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

“Les Miserables” Sings on the Billboard Charts

The Soundtrack to the smash musical film Les Miserables spends a second week atop the Billboard Soundtracks Chart and makes a huge charge up to # 2 from # 33 on the overall Billboard Albums Chart as well. The soundtrack also yields a Hot 100 hit for Oscar front-runner Anne Hathaway as her version of “I Dreamed a Dream” debuts at # 69… Another soundtrack leaps back into the top ten due to its release on dvd and post holiday gift card spending as Pitch Perfect zooms from # 45 to # 10. It also yields a Hot 100 hit for its star Anna Kendrick whose “Cups” debuts at #93…. Several other albums get big post Xmas boost but all of them still trail Taylor Swift‘s Red which nabs a 7th week on top. Take a look at the new top ten below and head to Billboard for more info on all the Albums Charts.

Top Ten Albums on the Billboard 200:
1. Red- Taylor Swift (last week~ 1) * 7 weeks on top
2. Les Miserables soundtrack (lw~ 33)
3. Take Me Home- One Direction (lw~ 4)
4. Unorthodox Jukebox- Bruno Mars (lw~ 3)
5. Trouble Man: Heavy is the Head- T.I. (lw~ 3)
6. Night Visions- Imagine Dragons (lw~ 46)
7. Unapologetic- Rihanna (lw~ 19)
8. Babel- Mumford & Sons (lw~8)
9. Lumineers- The Lumineers (lw~ 24)
10. Pitch Perfect soundtrack (lw~ 45)

Back on the Hot 100 Singles Chart, Bruno Mars leads for a fourth week with “Locked Out of Heaven” as Taylor Swift is rising fast. Also charging back up the charts was Psy’s “Gangnam Style” which got a huge post Xmas sales bump all the way back up to #6. For more on all the singles charts, head here and check out the latest top ten below.

Top Ten Singles on the Hot 100:
1. “Locked Out of Heaven”- Bruno Mars (last week~ 1) * 4 weeks on top
2. “I Knew You Were Trouble”- Taylor Swift (lw~ 4)
3. “Diamonds”- Rihanna (lw~ 2)
4. “Ho Hey”- The Lumineers (lw~ 3)
5. “Beauty and a Beat”- Justin Bieber w/Nicki Minaj (lw~ 5)
6. “Gangnam Style”- Psy (lw~ 17)
7. “Die Young”- Ke$ha
8. “One More Night”- Maroon 5 (lw~ 7)
9. “Home”- Phillip Phillips (lw~ 9)
10. “Thrift Shop”- Macklemore & Lewis (lw~ 10)

And before you go, please enjoy a taste of my favorite song from the Les Miserables soundtrack, “On My Own” by first time film actress and potential Supporting Actress contender Samantha Barks below.

Adele and Gotye are Music’s Biggest Sellers in 2012

Adele ruled the Album Charts throughout 2011 and again in 2012 with her massive smash 21. According to Billboard, she sold another 4.41 million again to have the top-selling album of the year for two years running (and over 10 million to date). The Grammy winning singer held off Taylor Swift and two albums by boy band One Direction not to mention five country albums in the top ten. Take a look at the top sellers of the year below.

Top Selling Albums of 2012:
1. 21- Adele (4.41 million)
2. Red- Taylor Swift (3.11 million)
3. Up All Night- One Direction (1.62 million)
4. Babel- Mumford & Sons (1.46 million)
5. Take Me Home- One Direction (1.34 million)
6. Believe- Justin Bieber (1.34 million)
7. Blown Away- Carrie Underwood (1.2 million)
8. Tailgates & Tanlines- Luke Bryan (1.1 million)
9. Tuskegee- Lionel Richie (1.07 million)
10. Night Train- Jason Aldean (1.04 million)

As for the top-selling digital singles of the year, newcomer Gotye was one of five new artists to land in the year-end top ten. Gotye’s “Somebody that I Used to Know” was the big winner selling 6.8 million to lead over fellow newbie Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” with 6.4 million. The other new artists in the top ten were Psy, One Direction and fun. who grabbed two spots in the final list (as did Maroon 5). Take a look at the biggest selling singles of the year below and head to Billboard here for more info on all the year-end charts and sales figures.

