Susan Boyle looked radiant as she took the stage at the Newcastle Theatre Royal on Tuesday night (Mar. 27), making a guest appearance for the premiere of her musical I Dreamed A Dream in Tyne, England. Based on the Someone To Watch Over Me singer’s autobiography The Woman I Was Born to Be, the show follows the Britain’s Got Talent alumna’s journey from humble beginnings to overnight stardom using a soundtrack of the platinum-selling artist‘s best-known songs, including the Les Miserables tune that made the 50-year-old a household name and after which the musical is named. Check out Susan beaming before a standing ovation as she takes her curtain call below. Then tell us, will you be attending I Dream A Dream on its 11-stop tour?

The Monkees’ Davy Jones has passed away today at the age of 66, but it’s never too early to remember what made Jones and the band so big in the first place — their infinitely catchy, free-spirited songs. Many artists throughout the years – from the Four Tops to acts like Run DMC and even Susan Boyle – have flipped through The Monkees’ songbook and put their spin on their pop classics. Celebrate Davy’s contribution to music by listening to some major stars perform covers of The Monkees’ biggest hits below.

Susan Boyle – “Daydream Believer”

Coldplay – “I’m A Believer”

Neil Diamond – “I’m A Believer”

Run DMC – “Mary Mary” (which samples The Monkees’ song of the same name)

Four Tops – “Last Train To Clarksville”

Glee feat. Neil Patrick Harris – “Daydream Believer”

Smash Mouth – “I’m A Believer”

Head over to PureVolume to check out their favorite covers of songs by The Monkees.

Our pop peers over at UK music site PopJustice unveiled their picks for the Top 33 Albums and the Top 45 Singles of 2011, and their lists offer both the familiar and the fresh — Lady Gaga’s Born This Way topped their album picks, while Martin Solveig’s collaboration with Dragonette on “Hello” was their favorite tune from 2011. Their taste is heavy on dance tracks and larger than life melodies, so if your heart beats pure pop, you’ll be pleased with these picks, especially if you crave some tunes yet undiscovered here in The States. Top 10 for both lists below. 

The pop music site likens the sight of Gaga attempting to enter a car whilst wearing a ridiculously large hat in her “Marry The Night” video as a metaphor for her whole album: “Born This Way was the sound of someone trying to force a massive hat into a tiny car. It is a sprawling, ambitious album that shouted to be heard when everyone was already listening, but no other album in 2011 tried quite this hard to be amazing, and no other album succeeded in as many ways.”

We have quite a bit in common with PopJustice, as we named Gaga’s opus as one of our favorite LPs from the last year. (Albums from Will Young, The Sound Of Arrows and Britney Spears also landed on Idolator’s year-end list.)

PopJustice didn’t include write-ups for anyone on their Top Albums list other than Gaga, so you’ll have to tweet them directly to inquire about their adoration for Rihanna’s Talk That Talk and Nicole Scherzinger’s Killer Love. (Good for Nicole that her album was officially released somewhere in the world.)

POPJUSTICE’S TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2011

1. Lady Gaga, Born This Way
2. Will Young, Echoes
3. The Sound of Arrows, Voyage
4. Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Make A Scene
5. Susan Boyle, Someone To Watch Over Me
6. Pnau, Soft Universe
7. Nicola Roberts, Cinderella’s Eyes
8. Rihanna, Talk That Talk
9. Britney Spears, Femme Fatale
10. Nicole Scherzinger, Killer Love

Head here to read the full list of their Top 33 Albums of 2011.

POPJUSTICE’S TOP 10 SINGLES OF 2011

1. Martin Solveig feat. Dragonette, “Hello”
2. Lady Gaga, “Judas”
3. Eric Saade, “Popular”
4. Katy Perry, “Last Friday Night (TGIF)”
5. Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris, “We Found Love”
6. Amanda Nair, “Doubt”
7. Olly Murs feat Rizzle Kicks, “Heart Skips A Beat”
8. Lady Gaga, “Edge Of Glory”
9. The Saturdays, “All Fired Up”
10. Will Young, “Jealousy”

Head here to read the full list of their Top 45 Singles Of 2011.

Popping Up is our recurring look at new artists making noise on the music landscape. Because, hey—Madonna and Britney were once unknown, too.

Emeli Sande knows a thing or two about writing successful singles — after all, before heading out on her own, the Scottish singer cut her teeth by writing songs for several of her fellow UK artists. “I think it’s probably melody and I think a lot of people forget that you have to understand melody and what people want to hear,” she said in a recent interview with MTV UK. “I mean, you can have the coolest words used, but if you don’t have something that people want to sing back, it’s not gonna be a hit.”

