Usher bags his 4th # 1 album this week as his latest, Looking 4 Myself, debuts atop the Billboard200 Albums chart. However, with only 128,000 copies sold, that is the lowest start for any of his albums since 1997. Nonetheless, he holds off debuts from classic rockers Rush, country crooner Josh Turner, British newbie Ed Sheeran and rapper Waka Flocka Flame. Also moving into the top ten this week is the super-entertaining Rock of Agessoundtrack which flies up to # 9 after the film hit theaters this weekend. Check out the new top ten below.
Top Ten Albums on the Billboard 200:
1. Looking 4 Myself- Usher (debut)
2. Clockwork Angels- Rush (debut)
3. 21- Adele (last week~ 1)
4. Punching Bag- Josh Turner (debut)
5. + – Ed Sheeran (debut)
6. Up All Night- One Direction (lw~ 6)
7. Americana- Neil Young and Crazy Horse (lw~ 4)
8. Thirty Miles West- Alan Jackson (lw~ 2)
9. Rock of Ages soundtrack- Various Artists (lw~ 15)
10. Triple F Life- Waka Flocka Flame (debut)
And enjoy the video for Rock of Ages version of Journey‘s “Anyway You Want It” featuring vocals from Mary J. Blige, Julianne Hough and the Tony nominated star of the Broadway version of Ages who cameos in the film, American Idol’s Constantine Maroulis.
Over on the Hot 100 singles chart, Carly Rae Jepsen extends her streak at # 1 to two weeks with “Call Me Maybe”. She may have some competition soon though from Katy Perry’s “Wide Awake” which charges up to # 4. Take a look at the new top ten below and head to Billboard herefor more on all the charts.
Top Ten Singles on the Billboard Hot 100:
1. “Call Me Maybe”- Carly Rae Jepsen (last week~ 1) * 2 weeks on top
2. “Somebody that I Used to Know”- Gotye w/Kimra (lw~ 2)
3. “Payphone”- Maroon 5 w/Wiz Khalifa (lw~ 3)
4. “Wide Awake”- Katy Perry (lw~ 9)
5. “We Are Young”- fun. w/Janelle Monae (lw~ 4)
6. “What Makes you Beautiful”- One Direction (lw~ 5)
7. “Starships”- Nicki Minaj (lw~ 6)
8. “Where Have You Been?”- Rihanna (lw~8)
9. “Wild Ones”- Flo Rida w/Sia (lw~ 7)
10. “Boyfriend”- Justin Bieber (lw~ 10)
After watching tonight’s first live competition show of American Idol season 11, I have to say I am very excited for this year. This is arguably one of the best top 13′s in the show’s history. It’s full of variety, personality and immense talent. In fact, as the boys took on the songs of Stevie Wonder and the girls sang the recently and dearly departed Whitney Houston‘s greatest, practically everyone did a decent job. Several singers soared to new heights (Hollie, Joshua, Skylar), one absolutely destroyed everyone (Jessica) and only one really tanked (that annoying pageant girl)…. So, just who did the best and who will be in danger tonight when the judges eliminate one person? (In a twist, the bottom girl and boy with these least votes will be revealed and the judges will choose who actually goes home). Well, let’s take a look at my rankings and predictions below.
