{{{ The Wonderful World Of Miss TLC }}}

Chart Chat

2009-11-04T07:30:00.002-05:00

This week's top 20 albums:

1. MICHAEL JACKSON "MICHAEL JACKSON'S THIS IS IT" 373,100 units sold

2. CREED "FULL CIRCLE" 109,749 units sold

3. TAYLOR SWIFT "FEARLESS" 109,459 units sold

4. ROD STEWART "SOULBOOK" 83,511 units sold

5. TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA "NIGHT CASTLE (2CD)" 83,374 units sold

6. STING "IF ON A WINTER'S NIGHT" 79,603 units sold

7. MICHAEL BUBLE "CRAZY LOVE" 71,394 units sold

8. NEW MOON (TWILIGHT) "SOUNDTRACK" 78,760 units sold

9. TIM MCGRAW "SOUTHERN VOICE" 59,184 units sold

10. JAY-Z "BLUEPRINT 3" 40,749 units sold

11. JACK JOHNSON "EN CONCERT" 38,585 units sold

12. MILEY CYRUS "TIME OF OUR LIVES EP" 32,616 units sold

13. BLACK EYED PEAS "E.N.D. (ENERGY NEVER DIES)" 30,166 units sold

14. TECH N9NE "K.O.D." 29,947 units sold

15. SWELL SEASON "STRICT JOY" 28,184 units sold

16. WOLFMOTHER "COSMIC EGG" 27,910 units sold

17. TRAIN "SAVE ME SAN FRANCISCO" 27,414 units sold

18. ATREYU "CONGREGATION OF THE DAMNED" 25,528 units sold

19. OWL CITY "OCEAN EYES" 25,498 units sold

20. BRIAN MCKNIGHT "EVOLUTION OF A MAN" 24,294 units sold

* What a great tribute to Michael. As you know (if you regularly read this column), MJ was ROCKING the sales charts this past summer right after his untimely passing. However, even though he was selling more than the top albums on the Current Albums chart; he could only be listed on the Catalog Albums list because of the "shelf age" of his releases. Interestingly enough, this new charttopper only includes one new song (in addition to remastered hits and demo versions of popular tracks). But since it's new, it's allowed to top the "Current Album" chart as would any new "Greatest Hits" kind of release. So I'm glad Michael got to have his first # posthumous release. He deserves it.

* Creed? Really? And they still have that many fans? Seriously? Ugh.

* Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Again, if you regularly read this column, you are fully aware of our "Swiftgate Seen Through Sales" posts (one is actually still on the homepage below). I was touting Taylor's ability to continually sell in the 5-digit range a year after her album's release. NOW she has even outdid herself and hit the top 3 again selling over 100K copies of her album this week alone. That's NUTS. Most artists would be THRILLED with those kind of sales in their FIRST WEEK on the charts. But on their 51ST WEEK?!?!?!? That's just astounding. Good for her (and screw Kanye - lol).

* THREE QUESTIONS - (1) Rod Stewart and Sting in the Top 10? Is this the 80s? ;) (2) I'm happy that Tech N9ne was able to debut in the top 20. That's big. AND (3) You can't see this on the chart above because it only goes to #20, but Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey are right next to each other @ places #30 and #31 respectively. Whitney's newest release has been out for one month longer that Mimi's BUT it has sold almost 3 times the amount hers has. Even if you give Mariah another month, she wouldn't sell the additional 500K she needs to meet up with her competition. Interesting considering Mariah still thinks she has the valuable "young folk" demographic on lock while Whitney is definitely appealing to an older audience.

* Total sales have risen by about 700K units this week (are you taking my advice?). Keep it up lovelies. Music is a beautiful thing (and a great gift for the upcoming holiday season). :)

No Comment

2009-11-03T08:53:00.002-05:00

*** For more "No Comment" pics, search for them by entering that title in quotes in the white search box at the top of this blog. Feel free to do the same with the name of any of our other recurring features. Believe me, it's worth it. Search is your friend. :) ***

Is There Really Anything Original About Kid Cudi?