Emeli has been putting cool words to paper and laying down catchy melodies over the past year for her debut album, which is due out in February. Ahead of that, she released “Heaven”, a sweepingly-epic, soulful summer hit on the UK chart, and paired up with London rapper Professor Green on his latest single “Read All About It”.

Now we’re just waiting for this talented singer-songwriter to make a splashy stateside debut. Until that happens, find out just why Emeli Sande has been popping up on our radar below.

FULL NAME: Adele Emeli Sande. The singer-songwriter dropped her first name for performance purposes because, well, she didn’t want the masses getting her confused with a certain best-selling artist behind hits like “Rolling In The Deep” and “Someone Like You”. Sande stated the following in an interview with UK paper Metro earlier this year: “I changed it as soon as Adele came out. I just thought, you’ve kind of taken the name now, so I went with my middle name. She was just getting bigger and bigger, so I thought I just really need it.”

AGE: 24

HOMETOWN: Aberdeen, Scotland. Other artists who hail from the UK country of Scotland include “We Found Love” hit-maker Calvin Harris, Franz Ferdinand, KT Tunstall and Susan Boyle, whose newest album Someone To Watch Over Me Emeli co-wrote the track “The Will Be The Year” for. “Can you imagine a party with Susan Boyle? She’d just do something nuts and everyone would just be shocked,” Sande told Metro. “That’s a real rock star – very unpredictable.”

HER BIG BREAK: After meeting fellow UK musician Naughty Boy and working together (Emeli writing, Naughty Boy producing) on the single “Diamond Rings” for London rapper Chipmunk, she went on to pen tracks for Cheryl Cole, Leona Lewis and Tinie Tempah. She also features on “Let Go”, from Tinie’s debut LP Disc-Overy. “I really loved working with Tinie – he has just supported me from day one,” Sande has said. “He’s brilliant and, yeah, he’s a very good looking man. I have never seen him not looking good. He’s very polished. I’d love to work with him again.”

HER BIGGER BREAK: Emeli featured on Wiley’s Top 10 hit “Never Be Your Woman” last year, then stepped out on her own this past summer by releasing her synth-soaked, orchestral debut single “Heaven”, which was co-produced by Naughty Boy, Mike Spencer (Kylie Minogue’s “Spinning Around”) and Craze & Hoax. The result: a #2 hit on the UK chart.

“It’s amazing to hear the song on the radio, the first time I heard it I was in a taxi at like 2am,” Sande told MTV UK. “It was incredible. I really want to hear it in a club and have a little dance to it.”

UP NEXT: Emeli’s debut LP Our Version Of Events is currently scheduled for a February 6, 2012 drop date in her home country. (There’s no word yet on a stateside release.) “As for surprises, if people are expecting ten songs like ‘Heaven’ then they’ll probably be surprised but there is going to be different elements – like quite intimate moments on the album,” she told MTV UK. “Producers I’ve work with include Naughty Boy who I work with a lot and is quite an integral part of it. I’ve worked with Jim Abiss on a lot of the production but I like to keep it quite a small circle of people who I have good chemistry with.”

Ahead of that, “Daddy,” the follow-up single to “Heaven”, will be released this Sunday (November 27).

WHO SHE’D REALLY LIKE TO WORK WITH: The songstress has stated many times that she would love to get in the studio with recent American Music Awards winner Nicki Minaj. Of course, given Nicki’s prolific string of collaborations, we’re surprised this hasn’t actually happened yet! “I could like sing the chorus and have something that can match her rapping but I would want it to be something where we were both doing something as equally as good and just really owning each part of it. It would be just something brilliant.”

While we wait for that particular meeting of the musical minds, Emeli’s got her hands full with UK rapper Professor Green. His dramatic, “Love The Way You Lie”-esque single “Read All About It” features Sande on the chorus and topped the UK chart earlier this month.

What do you think of Emeli’s music. Has she got a good chance of cracking the US market with her soulful pop jams? Let us know in the comments below, or on Twitter and Facebook!

The Mariah Yeater baby scandal didn’t seem to affect Justin Bieber’s album sales during Under The Mistletoe‘s first week of release, as Billboard reports that Beliebers snatched up 210,000 copies of the holiday LP — enough for a #1 debut on the Top 200. This marks Justin’s second trip to the top of the album chart in 2011, following Never Say Never: The Remixes. Billboard also notes that Under The Mistletoe is the first Christmas album by a male artist to debut at #1 on the Top 200 in the chart’s history.

