.  Playlist at the link. 

THE TEN BEST MOMENTS from this week in rock history, according to YES! Weekly.

GET UP for KISS playing "Detroit Rock City" on The Paul Lynde Halloween Special in 1976.

GREIL MARCUS talks to the Columbia Dispatch about new and old bands, songs used in commercials, Lester Bangs and more.

MICHAEL NESMITH'S country-tinged solo debut from 1969 is this week's "Shadow Classic" at NPR, which is streaming a few tracks.

CHUCK KLOSTERMAN talks to MPR, shuffles his iPod for the A.V. Club and claims that "everybody who does music criticism loves ABBA." For that matter, so does Redd Kross.

BOB DYLAN and POPE JOHN PAUL II:  Behind the music.

THE CUTOUT BIN:  This Friday's fortuitous finds from the ol' HM include:  Leonard Cohen - Everybody Knows (do you?); Big Star - Feel; Bright Eyes - Four Winds; Son Volt - The Picture; Wilco - Sky Blue Sky; ELO - Mr. Blue Sky; Apples In Stereo - Energy; INXS - New Sensation; Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 - Adventure Rocket Ship; Husker Du - Up in the Air; The Lemonheads - Alison's Starting to Happen; Art Brut - Emily Kane; The Kinks - 20th Century Man; The Mountain Goats - No Children; Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA (acoustic demo); Robert Plant - Whole Lotta Love (acoustic); The Who - Heinz Baked Beans; Stevie Wonder - If You Really Loved Me; Johnny Nash - I Can See Clearly Now; The Specials - Guns of Navarone; The Clash - Rudie Can't Fail; The English Beat - Mirror in the Bathroom; and Curtis Mayfield & the Impressions - People Get Ready.

JOHNNY DEPP was frantic with worry after daughter Lily-Rose she was rushed to the hospital ten days ago with a mystery illness rumored to be blood poisoning from a rusty tack -- but Depp's rep says she is "doing much better" now.  Depp and longtime partner Vanessa Paradis reportedly not left Lily-Rose's bedside since she was admitted to the hospital on February 28.

NOW SHOWING:  This weeks wide release is the adaptation of Frank Miller's 300, which is currently scoring 59 percent on the ol' Tomatometer... though about ten points less with the "cream of the crop" critics.  The spiritual coming-of-age drama The Ultimate Gift opens on about 800 screens with a score of 35 percent.

THE McCARTNEYS:  Heather Mills is asking for £10,000 a day in her divorce from Sir Paul -- just to "get by." 

TOM-KAT UPDATE:  Is there a baby boy in the couple's future?

ANTONELLA BARBA has a future in pr0n waiting after she got the boot from American Idol.

TOM BRADY has knocked up new gf/supermodel Gisele Bundchen? That's the claim made at a popular European celebrity website.  Brady's pregnant ex-gf Bridget Moynihan had no comment.

 

SCARLETT JOHANSSON has recently been seen hawking everything from Disney World to Mt. Rainer coffee. Does she really need the money?  The L.A. Times looks at the world of celebrity endorsements and voiceovers

MADONNA has come under fire for failing to properly restrain her 17-month-old adopted son in her SUV.  X17 has the pics and video.  Has Madge learned nothing from Britney Spears?

GWEN STEFANI is packing heat to keep other women away from hubby Gavin Rossdale.  But she's got nothing on Blues Traveler frontman John Popper, who was popped for driving 111 mph with an arsenal large enough to save John Conner from Skynet.

MISCHA BARTON, the former O.C. hottie, has gotten into two auto accidents in less than three weeks.  I certainly hope she's not smoking and driving.

MICK JAGGER and WARREN BEATTY were spotted doing lunch in West Hollywood the other day.  Carly Simon probably thought they were talking about her.

SHARON STONE:  Looking good!  Or not.  Making faces doesn't help, Sharon.

BORAT made an unexpected cameo appearance as a victim of censorship in a heavyweight annual human rights report issued by the US State Department.

IN THE RED:  The "RED" anti-poverty campaign championed by Bono, Oprah and other celebs and marketed by Gap, Apple and Motorola with an estimated 100 million bucks, has raised only 18 million worldwide -- though it's hoped to break even by the end of the year.

IRAN:  Contrary to other reports, the former deputy defense minister who disappeared from Turkey last month is not cooperating with Western intelligence agencies and his whereabouts remain a mystery, a U.S. official told FOX News Thursday.  Make of that what you will.

IRAQ:  Sunni-led Arab governments plan to use this weekend's conference in Baghdad to press for a greater Sunni role in Iraq... which does not please Iraq's Shia-dominated government.  Moqtada al-Sadr reportedly appeared in public in Karbala, which would make sense because its a favored Shia pilgrimage site and this Saturday is a big Shia holiday.  Big enough, in fact, that some roads have been closed in Baghdad for extra security.  Gen. David Petraeus -- in his first news conference since taking command in Iraq -- says additional US forces will be sent to areas outside Baghdad where militants are regrouping, especially Diyala province.  He added that "military action is necessary... but it is not sufficient" because Iraqi political action and reconcilation are necessary to achieve peace and stability.  And Bill Roggio has a report from embedded cartoonist Chris Muir.

THE 'STANS:  US troops in Afghanistan arrested the deputy head of the Taliban fighters in the Pakistani tribal area of Waziristan, according to a report on Al Jazeera.  A big deal, if true.  Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, longtime Afghan tribal warlord and Taliban ally, announced that he has ended his cooperation with them and "suggested" that he could reach a peace deal with the Afghan government.  We'll see.

LASSIE died saving her owners from a burning house in Anderson, Indiana.  First it was Captain America, now this.  It's been a tough week.

HEIDI THE CAT got fitted with a pacemaker in Melbourne, Australia.

A HIGH-SPEED PONY CHASE ends well in Munich.

MORE THAN PET HOARDING:  Bangladeshi security forces more used to confiscating luxury cars in anti-corruption cases were instead called on to seize a virtual mini zoo from a former minister, including four deer, seven peacocks, two emus, three golden pheasants, eleven turkeys, two mynahs, a dove and four rare pigeons.

ELEPHANTS:  Lending them a hand can be a dangerous bit of business: "One guy I know got a black eye from being hit by an elephant's penis."

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