Currently Browsing: News

Simpson sister backlash

Posted in Celebrities, News, Singers on Jan 29th, 2008 | Comments Off

Despite their successes, the Simpson sisters continue to face harsh tabloid scrutiny.

Celebs: John Mayer | Nick Lachey | Madonna | Luke Wilson | Tony Romo | Jessica Simpson | Ashlee Simpson | Pete Wentz | Eva Longoria.

Between them, sisters Jessica and Ashlee Simpson have had one high-profile divorce, an embarrassing lip-synch scandal, plastic surgeries both obvious and subtle, blame for a Dallas Cowboys loss, and an impresario father looming over it all.

Each shot to prominence — and up the pop charts — by taking the primrose path of MTV reality shows.

Each has had shining success at selling records, followed by abject failure.

And that’s just a sampling. If you’re a celeb-watcher (or football bettor), it’s juicy stuff.

If you’re a Simpson sister, it’s beginning to look like a critical mass of negativity.

Of late, Jessica, 27, and sister Ashlee, 23, are regularly slimed in the blogosphere, which becomes more and more vicious as public interest in celebrities reaches an all-time high. Trying to nurture a career — and stay in fans’ good graces — amid gleefully ruthless tabloid scrutiny can’t be an easy feat.

Especially for Jessica. The singer/actress/shoe designer will likely avoid the Dallas Cowboys stadium after fans blamed her weekend trip to Mexico with quarterback Tony Romo for the Cowboys’ defeat by the New York Giants.

Eva Longoria rallied to Simpson’s defense, as did ex-boyfriend John Mayer. In a post on his blog, Mayer wrote: “I have never known anyone to have more pride in their home state and their upbringing in it than Jessica Simpson has in Texas. … It’s one of her most defining traits as a person. So please don’t try and take that away from her.”

For Simpson, who suffered a backlash of sorts after her marriage to Nick Lachey crumbled in 2005, bad press is apparently a side effect of living under the tabloid microscope.

“Jessica’s actually quite realistic about it,” publicist Elizabeth Wolfe told The Associated Press. “It’s part of the price of being in the public eye. She doesn’t like it. And if I were her mother, I would fight tooth and nail to protect her. But you can’t. She’s a grown-up woman, and she’s on her own and she’s doing the best she can.”

Wolfe is the spokeswoman for Millennium Films, which released Simpson’s new comedy, “Blonde Ambition,” co-starring Luke Wilson, to eight Texas theaters in December. It’s now available on DVD. Simpson’s upcoming films include “Major Movie Star,” in which she plays an actress-turned-Marine. These films follow her big-screen debut in “The Dukes of Hazzard.”

Meanwhile, Simpson’s little sister recently unleashed the video for her new single, “Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya),” to mixed reviews online. Ashlee’s third solo album, “Bittersweet World,” is expected to be released in the spring.

Ashlee, a media magnet for her romance with Fall Out Boy rocker Pete Wentz, positioned herself as the anti-Jessica in 2004 when she documented the making of her debut album, “Autobiography,” on an MTV series. That album sold 2.9 million copies and spawned several radio-friendly hits despite the revelation that she lip-synched during a performance on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.”

Her 2005 disc, “I Am Me,” failed to register a hit and only sold 942,000 copies — still, that was better than the end tally (297,000) for her sister’s 2006 clunker, “A Public Affair.”

These days, Jessica’s gone country. She’s been recording a new album in Nashville, Tenn., to be released sometime this year, her publicist, Lauren Auslander, said recently. In a recent interview with Billboard.com, Jessica explained her reason for trying out a new sound: “I am a country girl. … I always wanted to make a country album, but I wanted to wait until the time was right.”

Ian Drew, editor-at-large for Us Weekly magazine, said the siblings, who are managed by their domineering father, Joe Simpson, and reportedly haven’t been shy about having cosmetic procedures, could certainly prove themselves again — all they need is a surefire single or some other success that would eclipse the drama surrounding their personal lives.

“My honest opinion is neither of them really have a great deal of talent,” Drew remarked. “They’re manufactured pop artists. So it comes down to: Could they buy the right song or not?”

Still, unlike an artist like Madonna, who has a weak voice yet a strong point of view, “these girls don’t really have anything to say,” Drew said. “They’re not very intelligent. They’re not very insightful. … And you can only go so far that way in the entertainment world.”

