DRAKE DEBUTS AT NUMBER ONE!
Drake’s debut album Thank Me Later bows at number one on the Billboard album chart selling over 447-thousand copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ Mojo album debuts at number two, Sarah McLachlan’s Laws of Illusion opens at number three and the Now 34 compilation comes starts at number four. Jack Johnson’s To The Sea falls one spot to number five and the Eclipse soundtrack slips four notches to number six. Justin Bieber’s My World 2.0 drops one slot to number seven, Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now holds at number eight and Christina Aguilera’s Bionic drops six slots to number nine. Last week’s number one album, Glee: The Music, Journey to Regionals, rounds out the top ten.
BILLBOARD TIDIBITS: Drake’s 449-thousand copies shifted marks the third-best sales week of the year for a single album. The top two sales weeks of 2010 are owned by Sade’s Soldier of Love with 502-thosuand copies back in February and Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now with 481-thousand copies back in January. Since both Lady Antebellum and Sade are technically groups, Thank Me Later’s start is also the biggest debut week for a solo act’s album since Susan Boyle’s I Dreamed a Dream entered at number one with 701-thousand copies last November.
KATY PERRY STILL ON TOP OF DIGITAL SONGS
According to Billboard, Katy Perry’s “California Gurls” holds at number one on the Digital Sales chart, shifting another 337-thosuand copies. Drake’s “Up All Night” is the highest debut on the chart, as it enters at number 22 with 57-thousand downloads sold. Meanwhile, Mike Posner’s “Cooler Than Me” rises three spots to number six, Drake’s “Find Your Love” climbs eight notches to number eight and 3Oh!3’s “My First Kiss” jumps two spots to nine.
WILL GAGA’S TOUR INCLUDE HUMAN CORPSES?
In a story published earlier this week in British tabloid The Sun, the newspaper reported that Lady Gaga has reached out to Gunther von Hagens, a controversial anatomist who invented a technique for preserving cadavers called plastination and is responsible for the popular traveling exhibition Body Worlds. The Sun quoted “a friend” of Gaga as saying “she is fascinated by Gunther’s work and life… and is keen to have some Body Worlds element in one of her shows.” The source went on to say that Gaga is aiming to incorporate von Hagens’ work into her tour by the time it gets to Las Vegas, which doesn’t happen until March of 2011.
STATEMENT: In a statement to MTV News on Wednesday, von Hagens said he would “offer no comments on conversations that have already taken place with the singer or her representatives,” but added that he “welcomes the opportunity” to work with Gaga. A rep for Gaga’s label had not responded to MTV News’ request for comment on the story at press time.
HAYLIE DUFF GOES OFF-BROADWAY
According to the Associated Press, Haylie Duff will star in the off-Broadway show Love, Loss, and What I Wore. She will take the stage in July.
KATY PERRY GETS 17 STICHES
According to the New York Post, Katy Perry needed 17 stitches after a mysterious injury in Toronto over the weekend. On Sunday, she performed at the MuchMusic Awards, but somehow got hurt dancing at a local club. She posted yesterday on Twitter, “17 stitches later . . . Don’t make fun of my dance moves tomorrow. That’s what got me here in the 1st place! Thanks for the souvenir, Canada)!” Perry didn’t say where or how she got hurt.
KATY PERRY & GLEE TOPS ITUNES CHARTS
Katy Perry’s “California Gurls” featuring Snoop Dogg is once again the top downloaded song on iTunes this week. B.o.B’s “Airplanes” featuring Hayley Williams is at number two, followed by Usher’s “OMG” featuring will.i.am and Travie McCoy’s “Billionaire” featuring Bruno Mars. Drake’s Thank Me Later is the number one album, followed by Eminem’s Recovery, Laws of Illusion by Sarah McLachlan and Jack Johnson’s To The Sea.
KELLY CLARKSON RECORDS DUET!
