Okay…I actually don’t have a Twitter account, but if I did, it would have looked like this during the Grammys tonight, as I chatted with a good friend in Atlanta:
I’m just not feelin the U2 song. Escape Club did it so much better
DAAAAAAAAAAAAMN…she looks GOOD! (referring to Whitney)
yay, J Hud!
Al Green and JT!
Keith Urban got better billing than Boyz II Men on an R&B tribute
Carrie looks kinda slutty tonight
yay, Sugarland!
ugh, Kid Rock
OMG…SO bad Miley & Taylor. Can we just ship Miley off to the trailer park now?
damn…I liked the Jonas Bros/Stevie collab
ugh…Katy Perry. nauseating
yay, Estelle! she looks hot. Kanye, meanwhile, is bringing back the mid 80s R&B look
okay…New Artist
waiting….
come on…
ADELE!
(my friend) i can’t believe i didn’t hear your scream of joy all the way from denver
I stifled it
MIA is HUGE!
well, Record of the Year confirms that Plant and Krauss will win album of the year
Swagga Like Us was HOT
John Freakin’ Mayer? Srsly? There were four more worthy songs
yay, Sugarland and Adele!
Cyndi had a mohawk!
Radiohead is really good tonight
isn’t TI supposed to go to jail sometime before the next decade?
this Four Tops performance is KILLER
Jordin Sparks sitting behind Paul McCartney. that’s funny
okay…I’m gonna skip Neil Diamond
did Ne Yo perform solo? all the other Album of the Year artists did. although maybe that’s the producers’ way of saying that even they know he was out of his league in that category
did T-Pain say “that’s f*&#in awesome”? when they announced Lil Wayne, he said that just off mic, but enough to get through
- As expected, Beyonce debuts at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart with “I Am…Sasha Fierce”. What wasn’t necessarily expected, though, was the ascent of “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It), which blasted to #2 ahead of “If I Were A Boy” at 3. “Single” hadn’t been available digitally until last week, but once it was, it sold over 200,000 units, debuting at #1 on the Top Digital Sales. For anyone who believes that the video as an art form and a promotional tool is dead, I ask that you reconsider that conclusion. Between the original, all of the online tributes and parodies, and the hilarious send-up on “Saturday Night Live”, that video earned every single penny that they put into it.
- Right behind Beyonce on the Top 200 are a pair of pop/rock debuts from Nickleback at 2 and American Idol David Cook at 3. While both looked to be neck and neck early on, Nickleback took the decisive lead in the end, with first single “Gotta Be Somebody” at #19 on the Hot 100. While “Light On” has some good momentum at radio, the sales on the single have dried up, dragging it down to #91 this week. Cook does have a couple of nice distinctions to celebrate this week. His full-length garnered the most sales for a debut digital release since Soundscan started tracking sales, and tops the Top Digital Albums chart.
Other than a lot of Christmas records floating around, there really aren’t a lot of exciting things going on with the Album chart, other than a debut from Il Divo at #5. The scary thing about this week’s chart is that total sales are a whopping 32% down from last year. While that sounds like gloom and doom, just remember that Thanksgiving is as late this year as it can be, throwing off retail calendars and basically creating one less week of shopping than usual. This week’s mega releases are going to have to do some serious work, but I just don’t see the recovery with these titles. Kanye is expected to come in around 500K, followed by Guns N Roses with 300K, and Ludacris & the Killers clocking in over 200K. Folks, this is not a good sign.
- Back on the Hot 100, T.I. continues his domination with Dragostea Din Tei “Live Your Life” at #1, but “Whatever You Like” continues its slow descent at #4, and Katy Perry’s “Hot N Cold” drops back one spot to #5. Lady GaGa continues her quest for a cheeseburger world domination by jumping up another 9 spots to land at #7, joining label boss Akon in the Top 10 for the first time. What I want to know is, if Cherrytree can get GaGa into the top 10, why can’t they get Robyn? Am I missing something? [BTW, did anyone else hear about the Lady passing out at a club show in Seattle? A friend of a friend was there, and said it was pretty crazy.]
The Fray pick up top debut this week at #28 with “You Found Me”, which should continue to do well after its placement during the American Music Awards on Sunday. The full-length is out in early February in multiple formats, including a Deluxe Edition currently up for pre-orders on their website that will also get you early access to their club tour in January. Interesting twist on the marketing…as part of the purchase, you will also receive digital access to live tracks recorded during the club tour that you may end up on if you go. These are some smart boys, I tell ya. Cities on the club tour are Denver, Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit, Boston, Philadelphia and New York. (And yes, I’ve already pre-ordered my copy.)
