CARIBOU won Canada's Polaris Music Prize.  The Guardian music blog is not pleased.  Grand Juror Frank Yang is pleased, and blogs what he's allowed to say about the process. Its as good a reason as any to relink the video for the trippy "Melody Day."

MATES OF STATE stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set you can stream on demand via MPR.

CALEXICO: Joey Burns talks to the L.A. Times about why the band's new album should not be labeled "a return to form" after the  band's less Southwestern, more pop-focused release "Garden Ruin."

TITUS ANDRONICUS does the four free songs thing for Daytrotter, one previously unreleased. What's not to like about a band that names its album, The Airing of Grievances?

RYAN ADAMS explains at the Guardian why his blog is like a spider plant.

NICOLE ATKINS talks to the Shreveport Times about her new album and her American Express commercial: "I was like, 'Robert De Niro is in those commercials.' But it definitely enabled me to move out of my parents' house as well." She gave the interview after appearing on Later... with Jools Holland, where she played "Maybe Tonight" and "The Way It Is."

FLEA, the bassist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, has just enrolled as a freshman at the University of Southern California's music program.

THOSE DANCING DAYS bassist Mimmi Evrell tals to Drowned In Sound about influences, other new bands and eBay hoaxes.  Videos at the link, too.

TAKE FIVE: Sara Fishko of WNYC introduces people to 5/4 time, from Tchaikovsky to Lalo Schifrin's theme for Mission Impossible.

DUFFY fears she's on the verge of a breakdown. Mercy!

CHRISTINA APPLEGATE talked more about her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment on Oprah.  Video at the link.

SHARON STONE suggested that her son have Botox injections in his feet to resolve a problem he had with foot odor.  That's one example cited by the judge who rejected her request to move her son down to L.A. in the bitter, ongoing battle between Stone and ex-husband, Phil Bronstein.

JANET JACKSON was been released from Montreal's Royal Victoria Hospital after a two-hour stay on Monday night.  Jackson cancelled her gig after falling ill during a soundcheck.

MEGAN FOX: The firefighter who broke her heart and made her run into the arms of a female stripper is interviewed by the uber-reliable News of the World.

ANNE HATHAWAY Esquire rumor debunked.

SPIDER-MAN 4: Kirsten Dunst sounds set to join Tobey Maguire and director Sam Aimi for another round, hopefully better than the last one.

KENNETH BRANAGH is negotiating to direct the live-action adaptation of Marvel Comics' Thor.

THE SPIRIT has a new trailer online in glorious Quicktime, via Moviefone.

JENNY McCARTHY & AMANDA PEET are having a catfight over childhood vaccinations.  I think this dispute could be resolved in a tank of Jell-O.

P.J. O'ROURKE, humorist extrodinaire, has been diagnosed with cancer, of a very treatable kind: "I'm told I have a 95 percent chance of survival. Come to think of it -- as a drinking, smoking, saturated-fat hound -- my chance of survival has been improved by cancer."

THE STANS: The leader of Pakistan's Taliban is dead from kidney failure, sources told CNN. But US intelligence officials contacted by The Long War Journal are highly skeptical of the report and see no evidence he is dead. Meanwhile, Afghanistan's government signalled it was open to a deal with the Taliban as Pres. Karzai revealed he had used Saudi Arabian envoys to relay messages of peace. The Long War Journal looks at the limits of tribal resistance to the Taliban in the Northwest region of the country.

IRAQ: Time magazine looks at the tricky business of disbanding the Sons of Iraq. The number of Iraqi security forces killed in September rose by nearly a third over the same period last year. while US troop deaths for the same period fell by nearly 40 percent. Security forces detained 21 policemen believed to be behind the Saadiya bombing. Coalition forces detained seven AQI operatives in and around Baghdad. Three AQI fighters were killed in Baqubah. The Hillah SWAT found numerous illegal weapons in an office run by the Badr Corporation. Coalition Detainee Operations released over 14K prisoners this year.

CRAB RIDES A JELLYFISH off the Gulf Coast of Florida. Let's go to the video.

WHEN THE STRAY CAT ON YOUR PORCH turns out to be a 80-90 lb. mountain lion.  Video at the link.

A BEAR checks into a hospital in Lake Tahoe, is put off by the paperwork. Video at the link.

DOLPHINS DIET after a poor performance at the Kinosaki Marine World in western Japan.

BEAVERS blamed for likely bank failure.  There's a lot of that going around these days.