THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE...

...with the wicked, wicked WILSON PICKETT, live from Germany, circa 1968. This disappeared from the Tube, but I've managed to find almost all of it reposted there or elsewhere.  His band warms up the crowd with the instrumental "Soulfinger," but Pickett electrifies from the moment he enters for "Everybody Needs Somebody" and doesn't let up through "Ninety-Nine and a Half (Won't Do)," "Mustang Sally" and "Stagger Lee." He takes it down just a half-notch for "I'm In Love" before cranking it back into top gear for "Funky Broadway," during which people dancing in front of the stage start turning up o­nstage.  The tumultuous finale of "Land of 1000 Dances" from amid the crowd remains missing, but this other "Land of 1000 Dances" from 1966 is almost as wild, and in color to boot. Raw and riveting; if this can't put you in a weekend state of mind, probably nothing can.

RICHARD THOMPSON stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

BILL CALLAHAN (f/k/a/ Smog) does three free songs for Daytrotter.

THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

THE 30 BEST WILCO SONGS, according to Paste, with embedded audio.

LEONARD COHEN, Live on the BBC in 1968... and Live from Oslo, Norway in 1993.

DAVID BAZAN drops "Wolves At the Door" in advance of Strange Negotiations.

KUNG FU FIGHTING: A British pub singer held on suspicion of racism for performing the pop classic in front of a Chinese couple was yesterday defended by the song's composer, Carl Douglas.

OKKERVIL RIVER: Will Scheff gives a lengthy interview to Drowned in Sound covering the band's appearance on Fallon, songwriting, other writing, the recording of the new album, and much more...

JASON ISBELL talks about his new album and evolving sound with Prefix.

BUDDY HOLLY is getting a star-studded tribute album stretching from Lou Reed to She & Him to Paul McCartney to Cee-Lo Green to the Black Keys.

BRAIDS chat with Drowned in Sound about lemonade, dog people, comparisons and more...

CUTOUT BIN: From Richard Hell to Carl Douglas, from the Beach Boys to Al Green, from the Flaming Lips to Gloria Jones, plus Teenage Fanclub, the Velvet Underground, the Jam, the Kinks 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 are: Fast Five, which is currently scoring 81 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; the dramedy Prom, which is scoring 48 percent; and Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil, scoring 8 percent.  Opening near-wide is horror comedy Dylan Dog - Dead of Night, which was not screened for critics.

ROYAL WEDDING this morning. I think it might be on television. Check your local listings. RELATED: Morrissey has told the BBC he believes the Royal family are benefit scroungers who do not speak for England.

TWO AND A HALF MEN: The plan to relaunch TV's No.1 comedy without Charlie Sheen is beginning to take shape. But it's a fifty-fifty proposition.

JANUARY JONES (Mad Men, X-Men: First Class) is expecting her first child this fall, but hasn't said anything about who Dad might be.

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE says Friends With Benefits is a bad idea in real life.

RICHIE SAMBORA (Bon Jovi) is checking into rehab. Again.

THE LONE RANGER: The Social Network's Armie Hammer is in early talks to star opposite Johnny Depp.

HARRY POTTER and the DEATHLY HALLOWS, PART 2 has a trailer online.

SYRIA: More than 200 Baath Party members announced their resignation in the largest expression of dissent since the party came to power in 1963.

PAKISTAN: Crumbling unity among militants could provide the Pakistan army an opening to conduct a limited offensive against a particularly vicious Taliban group in a strategic tribal region, according to analysts and a senior military official.

AFGHANISTAN: Lt. Gen. John Allen, the White House's choice to lead the war effort in Afghanistan, is best known for his leadership in helping pacify what was once Iraq's most volatile province.

PANDA on a ROLL: Let's go to the video.

FEMALE DOGS smarter than males? Maybe...

ASIAN CARP: Chicago plans to fight them with squirt guns.

ROOSTERS & HENS hooking up will be regulated In Hopewell Township, NJ. Blocked!

ANIMAL LOVERS should stop calling their furry or feathered friends "pets" because the term is insulting, leading academics claim. M'kay.