Strong moves this week include Ludacris and T-Pain’s “One More Drink”, which I heard today and didn’t hate, climbing from 54-38, Rihanna’s “Rehab” leaping 61-34, a 71-58 jump for 50 Cent’s “Get Up”, and a strong 80-61 leap for Usher’s “Trading Places”. [I caught this a couple of weeks ago, and meant to post it, but notice that Fitty's CD is not among the top sellers this week, due to him blinking tweaking the new record that caused it to be pushed into 2009. Can you say "Kanye"?] One last record to watch is Taylor Swift’s “Love Story”, which may re-enter the Top 10 next week, based on some big moves at radio this week.
- No change at the top of the Hot 100 this week, with T.I. still holding the one-two punch of “Live Your Life” and “Whatever You Like”. The big change right behind it is Beyonce, who jumps back up to #3 with “If I Were A Boy”, picking up Greatest Sales Gainer honors. Between its natural growth this week, the release of “I Am…”, which should spur more sales next week, and “Whatever” beginning to descend the airplay charts, Sasha’s pretty likely to end T.I.’s monopoly next week.
Katy Perry slips down one spot to #4, but remains bulleted, primarily due to “Hot N Cold” knocking off P!nk, who rounds out the Hot 100 at #5, to take #1 on the Pop chart. Is that a Celebrity Death Match we’d all love to see, if for nothing other than to say “bring me the head of Katy Perry”, and then it actually HAPPENS? The other move within the top 10 is Kanye’s “Love Lockdown”, which re-enters at #9.
- Further down the Hot 100, it’s an active week for debuts, with album cuts from Taylor Swift and Nickleback mingling with legitimate singles by Keith Urban and Guns N Roses (in at #34). Yes, I said Guns N Roses. “Chinese Democracy” marks GNR’s first appearance on the Hot 100 in 14 years, when their cover of “Sympathy for the Devil” appeared on the “Interview with a Vampire” soundtrack. It also becomes their highest-charting single since “November Rain” hit #3 in 1991. Big movers include Carrie Underwood’s “Just a Dream”, up from 43 to 29, and T-Pain Featuring Ludacris with “Chopped ‘N’ Skrewed”, taking a huge leap from 62 to 39.
- Over on the Billboard 200, there are plenty of debuts in the Top 20 to report. Taylor Swift leads the pack with “Fearless”, selling over 592,000 units to grab the biggest-selling week for a country release so far this week. David Archuleta comes in at #2, selling a pretty impressive 188,00 units, followed by Now 29 at #3, T-Pain at #4, a strong debut for Enya’s holiday collection at #8, and a #13 start for Seal’s “Soul”, which I honestly wouldn’t have predicted. Goes to show that any artist with a decent voice can release a collection of standards and make some moolah (see Rod Stewart, Barry Mannilow, Donny Osmond, Pat Boone, etc). Further down the chart, the Smiths make their 1st appearance on the album chart since ’92 with “The Sound of the Smiths”. Check out Chart Rigger for all the details on that stellar collection.
- The big news this week is the debut of the “Twilight” soundtrack at #1, matching the achievements of “Juno” and “Mamma Mia” to become this year’s third #1 soundtrack. Too bad, so sad for “High School Musical 3″, although I’m pretty sure they will sell more total units than “Twilight” once all is said and done. Paramore’s “Decode”, which appears on the soundtrack, debuts on the Hot 100 at #34.
- Other debuts this week include Hinder at 4, Andrea Bocelli at 8, Brad Paisley at 9, Q-Tip at 11, and Sarah Brightman at #38, which leads several Holiday albums into the upper reaches of the chart. Faith Hill, Yo-Yo Ma, Harry Connick Jr, Amy Grant and Elvis are all looking for a piece of that fruitcake. “The Fame” plummets from #17 to 52, but that’s nothing compared to the 18 – 80 drop that Bloc Party takes with “Intimacy”.
- Pop Radio is about to say goodbye to P!nk and hello to Katy Perry at #1. “Hot N Cold” has the momentum, and looks poised to hold the top for a few weeks once it arrives. It’s only competition is T.I.’s “Whatever You Like”, but I don’t think that one will have enough juice to do the job. So look for “I’m Yours” (at #5) or “Live Your Life” (at #9, most increased plays this week) to hit the top next. Most added AGAIN this week is Lady GaGa’s “Just Dance”, which makes a 34 – 23 move, along with a 27 – 21 move on the Hot 100. This thing is turning into a MONSTER! Brandy also takes a big jump from 38 – 29, and David Cook debuts at #40. (Come on…I had to.) Top debut on the Hot 100 is Kanye’s “Heartless” mainly driven by the pre-orders for his new disc, dropping in two weeks, and “Love Lockdown” re-bullets at #13.
