WILCO & FLEET FOXES join forces to cover Bob Dylan & The Band's "I Shall Be Released" in in Spokane, WA.  Which is a place from which one might want to be released, iirc.

NEW RELEASES: Giant Sand releases proVisions--  its first album since 2004.  Birdmonster releases From the Mountain to the Sea. Brian Wilson returns with the song cycle That Lucky Old Sun.

GIANT SAND frontman Howie Gelb is interviewed by Aquarium Drunkard about the new album and his role in spawning Calexico. Plus streaming audio.

BIRDMONSTER guitarist David Klein spoke with SF Station about recording the new album, From the Mountain to the Sea, its first release with indie record company Fader.

BRIAN WILSON talks to the Canadian Press about his newest solo disc, That Lucky Old Sun -- and facing his stage fright.  He is also interviewed by the Detroit Free Press abut the album, which even hints at a possible Beach Boys reunion: "A couple of things have a Beach Boys vibe to it. But basically I just wanted to create new music that was a little more commercial than the 'Smile' album. That's what I really wanted."

THE GODFATHERS play "Birth School Work Death." and First Class plays "Beach Baby," though to hear the full version you have to visit the Cutout Bin.  It's a "you are here" Twofer Tuesday.

T-BONE BURNETT talks to the L.A. Times about working with a team of engineers on a high-fidelity audio system called Code, which Burnett thinks will affordably give listeners an experience akin to hearing studio master tapes.

RA RA RIOT check in with WNYC's Soundcheck for a chat and twofer of their string-backed, melancholy pop.

GREG DULLI of the Afghan Whigs and the Gutter Twins spoke with Spinner about working with Mark Lanegan, returning to Sub Pop (his first home), upcoming projects, celebrity in the Internet age, and why classic-rock icons Lindsey Buckingham and Don Henley are lucky they didn't earn fame today.

SILVER JEWS mastermind David Berman talks to the Montreal Mirror about touring, sobriety, blog-style rock criticism and more.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Tropic Thunder threepeats as b.o. champ with 14.3 million on the slowest movie weekend this decade. At least it now seems likely to roughly break even and profit in the DVD market, dropping a mere 12 percent thiss weekend. Babylon A.D. debuted in second with 12 million.  The Dark Knight came in third, breaking the 500 million mark in the US -- the only movie other than Titanic to reach that total (not adjusting for inflation natch). People can't get enough of the pencil trick.  The House Bunny held pretty well in fourth with 10.2 million, edging out the 10 mil debut of Traitor.  Death Race and Disaster Movie are performing poorly in the second five.  Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona snuck back into tenth place.  Hamlet 2 finished at 17, despite being well-reviewed.

JOSH HARTNETT took a mystery lady back to his hotel and their steamy shenanigans were caught on CCTV.

JAMES GANDOLFINI and fiancée Deborah Lin tied the knot Saturday in her hometown of Honolulu, Hawaii. No word on whether Uncle Junior granted favors to everyone.

JOHNNY DEPP spent the weekend rocking out for charity in Florida and discussing the rumor that he may play The Riddler in the next Batman movie.

MADONNA's world tour crew are said to be on the verge of a walkout after being treated like "second-class citizens." Hubby Guy Ritchie supposedly has nixed a second wedding ceremony because he spent too much money on her 50th birthday party.

CHRISTINA RICCI has set out on a new career as an eating disorder counsellor.

ALEC BALDWIN is still fuming over his ex-wife Kim Basinger.

MICHAEL PHELPS & CARRIE UNDERWOOD are planning a quiet first date, according to the ever-reliable National Enquirer.

HELEN MIRREN has revealed that she was date-raped when she was a student.

VLADMIR PUTIN was lauded by Russian media for supposedly saving a TV crew from a grisly death at the jaws of a Siberian tiger. Somehow, the video does not show him actually shooting the tiger.

ISLAMISM in the UK: Hardline female ‘preachers of hate' are radicalising Muslim women at one of Britain's top mosques.

IRAN: The Dutch intelligence service has pulled an agent out of an "ultra-secret operation" spying on Iran's military industry because spymasters in Netherlands believe a US air attack was imminent. A senior Iranian military commander has warned that any US or Israeli attack on the Islamic republic would start a new world war.

IRAQ: Anbar became the 11th of Iraq's 18 provinces, and the first Sunni-dominated one, to pass into the control of the government. Coalition special operations teams captured three Hezbollah Brigades operatives during raids inside Baghdad. At the "make-or-break" stage of talks on the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, Prime Minister al-Maliki has swept aside his negotiating team and replaced it with three of his closest aides, a reshuffle that some Iraqi officials warn risks sabotaging the agreement.

HEAVEN'S ANGELS: Bikers for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Awww...

SHRIMP BOAT turns out to be a safe harbor from Hurricane Gustav. Videos at the link.

SWEDEN'S "LOCH NESS MONSTER" supposedly captured on infrared video.  Maybe the video was shot by Bigfoot.

CAPUCHIN MONKEYS are givers.

SHARKS: Make sure they are dead before posing for the photo of your big catch. What say you, Police Chief Brody?