Two other achievements by the Bieb: Under The Mistletoe is only the eighth holiday album to top the chart, and the singer is the first solo artist to rack up three #1 albums before their 18th birthday.

Elsewhere, given the #1 debuts of Susan Boyle’s first two albums, it’s somewhat surprising to see her latest effort, Someone To Watch Over Me, go in at #4. Then again, I Dreamed A Dream started off with 701,000 copies sold in 2009, while last year’s The Gift opened with 318,000 — a steep drop that seems to have indicated a trend. Someone To Watch Over Me moved 132,000 copies in its first week.

Sandwiched between Bieber and Boyle, at #2 and #3, respectively, are Wale’s Ambition (164,000) and Miranda Lambert’s aptly-titled fourth album Four The Record (133,000).

With four new releases stacked at the top of the chart, Adele’s 21 is bumped down to #5 — the lowest position the album has reached since being released in late February. This leaves Florence + The Machine’s second album Ceremonials to enter at #6 (105,000). The Top 10 debuts are rounded out by Tyrese’s Open Invitation (76,000) at #9.

It was a relatively busy week, though expect things to get shaken up again by the debuts of Mac Miller’s Blue Slide Park and the Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 soundtrack in seven days.

The Top 10 Of Billboard’s Top 200 Chart

1. Justin Bieber, Under The Mistletoe *new* *1 week*
2. Wale, Ambition *new*
3. Miranda Lambert, Four The Record *new*
4. Susan Boyle, Someone To Watch Over Me *new*
5. Adele, 21
6. Florence + The Machine, Ceremonials *new*
7. Coldplay, Mylo Xyloto
8. Michael Buble, Christmas
9. Tyrese, Open Invitation *new*
10. Kelly Clarkson, Stronger

Over the past week, Justin Bieber shocked his fans with his brand new haircut, and then shocked the world when rumors surfaced that the 17-year-old singer had fathered the child of a 20-year-old Californian. In other news, Adam Lambert was a winner at MTV’s O Awards, JoJo’s new music video premiered and Rihanna landed her 11th chart-topping hit on the Hot 100. Naturally our readers had plenty to say about all this pop hustle. Read on!

:: Lissy was happy with Adam Lambert Wins, Robyn Performs At The MTV O Awards: “Go Adam, you deserve it, following you on twitter is hella entertaining! Saw the vid of Robyn’s performance this morning, love her.”

:: BBBBoss played matchmaker on JoJo’s “Disaster” Video: Love, Loss And Motorcycles: “JoJo did a great job! Poor kid in the video, he only wishes he was hooking up with Jo LIKE THAT. You know our Princess Jo loves the BROTHAS. I really wish someone would just find Jo a handsome young dark skinned man because she really deserves it & you know dudes don’t be cheating like some of them wild Arnold Schwarzenegger types!”

:: theComplex had a different point of view: “Another painfully boring track for such a talented singer. What happened to the songs from her Can’t Take That Away From Me mixtape?”

:: memememem was having Sapphic thoughts on Justin Bieber’s New Haircut: Drink It In, Beliebers: “Lesbian!”

:: CBill came to SuBo’s defense on Susan Boyle Likes At Life From “Both Sides Now” On The Today Show: “If you want to see Susan answering questions in more depth, simply find her interviews with Molly Meldrum and Piers Morgan (Life Stories). She is funny, witty, articulate, sharp as a tack. One can hardly expect her to ‘go deep’ when the time frame for questions is as brief as it was at the end of her song on the Today Show.”

:: adam talked that talk on Coldplay Top Album Chart, Rihanna Racks Up 11th #1 On Hot 100: “Does anyone else find it frustrating that Rihanna is competing in the same category as ‘The Beatles (who have 20), Mariah Carey (18), Michael Jackson (13), Madonna (12) and The Supremes (12). Whitney Houston also has 11.’ It would be one thing if she brought anythign [sic] innovative to her genre, but she really is just a pretty face with a good team.”

:: Nano seconded the thought: “11th #1? … I can´t even remember half of those hits, she should take a break i feel like achieving #1´s so fast doesn´t allow those hit to have an impact in pop culture, for example think about The Beatles their music and hits still relevant are classics the same way for MJ and Mariah, their #1´s have substance.”

:: We’re fighting the image at the end of Yu Lee‘s comment on Justin Bieber Tweets About Paternity Rumors: “She is obviously a huge LIAR who only wants his money. Justin is constantly being watched backstage by Kenny, security and video cameras! If she is a hater, why go to his concert in the first place? Oh, she was a fan, then like all Beliebers, she would be on her knees begging Justin to do it again!”

