My American Idol Quick Wrap for 3/20/13~ Just Let it Be!

Why oh why can’t some of this season’s American Idol contestants pick the right song? Even when given the amazing songbook of Lennon/McCartney (i.e.: the Beatles), a few of them faltered or just picked obvious choices. At least many of them (ahem, the ladies) did them justice while only one really faltered. So, just how did they all stack up for the night? Take a look at my performance rankings and predictions below:

American Idol Rankings~ 3/20/13
1. Candice: in a very tight race for the top, Candice does it again with her fierce version of “Come Together” that rivaled the fantastic take Carly Smithson did back in season 7… Candice remains my front-runner and with this rocking showcase proved she can take on any genre of music. Just great.
2. Kree: with another assured and lovely performance, Kree almost took the top spot with her version of “With a Little Help from My Friends”. Her vocals were perfect of course, but Candice just out performed her by the smallest margin. How awesome would a finale with those two be?
3. Amber: originally I had Amber in fourth, but after re-watching her performance, I’ve moved her up a notch. Vocally Amber has incredibly potential with a huge range and glorious voice which was in fine form tonight. I also loved the random song choice of “She’s Leaving Home”. Well done. I really hope the audience ignores the stupid judges and she stays out of the bottom three due to their nitpicking.
4. Angie: while I didn’t love her take on “Yesterday” (shockingly I still am partial to Syesha’s subtle and beautiful take from season 7), I did love the Evanescence vibe she gave to it. I would actually really like to hear her on that kind of rock song and while her vocals were totally on point, I didn’t completely buy the connection. Something seemed a little calculated, but now I think I’m nitpicking because it was quite solid.
5. Burnell: while I’m totally starting to get annoyed with his hand gestures, Burnell sho can sang! And he gave another good performance on “Let It Be” while totally making it his own. His John Legend-ish version of the classic actually totally worked.
6. Janelle: doing a Beatles song I’m not too familiar with “I Wish”, Janelle gave a very pretty and restrained performance. I enjoyed it, but it was just a little too blah in the end. That said, I think it was one of her strongest to date. She also had the final “pimp” slot of the night which will help her in the voting.
7. Paul: I really wish the judges had been a little nicer to him. I mean, consistently they harp on him while they tell other people they’re “inspirational” when they were actually bad. Anywho, yes, Paul had some trouble on the lower parts of the song, but his mid and upper register were glorious on “Eleanor Rigby”. And I give him props for going out of his comfort zone.
8. Devin: now many of you may wonder why the best male vocal of the night is this far down the list. Well here’s why~ it was BORING. I think Devin has mad vocal skills (yes, that was me channeling Randy). However, he is a little too adult contemporary telethon in his performances. But the judges loved it, so what do I know?
9. Lazaro: um, I really don’t want to be mean, but his take on “In My Life” was atrocious. Sorry. I like this kid and he has a good voice, but it was not evident tonight.

Predictions~
Bottom 3: Paul, Lazarro, and Devin or Amber
Bottom 2: Paul, Lazarro (but the damn crying will probably save him)
Going home: Paul (and that makes me really really really sad)

So, how did you like Beatles night? I think it was a good effort, but still far from the best Idol night features these iconic songs. (That would be season 7′s cycle with amazing takes on these classics by the aforementioned Syesha and Carly, plus Brooke White and the Davids~ Cook and Archuleta)… And just who do you think will go home? Will there be a crazy bottom 3? Will Janelle and Burnell make surprise appearances? And will Kree, Candice and Angie be the top three again (um, yes)…. Find out tomorrow night on American Idol on Fox.

