The fourth season of “Mission: Impossible” hits shelves next week on DVD. Nothing against the show — it was often stoically clever, and the fourth season added Leonard Nimoy to the mix — but when I think of “Mission: Impossible,” the first thing that comes to mind isn’t Peter Graves or self-destructing tapes or agents in disguise.

It’s the theme song.

Lalo Schifrin’s tense, jazzy music — its menacing horns like little explosions — IS “Mission: Impossible.” It did what the best TV themes did: established a tone and elevated what was to come.

Much has been made of the decline of the TV theme, with most of today’s shows’ opening credits barely lasting long enough to show a title card, much less air a 30- to 60-second piece of music. But even those discussions often focus on the themes with lyrics — “Gilligan’s Island,” “The Beverly Hillbillies,” “Happy Days” — and neglect the great instrumental compositions.

Which gets me pondering some of the classics. Some that come to mind right away are “Hawaii Five-O,” Morton Stevens’ brilliant, pounding horn-and-organ concoction; Barry De Vorzon’s “Theme from S.W.A.T.,” a terrific instrumental that was far more exciting than the show it was written for; and Thomas Newman’s theme for “Six Feet Under,” a yearning, unusual melody that suggested its show’s bittersweet mix of joy and pain.

What are some of your favorites? Remember, instrumentals only.

– Todd Leopold, CNN.com Entertainment Producer

Notes from Stagecoach, Day 2:

Relationships between mothers and daughters are often complicated when they’re played out in the privacy of their own homes. When those loving, but intense, conflicts are set to song and displayed in front of an audience of about 40,000 people, you have a reunion of The Judds.

Naomi Judd and her daughter Wynonna were the darlings of country music in the ’80s and ’90s, but stopped touring and recording as a duo in 2000, after Naomi was diagnosed with hepatitis C. Saturday night, they played their first show together in nearly eight years at the Stagecoach music festival in Indio, California. It was an emotional set — kicking off with “Girls Night Out” and finishing with an encore of their signature song, “Love Can Build a Bridge.”

“I think my parting words were, ‘The show’s dedicated to therapists across America,’ ” Naomi told us aboard her tour bus, still in stage makeup and sparkles after the concert. “Hey, maybe we’ll get a free session!”

Naomi is impossibly kewpie doll-cute at 62 — or “sex-ty two,” as Wynonna calls it. At 43, Wy continues to be the brassy and strong-willed teenager. Theirs is the classic story of the talented daughter and the charming stage mother who can’t seem to cut the cord, try as they might. When the performed together Saturday night, it seemed to re-open — as well as heal — old wounds.

“I’ll have to say the pressure today was almost painful, and that’s not like me,” Naomi confided. “I mean, I used to work in ICU as an R.N. But I do really well when there’s a crisis. Hey, I raised Wynonna and Ashley Judd, so nothing scares me anymore!”

The Judds performed half a dozen songs together before Naomi went backstage for a costume change and Wynonna took the stage alone. It was an interesting contrast. Without her mother’s taffeta skirt to hide behind, she was less demure, much more raucous and commanding. Even a cover of Foreigner’s 1985 pop ballad, “I Want to Know What Love Is,” sounded like a gritty gospel-blues sermon delivered from a church somewhere deep in the Delta.

Naomi re-joined her daughter for a handful of songs, including their early hits, “Why Not Me” and “Mama, He’s Crazy.” After their encore of “Love Can Build a Bridge,” they walked off stage, hand-in-hand, visibly moved.

Next Sunday is Mother’s Day, and Naomi can already picture the chain of events back home in Tennessee.

“I won’t look anything like this,” she said, referencing her rhinestone-laced gown. “I’ll have on no makeup. Probably elastic-waist pants.” She laughed. “Barefoot in the kitchen cooking, and my dogs and my husband — and hopefully, Wy and Ashley.”

-– Denise Quan, Music Correspondent/Senior Producer, CNN Entertainment

Notes from Stagecoach, Day 1:

It was the cover of the Eagles’ 1976 album, “Hotel California,” brought to life.

There they were — Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Timothy B. Schmit and Joe Walsh — silhouetted against a desert oasis, surrounded by gently swaying palm trees and a crowd of 40,000. But this was no flashback mirage. This was opening night of the second annual Stagecoach festival in Indio, California — a three-day country music event just outside Palm Springs.

