In chart action, Sony Music Group's Now 23 has pulled ahead of Capitol Nashville’s Keith Urban and 143/Reprise's Josh Groban, with a sales total in the 320-330k range, while Urban and Groban are now looking at between 260-270k. Other notable Top 10 newcomers will include Luke Lewis’ Mercury Nashville country duo Sugarland at 180-200k and Koch rapper Jim Jones with a total north of 115-120k.
Sacha Baron Cohen’s remarkable Borat story continues apace. With almost double the theatres, the R-rated comedy dominated the box office weekend by raking in an estimated $29 million, a 10% increase over last week’s $26.4 million debut for a 10-day total of $67.8 million, justifying 20th Century Fox’s strategy of opening the movie in less than 1,000 theatres. The film should surpass the $100 million mark by Thanksgiving and could finish with a total of $140-150 million. Disney’s Santa Clause 3 held onto the #2 spot, with an estimated $16.9 million, followed by Paramount/DreamWorks Animation’s Flushed Away, which was #3 with $16.7 million. The top debut was Sony’s Will Ferrell comedy Stranger Than Fiction, which bowed with $14.1 million, his weakest opening as a leading man since 1998’s SNL spinoff A Night at the Roxbury.
Next week’s album chart sets up a battle between Geffen’s The Game, his first album after a very publicized split with producer Dr. Dre and nemesis 50 Cent, and Steve Rifkind’s SRC/Universal Motown rapper Akon, who has two smash hit duets with Eminem and Snoop Dogg. Both are in reach of the 300-350k mark. For the L.A. Times’ take on The Game’s comeback and follow-up to his five-million-selling The Documentary, click here. And while the L.A. Times’ Oliver Wang was tepid in his review here, the N.Y. Times’ Kelefa Sanneh called it one of the year’s best here.
Elton John is at it again, announcing that organized religion should be banned because it “promotes homophobia” and turns some people into "hateful lemmings." “I would ban religion completely, even though there are some wonderful things about it," the British singer said in an interview with the Observer newspaper on Sunday. "Religion has always tried to turn hatred toward gay people. It is not really compassionate." The singer, who tied the knot with long-term partner David Furnish in a civil ceremony last year, said he admired the teachings of Jesus Christ, but disliked religious bodies. “The reality is that organized religion doesn't seem to work," he added.
Prince launched his new Las Vegas residency at the Rio hotel-casino this past weekend with a two-hour set, peppering it with references to Scripture and spirituality at his in-house nightclub, called the 3121 after his most recent album. The same name adorns the Asian-themed restaurant being run next door by his personal chef. Prince plans to perform Friday and Saturday nights for the high roller crowd, with the 900 tickets going for $125 apiece. In keeping with the stripped-down style of his recent concert tours, Prince performed with only a bass player, a keyboardist and a drummer, as well as his latest female proteges, The Twinz, strutting and accompanying him on several songs.
Fall Out Boy continues its love of strange song titles. “It Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race” will be the first single off the upcoming album from the
MUSIC ON TV TONIGHT: George Jones on Letterman (CBS, 11:35 p.m.); Vince Gill on Leno (NBC, 11:35 p.m.); Barry Manilow on Craig Ferguson (CBS, 12:35 a.m.) and Los Lobos on Conan O’Brien (NBC, 12:35 a.m.)
ON THIS
In 1963: Paul McCartney caught the flu. Hour-by-hour progress reports on his condition appeared in the British press.
In 1964: The first official biography of The Rolling Stones, Our Own Story, was published in
In 1966: John Lennon and George Harrison attended a London party held by Brian Epstein in honor of The Four Tops, which attracted a guest list including Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Georgie Fame, Donovan and Eric Burdon.
In 1968: Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones bought Cotchford Farms, the English estate where A. A. Milne wrote Winnie the Pooh.
In 1968: The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine film was released nationwide.
In 1969: Having bought the
In 1972: Tickets for Led Zeppelin’s fifth tour of the
In 1973: Jerry Lee Lewis’ 19-year-old son, Jerry Lee Jr., died in a car accident outside Hernando, MS. He was a drummer in his father’s band.
In 1974: After crashing a borrowed Porsche in
In 1980: English glam star Gary Glitter began the first of many
In 1985: An exhibition opened at
In 1992: Elton John performed his first-ever gig in
In 1995: Ralph Blane, the lyricist who co-wrote “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and other songs from the
In 2000: Elton John released his live album One Night Only, which was recorded at
In 2002: Michael Jackson testified in his defense at the Santa Barbara County Superior Court, where he was being sued by a concert promoter for canceling two millennium gigs.
In 2003: Wynonna Judd was arrested and charged with driving under the influence after police stopped her for speeding through
In 2003: Madonna donated 100k copies of her children's book Mr. Peabody's Apple to schoolteachers across the U-S.
In 2004: Ol' Dirty Bastard, a founding member of the Wu-Tang Clan, died in his
THE MUSIC OF CLIVE COMES ALIVE AT CARNEGIE HALL
That's what friends are for. (5/1a)
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THE NEW UMG
Gosh, we hope there are more press releases.
TIKTOK BANNED!
Unless the Senate manages to make this whole thing go away, that is.
THE NEW HUGE COUNTRY ACT
No, not that one.
TRUMP'S CAMPAIGN PLAYLIST
Now 100% unlicensed!
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