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”

Here are your new American Idol Judges

After months of speculation, rumors, hype and insanity, American Idol has finally settled on a new judging panel for season 12. Returning is veteran Randy Jackson (who many thought might transition to a mentor role but didn’t), plus Grammy nominated rapper/headline maker Nicki Minaj, multiple Grammy winning country superstar Keith Urban and iconic Grammy winning pop superstar Mariah Carey. The first picture of the judges along with Emmy nominated host Ryan Seacrest is below. They already started working together this past Sunday with the taping of the first open auditions. I have no doubt it will be a juicy fun season. Here’s why…

Randy Jackson: is the veteran who will represent stability on the panel and grew as a type of moderator on the panel last year. It will also be fun to see how he works with Carey who he also manages and has been friends with forever.
Mariah Carey: she clearly knows music with more # 1 singles than anyone in history except The Beatles, has sold over 200 million records worldwide and has an incredible voice. She actually knows how to sing (hello Paula and J Lo!) and she’s a great songwriter, so she has the background and the insight needed for critical judgement. She’s also a little loopy so that will be fun.
Keith Urban: he’s an accomplished singer and songwriter and brings the country fan base that the show has been riding high on for the past few years. (Hello, Carrie Underwood is a huge star while Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina, Josh Gracin, Bucky Covington, Casey James and Kellie Pickler have all found post-Idol success on the country charts.) Urban also seems like the most “sane” and intelligent of the judges and that’s a good thing.
Nicki Minaj: this firecracker is a wild card. She’s all kinds of fun and crazy and she brings the youth vote. Most importantly, the girl is very honest and outspoken. She’s surely gonna read a girl if need be.

So, there are your new judges. I’m actually very excited for this panel. It’s fresh and fun and should continue Idol‘s success as the best and foremost singing competition show and the ONLY show to actually and continually produce multiple viable pop stars. (Yes, Phillip Phillips‘ is the latest and his song “Home” is an undeniable smash selling over 1.5 million copies and a hit in four different airplay formats: Pop, Hot AC, AC and AAA)…. So, what do you think of the new judges? Are you excited for the new American Idol? Let me hear it below.

Kelly Clarkson Takes on the Beatles

As ya’ll know, Grammy winning singer Kelly Clarkson is charging along on her Stronger tour (hitting LA in two weeks when I will see her!!!) and each night she is doing a special cover song suggested by her fans. Last night, she took on a big one~ The Beatles’ “Oh Darling”, and the results were predictably fantastic. Check out Kelly’s incredible vocals (and how cute she is when they have to restart it) on this wonderful cover, and head to Kelly’s website for more on her tour. Also, keep a watch out for Kelly on The Voice as Blake Shelton‘s mentor, on her new singing competition show Duets this summer on ABC and returning to American Idol on April 5th to perform a track from her massive smash album Stronger.

Kelly Clarkson “Oh Darling”

It’s a Record week for Adele and Madonna on the Charts

As I mentioned yesterday, the late and already much missed Whitney Houston, made a lot of chart noise yesterday selling over 890,000 downloads of her songs and albums in just the first day and a half since her passing. However, she wasn’t the only artist making big waves on the charts. Following the Grammys, Adele soared yet again grabbing a record tying 20th week on top of the Billboard Album charts with 21. That run ties the aforementioned Houston’s 20 weeks on top of the chart with her Bodyguard soundtrack for the longest span at #1 for an album by a female artist. It’s likely to be a big fight between the two ladies for next week’s top spot. Adele also sees her former # 1 singles “Set Fire to the Rain”, “Someone Like You” and “Rolling in the Deep” get huge gains on the Hot 100….Another artist featured on the Grammys and last week’s Super Bowl was Kelly Clarkson who holds on to the top of the Hot 100 with “Stronger” while her album of the same name sees gains of over 35%… The final artist making noise this week is the Queen herself, Madonna, who breaks her own record of most top ten singles by any artist as her song “Give Me All Your Luvin’” flies up to # 10 following her fantastic Super Bowl halftime show. She now has 38 top ten hits. More on that at the end of the post. In the meantime, check out the new leaders on the albums and singles chart below. And for more, head to Billboard here.

