Backstage Pass

Kelly Clarkson's comeback is complete, as her "All I Ever Wanted" album debuts at No. 1, on sales of 255,000. The album's first single "My Life Would Suck Without You," which also hit No. 1, bounced up four notches to No. 5 on the singles chart.

Clarkson's album outpaced The-Dream's "Love Vs. Money," which debuted at No. 2, on sales of 151,000. U2's "No Line on the Horizon" saw sales drop more than 70 percent in its second week, landing at No. 3 with 132,000 in sales.

J. Holiday's "Round 2" debuted at No. 4 with 55,000 copies, while Taylor Swift's "Fearless" rounded out the Top 5, with sales of 52,000.

Over on the singles charts, the Top 4 remained intact -- Flo Rida gets its fifth week at No. 1 with "Right Round," T.I. and Justin Timberlake's "Dead and Gone" is No. 2, Lady GaGa's "Poker Face" is No. 3 and Soulja Boy's "Kiss Me Through the Phone" is No. 4.

With no major releases this week, Clarkson seems like a lock for a second week at the top for "All I Ever Wanted."

PHOTO: Kelly Clarkson from "My Life Would Suck Without You" video.

The Fray land their first No. 1 album with "The Fray," selling 179,000 copies its first week and knocking Bruce Springsteen's "Working on a Dream" off its perch, proving that his excellent Super Bowl performance didn't send people running to the stores.

Springsteen's sales for the album's second week, which began the day after the Super Bowl, were down 55 percent to 102,000, pushing him down to No. 2. Dierks Bentley's "Feel That Fire" debuted at No. 3, with sales of 71,000, enough to put him ahead of Taylor Swift's "Fearless," which sold another 64,000 copies to come in at No. 4. Bentley also ends Swift's 12-week run at the top of the country charts, though she will likely take it back next week after her Grammy performance.

Beyonce's "I Am... Sasha Fierce" rounds out the Top 5, dropping two notches on sales of 51,000.

Will The Fray, buoyed by the hit "You Found Me," manage to hold on to the top spot during some relatively light release weeks?

PHOTO: The Fray -- Joe King, Ben Wysocki, Isaac Slade and Dave Welsh -- by Richard Drew for Associated Press.

Taylor Swift’s “Fearless” hangs onto the top spot on the albums charts, making her the first artist to notch six weeks at No. 1 since 50 Cent’s “The Massacre” in 2005.

The country teen phenom maintained her hold despite a 20 percent drop in sales to 72,000, an anemic number for a chart-topper. Nickelback’s “Dark Horse” jumped three notches to No. 2 because its sales only dropped 18 percent, moving 53,000 copies. Kanye West’s “808s and Heartbreak” holds at No. 3 on a 29 percent sales drop to 50,486, edging out Beyonce’s “I Am... Sasha Fierce,” which sold 49,365 copies, down 36 percent. The soundtrack to “Twilight” rounds out the Top 5 with sales of 43 percent.

Over on the singles charts, Lady GaGa’s “Just Dance” is No. 1 for a second week, holding off Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” for another week. West’s “Heartless” climbs two notches to No. 3, pushing past No. 4 T.I. and Rihanna’s “Live Your Life” and Swift’s “Love Story,” which each drop a notch.

Swift’s “Fearless” will likely get pushed aside as the “Notorious” soundtrack arrived on Tuesday, but how soon til she returns?

PHOTO: Taylor Swift by the Associated Press.

Britney Spears' comeback album "Circus" easily tops the charts on sales of 505,000 copies last week, making it her fifth No. 1 album debut.

The only other Top 10 debut was Akon's "Freedom," which sold 111,000 copies to land at No. 7.

Taylor Swift's "Fearless" holds at No. 2, adding another 193,000 in sales to her already-platinum totals, while Beyonce's "I Am... Sasha Fierce" climbs to No. 3 on sales of 153,000. Last week's No. 1, Kanye West's "808s & Heartbreak," slides to No. 4, as sales slide 69% to 142,000 in its second week. Nickelback's "Dark Horse" climbs two notches to No. 5 on salaes of 133,000.

And what happened to Guns 'N Roses' "Chinese Democracy" after its lackluster reviews and underperforming sales last week? It slides from No. 3 to No. 18, losing 78 percent of its sales, moving only 57,000 copies last week. So much for good word-of-mouth helping Axl out.

The sales battle between Kanye West's excellent "808s & Heartbreak" and 14-years-in-the-making "Chinese Democracy" from Guns N' Roses wasn't even close.