:: Danny was getting a feeling of deja vu on Katy Perry’s “The One That Got Away” Video: Watch The Trailer: “Is this part 2 of We Found Love? Even the intro monologue….”

Susan Boyle jettisoned performing her eyebrow-raising Depeche Mode “Enjoy The Silence” cover on the Today Show this morning, and instead opted for her somber take on Joni Mitchell’s whimsical ’60s classic “Both Sides Now”. The song is just one of 10 tracks that appear on Boyle’s third LP Someone To Watch Over Me, which was released yesterday. Will it top the album chart, as her first two records did, come next week? If our poll in the right sidebar is any indication, it’s sure looking that way.

One gripe, SuBo: we get that you’re shy. But for once it’d be nice to hear you respond to questions during an interview with more than a one-sentence answer.

The video for Susan Boyle’s cover of Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus’ Kristina musical number “You Have To Be There” is a black and white affair that finds the Scottish songbird trilling away in front of a full orchestra. (What, did you expect her to be dressed up like a mermaid or attending a wild house party with Rebecca Black?) It’s pretty standard fare for SuBo, but as we know, that usually translates into millions of CDs being sold. Her third album Someone to Watch Over Me arrives stateside on November 1. Does this video have you wanting to pick up a copy?

Over the past week, we heard Susan Boyle’s cover of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy The Silence” and Bruno Mars’ new single from Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1. We also saw Kelly Clarkson’s “Mr. Know It All” video, Kid Cudi’s comical interview with Conan O’Brien and Adam Lambert’s sitdown with Heidi Klum. So, how did our readers react to all this pop mayhem? Read on!

:: Riley was living the life on Kelly Clarkson Tears Through Her “Mr. Know It All” Video: “Love the video! I agree it fits perfectly with the song. I like how it goes from the cool lighting scenes, to a simple western backdrop. I might not have finished with the western road…but I hope that’s where the new video starts.”

:: Benjamin, however, thought there was more to be learned: “Kelly can do better…her management, stylist, media direction needs to take it up a notch…this looks like she just got out of American Idol last week rather than almost ten years ago…Kelly, you are amazing…Please move forward!!!!”

:: NolaChick felt there was no bite in Bruno Mars “It Will Rain”: Listen To The Twilight Soundtrack Song: “Ugh! This is awful! The only saving grace may be the fact that the singles from the last two soundtracks were terrible, but there were some great songs on them. New Moon was by far the best soundtrack, but worst movie. Eclipse soundtrack was good, but knowing that Stephanie had a hand in picking the songs for Breaking Dawn, I knew it would be total rubbish.”

:: Laura Corn only saw the beauty in Adam Lambert Talks Fashion With Heidi Klum: “These two interviews were so much fun to watch. Adam, in my opinion, doesn’t give a bad interview, but the chemistry between Adam and Heidi was very cute, almost flirty. She calls him beautiful as do his fans, thank you very much.”

:: Alex thought Cudder put the “X” in “sexy” on Kid Cudi Shows Off His Nike Mags, Discusses Kiss With Male Fan On Conan: “Why is it that when a strong hot masculine man, even a rapper like in this case, admits to not having homophobic prejudices I feel like I’m in love with them? Lol See people there is definitely something sexy about a man, gay or straight or bi, that is so secure in his own skin that things like getting kisses from men doesn’t bother him and doesn’t make him feel weird or gay. Confidence = SEX.”

:: John was violator-ed by Susan Boyle’s Depeche Mode “Enjoy The Silence” Cover: Compare The Versions: “he best thing I can say about the cover is that it could have been much worse. It’s not bad, but unless you can do an amazing re-work of a masterpiece, just don’t do it. The only amazing thing for me is I now remember how boffable Dave Gahan was back in the day.”

:: Deborah Wilbanks seems to think Depeche Mode makes disco for some reason? Oh, well — people are people: “Susan did a much needed remake. Disco, if it’s not dead, it’s a smothered memory.”

On her previous two albums, golden-voiced Scottish vixen Susan Boyle has covered such unlikely artists as Madonna, the Monkees and Lou Reed. And as we know, her upcoming LP Someone To Watch Over Me (out November 1) will contain what some may consider to be another musical leap: Susan’s eerily slowed-down rendition of Depeche Mode’s 1990 smash “Enjoy The Silence.” Rolling Stone premiered the track today. Give it a listen, and compare it to DM’s original version below.