Billboard 200 Albums Top Ten:
1. 21- Adele (last week~ 1, 20 weeks on top)
2. A Different Kind of Truth- Van Halen (debut)
3. Now 41 Compilation- Various Artists (debut)
4. Scars & Stories- The Fray (debut)
5. Kisses on the Bottom- Paul McCartney (debut)
6. Whitney: The Greatest Hits- Whitney Houston (re-entry)
7. Home- Dierks Bentley (debut)
8. 2012 Grammy Nominees- Various Artists (lw~ 4)
9. 19- Adele (lw~ 19)
10- Take Care- Drake (lw~ 6)

Hot 100 Top Ten Singles:
1. “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”- Kelly Clarkson (last week~ 1)
2. “Set Fire to the Rain”- Adele (lw~ 2)
3. We Are Young”- Fun w/Janelle Monae (lw~ 41)
4. “Sexy and I Know It”- LMFAO (lw~ 9)
5. “Good Feeling”- Flo Rida (lw~ 3)
6. “We Found Love”- Rihanna w/ Calvin Harris (lw~ 4)
7. “I Will Always Love You”- Whitney Houston (re-entry… formerly spent 14 weeks at # 1 in 1992/93)
8. “Turn Me On”- David Guetta w/ Nicki Minaj (lw~ 5)
9. “Rack City”- Tyga (lw~ 7)
10. “Give Me All Your Luvin’”- Madonna w/Nicki Minaj & M.I.A. (lw~ 13)

And here’s Madonna’s big 38th top ten hit “Give Me All Your Luvin’”

As I mentioned before, Madonna increases her lead for most Top Ten singles by any artist on the Hot 100 with 38. Her first top ten was “Borderline” in 1984 by the way which hit #10…. Anywho, she holds off The Beatles by 4 top ten hits. Take a look at the artists with the most top ten singles below.

Most Billboard Hot 100 Top Ten Singles~

38, Madonna
34, the Beatles
28, Michael Jackson
28, Stevie Wonder
27, Mariah Carey
27, Janet Jackson
27, Elton John
25, Elvis Presley (whose career predates the chart’s Aug. 4, 1958, inception)
23, Whitney Houston
23, the Rolling Stones

Coldplay, Kelly Clarkson and Rihanna Rule the Charts

In a busy week on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart, Coldplay makes it three in a row with their latest album, Mylo Xyloto. The disc becomes their third consecutive # 1 album debuting with a big 447,000 copies and an easy win over fellow Grammy winner Kelly Clarkson whose Stronger debuts at # 2 with 163,000 copies sold. Clarkson nabs her fifth consecutive top three album. (Interestingly, her lowest charting album was Breakaway, her smash from 2005 that sold over 6.3 million copies in the U.S. but only hit # 3). There were three more debuts in the top ten from Michael Buble, Toby Keith and Tom Waits. For more on the album charts, head to Billboard here and take a look at the new top ten below.

Top Ten Albums on the Billboard 200:
1. Mylo Xyloto- Coldplay (debut)
2. Stronger- Kelly Clarkson (debut)
3. Christmas- Michael Buble (debut)
4. 21- Adlele (last week~ 1)
5. Clancy’s Tavern- Toby Keith (debut)
6. Bad As Me- Tom Waits (debut)
7. Clear As Day- Scotty McCreery (lw~ 3)
8. Own the Night- Lady Antebellum (lw~ 7)
9. Duets II- Tony Bennet (lw~ 5)
10. Come to the Well- Casting Crowns (lw~ 2)

And here’s Coldplay’s latest video “Paradise”. It’s the second consecutive top 15 track from the new album following “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall”.
Coldplay “Paradise”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G4isv_Fylg&ob=av2e

Back on the Hot 100 singles chart, Kelly Clarkson makes more noise as the lead off single from Stronger “Mr. Know It All” zooms up from # 19 to # 10 giving her a 9th top ten on this chart. Watch for it to continue to climb in the weeks ahead. However, she’s got some fierce competition at the top as Rihanna nabs her 11th # 1 with “We Found Love” featuring Calvin Harris. Take a look at the new top ten below.