Though 'Ye's fourth album didn't open nearly as strong as last year's "Graduation," which sold close to a milli in its first week, but the dark, emotional effort isn't that kind of record. But it still managed to sell 450,000 copies last week, far outpacing Axl Rose's long-awaited album, which sold 261,000 copies at Best Buys and online. The much-hyped "Chinese Democracy" couldn't even outpace 18-year-old Taylor Swift's "Fearless," which sold 267,000 copies in its third week. (Yes, Swift was only a toddler when the most-recent Guns' studio album was released in 1991.)

In fact, Rose was nearly passed by Beyonce's "I Am... Sasha Fierce," last week's No. 1, which sold 257,000 copies in its second week. Ludacris' "Theater of the Mind" debuted at No. 5, on sales of 213,000, while The Killers' "Day & Age" came in at No. 6, with 193,000 in sales.

Rounding out the Top 10: Nickelback's "Dark Horse" (falling from No. 2 to No. 7), the "Twilight" soundtrack (slipping from No. 6 to No. 8), the "Now 29" compilation (slipping from No. 7 to No. 9) and David Cook's eponymous debut (dropping from No. 3 to No. 10).

PHOTO: Kanye West for Roc-A-Fella Records

 The soundtrack to the vampire movie “Twilight,” featuring new songs from Paramore and tracks from Linkin Park and Muse, arrives at No. 1 on sales of 165,000.
    It knocks AC/DC’s “Black Ice” album, with sales of 160,000, to No. 2, while the soundtrack to “High School Musical 3" holds at No. 3. Hinder debuts at No. 4, on sales of 81,000, while Pink’s “Funhouse” slides from No. 2 to No. 5.
    Over on the singles charts, T.I. remains king, with “Live Your Life” at No. 1 and “Whatever You Like” at No. 2. Katy Perry’s “Hot N Cold” climbs a notch to No. 3, staying ahead of Kanye West’s “Heartless,” which debuts at No. 4. Beyonce’s “If I Were a Boy” holds at No. 5.
    “Twilight”’s tenure at the top will likely be short, as Taylor Swift, David Archuleta and T-Pain battle for No. 1.

PHOTO: T.I. from Grand Hustle/Atlantic Records 

It's been a great week for T.I.

Not only did his album "Paper Trail" debut become his third straight No. 1 album, on sales of 568,000 copies, but he replaced himself at the top of the singles chart. His single "Live Your Life," leaped from 80 to No. 1, knocking his own "Whatever You Like" down to No. 2.

His successes led a big week for debuts on both charts. The top 4 spots on the albums charts were all new entries, with Jennifer Hudson's eponymous debut arriving at No. 2 on sales of 217,000, Robin Thicke's new "Something Else" album starting at No. 3 on sales of 137,000 and James Taylor's new "Covers" album at No. 4 on sales of 95,000. Metallica slid down to No. 5, ending its three-week reign at No. 1.

Long Island rockers Bayside made its highest chart debut ever with its "Shudder" album, its 11,240 sales landing it at No. 52. The album also landed them at No. 7 on Soundscan's Alternative album charts.

On the singles charts, Pink slipped a notch to No. 3 with "So What," Rihanna held at No. 4 with "Disturbia" and newcomer Kevin Rudolf jumps to No. 5 with his single "Let It Rock," with help from Lil Wayne.

PHOTO: T.I. from Grand Hustle/Atlantic Records

Metallica's "Death Magnetic" scores a third week at No. 1, on sales of 132,000 copies, becoming only the year's second album -- Jack Johnson's "Sleep Through the Static" was the first -- to land three weeks at the top.

Jonas Brothers pal Demi Lovato's debut "Don't Forget," came in at No. 2, selling 89,000 copies, edging past Ne-Yo's "Year of the Gentleman," which slides to No. 3 on sales of 83,000. The Pussycat Dolls' "Doll Domination" debuts at No. 4, slightly ahead of the Kings of Leon's "Only by the Night" at No. 5.

The singles chart is even more static with T.I.'s "Whatever You Like" landing a fifth week at No. 1. The rest of the Top 4 remains the same as last week -- Pink's "So What" at No. 2, Kanye West's "Love Lockdown" at No. 3, and Rihanna's "Disturbia" at No. 4. M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" rebounds up a notch to No. 5.

PHOTO: Metallica for Warner Bros.

"So What," Pink's kiss-off to her ex-husband, becomes her first No. 1 single this week, pushing last week's chart-topper T.I.'s "Whatever You Like" to No. 2.

