Rihanna and Regina Spektor Break into the Top Ten of the Billboard Charts

It was a rather quiet week on the Billboard charts for the past frame as Gotye and John Mayer maintained their holds on the top of the Hot 100 and Billboard 200. However, there were a few people breaking into those upper tiers… As Mayer held for a second week with Born & Raised on the albums charts, Regina Spektor grabbed her best debut ever at # 3 with What We Saw from the Cheap Seats. Also debuting in the top ten for the first time were Sigur Ros and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Heros. For more on this chart, head to Billboard here and check out the new top ten below.

Top Ten Albums on the Billboard 200:
1. Born & Raised- John Mayer (last week~ 1)
2. 21- Adele (lw~ 2)
3. What We Saw from the Cheap Seats- Regina Spektor (debut)
4. Up All Night- One Direction (lw~ 5)
5. Here- Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Heros (debut)
6. Blown Away- Carrie Underwood (lw~ 3)
7. Valtari- Sigur Ros (debut)
8. Now 42 Compilation- Various Artists (lw~ 9)
9. Tailgates and Tanlines- Luke Bryan (lw~ 15)
10. Tuskegee- Lionel Richie (lw~ 6)

Over on the Hot 100 Singles chart, Gotye’s “Somebody that I Used to Know” continues its run at the top for an 8th week, the longest reign of 2012. I thought Carly Rae Jepsen would break his stranglehold of that spot this week, but I guess she’s just gonna have to wait one more week for her infectious hit “Call Me Maybe” to become her first chart-topper…. Further down the list, Rihanna makes waves with “Where Have You Been” hitting # 9 giving her a 22nd top ten hit. That’s darn impressive and when you consider she’s done that in the last 7 years, it’s incredible! … For more on Rihanna and the Hot 100, head to Billboard here and take a look at the new top ten below.

1. “Somebody that I Used to Know”- Gotye w/Kimbra (last week~ 1) * 8 weeks at # 1
2. “Call Me Maybe”- Carly Rae Jepsen (lw~ 2)
3. “Payphone”- Maroon 5 w/Wiz Khalifa (lw~ 3)
4. “We Are Young”- fun. w/Janelle Monae (lw~ 4)
5. “Starships”- Nicki MInaj (lw~ 5)
6. “What Makes You Beautiful”- One Direction (lw~ 7)
7. “Wild Ones”- Flo Rida w/ Sia (lw~ 6)
8. “Boyfriend”- Justin Bieber (lw~ 9)
9. “Where Have You Been?”- Rihanna (lw~ 11)
10. “Glad You Came”- The Wanted (lw~8)

And here’s the hot new video for Rihann’s 22nd top ten smash “Where Have You Been”

John Mayer and Idol’s Phillip Phillips charge onto the Charts

Grammy winner John Mayer and newly crowned American Idol winner Phillip Phillips share a lot in common. Both are attractive, guitar strumming, raspy voiced white guys, and now they’re both making waves on the Billboard Charts... Mayer lands his third # 1 album with his latest, Born and Raised, which sells 219,000 copies. Phillip’s compilation album from season 11 of American Idol debuts at # 11 while the combo-album from the season finale episode,  American Idol Season 11: Top 2 Season Finale EP, featuring his competition (and the girl who should’ve won) Jessica Sanchez also debuts at # 21. Sanchez’s season competition album debuts way down at #126. Two other Idol contenders also hit the charts as season 10′s third place finisher Haley Reinhart barrels in at # 17 while season 8 champ Kris Allen disappoints with a # 27 debut for his sophomore album. He may have won that season but he has been upstaged time and again by that season’s runner-up Adam Lambert who hit # 1 with his sophomore album, Trespassing, last week…. For more on all these albums and the Billboard 200, head here and check out the new top ten below.

Top Ten Albums on the Billboard 200:
1. Born & Raised- John Mayer (debut)
2. 21- Adele (last week~ 2)
3. Blown Away- Carrie Underwood (lw~ 3)
4. Apocalyptic Love- Slash (debut)
5. Up All Night- One Direction (lw~ 10)
6. Tuskegee- Lionel Richie (lw~ 9)
7. The Hurt & the Healer- Mercy Me (debut)
8. Once Upon Another Time EP- Sara Bareilles (debut)
9. Now 42 Compilation- Various Artists (lw~ 6)
10. Little Broken Hearts- Norah Jones (lw~ 5)

And other American Idol contenders on the BB200 (along with Carrie Underwood above) ….
11. Journey to the Finale- Phillip Phillips (debut)
12. Trespassing- Adam Lambert (lw~ 1)
17. Listen Up! – Haley Reinhart (debut)
21. American Idol Season 11: Top 2 Season Finale EP- Phillip Phillps & Jessica Sanchez (debut)
27. Thank You Camellia- Kris Allen (debut)
33, Stronger- Kelly Clarkson * a former # 2 album that just passed 800,000 copies
73. Clear as Day- Scotty McCreery * a former # 1 album that has sold over 1 million copies
126. Journey to the Finale- Jessica Sanchez (debut)

