George Strait, The Beatles and Kelly Clarkson Storm the Charts

The Billboard Album chart saw a little shakeup this week with a new debut from George Strait and a surprisingly big re-entry from the Beatles. Strait landed his 17th top ten album with Here for a Good Time which starts at # 3. It also nets him his 24th # 1 country album. Re-entering one spot behind Strait are the Beatles with their 1 hits collection which was available at digital retailers for the first time last week. Neither album could stop Lil Wayne or Adele though as their latest held on to the top two. Take a look at the new top ten below.

Billboard 200 Top Ten Albums:
1. Tha Carter IV- Lil Wayne (last week~ 1)
2. 21- Adele (lw~ 2)
3. Here for a Good Time- George Strait (debut)
4. 1- The Beatles (re-entry)
5. I’m With You- Red Hot Chili Peppers (lw~ 2)
6. Watch the Throne- Jay Z & Kanye West (lw~ 4)
7. Hands All Over- Maroon 5 (lw~ 23)
8. Now 39 Compilation- Various Artists (lw~ 10)
9. 4- Beyonce (lw~ 7)
10. Torches- Foster the People (lw~ 12)

Over on the singles chart, Kelly Clarkson makes a big impression with her fantastic new single, “Mr. Know It All”, which debuts at # 18. The song, Kelly’s 17th Hot 100 hit, is flying up the airplay charts and begins at # 9 on the Digital Singles Sales chart so it should be a contender for the top of the Hot 100 in the coming weeks. (FYI~ her biggest debuting single was “Never Again” at # 8 in 2007) … Back in charge of the Hot 100 is “Moves Like Jagger” from Maroon 5 & Christina Aguilera who displace Adele’s “Someone Like You” after one frame on top following the MTV Video Music Awards performance. Adele is likely to return to the summit though as her airplay is exploding to match her strong sales. For more on all the charts, head to www.billboard.com
And here’s the new Hot 100 top ten~

Billboard Hot 100 Top Ten Singles:
1. “Moves Like Jagger”- Maroon 5 w/Christina Aguilera (lw~ 2)
2. “Someone Like You”- Adele (lw~ 1)
3. “Pumped Up Kicks”- Foster the People (lw~ 3)
4. “Party Rock Anthem”- LMFAO w/Lauren Bennett & GoonRock (lw~ 4)
5. “Lighters”- Bad Meets Evil w/Bruno Mars (lw~ 7)
6. “Stereo Hearts”- Gym Class Heroes w/Adam Levine (lw~ 12)
7. “Super Bass”- Nicki Minaj (lw~ 5)
8. “You and I”- Lady Gaga (lw~ 6)
9. “How to Love”- Lil Wayne (lw~ 14)
10. “Cheers (Drink to That)”- Rihanna (lw~ 11)

And here’s one more treat before I go… Enjoy the first live performance on Kelly Clarkson’s “Mr. Know It All” from last weekend’s Stars for Free Concert in Berlin, Germany.

Kelly Clarkson “Mr. Know It All” (live)

American Idol Recap 5/24/11~ Let’s Hear it for Lauren!

Well, it took all season, but when she needed it most, Lauren Alaina finally went for broke. In tonight’s American Idol season 10 final competition show, the country cutie took on the other country cutie, Scotty McCreery, in an easy and decisive victory. She hit all the right notes in song selection, performance, vocals and personality and she did it all with laryngitis. (By the way, did you hear the crazy TMZ rumor that Haley was gonna replace Lauren if she couldn’t sing?… Now that would’ve been a cool show, but I’m thrilled Lauren put the rumor to rest). It was such a clear-cut win for Lauren, most notably in her final triumphant song, that it seems obvious she will win…. However, I think any Idol watcher knows that would be a seriously naive thing to say. Because despite Lauren’s dominance, one should never underestimate the power of a Scotty McCreery fan. In fact, his biggest fans~ tween and teen girls, country fans, and the folks from the Red states~ are notorious for making their voices heard loud and clear on Idol. (And don’t forget previous winners David Cook, Kris Allen and Lee Dewyze were all outsung  and out performed on their final competition nights and still won). So, we have a serious battle. And remember, Scotty did fine too. So it’s gonna be close. I just hope people realize who should win the show (ahem Lauren) and take a look at my rankings for tonight’s show for all the proof you need.

