charts (16 posts)

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It's still hard out there for a pimp, but apparently it's not much easier for a saint.

Mötley Crüe's Saints of Los Angeles and Three 6 Mafia's Last 2 Walk were the week's biggest bows, but neither came close to the three albums that pulled a Groundhog Day up top.

Coldplay's Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends held the No. 1 spot for the week ended Sunday, selling another 249,000 copies, per Nielsen SoundScan. Lil Wayne followed at No. 2 with 209,000 copies of Tha Carter III, and the Jonas Brothers-led Camp Rock soundtrack held at No. 3 with 169,000.

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AP Photo/Chris Pizzello

Katy Perry just smooched her way to No. 1, and into the history books.

Her single "I Kissed a Girl" leapfrogged over Coldplay to top Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart, becoming the 1,000th No. 1 hit of the rock era.

Perry landed the millennial No. 1 by selling 235,000 digital copies and surging seven spots to No. 12 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart. Though her music leans pop, the racy singer is racking up spins at several alt-rock stations as well, and she's a fixture on this year's Vans Warped Tour.

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Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com

Apparently cold is the new hot.

A week after becoming the first British rock group in 20 years to top the Hot 100, Coldplay just took over the Billboard 200 with the biggest sales week for a rock act since, well, the band's last album.

Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends ruled the week ended Sunday by selling 721,000 copies, per Nielsen SoundScan.

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Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com

Coldplay got some heavy play on the charts.

Thanks mostly to massive digital sales, the easy-rocking Brit band landed its first No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 as "Viva la Vida" ended the four-week reign of Lil Wayne's "Lollipop." Chris Martin and mates reached the top spot with more than 246,000 in sales of the single for the week ended Sunday.

The last time a British rock group topped the Hot 100? Twenty years ago, when the Def Leppard power ballad "Loves Bites" infected the airwaves.

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Lil Wayne just got himself some more platinum to add to that blinged-out grill of his.

The boastful Cash Money hip-hopster banked sales of 1 million copies for his long-awaited Tha Carter III, the first album in more than three years to break the seven-figure ceiling, per Nielsen SoundScan, and Wayne's first No. 1. The MC, who calls himself the world's greatest rapper, will have those bragging rights for the time being.

As evidence of its anticipation, the album sold 423,000 copies in its first day alone. So far this year, only two other albums have sold more copies than that in an entire week.

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Warner Bros. Records

Indestructible had to live up to its name this week.

Disturbed faced big-time competition as Weezer, Journey, Ashanti, Jewel and the latest installment in the powerhouse Now That's What I Call Music! series all debuted in the top 10, but the self-produced Indestructible was an unstoppable force at No. 1. The Chicago metal act won the week ended Sunday by selling 252,000 copies, per Nielsen SoundScan.

Indestructible, which leads at rock radio with "Inside the Fire," is the band's third album to top the charts in four tries. Disturbed's Ten Thousand Fists opened with 239,000 copies in 2005, while 2002's Believe topped its competition with a career-best 284,000-copy bow.

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Looks like Usher's the last man standing.

The R&B megastar might not have duplicated the seven-figure sales debut of Confessions, but the follow-up Here I Stand dominated the album charts, selling 443,000 copies for the week that ended Sunday, per Nielsen SoundScan numbers.

Here I Stand easily finished at No. 1 despite a strong debut by the Fergie- and Jennifer Hudson-powered Sex and the City soundtrack. Usher's album also topped the charts in Canada, Australia and the U.K.

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Music fans seem to like what's behind door No. 3—at the expense of Bun B and Dancing With the Stars' Julianne Hough. And maybe Scarlett Johansson should stick to her day job.

Mississippi rockers 3 Doors Down opened atop the Billboard 200 for the second straight time as their new self-titled album sold 154,000 copies for the week ended Sunday, per Nielsen SoundScan. The band, best known for the 2000 megahit "Kryptonite," previously topped the charts with 2005's Seventeen Days.

Bun B debuted at No. 2, selling 98,000 copies of his sophomore solo effort, II Trill. The Southern rapper had been one-half of the rap duo UGK until the December death of partner Pimp C. The late, great Pimp posthumously appears on II Trill, however, with verses recorded before his death.

Hough, the youngest pro hoofer on and two-time champ of Dancing With the Stars, stepped in at No. 3 with sales of 67,000 for her country-music debut. Hough is currently at country radio with "That Song in My Head."

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Just like NYC on a rainy day, there was no stopping this cab ride.

For the first time in their decade-plus career, Death Cab for Cutie found itself a spot atop the Billboard 200. For the week ended Sunday, their new album Narrow Stairs ascended to No. 1 on 144,000 copies sold, per Nielsen SoundScan.

The Evergreen State rockers benefited from massive touring, critical praise and the album's top 10 modern rock single "I Will Possess Your Heart."

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It may have taken him more than four decades and 40-plus albums to get there, but Neil Diamond is finally No. 1, to the dismay of Toby Keith, Clay Aiken and Josh Groban.

The easy-rocking relic's Home Before Dark has become the first chart-topper in his storied career, which dates back 42 years and 46 albums. Diamond's disc moved 146,000 copies for the week ended Mother's Day, per Nielsen SoundScan numbers.

The Jazz Singer, who previously peaked at No. 2 with 1973's Jonathan Livingston Seagull soundtrack, made a big comeback with 2005's 12 Songs, his first collaboration with producer Rick Rubin and the first Diamond album to feature the artist on guitar since his '70s Bang Records days. Home is the singer's second album with Rubin.

Diamond has sold over 125 million albums, written 36 Top 40 hits, chalked up 15 Top 10 albums and picked up both a Grammy and a Golden Globe.

His boffo sales benefited from an appearance as an American Idol mentor, which is ironic considering he beat the pants off Aiken this week.

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Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com

Gotta give it to up for Madonna, lady sure knows how to make an exit.

Hard Candy, the Material One's final Warners album before joining Live Nation, dominated the pop chart, moving 288,000 copies to debut at No. 1 for the week ended Sunday, per SoundScan.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is now just one No. 1 away from tying Barbra Streisand's all-time record of eight chart-toppers, the standard for female artists.

Take that, Mariah.

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Michael Caulfield/Wireimage.com, Lester Cohen/WireImage.com, David Boily/WireImage.com, AP Photo/Peter Kramer

A high-profile engagement, endless speculation about major uterine developments and plenty of face time on TV and magazines couldn't put Ashlee Simpson over the top.

As it were, Jessica's baby sister managed just a bittersweet No. 4 debut for Bittersweet World, failing to extend her run of chart-topping albums and looking up at Mariah Carey, Leona Lewis and even the New Zealand novelty act Flight of the Conchords.

Carey and Lewis pulled a Groundhog Day in the top spots. Despite a 61 percent sales drop, Carey's E=MC2 remained No. 1, selling another 182,000 copies for the week ended Sunday, per Nielsen SoundScan, while Lewis' Spirit held down the No. 2 spot, selling 96,000. Conchords, meanwhile, held off Simpson for the week's top debut.

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