Even a Magnificent Prince Can’t Save the Dreadful Lip Synch, I mean Billboard Music Awards

What the hell Billboard? You represent the most popular music, songs and acts in the nation and you honor them with a show full of lip synching pop tarts? (Yes, I’m talking bout you Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, and the incredibly whiny Justin Bieber). Seriously, it was the worst Billboard Awards show in history. Only a handful of acts actually sang live~ thank you Kasey Musgraves, Bruno Mars and Ed Sheerhan. And only the magnificent one, Prince, had a true standout performance. The legend who received the Billboard Icon Award seriously schooled all of the other acts. For an indepth look at my reaction to the Billboard Music Awards, head to my hilarious Twitter feed here.
In terms of the awards, which honored the biggest selling artists, singles, albums and most played songs, the big winners were Swift, Bieber, One Direction, Adele, Rihanna, Maroon 5, Gotye, Nicki Minaj, and Madonna who took home 3 awards and made quite an entrance to accept the award…. For more on the show and the winners, head to Billboard here. Then, scroll down for all the winners below.

2013 Billboard Music Award Winners~

Billboard artist of the year
Taylor Swift

Top female artist
Taylor Swift

Top male artist
Justin Bieber

Top new artist
One Direction

Top duo/group
One Direction

Top Billboard 200 album
Taylor Swift, Red

Top Hot 100 song
Gotye feat. Kimbra, “Somebody That I Used to Know”

Top Hot 100 Artist
Maroon 5

Top Billboard 200 artist
Taylor Swift

Milestone artist
Justin Bieber

Top digital songs artist
Carly Rae Jepsen and Taylor Swift (tie)

Top radio songs artist
Rihanna

Top rap artist
Nicki Minaj

Top pop artist
One Direction

Top R&B artist
Rihanna

Top country artist
Taylor Swift

Top rock artist
Fun.

Top EDM artist
David Guetta

Top social artist
Justin Bieber

Top streaming artist
Nicki Minaj

Top Latin artist
Jenni Rivera

Top dance artist
Madonna

Top Christian artist
tobyMac

Top touring artist
Madonna

Top pop song
Carly Rae Jepsen, “Call Me Maybe”

Top R&B song
Rihanna, “Diamonds”

Top rap song
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, “Thrift Shop”

Top country song
Taylor Swift, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”

Top rock song
Gotye feat. Kimbra, “Somebody That I Used to Know”

Top Latin song
Michel Teló, “Ai Se Eu Te Pego”

Top dance song
Baauer, “Harlem Shake”

Top EDM song
Baauer, “Harlem Shake”

Top Christian song
Matt Redman, “10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)”

Top digital song
Carly Rae Jepsen, “Call Me Maybe”

Top radio song
Gotye feat. Kimbra, “Somebody That I Used to Know”

Top streaming song (audio)
Gotye feat. Kimbra, “Somebody That I Used to Know”

Top streaming song (video)
Psy, “Gangnam Style”

Top pop album
Adele, 21

Top R&B album
Rihanna, Unapologetic

Top rap album
Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded

Top country album
Taylor Swift, Red

Top rock album
Mumford & Sons, Babel

Top Latin album
Jenni Rivera, La Misma Gran Señora

Top dance album
Madonna, MDNA

Top EDM album
Skrillex, Bangarang

Top Christian album
tobyMac, Eye on It

My American Idol Quick Wrap 4/24/13~ Love these Ladies!

Tonight, I had the honor of going to the live taping of American Idol and seeing the show’s most talented top four in franchise history strut their stuff, and I was not disappointed. All four ladies are simply fantastic singers and have bright futures ahead of them. What I wasn’t expecting, though, was how much my least favorite girl going into tonight would rise up to the challenge and fight my favorite girl for the top performer of the night. Yes, I’m talking about Angie almost taking out Amber on a night when both women hit it out of the park time and again. So, what did that mean for our two presumed front-runners Candice and Kree? Well, it meant that they struggled a bit (which is still good comparatively speaking). And, where exactly did all the performances land tonight? Check out my rankings and predictions for tonight’s episode where they took on a duet, a song of their own choosing and a one hit wonder. Oh and on a side note, that last theme was a bust as no one performed Kajagoogoo‘s “Too Shy”, Right Said Fred’s “I’m Too Sexy” or Dexy’s Midnight Runners’ “Come on Eileen”…. Alas, I knew that was a crazy dream that wasn’t going to come true…