Publicist Howard Bragman said Jessica needs to stop juggling so many projects and “do fewer things better.”

“She’s still a very beautiful girl,” Bragman said. “There’s still a lot of media interest. She still has potential. … Once you’ve been a star, you can be a star again. That’s the beauty of America.”

Links:

Rambo is not No. 1 at the box office

Posted in Films and Movies, News on Jan 28th, 2008 | Comments Off

Rambo is not No. 1 at the box office .. ‘Rambo’ is No. 2
“Spartans” spoof conquers “Rambo” at box office.

It turns out that Rambo is no match for a bunch of silly Spartans.

“Meet the Spartans,” a parody of the ancient Greek warriors lionized in last year’s hit “300,” topped the North American weekend box office with $18.7 million, emerging victorious over the return of Sylvester Stallone’s signature action hero.

“I think everyone expected ‘Rambo‘ to be No. 1,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media by Numbers that compiles box office projections.

“There are definitely a lot of serious films out there now but there was a big enough audience looking to have silly, mindless fun at movie theaters,” Dergarabedian said.

Over the same weekend last year, another parody from News Corp-owned Twentieth Century Fox, “Epic Movie,” led the box office with an almost identical haul to “Meet the Spartans.”

“Fox has sort of perfected the art of the spoof movie released at this time,” Dergarabedian said.

According to estimates for the United States and Canada issued on Sunday, “Rambo,” a joint release from Lionsgate and The Weinstein Company, debuted at No. 2 with $18.2 million, while last week’s box office champ, rampaging-monster flick “Cloverfield,” fell to No. 4 with a take of $12.7 million.

Paramount’s “Cloverfield” was expected to lose some of its punch since a strong word-of-mouth marketing campaign was expected to have motivated many viewers to see it on its opening weekend.

Another new entrant was Sony’s cyber-thriller “Untraceable,” which opened at No. 5 with $11.2 million.

Critically acclaimed “There Will Be Blood” jumped into the top 10 for the first time, earning the eighth spot with $4.9 million after Paramount Vantage expanded the number of theaters to nearly 900.

Starring Daniel Day-Lewis as a ruthless Texas oilman, “There Will Be Blood” had a low-key debut late last year but has gathered steam after it got eight Oscar nominations.

“These are great results, it’s No. 8 in the marketplace with a limited release. We’re just seeing a sort of wonderful response across the country,” said Rob Schulze of Paramount Vantage.

PLAYING FOR LAUGHS: “Spartans” was one of five films in the top 10 that played for laughs. Romantic comedy “27 Dresses,” also from Twentieth Century Fox, fell one spot to No. 3 with $13.6 million while oops-I’m-pregnant film “Juno” from Fox Searchlight dropped two spots to No. 6 with $10.3 million, putting it over the $100 million mark since its Christmas release.

“The Bucket List,” a widely panned comedy from Warner Bros pairing Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman as adventure-seeking cancer patients, was No. 7 with $10.2 million while female heist movie “Mad Money” came in at No. 10 with $4.6 million. “Mad Money” was the debut release of Overture Films, a unit of Liberty Media Corp.’s cable TV operator Starz LLC.

Disney’s “National Treasure: Book of Secrets” dug up a little more box office gold, with its $4.7 million making it good enough for No. 9. The Nicholas Cage adventure has raked in $205.4 million since its December release.

10 TOP music moneymakers

Posted in News, Singers on Jan 26th, 2008 | Comments Off

Music’s Biggest Cash Kings Celebs: Josh Groban | Celine Dion | Miley Cyrus | Kenny Chesney | Justin Timberlake | Eddie Van Halentopics: Musicians.

Amid the gloom and doom that enveloped the music business in 2007, a select number of recording artists managed to find a way to generate mad money.

Forget the year’s hot new acts. veterans like the Police and Celine Dion were among the biggest commercial forces of 2007. Others included younger established stars such as Josh Groban and the Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana.

To compile our list of pop’s biggest cash machines, Forbes looked at how much leading recording artists generated in U.S. music sales and North American concert grosses in 2007. Our estimates, which don’t calculate how much income each artist pocketed, include concert revenue data from Pollstar, music sales tallies from Nielsen SoundScan and pricing information from NPD Group. The numbers are meant to provide a snapshot, not a complete picture — revenue from licensing deals, merchandise sales, and mobile sales aren’t included.

