It’s been 30 years since Grammy winning pop music icon George Michaelburst on to the scene with his group Wham! Since that time he has amassed a huge catalog of hits, stirred up a whole lot of drama, came out of the closet, battled his own demons with addiction, and through it all, he keeps making great music. The man who gave us Faith returns to his dance roots with his new single “White Light” which hit the web yesterday. It’s a great song in the vein of his dance smashes of the last decade like “Amazing” and “Flawless (Go to the City)”. The single is clearly autobiographical as George sings about the fight to stay alive no matter, especially considering his dangerous bout with pneumonia last year. Luckily, George made it through and has delivered this great emotional dance confection. Check it out below and watch for a new album from Michael in the fall. For more on George, head here and watch for tour dates all over the world in the months ahead too.
Grammy nominated American Idol alum Adam Lambert blasts on to the top of the Billboard 200 Albumschart this week with his sophomore release, the awesome pop-dance record Trespassing(which I give an “A” grade to by the way). In doing so, he makes some history. Not only is this the first time an Idol alum has succeeded another Idol at the top of this chart (as Lambert replaces Carrie Underwood after two weeks in the pole position), but he also becomes the first openly gay recording artist to debut at # 1 on this chart. Sure, other gay artists have topped the Billboard 200 like Elton John and George Michael, but they weren’t out at the time. So, kudos to Adam! I’m thrilled and I hope the record continues to sell well because it’s incredibly good and a marked improvement from his quite good debut, For Your Entertainment which has sold almost 900,000 copies to date (which basically triples the amount that season’s winner, Kris Allen, sold). With his debut, Lambert becomes the 7th Idol winner to hit the summit of this chart following Underwood (who’s done it 3 times), Kelly Clarkson (who’s done it twice), Chris Daughtry of Daughtry (also twice), Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard and Scotty McCreery… Other debuts this week come from the Glee cast, Tenacious D and some group I’ve never heard of called Bloom…. For more on Adam’s achievement, head to Billboard hereand take a look at the new top ten below.
Top Ten Albums on the Billboard 200:
1. Trespassing- Adam Lambert (debut)
2. 21- Adele (last week~ 2)
3. Blown Away- Carrie Underwood (lw~ 1)
4. Little Broken Hearts- Norah Jones (lw~ 5)
5. Rize of the Fenix- Tenacious D (debut)
6. Now 42 Compilation- Various Artists (lw~ 4)
7. Bloom- Beach House (debut)
8. Glee, the Music: Season Three – The Graduation Album- Glee Cast (debut)
9. Tuskegee- Lionel Richie (lw~ 3)
10. Up All Night- One Direction (lw~ 7)
Over on the Hot 100 Singles chart, not much is going on as Gotye’s “Somebody that I Used to Know” holds on top for a 6th week. However, next week, Canadian Idol finalist Carly Rae Jepsen may shake things up as her debut single “Call Me Maybe” comes within striking distance of the top. And she may have to fend off this year’s Idol finalists as the debut singles from Phillip Phillips and Jessica Sanchez will also be eligible to chart and often land in the upper regions of the Hot 100 in their first week. Stay tuned!
Top Ten Singles on the Hot 100:
1. “Somebody that I Used to Know”- Gotye w/Kimbra (last week~ 1) *6 weeks on top
2. “Call Me Maybe”- Carly Rae Jepsen (lw~ 4)
3. “Payphone”- Maroon5 w/ Wiz Khalifa (lw~ 2)
4. “We Are Young”- fun. w/Janelle Monae (lw~ 3)
5. “Starships”- Nicki Minaj (lw~ 6)
6. “Wild Ones”- Flo Rida w/Sia (lw~ 5)
7. “What Makes You Beautiful”- One Direction (lw~ 7)
8. “Glad You Came”- The Wanted (lw~8)
9. “Boyfriend”- Justin Bieber (lw~ 9)
10. “Drive By”- Train (lw~ 10)
And before I go, enjoy Adam Lambert’s fabulous performance of his current hit single from Trespassing, “Never Close Our Eyes”, on last week’s Idol results show.