American Idol Performance Rankings 4/24/13~

~ the great
1. Amber- “The Power of Love”: from the initial a capella beginning to her glory note ending, Amber’s vocal on this song was far and away the best of the night. Simply brilliant. And she did it with panache, confidence and looking stunning. It is time for a new Whitney/Celine and I’m crowning Amber Holcomb today!
2. Angie/Candice- “Stay”: now that was one hell of a duet of the current Rihanna/Mikky Ekko smash. Angie almost even beat Candice on it which was shocking. They made the song their own and it was a fantastic battle of belters. So good!
3. Angie- “Who You Are?”: for the first time this season, upon hearing an Angie tune, I immediately thought I should download it. This was just incredible, authentic, and beautiful with a nice rock edge. I think Angie is the new front-runner to win the whole thing ya’ll… especially considering the crazy shrieks from the live studio audience.
4. Amber- “MacArthur Park”: on this Donna Summer classic, ahem Richard Harris one-hit wonder, Amber delivered another whallop with incredible vocals. Her final high notes were insane and she nailed every bit of the song. Discolicious!
~ the good
5. Angie- “Cry Me A River”: giving Amber a run in the Standards genre on this one, Angie was flawless. Maybe she was a little too flawless though as it was reallllly dramatic, but still, I reallllly dug it. I can’t believe how much I loved her tonight.
6. Kree- “A Whiter Shade of Pale”: I rather enjoyed this performance by Kree. She was in her wheelhouse and loosening up a bit. I’m still waiting for her to truly let go, but she almost got there on this one and her voice sounded great.
7. Amber/Kree- “Rumor Has It”: I don’t know why the judges were dissing it, because in the live audience tonight, this number rocked. Amber out sang Kree but it was close.
8. Candice- “Emotions”: Candice’s vocals were stellar as usual tonight despite her cold. However, I did notice that her energy was down and I think the illness affected her solos the most. This was good though, but she needs to return to more dynamic song choices.
~ the decent:
9. Kree- “Hurt So Bad”: Kree did herself no favors with this little known song by Susan Tedeschi (who? She’s a former Grammy winner for Best New Artist, but yea, who?)… It was a cool bluesy song but it never really went anywhere and Kree felt like she was sorta going thru the motions. That said, I still liked it and it was better live than when I re-watched it back on the telecast.
10. Candice- “Find Your Love“: while Candice’s vocals were good yet again, the arrangement of this Drake tune was unfortunately a little boring. It was a nice Urban AC jam, but forgettable in the long run.

Overall Performance~
1. Amber
2. Angie (but it was really close for the top)
3. Candice
4. Kree

Predictions~
Bottom 2: Kree, Amber (only because Candice has such a big fan base)
Going Home: No One (I think it will be a non-elimination week)

So, the final four are fantastic. But which ladies will make it to the top three? I say they will all get an extra reprieve week and then the Idol powers that be will combine the two weeks of votes. Regardless all four ladies could be big stars in several genres~ Kree (Country, AAA), Amber (Pop, Adult Top 40, Dance, AC, R&B), Angie (Pop, Adult Top 40, AC, Contemporary Christian) and Candice (R&B, Adult R&B, some Pop crossover). We will find out if any of them actually goes home and what the big “twist” is tomorrow night on American Idol.

And check out a picture of me, my friend and co-star of my latest short film Dirty Talk, Claude Knowlton, and American Idol musical director Michael Orland on the Idol blue carpet. I’m sure you recognize Michael from Hollywood week and many of his appearances on the show helping out the contestants. He’s such a great and talented guy!

And please enjoy Amber’s insanely good vocals on “The Power of Love” from tonight’s show.

American Idol Quick Wrap 3/6/13~ The Guys Fight Back

So, this season is all about the ladies on American Idol and um, yes, it is. However, a few guys are desperately trying to throw a wrench in the female domination. And while a few are definitely in the mix, they still pale in comparison to the fairer sex. That said, I was impressed by the improvement of a few and the confidence of the one guy we know is gonna go far, Lazaro. That adorable kid who is overcoming his stutter and confidence issues to be a real star is the only guy that I’m 100% confident is going thru to the finals next week. But, I do have my favorites and I think some of them have a shot. Just who are they? Take a look at my rankings for Guys Night below.