When “Enjoy The Silence” first arrived 21 years ago as the haunting, synth-drenched second single off Depeche Mode’s multi-Platinum LP Violator, it heralded yet another breakthrough for the growing surge of alternative pop-rock in the early ’90s. The song peaked at #8 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart, marking the band’s first (and so far only) Top 10 hit in the States.

We could have told you without even hearing the cover that Boyle and her team wouldn’t attempt a similar dance-pop vibe with the arrangement. Instead, the track is completely reworked as a sort of dream-like, Coldplay-esque number, with SuBo’s vocals echoing across a wall-of-sound instrumentation. For the climax, a guitar riff and choir sound off before the song ends with few somber piano chords.

Do you think Susan did Depeche Mode proud with her cover of their classic hit? Let us know below!

Susan Boyle is about to release her third album in three years (is she in a race with Rihanna?), and the Scottish gem is feeling pretty 80s this time around, adding covers of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy The Silence” and Tears For Fears’ “Mad World” to her compilation of classics. All that’s missing is her rocking a side ponytail with a hot pink scrunchie on her album cover. Check out SoBu’s Someone To Watch Over Me track listing, and listen to her new sweeping epic of a song “You Have To Be There”.

“You Have To Be There” was written by ABBA’s Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, and hails from their 1995 musical Kristina.

Susan Boyle – You Have To Be There by Columbia Records

Susan Boyle - Someone To Watch Over Me

1. You Have To Be There
2. Unchained Melody
3. Enjoy The Silence
4. Both Sides Now
5. Lilac Wine
6. Mad World
7. Autumn Leaves
8. This Will Be The Year
9. Return
10. Someone To Watch Over Me

Over the past week, we previewed J. Cole’s upcoming debut album, rounded up reviews for Joe Jonas’ sexy new video and Coldplay’s moody new single, and weighed in on Susan Boyle’s latest album cover and Tony Bennett’s duets with Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga. Head below to see how our readers processed all of this pop uproar!

:: Vegard had high hopes after reading J. Cole Cole World: The Sideline Story: Fall Preview: “I’ve got a feeling this will be one of those albums people will talk about for years to come!”

:: KLo1012 clued us in on Idolator’s Top 10 Favorite Pop Mashups: “Anyone looking for a good mashup should check out Titus Jones. My personal favorites are My First Three Way, Cali Girls Need To Dance and Smells Like Ke$ha’s G6. He’s a genius.”

:: Nickolas agreed with the critics on Review Revue: Coldplay’s “Paradise”: “Another wonderful Coldplay song if you ask me. Maybe not like old ones such as The Scientist, but its still pretty amazing.”

:: James B. was also singing Viva La Coldplay: “If there is this much action about Paradise, which in my opinion is catchy and moving, but certainly not their best, I am eager to see/hear the buzz when the entire album is released and people’s reaction to Charlie Brown. I think this song will be one of its highlights!”

:: Dorothy was chuffed to bits with Susan Boyle Is Pretty In Purple On Someone To Watch Over Me Cover: “Absolutely Brilliant! The best singer of all times! She is getting better and better and I am sitting on pins and needles waiting for her new CD to come out. I want it now!!!!!”

:: Garrett was saw injustice on Joe Jonas “Just In Love” Video: Review Revue: “There’s obviously a double-standard when judging this clip. Rewind two years ago Miley Cyrus released a music video for ‘can’t be tamed’ that comproable [sic]to this clip was incredibly tamed. The fact that Joe isn’t getting nearly any of the attention Miley is unfair, but hey, the song is awful so its not going anywhere”

:: Caldee Dao gave a standing ovation on Lady Gaga Is A Broadway Baby On Tony Bennett Duet “The Lady Is A Tramp”: “This is what we call pure talent ! She can do all genres .. Her voice is nothing but flawless !!! AMAZING GAGA !!! Make some jazz numbers now !!! A Xmas album maybe…”

:: However, kiki delivered a low blow: “suck squared. cant wait for them both to die off.”

:: Paul Richards shot back with this: “Kiki, I was under the impression that only people who actually know a thing or two about music were allowed to post here. Guess not.”

:: Mary Newton, for one, was very much happy that the iconic crooner was still at it on Tony Bennett & Amy Winehouse Share Smiles In “Body And Soul” Video: “Tony can do no wrong. He is my all-time favorite. And his life is an example of what it takes to be a real star. Sinantra called him ‘the singer’s singer’ once in an interview. The man is amazing. He can teach all of today’s youngsters coming into this business how to do it…..80+ years old!”