The voice of this season’s American Idol will not be denied, and tonight that voice declared “And I Am Telling You, I’m Not Going”. It was a fitting sentiment for Jessica Sanchez who was shockingly almost eliminated a few weeks ago as she utterly destroyed the competition on tonight’s show with that iconic Dreamgirls number and a wonderful Etta James cover. I was thrilled that she threw down the gauntlet and proclaimed her rightful place at the top of this race with those numbers. It’s even more incredible considering Joshua Ledet gave arguably his best performance to date as well…. So, what does it all mean for tomorrow’s elimination? Well, you can probably guess who’s safe… But for more clarification, let’s take a look at my rankings and predictions from tonight’s Idol where they tackled “Songs they wish they had written” and “Songs by Californian artists.” (Yes, I thought those were pretty odd themes too in case you’re wondering.)
American Idol Performance Rankings 5-9-11
~the great 1. Jessica “And I Am Telling You, I’m Not Going”: singing the ultimate diva anthem, Jessica literally blew the roof off the joint. She made wonderful versions of this song previously sung on the show by the likes of Tamyra Gray and Lakisha Jones seem pedestrian in comparison and I’d say she made both Jennifer Holliday and Jennifer Hudson proud. This vocal was simply brilliant. Everything about this performance was perfection. Simply astounding. And she finally got her much deserved standing ovation from the judges. I believe it was her first since her brilliant “I Will Always Love You” rendition months ago! 2. Joshua- “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World”: holy crap was that one fantastic performance?!! It was easily Joshua’s best, most nuanced, emotional and vibrant performance. He really interpreted the song perfectly and his vocals were naturally amazing resulting in yet another standing “O”. And this standing ovation I totally approve of for once! 3. Jessica- “Steal Away”: singing Etta James classic blues number “Steal Away”, Jessica showed a sexy and powerful side that easily was the best of the “California” numbers. She was mature beyond her years in this number, and it still felt so natural for her. Fantastic! ~ the good 4. Phillip- “Volcano”: I was truly surprised at how much I liked this one. Our heart-throb really gave a layered and moving performance of this great song by Damian Rice. The background singer helped a bit too, but it was still one of his best numbers of the season…. And I say all that despite him still sounding very much like Dave Matthews on it. 5. Hollie- “Faithfully”: our cutie patootie really sang this Journey power ballad beautifully, especially the second half. While I wish she had picked something younger and fresher (perhaps No Doubt’s “Just a Girl” or “Hella Good”) for her “Cali” song, I still really liked this. And she looked so pretty doing it! (love the wind fans!) ~ the ok 6. Joshua- “You Raise Me Up”: singing Josh Groban’s iconic uplifting ballad, Joshua was predictably good. However, it was all so predictable. And I felt his gospel’d up arrangement stripped the song of some of its simple true emotion. It was a nice vocal, but the whole thing felt a bit forced. 7. Hollie- “I Can’t Make You Love Me”: Hollie sang this beautiful song very well. Unfortunately, she paled in comparison to the heart-breaking original by Bonnie Raitt, not to mention the amazingly haunting versions by George Michael, Adele and original recipe Idol Kelly Clarkson. It was lovely, but rather forgettable in the end. 8. Phillip- “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?”: Phillip did a fine job on this Credence Clearwater Revival hit and he clearly seemed to be enjoying himself throughout. I liked that it didn’t evolve into a Dave Matthews song, but overall, it was rather unremarkable. Thus, it ends up at the bottom of the list.
Duets & Group Performances: 1. Joshua/Phillip- “This Love”: this version of Maroon 5′s # 1 hit really got moving as it went along and by the end it was pretty darn entertaining. I think this one was a million times better than their duet from last week too. 2. Hollie/Jessica- “Eternal Flame”: I liked this one a LOT more than the judges. It was quite pretty, thank you very much. And how can you not love this # 1 smash from 1989 by the Bangles? 3. Hollie/Jessica/Joshua/Phililp- “Waiting for a Girl/Boy Like You”: um, that was plain weird. Sorry
Predicitons~ Bottom 2: Hollie and Phillip (yes, I think he may finally land here!!!) Buh Bye: Hollie
Well, it looks like Hollie’s long and rather roller coaster run on Idol may finally come to an end tomorrow night. This dark horse has survived long after many thought she would fall and I have to give her big props for that… Now, if she can make it one more week and knock off Phillip, I would be over the moon! …. We will see. Now, let me see what you thought of tonight’s show. Sound off below.
