THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

... with THE BANGLES!  There's no better way to start than with these live takes on "Hero Takes A Fall"  and Kimberley Rew's "Goin' Down To Liverpool" for Dave in 1984. It was that sort of rawk (and the hotness of Susanna Hoffs) that got Prince to give them "Manic Monday," their first mainstream hit, from the A Different Light album, which included Jules Shear's "If She Knew What She Wants," Alex Chilton's "September Gurls," and -- inevitably -- Liam Sternberg's "Walk Like An Egyptian."  Nevertheless, their fondness for the genres of the mid-60s was still evident in their take on Simon & Garfunkel's "Hazy Shade of Winter" for the Less Than Zero soundtrack, and the psych-garage-pop of "In Your Room" on the Everything album, which yielded their final No.1 hit, "Eternal Flame."  The draw from the 60s is a constant I saw them in a club, on a big stage and in a club again -- the last time was at a House of Blues, where they covered the We Five's "You Were On My Mind."  However, I'll confess that I put off featuring the band for about a bit, until the Susanna Hoffs solo cover of Bad Company's "Feel Like Makin' Love" popped back up on the Tube after an absence. That woman knows how to shake her tambourine.

YUCK played a set at Stubb's for NPR at SXSW. Catchy late 80s-early 90s lo-fi buzz-pop.

RAPHAEL SAADIQ played a set at Stubb's for NPR at SXSW. Classic soul, tho a bit more rockin' on the new songs.

SMITH WESTERNS played a set at Stubb's for NPR at SXSW. Saw and enjoyed these youngsters at Pitchfork last summer.

JAMES BLAKE played a set at Stubb's for NPR at SXSW. My least favorite of this line-up, but you may like him more than I.

THE ANTLERS played their upcoming Burst Apart album at The Parish for SXSW.

THE JOY FORMIDABLE played a short set at The Parish for SXSW.

THE PIXIES: A covers collection.

BLUE SWEDE: "Hooked on a Feeling," introduced by the late Don Kirshner. Ooga-Chucka.

120 MINUTES, two of the most beloved hours in alternative-rock history, is returning to the airwaves... with Matt Pinfield. And it soft-launches online tonight.

THE MOUNTAIN GOATS are auctioning an unreleased song for disaster relief in Japan.

DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS talk to CNN about work and family.

JACK WHITE talks to the NYT about SXSW and why digital music will never have the romance of a tangible record.

CUTOUT BIN: From the Pogues to the Crystals, from Booker T & the MGs to the Mighty Lemon Drops, from CCR to the Charlatans UK, plus Steam, Los Lobos, Jimmy Ruffin, the Raveonettes, Beatles and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are now streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.

NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases include the sci-fi comedy Paul, which is currently scoring 62 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; the action-thriller Limitless, which is scoring 58 percent; and The Lincoln Lawyer, scoring 83 percent.

MAD MEL UPDATE: Here's Gibson's new mug shot - taken late Wed. night in connection with his criminal battery case.

LINDSAY LOHAN's probation report says she's been drinking fermented tea that contains alcohol.

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE's alleged infidelities are detailed in the print edition of Us Weekly.

JOE JONAS & ASHLEY GREENE are dunzo, ostensibly due to work schedules.

SANDRA BULLOCK sent a million bucks to the American Red Cross this week to help with earthquake and tsunami relief efforts in Japan.

TIGER WOODS talked to GMA about the burden of single fatherhood. Aw.

OWEN WILSON is out partying, just weeks after becoming a dad.

ZACH SNYDER discusses his approach to the Superman reboot.

THE WOLVERINE loses director Darren Aaronovsky.

EGYPT: The government has released Mohammad al Zawahiri, an Egyptian Islamic Jihad member and the brother of al Qaeda's second in command, Ayman al Zawahiri.

LIBYA: Rebel forces repelled an assault by forces loyal to President Gaddafi in Ajdabiya, the gateway to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.

IRAQ: The scale of the demonstrations there is secondary to something more fundamental: the transformation of an obscure band of organizers into young leaders who are defining their own vision of a postwar Iraq.

A CAT is discovered by its owner after the Japanese tsunami.

FERAL CATS "the size of dogs'' have been terrorizing Moorooka residents for more than a year, with one resident and her dog mauled just last week.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: Militants attack in Bennington, VT.

MAMA HERON attacks an alligator stealing its baby.

BIG SPLASH, a Tibetian Mastiff, sells for 1.5 million dollars.