...For The Ride Home: Atmosphere is going to tour, Bieber to star on CSI, Matt Barnes goes to L.A. and don't forget "Mad Men"

Week 17 comes to an end today. More importantly, we bid farewell to our second-ever themed week here at The Ride, Soul Week. Which do you believe is better? Soul Week or Norah Jones Week? That's tough, we know. Sending us off is Booker T & The MG'S with the classic "Green Onions." We saved these guys for last simply because they were the glue that held nearly every soul record together in the 1960s. The impact they had on the music is unmeasurable. So sad to see it go, though. So sad. Alas, we welcome Friday with open arms, ready to dive into the last week of July. Goodness, gracious, where did this summer go, friends? Hopefully for you, you have a bunch of crazy good plans for the weekend, much like we do. If you don't, though, do not forget about Sunday's "Mad Men" return, a return we stupidly proclaimed happened last weekend. We know it's true this week, though. Jan Jones will be on television tonight and Ms. Hendricks looked stunning last night. Before we get to any weekend shenanigans, we must offer a few links for you to mull over as your Friday night takes shape. We sincerely hope you enjoy what's left of July and you make this sultry summer night a night you may never forget. Be good, friends, and of course, as always, love you, miss you.

Atmosphere is touring. Anyone else know/like them? Takes me back. (Pitchfork)

Matt Barnes signed with the Lakers last night. Have to wonder how Kobe’s going to respond to that after the two provided us with one of the best moments of last season. (Los Angeles Times)

Only because we linked Whitlock’s attack on Mitch Albom earlier this week: The columnist now compares Reggie Bush to a slave. (Fox Sports)

Haven’t been this excited for a sports book in a long, long time. Jim Miller talks about what people can expect in his book – with the fabulous Tom Shales, I may add – regarding the ins and outs of ESPN. Fireworks will be had. (Sports Illustrated)

One of the greats, Daniel Schorr, died. He was 93. (NPR)

Remember that damning Rolling Stone piece about the general? Yeah, that was supposed to go to GQ, but the magazine turned it down. (The New York Observer)

Again, don't forget that “Mad Men” kicks off Sunday. Here are 10 questions with Don Draper. (Time)

Justin Beiber is going to be on CSI. No way he lives up to Taylor Swift’s guest spot. (People)

Oh, we love you, Tracy Morgan. (TMZ)

...For The Ride Home: The Beach Boys are going to reunite, host of 'Nightline' is on his way out and an interview with Taylor Hawkins

Oh, it's going to be so sad to see Soul Week come to an end tomorrow. Today, we offer up one of the most important songs by one of the most important artists in the history of the music, Rufus Thomas' "Walk The Dog." This is a neat video, too. I wanted to get a performance of it that would stay true to the original recording, and lo and behold, I stumbled upon this. And it's even in black and white! So what's up? Not too much here, either. I felt sick yesterday in an awfully weird way. I was super hot. Then I was super cold. My body ached. I didn't really want to eat anything, but that didn't mean I wasn't hungry. And it wasn't as though I needed to hoark. I just didn't want to eat. It was awful. I'm still a bit hazy, even. Don't really understand what's going on with my body. Maybe it's the non-stop fun of Soul Week. That may be it. In any case, here's hoping that you, the fabulously pretty reader, don't feel as physically awful as I do, allowing you to take a gander at a few links below. One more day and then the weekend. You ought to be excited, you know.

The Beach Boys are going to reunite. No, honestly. They are. (Rolling Stone)

I know I’m five seasons behind, but I still love “House.” Hope this stuff doesn’t end up being too damning. (TMZ)

“Do I like a lot of what I hear on rock music radio? No, not for the most part. I’m not a fan of the regurgitated Pearl Jam and Nickelback crap.” An interview with Taylor Hawkins. (Popmatters)

Martin Bashir, the host of the greatest show I never have time to watch, “Nightline,” is leaving the program for MSNBC. (The Huffington Post)

ESPN’s ombudsman tackles the mess that was the LeBron James special. It’s like putting a golf ball on a tee and being promised you could smash it 350 straight down the fairway. Come on, now. Who isn’t going to kill that? (ESPN)

Rapper Lloyd Banks wins an assault charge case. Anybody remember “On Fire?” That was the jam for around six minutes. (All Hip-Hop)

The guy who won the British Open told his caddy that he would be fired after the tournament. Guess how that turned out. (Sports By Brooks)

Bristol and Levi: Poster children for the dumbing down of America. (Washington Post)

...For The Ride Home: College newspapers cannot do the Web well, "Idol" is awfully close to making a huge mistake and a media fight!

Soul Week continues with one of the greatest songs ever written, Otis Redding's "Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay." A legend, the man was. Fun fact: The whistling at the end was supposed to be a rap that was originally written for the man to sing. Because he forgot the words, he decided to fill in the spot by whistling, and the take turned out so good, everyone decided to keep it. The Unusual Suspects: Your source for all fun facts. So how do you do? It's Wednesday in July. That means the middle of the week is here and now it's all downhill, right? Poking around the InterWebs, I never fully realized how slow of a time the summer months can be for news. Two years ago, the presidential election was heating up, so that provided a bunch of entertainment, but aside from that, I can't recall a stretch between June and August that typically has earth-shattering/intriguing news. And sports? Goodness, the summer's a bad time for sports. It's baseball, and more baseball. I'm even a bit eager for the college football season to begin, and I can't remember feeling like that in a long time. In any case, before we get to any non-summer related instances, we must first complete the summer. And as you do that, we would be honored to offer up a few links for you to check out. Besides. What else do you have to do? Go see "Inception?"

