Karl Bade 
ELVIS PRESLEY: The King is still dead, as thousands of fans make the pilgimage to Memphis, TN and Tupelo, MS to reminisce and pay homage on the 29th anniversary of his death. You can watch local TV coverage from Aug. 16, 1977 on YouTube and read the obit that ran the next day in the Washington Post. Elvis Presley News recaps the international headlines from the event and links to the eulogy at his funeral. The official Elvis website is offering a free trial of Elvis Radio on Sirius, including coverage of the annual fan vigil, which you can see on the GracelandCam. In May, I hooked you up with a career-spanning round-up of YouTube video links, all of which are still good, with the exception of the remix of “A Little Less Conversation,” which became a Number 1 hit in over 20 countries in 2002. BONUSES: My May round-up did not include “Jailhouse Rock,” so there it is. Plus, you can stream a few from the Hype Machine; indeed, there may be more Presley there by the time you read this. You can listen to individual songs or select a media player at the top of the linked page for an Elvis jukebox.
THE REPLACEMENTS: Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson are together again on two songs from the soundtrack for the animated film Open Season.
THE BLACK KEYS released a digital EP on iTunes Tuesday, but you can stream it first.
YO LA TENGO singer/guitarist Ira Kaplan talks to Pitchfork about the title of their upcoming LP, I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your A**, due September 12th. He also spoke to the San Jose Mercury News about how the band fit in with the the Bleeding Edge Festival and his former job as a music journalist. The band has also launched an online petition urging Congress to make ketchup the official condiment of the United States of America. BTW, both Pitchfork links will hook you up with free YLT MP3s.
THE 200 GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s continues at Pitchfork.
THE SLEEPY JACKSON is garnering generally favorable reviews for Personality (One Was A Spider, one Was A Bird), with critics using Geoge Harrison, Brian Wilson, Echo & The Bunnymen and The Decemberists as touchstones. You can stream or download an unplugged performance (including “'Song for Paul McCartney”) from AOL or the studio tracks available via the Hype Machine.
SEEN YOUR VIDEO: Young, loud and snotty, it's the Dead Boys' punk classic “Sonic Reducer.”
KILLING MUSIC: rbally has been on quite a roll lately, posting bootlegs of Fugazi, The Specials, Old '97s and Dinosaur, Jr. in the past few days alone.
NIKKI SUDDEN: The late rocker will have a posthumous album released on October 10th.
THE ARCADE FIRE: Rolling Stone should be too legit to be killing music with a link to the band's cover of New Order’s classic “Age of Consent.” But there it is.
THE INTERNATIONAL BLUEGRASS MUSIC ASSOCIATION Award nominees are announced. Perennial favorite Allison Krauss and Union Station are the top nominees, with 11, but my favorite, the Del McCoury Band, got four.
PETE DOHERTY UPDATE: Babyshambles failed to play their Ibiza Rocks gig on August 14th, with the troubled singer telling organisers that he had lost his passport, and his attempts to obtain a temporary one had been rejected. He might not have told them that was because Doherty put on a silly pose in his photo.
TOM-KAT UPDATE: Perez Hilton claims that Homes turned up at an elite Tinseltown soiree with one of her Scientology “handlers,” looking “dead in the eyes.” The NYDN reports on claims that Joe DiMaggio thought Cruise was stalking him. And Cruise is the cover boy for the relaunch of Cracked magazine.
THE McCARTNEYS: Heather mills has submitted a counter-claim in her divorce proceedings, reportedly alleging that Sir Paul was a “controlling husband” who “always put his own interests above hers.”
MADONNA will be monitored by German prosecutors at her weekend concert in Duesseldorf, because her mock crucifixion scene could be construed as insulting religious beliefs — an offense punishable by three years in prison. The show might be covered by laws protecting artistic freedoms, though calling a Madonna concert “artistic” is a bit of a stretch. For the record, I disagree with such laws, which some are attempting to use to stifle criticism of Islamic extremism.