Of course, T.I. can't be too upset since he also debuts at No. 5, as part of Jay-Z's new single "Swagga Like Us," from the upcoming "Blueprint 3" album. His recent duet partner Rihanna holds at No. 3 with "Disturbia," while M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" climbs another notch.

Over on the albums charts, Metallica needed only three days to sell 490,000 copies of its "Death Magnetic" album, opting to release it on a Friday so it could be released internationally on the same day. "Death Magnetic" becomes the band's fifth No. 1 album in a row and makes it the only group to ever have five No. 1 albums.

Last week's No. 1 Young Jeezy's "The Recession" slips a notch to No. 2, while Kid Rock climbs a notch to No. 3 with "Rock N Roll Jesus." Jessica Simpson's first country album "Do You Know" debuts at No. 4 and Slipknot's "All Hope Is Gone" holds at No. 5.

PHOTO: Pink for LaFace Records

Slipknot's combination of new masks and new music were enough to narrowly beat The Game in this week's race to the top, as the masked rockers sold 239,516 copies of "All Hope Is Gone" to land their first No. 1. The Game missed the top spot by only 1,134 copies, selling 238,382 copies of "L.A.X."

Kid Rock's "Rock N Roll Jesus" slides down one spot to No. 3, though his success has convinced his label execs to try his no iTunes strategy with newcomer Estelle. The Jonas Brothers slide to No. 4, after two weeks at No. 1 with "A Little Bit Longer," while the "Mamma Mia!" soundtrack drops one to No. 5.

Over on the singles charts, T.I. holds at No. 1 with "Whatever You Like" and Rihanna's "Disturbia" holds at No. 2. Pink's "So What" climbs to No. 3 in its second week, pushing Chris Brown's "Forever" down a notch to No. 4. M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" climbs a notch to its previous peak of No. 5.

PHOTO: Slipknot by Roadrunner Records

The Jonas Brothers land their first No. 1 album this week, selling 525,000 copies of "A Little Bit Longer" making it the third-highest debut of the year behind Lil Wayne and Coldplay. All the publicity from their rollout pushed their previous eponymous album back into the Top 10, meaning they now have three albums in the Top 10, as their soundtrack from "Camp Rock" holds at No. 8.

"Longer" pushes the soundtrack to "Mamma Mia!" down to No. 2, while Kid Rock's "Rock and Roll Jesus" moves to No. 3. Miley Cyrus' "Breakout" drops to No. 4 and Sugarland's "Love on the Inside" slips to No. 5.

On the singles charts, Rihanna holds on to No. 1 with "Disturbia," though she faces a tough challenge from David Archuleta, whose debut single "Crush" debuts all the way up at No. 2. Chris Brown's "Forever" slides down a notch to No. 3, as does Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" at No. 4. Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" rebounds to No. 5.

Look for the Jonases to hold on to the top spot next week. Whether they make it three in a row will depend on how strong Levittown's Donnie Klang and the reunited New Kids on the Block campaigns will be.

PHOTO: Joe, Nick and Kevin Jonas at "Jonas" Beach. Photo by Ari Mintz for Newsday.

Rihanna's "Disturbia" finally boots Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" from the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts to No. 3 after seven long weeks.

Now, it's no secret that we've been rooting for Perry's removal for weeks, but it's kind of a surprise that it's Rihanna and not Chris Brown's "Forever" (which holds at No. 2) pushing her out. Did the outing of Brown's hit as an undercover reworking of Wrigley's Doublemint commercial hurt its popularity? Did the exposure "Disturbia" gets throughout the new Circuit City ad campaign (which seems to run on NBC whenever Michael Phelps wins a gold medal) give Rihanna, whose "Take a Bow" is still at No. 4, the added boost? Either way, it's becoming clear that outside forces -- and not radio or traditional promotion -- is what is launching many of the biggest hits. Look at M.I.A.'s massive leap to No. 5 this week for "Paper Planes" thanks to its use in the "Pineapple Express" movie.

Does this explain the success of Perry's "I Kissed a Girl"? No, but that song is inexplicable.

Over on the album charts, the soundtrack to "Mamma Mia!" climbs to No. 1 on sales of 130,000 copies, passing Miley Cyrus' "Breakout," which holds at No. 2 and Sugarland's "Love on the Inside," which slips to No. 3. Kid Rock's "Rock and Roll Jesus" holds at No. 4 and Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter III" sticks at No. 5.