Top Ten Singles on the Hot 100:
1. “We Found Love”- Rihanna w/Calvin Harris (last week~ 2)
2. “Someone Like You”- Adele (lw~ 1)
3. “Sexy and I Know It”- LMFAO (lw~ 4)
4. “Moves Like Jagger”- Maroon 5 w/Christina Aguilera (lw~3)
5. “Pumped Up Kicks”- Foster the People (lw~ 5)
6. “Stereo Hearts”- Gym Class Heroes w/Adam Levine (lw~ 6)
7. “Without You”- David Guetta w/Usher (lw~ 7)
8. “Party Rock Anthem”- LMFAO (lw~ 10)
9. “You Make Me Feel…”- Cobra Starship w/Sabi (lw~8)
10. “Mr. Know It All”- Kelly Clarkson (lw~ 19)

And speaking of that amazing company Rihanna is in. Let’s look at the artists with the most # 1′s on the Hot 100 Singles Chart in Billboard History.

Most # 1′s on the Hot 100~
1. The Beatles (20 #1′s)
2. Mariah Carey (18)
3. Michael Jackson (13)
4. TIE~ Madonna & The Supremes (12)
5. TIE- Whitney Houston & Rihanna (11)
6. TIE- Janet Jackson & Stevie Wonder (10)

Rihanna, B.o.B. and J. Cole storm the charts

Rapper J.Cole leads six debuts in the top ten of the Billboard 200 Album charts with his debut release, Cole World: the Sideline Story. He’s the first debut artist to land a # 1 album this year. Landing just behind him in the runner-up position were punk pop rockers Blink 182 with their first top ten album in five years, Neighborhoods. Rounding out the newcomers in the upper region of the list are rockers Wilco, Switchfoot, Chickenfoot and Mastodon. Check out the new top ten below.

Top 10 Albums:
1. Cole World: The Sideline Story- J. Cole (debut)
2. Neighborhoods- Blink 182 (debut)
3. 21- Adele (last week~ 3)
4. Duets II- Tony Bennett & Various Artists (lw~ 1)
5. The Whole Love- Wilco (debut)
6. Own the Night- Lady Antebellum (lw~ 2)
7. Tha Carter IV- Lil Wayne (lw~ 5)
8. Vice Verses- Switchfoot (debut)
9. Chickenfoot III- Chickenfoot (debut)
10. The Hunter- Mastadon (debut)

Jumping over to the Hot 100 singles chart, rapper B.o.B. grabs his highest debuting track (and his fourth top ten) with his new single “Strange Clouds” featuring Lil Wayne. That’s one of three new songs in the top ten alongside David Guetta & Usher’s “Without You” and Rihanna‘s landmark 20th top ten “We Found Love” featuring Calvin Harris. Check out the top ten below which sees Adele‘s “Someone Like You” return to the summit for a second non-consecutive week and head to Billboard for more info on all the numbers.

Top Ten Songs on the Hot 100:
1. “Someone Like You”- Adele (last week~ 2)
2. “Moves Like Jagger”- Maroon 5 w/Christina Aguilera (lw~ 1)
3. “Pumped Up Kicks”- Foster the People (lw~ 3)
4. “Stereo Hearts”- Gym Class Heroes w/Adam Levine (lw~ 5)
5. “Party Rock Anthem”- LMFAO (lw~ 4)
6. “Sexy and I Know It”- LMFAO (lw~ 10)
7. “Strange Clouds”- B.o.B. w/ Lil Wayne (debut)
8. “Without You”- David Guetta w/Usher (lw~ 11)
9. “We Found Love”- Rihanna w/Calvin Harris (lw~ 16)
10. “You Make Me Feel…”- Cobra Starship w/Sabi (lw~ 9)

And before we go, let’s look at Rihanna’s twenty top ten hits. It’s also worth it to note that Rihanna has become the artist to reach this milestone the fastest outpacing Madonna by just five months. (They both trail The Beatles though). Congrats RiRi!