2009-11-02T09:09:00.001-05:00

While breezing through Kid Cudi's album liner notes, I came across the following GIGANTIC paragraph of credits for ONE SONG:

See, this is the problem with the music industry. Nothing's original anymore. I'm not saying that I'm against sampling and interpolations. I think they can actually be really hot and creative when done right. However, many songs nowadays cut and paste so many pieces of earlier works together that there's really nothing new or "their own" about it. How can the artist (1) call themselves an "artist" in the first place, and (2) feel OK with basically re-releasing something another person worked hard on to create? (I'm not talking covers here either.)

The above picture is a blurry shot of Kid Cudi's album liner notes. It's blurry because I'm not intending to get into a debate about the particular song or what was sampled. I am just using it as an example of a completely unoriginal and "out-of-control-on-the-sampling" work. The white parts are the lyrics, and the purple parts are the "credits". For album liner notes, the credits have to include the names of the songwriters and producers. Then additional credits may include (if relevant) background singers, vocal arrangers, sideartists, and samples/interpolations. This particular Kid Cudi song is SOOO out of control because there are many different samples and interpolations in that one measley song. You can compare it for effect to the song before it. The purple paragraph on the second song is literally larger than the lyrics for the song, and about 7x bigger than the song before it. I mean, is the song really worth making then? If you need THAT MUCH older material to "create" your "new" work???

Something to think about.

A Miss TLC New Video Alert: Britney Spear's "3"

2009-10-30T09:29:00.000-04:00

MISS TLC SAYS: Britney's really keeping it up with her comeback huh? I'm actually not a fan of this song at all, but the video is definitely hot.

Listen to Alicia Keys' "Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart" Here!

2009-10-30T08:55:00.004-04:00

MISS TLC SAYS: Technically, this is Alicia's second single from her upcoming album (but "Doesn't Mean Anything" isn't gaining buzz the way the label would like, so they're trying something else). I like it. I really like it actually.

Your Miss TLC "Gossip Girl" Sneak Preview Friday Fix!!!

2009-10-30T07:37:00.001-04:00

This episode is entitled "The Grandfather: Part II" so it's obviously a continuation of sorts from last season's episode where we were first introduced to Nate's Grandpa. For a list of upcoming eps, check out the titles and dates below:

*** "The Grandfather: Part II"

Mon., November 2, 9 p.m.

*** "They Shoot Humphreys, Don't They?"

Mon., November 9, 9 p.m.

*** "The Last Days of Disco Stick"

Mon., November 16, 9 p.m.

I like how this season is playing out so far. I think we're about a third of the way through now, so anything can still happen at this point. What I find really interesting though is how they really seem to be touching on the book storylines more than ever. You see in the books, Chuck is bisexual, and not only did they have him kiss a boy this season, but they also had him utter the phrase "you think I never kissed a guy before?". Hmm, nice and mysterious. Also, they chose to have Serena defer college while exploring a career in entertainment. In the books, she defers to focus on her acting career. Lastly, in the books, they eventually make Vanessa and Blair become friends after briefly living together in Brooklyn. They haven't gone that far yet, but they did hint towards a possible truce in the scene pictured below:

I wonder if they'll also make Dan become a famous poet/rock star or have Serena become a famous movie star (other book storylines). Stay tuned to find out. :)

No Comment

2009-10-30T06:51:00.001-04:00

The Latest "American Idol" Runner-Up's Album Cover

2009-10-29T08:59:00.004-04:00

I say it like that ("the latest AI runner-up") because I don't watch the show. However, I'm no fool, and I'm on top of ALL the news, so I do know that Adam Lambert was the fan favorite, and expected to win (but didn't). Adam is openly gay, and seems to be taking a lot of provocative pics lately, but I'm not sure this cover will go over well with the middle America mainstream AI audience. It looks like a cross between an 80s New Wave act, and a Broadway performer who still has his stage makeup on. Hmm... it might be both.

He looks really pretty in it though, don't he?

Another Celeb Lookalike

2009-10-29T07:34:00.004-04:00

Singer/songwriter, former member of R&B group Xscape, and current castmember of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" Kandi Burruss and singer, actress, and former judge on "America's Got Talent" Brandy...