They will all be demolished by The Jonas Brothers, whose "A Little Bit Longer" is on pace to sell 700,000 copies this week according to Billboard estimates. Given the slow release schedule for the next few weeks, Team Jonas should have an easy time at the top until at least Sept. 2, when they will battle the New Kids on the Block (no, really) and Levittown's own Donnie Klang, who will go for the hat trick of No. 1 debuts this year from MTV's "Making the Band 4" acts.

PHOTO: Rihanna from Def Jam Records.

Billboard's Hot 100 chart turned 50 this week and what more appropriate way for it to celebrate than with more charts. The first of a series of charts leading to a special edition next month is online today, chronicling the artists who have had the most No. 1's on the chart in the past five decades.

The surprises aren't No. 1 The Beatles, with 20, or No. 2 Mariah Carey, with 18, but farther down the line. The Bee Gees come in at No. 9, with nine chart-toppers, ahead of The Rolling Stones with eight. And The Stones are tied at No. 12 with Usher, who apparently rehired his mother as his manager yesterday, firing manager Benny Medina and his publicists because of the disappointing showing of his album "Here I Stand." (Yeah, it couldn't be because the album wasn't, you know, um, good.)

And speaking of not good, Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" remains at the top of this week's Hot 100, for the seventh week. Watch out, Beatles.

Hip-hop isn't dead.

Nas' controversial "Untitled" CD takes over the top spot from Lil Wayne this week, selling 187,000 copies. Wayne's "Tha Carter III" returns to No. 2 on sales of 109,000.

The soundtrack to "Mamma Mia!" climbs to No. 3, after its massive opening in theaters last week, while Coldplay's "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends" slips from No. 2 to No. 4.

The soundtrack to "Camp Rock" featuring the Jonas Brothers slides from No. 3 to No. 5. Of course, they're just keeping the top of the charts warm for their pal Miley Cyrus, whose "Breakout" album will soon join them.

Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter III" hangs on to No. 1 for a third week, adding 125,000 to his sales total. Coldplay's "Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends" remains at No. 2 on 113,000 sales, while the Jonas Brothers-filled soundtrack to "Camp Rock" stays at No. 3 with 88,000 in sales.

Beck's "Modern Guilt" is the top new entry at No. 4 on 84,000 sales. The big story, though, is Kid Rock's "Rock N Roll Jesus" which climbs two notches to No. 5 on 61,000 sales, on the strength of his hit "All Summer Long."

Over on the singles chart, Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" remains on top for a fourth frightening week, while Rihanna's "Take a Bow" and Lil Wayne's "Lollipop" also hold at No. 2 and No. 3. But maybe Chris Brown will save us all. His great single "Forever" jumps two notches to No. 4, pushing Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love" to No. 5. If he has another massive sales week, Brown could challenge Perry next week.

Nas' great new album "Untitled" could dethrone Lil Wayne next week, but they're on borrowed time anyway since Miley Cyrus' "Breakout" is out Tuesday.

PHOTO: Lil Wayne for Cash Money Records

     Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends” hangs tough at No. 1 for a second week, as the entire Top 3 held off new releases from Motley Crue and Three 6 Mafia.
    “Viva La Vida” managed another 249,000 sales last week, enough to stay ahead of Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter III,” which rings up another 209,000 in sales to stay at No. 2, and the Jonas Brothers-fueled “Camp Rock” soundtrack, which sold another 169,000 to stand at No. 3.
    The Crue opened at No. 4, with 99,000 sales of “Saints of Los Angeles.” And everyone’s favorite Oscar-winning rappers Three 6 Mafia debuted at No. 5 on 77,000 sales of “Last 2 Walk.”
    On the singles chart, Katy Perry hangs on to the top spot, as the Top 4 – Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl,” No. 2 Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop,” No. 3 Leona Lewis’ “Bleeding Love” and No. 4 Rihanna’s “Take a Bow” – remains static. But they should all watch out, as the Jonas Brothers’ new single “Burnin’ Up” (not the Madonna song) debuts at No. 5.

PHOTO: Coldplay -- Will Champion, Guy Berryman, Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland -- by Stephan Craneanscki for Capitol Records.

For this week at least, Coldplay can drop the "used to" from their new single. Their "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends" album does rule the world.

The album will top the charts next week on sales of 721,000, making it the year's second-biggest debut behind Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter III," which sold more than a million copies its first week and another 308,000 last week to land at No. 2. Coldplay will also be No. 1 in England, Japan, Australia, Canada, France and Germany.

