CHRIS BROWN’S PREDICTED ALBUM SALES
The early predictions are in and it looks like Chris Brown’s upcoming Graffiti album is going to be a strong contender on the Billboard 200 chart. According to HitsDailyDouble.com, the “Crawl” singer is expected to sell over 150-thousand units in its opening week. We won’t know for sure until the Nielsen Soundscan report comes out next week.
KINGS AND PEAS TOP ITUNES 2009 CHART
The Kings of Leon top the iTunes album charts for 2009. The group has the top-selling CD with Only by the Night, which overall has sold over 1.5-million copies to date. They are followed by the Twilight soundtrack, Lady Gaga’s The Fame and Taylor Swift’s Fearless. The Black Eyed Peas’ “Boom Boom Pow” is iTunes’ best-selling single of the year. Other top-selling songs include Flo Rida’s “Right Round,” Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” and another Black Eyed Peas’ hit, “I Gotta Feeling.”
DANIEL POWTER TOPS BILLBOARD’S ONE HIT WONDER LIST
Billboard has compiled their list of the top one-hit wonders of the decade and Daniel Powter’s 2006 song “Bad Day” is at the summit. The tune reigned on top of the Billboard pop charts for five weeks in 2006, and it’s success was fueled by American Idol, as the song played every time someone was eliminated that season. The magazine describes one-hit wonders as acts whose second hit did not reach the top 25. They only included acts from 2000 to 2007, since someone from last year might just be taking a break. Terror Squad scored the number two song with “Lean Back,” Crazy Town’s huge 2001 hit “Butterfly is at number three, number four is MIMS with “This Is Why I’m Hot” and number five is D4L with “Laffy Taffy.” Other notable songs on the list include: The Calling’s “Wherever You Will Go,” Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles,” Lou Bega’s “Mambo No. 5,” James Blunt’s “You’re Beautiful,” J-Kwon’s “Tipsy” and Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy,” which has topped some lists as the best song of the decade. For more, head to Billboard.com.
TAYLOR SWIFT THANKS FANS FOR AN AMAZING 2009
Taylor Swift had a banner year in 2009, from a rumored romance with New Moon star Taylor Lautner to hosting Saturday Night Live to winning multiple American Music Awards and receiving eight GRAMMY nominations. That’s why when Swift took to her MySpace blog to update her fans on all her latest comings and goings, she made sure to thank them for making this past year incredibly successful. She wrote, “Thank you again for everything you guys have done to make all of these magical things happen to me,” adding, “I was talking to my producer, Nathan, today about everything that’s happened this year. We were being nostalgic and going back to this time four years ago, three years ago, two years ago. Now this year. We just can’t believe it.” Swift also wrote that the holidays are her favorite time of year, fitting for a girl who spent a good portion of her childhood on a Christmas tree farm. For more, head to MTV.com/News.
GAGA MEETS THE QUEEN!
Monday night in Blackpool, England, Lady Gaga participated at the Royal Variety Performance, which means that the pop star sang for the Queen of England! PerezHilton.com has gotten their hands on some pictures of the “Bad Romance” singer meeting the Queen, so head to gossip site right now to check them out.
RUSSELL WANTS TO MARRY KATY PERRY
Believe it or not, it really seems like things are getting serious between Katy Perry and Russell Brand. The comedian was pretty blunt about his intentions while talking to British paper The Daily Mail, saying that he would “love to marry Katy” and that “hopefully it’s heading that way.” If Russell was looking for approval from the pop star’s parents, it appears that he may have already gotten it. They met a little while back, and he said that they hit it off and “got on well.”
CORRINE BAILEY RAE IS BACK
Corrine Bailey Rae is back with a brand new album. According to a press release, the singer-songwriter is set to release The Sea on January 26th. But you won’t have to wait that long to hear it because the first single, “I’d Do It All Again,” will be available for download at the beginning of the month. Learn more about Corrine’s new effort at CorrineBaileyRae.net.
LEONA LEWIS MAKES SOME DOUGH
Earlier in the year, Leona Lewis was flown to Monaco to perform at a private birthday party for Romania’s richest man. And details of how much the pop star made are finally being revealed. According to ContactMusic.com, Lewis was paid 150-thousand dollars American to perform a short set for 25 guests. Not bad for one night’s work!
JAY-Z OFFERS VIP PACKAGE FOR BP3 TOUR
Jay-Z wants to show his fans a good time when they attend the second leg of his Blueprint 3 tour. That’s why Hova is providing VIP packages which offer entry to a private pre-show VIP party, luxury seating with private bar and waitress service. But that’s not all, you will also receive a personal concierge, premium parking, a gift bag, collectible laminate posters and an awesome concert experience. Head over to LiveNation.com to book your package now.
THE FRAY BATTLE WITH EX-MANAGER
Things are getting personal between The Fray and their ex-manager. According to the Associated Press, Greg Latterman says that the band owes his company more than 750-thousand dollars in “commission and expenses.” This claim was filed Monday, after the Denver group sued Latterman for failing to tell them that his management company was getting partial ownership to The Fray’s music. Latterman’s counterclaim says that the band tried to end their contract early and pressured him to accept less money than what he says he was entitled to.