MISS TLC SAYS: They both got huge smiles, and reality television shows on their resume. Oh yes, I see you Brandy. Did you forget about your lil "Special Delivery" show on MTV that was done to help purify your image after fans found out you were pregnant and unwed? Let me refresh your memory - you see, MTV played into your scheme and helped paint the picture that you and Robert Smith were in a long-term relationship and were actually married. Unfortunately for you it was revealed upon your "divorce", that you were never really married in the first place and that you were just a chick Robert was sleeping with while engaged to another. Tsk, tsk. I happen to love your music, but we fans haven't forgotten. Don't ever underestimate the length of a memory....... wait a minute. Come to think of it, Brandy's former flame Robert "Big Bert" Smith, even looked a lot like Kandi's now-deceased former fiancee AJ.

Wow. Even their resemblance is uncanny, no?!?

I guess Brandy & Kandi had a lot more in common than I thought! :)

** To view past posts of "Celeb Lookalike", search for it by entering the title in quotes in the white search box at the top of this blog. Feel free to do the same with the name of any of our other recurring features. Believe me, it's worth it. Search is your friend. :) ***

Chart Chat Continued: "Swiftgate Seen Through Sales" - UPDATE (ONE MONTH LATER)

2009-10-28T07:57:00.002-04:00

Back at the end of September (10 days after the MTV VMAs aired), I posted the original "SwiftGate Seen Through Sales" post (which you can read here).

Well now for fun (and to quiet the haters once again), I'm posting a one month later update.

Let's look at where the 3 players involved in that unfortunate incident are now.....

TAYLOR SWIFT

Taylor is currently at #7 on the charts with over 33K copies of her album sold just this week.

She has now sold over 4 million units in total of JUST this album, "Fearless".

[A month ago she was at #8. Even though her album has been out for almost a year, she is still steadily selling in the 5 digit range week after week, and she has sold an additional 164K units since last month.]

KANYE WEST

Kanye on the other hand, is still M.I.A. on the charts (meaning he hasn't even sold 2,475 copies of this latest album this week, which would land anyone the #200 spot).

[And before you try to say that that's only because his last album "808s & Heartbreak" is so old, understand that his album came out 2 weeks AFTER Taylor's "Fearless" so it's technically a newer album than hers. Unfortunately it wasn't good enough to remain popular or generate new singles.]

In total, in those 43 weeks, Kanye has only gone platinum once with his latest album (with 1,606,611 copies sold). Taylor's gone platinum with her latest album... FOUR TIMES (with 4,031,467 copies sold).

BEYONCE

Lastly, Beyonce currently holds the #68 spot on the chart, selling almost 8K copies of "I Am...Sasha Fierce" this week.

Last month, she was at #40 and was selling about 13K copies a week at that point. She had sold 2.413 million units in total at that point, and has now sold 2.462 million copies in total at this point (an increase of 49K copies in a month).

Hmm... do you have anything else to say for yourselves guys???

DISCLAIMER: I know that Beyonce didn't go after Taylor at all. It was all Kanye. And Beyonce did show Taylor some love when she called her back onstage during her acceptance speech. It's just that Kanye's point in all of this (thinly veiled as it was), is that he and Beyonce were the bigger, more award-deserving stars. Don't for one minute think this was just about his strong appreciation of the "Single Ladies" video. So I'm just here to break it down for y'all. Taylor is big. Huge even. And Kanye? Well Kanye was dropped from the Lady Gaga tour and hasn't really been seen much since. You do the math. :)

(Just kidding about that last comment. I happen to really like some of Kanye's work. I just don't like his antics.)

