A Week of Wacktastic Will.i.am Stuff: "Scream and Shout" and iPhone Accessories!

The holiday season is upon us, so now is the perfect opportunity for people to push their latest and greatest products to the masses for maximum consumption.

Apparently, will.i.am missed the "greatest" bit of that memo.

The rapper-turned-entrepreneur-of-some-kind dropped two brand new products this past week, and they both are pointless, hopeless, and just plain old suck.



The first was the lead single from his upcoming solo effort #willpower titled "Scream and Shout", with Britney Spears. I'm guessing she's returning the favor for his work on "Big Fat Bass" from 2011's Femme Fatale. If only this song was as good as that one. Despite a relatively small part, Britney is the only saving grace of a track that borrows the worst of "The Time (Dirty Bit)" and expands on it for an extra two minutes. It's tuneless, EDM mess without a single ounce of joy, or anything else warranting a second listen. The music video is just the same, with only interesting bits being a better-than-she's-looked-in-years Britney, and a preview of the iPhone accessories will.i.am is launching.



Speaking of, will.i.am is launching a group of camera accessories for the iPhone, that actually cost more than either a digital camera or an iPhone. The $315 product essentially turns the iPhone into a point-and-shoot, has a 14 megapixel sensor, and has a slide-out keyboard. It also happens to look shockingly ugly and garish. It's bad enough that he's making a product that nobody ever wanted, it has to be ugly and expensive too?

If this is what will.i.am has to offer for the all-important holiday season, only one question must be asked.

When is the next Black Eyed Peas reunion?

Britney Spears Comes Back To Life (Figuratively) In "I Wanna Go" Music Video

I've been pretty hard on Britney Spears as of late.

I'm sorry, but I just couldn't except that the vibrant young girl that ruled the world not that long ago could become such a zombie in front of our eyes.

Well, something brought her back to life, just in time for her music video for her new single "I Wanna Go".



In the span of four minutes, Brit curses out a press conference full of people, flashes a kid, gets felt up by a cop, throws a microphone (seriously, as if she really needs one. Sorry, I had to thrown in some shade) at people, and goes on a joy ride. It's all a fun affair, and Britney looks like she's actually engaged and enjoying the zaniness of it all. Leave it to the princess of pop to wait the third single to drop one of the best  music videos of the year.

I'm hoping that Britney can keep the momentum as she treks through her Femme Fatale Tour.

Check the video below and let me know your thoughts.

Billboard Explains Lady Gaga/Amazon Deal, The Blackout Controversy, and Criticizes Britney Fan Twitter Attacks

Billboard sets the record straight about Britney Spears and Lady Gaga

Billboard, the company that analyzes music sales in the United States, has published an article in response to the Twitter uproar caused by some Britney Spears fans.

Bill Werde, the editorial director of Billboard, wrote the article after some fans of Britney accused Billboard on Twitter of bias towards Lady Gaga and her new album, Born This Way. The alleged bias stemmed from the company's decision to count the sales from Amazon's 99 cent sale of her album, which have pushed first week projections of her album to over 1 million copies.

Some fans are also still upset over Billboard's 2007 decision to change the chart policy that prevented sales from one sole retailer from counting towards the album chart. The decision resulted in The Eagles topping the Billboard 200 instead of Britney's album Blackout, which was originally projected to hit the top.

Although the situations are different, fans are arguing that Billboard is unfair in not changing the rules against Gaga, when they were changed against Britney. To retaliate, some Britney Twitter users were trying to trend #Billboardcorrupt and #FraudThisWay.

In response, Werde called out Britney fans directly for spreading misinformation about the Amazon situation: "In the hope of clearing up misinformation I've seen around the web -- Britney fans, I'm looking at you, or at least at the evil ones who keep cursing me on Twitter without asking questions -- I'll share a few guiding dynamics, as well as some specifics for this week."

He explained in detail both situations, and gave his stance that Billboard examined situations on consumer interest, not on prices. He also wrote that Billboard had no intention of setting a lower-bound price limit in its analyses. He did concede, however, that Billboard is always looking into new changes and shifts in the market, and adjusts the methodologies accordingly.