Here are all of Rihanna’s 20 Billboard Hot 100 top 10s (ranked by year, peak position and title):

2005, No. 2, “Pon De Replay”
2006, No. 1 (three weeks), “SOS”
2006, No. 6, “Unfaithful”
2007, No. 9, “Break It Off” (Rihanna and Sean Paul)
2007, No. 1 (seven weeks), “Umbrella” (featuring Jay-Z)
2007, No. 7, “Hate That I Love You” (featuring Ne-Yo)
2008, No. 3, “Don’t Stop the Music”
2008, No. 1 (one week), “Take a Bow”
2008, No. 1 (two weeks), “Disturbia”
2008, No. 1 (six weeks), “Live Your Life” (T.I. featuring Rihanna)
2009, No. 2, “Run This Town” (Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kanye West)
2009, No. 9, “Russian Roulette”
2010, No. 8, “Hard” (featuring Jeezy)
2010, No. 1 (five weeks), “Rude Boy”
2010, No. 1 (seven weeks), “Love the Way You Lie” (Eminem featuring Rihanna)
2010, No. 1 (one week), “Only Girl (In the World)”
2010, No. 1 (one week), “What’s My Name?” (featuring Drake)
2011, No. 1 (one week), “S&M” (featuring Britney Spears)
2011, No. 7, “Cheers (Drink to That)”
2011, No. 9 (to-date), “We Found Love” (featuring Calvin Harris)

Rihanna w/Calvin Harris “We Found Love”

George Strait, The Beatles and Kelly Clarkson Storm the Charts

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Foo Fighters and Rihanna make waves on the Charts

Rihanna joins an elite club and the Foo Fighters make a big splash on the pop music charts this week. First on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart, veteran rockers the Foo Fighters grab their first # 1 as their latest, Wasting Light, sells 235,000 copies to debut at the summit. It leads four debuts in the top ten followed by Allison Kraus & Union Station, Paul Simon and Mexican rockers Mana. Just outside the top ten at # 11, newcomer Jessie J debuts with her first release Who You Are. Check out the new top ten below.

Top Ten Albums:
1. Wasting Light- Foo Fighters (debut)
2. 21- Adele (last week~ 1)
3. Paper Airplane- Allison Krauss & Union Station (debut)
4. So Beautiful or So What- Paul Simon (debut)
5. Drama y Luz- Mana (debut)
6. Femme Fatale- Britney Spears (lw~ 2)
7. Songs For Japan- Various Artists (lw~ 7)
8. Rolling Papers- Wiz Khalifia (lw~ 5)
9. F.A.M.E.- Chris Brown (lw~ 6)
10. Sigh No More- Mumford & Sons (lw~8)

Over on the Hot 100 Singles chart, Rihanna’s “S & M” hits the top due to the new “Ri Remix” featuring Britney Spears that spurs sales up over 100%. It’s able to dethrone Katy Perry’s “E.T.” but both songs and Lady Gaga’s new one “Judas” which debuts at # 10 could fight for supremacy next week. I hope Adele’s fast rising “Rolling in the Deep” makes a play for the top as well… Check out the new top ten singles below.

Hot 100 Top Ten
1. “S&M” –Rihanna w/Britney Spears (lw~ 2)
2. “E.T.”- Katy Perry w/Kanye West (lw~ 1)
3. “Just Can’t Get Enough”- Black Eyed Peas (lw~3)
4. “Down on Me”- Jeremiah (lw~ 6)
5. “Fuck You”- Cee Lo Green (lw~ 4)
6. “Rolling in the Deep”- Adele (lw~ 10)
7. “Look at Me Now”- Chris Brown w/Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes (lw~ 7)
8. “On the Floor”- Jennifer Lopez w/Pitbull (lw~ 9)
9. “Til the World Ends”- Britney Speras (lw~8)
10. “Judas”- Lady Gaga (debut)

With her latest # 1 Rihanna now totals 10 chart toppers joining an elite list of artists with the most # 1′s. Take a look at the artists with the most # 1′s below and for all your chart needs head to Billboard here.