Chart Chat

2009-10-28T07:33:00.002-04:00

This week's top 20 albums:

1. NEW MOON (TWILIGHT) "SOUNDTRACK" 153,042 units sold

2. TIM MCGRAW "SOUTHERN VOICE" 136,574 units sold

3. MICHAEL BUBLE "CRAZY LOVE" 101,950 units sold

4. JAY-Z "BLUEPRINT 3" 42,838 units sold

5. MILEY CYRUS "TIME OF OUR LIVES EP" 38,706 units sold

6. BLACK EYED PEAS "E.N.D. (ENERGY NEVER DIES)" 35,200 units sold

7. TAYLOR SWIFT "FEARLESS" 33,635 units sold

8. OWL CITY "OCEAN EYES" 28,139 units sold

9. BARBRA STREISAND "LOVE IS THE ANSWER" 27,533 units sold

10. JOSS STONE "COLOUR ME FREE" 26,595 units sold

11. ZAC BROWN BAND "FOUNDATION" 24,255 units sold

12. BEBE & CECE WINANS "STILL" 22,176 units sold

13. RAMMSTEIN "LIEBE IST FUR ALLE DA" 21,983 units sold

14. MARIAH CAREY "MEMOIRS OF AN IMPERFECT ANGEL" 21,123 units sold

15. BREAKING BENJAMIN "DEAR AGONY" 21,043 units sold

16. LADY GAGA "FAME" 20,826 units sold

17. KISS "SONIC BOOM" 20,542 units sold

18. TOBY KEITH "AMERICAN RIDE" 20,194 units sold

19. FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS "I TOLD YOU I WAS FREAKY" 19,882 units sold

20. WHITNEY HOUSTON "I LOOK TO YOU" 18,985 units sold

* The "New Moon" soundtrack debuted at #2 last week, and was able to increase sales by 33% this week to jump to #1. I'm sure Tim McGraw is thrilled his first week was overshadowed by a tween tale. :) This one will only grow from here, considering the movie is not even in theaters yet (so the sales are all purely from commercials, fan groups, and buzz).

* Michael Buble is still doing it big. He's basically gold (500K units sold), since he's sold 436,919 copies of his latest album so far. He has only been out for 3 weeks, so that's really good for a glorified lounge singer. Don't get me wrong, I actually adore Michael, it's just not a traditionally popular genre.

* That Taylor Swift boy. She just doesn't stop. Her latest effort, "Fearless", is still in the top 10 after almost A YEAR on the charts, and she has sold over FOUR MILLION copies in that time. Her last album, "Taylor Swift", is STILL on the charts at #60 after THREE YEARS, and has sold almost 4.4 MILLION copies.

* THREE QUESTIONS - (1) Rammstein is still around? (2) Joss Stone was given another chance? AND (3) Natalie Cole is STILL using "Unforgettable" for her own success?!?!? [Nat's latest album is entitled "Still Unforgettable" and it debuted at #50 this week.]

* Total sales have only dropped 21K units this week (not that bad). C'mon people, start your Christmas shopping now, and give the gift of music! :)

Rihanna Debuts Album Cover For "Rated R"

2009-10-27T08:46:00.002-04:00

MISS TLC SAYS: I like that she's taking a risk going in a completely different direction here (with the 80s dark punk look). Then again, I've also heard the single and me no likey (at all). So we'll just have to see where RiRi takes this one when it comes out November 23rd.

Miss TLC Hearts Alice

2009-10-26T06:36:00.000-04:00

MISS TLC SAYS: I'm going to be Alice from "Alice In Wonderland" for Halloween this coming Saturday, and so I thought it was apropos to post one of my fave songs from the Disney version of the movie to prepare. Enjoy "The Unbirthday Song"!

[RANDOM MISS TLC FACT: I adore the character Alice (as well as the name, as it was also one of my beloved Grandmothers names), and so I've actually dressed up as her before for Halloween. This year, I decided to go down the more traditional, girly route (as opposed to the edgy sexy one) and purchased the real deal Disney version of the costume. Can't wait!]

The Gaga Gossip Is True!

2009-10-23T07:01:00.001-04:00

Ugh. Lady Gaga WILL definitely be appearing on one of my favorite shows as previously rumored and now evidenced below.

I know. At first glance, I thought it was Dee Snider too.

But then I realized that Dee wears less makeup. Bah dum pum ching!

Anyhoo, Stefani Germanotta will be on the "Gossip Girl" episode entitled "The Last Days of Disco Stick" airing on November 16th.

Originally, fans surmised that Gaga would probably appear in the November 9th episode since there are rumors that a GG threesome would be going down in that ep (and well...Gaga is known to be pretty sexually suggestive in her lyrics, dances, and image). However, she's appearing on a later episode and the current rumors suggest that Ms. Waldorf gets her to perform @ NYU in her constant quest to get the other students to worship her there like they did at Constance.