Essentially, he told Britney Spears fans to stop crying over spilled milk.

While I wonder if the shade was necessary, it was a well-written article that definitely put all of the information out there. It should clear up any confusion (or lies).

Here is the link to the article: http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/retail/why-billboard-isn-t-revising-chart-policies-1005205422.story

Do you guys think that Billboard is right? To fans of Britney, are you guys upset over the Blackout incident in 2007, or about Gaga's Amazon deal counting? Share your thoughts with me!

My Advice To Britney Spears: Re-Evaluate Your Life!

At last night's Billboard Awards, pop icon Britney Spears performed a highly anticipated dual set with Rihanna of "S&M" and Nicki Minaj OF "Til The World Ends". It was the first time that Britney performed on awards show since the infamous 2007 MTV Video Music Awards.

Frankly, it should be her last for awhile.

I was reading Toya'z World earlier today and she wrote that the Britney Spears of yesteryear, who would've absolutely slayed her performances last night, was dead. Unfortunately, I think I agree. There was something genuinely troubling about her performance last night. Britney, a performer once known for her high-octane energy and pristine, crisp movement, was stumbling about the stage like a toddler. It was obvious who the better performer was when she and Rihanna did those power poses; in fact, Britney didn't really pose at all. She didn't even seem engaged during the pillow fight at the end of the performance.

Britney performing well two years ago on X Factor

It's unbelievable that a woman who delivered show-stopping performances in the past could have fallen so far off her game. Far be it for me to speculate about Britney's personal feelings, but it appears that she simply doesn't care anymore. I remember when she came back with "Womanizer" in 2008 and she performed on X Factor. Back then, even though she lipsynced the whole thing, there was still that fiery persona that we all came to love. She was truly putting on a show. These days, she's hard pressed to a genuine hair toss, shown particularly in her Good Morning America concert a few months back. Let's be honest here: Britney reached her incredible heights of fame because of her performance quality. If she can't even do that, why exactly is she still a pop star?

Maybe she still loves it, but is just too focused on raising her two children to care. Maybe she is still dealing with the ramifications of her public breakdown in 2007/2008. Maybe she is just a puppet for Jive, used to make as much as money before Justin returns with his new album. Also possible, she is secretly delivering crap performances and promotion as a way of rebellion, or to prove she is capable enough to be set free, she is just going through the motions.

Whatever the case is, it is no longer acceptable for Britney to be walking the stage like a zombie when there are people actually investing in seeing her succeed like she has in the past. It is insulting to her fans (me being one of them), who are constantly coming up for excuses for her, saying that she can't perform as well because she's gotten older. Yet, Jennifer Lopez could kill it at 45 on American Idol, or Janet at 45 on tour. Hell, even Michael Jackson was making executive moves at the age of 50. Let's not even get into Beyoncé, who killed it last night with her performance. It just discredits Britney even more.

My serious advice to Britney Spears is take two years off and honestly reexamine her priorities. If she wants to be a pop star, she needs to snap out of this funk and train and whatever else to get back into shape, literally and figuratively. If she doesn't, and she just wants to be a mom, that's totally fine too. She's earned the right to just raise her kids and find some peace with the millions she's made. If she wants to do both, she needs to learn (with a new manager possibly) how to balance both roles, because it can be done.

The Britney Spears we are getting right now is nowhere near her true potential as a talented pop megastar. It isn't fair to her fans, to the public, and herself. I just hope she realizes before she begins chipping at a hard-won legacy.

BWU Singles Chart Roundup 1/16: Britney Debuts at #1, Kylie Plummets

Britney dominates the BWU Singles Chart this week!

Ahead of her expected #1 debut on the Billboard Hot 100, Britney Spears has debuted at #1 on the BWU Singles Chart.

The pop icon released "Hold It Against Me" last week to much fanfare, helping it easily claim the top spot on this week's chart. She is the first artist of 2011 to debut at #1, and is the first since Duffy in November to do so. Last week's #1, Kylie Minogue's "Better Than Today", plummets down to #10, the largest drop from #1 ever.