CHRISTIE BRINKLEY BREAK-UPDATE: The former supermodel is getting support from ex-hubby (and backstreet guy) Billy Joel as she decides whether to divorce her current husband.
BRITNEY SPEARS: Jeannette Walls claims that Spenderline apparently is entitled to more money for each child the couple has under their prenup.
ROYAL MISTAKE: London's Sun headlined a story about Princes William and Harry caugt on camera during a booze-fuelled night out with chums. The paper claimed that they were taken in a nightclub this summer, but was forced to eat its words after Clarence House pointed out that the pictures were taken three years ago. Despite the correction, the paper ran a follow-up piece asking whether Harry is the greatest playboy Prince in the nation’s history.
JESSICA SIMPSON: Some website I've never heard of claims that some magazine I've never hear of has the pneumatic blonde complaining about ex-hubby Nick Lachey's small package and saying that she “faked” the first time they had sex. Probably untrue, but definitely funny.
DAVE NAVARRO and CARMEN ELECTRA BREAK-UPDATE: Navarro has been linked to porn superstar Jenna Jameson, who has been caught getting cozy with Ultimate Fighting Champion Tito Ortiz.
BRADGELINA: Pitt reportedly drops off Maddox and Zahara at the Warner Bros. day-care center every day before going to shoot Oceans 13.
JAMES WOODS has dumped his 20-year-old girlfriend after she reportedly behaved badly at Woods' brother Michael's July 31 funeral. A Woods pal is not kind about her: “She truly has the soul of a moth and the brain of a dead trout.”
DAVID HASSELHOFF: The details of the Hoff's divorce are going public. TMZ has the details and the documents.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS: Yesterday I noted that the AP quoted Azzam Tamimi as an expert on the Mideast without mentioning his public support for Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad and Hamas. Well, just a few days after the AP quotes him as blaming the rise of Islamic extremism on the US, he turns up in London's Guardian, claiming last week's terror plot bust was probably a hoax. Even the readers of the Guardian are hammering him. According to this logic, US foreign policy did not provoke a terror plot, but I don't expect the AP to note his unfounded claim or his apparent flip-flop.
MIDEAST CONFLICT: Iran and Syria are quick to spin the cease-fire as a victory for Hezbollah. But with Hezbollah refusing to disarm and withdraw its fighters, Israel threatening to resume operations in Lebanon if the terms of UN resolution are unmet, and Kofi Annan claiming it will take weeks or months to muster peacekeepers, it's probably a bit early to declare winners and losers. ALSO: If the IDF is the monstrous bunch portrayed in the media, why do the Lebanese feel comforatble defying the travel ban to return home in southern Lebanon?
IRAQ in the MEDIA: Monday, The New York Times had another gloomy lede: “Revealing the first major crack in the fragile unity government, the speaker of Parliament said Monday that he was considering stepping down because of bitter enmity among the Kurdish and Shiite political blocs…” Since taking office in late May, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani praised the Sunni insurgency in public, called the Americans “butchers,” claimed that “the Jews” were financing acts of violence in Iraq and denounced the idea of carving up Iraq into autonomous regions. Tuesday, Sunnis joined the call for his resignation. At ITM, Omar — a Sunni — is glad, calling al-Mashhadani “a Hamas-type nutcase clown.” The NYT story rightly noted some Iraqi disillusionment with the new government, but the move to boot al-Mashhadani leaving will help, not hurt, in that regard.
A GIBBON teases a dog on video. Whatever did people do for entertainment before teh Internets?
SNAKES on a PLANE: The movie will probably not address the poop factor.
A JACK RUSSELL TERRIER belonging to the Conservative MP for the Isle of Wight savaged a polecat to death in front of crowds at a county show. Oops.
DUTCH AND INDONESIAN ORANGUTANS are looking to date each other on the Internet. Because they wanna be like you.
MARGE GUNDERSON: “And I guess that was your accomplice in the woodchipper.” Geez.