American Idol Rankings 3/6/13~ The Guys

1. Paul: my favorite male singer in the competition is serving up theatrical pop country and I’m loving it just as much as I love RuPaul’s Drag Race (which is a lot, lol). He has a great voice and improved greatly over last week with his cover of the Christina Aguilera/Blake Shelton duet “Just a Fool”. (Yes, I love when Paul sings the divas like Carrie and Xtina!) I really think he could go far if he just really embraces who he is. Paul also is one of only three white guys in the race and there is always at least one white guy in the finals. It’s gonna be Paul.
2. Devin: now this guy has a beautiful voice with a glorious tone and he gave arguably the best vocal tonight on Perry Como’s “Impossible”. His bilingual shtick could get old, but he’s so good at it and he totally has the Latin vote. His personality was also shining brighter tonight as he seemed genuine and humble. Well done.
3. Lazaro: well, someone is certainly coming out of his shell these days. Easily the most popular guy in the race right now, Lazaro also gave his best performance to date on “Feeling Good”. While it was miles behind the brilliant take Adam Lambert did a few years back, it was quite assured and felt natural for Lazaro. I’m glad he is continuing to grow as a singer and performer. And yes, he’s adorable like a puppy!
4. Curtis: ok, let’s be honest. I can’t stand this arrogant affected guy or his stank faces and I am not buying the Jesus juice he is selling. However, damn the guy can sing. His performance of R. Kelly’s # 1 smash “I Believe I Can Fly” started off cheesy, but then he took it to church and soared to the rafters. I think he’ll move on pretty easily. However, he needs some humility stat. Take a lesson from last season’s Joshua Ledet please Curtis!
5. Burnell: there is just something compelling about Burnell and his lovely and subtle take on “I’m Here” from The Color Purple was very good. He was out shown vocally by a few guys tonight, but he is quite likable and I’m excited to see what he’ll do next.
6. Nick: this talented guy is sorely lacking in star quality unfortunately. But he did have a strong performance with his nice reworking of the Goo Goo Doll’s massive 1998 hit “Iris”. He sits right in the cozy Hot AC wheelhouse that Idol vets (Kris Allen, David Cook, Phillip Phillips, Daughtry) do so well and that could help him. Yet, I still feel like he may suffer under the weight of bigger personalities.
7. Vincent: one of those bigger personalities, Vincent, had a great week last week. However, he squandered it all with an off pitch and plodding version of Boyz II Men’s # 1 90′s classic “End of the Road”. All the good will he won a week ago is not likely to carry him through to the finals if you ask me.
8. Cortez: well, this guy looks and acts like a star. I just wish he performed and sounded like one too. While I liked his take on Bruno Mars’ recent chart topper “Locked Out of Heaven”, it wasn’t all that memorable and even a little karaoke. Sorry Cortez.
9. Elijah: while tonight’s performance of Rihanna’s current top 5 hit “Stay” was a million times better than last week’s train wreck, Elijah still has no chance in hell of moving forward. He’s just not even on the same level as the other guys (who aren’t even on the same level as most of the girls to boot).
10. Charlie: um I don’t really want to throw salt on his wounds, but Charlie’s take on that Genesis song was horrifyingly bad. I hope his experience on the show doesn’t wound him for life, but luckily it should be over tomorrow.

Predictions~

Sailing Through: Lazaro
Likely Going Through: Curtis, Devin
I think they’ll make it: Paul, Burnell
Fighting for a wild card: Vincent, Nick
Buh Bye forever: Charlie, Elijah, Cortez

So, the boys did much better than I thought they would. But really, it’s not gonna be enough to stop the lady train… At least, not yet… So, who do you think was the best tonight and might be able to keep up with the girls? Sound off below and watch American Idol tomorrow night for the results and to see who is lucky enough to grab a “secret” wild card spot too.

Bruno and Taylor Top the Charts

On the second to last week of the year, two artists who have spent their fair share atop the charts over the past few years reigned supreme yet again. Taylor Swift held onto the top of the Billboard Albums Chart with Red for a fifth non-consecutive week at the summit while Bruno Mars held at # 1 on the Hot 100 Singles Chart for a second week with “Locked Out of Heaven”. However, Bruno was locked out of that #1 album spot by Swift as his sophomore album Unorthodox Jukebox debuted in the runner up spot with a bigger than expected with 192,000 units sold…. Also landing a top ten debut was rapper The Game at # 6 with Jesus Piece. Take a look at the full top ten below and head to Billboard here for more info on all the albums charts.