The late great Whitney Houston left us so many musical treasures we will cherish for all time. Among them were her signature solo smashes, hit albums, gospel records and holiday recordings, but she also had a history of collaborating with some of the best names in the business. And you sure had to be a superstar or have an incredible voice to keep up with the woman whose voice literally can’t be compared. With that in mind, I wanted to take a look back at some of her best collaborations and count down my top 15. All of these artists were touched by her while working with her and have been sharing their condolences since her untimely passing yesterday. We have all lost such a gift in Whitney. I’m sure they are all thrilled to be preserved in song with her for all time. With that said, take a look at my list below and for full coverage and tributes to Ms. Houston, head to Entertainment Weekly here.
Whitney Houston’s Top 15 Musical Collaborations~
Honorable Mention~ “In My Business”- Whitney Houston & Missy Elliott: this funky track was taken from her Grammy nominated album My Love is Your Love in 1998 and shows the funky side of Whitney.
15. “My Love”- Whitney Houston & Bobby Brown: taken from Whitney’s 2002 album Just Whitney, this collaboration of the former sometimes happily married and always controversial couple showcased their passion and dedication to one another.
14. “Take Good Care of My Heart”- Whitney Houston & Jermaine Jackson: from her 1985 debut album Whitney Houston, this song was one of two fantastic duets she did with the second most famous Jackson brother.
13. “Like I Never Left”- Whitney Houston & Akon: this duet was released on her most recent album, I Look to You, in 2010. And it actually made me kind of like Akon (well on this song anyway). It should’ve been released to R&B radio. It had great hit potential there.
12. “It Isn’t, It Wasn’t, It Ain’t Never Gonna Be”- Aretha Franklin & Whitney Houston: the title of this song was a bit of a fortune teller as this wonderful track peaked at a shockingly low # 41 on the Hot 100 in 1989. (The song was from Aretha’s album Through the Storm and it did at least hit # 5 on the R&B charts). I really like it and the two iconic women of song sound fantastic together if you ask me.
11. “Something in Common”- Bobby Brown w/Whitney Houston: pretty much a diss to all their critics, the newlyweds took to song to declare their love for each other on this track from Brown’s 1992 album, Bobby. Strangely it wasn’t released as a single at the time, but the video was used to help sell his album.
10. “We Didn’t Know”- Whitney Housto & Stevie Wonder: this great R&B song was a highlight from her 1989 I’m Your Baby Tonight album pairing two of the biggest and best voices in music. I’m not sure why the record company didn’t promote it as a single. It was a perfect fit for radio at the time.
9. “If I Told You That”- Whitney Houston & George Michael: this fantastic track was taken from her 2000 Whitney: The Greatest Hits collection and was a big international hit (going top ten in the U.K.). It wasn’t released as a single in the U.S., but it should have been. It screamed hit at the time.
8. “Same Script, Different Cast”- Whitney Houston & Deborah Cox: in this massive diva smack down, Whitney and Deborah fight and commiserate over their shared lover. The ballad version, also from her Hits collection, was a hit on the R&B charts and the dance remix hit the top five of the club charts. And seriously, love the title.
7. “Count on Me”- Whitney Houston & CeCe Winans: from the 1995 Waiting to Exhale soundtrack, this song went top ten on the Hot 100, AC and R&B charts and was a testament to the friendships of the women in the film (and the artists singing this lovely song).
6. “Could I Have this Kiss Forever”- Whitney Houston & Enrique Iglesias: another track from her 2000 Hits package, this great mid tempo song should’ve been a bigger hit. It was a big hit globally and went top 10 at AC radio, but shockingly topped out at # 52 on the Hot 100.
5. “Hold Me”- Teddy Pendergrass & Whitney Houston: this wonderful ballad from 1984 was the song that introduced the world to Houston. It was her first Hot 100 hit (going to # 46) but it went top 5 at AC and R&B radio. Interesting note~ because the song was released before her album, she ended up being ineligible for the Grammy award for Best New Artist when her debut finally hit stores. (The rules have since been changed, hello!)