Playing live was a big cash generator for all the artists on our list. By far the biggest tour of the year was the Police reunion, as Sting, Andy Summers, and Stewart Copeland decided to bury the hatchet and hit the road for the first time since 1986. Financially, it was a no-brainer: The trio generated $133.2 million in concert receipts at an average ticket price of $112 — and that’s face value. In all, the band racked up an impressive $142.4 million in concert tickets and music sales.

The even unlikelier reunion of Van Halen with original frontman David Lee Roth also did well. This slightly revamped version of the band, with Eddie Van Halen’s son Wolfgang replacing longtime bassist Michael Anthony, charged about the same average ticket price as the Police but played fewer and smaller venues. Still, $56.7 million in North American grosses is nothing to sniff at.

Other big live draws were country singer Kenny Chesney, who grossed $71.1 million on the road; Justin Timberlake, who sold $70.6 million in concert tickets; and Celine Dion, who generated $65.3 million during the final year of her “A New Day…” show at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.

For these artists, the cash generated from performing in front of their fans far outweighed the revenue they generated from sales of their music. For instance, Chesney’s total album sales, including his new release “Just Who I Am: Poets And Pirates,” reached 1.8 million units. Add to that 2.5 million song downloads and Chesney’s recorded-music sales totaled around $25 million — a strong performance but still far short of what he generated on tour.

But recorded-music sales accounted for a larger portion of the cash generated by other recording artists. Pop-country trio Rascal Flatts proved to be a big hit with both concertgoers and music buyers, grossing $41.5 million on tour and generating roughly that much in sales of albums and song downloads.

For the Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana, or more specifically the show’s star Miley Cyrus, recorded music sales accounted for the lion’s share of the cash she generated, despite the headlines generated by scalpers who charged astronomical prices for tickets to her sold-out shows. Hannah/Miley grossed $36 million on tour but generated more than $50 million in album sales and downloads.

Meanwhile, pop-classical vocalist Josh Groban hit pay dirt with his Christmas album “Noel,” which turned out to be the year’s best-selling album, with 3.7 million units sold. The sales were especially impressive considering that, as a holiday album, it had only gone on sale in October.

His album sales and song downloads generated an estimated $60 million in sales. Groban also did well on tour, grossing $43.1 million in 2007.

The boffo sales of Noel provided a badly needed boost to Warner Music Group, which released the album. It didn’t make up for the fact that Warner’s share price lost three-quarters of its value in 2007. But the success of Groban and other top cash generators proved that even as the recording industry struggles, some consumers are willing to spend serious money on their favorite artists. ~ By Louis Hau

Popular TV series have run out of episodes

Posted in News, TV on Jan 25th, 2008 | Comments Off

20 TV show casualties
These popular TV series have run out of episodes, thanks to the writers’ strike.

We knew it would come to this. Thanks to the strike, no new episodes are being produced, and more and more of our favorite shows have run dry. Click through this slideshow for the up-to-the-moment tally of popular series that have met their strike-induced end and see where the stories left off. ~ By Lizbeth Scordo

When we left “CSI” on January 10th, Grissom had taken a break from the glitz of the Vegas strip, and was investigating the death of a bull-riding rodeo performer, his prostitute ex-girlfriend, and her pimp. Despite the complicated case, the gang was able to solve the murders in the end… even without the help of Sara, whose character was written off in November after actress Jorja Fox left the show. CBS/Robert Voets

The last new episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” was about as drama-packed as they come. Meredith finally started warming to sis Lexie and even showed it by making her breakfast (which Lexie was actually allergic to, but that’s another story). Derek told nurse Rose that the kiss meant nothing, and then freaked Meredith out by showing her plans of the future “dream house” he wants them to build. Dr. Bailey’s son needed emergency surgery after a bookcase fell on him, and George’s Mom showed up with baby clothes for George and Callie’s future kid… and then promptly put them away and reamed George when Izzie accidentally spilled the beans about her affair with George. Now just try to remember all that until the next new episode airs! ABC/Bob D’Amico

We knew it wouldn’t last, but we were still thrilled to see Edie Falco’s character, the liberal Congresswoman C.C., stick around as Jack’s unlikely love interest for much of this season. On the last new “30 Rock” that aired on January 10th, despite Jack and C.C. giving their all to their long-distance romance by meeting halfway between New York and Washington in a rural Pennsylvania town (and even symbolically throwing their cell phones in a lake), they just couldn’t make it work. Sayonara, Mrs. Soprano! NBC/Mary Ellen Mathew