Top Ten Albums on the Billboard 200:
1. Red- Taylor Swift (last week~ 1)
2. Unorthodox Jukebox- Bruno Mars (debut)
3. Christmas Michael Buble (lw~ 5)
4. Take Me Home- One Direction (lw~ 4)
5. Merry Christmas Baby- Rod Stewart (lw~ 3)
6. Jesus Piece- The Game (debut)
7. The World from the Side of the Moon- Phillip Phillips (lw~ 9)
8. Cheers It’s Christmas- Blake Shelton (lw~8)
9. Girl on Fire- Alicia Keys (lw~ 7)
10. On this Winter’s Night- Lady Antebellum (lw~ 11)

Back on the Hot 100 Singles Chart, Mars’ “Heaven” extends its lead over Rihanna’ s “Diamonds” and a hard-charging “Ho Hey” by the Lumineers. Taylor Swift also makes her presence known with her second top ten from Red, “I Know You Were Trouble” which hits # 10 this week. And yes, it’s a dub-step song. Seriously, she ain’t country with this album people… For more on all the singles charts, head to Billboard and enjoy the new top ten below.

Top Ten Singles on the Hot 100:
1. “Locked Out of Heaven”- Bruno Mars (lw~ 1)
2. “Diamonds”- Rihanna (lw~ 2)
3. “Ho Hey”- The Lumineers (lw~ 4)
4. “Die Young”- Ke$ha (lw~ 3)
5. “One More Night”- Maroon 5 (lw~ 5)
6. “I Cry”- Flo Rida (lw~ 6)
7. “Beauty and a Beat”-Justin Bieber w/ Nicki Minaj (lw~ 9)
8. “Home”- Phillip Phillips (lw~7)
9. “Some Nights”- fun. (lw~8)
10. “I Knew You Were Trouble”- Taylor Swift (lw~ 15)

And here’s a taste of more music from Bruno Mars. Listen to “When I Was Your Man”, one of my favorites, from his new album Unorthodox Jukebox.

Bruno Mars is in “Heaven” on Top of the Charts

He first hit the charts just two years ago, but Bruno Mars has become the premiere male hit maker on the Billboard Hot 100 in that time frame with 9 top ten singles and now a fourth # 1 hit. His latest “Locked Out of Heaven” locks Rihanna out of the top spot to give him that quartet of chart toppers following “Grenade”, “Just the Way You Are” And “Nothin’ On You” featuring B.o.B. This Grammy winner also released his sophomore album, Unorthodox Jukebox, this week and could have both the top album and single in the country next week… To do so, he’ll have to fend off a strong charge from The Lumineers’ “Ho Hey” which slides up to #4. For more on Bruno’s fast rise on the charts, head to Billboard here and check out the new top ten below.

Top Ten Singles on the Billboard Hot 100:
1. “Locked Out of Heaven”- Bruno Mars (last week~ 2)
2. “Diamonds”- Rihanna (lw~ 1)
3. “Die Young”- Ke$ha (lw~ 3)
4. “Ho Hey”- The Lumineers (lw~ 5)
5. “One More Night”- Maroon 5 (lw~ 4)
6. “I Cry”- Flo Rida (lw~8)
7. “Home”- Phillip Phillips (lw~ 7)
8. “Some Nights”- fun. (lw~ 6)
9. “Beauty and a Beat”- Justin Bieber w/Nicki Minaj (lw~ 13)
10. “Let Me Love You (Until You Love Yourself)”- NeYo

Over on the Billboard 200 Albums chart, Taylor Swift returns to the summit with Red for a fourth non-consecutive week on top. She holds off debuts from Wiz Khalifa and Ke$Ha. Scroll down for the new top ten and head to Billboard for all the news on the charts.

Top Ten Albums on the Billboard 200:
1. Red- Taylor Swift (lw~ 2)
2. O.N.I.F.C.- Wiz Khalifa (debut)
3. Merry Christmas Baby- Rod Stewart (lw~ 3)
4. Take Me Home- One Direction (lw~ 4)
5. Christmas- Michael Buble (lw~ 7)
6. Warrior- Ke$ha (debut)
7. Girl on Fire- Alicia Keys (lw~ 1)
8. Cheers, It’s Christmas- Blake Shelton (lw~ 9)
9. The World from the Side of the Moon- Phillip Phillips (lw~ 5)
10. Here’s to the Good Times- Florida Georgia Line (debut)