Usher's "More" inches up two places to #2, while Avril Lavigne's "More" holds firm at #3. Wynter Gordon has the highest debut of the week with "Dirty Talk", which just hit #1 in Australia. Joe McElderry remains in the top 5 for a sixth week, down to #5.

Also moving on up is Nicole Scherzinger's "Poison", up a place to #6. The week's biggest rebound belongs to Adele, just missing the Top 10 at #11 with "Rolling in the Deep". After re-entering last week, Train's "Marry Me" leaps from #24 to #15, giving the band a second top 20 hit. Nicki Minaj saw movement in both directions this week; "Moment 4 Life" jumps ten places to #18, while "Right Thru Me" falls seven places to #21.

Rihanna lands her fifth single on the chart, "S&M" at #24, which is third single coming from Loud. The first two hits, "Only Girl" and "What's My Name?" remain in the top 10, the former for its astonishing fifteenth week.

BWU Top 10 Singles

1. Hold It Against Me - Britney Spears (NEW)
2. More - Usher (+2)
3. What The Hell - Avril Lavigne (-)
4. Dirty Talk - Wynter Gordon (NEW)
5. Someone Wake Me Up - Joe McElderry (-3)
6. Poison - Nicole Scherzinger (+1)
7. What's My Name? - Rihanna and Drake (+3)
8. All of the Lights - Kanye West (-3)
9. Only Girl (In The World) - Rihanna (-1)
10. Better Than Today - Kylie Minogue (-9)

Download of the Week 1/15: Hold It Against Me by Britney Spears

Sorry for the lack of posts this week. Laziness + doctor's appointments + unnecessary shopping + iPad = no blogging. But, I am back!

There's no point trying to pretend that any song captured the world's attention this week like Britney Spears' comeback single "Hold It Against Me". In the five days since it was release, it has broken the one-day debut spin record on US radio and has topped the download charts in 19 countries. It is virtually guaranteed to debut at #1 in America, which would make her the first artist since Mariah Carey in 1996 to have two #1 debuts (Mariah had three, her last being '97's "Honey").

Don't hold Britney's pop domination
against her

But Britney's success is more than just smashing chart records; she does that effortlessly. What is particularly significant about "Hold It Against Me" is the music itself, and how she might just be the catalyst for a whole new mainstream music movement.

While she's not the first artist to feature dubstep elements in her music, she is definitely the first of considerable pop success to do so. Produced by pop's dynamic duo Max Martin and Dr. Luke, "Hold It Against me" sounds like it was bred directly out of a gritty London club.

"Hold It Against Me"'s impact hits the second you hear that electrifying, pulsating beat that opens and bases the song. Considering Britney's previous work, even her last #1 hit "3", I was expecting some melodic energy, but the beat alone is enough to power Buckingham Palace. The song really picks up in the second half, starting with the epic dubstep middle eight breakdown, featuring some iconic Britney come-hither adlibs. This leads to second middle-eight before busting into a full-blown chorus that would wake the dead into dancing. It's sort of a rollercoaster ride of a track, but that it's beat that keeps everyone safely holstered into the song. 

More than ten years into the business, Britney has more than proven her ability to set trends in mainstream music. "Hold It Against Me" is no different, and just like Blackout ushered in the era of Europop stateside in 2007, don't be surprised if dubstep becomes of the sound of 2011.

Britney's New Single "Hold It Against Me" Released Next Tuesday!

After manic speculation in the past few weeks, Britney Spears has finally confirmed details about the first single from her untitled upcoming studio album.

The single, titled "Hold It Against Me", will be released on Tuesday, according to Britney's official Twitter. She also tweeted a picture of the single artwork, featuring a beautiful close-up of Britney's face.

The upcoming album, which is due for release in the spring, will be her first album since 2008's Circus. Her last single, "3", debuted at the top of the US singles chart, becoming her third #1 hit.