AMY WINEHOUSE AND EX TO GET REMARRIED
Are Amy Winehouse and ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil on the road back to remarrying? Well if you believe Blake’s mom Georgette they sure are. She told Britain’s Sunday Mirror that the couple is set to get back together once Blake gets out of rehab and that “their love is so powerful nothing will stop them from being together.” <ZS>
JENNIFER HUDSON’S X-MAS SPECIAL COMING SOON
Jennifer Hudson heads back to Chicago to recall her favorite childhood memories and holiday traditions in the upcoming special I’ll Be Home for Christmas. The GRAMMY Award-winning singer will also perform holiday classics like “Silent Night,” “The Christmas Song” and “O Holy Night.” Be sure to tune in when the program airs on Monday at 8 PM Eastern on ABC.
MARIAH CAREY READIES “H.A.T.E.U.” VIDEO
According to her official fan site, Mariah Carey is scheduled to debut the video to her new single, “H.A.T.E.U,” sooner than you think. In fact, the Brett Ratner-directed clip will reportedly premiere later this week! In addition, Mi Mi is also preparing a domestic tour to support the release of her Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel album.
“H.A.T.E.U.” was written and produced by The Dream and Tricky Stewart. The single has peaked at number 76 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/ Hip-Hop charts.
ROBIN THICKE RECRUITS GAME ON SEX THERAPY
According to Rap-Up.com, Robin Thicke has teamed up with Game on a new song called “Diamonds.” The track includes shout-outs to all the important women in the entertainers’ lives as well as to strong women like Beyoncé, Oprah and Michelle Obama. The cut is scheduled to appear on the deluxe edition of Robin’s much anticipated Sex Therapy album. Get your copy on Tuesday.
http://limelinx.com/files/c2c8f2828e9969831721df610d490948
PREVIEW MARY J’ STRONGER WITH EACH TEAR
We’ve just learned Mary J. Blige is giving her fans a taste of what to expect from her upcoming album, Stronger With Each Tear, before it hits stores. You can preview the entire album now at Amazon.com. If you like what you hear, be sure to get your copy on December 21st.
USHER’S RAYMOND VS RAYMOND TRAILER
Even though Usher’s upcoming effort, Raymond vs. Raymond, won’t be released this year, the “Papers” singer is giving his fans a sneak peek as to what they should expect. He has released a trailer that shows how conflicted his lifestyle really is. Head over to RapRadar.com for your first look.
Raymond vs. Raymond drops on March 1, 2010.
EMINEM CAUSES CONTROVERSY IN THE GAY COMMUNITY
PerezHilton.com reports that Eminem has angered the gay community with the release of his new song “Elevators.” Slim Shady takes aim at three well known homosexuals and he manages to call them a derogatory term without saying it. In the second line of the song, Em says “fake it’s” but phonetically it comes out differently. Head over to PerezHilton.com to hear it.
HE SAID WHAT?! Here’s the line that has the rapper in trouble: “Sorry, Lance, Mr. Aiken and Lambert, ain’t gonna make it. They get so mad, when I call them both fake / It’s all these f***ing voices in my head, I can’t take it / Someone shut that f***ing baby up, before I shake it.”
CARRIE UNDERWOOD SPECIAL A SUCCESS
On Monday night, more than 8.5-million viewers watched the music and comedy special, Carrie Underwood: An All-Star holiday special. The show will re-air on December 22nd on FOX. <LR>
ALICIA KEYS TO RELEASE ALBUM VIA FACEBOOK
We’ve just learned Alicia Keys’ upcoming album, The Element of Freedom, will be streamed exclusively on Facebook. This will allow users to hear her newest material for free and pre-order the project before it officially hits stores on Tuesday. Head over to Facebook.com/AliciaKeys for your first listen now.
JAMIE FOXX, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE HAVE A “WINNER”
Last month on Lopez Tonight, Jamie Foxx revealed that he worked with Justin Timberlake on his new song titled “Winners.” In case you were wondering when the track would see the light of day, head over to RapRadar.com to hear it now. In addition, Jamie’s next album is titled Body and it will drop in 2010.
MUPPETS’ “BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY” AS A SINGLE
We recently reported on a Muppets cover of Queen’s classic tune “Bohemian Rhapsody” on YouTube and now, that track will be available as a single. In two weeks, over nine-million people watched the video online and according to NME.com, many expect the release to top the Christmas singles chart overseas this year. The clip is still up on YouTube and you can see it by searching for “The Muppets Bohemian Rhapsody.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgbNymZ7vqY
BONO AND THE EDGE SIT DOWN WITH ELVIS COSTELLO
Tonight sees the return of Spectacle: Elvis Costello With…, a show on the Sundance Channel in which the musician sits and discusses music with other legends. Tonight’s episode, which airs at 10 PM, features Bono and The Edge. The U2 men talk about their biggest hits, perform some obscure U2 tracks and jam with Elvis and his band at the end of the show. Other artists set to appear on the show this season include Bruce Springsteen, Neko Case, Sheryl Crow and more. <SH>
UNAUTHORIZED BLINK MOVIE IN THE WORKS
According to MTV News, a 24-year-old filmmaker named Brandon Flores is trying to make a movie about Blink-182 but can’t seem to get the band on board. The picture is titled Blink and follows the trio’s early days. Flores really wants to get in contact with the guys in hopes to use their music in the film or to see if they would appear in it. With or without their approval, Flores is going ahead with Blink and has even begun casting. Blink’s management is yet to comment on the story, but Mark Hoppus did respond to MTV’s email saying, “No, I didn’t know anything about the movie. I wonder how it pays? Should I try out for the part of Tom?”
