Our pals at MusicHelpWeb issue their monthly dispatch from the industry front lines;

Jeff Giles helps Rotten Tomatoes count down Clint Eastwood’s 10 best-reviewed directorial efforts;

Springsteen cancels his annual Halloween display, but makes up for it with a “little musical Halloween treat” for everyone;

Something Else! reviews Sonny Rollins’ Road Shows Vol. 1 and In Vienne;

Funky16Corners mourns the passing of Merl Saunders;

Talking Points Memo compiles a helpful state-by-state guide to the GOP’s 2008 voter suppression efforts;

AM, Then FM digs some classic Dionne Warwick out of the vinyl crates;

Topless Robot lists the 10 most bizarre and terrible Halloween TV specials;

Today’s the perfect day to acquaint yourself with the Zombie Hunters;

The San Francisco Chronicle interviews Haruki Murakami;

Lawrence Lessig releases his new book, Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy;

Jeff Vrabel explores the wondrous mystery of Cholla, the magical painting horse from Reno;

Utne offers a political reading list for the campaign’s last days;

ABC — getting the family back together for a cash-in reunion tour is as easy as 123…unless it isn’t after all;

…And Michael McDonald wishes you a very happy Halloween (trickin’ it to the treats!)

Pico at Something Else! has a one-track mind — and that track is Keith Richards’ “Take It So Hard”;

Femi Kuti’s got a new record coming out;

Cahl’s Juke Joint mourns the passing of Alton Ellis, and assembles an Election Day playlist (no mp3s);

Jeff Vrabel wades into the thick of the nation’s premier pierogi-based competition for the second year in a row;

To help with storytime during this time of economic hardship and uncertainty, Slate compiles a list of great kids’ books about financial ruin;

The Boston Globe’s Big Picture blog runs some stunning close-up pictures of the fucking sun;

Pearl and Dean ranks Bambi as the best “tear-jerker” of all time;

Ringo Starr is too busy for your stupid fan mail;

Tim McGraw wishes he hadn’t signed that contract with slimy-ass Curb Records;

Topless Robot uncovers some disturbing videogame-related ladies’ underwear;

Anthony Kuzminski is all kinds of excited about the new Ryan Adams;

Slacktivist breaks down the slimy GOP attack against the good people of ACORN;

Geekologie interviews the biggest goddamn nerd in the entire world;

…And the geniuses behind the “Literal Videos” series gives the literal treatment to Tears for Fears’ “Head Over Heels”: