Taylor Hicks Dethrones Shakira on Hot 100

Posted under Carrie Underwood, Celebrities, Charts, Fantasia, Keith Urban, Kelly Clarkson, Music by Chris Evans on Saturday 24 June 2006 at 4:13 pm

Season five “American Idol” winner Taylor Hicks‘ first single, “Do I Make You Proud,” debuts atop the Billboard Hot 100 this week. The silver-topped Alabama crooner moved 190,000 physical singles and another 38,000 digital downloads of the track, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Three of the prior four “Idol” winners have bowed atop the Hot 100 — Carrie Underwood (”Inside Your Heaven“), Fantasia (”I Believe“) and Kelly Clarkson (”A Moment Like This“).

Do I Make You Proud” ends the two-week reign of Shakira’sHips Don’t Lie” featuring Wyclef Jean, which falls to No. 2 on both the Hot 100 and Pop 100. The cut still leads the Hot Latin Songs chart for a sixth week and Hot Digital Songs for a third frame.

Nelly Furtado’sPromiscuous” featuring Timbaland shifts 2-3 on the Hot 100 but is the chart’s greatest airplay gainer for a second turn. Yung Joc’s “It’s Goin’ Down” slides 3-4 on the Hot 100 but maintains the pole position on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for a fifth week.

Elsewhere on the Hot 100, Chamillionaire’sRidin‘” featuring Krayzie Bone slips 4-5, Gnarls Barkley’sCrazy” rockets 15-6 and Rascal Flatts‘ cover of Tom Cochrane’sLife Is a Highway” from the “Cars” soundtrack makes a 25-7 leap into the top tier, earning the greatest sales gainer distinction.

Rihanna’sUnfaithful” and Cassie’s “Me & U” each move one slot down, descending 7-8 and 8-9, respectively, while Lil Jon’sSnap Yo Fingers” featuring E-40 and Sean Paul of the YoungBloodz falls 9-10 to round out the Hot 100 top tier.

Beyonce’s “Deja Vu” featuring Jay-Z debuts at No. 44 on the chart, a career best for the Destiny’s Child frontwoman as a solo artist. The track is the first single from her upcoming sophomore solo set “B’Day“. Also new to the Hot 100 are Chingy’sPullin’ Me Back” featuring Tyrese (No. 86), Cham’sGhetto Story” (No. 99) and Steve Holy’sBrand New Girlfriend” (No. 100).

Koji Kondo’sSuper Mario Brothers Theme” notches a fourth week atop the Hot Ringtones track, while Kenny Chesney’sSummertime” fronts the Hot Country Songs chart for a third week and Daniel Powter’sBad Day” leads Hot Adult Contemporary for a ninth. Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ “Dani California” continues to rule both the Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock tallies for a 10th and eighth week, respectively.

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Keith Urban Still Spoiling Nicole Kidman

Posted under Celebrities, Keith Urban, Music, Nicole Kidman, Television by Chris Evans on Tuesday 21 February 2006 at 2:04 am

Nicole and KeithThe Aussie Power Coupleā„¢ are rumored no more. After their coming out party at the Grammy’s Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban are official. And yes, while their love is still young, Keith is still spoiling Nicole.

Sandra Clark of The Star reports that on a recent trip to Nashville “Keith went out of his way to find one of the best massage therapists in Nashville and surprised Nicole with a two-hour Swedish massage,” a source told the magazine.

After eight months, the country hunk is still giving special surprises to Nic every chance he gets just “to show her how much he adores her,” the source adds.

Tina Sims earlier reported that the TV show Extra cited sources close to Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman and an Australian morning show that is reporting that two people close to the country music star have slipped that the two will tie the knot in Nashville within the next two weeks.

That report hit on February 14. The clock is ticking.

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Paul McCartney, Kelly Clarkson Added To Grammy Performers

The performance lineup for the 48th annual Grammy Awards continues to swell. Following yesterday’s (Feb. 1) confirmation of a show-opening Madonna/Gorillaz pairing, the Recording Academy has added Paul McCartney, Kelly Clarkson and Ciara to a bill now made up of a dozen performances.

McCartney is nominated for three awards this year: album of the year and best pop vocal album for “Chaos and Creation in the Backyard” (MPL/Capitol), as well as best male pop vocal performance for the album track “Fine Line.” Despite his long career and 13 past Grammy wins, this will mark the former Beatle’s first Grammy performance.

Triple-nominee Ciara (best new artist, best rap/sung collaboration for “1, 2 Step” featuring Missy Elliott and best short form music video for “Lose Control” with Missy Elliott and Fat Man Scoop), will take part in the multi-artist tribute to Sly & the Family Stone. Double-nominee Clarkson (best female pop vocal performance for “Since U Been Gone” and best pop vocal album for “Breakaway” (RCA) is set to perform solo.

Comedian/talk show host Ellen DeGeneres has been drafted to introduce McCartney’s performance. Other newly added presenters are the members of Destiny’s Child, Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor, Chris Brown, professional cyclist Lance Armstrong and actresses Jennifer Love Hewitt, Teri Hatcher and Jenna Elfman.

Mariah Carey, John Legend and Kanye West share the lead with eight nominations heading into the Feb. 8 ceremony at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The event will be broadcast live on CBS.

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Grammy Collaborations Announced

Posted under Awards, Celebrities, Christina Aguilera, Faith Hill, Grammy Awards, Jamie Foxx, Kanye West, Keith Urban, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Music, News, Television, U2 by Chris Evans on Wednesday 25 January 2006 at 5:54 pm

Christina Aguilera

U2 , Mary J. Blige, Faith Hill, Keith Urban, Christina Aguilera, Herbie Hancock and Jamie Foxx have all signed on to give collaborative performances at next month’s Grammy Awards ceremony.

U2 and Blige will hit the stage together for a joint performance, as will Urban and Hill, Foxx and West, and Aguilera and Hancock.

Organizers did not specify what songs the artists would perform, but it’s a good bet that previous Grammy winngers U2 and Blige will offer up a rendition of the Irish rock group’s classic hit “One,” which Blige covered on her most recent album, “The Breakthrough.”

Foxx is featured on West’s 2005 smash hit “Gold Digger,” and Aguilera sang on the Grammy-nominated cut “A Song for You,” which appeared on Hancock’s latest album, “Possibilities.”

U2, whose trophy case already houses 15 Grammy trophies, is in contention for five more at this year’s ceremony: Album of the Year and Best Rock Album (”How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb“); Song of the Year and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals (”Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own“); and Best Rock Song (”City of Blinding Lights“).

Hill, a four-time Grammy winner, is vying for Best Female Country Vocal Performance (”Mississippi Girl“), Best Country Collaboration with Vocals (”Like We Never Loved At All” with Tim McGraw), and Best Country Album (”Fireflies”). Urban is up for Best Male Country Vocal Performance (”You’ll Think of Me“).

Aguilera and Hancock hope to share a win in the Best Pop Collaboration category for “A Song for You.”

Singer-turned-actor-turned-singer Foxx has a nod in the Best Male R&B Vocal Performance category for “Creepin’,” a track from “So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross,” and shares nominations with West for “Gold Digger” in the Best Rap Solo Performance and Record of the Year categories.

As previously reported, West is nominated in a total of eight categories, as are fellow previously announced Grammy performers Mariah Carey and John Legend.

In addition to the new batch of performers, Grammy organizers also announced that country duo Big & Rich, along with actors Tom Hanks and Terrence Howard, will appear as presenters.

Additional performers and presenters will be announced shortly, according to a press release.

The 48th annual Grammy Awards ceremony takes place Feb. 8 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, and will air live on CBS-TV.

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