:: Jenn concurred: “Tony’s voice is ageless and amazing, He and Amy together left me speechless WOW,WOW,WOW, what amazing talent. She will be missed.”

After glancing at the chart trends of the past two years, it’s pretty much a given that a new Susan Boyle album will be met with a fair amount of success. And today the Scottish wildcat’s fans can kick off the frenzied countdown to November 1, as the cover for Someone To Watch Over Me, Boyle’s third LP, was unveiled. The singer performed the track “You Have To Be There” — which was penned by ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus for the musical Kristina — on America’s Got Talent two weeks ago. Are you excited to hear more from Susan’s new album?

Somehow, folks, it’s now September. That can only mean one thing: we’re nearly upon Susan Boyle season. Naturally the Scottish temptress has a new album (Someone To Watch Over Me) lined up for the holidays. And so the Britain’s Got Talent alum hit up America’s Got Talent last night to debut “You Have To Be There,” the first offering from her third LP. Meanwhile, isn’t this the point in Susan’s career where Lil Wayne and Ludacris should be spitting rhymes on her lady hymns?

What do you think of Susan Boyle’s new song “You Have To Be There”?

To be a “Susan Boyle” on a televised singing competition show means that your outward appearance or demeanor belies the true talent you possess. For some reason, this makes little sense – it’s not a rule that you need to look as hot or be as rich as Beyonce to have an amazing voice – but audiences continue to be shocked that such singers exist. We’ve seen it before with Taiwan’s Lin Yu Chun, and with Boyle herself – but now comes 22-year old Sung-Bong Choi singing his heart out on Korea’s Got Talent. Watch below, and if you don’t weep at his heartbreaking story, you are surely dead inside.

Sung-Bong Choi is a manual worker – his lowly profession is laughed at by the audience in the studio, and is slightly mocked by one of the judges – who has lived alone basically his entire life – he has no family and was raised in an orphange, but left after being beaten up by people there. He was homeless for ten years and survived by selling gum and energy drinks on the street. Basically, we can barely summarize Sung-Bong’s life without tearing up, so we’ll ease the pain by letting you know that his singing is absolutely divine. Let’s hope his newfound Internet fame gives him a better life.

[Via Jezebel]

It was a perfect day for Susan Boyle, who recently turned 50 (her birthday is on April Fool’s Day). In addition to her Platinum-selling status around the globe, she has another achievement to put on her resume: a wax figure at Madame Tussauds in Blackpool, England, which was unveiled a few hours ago. We admit that we did a double-take when glancing over these pics of the Scottish vixen and her faux SuBo statue. Flip through the gallery to see if you can tell the difference!

Despite selling millions of records worldwide for the second year in a row, Susan Boyle is shut out of the BRIT Awards yet again. “She’s not cool and she’s not young… so she’s not for the BRITs,” said one music industry insider to The Daily Mail of the 49-year old singer. Ouch. Somehow, other not-young artists like Bruce Springsteen (61) and Robert Plant (62) scored nominations – we guess they’re just super cool?

Other cool and relatively young nominees include Eminem, who goes up against Kanye West, Cee Lo Green, David Guetta and “The Boss” Bruce Springsteen for International Solo Male. And Katy Perry will compete against Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Kylie Minogue and Robyn for International Solo Female. (Surprisingly, no Lady Gaga noms this year, despite her sweeping last year’s ceremony.) Head below for the full list of nominees.

If girls ruled last year’s BRIT Awards, this year is it’s the guys’ time to shine. Four out of the five nominees for Best International Breakthrough act are men or groups of men (or in Justin Bieber’s case, a teenage boy), and even the fifth nominee, the Glee cast, is half comprised of dudes.

Plus, besides Fergie’s lovely lady lumps and the few females of Arcade Fire’s army of members, the International Group selections favor the XY chromosome as well, while Katy Perry is the lone female voice in International Album.

The 2011 BRIT Awards take place at the o2 Arena in London on February 15.