4. “When You Believe”- Whitney Houston & Mariah Carey: this Grammy nominated and Oscar winning track from The Prince of Egypt soundtrack paired the two biggest female voices of the time on a wonderful ballad. Strangley, the song peaked at # 15 on the Hot 100 in 1998. However, it did hit # 3 on the AC charts and went top ten across the globe.
3. “Heartbreak Hotel”- Whitney Houston w/Faith Evans & Kelly Price: teaming up with two other big R&B divas landed this track at # 2 on the Hot 100 and # 1 on the Dance and R&B charts. The song from her 1998 My Love is Your Love album also landed a Grammy nomination for the trio.
2. “If You Say My Eyes are Beautiful”- Jermaine Jackson & Whitney Houston: first appearing on Jackson’s 1986 album Precious Moments, this perfect pop ballad was later included on Whitney’s 2000 Hits package as well. I simply adore it.
1. “I Know Him So Well”- Whitney Houston & Cissy Houston: fittingly a song by Whitney and her mother tops my list. This bombastic and beautiful ballad, originally from the musical Chess, paired the two divas together seamlessly and was featured on Houston’s 1987 album, Whitney. The younger ingenue getting advice from the seasoned veteran made for a transcendent duet that will forever bond the two incredible Houston voices.
“I Know Him So Well” (live)
Katy Perry has finally out done Madonna, Whitney, Celine and Janet in the record books. She just landed her fifth # 1 single from her Teenage Dream album with “Last Friday Night”. Bolstered by a ridiculously huge amount of airplay and added sales from a remix by Missy Elliott, the song makes it five in a row for Perry as she becomes the first female artist and second singer in history to land five # 1′s on the Hot 100 from a single album. She follows Michael Jackson who did it with his Bad album and the chart toppers “Bad”, “The Way You Make Me Feel”, “Dirty Diana” Man in the Mirror” and “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” with Siedah Garrett. Katy’s chart leaders were “California Gurls” with Snoop Dogg, “Teenage Dream”, “Firework”, “E.T.” with Kanye West and now “Last Friday Night”. Congrats Katy! … In case you’re wondering the artists with four # 1′s from one album are Whitney Houston (Whtiney), George Michael (Faith), Janet Jackson (Rhythm Nation 1814), Mariah Carey (Mariah Carey) and Paula Abdul (Forever Your Girl)… Madonna has had three chart toppers from an album, True Blue, while Celine has actually never had more than one # 1 single per album strangely enough. For more on the singles and Katy’s record head to Billboardhere. And check out the new top ten below.
Billboard Hot 100 Top Ten Singles:
1. “Last Friday Night”- Katy Perry (last week~ 2)
2. “Party Rock Anthem”- LMFAO (lw~ 1)
3. “Moves Like Jagger”- Maroon 5 w/Christina Aguilera (lw~8)
4. “Super Bass”- Nicki Minaj (lw~ 5)
5. “Lighters”- Bad Meets Evil w/Bruno Mars (lw~ 5)
6. “How to Love”- Lil Wayne (lw~ 6)
7. “Give Me Everything Tonight”- Pitbull w/NeYo, Nayer & Afrojack (lw~ 4)
8. “Pumped Up Kicks”- Foster the People (lw~ 13)
9. “I Wanna Go”- Britney Spears (lw~ 7)
10. “Good Life”- OneRepublic (lw~ 11)
Over on the Album chats, Jay Z & Kanye West make a huge debut on top with their collaboration album, Watch the Throne. It sold 436,000 copies for the second biggest bow of 2011 after Lady Gaga’s Born This Way. The rappers lead three other debuts in the top ten including country singer Luke Bryan who gets his biggest sales week ever with his latest, Tailgates & Tanlines, which also tops the Country charts. Check out the new top ten albums below.
