1: If you want sure. But you still get weeds next year unless you use a pre-emergent. And a good one at that.
2: That's what i would do...Planting any perennials you have now would be a good ide also. Give them a head start for next year.

I agree with Mylu, but I'm one of those organic types. No matter what you do, weeds will be an ongoing problem, but will be less of a challenge as the plants you want establish themselves. That said, I've done the newspaper and mulch thing to good success; just be sure to use a good thickness of newspaper and try not to leave holes. If you do that, you don't even have to turn the soil, which is a great labor-saver! You might search the forums (fora?) for "lasagne gardening."