American Idol Rankings 3/7/12: ~ the great ones 1. Jessica: holy crap, she attempted Whitney’s biggest and most iconic # 1 smash “I Will Always Love You” and absolutely nailed it. This girl has skills. She’s also humble and a great performer. She is the one to beat at this point and deservedly so. Love her! 2. Hollie: is Hollie the dark horse for the title? Well if the little girl with the big voice keeps blowing the roof off the joint with huge performances like tonight’s “All The Man That I Need”, she certainly will be a big threat to Jessica. And she’s so darn cute. Plus, she sang this audacious # 1 hit form 1990 with aplomb and I think she’s only going to grow each week. How awesome would a Jessica v. Hollie finale be by the way? 3. Skylar: well, hello country girl! I was worried when I heard Skylar was gonna sing Whitney’s big # 1 ballad “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” from 1988, but she put my fears aside very quickly. And then she surpassed all my expectations with a glorious second half to the song fusing wonderful emotion and fantastic notes. This girl is a big threat too. 4. Erika: my second favorite singer in the competition (after Jessica, but she is rising!) gave us a wonderful interpretation of Whitney’s # 4 hit from 1994 “I Believe in You and Me”. She took the song in a rock direction for the second half and it suited her sexy rasp incredibly well. I just love this girl and I highly recommend you check out the iTunes studio version of Erika’s performance. It is even better than her live one and by far the best of this week’s crop (even Jessica’s!) 5. Joshua: faring the best for the men tonight was Mantasia with a glorious take on Stevie’s “I Wish”. Joshua tore up the stage and took us to the heavens with his gospel meets rock performance. Who knew he could throw down like that? Well done! ~ the good ones 6. Colton: I was kinda shocked at how good Colton was on Stevie’s classic “Lately”. He really made the song his own and performed with true emotion and artistry. The second half was incredible. 7. Deandre: this kid is just plain cool. Hello, he did Stevie Wonder’s “Master Blaster” as a reggae R&B joint and it not only worked, but was great. He is so unique and has so much potential. I hope America gets him. 8. Phillip: bringing the house down with a rocking version of Wonder’s “Superstition”, Phillips gave another rousing performance that had the audience on its feet. He also impressed me more than he has all season. I’m still not a big fan of this talented guy (all the screaming and yelling and affectation are not my thing), but he is certainly trying to turn me around. Good job. ~ the ok ones 9. Heejun: this funny guy has a lovely voice as he proved yet again on Stevie’s “All is Fair in Love”. However, it was all kinds of boring. But he’s a fan favorite and could get better with different songs. How about something upbeat next time mister? … And one more note, this version paled in comparison to the amazing one Pia Toscano delivered last year… Just sayin’…. 10. Elise: I really like Elise and her sexy growly voice. However, despite some good moments, she was definitely “boxing” with her song tonight as Randy said. Doing Whitney’s # 1 from 1990 “I’m Your Baby Tonight”, Elise never quite got in the rhythm of the track, but she still sang it pretty well. I wish she had chosen 1999′s “My Love is Your Love”. It would’ve been a perfect fit for her voice… Alas, she is in danger tonight… 11. Jeremy: while he sang better than Elise on “Ribbon in the Sky”, he was just soooo boring. This guy is a great guy with a lovely tone to his voice… but he’s just such a lackluster performer (when he’s not singing for his life that is… which he will probably do tonight). 12. Jermaine: this gentle giant delivered a nice but somewhat forgettable version of Stevie’s “Knocks Me off My Feet” which certainly didn’t knock me off my feet or my chair for that matter. His vocals were very good, but wow I think it was more boring than Jeremy! And that’s saying something. ~ the bad 13. Shannon: the pageant singer should’ve summoned some help from her precious Jesus because she plain stunk up the joint with a flat and off-key version of Houston’s # 4 from 1993 “I Have Nothing”. Sure, Shannon hit some notes ok, but overall, she got swallowed up by the big song and had absolutely no stage presence. Plus, she had no emotional connection to the song. She should’ve chose something she might relate to like “How Will I Know” and she wouldn’t be facing elimination like she deserves to on Thursday night.
Predictions~ Bottom 2 guys: Jeremy and Jermaine Bottom 2 girls: Elise and Shannon
Bottom girl & guy: Jermaine & Shannon Going home: Jermaine (unless Jeremy is the lowest male vote getter, then the judges will send him packing).
There are my rankings and predictions. What are yours? Do you think a guy has a chance of surviving another week? I sure don’t… And how great was it to see the judges actually doling out good critiques?And wasn’t Mary J. Blige a wonderful mentor? And how great is Ryan Seacrest’s hair this year? This season is shaping up to be so good!
Before I go, please enjoy Jessica Sanchez just killing it on “I Will Always Love You”
This morning Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone) announced this year’s contenders and as always we saw the front runners like The Artist and Hugo grab headlines. However, we also saw some shocking snubs and some interesting inclusions. I already posted the full nominee list, so let’s take a look at a few thoughts I have on those who will be contending for this year’s Oscar.
Favorite Nomination: Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids)… I was so happy to see her included in this hilarious film. She gave a wonderfully hysterical performance that had way more layers than you might expect. Comedy needs more representation at the Oscars, so this is a nice start. (Also kudos to Kristin Wiig and her Oscar nominated script for the film).
Best Surprise:Rooney Mara and all the love for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. This fantastic film nabbed 5 nods in total. I just wish it was up for Best Pic and Director (David Fincher). Biggest Snub:Michael Fassbender (Shame)… apparently his great performance may have been overlooked by his hot nekkid body? Or he cancelled himself out with other great turns in A Dangerous Method and Jane Eyre.