“We thought it would be a good chance to broaden our horizons in terms of our audience,” said Henley. “Maybe there’s some country fans who haven’t really heard us before. California figures prominently in our history, as does the desert. So we’re glad to be here.”

Some of the 14 other musical acts on Friday expressed excitement at sharing a bill with the legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Famers. Michelle Branch’s parents made the trek from Arizona to catch her set — but not before asking, “Hey, can you get us tickets to see the Eagles?”

“First, they want to see the Eagles, then their granddaughter, then me. I’m not even sloppy seconds. I’m sloppy thirds!” Branch laughingly complained, as her 2-year-old daughter, Owen, ran around the artist compound — a little mini-me in a sundress and pink sandals.

Henley chuckled when informed of Branch’s comments. “I gave her a guitar when she was starting out. Tell her I said hi.”

Backstage was a big mutual admiration society for the artists. Henley interrupted his interview for a moment when Trisha Yearwood’s elegant vocals came soaring through the window of his dressing room trailer. “I hear Miss Yearwood singing. Her voice is unmistakable. God, she’s good.”

John Fogerty — a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer himself with Creedence Clearwater Revival — admitted, “I’m a huge fan of the Eagles, and I just ran into Glen Campbell.”

After his set, Shooter Jennings also caught up with Campbell, who was friends with Shooter’s late father, Waylon, back in the day. “It’s been great seeing you grow up,” Campbell told Shooter affectionately.

“I’m trying, man!” the younger Jennings replied. “I’m hanging on like a hair in a grilled cheese sandwich!”

The two embraced briefly. As Waylon’s son left his trailer, Campbell spontaneously burst into a Foo Fighters song. “It’s times like these you learn to love again!”

Outside, a roadie brought a dual-necked guitar onto the main stage. That could only mean one thing. The Eagles were just about to launch into “Hotel California.” In the ’70s, it was a metaphor for decadence. But on this night, it stood for camaraderie within the country rock community. Henley’s poignant voice rose above the crowd, which had joined him in singing, “You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave!”

A cheer rose, as the familiar guitar solo wailed and palm trees danced against the desert backdrop. For a brief moment, Hotel Calfornia was once again filled to capacity.

– Denise Quan, Music Correspondent/Senior Producer, CNN Entertainment

How do you lose an inflatable pig that’s as big as a two-story house?

Have you seen this pig? There’s a $10,000 reward for its return.

The big escape happened Sunday in Indio, Calfiornia, on the last night of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Former Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters was performing his song, “Pigs,” to 50,000 people when a giant balloon in the shape of a 50-foot pig rose from behind the stage and floated above the audience. (Fans will be familiar with such displays going back to Pink Floyd’s “Animals” tour in the ’70s.)

Organizers cut the anchor cables free Sunday night and made plans to retrieve the pig when it landed — but as of late Monday, the inflatable animal has not been located. Now, his owners are offering a $10,000 reward for his safe return, plus lifelong tickets to Coachella for four people.

If a 50-foot pig floats by your window, please contact lostpig@coachella.com. The pig can be identified by graffiti on its sides, and the name “Obama” spray-painted on its underbelly.

– Denise Quan, CNN Entertainment Producer

Postscript, Wednesday 10:21 a.m. ET: The pig has been found! See this Associated Press article for details.

“What the [bleep] is Sean Penn doing on the main stage of Coachella?” asked the actor-activist to the crowd gathered at the 2008 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival — the three-day indie rock celebration held this weekend in Indio, California.

Penn was there Sunday to recruit festivalgoers for his six-day Dirty Hands Caravan, which will make a round trip to New Orleans and back on a fleet of biodiesel buses, spreading a multi-layered message of voting, volunteerism, political activism and continuing the post-Katrina clean-up in New Orleans.

“We got buses right here at Coachella. We’ll feed you and take care of lodging at no cost to you. We’ll leave at 1 p.m. tomorrow from the clock tower.” Musicians Ben Harper and Everlast will provide entertainment along the route.

The 47-year-old Oscar winner went on to tell the crowd, most of them under 30, that “revolution is a young man’s job, and you can be the revolutionaries.”

He then ended his plea quoting Spicoli, his stoner character from “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” “I’m going to say something I haven’t said in 27 years. Hey bud, let’s party!’”