And here’s Bruno Mars new video for his latest # 1…

Alicia Keys and Rihanna are on “Fire” on the Charts

Alicia Keys and Rihanna are certainly on fire on the Billboard charts as the ladies rule the Billboard 200 Albums and the Hot 100 Singles Charts this week. Keys lands her 5th # 1 album with her latest Girl on Fire that also debuts atop the R&B Albums chart (her sixth leader there). The album propels the title track all the way up to #11 as well. Keys holds off a bunch of holdovers from the likes of Rod Stewart, Taylor Swift, One Direction and American Idol‘s Phillip Phillips who shockingly holds in the top five for a second week. Hello TV Singing shows, this is how you make a star! Take a look at the full top ten below featuring an influx of Christmas albums. Then head to Billboard here for more on all the charts.

Top 10 Albums ont he Billboard 200:
1. Girl on Fire- Alicia Keys (debut)
2. Red- Taylor Swift (last week~ 2)
3. Merry Christmas Baby- Rod Stewart (lw~ 6)
4. Take Me Home- One Direction (lw~ 3)
5. The World from the Side of the Moon- Phillip Phillips (lw~ 4)
6. Unapologetic- Rihanna (lw~ 1)
7. Christmas- Michael Buble (lw~ 16)
8. On This Winter’s Night- Lady Antebellum (lw~ 19)
9. Cheers It’s Christmas- Blake Shelton (lw~ 18)
10. Rebel Soul- Kid Rock (lw~ 5)

Back on the Hot 100 Singles Chart, Rihanna is still shining brights as her “Diamonds” holds for a third week on top. She will likely fall out next week as the points between her and runner up Bruno Mars are getting really close. Also getting new peak positions are The Lumineers and Phillips whose coronation song hits #7. For more on this chart and the rest of the singles charts, head to Billboard and scroll down for this week’s top ten.

Top Ten Singles on the Hot 100:
1. “Diamonds”- Rihanna (lw~ 1)
2. “Locked Out of Heaven”- Bruno Mars (lw~ 4)
3. “Die Young”- Ke$ha (lw~ 2)
4. “One More Night”- Maroon 5 (lw~ 5)
5. “Ho Hey”- The Lumineers (lw~ 7)
6. “Some Nights”- fun. (lw~ 6)
7. “Home”- Phillip Phillips (lw~8)
8. “I Cry”- Flo Rida (lw~ 9)
9. “Let Me Love You (Until You Love Yourself)”- NeYo (lw~ 10)
10. “Gangnam Style”- Psy (lw~ 5)

And here’s Alicia Keys fast rising new hit “Girl on Fire” featuring the ever polarizing Nicki Minaj. Enjoy

Rihanna Double Dips at the Top of the Charts

Rihanna had a fantastic post-Thanksgiving week as she topped both the Billboard Albums and Singles Charts. Despite releasing a new album every five minutes, she has never reached the top of the Billboard 200 until this week with her seventh release, Unapologetic. The singer also tops the Hot 100 singles chart for a second week with “Diamonds” becoming the second artist to lead both charts this year after Adele. Speaking of Adele, her 21 passes 10 million in sales this week for Diamond certification which is pretty much unheard of these days. The last album to hit that mark was Usher’s Confessions from 2004 and it just hit the mark earlier this year. Congrats Adele!… Back on the Billboard 200, American Idol proved it can keep pumping out successful music stars as this year’s winner Phillip Phillips debuts at # 4 just ahead of the latest from Kid Rock. Also, premiering in the top ten are Led Zeppelin and Keyshia Cole while the original Idol Kelly Clarkson sells 75000 copies of her first Greatest Hits album to debut at # 11. For more on all these records, head to Billboard here and check out the new top eleven below.

Top Ten Albums on the Billboard 200:
1. Unapologetic- Rihanna (debut)
2. Red- Taylor Swift (last week~ 2)
3. Take Me Home- One Direction (lw~ 1)
4. The World from the Side of the Moon- Phillip Phillips (debut)
5. Rebel Soul- Kid Rock (debut)
6. Merry Christmas Baby- Rod Stewart (lw~ 6)
7. The Truth About Love- P!nk (lw~ 22)
8. Night Train- Jason Aldean (lw~ 13)
9. Celebration Day- Led Zeppelin (debut)
10. Woman to Woman- Keyshia Cole (debut)
11. Greatest Hits: Chapter 1: Kelly Clarkson (debut)