 

On the last new episode of “CSI Miami” to air on January 14th, Kyle’s mother, Julia, suddenly popped into Horatio’s life when the CSI investigated the death of her dead billionaire husband. When it was time for Kyle to face his day in court for the kidnapping of Kathleen Newberry, the case was thrown out after Kathleen didn’t show up for court. It turns out Kathleen was bound, gagged and thrown in the water and Horatio is convinced that Julia had something to do with this latest crime which, coincidentally, kept her son out of jail. CBS/Andrew MacPherson

 

‘Law & Order: SVU’ had babies on the brain on January 22nd when Benson and Stabler investigated the theft of 100 embryos and fertilized eggs from a sperm bank. The case really hit home with Benson after a fertility specialist explained that the eggs were worth a lot because so many women are putting motherhood on hold for their careers and having trouble conceiving later in life. Later, Benson admitted to a woman whose embryo was stolen that she too wanted kids someday. Might we see some baby Bensons soon? NBC/Mitchell Haaseth

On January 23rd’s last new episode of “Criminal Minds” the contents of a self-storage unit revealed the chilling early signs of a serial killer, prompting Hotchner and the team to profile the items left behind and track down the suspect… before he began killing innocent people. CBS/Monty Brinton

 

Lindsay finally started getting over the harsh reality that her ex-husband, Tom, is moving on and marrying someone else on the last episode to air on January 4th. But just as she was about to jump back into the dating scene, she was warned she could be in serious danger, which took her mind off of romance. And, of course, the ladies of the “Women’s Murder Club” stayed busy as they investigated the brutal murder by decapitation of a local wine broker. ABC/Andrew Southam

 

The “NCIS” team investigated their last case on January 15th when a Muslim member of the U.S. Marines suspected of terrorist recruitment was found dead near a mosque. As Special Agent Gibbs and the gang tried to figure out whether or not the Marine had ties to terrorism, their search quickly hit a speed bump when Ducky refused to perform an autopsy on the victim in order to honor his family’s religious beliefs. CBS/Darren Michaels

 

“Without a Trace” will live up to its name now that the last new episode aired on January 17th, when the FBI’s New York Missing Person’s Squad investigated the case of a woman who went missing while working in a veterans’ hospital. The team’s detective work led them in two directions — first to the victim’s connection to a radical anti-war group, and then to her Vietnam vet father. CBS/Monty Brinton

 

When we left “My Name is Earl” on January 10th, the gang was celebrating Earl’s release from prison, but Earl was having second thoughts about his do-gooding, since it doesn’t seem to have done him much good. When Earl finds that Ralph is living the good life masquerading as the widow Doris’ dead husband, he throws the list away in frustration. Then, after a bizarre series of events including Earl’s quick stint as a stripper and his accidentally tipping over Joy and Darnell’s trailer, Earl is hit by a car by Billie, a girl he has the hots for. After she’s hit by another car and ends up lying in the street next to Earl, one thing becomes clear. Karma’s back! NBC/Mitchell Haaseth

 

“Desperate Housewives’” Wisteria Lane was tornado-free by the time the last episode blew through on January 6th. After a big scare Tom and the kids were rescued from the rubble safe and sound. Karen was devastated to find out, however, that her friend Ida died… but helped save the Scavo kids first. After a head injury landed Carlos in the hospital Gaby told him she still wanted to marry him even without the money. But turns out Carlos is keeping a secret from her… the accident caused him to go blind. ABC/Andrew Eccles

 

On December 3rd’s last new episode of “Heroes,” Peter’s Odessa reunion with Nathan became violent when Adam (and his pursuit of the deadly Shanti Virus) caused a clash between the brothers, Matt and Hiro. After witnessing the kidnapping of his heroic cousin by a street gang, Micah looked for help from the one person he knew could help save Monica -– his mom. Meanwhile, Elle played hero to get back on her father’s good side, but it took a tragedy to prove to Maya what a monster Sylar actually is. And it looks like two heroes might not be with us whenever new episodes return.NBC/Mitchell Haaseth

 

When we left “The Office” way back on November 15, Jan had sued Dunder Mifflin for wrongful termination and brought Michael to arbitration as a witness. But when it became clear that Jan never had much respect for Michael, the devoted regional manager sided with the company and their relationship bit the dust. On a more romantic note, Jim and Pam are still lucky in love… and we hope they still will be by the time the show comes back! NBC/Mitchell Haaseth