Other Big Snubs: Leonardo DiCaprio(J. Edgar)… looks like academy members really didn’t like this film, which is a shame because Leo was great Armie Hammer (J. Edgar) Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin)… another film that may have been too dark and unlikable to get it’s great star a nod. Albert Brooks (Drive) Drive in all other categories (except sound) Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt and Young Adult… apparently this acerbic dark comedy just didn’t resonate with Oscar voters. I’m sad, cuz it was a good flick. Steven Spielberg (War Horse) for Director Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) and Alan Rickman (Harry Potter) both proved its hard to get nominated for big popcorn action films… oh and motion capture performances may never get nominated. Elizabeth Olsen and Martha Marcy May Marlene… this great indie introduced us to a major acting star in Olsen and still got bupkiss 50/50 and Joseph Gordon Levitt… another great indie that should’ve gotten some love Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 in all big categories…. why oh why couldn’t this amazing franchise ever pull out a Best Pic nom? Especially when the final installment was clearly one of the best films of the year.
More Snubs:Shailene Woodley (The Descendants), Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus), Ryan Gosling (Drive, The Ides of March), The Adventures of Tin Tin (in Animated film), Carey Mulligan (Shame), the casts of The Ides of March and Midnight in Paris, Beginners for Screenplay and Director (Mike Mills)
~ And a Big Boo to the voters for dissing The Help for Screenplay, Score, Song, Costume Design and Director… That wonderful film should’ve had 9 noms, not just 4.
~While I’m complaining, I just have to say yuck to all the nods for The Tree of Life. Oy vey!
Other nice inclusions:
~Demian Bichir (A Better Life)… this wonderful performance in this small indie broke through with a SAG nod and he made the list today. I’m thrilled.
~Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)… can you believe this is his first nomination? I just wish it was for a better film.
~Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close and Max Von Sydow... I’m so happy one of my fave films of the year finally got some love. And I was kinda shocked to see it among the 9 nominees for Best Picture.
~Moneyball grabbed more noms that The Descendants, hehe….
~W.E. got into costume design. Yes, a film by Madonna got an Oscar nod. (I just wish her Golden Globe winning song “Masterpiece” had been eligible)
Speaking of Best Song….
What the heck is wrong with that category? By having a ridiculously difficult rule of the songs needing to rate 8.5 or higher by the music branch (out of 10), only 2 songs made the cut… And the one from The Muppets wasn’t even the best song from that film…
Look at all the snubbed songs that should’ve gotten mentioned:
“Life’s a Happy Song” (The Muppets)
“Pictures in My Head” (The Muppets)
“Bridge of Light” (Happy Feet 2) by P!nk
“Hello Hello” (Gnomeo & Juliet) by Elton John
“The Living Proof” (The Help) by Mary J. Blige
“Lay Down Your Head” (Albert Nobbs) by Glenn Close, etc
So, there are just a few thoughts for you… Now, let’s see who is gonna win… I’d say The Artist is still out in front despite Hugo landing the most noms…. I still have hope for The Help too.. and Meryl better win… With that said, what are your favorite noms? And who is the worst snub? Sound off below and watch for more on the Oscars in the weeks ahead.
Adam Shankman scored a big hit with his movie version of the Tony winning musical Hairspray. The film was awesome and even garnered some awards love (grabbing Golden Globe and SAG nods). Now, the director/producer/choreographer (and sometime So You Think You Can Dance judge)is at it again with a new cinematic version of the Tony nominated musical Rock of Ages. The show chronicles the rise of two young wannabe rockers and the metal scene of Hollywood in 1987 set to the music of some of the best rock, metal and pop acts of the decade like Foreigner, Def Leppard, Twisted Sister and Pat Benatar. It features an all-star cast including Oscar nominee Tom Cruise, Oscar winner Catherine Zeta-Jones, Oscar nominee and Emmy winner Alec Baldwin, Oscar nominee and Emmy winner Paul Giamatti, Julianna Hough, Malin Ackerman, Grammy winner Mary J. Blige, Russell Brand and newcomer Diego Bonita. The first trailer for the film which hits theatres this summer just popped up on the web and the question is… does it rock? … Well, um, no. But it does look fun and I live for a musical. So, I’ll be there regardless. I have to say Zeta-Jones looks to be a standout (no surprise) and I’m surprisingly impressed with the brief images of Cruise. But what do you think? take a look at the trailer below and tell me if you think this film will be one for the ages or should be stuffed under a rock.