Switching over to the Hot 100, Rihanna holds off a surging Ke$ha whose “Die Young” could pose a real threat to the top next week… And giving him a matching top ten album and single, Phillip Phillip’s “Home” returns to the top-tier with a new peak at # 8. This song has become the best selling coronation single in Idol history as it nears the 3 million mark topping sales of David Cook‘s “Time of My Life” and Clarkson’s “A Moment Like This”. He’s also hit # 1 at AAA radio, # 2 on Hot Adult Top 40 and Top Ten on the Rock, AC and Pop charts now. That’s pretty amazing when you think about it. We’ll see if he can keep up with his new single “Gone Gone Gone” due to hit radio soon. In the meantime, head to Billboard to see all your favorite genre charts and take a look at the new top ten below.

Top Ten Singles on the Hot 100:
1. “Diamonds”- Rihanna (lw~ 2)
2. “Die Young”- Ke$ha (lw~ 3)
3. “One More Night”- Maroon 5 (lw~ 2)
4. “Locked Out of Heaven”- Bruno Mars (lw~ 4)
5. “Gangnam Style”- Psy (lw~ 7)
6. “Some Nights”- fun. (lw~ 5)
7. “Ho Hey”- The Lumineers (lw~8)
8. “Home”- Phillip Phillips (lw~ 12)
9. “I Cry”- Flo Rida (lw~ 10)
10. “Let Me Love You (Until You Love Yourself)”- NeYo (lw~ 6)

And here’s the new single from Phillip Phillips “Gone Gone Gone”. He’s making like Mumford & Sons again people. At least it’s not a Dave Matthews Band retread…

One Direction and Rihanna Shake Up the Charts

British boy band One Direction grab their second consecutive # 1 album in less than a year this week as they debut on top of the Billboard 200 Albums chart with their sophomore release Take Me Home. The set sells a big 540,000 copies for the third best debut this year after Mumford & Sons and Taylor Swift. Speaking of Swift, she’s the one who gets booted out of the top spot after three weeks at the summit. Other new albums debuting in the top ten this week include the final Twilight soundtrack and releases from The Weekend, Soundgarden, Green Day, Lana Del Rey and Christina Aguilera whose Lotus becomes her 6th top ten album but opens at a slightly disappointing # 7…. For more on the albums chart and One Direction’s big week, head to Billboard here and check out the new top ten below.

Top Ten Albums on the Billboard 200:
1. Take Me Home- One Direction (debut)
2. Red- Taylor Swift (last week~ 1)
3. Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Pt. 2- soundtrack (debut)
4. Trilogy- The Weekend (debut)
5. King Animal- Soundgarden (debut)
6. Merry Christmas Baby- Rod Stewart (lw~ 3)
7. Lotus- Christina Aguilera (debut)
8. Now 44 Compilation- Various Artist (lw~ 2)
9. Dos- Green Day (debut)
10. Paradise- Lana Del Rey (debut)

Over on the Hot 100, Rihanna makes waves as her single “Diamonds” finally unseats Maroon 5‘s “One More Night” after a surprisingly long 9 weeks on top. With her latest chart topper, Rihanna ties Madonna and The Supremes for the fourth most # 1′s in chart history with 12 apiece. (Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey and The Beatles are all ahead of them)… We’ll see how long Rihanna can rule as Bruno Mars and The Lumineers are climbing fast. Take a gander at the new top ten below and head to Billboard here for more on all the singles charts.

Top Ten Singles on the Hot 100:
1. “Diamonds”- Rihanna (last week~ 2)
2. “One More NIght”- Maroon 5 (lw~ 1)
3. “Die Young”- Ke$ha (lw~ 3)
4. “Locked Out of Heaven”- Bruno Mars (lw~ 6)
5. “Some Nights”- fun. (lw~ 4)
6. “Let Me Love You (Until You Love Yourself)”- NeYo (lw~8)
7. “Gangnam Style”- Psy (lw~ 5)
8. “Ho Hey”- The Lumineers (lw~ 13)
9. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”- Taylor Swift (lw~ 7)
10. “I Cry”- Flo Rida (lw~ 10)

And one final note belongs to the late great Whitney Houston whose new hits package, I WIll Always Love You: The Best of Whitney Houston featuring her 11 # 1 songs and more, debuts at # 14 on the Billboard 200 and # 2 on the R&B Albums chart. It is one of several hits albums that should sell well this holiday season including Kelly Clarkson‘s first hits set that will debut next week…. For the moment, please enjoy this incredible live performance of Houston’s #1 smash from 1987 “Didn’t We Almost Have It All” below.