Top Ten Selling Singles of 2012:
1. “Somebody that I Used to Know”- Gotye w/Kimbra (6.8 million)
2. “Call Me Maybe”- Carly Rae Jepsen (6.47 million)
3. “We Are Young”- fun. w/Janelle Monae (5.95 million)
4. “Payphone”- Maroon 5 w/Wiz Khalifa (4.76 million)
5. “Starships”- Nicki Minaj (3. 98 million)
6. “What Makes You Beautiful”- One Direction (3.89 million)
7. “Some Nights”- fun. (3.84 million)
8. “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”- Kelly Clarkson (3. 82 million)
9. “Gangnam Style”- Psy (3.59 million)
10. “One More Night”- Maroon 5 (3.46 million)

And here’s the biggest selling single of 2012 by Gotye.

Bruno Mars and Taylor Swift Rule the Holiday Charts

It was a pretty carbon copy week on the Billboard Charts as Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars continued to rule the Album and Singles Charts. In the last full week of 2012, Taylor Swift’s Red makes it six weeks on top with another 276,000 copies sold holding off a debut from rapper T.I. at # 2 with his new one Trouble Man: Heavy is the Head. Bruno Mars lands in third while the Hurricane Sandy charity album 12-12-12 debuts at # 9…. Also debuting this week was the soundtrack to my favorite film of the year, Les Miserables, which checks in at # 33 and tops the Soundtracks chart. Watch for it to skyrocket up the list next week after the film hit theaters on Christmas. In the meantime, take a look at the full top ten below.

Top Ten Albums on the Billboard 200:
1. Red- Taylor Swift (last week~ 1)
2. Trouble Man: Heavy is the Head- T.I. (debut)
3. Unorthodox Jukebox- Bruno Mars (lw~ 2)
4. Take Me Home- One Direction (lw~ 4)
5. Christmas- Michael Buble (lw~ 3)
6. Merry Christmas Baby- Rod Stewart (lw~ 5)
7. The World from the Side of the Moon- Phillip Phillips (lw~ 7)
8. Babel- Mumford & Sons (lw~ 11)
9. 12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief- Various Artists (debut)
10. Now 44- Various Artists (lw~ 12)

On the Hot 100 Singles chart, “Locked Out of Heaven” makes it three weeks on top for Mars who looks likely to go a few more frames in the pole position. One future contender for # 1 could be from rapper Macklemore with his first top ten hit, the infectious “Thrift Shop” featuring Ryan Lewis which charges into the top ten at # 10. For more on the Hot 100 and all the singles charts, head to Billboard here.

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~ 3)
4. “I Knew You Were Trouble”- Taylor Swift (lw~ 10)
5. “Beauty and a Beat”- Justin Bieber w/ Nicki Minaj (lw~ 7)
6. “Die Young”- Ke$ha (lw~ 4)
7. “One More Night”- Maroon 5 (lw~ 5)
8. “I Cry”- Flo Rida (lw~ 6)
9. “Home”- Phillip Phillips (lw~8)
10. “Thrift Shop”- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (lw~ 13)

And here’s than funky fun new top ten hit from Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. Enjoy some time in the “Thrift Shop” below.

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

Today’s Grammy Nominations Sure are a lot of fun.

fun. dominated tonight’s Grammy nominations landing in 6 categories including the big four: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Best New Artist. They are the first group to contend in all four categories in Grammy history. Also grabbing 6 nods were Frank Ocean, Mumford & Sons, Kanye West and Jay Z. Multiple noms went to The Black Keyes, Hunter Hayes, Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift while my favorite, Kelly Clarkson, also picked up 3 nominations including Record of the Year for “Stronger” becoming the first American Idol vet to land in this category…. Take a look at all the big nominees below and check back for a more in-depth analysis tomorrow. Head to the Grammy website here for all of the nominees and find out which category pits the current First Lady Michelle Obama against Former President Bill Clinton.

2012 Grammy Nominees:

Album Of The Year:
“El Camino” — The Black Keys
“Some Nights” — FUN.
“Babel” — Mumford & Sons
“Channel Orange” — Frank Ocean
“Blunderbuss” — Jack White

Record Of The Year:
“Lonely Boy” — The Black Keys
“Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” — Kelly Clarkson
“We Are Young” — FUN. Featuring Janelle Monáe
“Somebody That I Used To Know” — Gotye Featuring Kimbra
“Thinkin Bout You” — Frank Ocean
“We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” — Taylor Swift