Artists with the most # 1 Songs on the Billboard Hot 100:
1. The Beatles (20 #1′s)
2. Mariah Carey (18)
3. Michael Jackson (13)
4. Madonna (12)
4. The Supremes (12)
6. Whitney Houston (11)
7. Janet Jackson (10)
7. Rihanna (10)
7. Stevie Wonder (10)

Susan Boyle, Rihanna, and The Beatles make news on the Charts while an Idol tanks…

The holiday shopping season is upon us and the music biz is finally perking up with 8 new debuts in the top ten of the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. However, it was a holdover that grabbed #1 as Susan Boyle’s seasonal collection, The Gift, stayed on top and actually increased its sales to 335,000 copies in week two. She held off a shockingly strong performance from another TV bred star, ten-year old Jackie Evancho of America’s Got Talent, whose holiday opera debut landed in the runner-up spot besting Rihanna‘s Loud which actually gave the pop star her biggest first week sales to date. Rihanna also has the new # 1 single in the country this week with “Only Girl in the World” which hits the summit just two weeks after her other song “What’s My Name?’ began its run on top.
Back on the album chart, Josh Groban, Kid Rock, The Glee Christmas album, Rascal Flats, Keith Urban and Nelly all made it into the top ten with the only other stalwart being Taylor Swift who hung on at # 9. Watch for strong sales for most of those releases throughout the holiday season particularly Groban and Boyle… It wasn’t good news for the latest American Idol winner, Lee Dewyze, though whose first album Live It Up tanked landing at # 19 with a paltry 39,000 for the lowest first week sales of any Idol winner or runner-up in the show’s history. Perhaps the more deserving singer he beat Crystal Bowersox will have stronger  sales power with her debut in a few weeks. Stay tuned…

Here’s this week’s top Ten albums:
1. Susan Boyle- The Gift (lw~ 1)
2. Jackie Evancho- O Holy Night (debut)
3. Rihanna- Loud (debut)
4. Josh Groban- Illuminations (debut)
5. Kid Rock- Born Free (debut)
6. Rascal Flatts- Nothing Like This (debut)
7. Keith Urban- Get Closer (debut)
8. Glee- The Christmas Album (debut)
9. Taylor Swift- Speak Now (lw~ 2)
10. Nelly- 5.0 (debut)

Back over on the singles chart, the Glee cast made more big news with “Forget You” featuring Gwyneth Paltrow which debuted at # 1 on the digital singles sales chart. That was the second # 1 in a row on the chart for the show which hit the top last week with “Teenage Dream”. The later single debuted at # 8 on the Hot 100 as well, but “Forget You” just misses the top ten debuting at # 11. The original version original version of that song “F*%k You (Forget You)” by Cee -Lo does grab a spot in the top ten though spurred on by the attention from the hit show to zoom up to # 9.

Here’s this week’s top ten songs:
1. “Only Girl in the World”- Rihanna (lw~ 2)
2. “Raise Your Glass”- Pink (lw~ 4)
3. “Like a G6”- Far East Movement (lw~ 1)
4. “We R Who We R”- Ke$ha (lw~ 6)
5. “Just a Dream”- Nelly (lw~ 5)
6. “Firework”- Katy Perry (lw~ 9)
7. “Just the Way You Are”- Bruno Mars (lw~ 3)
8. “What’s My Name?”- Rihanna w/Drake (lw~ 7)
9. “F#%k You (Forget You)”- Cee-Lo (lw~ 19)
10. “Bottoms Up”- Trey Songz (lw~ 10)

With Rihanna’s latest # 1, she now has a total of 9 chart toppers and that means she has more # 1′s than any other artist this decade. Pretty shocking, huh? Here’s a list of Rihanna’s # 1′s below.

Rihanna’s #1 songs (the most in the 2000′s by any artist):
“S.O.S.”
“Umbrella” with Jay Z
“Take A Bow”
“Disturbia”
“Live Your Life” with T.I.
“Rude Boy”
“Love the Way You Lie” with Eminem
“What’s My Name?” with Drake
“Only Girl in the World”

~and is it me or is it also shocking that “Don’t Stop the Music” didnt’ hit the top of the Hot 100? It peaked at # 3.

The lastl big chart news of the week belongs to The Beatles who finally made all their albums and singles available to iTunes. After just one week out, the supergroup sold over 450,000 albums worldwide and over 2 million singles. Looks like good music will always thrive. For more on all your chart needs, head to Billboard here.

And here’s your # 1 song in the country, Rihanna’s “Only Girl in the World”