- Folks, despite the burnout that we all may be experiencing out here in the blogosphere over Ms GaGa, “Just Dance” FINALLY secures hit status. It is #1 most added at Pop Radio this week, among the most increased played tracks of the week, and is the top debut on the Pop chart at #34. While the odds of this record going #1 are slim, since some stations have been on the record for a while, I would guess this one’s going Top 10 at the minimum. On the Hot 100, the track takes a big jump from 49 to 27. The full-length “The Fame” arrives in the U.S. at #17, with 24,000 units. That’s actually a pretty decent debut for a brand-new artist without a fully established hit.
- Speaking of the album chart, AC/DC remain at #1 with “Black Ice”, P!nk scores her highest debut yet with “Funhouse” at #2 (although she sold more her opening week of “Missundaztood”). At first, it looked like it might be a lower debut, as iTunes never showed the album higher than #4, but her sales were split between a standard release and a Deluxe Edition. Other notables include John Legend at #4, Snow Patrol at #9, the Cure at #16, and Bloc Party at #18. Country music gets back-to-back debuts at #5 and 6 with Toby Keith and Rascal Flatts.
- T.I. once again has the #1 single on the Hot 100, but we’re back to “Live Your Life” with Rihanna. This is getting as annoying as trying to get through a revolving door that a couple of bratty kids keep going around and around and around. “Whatever You Like” is at 2, “So What” moves back up to 3, “Hot N Cold” inches up to 4, and Beyonce drops to #5 with “If I Were A Boy”.
- Ms Knowles’s “Single Ladies” continues to push through the chart, up another 12 spots to #44. Other notable moves on the Hot 100 include John Legend’s “Green Light” finally shifting into drive and moving 47 – 31, and Brandy makes a move for relevance, as “Right Here (Departed)” moves 63 – 53. Her “Human” CD has been pushed back to December, but it looks like she might actually have a hit single to help promote it. I still don’t get the appeal of Jazmine Sullivan, but her second release “Bust Your Windows” also climbs 10 spots to #48.
- In one last bit of chart news, Rihanna debuts at #37 on the Pop radio chart with “Rehab”, while the group Rehab drop one spot to #39 with “Bartender Song”. Which only proves that I am, as you already suspected, a chart geek. In the immortal words of Casey Kasem, “keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars.”
- Adele did indeed take a big jump up the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart, from 129-46, with a 145% increase over last week’s sales. Because there was only one reporting day after her performance on SNL, and given that the record is still #2 (behind the High School Musical 3 soundtrack), I’m guessing there will be another up week next week to reflect the rest of her sales. “Chasing Pavements” moves up a spot to #19 at Hot AC radio. This could be the make-or-break week for that single.
- Another album that takes a huge leap this week is the long-released duet CD from Alison Krauss and Robert Plant, “ChasingRaising Sand”. That record sees a 125% increase in sales, and jumps to #50. Heading in the other direction is the unexpectedly good “Unexpected” from former Destiny’s Child member Michelle Williams. It drops 75% of last week’s sales, and plummets to #190. Notable debuts include Kenny Chesney at #1, and Keane, whose “Perfect Symmetry” bows at #7, but with only close to half of the sales of “Under the Iron Sea”.
- In other radio news, the big news at Pop Radio is the huge debut this week for Beyonce’s “If I Was A Boy”. The track roars onto the top 40 at #26, tying Britney’s “Womanizer” debut two weeks ago. That track is at #16 in its third week, with a good head of steam on it. “Boy” also moves up the Hot 100 at a good clip, moving from 100 – 68, while “Single Ladies” hops on the chart at #72.
- Pop programmers finally seem to have recognized that Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours” is a hit, and it picks up over 900 additional spins this week, and moves up to #13 on the Hot 100. (Paul, I told you it would rebound) Number 1 at Pop Radio this week is Pink for a second week with over 10,000 spins total (#3 on the Hot 100), and Katy Perry’s “Hot N Cold” is a distant second place (#5 on the Hot 100). Songs going for adds this week include Mariah’s “I Stay In Love” and the twelfth attempt at a hit for Christina Milian with “Us Against the World” on MySpace Records.