How are excited are you for Britney's newest single?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

My Five Most Anticipated Music Releases of 2011

The new year has arrived, which means a flurry of new music from our favorite artists. Here are the five albums that I will be checking for in the coming twelve months.

5. F.A.M.E. - Chris Brown
If you took away some of the more annoying elements (like his whining about the media and his undeserving braggadocio), Graffiti could have been a great album. However, the past is the past and he is raring and ready to drop his newest album, F.A.M.E., which is an acronym for For All My Enemies (commence the eye-rolling). The excellence of "Yeah 3x" definitely has me interested in what he's going to  produce and whether he can reclaim his chart glory.

4. Yet to be titled - Leona Lewis
Despite the flop that it was, Leona's sophomore album Echo was truly amazing, showing the British diva exhibiting some artistic growth. Her third album is due out this year, with a single in the spring, so I am really excited to see what she can come up with. Hopefully, it won't be a dreary Ryan Tedder ballad and will instead be a bit more uptempo ("Outta My Head" was the biggest missed opportunity ever)

3. Yet to be titled - Britney Spears
Britney Spears is an American institution at this point. Anything she does can garner at least a third page headline worldwide. Her upcoming album, with the release of the first single reportedly this month, is itching to return her to the top of the pop heap. After the #1 success of "3", and the excellent reception of her past two albums Blackout and Circus, it isn't crazy to expect the best from pop's inimitable princess.

2. Yet to be titled - Beyoncé
This decade's answer to Whitney took a much deserved break in 2010, which for her meant starring in the year's best music video and touring the world. However, 2011 marks the return of the woman who brought us the iconic "Single Ladies". Speculating about the content would be quite frankly pointless, since everything Beyoncé touches goes multi-platinum anyway. It would just be best to sit back with your iPod headphones in and enjoy.

1. Born This Way - Lady Gaga
Either the hype will elevate her to megastar status, or destroy her already impressive career. Either way, everyone is already talking about Lady Gaga's outrageously-anticipated third album Born This Way. In fact, she even pissed off fans when she revealed they wouldn't be able to hear her self-proclaimed best record until May. MAY!

What album are you looking forward to the most? Do you think any of these releases are going to flop, disappointment, or excel?

The Top BWU Chart Songs of 2008 (#10-1)

After 28 weeks of The BWU Chart, its time to see which songs really made their mark in 2008.

Here are the 10 biggest songs of 2008 (see the full list on the BWU Website):

10. The Loving Kind - Girls Aloud (#1 peak, 9 weeks and counting, 347 points)

It would take a pretty big song to dethrone six-week #1 "The Promise". Who better to do it than the Girls themselves? The week their album Out of Control came out, their rumored second single debuted at #1, knocking their current single to #2. After a few weeks of turbulence, a new single mix and video shoved the song back into the top slot, further extending Girls Aloud's #1 reign to an astonishing 10 weeks, more than any artist.





9. If I Were a Boy - Beyonce (#2 peak, 13 weeks and counting, 362 points)
Beyonce's ballad about gender switching made a strong impression on the BWU Chart, spending three weeks at #2 behind "The Promise". The persistent song ending up with six weeks in the Top 10 including a return after three weeks of dropping. Although it lost out in the fight for #1, it goes to show how strength can reap rewards, like a triple platinum certification this past week.






8. Womanizer - Britney Spears (#2 peak, 14 weeks and counting, 366 points)
I don't care how much you hat Britney or pop music, you loved the hook of the song (Boy, don't try to front, I-I know ju-just what you a-are) and you DEFINITELY loved the video (steamy, wet, naked, toned Britney, anyone). Brit's comeback brought her a #2 debut and five weeks in the Top 10. Add this with her first #1 in a decade on the US charts, it's very clear that Britney's "comeback" doesn't need quotations anymore.






7. Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It) - Beyonce (#3 peak, 13 weeks and counting, 379 points)
While "If I Were a Boy" had a better start, this booty-shaking R&B stomper has stood the test of time. The song with the most YouTubed dance around has spent its entire run so far in the Top 20, outlasting the former single and outpeaking it on the Year-End. I guess people would prefer if Beyonce didn't delve into differences with the sexes after all.