The Jonas Brothers-filled soundtrack to "Camp Rock" debuted at No. 3, on sales of 188,000, and the "Now 28" compilation slips a notch to No. 4. With a 68 percent sales drop, Plies' "Definition of Real" slides from No. 2 to No. 5 in its second week.

With no massive releases set for this week, Coldplay should hang on for a second week at No. 1, but will it have enough staying power to outlast 50 Cent's G-Unit release on July 1 to make it three weeks at the top?

PHOTO: Chris Martin at Madison Square Garden on Monday by Ari Mintz for Newsday.

Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" knocks off Lil Wayne's "Lollipop" to land the band its first No. 1 single in America, on sales of 246,000. The scarier prospect, though, is the rise of Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl," which jumps two slots to No. 2 leapfrogging "Lollipop" at No. 3. Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love" slips to No. 4 and Rihanna's "Take a Bow" holds at No. 5.

PHOTO: Coldplay -- Will Champion, Guy Berryman, Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland -- by Stephan Craneanscki for Capitol Records.
 

Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter III” sold more than 1 million copies last week, becoming the first album to cross that one-week sales threshold since 50 Cent’s “The Massacre” in 2005.
    Buoyed by the No. 1 single “Lollipop” and strong reviews, “Tha Carter III” sold more than the rest of the Top 10 albums combined and quadrupled Lil Wayne’s previous best showing the 238,000-sales week of “Tha Carter II” in 2005.
    Unlike the massive roll-out of Mariah Carey’s “E=MC2  earlier this year, Wayne’s “Tha Carter III” landed the biggest blockbuster opening with a minimum of hype, relying instead on airplay and support from his collaborators, including Kanye West, who blogged about the album, and Jay-Z, who leaked his version of Wayne’s “A Milli” last week.
    Rapper Plies debuted at No. 2, with his “Definition for Real” album, while the “Now 28  compilation slipped to No. 3. Last week's No. 1 Disturbed's "Indestructible" slid to No. 4 and Usher's "Here I Stand" dropped to No. 5.

PHOTO: Lil Wayne for Cash Money Records

Lil Wayne's "Lollipop" enjoys a fifth week at the top of the singles charts and should be a shoo-in for a sixth considering the massive sales week his new "Tha Carter III" album is currently having.

Wayne is set to take over the top spot on the albums chart next week, but the crown is currently held by rage-rockers Disturbed, who sold 252,000 copies of its "Indestructible" album. The 28th volume of "Now That's What I Call Music" comes in at No. 2 with 185,000 copies sold. Weezer debuts at No. 4 with 126,000 copies of "The Red Album" and "Revelation," the latest from Journey, with new lead singer Arnel Pineda, comes in at No. 5 with 105,000 copies sold only at Wal-Mart. Last week's No. 1, Usher's "Here I Stand" slipped to No. 3, after a sales drop of 67 percent to 145,000.

Ashanti's "The Declaration" landed at No. 6, with sales of 86,000, after a big push late last week.

On the singles chart, Coldplay, who are hoping to dethrone Lil Wayne on the albums charts in two weeks when their "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends" arrives in U.S. stores, climbs to No. 2 with "Viva La Vida," trading places with Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love," now at No. 3. Katy Perry's  "I Kissed a Girl" climbs to No. 4 swapping places with Rihanna's "Take a Bow," which slips to No. 5.

PHOTO: Lil Wayne for Cash Money Records 

Good News: Usher lands the second-biggest opening of the year for his album "Here I Stand," which sold 433,000 copies last week.

Bad News: That number is less than half of the 1.1 million-copy opening of "Confessions" in 2004.  Sure, the music business has declined, but part of that drop-off has to be related to the overall blandness of the album, no?

The soundtrack to that little indie film "Sex and the City" comes in at No. 2, moving 66,000 copies. (Um, the fact that 66,000 copies lands you at No. 2 falls under bad news too, I'm thinking.) But the poor sales market did help the great Al Green get his highest debut ever, as "Lay It Down" opened at No. 9 on sales of 34,000. Good news!

Rounding out the Top 5: Last week's No. 1 3 Doors Down's eponymous album is at No. 3, Bun B's "Il Trill" slides from No. 2 to No. 4, and Leona Lewis keeps getting, keeps-keeps getting love, as "Spirit" climbs back into the Top 5.