Back on the Hot 100 Singles Chart, Philips also makes an auspicious debut as his coronation single “Home” hits the top ten debuting at # 10. This makes him the first Idol winner to hit the Hot 100 top ten with their coronation single since season 7′s David Cook. He also becomes the 13th Idol alum to hit the top ten on this chart following Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia, Carrie Underwood, Bo Bice, Taylor Hicks, Chris Daughtry, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, David Archuleta, and Adam Lambert…. Perhaps, I may have to eat my words about Phillips but I am still very skeptical that he will ever have any real pop hits with his upcoming debut album. That said, he’s off to a nice start. We’ll see how things turn out…. Holding onto # 1 is Gotye while Carly Rae Jepsen fights hard in the runner-up spot. For more on this chart, head to Billboard here.

Top Ten Singles on the Billboard Hot 100:
1. “Somebody that I Used to Know”- Gotye w/Kimbra (last week~ 1) * 7 weeks at # 1, the longest chart topper of 2012
2. “Call Me Maybe”- Carly Rae Jepsen (lw~ 2)
3. “Payphone”- Maroon 5 w/ Wiz Khalifa (lw~ 3)
4. “We Are Young”- fun. w/Janelle Monae (lw~ 4)
5. “Starships”- Nicki Minaj (lw~ 5)
6. “Wild Ones”- Flo Rida w/Sia (lw~ 6)
7. “What Makes You Beautiful”- One Direction (lw~ 7)
8. “Glad You Came”- The Wanted (lw~8)
9. “Boyfriend”- Justin Bieber (lw~ 9)
10. “Home”- Phillip Phillips (debut)

And here’s the lead off single from Mayer’s new album, “Shadow Days”

Kris Allen will make you Dance!

Is Kris Allen the next big dance club star???? I know it sounds like a silly question, but it could happen. With the just released remix of his new single, “Vision of Love”, we could see him flying up the dance charts alongside Madonna and Rihanna. He wouldn’t be the first American Idol to scale this chart as Jennifer Hudson, Kimberly Caldwell, Fantasia and Adam Lambert have all had big club hits while season 2′s Kimberley Locke has become an official club diva with # 1 dance hits like “Change” and “Fall”. Our first Idol, Kelly Clarkson, has also had tons of dance hits with remixes of her pop smashes and is currently in the top 15 of the dance chart with “Stronger”. So, Allen would fit in nicely. It’s just a strange fit for this soulful rocker whose music leans more towards John Mayer than Kylie Minogue. But take a listen to this awesome remix below and I doubt you can deny his grooves. If this is a taste of his new music, he may have a second chance at success with his sophomore album due this spring. (And yes, that pits him against Lambert again whose second disc is due in March. We’ll see if he can better his last showing which had his debut selling around 300,000 copies compared to Lambert’s 800,000 copies). For more on Allen’s new music, head to his site here and let me know if you love his dance mix below.

Kris Allen “Vision of Love” (Maison & Dragen emac edit)

My Big Bold Grammy Award Nomination Predictions

It’s that time again…. Grammy Time! … Tonight, CBS is airing a special Grammy Awards Concert live that will feature performances by Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Miranda Lambert, B.o.B, and Bruno Mars. Also appearing to announce the nominees for this year’s awards will be Train, Selena Gomez, Dave Grohl, and Hayley Williams. All of the above are likely to grab nominations tonight as well, except for Gomez and Grohl. The special is hosted by Grammy winning NCIS LA star L.L. Cool J at 10pm.
On the broadcast, you will likely hear all the big categories nominations announced with a few choice ones thrown in for good mix. And I’ve got my Big Bold Grammy Nominations Predictions for you below focusing on the big 4 races and the Pop field. Take a look, watch the special tonight or head to the Grammy website here to see who made the cut…. I’m expecting Eminem, Lady Antebellum, Jay Z and Lady Gaga to be the frontrunners with the most nominations. However, we should also see multiple nods for Perry, Lambert, Train, Usher, Sade, Carrie Underwood, John Mayer, Rihanna, Alicia Keyes, Carole King & James Taylor, and more….

My Big Bold Grammy Award Nomination Predictions…

Record of the Year
“Love the Way You Lie”- Eminem w/Rihanna
“Empire State of Mind”- Jay Z w/Alicia Keyes
“Need You Now”- Lady Antebellum
“Dog Days are Over”- Florence + the Machine
“Bad Romance”- Lady Gaga
~spoilers:
“Hey Soul Sister”- Train”, “Nothin’ on You”- B.o.B w/Bruno Mars, “Airplanes”- B.o.B w/Hayley Williams, “California Gurls”- Katy Perry w/Snoop Dogg

Album of the Year:
Lady Antebellum- Need You Now
Eminem- Recovery
Jay Z- The Blueprint 3
Miranda Lambert- Revolution
Sade- Soldier of Love
spoilers~ Arcade Fire (The Suburbs), Usher (Raymond v. Raymond), James Taylor & Carole King (Live at the Troubadour)