 

“Gossip Girl’s” last episode on January 9th certainly lived up to its name after the episode began with Serena buying a pregnancy test. Though she was picking it up as a favor for Blair, rumors swirled that Serena herself might be preggers. As Blair wondered who the father might be, Nate flipped out after he found out about Blair’s tryst with Chuck, and Chuck began blackmailing Blair. Luckily, Blair found out there’d be no baby on the horizon, and we viewers were left waiting for our next installment of juicy Upper East Side gossip. The CW/Timothy White

 

As “Two and a Half Men” wound down, mom Evelyn had gotten engaged to Teddy, and Charlie quickly jumped into bed with his future stepsister — against Teddy’s wishes. When we last left the Harper Brothers on November 19th, Alan got revenge on Charlie for stealing his girlfriend… back in high school. Hey, stealing is stealing, right? CBS/Cliff Lipson

 

When “Pushing Daisies” last aired on December 12th, Chuck learned Ned’s big secret… and didn’t take it well, refusing to forgive him. Emerson tried to get Ned’s mind off his lady love by throwing him into a case, but Ned still couldn’t stop thinking about Chuck. Will she get over it and come back to him? We’re dying to know! And how about the revelation that Lily is Chuck’s mom? Wow! ABC/Justin Stephens

 

We left the Oceanside Wellness Center in relationship chaos during the last new episode of “Private Practice” on December 5th. On-again/off-again couple Sam and Naomi tried to figure out where their relationship was headed, Addison wasn’t sure about how to handle the world of dating, and Cooper was in the midst of a secret affair with the St. Ambrose chief of staff, Dr. Charlotte King. ABC/Eric Ogden

 

As Ted anticipated a hot date with the doctor who was going to remove his tattoo on the last new episode of “How I Met Your Mother” on December 10th, the gang quickly started raining on his parade with warnings about why you should NEVER date anyone you see on a regular basis. Not surprisingly, Robin, Marshall and Lily each had plenty of examples to serve as warnings about what happens when you break “The Platinum Rule.” CBS

 

Jaime got to take a vacation to a spa resort with her sister Becca during the last new episode of “Bionic Woman” on November 28, but the trip turned into more business than pleasure when Jonas ordered her to provide an assassin staying at the hotel with information on his hit… not easy when she’s trying to keep her spying ways a secret from her little sis. After a weekend of murder, adventure and deceit, Jaime came close to confessing to Becca, but didn’t. NBC/Mitchell Haaseth

 

Koothrappali was nervous after his parents set him up on a blind date on November 12th’s last new episode of “The Big Bang Theory,” but after a couple of drinks he realized he CAN actually talk to the opposite sex. The story took a turn, however, when he realized his date was actually more interested in Sheldon. Poor Rajesh! CBS/Monty Brinton

Worst No. 1 album ever?

Posted in News, Singers on Jan 24th, 2008 | Comments Off

Alicia Keys’ As I Am registered the second worst sales tally for a #1 album since SoundScan began monitoring album sales in 1991.

Keys’ album sold 60,519 copies last week, just 455 more copies than the all-time bottom-dweller, the Dreamgirls soundtrack, which sold 60,064 copies in its second week on top one year ago.

Keys’ album has sold 2,786,000 copies in just 10 weeks, a tremendous total by any measure. So it’s a little unfair that her name will be dragged through the mud as this news is disseminated. But that’s show biz.

It’s also noteworthy that five of this week’s top 10 CDs this week are R&B-oriented. Keys is joined by Mary J. Blige at #3, Raheem DeVaughn at #5, John Legend at #7 and Chris Brown at #9. (How they coordinated it so they’d occupy only the odd positions is beyond me.)

There’s also news on the Hot Digital Tracks chart. “Low” by Flo Rida featuring T-Pain logs its eighth week at #1, which puts it in a three-way tie for the most weeks at #1 on that chart since mid 2004, when the configuration really started to take off. The other tracks with eight weeks at #1 are Green Day’s “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams” and Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable.”

“Low” registered 180,000 download purchases last week, which puts it far ahead of the #2 title, Chris Brown’s “With You” (104,000 download purchases). So “Low” is likely to hold at #1 for at least another week or two. This is the fourth week in a row that the #1 digital track has registered more download sales than the #1 CD saw in total sales. (I’ve got a feeling I’m going to be saying that a lot this year.)

