Billboard Hot 100
Issuedate: week 50/2007

01. Alicia Keys - No One
02. Chris Brown and T-Pain - Kiss Kiss
03. Timbaland and One Republic - Apologize
04. Flo Rida and T-Pain - Low
05. Colbie Caillat - Bubbly
06. Fergie - Clumsy
07. T-Pain and Kanye West - Good Life
08. Soulja Boy - Crank That (Soulja Boy)
09. Rihanna and Ne-Yo - Hate That I Love You
10. Finger Eleven - Paralyzer
11. Jordin Sparks - Tattoo
12. Baby Bash and T-Pain - Cyclone
13. Kanye West - Stronger
14. Timbaland and Keri Hilson - The Way I Are
15. J. Holiday - Bed

Week #50 already!  Alicia Keys holds at Number 1 for a third week.  Not much change again in the Top 15 as is typical during the year-end period over the past years. 

There are some notable big movers elsewhere in the chart though.

Justin Timberlake jumps to #17 from #33 with his duet with Beyonce "Until the End of Time."  He does this on the song's 22nd week due to the availability of digital downloads.  This is already Justin's 6th Top 20 hit from his latest album "FutureSex/LoveSounds".  The last man who did this chart feat was George Michael on his "Faith" album back in the late 80s.  George, though, had 6 Top 5 hits from that album (4 of which reached #1).

Alicia Keys' second single from her latest album (which is fantastic, by the way!) "Like You'll Never See Me Again" jumps from #46 to #29 on its 4th week.  It is the Greatest Gainer in Airplay this week.

The embattled Britney Spears gains the Greatest Gainer in Sales honors this week as it jumps from #63 to #47 with her latest single "Piece of Me."  This is another single driven by its catchy bass line.  Britney's delivery is strangely monotonal.  But the whole package is very good, in my opinion.  I turn up the volume when I catch it on the car radio.  As a interesting tidbit, it does include the word "Philippines" in its lyrics.  Did she really come here as it suggests in the song?  Or I guess it is the only place name that can decently rhyme with seventeen, scene and magazine.

Billboard Hot 100
Issuedate: week 45/2007

01. Chris Brown and T-Pain - Kiss Kiss
02. Timbaland and One Republic - Apologize
03. Alicia Keys - No One
04. Soulja Boy - Crank That (Soulja Boy)
05. Colbie Caillat - Bubbly
06. Kanye West - Stronger
07. Baby Bash and T-Pain - Cyclone
08. T-Pain and Kanye West - Good Life
09. Rihanna and Ne-Yo - Hate That I Love You
10. Timbaland and Keri Hilson - The Way I Are
11. J. Holiday - Bed
12. Fergie - Big Girls Don't Cry
13. Britney Spears - Gimme More
14. Finger Eleven - Paralyzer
15. Matchbox Twenty - How Far We've Come

Well, this is another generally benign week on the Hot 100 as Chris Brown holds at Number 1 for a second week.  The rest of the Top 10 is relatively unchanged.

However, the big news this week is on the Billboard 200 where the Eagles soar past Britney Spears to earn the Number 1 slot.  This is the Eagles' first Number 1 album since "Hell Freezes Over" topped the list back in 1992.    

Ordinarily, it would have been very straightforward as the winner is clear:  Eagles sold 771K copies vs. Britney's 290K copies.  A controversy arose because the Eagles' "Long Road Out of Eden" is exclusively sold in Wal-Mart stores.  Billboard's decision this week marks the first time Billboard has allowed exclusive album titles that are only available through one retailer to appear on its charts. 

And of course, that the "aggrieved" party is Britney Spears' "Blackout" makes for another rich source of intrigue.

Billboard Hot 100
Issuedate: week 41/2007

01. Soulja Boy - Crank That (Soulja Boy)
02. Kanye West - Stronger
03. Britney Spears - Gimme More
04. Timbaland and Keri Hilson - The Way I Are
05. Fergie - Big Girls Don't Cry
06. Timbaland and One Republic - Apologize
07. J. Holiday - Bed
08. Feist - 1, 2, 3, 4
09. Keyshia Cole featuring Missy Elliott and Lil' Kim - Let It Go
10. Colbie Caillat - Bubbly
11. Nickelback - Rockstar
12. Alicia Keys - No One
13. 50 Cent featuring Justin Timberlake and Timbaland - Ayo Technology
14. P!nk - Who Knew
15. Matchbox Twenty - How Far We've Come

Well, I guess whatever publicity is publicity! "Gimme More" now just vaulted all the way into the Top 3 of the Billboard 100 this week, jumping from #68 to #3 because of 179,000 paid downloads. This is only Britney's 2nd song in the Top 3, after her #1 debut "Baby, One More Time".

Believe it or not, despite her high profile, Britney's career only had 5 Top 10 hits. Aside from "...Baby One More Time" and "Gimme More," Spears had a pair of songs peak at No. 9: "Oops!...I Did It Again" in 2000 and "Toxic" in 2004. In 1999, "(You Drive Me) Crazy" reached No. 10.

Britney Spears first public performance of her new single Gimme More after her long hiatus.

All I can say is, "What kind of performance was that???"

Clearly she's lip syncing, OK. Yet she is not even trying to lip sync very convincingly.

And, could you honestly call that dancing? She's lifeless and strangely disoriented here. She can't even do a decent "ocho-ocho" move anymore! Even her skimpy outfit looks awkward on her body. Where are her once vaunted abs???

This one is unfortunately a poor shadow of her previous energetic live performances. People were expecting her to do well. She needs to get her act together for her comeback bid to gain momentum after a listless number like this.