Getting back to LG, I'm really hoping her fame reaches flash in the pan status in a couple years and we can all look back on these original GG episodes with nostalgia and confusion 10 years from now like "what was that performer's name again?" (like we do whenever some random artist performs at The Peach Pit After Dark during the SoapNet 90s reruns of "Beverly Hills 90210").

Well, at least a girl can dream. ;)

Either way, all this Gaga/Gossip Girl talk has me not wanting to even post clips of Monday's upcoming episode (like I usually do on Fridays). You'll just have to do without it for this week and we'll reconvene with the teaser clips next Friday. :)

No Comment

2009-10-22T07:15:00.005-04:00

Gorgeously Gossip Girl

2009-10-21T07:18:00.004-04:00

How gorge were Blair and Vanessa in the opening dream sequence on Monday's "Gossip Girl"???

Simply lovely.

There's Going To Be Another "Celebrity Apprentice" I Guess.....

2009-10-21T06:56:00.003-04:00

According to early reports, this is who will star in the next version of "Celebrity Apprentice".....

And this is who people are predicting will win (according to one entertainment poll).....

Hmm... do you all agree? Maybe I will post a new poll to find out soon! :)

The Convertible Pizza Box (Well Really, It's The "Greenbox"}

2009-10-20T06:12:00.000-04:00

MISS TLC SAYS: Brillz. I hope all pizzerias start using this one as the standard.

A Miss TLC Trailer Alert: "The Book Of Eli"

2009-10-19T07:15:00.000-04:00

MISS TLC SAYS: Check out motherpluckin' Mila Kunis as the female lead in a Denzel Washington/Gary Oldman movie! Wow. I'm sure she's psyched to see her name listed right after stars of that caliber. Long way from "That 70s Show" for sure. Either way, Oldman's one of the best villains around, and Washington looks like he's revisiting his "Training Day" persona. So this one should be pretty entertaining. It's set to hit theaters on January 15, 2010.

Joel Madden & Nicole Richie Tie The Knot!

2009-10-19T06:23:00.004-04:00

This is how it should be done. Quiet and un-spectacle-like (listen up Kardashians!!!).

Nicole sure has come a long way since "The Simple Life". Good for her.

Rihanna Is Releasing "Something" 2Moro

2009-10-19T05:15:00.003-04:00

MISS TLC SAYS: The net is all abuzz (just the way she likes 'em). So what happens tomorrow morning @ 11:23am? Will the first single be released from Rihanna's upcoming album? The viral marketing campaign launched last week with the simple release of the phrase: "The Wait Is Ova - 11.23.09". And now her site has posted the image and countdown above. Hmm. The only way I'll be interested is if it's the Justin Timberlake collabo that drops. Almost any musical composition that boy touches (in writing, producing or performing) is hot in my opinion.

Get Your Exclusive "Gossip Girl" Clips & Spoilers Here!!!

2009-10-16T08:28:00.006-04:00

MISS TLC SAYS: Time sure is flying. This is the 6th episode of the 3rd season already. So what do you think so far? Do you want Rufus & Lily's son to stick around? How about Georgina? And Carter? (For spoilers about Monday's episode, drag your mouse from here {SPOILERS: Blair wants Chuck to seduce a gay NYU student who has the authority to appoint her as the speaker at the freshman lunch instead of Vanessa and Chuck DOES it [he sure must love Blair a lot] but B quickly regrets her decision to renew their "game". Those who have read the books know that Chuck swings both ways. Hmm, are they going to take the TV show there? I guess we'll know soon enough. We also meet Vanessa's Mom in this episode, and Serena and Nate start to scheme together again.} to here.)

Well well well.....

What Are You Wearing?

2009-10-15T22:16:00.003-04:00

While walking to a store this afternoon, I saw the woman below wearing a popular trend that has gotten WAY out of control:

I don't care WHAT American Apparel tells you, leggings are NOT to be worn as pants. They are just upgraded tights. Therefore, they are only appropriate by themselves when you are in the gym or performing onstage. Otherwise, they need to be worn underneath skirts, tunics, or long sweaters. Got it?