6. Bleeding Love - Leona Lewis (#4 peak, 21 weeks, 389 points)
Another song that peaked before the chart began. Still, Leona enjoyed the second longest chart run with Grammy-nominated pop mega-smash. The song put her on the map, and rightfully so, considering how ridiculously huge it was, with four weeks on the top of the US charts and 3 million in downloads. This song was only the beginning for her, and definitely not the last time you will see her on this chart.





5. Just Dance - Lady Gaga (#1 peak, 19 weeks, 402 points)
THIS. SONG. WON'T. DIE. Everytime you think this song's run is over, it just shoots up again. When you have one of the most exciting debuts of the year, it's really not that surprising. GaGa planted her roots on this chart when she spent three weeks at #1 in the late summer, and now, she still doesn't want to leave. Frankly, I don't mind if she doesn't.







4. Hot N Cold - Katy Perry (#3 peak, 19 weeks, 464 points)

This song surprisingly outlasted her debut smash "I Kissed a Girl", but the bouncing pop of this song deserved its chart glory. While it didn't spend one week at the top, it spent a huge 14 weeks in the Top 20. Despite the song's title, this song never went cold on us.







3. Disturbia - Rihanna (#1 peak, 22 weeks, 548 points)
The chart's first ever number one must have a place in the Top 3, right? Yet, it wasn't RiRi's #1 status that placed here. How about her 13-week run in the Top 10? Or, her 22 weeks on the chart in total, tieing her for longest chart run ever? Yeah, this creepy pop monster should definitely be here. All hail Queen Rihanna...







2. Better In Time - Leona Lewis (#1 peak, 22 weeks, 560 points)
Hold that thought for a second. Leona's second single promptly gave her a rightful claim to the throne. The song spent four weeks wallowing in the bottom half of the Top 20 before skyrocketing to #1 and staying there for a month, the longest chart run until another song came along. 18 weeks in the Top 20 allowed this song to surpass "Disturbia" in October to become the most successful chart song in history. But wait...

1. The Promise - Girls Aloud (#1 peak, 15 weeks, 564 points)

Yes, the Girls, this week no less, snatched Leona's crown from her. Girls Aloud's lead single for Out of Control was going to be massive, but even I didn't expect this. A mind-blowing SIX weeks at the top kept songs from Beyonce, Ne-Yo, Britney, and Kings of Leon at bay, making them cool their heels at #2. Even when the 60's style track fell to #2 (by its own hand, of course), it spent a total of ELEVEN weeks in the Top 5 alone. 15 weeks in, it hasn't left the Top 10, and is now the most chart song EVER. So sorry RiRi and LeLe, the true chart queens are Girls Aloud, and the anthem, "The Promise".

Britney Spears To Film Second "Womanizer" Video In India?

Britney Spears is reportedly lending a hand to the ravaged country of India by visiting and shooting a second "Womanizer" video for her fans there.

The Daily Star reports that Britney wants to boost India's image after the devastating Mumbai terrorist attacks last month by filming a new video for her hit single "Womanizer". She was inspired to do so after befriending Sandip Soparrkar, an Indian choreographer who also has worked with Madonna. He will be working on the new video, which is supposed to focus on all of India's amazing qualities.

In the Sunday edition of the British newspaper, Britney was quoted as saying: “I love India. Its culture is so rich and colourful. I’m hoping to visit in the near future. I’d like to thank my Indian fans for loving my music. I will do everything I can to help. And I am so happy that Sandip is doing the second video for Womanizer.”

Her new album, Circus, sold over 500,000 copies in the United States last week, and her new single "Circus" debuted at #3, her highest debut ever.

Britney Tops US Album Chart With Half A Million Sold In First Week!

She's back!

Pop star Britney Spears has officially reclaimed her throne, thanks to first week sales of over 500,000 copies.