Americans are clearly in the mood for a Canadian Christmas as Michael Buble’s holiday album eecked out a victory to be the biggest album in the country for the post Thanksgiving week. His album narrowly beat fellow Canadians Nickelback with their latest crapfest, Here and Now, by just 2%. Rihanna had to settle for a 3rd place debut for her 6th top ten album, Talk that Talk. At least she still has the # 1 song in the country with “We Found Love”… Other debuts came from Mary J. Blige who grabbed her 9th top ten record with My Life II: the Journey Continues Act 1 and Daughtry whose Break the Spell became their third consecutive top ten. (Unfortunately, it’s also their first to not hit the top)… Speaking of reality tv vet Chris Daughtry, he’s joined in the top ten by American Idol’s current champ Scotty McCreery who returns to the upper echelons with his former chart topper, Clear as Day, at # 9. One of his competitors from this season, James Durbin has a much less exciting debut way down at #36 with Memories of a Beautiful Disaster selling only 28,000 copies. It’s unlikely he’ll come anywhere close to McCreery’s current total of 587,000 or even runner-up Lauren Alaina’s total of 162,000 for her former top ten record. Faring even worse than Durbin was the winner of The Voice,Javier Colon, whose debut tanked with just 9,900 copies sold for #139.
Debuting outside of the top ten was Taylor Swifts live record Speak Now Live World Tour at # 11, Big Time Rush’s new one Elevate at # 12 and the Ultimate Hits from Bob Segar & the Silver Bullet Band at # 19…. For more on all these numbers, head to Billboardhere and check out the new top ten below.
Top Ten Albums on the Billboard 200:
1. Christmas- Michael Buble (last week~ 2)
2. Here and Now- Nickelback (debut)
3. Talk that Talk- Rihanna (debut)
4. Take Care- Drake (lw~ 1)
5. My Life II: The Journey Continues Act 1- Mary J. Blige (debut)
6. Under the Mistletoe- Justin Bieber (lw~ 5)
7. 21- Adele (lw~ 3)
8. Break the Spell- Daughtry (debut)
9. Clear as Day- Scotty McCreery (lw~ 13)
10. Mylo Xyloto- Coldplay (lw~ 9)
And here’s the new top ten on the Hot 100 Singles chart…
Hot 100 Top Ten Singles:
1. “We Found Love”- Rihanna w/Calvin Harris (lw~ 1)
2. “Sexy and I Know It”- LMFAO (lw~ 1)
3. “It Will Rain”- Bruno Mars (lw~ 5)
4. “Moves Like Jagger”- Maroon 5 w/Christina Aguilera (lw~ 6)
5. “Someone Like You”- Adele (lw~ 3)
6. “Without You”- David Guetta w/Usher (lw~ 4)
7. “Stereo Hearts”- Gym Class Heroes w/Adam Levine (lw~8)
8. “Good Feeling”- Flo Rida (lw~ 7)
9. “The One That Got Away”- Katy Perry (lw~ 10)
10. “Party Rock Anthem”- LMFAO (lw ~ 16)
Before I go, here’s a fun treat, the current # 2 in the country, LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know It”. Watch for this one to finally hit the top next week. LMFAO “Sexy and I Know It”
For the past few years, ok like the past decade, the American Music Awards have become more and more irrelevant. The fan voted awards rarely have recognized the artists with the most merit and the performances have gotten pretty bad with each passing year. This year there were few exceptions. For every great winner (yay for 3 trophies for Adele and Bruno Mars beating Justin Bieber), there were several ridiculous winners (Taylor Swift for Artist of the Year? Vomit!… And Hot Chelle Rae for New Artist over the Band Perry, are you kidding?). But I should know better than to have any high expectations for this mess of a show. And of course, I don’t have to put myself through it, but I guess I’m a glutton for punishment. At least there were two great highlights~ Katy Perry giving perhaps her best live performance ever on a beautiful version of her latest single “The One That Got Away” and Kelly Clarkson delivering a brilliant Big Band version of her latest top ten smash “Mr. Know It All”. If only the other performers would’ve risen to their levels. With that said, here is a list of all the winners and some of my thoughts on the show and the performers. For more on the show itself, head to the AMA site here.