Kelly Clarkson started recording her fifth album this week. The singer took to Twitter to announce that the sessions have begun. She also mentioned that she recorded “an awesome duet,” but did not say who her guest vocalist was on the track. Kelly Clarkson joins the Lilith Fair in Denver, Colorado on July 13th. You can follow Clarkson on Twitter at Twitter.com/Kelly_Clarkson.
JESSICA SIMPSON PREVIEWS NEW JEANSWEAR LINE
USA Today is reporting that Jessica Simpson and her mother Tina gave a sneak peek at Jessica’s new line of Jessica Simpson Jeanswear at a New York City showroom yesterday. Jess announced the jeans would sell for between 20 and 24 dollars.
DRAKE’S THANK ME LATER TOPS BILLBOARD 200
Drake attracted the masses when he released his Thank Me Later album. The much-hyped disc claimed the number one spot on the Billboard 200 chart with over 447-thousand units sold in its opening week. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the disc is the third highest debut this year. In February, Sade raked in 502-thousand for Soldier Of Love and Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now recently opened with 481k. From a solo standpoint, Drizzy earned the second highest debut behind Susan Boyle’s I Dreamed a Dream — which sold 701-thousand copies. Be sure to pick up Thank Me Later today!
CIARA GETS A RELEASE DATE!
Ciara’s upcoming Basic Instinct album will arrive this summer after all. According to Amazon.com, Ci Ci’s disc is slated for an August 10th release. The record, which will be executive produced by The Dream and Tricky Stewart, will go up against fellow R&B singer Fantasia’s Back to Me effort.
GAME AND ROBIN THICKE COLLAB AGAIN
While it will be some time until we hear Game’s long-delayed R.E.D Album, Rap-Up.com has posted a new song from the rapper’s disc. Robin Thicke lends his vocal talents on the hook for a track called “Phantom” — the crooner even spits a few verses! R.E.D Album lands on August 24th. Head over to Rap-Up.com for your first listen. The collaboration marks the second time the artists have worked together — they previously created a record called “Diamonds” off the singer’s Sex Therapy album.
http://limelinx.com/files/bbf63e6a9732434e92f864d71c970d11
SEAN GARRETT DROPS “GET IT ALL” VIDEO
As promised, Sean Garrett has released the video for his new single, “Get It All” featuring Nicki Minaj. The track is the first serving from the singer’s yet-to-be-titled sophomore album, tentatively titled Courtesy Of. The effort is due out later this year. Visit WorldStarHipHop.com to watch “Get It All” now.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SOLANGE!
Solange Knowles is gearing up to celebrate her 24th birthday tonight. Last Saturday, Beyonce’s little sister was spotted enjoying her new DJ-ing hobby at a party in the Philly area. Will Solo hit the turntable tonight? Follow the singer on Twitter to find out what she’s getting into on her born day!
SWIZZ PLANS TO KEEP BABY DETAILS A SECRET
During a recent interview with FOX, Swizz Beatz says he wants to keep the birthdate and sex of his baby with Alicia Keys “a secret.” The hitmaker explained that he “wants to just wait” and let it be a surprise. The recently engaged couple is expecting their first child together. The singer is five months pregnant.
JENNIFER HUDSON HAS NO REGRETS
Jennifer Hudson’s story will be told in an upcoming episode of Vh1’s Behind The Music. The singer says she would describe her life as “bittersweet” and wouldn’t change anything that’s happed to her “for the world.” Fans can learn more about J-Hud when Behind The Music airs Monday, Monday at 9 PM Eastern on Vh1.
EMINEM’S PROJECTED ALBUM SALES!
Now that Drake’s Thank Me Later sales are in, a lot of people are wondering what Eminem’s Recovery disc will do. According to HitsDailyDouble.com, Slim Shady is on pace to debut with first-week sales of 590 to 615-thousand. If these numbers are accurate, the rap legend will easily claim number one spot on the Billboard 200 and score the highest sales of the year. Em’s last project, Relapse, opened with 608-thousand copies sold in seven days. Next Wednesday, we’ll see if the rapper can outdo himself.
