THE MUPPETS: "Ringing of the Bells."

NEW RELEASES: Julian Lennon, Lisa Hannigan and Variety Lab are streaming this week via Spinner.

LOCH LOMOND did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter, two previously unreleased.

THAO and the GET DOWN STAY DOWN stopped by Oregon Public Broadcasting, which has audio and video.

JINGLE JAMS: A Holiday Mix From NPR Music. 

GRIZZLY BEAR is scoring Blue Valentine, starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Phillips.

THE MOUNTAIN GOATS frontman James Darnielle was backed by Superchunk's Jon Wurster on drums.for three Christmas covers -- including Chuck Berry's "Run, Run Rudolph" at the 2006 Trekky Records Christmas show.  It's Threefer Thursday -- like Twofer Tuesday, but it's one more.

LARGEHEARTED BOY's Favorite Albums of 2009.  Different from mine, but all noteworthy.

THE TOP 100 SONGS OF 2009, accoring to Pitchfork.

TITUS ANDRONICUS is releasing a Civil War-themed album, with cameos from the Hold Steady's Craig Finn (as Walt Whitman) and more...

DANGER MOUSE and THE SHINS' James Mercer have launched a viral campaign for their Broken Bells project.

THE NOUGHTIES: A Cultural Golden Age?

TIGER WOODS is the gift that keeps giving in the slow pre-holidays news period.  Florida's Department of Children and Families has an open investigation that it is actively pursuing into a possible domestic violence incident - with a weapon -- between Tiger Woods and his wife.  Business firm Accenture dropped its sponsorship of Tiger.  Elin was spotted not wearing her wedding ring.

COURTNEY LOVE has lost legal control of her daughter.

KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN gave birth to a son.

ORLANDO BLOOM and MIRANDA KERR deny they are engaged.

KATE HUDSON and A-ROD: Dunzo?

LINDSAY LOHAN is selling off second-hand clothes on her family's website.

RICKY GERVAIS was profiled on 60 Minutes.

QUENTIN TARANTINO talks about the Inglourious Basterds DVD and its extras with the MTV.

IRAN: A new anti-government movement has sprung up among protesters in Iran --  with men posting pictures of themselves on the Internet wearing women's head scarves as a political statement.

PAKISTAN: Senior US officials are pushing to expand CIA drone strikes beyond Pakistan's tribal region and into a major city in an attempt to pressure the Pakistani government to pursue Taliban leaders based in Quetta. Of 48 attacks carried out this year, only six have taken place since the end of September, according to data compiled by The Long War Journal.

WHISTLING PUPPY: Let's go to the video.

ESKIMO the REINDEER has a bigger problem than Rudolph.

A TEENAGE DOLPHIN has been accused of bullying swimmers and waterskiers in New Zealand.

WILD BOARS trapped German walkers in a trash dumpster.