American Idol Top 2 Performance Rankings 5/24/11
1. Lauren- “Like My Mother Does”: on the song that will become her first official single, Lauren finally had the moment we’ve been waiting for all season. She gave us an incredibly emotional performance with beautiful flawless vocals that were authentic and totally moving. Yes, I had some tears in my eyes. (Oh, did I mention I was at the live show too?!!! And she was even better in person than when I watched the telecast back again at home)… The song was a perfect fit and seems destined to be a hit in the vein of her Idol Carrie Underwood’s song “Mama’s Song” It was so good, that the thunderous standing ovation seemed to go on and on. It was truly a palpable moment at the NoPia, ahem Nokia theatre, easily the most momentous of the night.
2. Lauren- “Maybe it was Memphis”: performing Pam Tillis’s 90′s smash country hit, Lauren found another perfect fit for her smooth tone and yearning vocals. Clearly, Ms. Underwood knew what she was doing picking this song. It was another home run for Lauren as she easily ran away with both the second and third rounds tonight.
3. Lauren- “Flat on the Floor”: with her first choice tonight, the encore of “Flat”, Lauren took a slimmer victory over peer. Nonetheless, she displayed a fire and commitment that had been missing a few weeks back and she had fun, working the stage like a pro with no hint of her damaged vocal chords. Clearly, she was in it to win it tonight. (hehe, I just echoed Randy Jackson’s incessant yammerings. Drink two!)
4. Scotty- “Gone”: on his best performance tonight, the encore of Montgomery Gentry’s hit, Scotty almost beat Lauren. He wowed the crowd and made the girls scream, and it was his best vocal of the night. However, it just wasn’t enough to stop little Lauren.
5. Scotty- “I Love You This Big”: singing his first single, Scotty sounded good on this ballad that felt like a retro 90′s country hit. Sure, he hit his notes and had a great deal of conviction, but the song still felt a bit cheesy. And Scotty also seemed to be straining a bit when watching it back on TV. This one was definitely better live. However, I’m not sure it’s the song country radio programmers were hoping for…
6. Scotty- “Check Yes or No”: Scotty’s idol George Strait chose his own song for the teen titan and it worked well for him. It would probably sound nice on the radio driving through a cornfield… But watching Scotty cop to all his vocal affectations and crazy facial contortions and the song lost its appeal. And why exactly was he playing the guitar if he was actually only strumming one out of every ten notes? I’m just saying… Don’t get me wrong though, it wasn’t bad. It was just pedestrian and a bit boring. Those are two things Scotty has been throughout the season despite good vocals and a winning personality. We’ll see if that finally catches up to him.

So, there you have it. The score board says it all. Lauren: 3, Scotty: 0… The golden girl got her groove back in this country Idol contest, but will one big win be enough to take the title? I’m not sure… I do know she’s got my vote and I’m thinking Hayley fans turned to her as well. Plus, she really has so much potential and it’s about time Idol had another female winner… And yes, they’ll both be successful, but Lauren has crossover potential while Scotty will remain squarely in the country lane. So, I’m thinking her fan base may be wider and is still growing. With that in mind, I have to make a crazy prediction… Despite all odds, my better intentions and conventional logic, I’m going to predict Lauren wins over the frontrunner in an incredibly tight contest! … Yeah, I may be throwing my money away, but I’m a betting man and I say “Let’s hear it for Lauren”. I mean Steven Tyler declared her the winner and we all know he’s not crazy… Oh, wait, he sorta is… Ack, can I get my money back? … Well, it’s too late. I’ve laid my bet on our Georgia girl. How about you? … Let me hear your thoughts and place your bets below… Oh and let me know if you gave a rat’s patootie about that random Coke contest song by Taio Cruz… And if you enjoyed the return of season 7 winner Cook on his performance of the awesome goodbye song “Don’t You (Forget About Me)”~ even if it was pre-taped… And check back here tomorrow night for my final Idol wrap up of the season….