On Billboard's singles charts, Lil Wayne lands his fourth week at No. 1 with "Lollipop," which seems to be a sure thing for a fifth week, since sales of "Tha Carter III" next week will likely help it out. However, Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love" hold on No. 2 seems shaky, as Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" zooms from 10-3, becoming the band's biggest single ever. (Who says those iPod commercials are losing their power?) Rihanna's "Take a Bow" holds at No. 4, while Katy Perry's ridiculous single "I Kissed a Girl" leaps from 21-5. Bad news! Please, America, don't pick that as the summer single. It makes "Who Let the Dogs Out?" sound deep.

PHOTO: Usher for LaFace Records

Madonna lands her seventh No. 1 album this week, as "Hard Candy" (Warner Bros.) debuts with sales of 280,000 copies. Among all female performers, only Barbra Streisand has more chart-topping albums now, with eight.

"Hard Candy" pushes Mariah Carey's "E=MC2" down to No. 2, with sales of 95,000, and Leona Lewis' "Spirit" to No. 3, with sales of 84,000, making it all about girl power this week.

Lyfe Jennings' "Lyfe Change" debuts at No. 4 and Def Leppard's "Songs from the Sparkle Lounge" debuts at No. 5.

PHOTO: Madonna by Steven Klein for Warner Bros. 

Mariah Carey's "E=MC2" hangs on to the No. 1 spot for a second week, selling another 162,000 copies last week. Even with the 60 percent drop, her sales were enough to keep her ahead of Leona Lewis, whose "Spirit" is hanging tough at No. 2 and even showed a modest uptick in sales. Those sales probably won't be enough, though, to keep Mariah ahead of Madonna next week, when sales of her "Hard Candy" album, released yesterday, are tallied.

HBO stars Flight of the Conchords wing all the way up to No. 3 with their eponymous debut, which sold 52,000 copies. Ashlee Simpson's "Bittersweet World" debuted at No. 4, her first album not to hit No. 1, while Atmosphere's "When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That --- Gold" rounded out the Top 5.

Mariah Carey had her biggest opening week ever with "E=MC2" last week, selling 463,000 copies to become the year's biggest one-week seller.

With the weakness of this week's new releases, Carey will likely hold on to the top slot, but will she be able to stay ahead of Madonna's "Hard Candy" album, which drops next week? Carey seems ready to give it a try, appearing on "Good Morning America" on Friday with a Times Square concert. 

"Mariah's an inspiration, the true definition of a star," said Antonio ‘L.A.’ Reid, Island Def Jam Music Group's chairman. "She continues to amaze us with every incredible new album she creates. Now Mariah has added another plateau of success to what has become her virtually unapproachable track record on charts around the world. She proves beyond a doubt that with talent, ambition, and sheer force of will, all things are possible."

Last week's No. 1, Leona Lewis' "Spirit" slips to No. 2 and Miley Cyrus' "Best of Both Worlds" zooms to No. 3 on the strength of her hosting duties at the CMT awards and her "Idol Gives Back" appearance. Country group Lady Antebellum debuts at No. 4 and the "Now 27" compilations rounds out the Top 5.

    With her new single “Touch My Body” hitting No. 1 this week, Greenlawn native Mariah Carey now has 18 chart-toppers, the second-most in pop music history, trailing only The Beatles with 20.
    However, as she gears up for the release of her new “E=MC2  album on April 15, Carey hesitates to think of herself in such elite company.
    “I really can never put myself in the category of people who have not only revolutionized music but also changed the world,” Carey told The Associated Press. “That’s a completely different era and time ... I’m just feeling really happy and grateful.”
    “Touch My Body,” which reaches No. 1 on a record-setting one-week total of 286,000 digital sales, extends Carey’s run of chart-topping span to 17 years, longer than both The Beatles and Elvis Presley. Presley’s No. 1s ran from “Heartbreak Hotel” in 1956 to “Suspicious Minds” in 1969, while The Beatles’ streak came between 1964 and 1970.
    Presley also gets passed on the list of artists with the most Top 10 singles, as Madonna’s new single “4 Minutes” becomes her 37th Top 10 single, rocketing from No. 68 to No. 3 this week.

PHOTO: Island Def Jam 

Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love" (J) jumps into the No. 1 spot this week, pushing Usher's "Love in This Club"
 to No. 2, after her American television debut on "Oprah" boosted digital sales of her single 82 percent.

Lewis -- who won on "X Factor," the British equivalent of "American Idol" -- has already topped the charts at home and is set to drop her debut album "Spirit" in America on April 8.

