THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with MOTOWN MADNESS! There's so much from which to choose, but let's start with a Martha Reeves and the Vandellas trifecta of "Heat Wave" (on RSG!) "Nowhere to Run" and "Dancing in the Street." Chase that with a string of Temptations classics, including "My Girl," "Ain't Too Proud to Beg,"  "(I Know) I'm Losing You," "Psychedelic Shack," and "Ball of Confusion." The Supremes bring "Back in My Arms Again," "Where Did Our Love Go" and a live trifecta of "Baby Love," "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes" and "Let Me Go the Right Way." The Four Tops lip-synch through "It's the Same Old Song" and "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" on Shindig, "Something About You" on Hullaballoo and "Baby, I Need Yor Loving" on Shivaree.  The Marvelettes  ask "Please Mr. Postman." Marvin Gaye proclaims "How Sweet It Is To Be Loved by You" and duets with Tammi Terrell on "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," though I'll throw it over to Gladys Knight and the Pips for "I Heard It Through The Grapevine." I'll close with a trifecta from Smokey Robinson and the Miracles -- "The Tracks of My Tears," "You Really Got a Hold on Me" and "Tears of a Clown."

DAYTROTTER has compiled the 20-song Readers' Choice 2010.

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

BEST COAST drops "Sunny Adventure" from a forthcoming split-single.

J MASCIS drops "Not Enough" in advance of Several Shades of Why.

BUFFALO TOM drops "Guilty Girls" in advance of Skins.

OKKERVIL RIVER, Live in Iowa City, Sept, 15, 2007.

PATTI SMITH, Live at The Bowery Ballroom, NYC, Dec 30, 2010.

THE 50 GREATEST GUITAR RIFFS, according to Spinner.

ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFFITI goes "Round and Round" on their network TV debut.

PJ HARVEY talks to Drowned In Sound about wading into a "war album."

SAM PHILLIPS talks to the Globe and Mail about her online subscription service.

WHAT'S KILLING INDIE STORES? The Internet.

10 COVER SONGS that beat the original, according to Gibson.

NEIL DIAMOND reviews 16 hot new artists.

CUTOUT BIN: From Pavement to Billy Preston, from Bob Dylan to the Talking Heads, from the 3 Degrees to Buzzcocks, from Steely Dan to Joey Ramone, plus Dusty Springfield, Camper Van Beethoven, Chuck Berry, World Party, Thin Lizzy and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are now streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM

NOW SHOWING: This weekend's sole wide release is the Natalie Portman - Ashton Kutcher rom-com No Strings Attached, which is currently scoring 51 percent on the ol' Tomatometer.  Peter Weir's The Way Back opens on 650 screens scoring 78 percent.

THE TOP 10 NATALIE PORTMAN FILMS, according to We Are Movie Geeks.

JESSE JAMES and and tattoo artist Kat Von D are getting hitched.

HILARY DUFF denies the pregnancy rumor linked here yesterday.

JAKE GYLLENHAAL & TAYLOR SWIFT: Together again?

CHARLIE SHEEN: Denise Richards is speaking out about her ex's recent alleged troubles.

HALLE BERRY: A source tells RadarOnline that Gabriel Aubry has been subjected to a number of nasty screaming fits by the Monsters Ball star, along with a number of angry meltdowns, and believes that Halle has hired a private investigator to tail him.

GEORGE CLOONEY contracted Malaria in the Sudan.

ROBERT DOWNEY, JR. has fallen out of Oz, the Great and Powerful, Disney's prequel-ish take on The Wizard of Oz tale, and the studio is in discussions with Johnny Depp to step into the role.

JOHNNY DEPP talks to Entertainment Weekly about his Lone Ranger project.

MINKA KELLY is merely blurbed by GQ, but there are pics for Gratuitous Friday.

IRAN: Ahmadinejad said that the West has no option but to cooperate with a nuclear Iran.

PAKISTAN: Sufi Mohammed, the instigator of the Taliban takeover of the Swat Valley from 2007-2009, is to be prosecuted for crimes almost a decade old.

AFGHANISTAN: The new Afghan parliament decided Thursday to convene as planned at the start of next week, in a defiant response to Pres. Hamid Karzai ordering the opening session postponed by a month.

USEFUL DOG TRICKS, performed by Jesse. Good dog!

A CAT was summoned for jury duty in Boston. The court rejected the owner's appeal to excuse Sal on the ground that he did not read or understand English.

LION TACOS: The Tucson taco restaurant planning them already has served up python, alligator, elk, kangaroo, rattlesnake and turtle.

A GERMAN who shipped hundreds of live tarantulas into the United States through the mail has pleaded guilty to a federal smuggling charge, prosecutors said.

A PIGEON was busted trying to smuggle drugs into a Colombian jail.