– Denise Quan, CNN Entertainment Producer

On Saturday, 47 acts took the stage for Day 2 of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California — but the one name that seemed to be on everyone’s lips was Prince. His announcement two weeks ago as the evening’s headliner surprised many who thought the ’80s pop superstar was an odd fit at this mecca of indie rock.

But at Coachella, anything goes. Two years ago, Madonna played a dance set in the DJ tent.

When Prince finally hit the main stage shortly after 11 p.m., he played for nearly two hours in an all-star Vegas-style revue that showcased his 25-year career. The Time’s Morris Day and Jerome Benton added their signature dance moves to “Jungle Love,” and Sheila E pounded the skins for “Glamorous Life.”

Thirtysomething fans sang along at the top of their lungs, while a number of twentysomethings looked on, a bit bewildered.

The diminutive Rock and Roll Hall of Famer finally connected with all ages of the alt-rock audience when he unveiled an impassioned cover of Radiohead’s 1993 single, “Creep” — complete with a blistering guitar solo that channeled Jimi Hendrix. Prince’s rendition of the Beatles’ “Come Together” was also a crowd-pleaser.

Then there were his selections form his own vast songbook. “1999,” “Little Red Corvette, “Cream,” “U Got the Look” and “7″ all made the Coachella set list. Prince waited until the first encore to bust out a majestic arrangement of “Purple Rain,” and when he finally concluded his set at 1 a.m. with “Let’s Go Crazy,” the jubilant crowd did just that.

On Sunday, Roger Waters revisits “Dark Side of the Moon” to close out Coachella 2008.

– Denise Quan, CNN Entertainment Producer

This year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California, kicked off with a tone as laid-back as Friday night’s headliner, Jack Johnson. Forty-three acts performed on five main stages in 96-degree weather.

Our highlights — and one or two lowlights — can be found below (on a scale of one through five, five being best):

Breakout bands:

The Raconteurs *****

Jack White, Brendan Benson and company channeled Led Zeppelin in a highly charged set that took the band to the next level, and caused many fans to wonder which group was really White’s side project — the Raconteurs or the White Stripes.

Vampire Weekend ****

They’ve gone from the Ivy League to the big league faster than you can say “rehearsal in my dorm room at Columbia University.” The year’s biggest buzz band charmed an overflowing crowd with happy-go-lucky Afro-pop. We’ll even forgive the Chachi factor — bassist Chris Baio is the nephew of actor-turned-reality star Scott Baio.

Pendulum ****

Festivalgoers bounced their heads to the beat long after the electronica rock outfit from Australia left the stage. Obviously, this Pendulum is swinging in the right direction.

Rating the reunions:

The Verve ****

When singer Richard Ashcroft launched into the band’s classic “Bitter Sweet Symphony,” the song was every bit as fresh and haunting as it was 11 years ago. Here’s a reunion that sounded like the group had never left.

Breeders **

Unfortunately, the Breeders’ first live set in six years sounded as ragged as their troubled history. Kim Deal and her twin sister, Kelley, could have used a bit more rehearsal before taking the main stage — where many in the audience drifted off to see Vampire Weekend next door after the Breeders failed to connect.

The scene:

Star power *

Shia LaBeouf, Steven Tyler from Aerosmith, Gary Dourdan from “CSI” and the dude who played Bud Bundy on “Married With Children.” [Editor's note: David Faustino.] Where are Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Tara Reid when you need them?

Parking:
You get what you pay for *

Parking may be plentiful, and the price is certainly right (free) — but at the end of the night, cars were at a standstill for more than an hour. Turns out somebody forgot to unlock the gate.

– Denise Quan, CNN Entertainment Producer

Before there was “Millennium,” before the “Bodyguard” soundtrack, before “Thriller” and “Saturday Night Fever” and “Rumours,” there was “Tapestry.”

Carole King has been writing hit songs since the late 1950s.

Carole King’s opus, just released in a new, 2-CD “Legacy” edition, came out in March 1971 and quickly became the biggest, fastest-selling album of its time. It spawned a No. 1 hit – “It’s Too Late” – spent 15 weeks as the top album in the country, ranked as one of the top-selling albums of both 1971 and 1972, and stayed on the Billboard album charts for more than six years.

It also won King, who had risen to fame as one of the great Brill Building songwriters of the early ‘60s, the Grammy for album of the year.