Her seven-place surge to the top spot likely ended the No. 1 chances for Chris Brown's seemingly unstoppable "With You," which slides 2-4, passed by Ray J and Yung Berg's "Sexy Can I," climbing 7-3. Sara Bareilles' "Love Song" rounds out the Top 5.

Madonna's single "4 Minutes" debuted at No. 68, but should bust into the Top 10 next week now that it's available for purchase. 

PHOTO: Leona Lewis for J Records. 

Consider this band officially made.

Diddy's "Making the Band" protogees Danity Kane prove their No. 1 debut was no fluke returning to the top spot with "Welcome to the Dollhouse" (Bad Boy/Atlantic) this week on sales of 236,000.

The ladies kept the "Now 26" compilation at No. 2 for a second week, while last week's No. 1, Rick Ross' "Trilla," slipped to No. 3. Newcomer Flo Rida rode in at No. 4 with "Mail on Sunday," which sold 86,000 copies on the strength of the smash singles "Low" and "Elevator." Jack Johnson's "Sleep Through the Static" rounds out the Top 5.

Gnarls Barkley's new album "The Odd Couple" managed only No. 18 on sales of 31,000, after its release date moved up three weeks with little notice.

PHOTO: Danity Kane for Bad Boy Records/Atlantic. 

The reissue of Michael Jackson's "Thriller," celebrating the album's 25th anniversary with reworked versions by Kanye West, Akon, will.i.am, and Fergie, sold 166,000 copies last week, enough to come in at No. 2 on Billboard's album chart behind last week's winner Jack Johnson's "Sleep Through the Static," which sold 180,000 copies.

However, because "Thriller" is considered a catalog release it is not eligible for Billboard's Top 200 albums chart. Instead, it moves to the top of the magazine's Pop Catalog Albums chart.

Boosted by her Grammy performance and five awards, Amy Winehouse moves into the No. 2 spot for the first time with her album "Back to Black," which sold 115,000 copies last week. Alicia Keys holds tight to the No. 3 spot with "As I Am" selling 109,000 copies.

Herbie Hancock enjoyed the biggest Grammy bump as "River: The Joni Letters," which won album of the year, shot into the Top 5, selling 54,000 copies.

Alicia Keys' "As I Am" album returns to No. 1 this week on sales of 61,000, pushing the "Juno" soundtrack to No. 2. This is the fourth non-consecutive week atop the charts for Keys, who should get another sales bump next from her stellar appearance before the Super Bowl, as well as from Sunday night's Grammys.

Rockers The Mars Volta debuted at No. 3 and Bullet for My Valentine entered at No. 4, while the Grammy nominees compilation began its chart run at No. 5 on sales of 50,000. The Hanna Montana remix album debuted at No. 7, while buzz band Vampire Weekend debut at No. 17 on sales of 28,000.

PHOTO: Alicia Keys for J Records.

In what should be seen as a frighteningly slow week, Alicia Keys returns to the  top of the Billboard album charts with "As I Am" (J) though sales dropped 38 percent to 70,000 copies.  Keys edged out Radiohead's "In Rainbows" (TBD/ATO), which sold 69,000 copies last week and the soundtrack to "Juno" (Rhino), which sold 68,000, and Mary J. Blige's "Growing Pains" (Geffen) with 64,000. Taylor Swift rounds out the Top 5, as her eponymous Big Machine album moved 35,000 copies.

 PHOTO: Alicia Keys for J Records.

Radiohead's "In Rainbows" (TBD/ATO) will debut at No. 1 next week on sales of 122,000, even though thousands of fans downloaded the album months ago during the band's pay-what-you-want download experiment.

Alicia Keys' "As I Am" (J) holds at No. 2, while last week's No. 1 "Growing Pains" (Geffen) from Mary J. Blige slips to No. 3.

In other Radiohead news, the band has confirmed the American cities it will play on its upcoming tour, but in true Radiohead form, it has done it in alphabetical order, without giving away the tour routing or the venue size. The tour will be in two legs, one before and one after the band's already confirmed British run in the summer.

PHOTO: Radiohead by Jonny Greenwood. 

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After being held out of the No. 1 position by Josh Groban's holiday juggernaut "Noel" last week despite selling 629,000 copies, Mary J. Blige's "Growing Pains" (Geffen) moved to the top spot in the post-Christmas week, selling another 204,000 copies.

Alicia Keys returned to No. 2 with her "As I Am" (J) album, while Groban, now 2007's biggest seller, slips to No. 3. The "Now 26" compilation climbs to No. 4 and Chris Brown's "Exclusive" hits No. 5.

