THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with A CHRISTMAS SHINDIG! The full episode has gone dark, but still-available clips from 1964 include The Beach Boys' "Dance, Dance, Dance," Bobby Sherman and Donna Loren singing "Keep on Searching," the Righteous Brothers doing "The Jerk" and an awesome milk commercial, Bobby Sherman with "Sleigh Ride," Donna Loren returning with a Spector-esque, but rougher "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," and The Beach Boys returning for a set including "Little Saint Nick," "Monster Mash" (yes, really) "Papa Oom Mow Mow," "Johnny B. Goode," and "We Three Kings."

SOCCER MOMMY plays KEXP.

CHARLEY CROCKETT plays World Cafe.

THE HOLD STEADY covers Counting Crows' "A Long December" and plays "Chillout Tent" with Michael Imperioli.

JENNYLEE (of Warpaint) shares "Heart Tax" and "Tickles."

GROHL & KURSTIN (and Violet Grohl) cover Amy Winehouse’s “Take The Box” for Hannukah.

THE TOP 100 SONGS of 2021, according to NPR.

THE BEATLES' road manager Mal Evans will be the subject of a biography before the release of archives.

LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM: Lessons from a songwriting legend.

BIG BOI, on Kate Bush, George Clinton, drum'n'bass, and Outkast's unreleased music.

EDDIE MEKKA, the actor who played Carmine "The Big Ragu" Ragusa, the high school sweetheart of Cindy Williams’ Shirley Feeney on the hit ’70s sitcom Laverne & Shirley, has died at his home in Newhall, CA. He was 69.

MEGXIT: A British media company lost its appeal Thursday against a judge's ruling that it invaded the privacy of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, by publishing parts of a letter she wrote to her estranged father, Thomas Markle. ALSO: Prince Harry felt slighted by Queen Elizabeth II and the rest of his family during the 2019 Christmas broadcast after his photo was removed from the table while filming.

A GAME OF THRONES PREQUEL pilot that was scrapped cost HBO 33MM.

KATHY GRIFFIN revealed that she is now cancer-free following surgery.

PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON and LICORICE PIZZA took Best Director and Best Film for this year from the National Board of Review.

NETFLIX remains blocked by a Cali appeals court from poaching executives at Disney’s Fox unit.

MOVIE STUDIO 'TRACKING" DATA is now published by The Quorum.

A SMALL GIRL, a big owl.

A REINDEER, trying to catch the train.

A CORGI makes his own fun.