And one more time, let’s hear it for Lauren!

American Idol 2011 Top 2 Power List

Last Thursday, I was stricken with enormous grief when the ultimate dark horse Haley Reinhart was eliminated from American Idol. It was a sad day as Haley was the one truly interesting and exciting finalist left in the competition. Now, don’t get me wrong~ Lauren and Scotty are both very talented. However, Haley brought a unpredictablity factor plus she had gumption, fire and stood her ground. She also was the one contestant who blossomed and grew throughout the competition. If you readers will recall, I was no fan of Haley’s for the first month and a half of the competition. But when she completely slayed Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep”, I sat up, put my foot in my mouth and turned a new leaf. I became a Haley fan. And week after week, she kept me on the Haley train with fantastic performances like “I Who Have Nothing” and “Bennie and the Jets” that had me picking up the phone to speed dial… Oh, Haley, I will miss your strange arm waving and big Mariah Carey 1990 hair. At least we will see you perform your new single on the finale on Wed night….

Ok, now that I’ve said a proper goodbye to Ms. Reinhart (who is not dating Fozzy Bear, ahem, Casey Abrams, contrary to many media reports), it’s time to take a look at our final contenders… In this corner, it’s a teen country singer. And in this corner, it’s a … teen country singer… Uh oh, is this gonna be a boring battle of the Southern singers? Or will they surprise us with some exiting song choices for their final three songs? Well, each contestant will be doing a song chosen by a country superstar (Carrie Underwood picks for Lauren, George Strait for Scotty), plus an encore of one of their favorites from the season and finally the song that will be their first single. I’m not expecting fireworks, but I am hoping that Lauren blows Scotty out of the water. Hey, what? I can have a favorite… But does my favorite have the power to win? Well, take a look at my final totally unscientific American Idol Power Rankings for the top two from season ten below.

American Idol 2011 Top 2 Power Rankings~
1. Scotty: he has flown through this competition as a front-runner with grace and gratitude. He has a great deep country voice and a ridiculous amount of teen idol appeal that the Southern voters, the grandmas and the tween girls go crazy voting for. He also seems like a really nice, fun and grounded guy. He’s never been in the bottom two and he’s generally given good performances week in and week out… However, why do I find him so boring? Does he have appeal outside of the heartland? And will he ever hold the microphone properly? Despite those facial affectations, the boy who looks like Alfred E. Neuman from Mad Magazine has to enter the finale as the one to beat. (last week~ 1)
2. Lauren: she has the pipes and personality. She has the potential to be a huge country star and a possible crossover pop star (unlike Scotty who will stay squarely in the country lane). She is also one to root for and has displayed great vocals throughout the competition. Heck even Steven Tyler crowned her the victor after her first audition. So, why does it seem like she is gonna have to slay a dragon to win the competition? Well, she has had serious confidence issues throughout the season, some conflicting judges’ critiques and has taken few chances thus far. Plus, she has such incredible potential and has yet to reach it. However, the woman who can outsing Scotty for days, has nowhere to go but up and it’s likely that all of Haley’s fans will switch to voting for Lauren as opposed to Scotty. So, I think the battle could be very close. And I’m hoping she nails it and gives us our first female victor since season 6′s Jordin Sparks. (lw~ 2)

So, there you have it~ my final power list for this rejuvenated and very good season ten. Sure, I would’ve loved a finale with Pia v. Haley, but we all know I rarely get what I want with this show. If that were the case, Adam Lambert, Crystal Bowersox, Melinda Doolittle, Chris Daughtry and Carly Smithson would’ve rightfully won their seasons. But, that’s too bad for me. So, let’s look forward to tonight and see if Scotty truly has the power or if Lauren will be David to his Goliath and steal the crown in the battle of the country kids. Tune in tonight at 8pm on Fox and let me know who you think will be the victor.