2011 American Music Award Winners~
Favorite Duo or Group: Maroon 5
Female Country Artist: Taylor Swift
Favorite Male Country Artist: Blake Shelton
Favorite Hip Hop Artist: Nicki Minaj
Favorite Soul/R&B Album: Rihanna, Loud
Favorite Country Band: Lady Antebellum
Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album: Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday
Special Award (for being the first woman to have five #1 singles from one album) : Katy Perry
Favorite New Artist: Hot Chelle Rae
Favorite Contemporary Inspirational Artist: Casting Crowns
Favorite Adult Contemporary Artitst: Adele
Favorite Alternative/Rock Artist: Foo Fighters
Favorite Latin Artist: Jennifer Lopez
Favorite Soul/R&B Female: Beyonce
Favorite Soul/R&B Male: Usher
Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist: Adele
Favorite Country Album: Taylor Swift, Speak Now
Favorite Pop/Rock Album: Adele. 21
Favorite Pop/Rock Female: Adele
Artist of the Year: Taylor Swift
And some quick thoughts on the show…
Nicki Minaj: one of the better performers of the night, but get some shoes you can walk in girl! And am I the only one who thought she was British for some reason? Justin Bieber: that was the most horrifyingly awful Christmas Caribbean song I’ve ever heard… and yes, you’re still incredibly annoying Enrique Iglesias: what’s up with the crazy eyes? One Republic: stick to producing and writing Ryan Tedder~ you’re good at that. Singing live? Not so much. Mary J. Blige: thanks for bringing a little class to the proceedings The Band Perry: why is the hair on the band members so scary? It’s like they all just escaped some brainwashing cult in the midwest. Something is off about these kids. But kudos for nice vocals on your song. Christina Aguilera: oh gurl. You can sing…. but wow, do you need a new stylist. I mean appreciate a lady with curves, but just wear something that accentuates you in the right places. (P.S. I’m very proud of myself for being polite here. lol) Chris Brown: yup, you still suck and you will never be Michael Jackson. Jennifer Lopez: ok that was some awful lipsynched car commercial crap. But you’re pretty… Will.I.Am: um, no you’re not Taylor Swift: the fake humble act is not becoming or believable… you need to take a loooooooooooooooooong break.
Now, to end things on a positive note, check out Kelly Clarkson’s fantastic performance of “Mr. Know It All” big band style below.
Kelly Clarkson “Mr. Know it All” (Live on the AMAs)
Grammy winning singers Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson were known for their beautiful soulful vocals when they competed on American Idol (and Clarkson won of course). Since then, they have soared to great success and both released hit albums this year (Hudson’s I Remember Me and Clarkson’s Stronger set to hit # 2 on the Billboard charts next week). And now they’ve earned the right to act like divas… VH1 Divas that is….
Both singers are returning to the VH1 Diva franchise on Monday, December 19 for the latest installment: VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul. Joining them for the special which benefits music education in the schools with the VH1 Save the Music Foundation are former DivasMary J. Blige and Jill Scott plus newcomers Florence + the Machine and Jessie J. For more on the show, head to VH1 hereand watch the show pay tribute to the cities where soul gave birth to music’s most powerful classics from New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom on 12/19 at 9pm.
For a taste of what the ladies might bring to the show, check out Hudson and Clarkson doing songs from the Queen of Soul herself, Aretha Franklin below.
Grammy winning R&B superstar Mary J. Blige has been through it all. Drugs, booze, ups and downs with career and relationships and she always pours it out into some great music. Who can forget the brilliance of “No More Drama” for just one example? … And now, she is serving up some more dramatic music as she mines her emotions and those of the characters of the new film The Helpwith the first single off the soundtrack, “The Living Proof”. On this beautiful ballad, Blige sings of surviving and thriving through one’s troubles just like the ladies of the Kathryn Stockett best seller. The book and the film tell the story of a young white writer (Golden Globe nominee Emma Stone) who chronicles the lives of the black maids who she grew up with in the South during the 1960′s. Co-starring in the film are Oscar nominees Viola Davis (Doubt) and Cicely Tyson (Sounder), Oscar winner Sissy Spacek (Coal Miner’s Daughter), Emmy winner Allison Janney (The West Wing)plus Bryce Dallas Howard (Twilight Saga), Jessica Chastain (The Tree of Life) and in a scene stealing performance, that like Davis’s, is getting Oscar buzz, Octavia Spencer (Ugly Betty). The much-anticipated film hits theatres in the August sweet spot (specifically Aug. 10th) that berthed the female-centric hits Eat Pray Love and Julie & Julia which as you might recall netted Meryl Streep another Oscar nod (which she should’ve won~ darn you Sandra Bullock). For more on the film, head here, and check out Mary J. Blige on what could become an Oscar and Golden Globe nominated song, “The Living Proof” from The Help.
Usher bags his 4th # 1 album this week as his latest, Looking 4 Myself, debuts atop the Billboard 200 Albums chart. However, with only 128,000 copies sold, that is the lowest start for any of his albums since 1997. Nonetheless, he holds off debuts from classic rockers Rush, country crooner Josh Turner, British newbie Ed Sheeran and rapper Waka Flocka Flame. Also moving into the top ten this week is the super-entertaining Rock of Ages soundtrack which flies up to # 9 after the film hit theaters this weekend. Check out the new top ten below.