Whitney Houston “Didn’t We Almost Have It All”

Bieber Wins Big but P!nk Steals the Show at the American Music Awards

Teen sensation Justin Bieber may have been the big winner at last night’s American Music Awards taking home 3 trophies, but the true victor from the show was P!nk with an astounding performance of her new single “Try”. In fact, pretty much everything from the show was a bit forgettable when compared with P!nk’s gorgeous moving and intense performance. With that said, take a look at my rankings of all the performances below. And can we please stop with all the lip synching? It was an atrocious lip synched mess for like 70% of the “singers” last night! .. As for the winners, a rather annoying Bieber took home Artist of the Year, Male Artist and Pop Album and he really needs to learn how to make an acceptance speech and get a sense of humor. A sense of humor would also help Taylor Swift, a winner for Country female, whose fake humility and incredibly irritating persona is grating on mine and a lot of other people’s nerves (and don’t get me started on that horrible performance)… Other big winners included Nicki Minaj with two awards and one apiece for Carrie Underwood, Rihanna, Adele, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Luke Bryan, Lady Antebellum, Usher, Beyonce and Best New Artist Carly Rae Jepsen… For more on my take on the show and the winners, check out my twitter feed from last night here. (Yes, I live twatted the whole show!)…. And take a gander at all the winners below.

2012 American Music Award Winners:

Artist of the year: Justin Bieber
New artist of the year: Carly Rae Jepsen
Pop/rock female artist: Katy Perry
Pop/rock male artist: Justin Bieber
Pop/rock band, duo or group: Maroon 5
Pop/rock album: Justin Bieber, Believe
Country female artist: Taylor Swift
Country male artist: Luke Bryan
Country band, duo or group: Lady Antebellum
Country album: Carrie Underwood, Blown Away
Rap/hip-hop artist: Nicki Minaj
Rap/hip-hop album: Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded
Soul/R&B female artist: Beyonce
Soul/R&B male artist: Usher
Soul/R&B album: Rihanna, Talk That Talk
Alternative rock artist: Linkin Park
Adult contemporary artist: Adele
Latin artist: Shakira
Contemporary inspirational artist: tobyMac
Electronic dance music artist: David Guetta

Ranking the AMA Performances~

1. P!nk “Try”: this performance was simply stunning as P!nk married lyrical contemporary choreography and gorgeous emotional vocals to perfection in a duo with dancer Colt Prattes. It really defies words. Take a look below. Amazing. Grade: A+
2. Kelly Clarkson “Miss Independent/Since U Been Gone/Stronger/Catch My Breath”: with arguably the best vocal of the night, Clarkson paid homage to her American Idol roots and gave a flawless and fantastically fun performance. Now, that is how you sing LIVE people! Grade: A
3. Stevie Wonder “Dick Clark Tribute”: there’s a reason he’s a legend people and he proved it again… and he werrrrrked some serious purple to boot! Grade: A-
4. Linkin Park “Burn It Down”: giving you early 2000′s realness and a rocking good time, Linkin Park brought intense energy and precision to their industrial rap rock fusion hit. Grade: A-
5. No Doubt “Looking Hot”: they’ve still go it! Gwen is definitely still hot. Adrian is still crazy and Tony still looks stoned. Grade: B+
6. Carrie Underwood “Two Black Cadillacs”: despite a little pitchy start, Underwood nailed the rest of her delightfully dark and dramatic single. Grade: B+
7. Psy with Hammer “Gangnam Style/2 Legit 2 Quit”: there is no escaping the Korean Macarena and you know you loved it when Hammer showed up for a mashup of these dance hits… However, billing Hammer as an “international superstar” was a big much AMA’s… It’s not 1991. I’m just saying…. Grade: B
8. Justin Bieber “As Long As You Love Me”: I don’t know about you but I was shocked at how good and surprisingly authentic this acoustic performance was. It was easily the best thing I’ve ever seen him do. Grade: B
9. The Wanted “I Found You”: the hotter British boy band (sorry One Direction) actually sang live for most of the song and I’m kinda sucker for their rocking Ibiza dance party vibe. Grade: B
10. Christina Aguilera “Lotus/Army of Me/Let There Be Love”: Ok, the lip synched “Lotus” beginning was bad, but the let your freak fly positivity message was great. Plus she can wail like no other. It was just a bit of too much overall though. Grade: B-
11. Pitbull “Don’t Stop the Party: Ptibull is a fantastic performer and this generic but incredibly infectious song got everyone on their feet. However, did you really need to lip synch too Pit? Um, you’re rapping! Automatic point deduction. Grade: C+
12. Usher “Numb/Cant Stop Wont Stop/Medley”: it was a half sung/half lip synched vogueing laser show with a treadmill! He literally threw in everything but the kitchen sink. Grade: C+
13. Ke$ha “Die Young”: It was Game of Thrones meets Day of the Dead with a touch of Stomp at a gay circuit party. Oh, and another lip synched, but it was fun. Grade: C
14. Carly Rae Jepsen “This Kiss/Call Me Maybe”: it was fun but forgetful and this girl really needs to learn how to lip synch for her life. Grade: C-
15. Justin Bieber w/Nicki Minaj “Beauty and a Beat”: it was a second-rate wannabe NSYNC number, that was lip synced to boot. And Bieber looked rather tired. He is no JT people! Grade: C-
16. Nicki Minaj “Freedom”: here’s something I never thought I’d say about a Nicki Minaj performance~ that was BORING. Seriously boring and lip synched to boot. I had more fun staring at her Staypuff Marshmellow man meets Mariah Carey Christmas costume outfit. Grade: D+
17. Taylor Swift “I Knew You Were Trouble”: this was atrocious! It was a lip synched crapfest that stole from everyone including Madonna (“Vogue” at the VMAs), the Backstreet Boys (the “Everybody” video), Annie Lennox (the “Walking on Broken Glass” video) not to mention Gaga and Rihanna and more. Just belch. And Taylor would you please admit you’re not a country artist for once? That song is total pop meets dub step. Grade: D-
18. Swiss Beatz/douchebag Chris Brown/Ludacris performance: in a word, AWFUL. Grade: F