Billboard 200 Top 10 Albums:
1. Watch the Throne- Jay Z & Kanye West (debut)
2. Tailgates & Tanlines- Luke Bryan (debut)
3. Now 39 Compilation- Various Artists (debut)
4. 21- Adele (last week~ 1)
5. Chief- Eric Church (lw~ 2)
6. My Kinda Party- Jason Aldean (lw~ 6)
7. 4- Beyonce (lw~8)
8. Dream with Me- Jackie Evancho (lw~ 22)
9. Blood Sweat + Tears- Ace Hood (debut)
10. Kidz Bop 10- Various Artists (lw~ 7)
And here’s Katy Perry’s brand new # 1 single “Last Friday Night”. (Please enjoy the cameos by Debbie Gibson, Rebecca Black, Corey Feldman, Kevin McHale, Kenny G and more as well. High-larious)
After months of women holding court on top of the Billboard Album charts, all it took was two really angry rappers to steal away the top spot. It also helps that one of them was megastar Eminem whose new side project Bad Meets Evil, comprised of Em and Royce da 5’9″ , hit # 1 with Hell: the Sequel selling 171,000 units. That album led five debuts in the top ten including America’s Got Talent tween Jackie Evancho, plus Owl City, Ledisi and Barry Manilow. For the full top ten scroll down… Now, take heart you Adele fans. She may be out of the top spot on the Albums chart, but she does land a 7th week at # 1 on the Hot 100 with “Rolling in the Deep”. She may lose out next week though as the latest singles from Pitbull and Katy Perry are gaining fast. In fact, with Perry’s “Last Friday Night” flying into the top five, she now joins an elite group of artists like Madonna, George Michael and Michael Jackson who have had five consecutive top five singles from one album. Well done Katy! Check out the new top ten singles below as well and for more on the charts, head to Billboard here.
Top Ten Albums:
1. Hell: the Sequel- Bad Meets Evil (debut)
2. Dream With Me- Jackie Evancho (debut)
3. 21- Adele (last week~ 1)
4. Born This Way- Lady Gaga (lw~ 2)
5. My Kinda Party- Jason Aldean (lw~ 7)
6. All Things Bright and Beautiful- Owl City (debut)
7. 15 Minutes- Barry Manilow (debut)
8. Pieces of Me- Ledisi (debut)
9. This is Country Music- Brad Paisley (lw~8)
10. The Book of Mormon- Original Broadway Cast Recording (lw~ 3)
Top Ten Singles on the Hot 100:
1. “Rolling in the Deep”- Adele (last week~ 1)
2. “Give Me Everything”- Pitbull w/NeYo, Nayer & Afrojack (lw~ 2)
3. “Party Rock Anthem”- LMFAO (lw~ 3)
4. “Last Friday Night”- Katy Perry (lw~ 31)
5. “E.T.”- Katy Perry w/Kanye West (lw~ 4)
6. “The Edge of Glory”- Lady Gaga (lw~ 6)
7. “Dirt Road Anthem”- Jason Aldean (lw~ 9)
8. “Super Bass”- Nicki Minaj (lw~ 10)
9. “The Lazy Song”- Bruno Mars (lw~ 5)
10. “The Show Must Go On”- Lupe Fiasco (lw~ 11)
And here’s a little treat~ Enjoy the new cameo-tastic fun clip from Katy Perry for “Last Friday Night”. Watch for Glee‘s Darren Criss and Kevin McHale to appear alongside Rebecca Black, Kenny G and 80′s stalwarts Debbie Gibson and Corey Feldman.
Next week on Friday 4/29, Prince William and Kate Middleton will walk down the aisle in what is being called the biggest wedding since Charles and Diana’s nuptials. That’s fitting since those are William’s parents. I don’t know if the hoopla will be quite as big as in 1981 but the media is sure embracing this event like no other in ages… And one likely guest at the wedding will be Grammy winning pop superstar George Michael. He was a good friend of the late Princess Diana and has recorded a special song for the happy couple, a remake of Stevie Wonder’s “You and I”. The gorgeous ballad is available as a gift to them and a free download to us at his website here…He is encouraging people to donate to William and Kate’s charity, The Royal Wedding Charity Fund, after they download the song. Sounds like a good deal to me. So take a listen to his new song below and download away, then give back!
For the second week in a row, the season 10 American Idolcompetitors proved their mettle as they tackled the iconic songs of Grammy winning legend Elton John. With such a fantastic songbook, it was hard for them to go astray and most of them soared. Only three singers, in my humble opinion, missed the mark and they weren’t even that bad. But the stakes are big tonight with two of them getting eliminated… So, just who will it be? Take a look at my rankings and predictions for Idol does Elton night below.