Sorry Britney Spears, that No. 1 crown isn’t yours after all.
    Though Spears seemed all set to claim her fifth No. 1 album yesterday, as her “Blackout” album sold 290,000 copies last week, a last-minute rules change by Billboard magazine now gives the title to The Eagles and their double album “Long Road Out of Eden.”
    Until this week’s charts, albums that were only available at a single retailer (The Eagles album is only sold through Wal-Mart) were ineligible for Billboard’s top album charts. However, The Eagles sold 711,000 copies of “Long Road Out of Eden” last week – the second-best opening sales week of the year behind Kanye West’s 960,000 sales of “Graduation” in September – and Billboard believed it was necessary to make the change.
    “We know that some retailers will be uncomfortable with this policy, but it was inevitable that Billboard’s charts would ultimately widen the parameters to reflect changes that are unfolding in music distribution,” Geoff Mayfield, Billboard’s director of charts, said on the trade magazine’s website. “We would have preferred to make this decision earlier, but only became aware within the last 24 hours that Wal-Mart would be willing to share the data for this title with Nielsen SoundScan.”
    The Eagles album will also top the magazine’s country charts, pushing past Carrie Underwood’s “Carnival Ride” album. The rule change will likely result in a handful of other albums making their first chart appearances this week.

PHOTO: Eaglesband.com 

“Dreamgirls” becomes the first soundtrack since “O Brother Where Art Thou” in 2002 to top the charts, but it does with a mere 66,000 in sales, the lowest total for a No. 1 since the Soundscan era started in 1991.

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Newsday's Top Albums and Singles (compiled by Billboard) on the jump

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Though Jay-Z’s hefty 79% fall off from his opening week sales has some worried, H.O.V.A. still has the area locked down, as “Kingdom Come” holds down a second week atop the Newsday charts. The Beatles hang tough too, along with Tony Bennett. They all beat the national No. 1 Incubus’ “Light Grenades,” which sold 165,000 copies in its opening week.

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Jay-Z's comeback album "Kingdom Come" (Roc-A-Fella) crushes all competitors, selling a massive 680,000 copies last week -- which was still a bit lower than anticipated, meaning country group Rascal Flatts will likely end the year with the one-week sales crown. Area sales for The Beatles' "Love" (Capitol) and U2's greatest hits were higher than the rest of the country, while sales of Daughtry's debut were a bit lower. And Tony Bennett's "Duets" album continues to be a strong seller in the area, rolling in at No. 5 thanks to interest from his NBC special.

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The Game took No. 1, as his “Doctor’s Advocate” (Geffen) sold 358,000 copies last week, beating out Akon’s “Konvicted” (SRC/Konvict), even with two singles in the Top 10. Fat Joe held down New York better than the rest of the country, as his “Me, Myself & I” (EMI) album came in at a strong No. 4, beating his national tally by 10 spots.

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Josh Groban tops the Newsday charts with his new album “Awake” (143/Reprise), beating out Jim Jones’ “Hustler’s P.O.M.E.” (Diplomats) and the “Now 23” compilation, which was the top-seller across the country with sales of 337,000.

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Barry Manilow's collection "The Greatest Songs of the '60s" (Arista) tops the Newsday charts, while the "Hanna Montana" soundtrack continues to dominate the national charts, selling 203,000 copies. Other veteran acts -- The Who, Meat Loaf and the surprisingly steady Tony Bennett -- did far better in the area last week than in the rest of the country.

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“Hanna Montana” mania may not be as frenzied on Long Island as it is in the rest of the country, as My Chemical Romance tops the Newsday chart with its concept album “The Black Parade” and John Legend’s “Once Again” comes in at No. 2. Nationally, the “Hanna Montana” soundtrack was No. 1, selling 281,0000 copies, beating My Chem (240,000) and Legend (231,000).

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Diddy lands his first No. 1 album since 1997 with “Press Play,” which sold 170,000 copies last week, finishing ahead of Evanescence (112,000) and a strong debut from JoJo (108,000).

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Queens represents for Jamaica’s Lloyd Banks, who tops the Newsday charts, while finishing at No. 3 (143,000 copies sold) nationally, behind Rod Stewart (184,000) and Evanescence (164,000).

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Two big sophomore efforts top the week's sales, as Evanescence sold 445,000 copies of "The Open Door" (Wind-Up) in its first week, beating out The Killers' "Sam's Town," which sold 315,000 copies.

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