- A note for chart followers…you’re seeing a lot of huge debuts, followed by steep declines, and you might be saying to yourself “it never used to do this in the past.” Well, for the most part, you’re right. But this is a new age. With the advent of electronic forms of distribution, coupled with illegal downloading, labels are rushing singles out quickly to recapture as much revenue as possible before tracks end up on the Internet by other means. In the past, record companies would release the single early on, but the airplay would be the primary thing pushing the sales. It was in the 90s that companies started withholding singles, and then releasing them when airplay was dominant, in order to get a big debut (along with big headlines…see image). Oh…and 99 cent singles didn’t hurt, either.
- Surprise, surprise…Janet has postponed a total of three shows on her “Rock With U” tour in order to recuperate from some super-secret malady that caused her to become “suddenly ill”. It’s been reported that she was only at the hospital for two hours, and then left. Shows in Montreal, Boston, and Philadelphia are supposed to be rescheduled, but does anyone want to take a guess on how poor the ticket sales were there? It can’t all be doom and gloom, though…tickets for a newly added show in Tulsa go on sale this week. I’m still waiting for the Denver show to pop up on the radar, but I have sources that have told me that I have a better chance of seeing Kylie in America than of seeing Janet in Denver. *sigh*
- New releases this week include full-lengths on TI, Jennifer Hudson, Robin Thicke, James Taylor, James Morrison, Faith Hill (Christmas), and Kellie Pickler (for you trashy AI fans). You’ll get reviews shortly on several of those titles. It’s also a singles bonanza this week, including new tunes from the Killers, Nickleback, John Legend, Ciara, and David Cook, whose “Light On” is a decent start for his new CD that’s dropping in November. In a world where “Human” exists, though, everything else is just sounding mediocre at best.
- Looking at Pop Radio, Rihanna is number one on airplay with “Disturbia”, while Ne-Yo’s “Closer” is number one in total audience, and Katy Perry picks up most increased airplay for “Hot N Cold”. Speaking of Rihanna, “Rehab” is officially the 72nd single off of “Good Girl Gone Bad”. Other songs going to pop radio this week include (finally) Jennifer Hudson’s “Spotlight”, and the brilliant “Love Lockdown” from Kanye West.
- Thanks to everyone for all of the well wishes as I’ve moved to Colorado. I am grateful for all of the support as I get settled and attempt to find a job. In the meantime, I’m making sure I enjoy the beautiful weather while it lasts.
From YRB Magazine (and with a h/t to Uh Like That!), here are the latest words of wisdom from the musical chameleon herself, Katy Perry…
“I’m not here to be a role model personality. I’m here to be in the business of f**king rock and roll. Being in the business of rock and roll means having an attitude, being sexy, being edgy and being unapologetic unless I do something wrong…I look up to people like Joan Jett, Pat Benatar, Freddie Mercury and Cyndi Lauper. I want to have that same type of appeal. If people want a role model, they can have Miley Cyrus.”
Damn…where do I begin? First off, let’s talk about the business that Katy thinks she’s in. I am going to make this confession once, and only once, that Katy Perry came up with one of the most infectious pop songs of the past few years. The hook is irresistible, and whether or not you credit her or Max Martin, she delivers the goods. I would actually own the record if I could stand the girl’s personality. But “I Kissed a Girl” is POP music, Katy.
Second, does she really think that she’s doing something that Cyndi Lauper or Joan Jett would be proud of? Two of the four artists she lists are gay, and yet her way of paying respect is to release a kiss-off record to an ex called “Ur So Gay”, which opens with a wish for the ex to hang himself with a scarf from H&M. Classy, indeed, and very respectful of those who preceded her.
Finally, although I know it’s a cheap shot, let’s talk about the past recordings of Miss Katy Hudson. Beliefnet, which I actually have a decent amount of respect for, have highlighted questions about her past musical direction, as well as her family’s reaction to her success. This really smells more like a calculated move to distance herself from her past while finding success in a new arena, but at the end of the day, only Katy knows. Here’s hoping she gets her shizz together, because selling your soul for a hit can only fill so many holes in your life for so long, and after a while, it makes more than it fills. The aftereffects aren’t all that fun to clean up.
Finally, although I know it’s a cheap shot, let’s talk about the past recordings of Miss Katy Hudson. Beliefnet, which I actually have a decent amount of respect for, have highlighted questions about 
Stumble It!