American Idol Performance Rankings 3/30/11
~There’s Something About the Way they Sang Tonight… 1. Lauren: in a really tight race for this week’s top spot between Lauren, Pia and Stefano, our teen wonder clinched the crown with one beautiful note as she slid into a country tinged falsetto on 1973′s “Candle in the Wind”. All of Lauren’s choices and intonations were brilliant tonight. It was simple, beautiful, and a bit heartbreaking. All in all, her best performance since the top 24 were announced. 2. Pia: this girl continues to give me chills with her flawless performances as she did tonight on another gorgeous ballad, 1972′s # 2 “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” (which later hit # 1 for Elton as a duet with George Michael in 1992). I cold listen to Pia sing for days and tonight she was simply wonderful, very emotionally connected, and she looked super hot. 3. Stefano: I was a little nervous about Stefano taking on 1972′s classic “Tiny Dancer” but he more than held his own. He made it his own. His performance was contemporary, resonant and lovely. He’s back ya’ll. 4. Jacob: with a pitch perfect and somewhat subdued version of the # 6 hit from 1976 “Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word”. He reigned in the vocal gymnastics for the most part and dove headfirst into this tale of unrequited love. It was simply great and he kept the crazy face and diva moves to a minimum too! Well done. 5. Casey: wow, now that was a comeback. With a subtle and soulful performance of Elton’s signature 1970 # 1 hit “Your Song”, Casey proved the judges made the right decision in saving him. It was fantastic and he made me a fan again (after a few weeks of jumping off the Abrams bandwagon, that is…) 6. Thia: yes, I know you’re shocked she’s ranked this high, but goshdarnit, did you hear her vocals? Damn, that girl sang beautifully last night on the 1973 # 2 hit “Daniel” (which I was first introduced to by Wilson Phillips~ feel free to giggle if you like). She connected to the material for the first time and gave her best performance to date in my opinion. But is it enough to hang around? (methinks not…) 7. James: throwing everything at you but the kitchen sink tonight (victory jumps, audience participation, a flaming piano!) James acted like he was the headliner on a big rock tour and it was incredibly entertaining. That said, it was more flash than substance as he belted out top 20 hit from 1973 “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting”. James is clearly in it to win it, but I think he needs to realize he hasn’t quite earned the title of rock star just yet. 8. Scotty: despite going first on a good night, Scotty is easily safe with another strong if not too memorable performance of 1970′s “Country Comfort” (the one Elton song I’d never heard before and one Scotty hilariously chose because it had “country” in the title). He was totally in the safety zone and delivered yet again, but is it starting to become too much of the same?
~I Don’t Wanna Go on With You Like That 9. Haley: I don’t know what crack the judges were smoking with their ridiculous over-praising of Haley’s annoying, cheesy, forced and totally NOT sexy (that’s for you Steven) version of “Bennie and the Jets”, a # 1 smash from 1974. While her vocals were more than adequate and it was her best performance to date, Miley 2.0 has no real connection to her material and is just a bunch of bells and whistles looking for an engine. She’s kinda a mess. 10. Naima: Oh girl, I love ya, but that wasn’t very good. Delivering the #12 hit from 1983 “I’m Still Standing”, Naima gave it a reggae spin. I certainly give her an “A” for effort and ambition. However, I give her a “C” for execution. And unfortunately, I think the audience probably despised it… 11. Paul: seriously, why is he still in the competition? Yes, he’s a really nice cool fun guy, but um, no I don’t want to hear him sing! He pretty much butchered ”Rocket Man”, the classic # 6 hit from 1972. Maybe I need to drink the spiked Kool Aid the judges are sipping every time he comes on stage cuz I don’t get it. It was bad, end of story.
Predictions:
Since two people are going home… let’s do a Bottom 4-3-2… Bottom 4: Thia, Naima, Haley, Paul Bottom 3: Thia, Naima, Paul Going Home: Thia, Naima
And there you have it, I think it’s the end of the Yellow Brick Road for our pageant girl Thia and our funky diva Naima. However, I’d love to see Haley or Paul go instead. And on a night where most of the performances were great, you never know what’s gonna happen (just ask Casey)…. So, who do you think is gonna get the boot? And on a side note, did you love Ryan’s new hair? Let me hear it below.