To end on a positive note, here are my two favorite performances. Enjoy the astounding P!nk and the fabulous Kelly Clarkson.

P!nk “Try” live at the AMA’s

Kelly Clarkson Medley live at the AMA‘s

Taylor Swift and Maroon 5 Still Dominate the Charts

In another uneventful week on the pop music charts, Taylor Swift went 3 for 3 on the Billboard Albums Chart with Red while Maroon 5 held on top of the Hot 100 Singles Chart for the 9th week with “One More Night”…. Swift held off debuts from the Now! Music franchise, Aerosmith, NeYo and Third Day. Take a look at the new album leaders below.

Top Ten Albums on the Billboard 200:
1. Red- Taylor Swift (last week~ 1)
2. Now That’s What I Call Music 44- Various Artists (debut)
3. Merry Christmas Baby- Rod Stewart (lw~ 3)
4. R.E.D.- NeYo (debut)
5. Music from Another Dimension- Aerosmith (debut)
6. Night Train- Jason Aldean (lw~ 4)
7. Babel- Mumford & Sons (lw~ 7)
8. Dreams and Nightmares- Meek Mill (lw~ 2)
9. good kid, m.A.A.d city- Kendrick Lamar (lw~ 5)
10. Miracle- Third Day (debut)

Back on the Singles chart, Maroon 5′s “One More Night” ties Carly Rae Jepsen‘s “Call Me Maybe” for the longest run at the top this year with 9 weeks. They’ll have some tough competition next week as Rihanna makes a strong jump to the runner-up spot and Ke$ha who charges up to # 3. Take a look at the new top ten below and head to Billboard here for all the info on your favorite charts.

Top Ten Singles on the Hot 100:
1. “One More Night”- Maroon 5 (last week~ 1)
2. “Diamonds”- Rihanna (lw~ 4)
3. “Die Young”- Ke$ha (lw~ 6)
4. “Some Nights”- fun. (lw~ 3)
5. “Gangnam Style”- Psy (lw~ 2)
6. “Locked Out of Heaven”- Bruno Mars (lw~ 7)
7. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”- Taylor Swift (lw~ 5)
8. “Let Me Love You (Until You Love Yourself)”- NeYo (lw~ 10)
9. “Too Close”- Alex Clare (lw~ 9)
10. “I Cry”- Flo Rida (lw~ 12)

And here’s Flo Rida‘s latest top ten hit “I Cry”. Note the sample from the 80′s smash “Piano in the Dark” by Brenda Russell.