OK. This was brought to my attention last night, and if we weren’t fully immersed in Soul Week, it would have been the top video. First, follow this link. Then, follow the link at the end. If this isn’t some of the funniest stuff you’ve ever seen, I don’t know how much I could help you in the future. (Funny Or Die)

Jason Whitlock attacks Mitch Albom. Like, really, really, attacks him. (The Big Lead)

Taylor Swift is going to release a new record in October. Was really hoping to run into her recently. Didn’t happen. She still kind of looks like a rat. But I still love her. (Pollstar)

An entire newspaper’s sports section staff walks out on newspaper. Silly sportswriters. (SB Nation)

Very, very, very, very true. College newspapers in print form are great. Online versions of the paper? Not so much. But why? (The Huffington Post)

Chris Isaak may replace Simon on “Idol.” This is such a bad move. Harry Connick Jr. is clearly the answer here. (On The Red Carpet)

Sarah Palin does not approve of her daughter’s engagement. Really? We thought she would have already picked out a church. (The Celebrity Café)

An argument for the death of compact discs. Interesting. (CNN)

...For The Ride Home: The Virgin Mobile Festival lineup is announced, Lindsay is in jail and Skip Bayless is rock solid

We continue Soul Week today with Wilson Pickett's "634-5789 (Soulsville USA)." The age-old trick of using a telephone number in the chorus of a song is always fun to come across, don't you think? Me, too. This will be a short introductory paragraph because as you can see, we are running a bit late around these parts, but when you have the opportunity to see "Inception," you must go see it when you look at your calendar to notice all your days are filled until 2017. And yes, more on that movie tomorrow. As for now, continue to enjoy Soul Week, your Tuesday, and the fact that you don't have to worry about turning your heat on during the summer months. Because that can get expensive, you know.

First, it was Alex Chilton, and now, a mere four months later, Andy Hummel, bassist for Big Star passes on. Way more influential band than most give them credit for. (Rolling Stone)

The Wall Street Journal may have figured the world of news video out. Who would have thunk? (The Big Money)

Playboy claims its site is safe to look at while at work. Naturally, experts find out that that’s not true. (The Morning Call)

Amen to this: Only privileged kids get the good internships at media outlets. Damn right. (Washington Post)

Skip Bayless is strong. No, I mean it. Look at him! (Deadspin)

Lindsay Lohan is in jail. And that’s all. (People)

Because I got it wrong yesterday and the show starts this coming Sunday as opposed to this past Sunday, here’s an interview with Matthew Weiner, creator of “Mad Men.” (New York Magazine)

The Virgin Mobile Freefest lineup was announced today. I found my way to it last year, and with LCD Soundsystem on the bill this year, I may just have to make the venture again. (Virgin Mobile)

...For The Ride Home: A funny writer says funny things, Mike weighs in on LeBron and Soul Week kicks off!

Good news! Week 17 is going to be our second themed week! Two exclamation points means business. For those of you who may remember, we first did such a thing here at The Ride back in April, when the showcased a video featuring the lovely Norah Jones each day. This time, and because no, I will not share the gamillions of stories I came by during my week away from you, the always-loved reader, we offer Soul Week, a week dedicated to soul music. Each day's Ride will contain a video that features various artists rooted in what everyone who knows me knows is my favorite kind of music: Soul music. This begins to today with (by my calculations) the fifth greatest song to ever be written and recorded in all of music (rock, pop, country, hip-hop, polka, etc.), Johnnie Taylor's "Who's Makin' Love." If only more videos of these artists existed, I would post live versions of these songs much like we did with Ms. Jones. But alas, such things are few and far between. Soooooo, with that behind us, how are you? How have you been? Did you miss me? Yeah, I didn't quite think you did. My friends always tell me how I should take vacations and how much I deserve/need them, but I don't think I've ever invested in that notion until now. It was so nice to press the reset button, make 5,000 memories, remove myself from the entire world (and this, I learned, also provided me with the time I most enjoyed not having a cellular phone), and stumble upon some of those rare slices of life you can only be so lucky to encounter every now and then. Goodness. Listen to me. I sound like a Christmas card. In any case, it's good to be back, and as July continues to fly by on this muggy Monday, take some time to check out a few links, enjoy the first installment of Soul Week and watch the season premiere of "Mad Men" again. Be nice.

Yes, sir. Michael Jordan says LeBron is stupid for playing in Miami with the overrated Chris Bosh, the bound-to-be-underutilized Dwayne Wade and Mr. James’ personal butler, Big Z. Have to love Mike. (New York Post)

Twenty questions with Gene Weingarten. If you care at all about newspapers or feature/humor writing in general, you really ought to check this out. Funny: “Q: You feel best in Armani or Levis or? A: Natalie Portman.” (Popmatters)

Geeky, but I have to offer it up. A list of winners for this year’s Alt Weekly awards. (Alt Weeklies)

Wasn’t able to get back in time last night to check out the first episode of this season so no spoilers please. That said, this guy talks about revealing too much when writing about the best show AMC will ever see. (Variety)

There was only one thing news story that leaked into my peripheral while I was gone and it was completely by accident. Here’s a discussion concerning the idea of George Steinbrenner being in baseball’s Hall of Fame. Think what you want about him, but I came across a priceless quote he once offered: “If you do something nice for someone, and more than two individuals know about it, then it wasn’t worth it.” (The Big Lead)

Tiger’s former mistress is going to be on the next installment of “Celebrity Rehab.” So, what’s the definition of celebrity again? (ABC News)

Glenn Beck is going blind. This one’s too easy. (Kansas City.com)

Comic Con begins this week. I only know what Comic Con is because of “Entourage.” Victory! (Washington Post)

Because I was gone and couldn’t link it then. Jason Whitlock’s take on LeBenedict. Dude got booed at the ESPYs? (Fox Sports)