Here’s the low-down on this week’s top 10 CDs.

1. Alicia Keys, As I Am, 61,000. Keys is the first woman to log three weeks at #1 since Norah Jones scored a year ago with Not Too Late. Keys is the first African American woman to remain at #1 this long since Ashanti scored with her eponymous debut album in 2002.

2. Juno soundtrack, 58,000. This is the first movie soundtrack to reach #2 since Hairspray last August. If it climbs one more notch, it will be the first movie soundtrack to go all the way since Dreamgirls.

But those were both big, lavish musicals, while Juno is a quirky little movie with an alternative-leaning soundtrack. The movie, which was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture, has grossed $85.4 million in its first seven weeks.

3. Mary J. Blige, Growing Pains, 52,000. This week’s sales pushes Blige’s album over the 1 million mark. Growing Pains has ranked in the top five all five weeks it has appeared on the chart.

4. Radiohead, In Rainbows, 46,000. The band’s album has sold 246,000 copies in four weeks, less than the 300,000 that the band’s previous album, Hail To The Thief, moved in its debut week in 2003. But then, what do you expect when you let fans download it for any price they choose.

5. Raheem DeVaughn, Love Behind The Melody, 45,000. This lofty debut marks a tremendous improvement over DeVaughn’s first album, The Love Experience, which opened (and peaked) at #46 in 2005.

6. Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift, 34,000. Swift’s new single, “Umbrella,” debuts at #68 on Hot Digital Tracks. It’s possible that she’ll soon have three tracks in the top 30. “Our Song” is #20 this week; “Teardrops On My Guitar” is #22.

7. John Legend, Live From Philadelphia, 33,000. This 19-track set, available only at Target, is the Grammy-winner’s third album in a row to debut in the top 10. His 2005 debut, Get Lifted, opened at #7 and peaked at #4 the following week. His sophomore album, Once Again, opened (and peaked) at #3 in 2006.

8. Various Artists, Now 26, 30,000. The compilation has been a fixture in the top 10 for 10 straight weeks. It has scanned 1,370,000 copies to date.

9. Chris Brown, Exclusive, 29,000. Brown’s new hit, “With You,” is #2 on Hot Digital Tracks. “Kiss Kiss” topped that chart for four weeks last fall.

10. Miley Cyrus, Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus, 27,000. The TV soundtrack is returns to the top 10, boosted by Cyrus’ hit single, “Start All Over.” It’s the only album in the top 30 (except for the debuting collections by DeVaughn and Legend) to show a sales increase over last week. The two Hannah Montana albums are closing in 6 million in combined sales. (Current total: 5,965,000).

Three albums fall out of the top 10 to make way for the newcomers. Garth Brooks’ The Ultimate Hits drops from #9 to #14, Eagles’ Long Road Out Of Eden falls from #8 to #15, and Fergie’s The Dutchess falls from #10 to #17.

Anne Murray has the week’s third highest new entry with Duets: Friends & Legends, which debuts at #42. Murray first hit the pop album chart in 1970 with Snowbird, which featured her top 10 single of the same name.

She posted her highest-charting album in 1978 with Let’s Keep It That Way, which reached #12 and spawned her #1 smash “You Needed Me.” (When Murray first hit the album chart, Shania Twain was five years old, Faith Hill was three, and Mary J. Blige was still in the womb. Which is not to make Murray feel old, but to show how long she has been in the game.)

The Magnetic Fields’ Distortion opens at #77. This is the veteran alternative band’s highest chart ranking to date. The band’s previous album, i, was its first to hit the pop chart. It peaked at #152.

Spice Girls’ Greatest Hits opens at #93. The group’s debut, Spice, was the #1 album of 1997. The Girls followed it that same year with the soundtrack to Spiceworld with a 2000 studio album, optimistically titled Forever. (In their case, “forever” lasted seven weeks, the amount of time the album spent the top 200.)

Ringo Starr’s Liverpool 8 opens at #94. It’s the pop veteran’s first solo album for Capitol Records since 1975. Ringo wrote and produced the songs on the album with Dave Stewart, co-founder of Eurythmics.

Ringo isn’t the first former member of the Fab Four to tip his hat to the Beatles’ hometown in an album title. Paul McCartney released Liverpool Oratorio in 1991. ~ By Paul Grein

Page 4 of 9« First...23456...Last »