PS - The woman above was photographed around 2pm in freezing cold weather. In addition to the leggings, she was wearing tons of makeup and plastic high heels, and looked to be around 35-40. Mucho inappropriate-o.

*Sigh*

DISCLAIMER: Please know that all of this is said in jest. Faces and heads have been removed from the pictures in order to protect identities (kinda like the black line across the eyes thing you see in many fashion magazines...I'm just taking it a step further and being extra cautious...I am only critiquing the clothes, not the person). If by chance, you are the person in this pic and you want it removed, please contact me and I will do so immediately. :) We have avoided showing the face of the accused fashion violator so as to spare her the embarrassment. We here at The Wonderful World of Miss TLC love to point out fashion violations, and odd happenings in NYC, but we aren't trying to put someone's face on blast. If someone happens to come to the site, and can tell that they know the person just from their back, or their feet, or their clothes, so be it, but I don't show faces here.

*** To view past editions of "What Are You Wearing?" search for it by entering the title in quotes in the white search box at the top of this blog. Feel free to do the same with the name of any of our other recurring features. Believe me, it's worth it. Search is your friend. :) ***

A Miss TLC Take On: The Meghan McCain Twitpic Saga

2009-10-14T22:03:00.006-04:00

Look, I am all for women embracing their shape, and being proud of what they have, but I refuse to believe that anyone would not know enough that a picture like that would stir up a bit of controversy. That's not a simple, plain ole' "just me in my pajamas" photo. There's either a push-up bra, purposeful lean over the camera angle, or pre-pic manual breast prop-up at work there. No one's breasts sit up that high and spill over a tank top that much on their own unless the tank top is 5 sizes too small. And if Meghan truly can't control what she has because she's just that voluptuous, then pull the tank up as much as you can to cover them before snapping and posting the pic. I am a woman, and I know that you do have to be careful with how you dress and what kinds of photos you post of yourself online ESPECIALLY when you are "famous". There is no need to make this a major media story, but Meghan should come clean and just admit she was trying to be a lil edgy and sexy when posting the pic. Just tell the truth.

I am sick and tired of "celebrities" getting their blackberries hacked, computers stolen, sex tapes leaked, private photos released, and/or Facebook/Twitter comments/pics widely published and then taking the defense that it was private and/or a misunderstood joke. Part of the burden of being a celebrity is that almost everything you do has the potential to be publicly criticized and torn apart. I know that sucks. That's part of the reason Miss TLC has opted not to cross that celebrity line (wink). I'm not saying it's right to criticize all that "the famous" do, I'm only saying it's a widely known fact in today's world. So don't become famous, and then act like you just want to live a private life and be left alone. Huh? That's just a big, fat oxymoron if I ever heard one. The best you can do if you are genuinely a private person is to NOT have a Twitter account in the first place, NOT post intimate photos of yourself in your pajamas in bed, NOT film sex tapes, NOT set up your own YouTube channel where you film yourself cooking or playing around with friends or recording in the studio, NOT star in a reality show, NOT attend every since public event with a red carpet, and NOT email your significant others naked photos of yourself. It's honestly not that hard.

{PS - To further my point that Ms. McCain knew exactly what she was doing, check out this totally random link to a "Google Image - Meghan McCain search": click here. I was trying to see if there was a pattern of any revealing clothing with her but there is nothing even remotely provocative that pops up from her past fashion choices. You can also gauge from looking through those pics that she is completely aware of her rather large chest and purposefully keeps it covered as best she could at all times. She's a beautiful girl, and typically dresses conservatively-young. So how could she not know that a pic of her chest almost entirely on display would cause such a firestorm? It beats me.}

Listen to Leighton Meester's First Single Here!!!

2009-10-13T08:05:00.004-04:00

MISS TLC SAYS: Hot. Hot. Hot. Honestly, I thought Leighton sounded great on the Cobra Starship song this summer, but I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I heard her first single would be with Robin Thicke. Now I can't wait to hear this one when I'm out. Awwwwww shoot!