Ed. note: Chris "dennisobell" Molanphy, our resident chart guru, looks at the upward, downward, and lack of movement on this week's Billboard charts:
So momentous was the news of Mariah Carey's triumph on the Hot 100 with "Touch My Body" that Billboard leaked it on Wednesday, a day early. Chart freaks talk about acts beating small records all the time. But it's not every day that someone beats a mark on the all-time list that involves something as iconic as career No. 1 hits. And it's even rarer when that record is four decades old and involves the King of Rock & Roll.
And hey, Elvis was only ranked second on the list for total No. 1 hits. (He was, until this week, first place among solo acts.) Even sadder for Presley fans, this same week, another lady bests a record he had all to himself—this time, for most Top 10 hits. As "4 Minutes" makes a 65-point leap to No. 3, Madonna pulls out of a tie with the King, leaving him all shook up with 17 No. 1's and 36 Top 10s, to Carey's 18 chart-toppers and Madge's 37 smashes.
There's no joy in Graceland today. And if you're near Abbey Road right now, don't be surprised if folks there look a bit twitchy, too.
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Idolator
American culture's penchant for Having Fun With Elvis In The Afterlife continues with the re-release of "Blue Christmas," which has had Martina McBride added to The King's '68 Comeback Special performance of the song for the purposes of flogging it all over again in 2008. (The video is embedded over at USA Today's Web site.) Yes, it's sort of like when Celine Dion joined Elvis onstage for American Idol's 2007 charity show, except a little creepier this time, thanks to the lack of Sanjaya and the power of "meaningful" digital editing!
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In honor of Elvis Week, CBS' Early Show has talked to a bunch of ladies the King frenched/pitched woo/made eyes at, including his first girlfriend, who claims El was a chaste young man. "It did not get to the heavy petting point," she says. Suuuuuure. [