Katy Perry made big news on the Billboard charts this week as she grabbed her fourth consecutive # 1 single from her Teenage Dream album with her latest “E.T.” featuring Kanye West. That follows “California Gurls”, “Teenage Dream” and “Firework” and puts Katy in an elite group of artists to achieve 4 chart toppers from one album. Some big names in that group include Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Usher, Paula Abdul, Mariah Carey and George Michael. “E.T.” dethrones Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” after a strong six-week reign and also leads the Hot Digital Songs Sales chart. Overall, this is Katy’s fifth # 1 on the Hot 100 as her first big hit “I Kissed A Girl” led for seven weeks in 2008… Take a look at this week’s new top ten below.
Top Ten Singles on the Hot 100:
1. “E.T.”- Katy Perry w/Kanye West (last week~ 2)
2. “S & M”- Rihanna (lw~ 3)
3. “Fuck You”- Cee Lo Green (lw~ 4)
4. “Born This Way”- Lady Gaga (lw~ 1)
5. “Just Can’t Get Enough”- The Black Eyed Peas (lw~ 5)
6. “No Sleep”- Wiz Khalifa (debut)
7. “Look at Me Now”- Chris Brown (lw~8)
8. “Fuckin’ Perfect”- Pink
9. “Down on Me”- Jeremiah w/ 50 Cent (lw~ 10)
10. “On the Floor”- Jennifer Lopez w/Pitbull (lw~ 13)
Switching gears to the album chart, we have a big seven debuts in the top ten led by that abusive jackass Chris Brown whose craptastic new album, F.A.M.E. (which stands for “forgive all my enemies”~ rather ironic with his recent terrible behavior on G.M.A. that clearly created more enemies… Seriously, on a personal note, he is an appalling person and I don’t know why anyone is buying his music. I could go on and on but I digress)… Brown is able to hold off Jennifer Hudson whose sophomore album, the brilliant I Remember Me, debuts in the runner-up spot just like her first album. Other debuts in the top ten come from rockers The Strokes, the Songs for Japan benefit album, and Panic at the Disco. Take a gander at the new top ten albums below and for more on all the charts, head to Billboard here.
Top Ten Albums
1. F.A.M.E.- Chris Brown (debut)
2. I Remember Me- Jennifer Hudson (debut)
3. 21- Adele (last week~ 1)
4. Angles- The Strokes (debut)
5. Hello Fear- Kirk Franklin (debut)
6. Songs for Japan- Various Artists (debut)
7. Vices & Virtues- Panic at the Disco (debut)
8. Sigh No More- Mumford & Sons (lw~ 5)
9. Fly on the Wall- Bobby V (debut)
10. Lasers- Lupe Fiasco (lw~ 3)
Grammy winning pop superstar George Michael is at it again. For the seventh time, the singer was arrested for an auto-related incident. This time, he was cited for crashing his car into a Snappy Snaps shop in London following the city’s Gay Pride celebration. He was arrested on suspicion of being unfit to drive yet again. Poor Michael, seems to crash his car or fall asleep at the wheel or get into all kinds of trouble when the possibility of drugs or alcohol are around. We’ll see if he’s convicted again when he goes to court in August. Regardless, he may have to set up another “comeback” tour to pay for his legal fees. For more on the story, click here. And check out George singing for another kind of “Freedom” below.
George Michael “Freedom ’90″
And for those who prefer even older school George, here’s Wham!’s “Freedom”
It’s been 30 years since Grammy winning pop music icon George Michael burst on to the scene with his group Wham! Since that time he has amassed a huge catalog of hits, stirred up a whole lot of drama, came out of the closet, battled his own demons with addiction, and through it all, he keeps making great music. The man who gave us Faith returns to his dance roots with his new single “White Light” which hit the web yesterday. It’s a great song in the vein of his dance smashes of the last decade like “Amazing” and “Flawless (Go to the City)”. The single is clearly autobiographical as George sings about the fight to stay alive no matter, especially considering his dangerous bout with pneumonia last year. Luckily, George made it through and has delivered this great emotional dance confection. Check it out below and watch for a new album from Michael in the fall. For more on George, head here and watch for tour dates all over the world in the months ahead too.