British Male Solo Artist
Mark Ronson
Paul Weller
Plan B
Robert Plant
Tinie Tempah

British Female Solo Artist
Cheryl Cole
Ellie Goulding
Laura Marling
Paloma Faith
Rumer Warner

British Group
Biffy Clyro
Gorillaz
Mumford & Sons
Take That
The xx

British Breakthrough Act
Ellie Goulding
Mumford & Sons
Rumer
Tinie Tempah
The xx

British Single
Alexandra Burke ft Pitbull – “All Night Long”
Cheryl Cole – “Parachute”
Florence & The Machine – “You’ve Got The Love”
Matt Cardle – “When We Collide”
Olly Murs – “Please Don’t Let Me Go”
Plan B – “She Said”
Scouting For Girls – “This Ain’t A Love Song”
Taio Cruz – “Dynamite”
Tinie Tempah – “Pass Out”
The Wanted – “All Time Low”

MasterCard British Album of the Year
Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More
Plan B – The Defamation of Strickland Banks
Take That – Progress
Tinie Tempah – Disc-Overy
The xx – XX

International Male Solo Artist
Bruce Springsteen
Cee Lo Green
David Guetta
Eminem
Kanye West

International Female Solo Artist
Alicia Keys
Katy Perry
Kylie Minogue
Rihanna
Robyn

International Breakthrough Act
Bruno Mars
Glee Cast
Justin Bieber
The National
The Temper Trap

International Group
Arcade Fire
Black Eyed Peas
Kings of Leon
The Script
Vampire Weekend

International Album
Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Cee Lo Green – The Lady Killer
Eminem – Recovery
Katy Perry – Teenage Dream
Kings of Leon – Come Around Sundown

CRITICS’ CHOICE
Jessie J
James Blake
The Vaccines

BRITISH PRODUCER
Ethan Johns
John Leckie
Markus Dravs
Mike Pela
Stuart Price

When it came to the chart-topping albums of 2010, there were comebacks, stunning debuts and records that would eventually go on to become Grammy nominees. There was also redemption, twice as much Susan Boyle and, overall, a whole lot of Glee.  Head below to see our breakdown of the LPs you put at #1 on Billboard‘s Top 200 chart during the first year of the new decade.

MOST WEEKS AT #1: Both Eminem and Susan Boyle spent seven weeks at #1 on the Top 200 in 2010, but only Em did so with the same album (Recovery). SuBo, however, has the distinction of having book-ended the year—I Dreamed A Dream was the first #1 album of 2010, while The Gift topped the final chart (calendar date December 25).

BEST-SELLING ALBUM: Eminem’s Recovery sold 3.2 million copies in 2010. According to Billboard, Em’s LP was followed by Need You Now, from fellow Album Of The Year Grammy nominees Lady Antebellum (3 million), and Taylor Swift’s Speak Now (2.6 million).

DEBUT ALBUMS VS. SOPHOMORE ALBUMS: When we rounded up the top albums halfway through the year, four artists (Susan Boyle, Ke$ha, B.o.B and Drake) had reached the #1 position with their debut LPs. But while no other acts managed to pull off the same feat after that, three sophomore albums reached the top of the chart in 2010: Vampire Weekend’s Contra, Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now and Susan Boyle’s The Gift. We’ll leave it up to you to decide where Justin Bieber’s My World 2.0 falls (technically, his first My World, which was released in 2009, is an EP).

COUNTRY STRONG: With their Grammy-nominated album Need You Now, Lady Antebellum led the way in a year that saw a total of six country artists—including Zac Brown Band, Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, Sugarland and Taylor Swift—top the chart.

DIGITAL LOVE: The Hope For Haiti Now charity compilation became the first digital-exclusive album to reach #1 on the Billboard Top 200 (there was no physical CD available).

FOLLOW-UPS: Of all the artists who reached #1 in 2010, five of them offered follow-up releases to their chart-topping albums by December: Susan Boyle’s sophomore LP The Gift was in the hands of holiday shoppers 10 months after I Dreamed A Dream spent its final week on top of the chart; Usher rolled out Versus a mere five months after Raymond v. Raymond; Justin Bieber stripped things down (minds out of the gutter, ladies) with My Worlds Acoustic, which breezed in on the heels of My World 2.0; Ke$ha unleashed Animal, the first 2010 release to hit #1, then added mini album Cannibal to her catalog in November; the cast of Glee had three #1s on the Top 200 in 2010.

TOP ALBUMS WITH TOP SINGLES: Five chart-topping albums contained singles that likewise landed on top of the Hot 100 chart: Ke$ha’s Animal (“Tik Tok”), Usher’s Raymond v. Raymond (“OMG”), B.o.B’s The Adventures Of Bobby Ray (“Nothin’ On You”), Eminem’s Recovery (“Not Afraid”, “Love The Way You Lie”) and Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream (“California Gurls”, “Teenage Dream”, “Firework”).

IDOLATOR FAVES: Only one of the albums we singled out in our 10 Out Of ’10: Idolator’s Favorite Albums Of The Year list hit the top of the chart—Ke$ha’s Animal. Oh, well. Being #1 isn’t everything, you know.