Best New Artist:
Alabama Shakes
FUN.
Hunter Hayes
The Lumineers
Frank Ocean

Song Of The Year:
“The A Team” — Ed Sheeran, songwriter (Ed Sheeran)
“Adorn” — Miguel Pimentel, songwriter (Miguel)
“Call Me Maybe” — Tavish Crowe, Carly Rae Jepsen & Josh Ramsay, songwriters (Carly Rae Jepsen)
“Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” — Jörgen Elofsson, David Gamson, Greg Kurstin & Ali Tamposi,
songwriters (Kelly Clarkson)
“We Are Young” — Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost & Nate Ruess, songwriters (FUN. Featuring
Janelle Monáe)

Best Pop Solo Performance:
“Set Fire To The Rain (Live)” — Adele
“Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” — Kelly Clarkson      
“Call Me Maybe” — Carly Rae Jepsen
“Wide Awake” — Katy Perry
“Where Have You Been” — Rihanna

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:
“Shake It Out” — Florence & The Machine
“We Are Young” — FUN. Featuring Janelle Monáe
“Somebody That I Used To Know” — Gotye Featuring Kimbra
“Sexy And I Know It” — LMFAO
“Payphone” — Maroon 5 & Wiz Khalifa

Best Pop Album:
Stronger- Kelly Clarkson
Some Nights- fun.
Ceremonials- Florence + the Machine
Overexposed- Maroon 5
The Truth About Love- P!nk

Dance Recording:
“Levels”- Avicil
“Lets Go”- Calvin Harris w/ NeYo
“Bangarang”- Skrillex
“Don’t You Worry Child”- Swedish House Mafia w/ John Martin
“I Cant Live Without You”- Al Wasler

Dance/Electronica Album:
Wonderland- Steve Aoki
Don’t Think- The Chemical Brothers
Album Title Goes Here- Deadmau5
Fire & Ice- Kaskade
Bangarang- Skrillex

Traditional Pop Album:
Christmas- Michael Buble
A Holiday Carole- Carole King
Kisses on the Bottom- Paul McCartney

Best Rock Album:
The Black Keys, El Camino
Coldplay, Mylo Xyloto
Muse, The 2nd Law
Bruce Springsteen, Wrecking Ball
Jack White, Blunderbuss

Best Alternative Music Album:
Fiona Apple, The Idler Wheel…
Bjork, Biophilia
Gotye, Making Mirrors
M83, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
Tom Waits, Bad as Me

Best Rap Album:
Drake, Take Care
Lupe Fiasco, Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album, Pt. 1
Nas, Life Is Good
The Roots, Undun
Rick Ross, God Forgives, I Don’t
2 Chainz, Based on a T.R.U. Story

Best Country Album:
Zac Brown Band, Uncaged
Hunter Hayes, Hunter Hayes
Jamey Johnson, Living for a Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran
Miranda Lambert, For the Record
The Time Jumpers, The Time Jumpers

Country Solo Performance:
Dierks Bentley, “Home”
Eric Church, “Springsteen”
Hunter Hayes, “Wanted”  
Ronnie Dunn, “Cost of Livin’”
Blake Shelton, “Over”
Carrie Underwood, “Blown Away”

Country Performance Duo/Group/Collaboration:
“Even If Your Heart Breaks”- Eli Young Band
“Pontoon”- Little Big Town
“Safe & Sound”- Taylor Swift & The Civil Wars
“On the Outskirts of Town”-The Time Jumpers
“I Just Come Here for the Music”-Don Williams w/ Allison Krauss

Comedy Album:
Blow Your Pants Off- Jimmy Fallon
Cho Dependent (Live in Concert)- Margaret Cho
In God We Rust- Lewis Black
Kathy Griffin: Seamen 1st Class- Kathy Griffin
Mr. Universe- Jim Gaffigan
Rize of the Fenix- Tenacious D

Best Musical Theater Cast Album:
Follies
The Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess
Newsies
Nice Work if You Can Get It
Once

Compilation Soundtrack:
The Descendants
Marley
Midnight in Paris
The Muppets
Rock of Ages

Best Score Soundtrack:
The Adventures of Tin Tin
The Artist
The Dark Knight Rises
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Journey

Best Song Written for Visual Media (award to the songwriters):
“Abraham’s Daughter”- written & performed by Arcade Fire (The Hunger Games)
“Learn Me Right”- written & performed by Mumford & Sons (Brave)
“Let Me Be Your Star”- performed by Katharine McPhee & Megan Hilty, written by Marc Shaiman & Scott Witman (Smash)
“Man or Muppet”- performed by Jason Segel & Walter, written by Brett McKenzie (The Muppets)
“Safe & Sound”- written & performed by The Civil Wars and Taylor Swift (The Hunger Games)

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