Song of the Year:
“Hey Soul Sister”- Train
“Just the Way You Are”- Burno Mars
“Need You Now”- Lady Antebellum
“Love the Way You Lie”- Eminem w/Rihanna
“The House that Built Me”- Miranda Lambert
~ spoilers:  ”Bad Romance”- Lady Gaga, “Just the Way You Are”- Bruno Mars,  “Dog Days are Over”- Florence + the Machine

New Artist:
Drake
Justin Bieber
Nicki Minaj
Florence + the Machine
B.o.B
apoilers ~ Bruno Mars, Janelle Monae, Adam Lambert, Neon Trees, Mumford and Sons

Pop Album:

Sade- Soldier of Love
Katy Perry- Teenage Dream
James Taylor & Carole King- Live at the Troubadour
Lady Gaga- The Fame Monster
Sheryl Crow- 100 Miles from Memphis

spoilers~ Maroon 5- Hands All Over, Kaleidoscope Heart- Sara Bareilles, Jack Johnson- To the Sea, Sarah McLachlan- Laws of Illusion

Pop Female:
Sara Bareilles “King of Anything”
Sheryl Crow “Summer Day”
Lady Gaga “Bad Romance”
Katy Perry “Teenage Dream”
Pink “Gillter in the Air”
spoilers ~ Sarah McLachlan ”Loving You is Easy”, Norah Jones “Chasing Pirates”, Christina Aguilera “You Lost Me”

Pop Male:
Michael Buble “Haven’t Met You Yet”
Adam Lambert “Whataya Want from Me”
Bruno Mars “Just the Way You Are”
John Mayer “Half of My Heart”
Jason Mraz “A Beautiful Mess”
~Jack Johnson “You and Your Heart”, Seal “Secret”,  Taio Cruz “Dynamite”

Pop Duo or Group:

Sade “Baby Father”
The Script “Breakeven”
Maroon 5 “Misery”
Train “Hey Soul Sister”
Paramore “The Only Exception”

~ spoilers: Daughtry “Tennessee Line”, Glee Cast “Don’t Stop Believing”, One Republic “Secrets”

Best Pop Collaboration:

“You’ve Got a Friend” – James Taylor & Carol King
“Telephone” – Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce
“California Gurls” – Katy Perry feat. Snoop Dogg
”Imagine”- Herbie Hanc*ck, Pink, India.Arie, Seal, Komono No. 1, Jeff Beck & Omnon Sangare
”Hallelujah”- Justin Timberlake with Matt Morris & Charlie Sexton

~spoilers: “If We Ever Meet Again” – Timbaland feat. Katy Perry, B.o.B, Eminem & Hayley Williams, “Airplanes II”, Santana, India.Arie & Yo-Yo Ma, “When My Guitar Gently Weeps”

Look for Lady Antebellum, Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert to rule the Country noms. In Dance, watch for Rihanna, Robyn, Kylie Minogue and Lady Gaga to name a few while Eminem, Drake and Jay Z should front the Rap categories. In R&B, we should see Usher, Alicia Keyes and Fantasia reap bids. In the Rock field, watch for Florence + the Machine, Arcade Fire and John Mayer to battle.  And watch for Madonna and Pink to go head to head in the Longform Music Video category for their recent Live Tour videos… Head to Grammy.com for all your Grammy info…

New Music from Glee’s Darren Criss

He created a sensation a couple of week’s ago performing “Teenage Dream” on Glee which resulted in a #1 Digital single on the Billboard charts and getting upped to a series regular on the show as Kurt’s (Chris Colfer) possible new boyfriend. Now, Darren Criss has some of his own music for us. H recently released an EP on iTunes called “Human” and stopped by TV Guide Network to play the title cut. Check it out below. He has a great Jason Mraz meets John Mayer style with more heart and less sleaziness (than Mayer that is). I’ve also included a performance of “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid that Criss has reinterpreted in great fashion when he visited Extra at the Grove. For more on Criss, head to his website here and watch him on Glee tonight on Fox, which also features a special appearance by comedy legend and multiple Emmy winner Carol Burnett.

The Track Listing for Darren Criss’s “Human” ep:

1. “Human”
2. “Sami”
3. “Jealousy”
4. “Don’t You”
5. “Not Alone”

Darren Criss “Human”

Darren Criss “Part of Your World”

Vanessa Carlton will walk 1000 Miles for a Boy OR a Girl…

Grammy nominated singer/songwriter Vanessa Carlton is the latest entertainer to jump on the bisexual bandwagon as she announced “I am a proud bisexual woman” while performing at Nashville Gay Pride in Tennessee over the weekend. The singer who burst on the scene with the hits “:A Thousand Miles” and “Ordinary Day” previously got ink for dating singers Stephen Jenkins of Third Eye Blind and that manwhore John Mayer. Well, apparently, she likes the ladies too, much like recent out bisexual and True Blood star Anna Paquin. Well, I say congratulations to Carlton for speaking her truth and giving even more folks a shot at a romantic serenade from the singer. For more on Carlton, check out her website here. And enjoy Vanessa’s biggest smash below.

Vanessa Carlton “A Thousand Miles”