Her newest album, Circus, is expected to debut at the top of the Billboard 200, the first time she's done that since 2003. Originally expected to sell 300,000 copies, the building data showed that Britney was well on her way to exceeding expectations. Now, she has one of the best first-week sales of the year.

Her last album Blackout sold 290,000 copies in its first week, a little more than half of its successor. The album quickly fell out of the chart and was deemed a commercial failure, despite rave reviews.

Take That's Gary Barlow: "Britney Spears is Pointless"

  V.S.

British Britney fans, prepare your weapons!

Gary Barlow of British pop group Take That has called out against Britney Spears in an interview with the Daily Mirror newspaper.

In an interview, he said, "I don't see the point of Britney anymore. She was rubbish on [The X Factor]. I think she's more famous than she deserves to be now".

Fellow member Howard Donald also chimed in, calling her lipsynching on the show "stupid".

Take That does have reason to be a little cocky; their album The Circus sold over 132,000 copies in its first day, compared to Britney's 24,000 copies.

In America, Britney's on track to sell 425,000 to top the album chart next week.

Now, I like Take That, but kicking someone while they are trying to stand up is REALLY tacky and pretty rude. 

Britney Redeems Herself With MTV Documentary

Last night, in front of presumably millions of viewers, Britney Spears bared herself in a way her music videos never did.

Britney: For The Record is a first-hand account of the "comeback" that many never thought possible. Interestingly enough, Britney doesn't like the word "comeback". She says in the interview that she never really left, although she did take some time for herself. It's one of two times where she undersells the two years of public hell she endured. She speaks similarly of the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, suggesting her stumbling and terrible lip-synching was an "okay" performance. Save for those two instances, Britney appeared to have seriously considered what caused her sensational fall from grace and now understands it.

Britney spoke honestly about her relationships; while different, they both share a common thread. She escaped the pain of dealing with the failures by throwing herself into work and other activities that may have been ill-advised. She also explained that when she is with someone, she puts everything she has into them, and when it falls apart, it leaves her wrecked. The Kevin Federline debacle was particularly damaging since they had two kids together. The life they shared was her whole world, and their break-up left her without purpose. She also acknowledges two major important aspects about her marriage; it happened for the wrong reasons and that Kevin really was a gold-digging scrub. It was nice to hear it from the horse's mouth what the whole world already knew.

Britney describes herself as a guarded person who was taken advantage of by the people closest to her. She allowed those people to guide her into situations that made her a weekly tabloid staple. Also a front-page influence was her own rebellious nature, which raged out of control as people attempted to take control for themselves. The result was losing custody of her children and her mental breakdown that got her committed. She talks briefly about when her children were taken away, explaining that her out-of-control behavior was a result of not wanting to return to an empty house every night.

The big moment of the interview came when she expresses her distaste over her current life. Although she is in a better place, Britney still feels like she is being too controlled, thanks in part to her father Jamie Spears. She decries the lack of passion and excitement, describing it as "Groundhog Day everyday".

Along with the interview was footage of her life over a period of two or three months, beginning with her return at the VMAs. It was very nice to see Britney genuinely energetic and happy, whether she was rehearsing for her upcoming tour or shopping with her friend. She was almost like she was 10 years ago; bubbly, funny, and absolutely beautiful. There were some moments that definitely corroberated with her interview. During a break from filming "Womanizer", she was trying to convince her friends that she didn't always get her way, and looked slightly disappointed when they assumed she did. The most disturbing footage was when she couldn't even get out of a car in New York because there were hundreds of photographers flashing their cameras, including a particularly crazy one who screamed at her for getting back in the car. The scary moment reeked of Princess Diana-style insanity.

So, what should be gathered from this documentary? What is the message? When a celebrity of such an insane level is given two extremeties to live with, meticulous control or absolute chaos, it drives them literally crazy.

The documentary was a huge success in my humble opinion. After two years of insanity and chaos, Britney Spears has finally re-humanized herself. Seeing her rebound from the "bad times" as she called them really makes it very easy to root for her.