Thirty-seven years later, it’s still a revealing record. King didn’t have overwhelming pipes, nor did she hide her voice behind a layer of coyness. She simply sang – about breakups, about sex, about death (in the rather cheerful “Smackwater Jack,” with lyrics by her ex-husband, Gerry Goffin), about life for a woman just turned 30.

“[‘Tapestry’] is an album of surpassing personal intimacy and musical accomplishment and a work infused with a sense of artistic purpose. It is also easy to listen to and easy to enjoy,” wrote Jon Landau in Rolling Stone, praising King’s “marvelously expressive” voice.

King’s quiet, polished directness was a staple of the singer-songwriter movement, a group that included Cat Stevens, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell and her friend James Taylor. (Others, including Neil Young, Paul Simon and Van Morrison, were also lumped into the genre at times, though “singer-songwriter” soon became synonymous with a kind of lightweight earnestness that Young, for one, couldn’t wait to leave behind.)

At 67, King is still making and performing music — and, given her amazing output (much done with Goffin), she has plenty to work with. But “Tapestry” remains a high point in a long and honored career.

– Todd Leopold, CNN.com Entertainment Producer

Saturday marks Record Store Day. Its founders say it’s an opportunity to celebrate the culture of the mom-and-pop record stores across the country.

It’s also an opportunity to have a big party. Many of the more than 450 stores taking part in Record Store Day are throwing a celebration. Watch what Record Store Day is all about

Record Store Day co-founder Eric Levin, owner of Criminal Records in Atlanta, Georgia, says the idea was spurred by the notion that independent record stores are becoming extinct – often taken over by large retail chains or vanishing entirely. But Levin says that’s not the case. While some stores do go out of business, he says, many are a strong part of the community — releasing records, hiring musicians and participating in local events.

And Record Store Day is garnering support from some major names in the music business. American heavy metal band Metallica is launching the day with an event at a local record store near San Francisco. Log on to recordstoreday.com and you’ll see a listing of events taking place on April 19, in addition to testimony from musicians such as Bruce Springsteen and Ben Harper on why record stores are essential.

Guitarist, singer and songwriter Joan Jett, known for “I Love Rock N’ Roll” and “I Hate Myself for Loving You,” puts it this way on the Web site: “Any artist that doesn’t support the wonderful ma and pa record stores across America is contributing to our own extinction.”

Nowadays, of course, a growing number of people get their music online. Some may have never set foot in an actual record store. But, says Atlanta musician Shannon Mulvaney, there’s a big difference between sitting in front of a computer listening to music and walking the aisles of the local record store, sifting through vinyl and CDs where you are surrounded by “music geeks.” It’s not just bits and bytes in a record store – it’s music, with all its colors.

So take some time Saturday and drop by your local platter seller. You don’t even have to be a music geek to do so.

– Lila Eidi, CNN.com Senior Producer, Digital Content

Ollie Johnston, the last of Walt Disney’s “Nine Old Men,” died Monday. He was 95.

Ollie Johnston was the last of the Disney stable of animators known as the “Nine Old Men.”

Johnston and his colleagues, including Frank Thomas, Eric Larson and Ward Kimball, are the animators responsible for that distinctive invention: the “Disney film,” the feature-length animated classics that include “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” “Pinocchio,” “Fantasia” and “Lady and the Tramp.” The early films, in particular, are flawless combinations of art and story, so timeless and indestructible the studio could release them every seven years and instill a sense of wonder each time.

Today we live in an age of computer animation, technologically spectacular but sometimes wanting creatively. Too many films substitute artistic detail for story, something that Walt Disney didn’t tolerate, especially in the early days. (As noted in Neal Gabler’s brilliant biography “Walt Disney,” he rode his animators hard but maintained a paternal relationship until a mid-’40s union dispute. Indeed, the contrasts between the buttoned-down Disney and the wild men over at Warner Bros.’ “Termite Terrace,” chafing under the stewardship of Leon Schlesinger, say much about the style of their productions.)

There are notable exceptions, none better than Disney’s natural successor (and affiliate), Pixar. In the “Toy Story” films, “Monsters Inc.” and particularly Brad Bird’s amazing work, you can see the attention to detail — including story detail — Disney would have enjoyed. The Nine Old Men would be proud.

It’s no surprise that both Johnston and Thomas had small roles in Bird’s “The Iron Giant” and “The Incredibles.” They knew who upheld tradition.

– Todd Leopold, CNN.com Entertainment Producer