Britney Spears Performs on The X Factor

She is definitely getting more confident in her dance moves. It is very nice seeing Britney getting herself back on track. This is definitely her best performance so far.

She is supposed to appear on ABC's Good Morning America to celebrate her album release and birthday so keep a lookout for that.

Britney Spears Performs at the German Bambi Awards

If this hadn't been Britney's first performance since last year's disastrous VMAs, I would declare this a failure.

However, considering, I'll give her a free pass. Baby steps, right?

Preview of Britney Spears' New Video "Circus"

She has truly made a comeback, hasn't she?

The video should be fully released sometime next week, to coincide with the album release and her birthday.

Madonna and Britney Perform "Human Nature" At Dodgers Stadium

I'm just going to say two things:

Britney looks fantastic.

She's getting better and better every day. Her's might be the best comeback in recent pop culture history.

Madonna looks WAY too old to be dressing the way she is.

Seriously, and I mean no disrespect, but Madonna does not look attractive on that stage at all. It's not even the age thing. It's more the "I'm going to wear a bra and panties with a sheer black top at 50" thing. It's a bad look on paper, but in reality, with her thin, too-muscular body, its just kinda gross. What happened to the yoga thing Madonna had going on?

Until she's ready to put the weights down, I think she should rethink her wardrobe, by putting more on.

For more Britney, she'll be doing LOTS of promo in the coming weeks, including X Factor. For more Madonna, she's currently on her "Sticky and Sweet" tour.

Chart Battle UK: Beyoncé, Leona, Britney, and Christina Fight For #1

   

What happens when you have four of pop music's biggest artists releasing a song in the same week?

A chart battle, of course!

Yes, less than two months before the coveted Christmas number one is up for grabs, the lady leaders of the industry are engaging in a chart race to the top! Beyonce has released "If I Were A Boy", the first single from I Am...Sasha Fierce. Leona has sent out "Forgive Me", which precedes the release of Spirit: The Deluxe Edition. Britney, fresh from a US #1, releases "Womanizer" from Circus. Finally, Britney's longtime chart rival Christina will be releasing "Keeps Gettin' Better" from her greatest hits package of the same name.

So, who will be on top?

Right now, Beyonce is topping the UK iTunes chart, with Britney close behind at #2. Leona is a bit farther down at #5, being separated by "Hero" and Girls Aloud's "The Promise". Christina is out of the top 10 completely, settling for #12. Leona and Christina have the benefit of a CD single to help their sales, so its possible that Leona may pull a #1 upset. 

Still, the four divas are facing other competitors. "Hero", the Mariah Caey cover sung by the X Factor finalists, will probably sell well into its second week after topping last week's chart with sales of over 310,000. Girls Aloud's "The Promise" is also holding on tight as well. Strictly Come Dancing contestant Alesha Dixon also has a new single out, "The Boy Does Nothing".

Right now, here are my chart predictions:

"If I Were a Boy" - #1 

"Womanizer" - #3

"Forgive Me" - #4

"Keeps Gettin' Better" - #8

Stay with BWU for the latest on the chart battle!

Cover This! Britney Spears' "Circus"

OK, so we were all excited about the release of Circus, the Britney Spears album that restore her to pop domination. In fact, I really really wanted to see what the album cover looked like; I wasn't sure what to expect.

I certainly didn't expect this.

While Britney looks all cute and innocent, everything else around her looks terrible. The star border and the font makes it look like Britney's album is a collection of cheesy country ballads.Either that or a free ride to the freak show.

Seriously, who is designing these covers, because many of the latest ones are pretty bad.

Britney Spears Catapults to #1 With Womanizer

It took Britney Spears a decade.

The recovering pop singer has finally topped the US chart again, with her new single "Womanizer". The song moves up an astonishing 96 spots from last week to the top spot, the largest jump in chart history.

This may surprise some, but this is only the second time Britney has topped the Billboard Hot 100. The first time was with her debut "...Baby One More Time" in January of 1999. The closest she got to the top was with "Gimme More" last year, which peaked at #3.