THE RELEASES THAT TOPPED THE CHART IN 2010

Susan Boyle, I Dreamed A Dream
Ke$ha, Animal
Vampire Weekend, Contra
Various Artists, Hope For Haiti Now
Lady Antebellum, Need You Now
Sade, Soldier Of Love
Ludacris, Battle Of The Sexes
Justin Bieber, My World 2.0
Usher, Raymond v. Raymond
Glee Cast, Glee—The Music: The Power Of Madonna
B.o.B, The Adventures Of Bobby Ray
Godsmack, The Oracle
Glee Cast, Glee—The Music, Vol. 3: Showstoppers
Jack Johnson, To The Sea
Glee Cast, Glee—The Music: Journey To Regionals
Drake, Thank Me Later
Eminem, Recovery
Avenged Sevenfold, Nightmare
Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
Katy Perry, Teenage Dream
Disturbed, Asylum
Sara Bareilles, Kaleidoscope Heart
Linkin Park, A Thousand Suns
Zac Brown Band, You Get What You Give
Kenny Chesney, Hemingway’s Whiskey
Toby Keith, Bullets In The Gun
Lil Wayne, I Am Not A Human Being
Sugarland, The Incredible Machine
Taylor Swift, Speak Now
Susan Boyle, The Gift
Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Michael, Michael Jackson’s posthumous collection of polished-up unreleased tunes, proved to be no match for Taylor Swift’s Speak Now and Susan Boyle’s The Gift, both of which kept the sales momentum going in the lead-up to Christmas. Still, MJ’s latest managed to trump new releases from R. Kelly and Diddy-Dirty Money.

Taylor Swift’s Speak Now, which sold 259,000 copies last week and has been out since late October, actually knocks The Gift (254,000) down to #2 and settles in for a third non-consecutive week at the top. Michael debuts with 228,000 sold, giving the album a #3 entry.

That leaves R. Kelly’s tenth album Love Letter with a #6 delivery (154,000), while Diddy-Dirty Money’s Last Train To Paris arrives at #7 (101,000). (And sorry, Puffy & Co., but something tells us Chelsea Handler doesn’t date artists who debut at #7.)

Elsewhere, though Crystal Bowersox debuts way down at #28 with Farmer’s Daughter, the album sold 58,000 in its first week—about 19,000 more than American Idol winner Lee DeWyze moved with Live It Up right out of the gate.

Finally, it looks like Ciara’s Basic Instinct has done the Matrix right into flopsville. The album debuts at #44 (37,000), a far cry from the #3 entry of CiCi’s previous LP Fantasy Ride.

The Top 10 of Billboard’s Top 200 Albums:

1. Taylor Swift, Speak Now *3 weeks*
2. Susan Boyle, The Gift
3. Michael Jackson, Michael *new*
4. Jackie Evancho, O Holy Night
5. Glee Cast, Glee: The Music—The Christmas Album
6. R. Kelly, Love Letter *new*
7. Diddy-Dirty Money, Last Train To Paris *new*
8. Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday
9. Kid Rock, Born Free
10. Glee Cast, Glee: The Music, Vol. 4

Okay, okay—so the TRON: Legacy score isn’t exactly a full-on Daft Punk studio album. But the seminal French duo’s set of arcade movie tunes has debuted at #10 on the Billboard Top 200 this week, and we’re celebrating anyway! As for the #1 album, well, they might as well just slap a crown on Scottish minx Susan Boyle’s head and dub her the Queen Of America, because The Gift is in its fourth non-consecutive week on top of the chart.

Boyle now has the honor of having had the first #1 album of 2010 with I Dreamed A Dream, and also the final one of the year (this week’s chart is dated December 25)  with The Gift. She’s also the only solo artist to have two different albums top the main album chart in 2010. (The Glee cast hit #1 three times over the past 12 months, with their Power Of Madonna and Journey To Regionals EPs, and Glee: The Music, Volume 3—Showstoppers.)

The highest debut this week goes to T.I.’s No Mercy. The 30-year-old ATL MC had the misfortune of landing in the slammer a month before the release of his seventh LP. And so without the “Castle Walls” rapper able to do promotion in person for his latest release, it goes in at #4 on sales of 159,000 copies.

Getting back to Daft Punk, the pair’s TRON score sold 71,000 copies. Before this Top 10 achievement, their three studio albums charted as follows: Homework (#150), Discovery (#44) and Human After All (#98). So, go on—give them a big 21 glow stick salute.

The Top 10 of Billboard’s Top 200 Albums:

1. Susan Boyle, The Gift *4 weeks*
2. Taylor Swift, Speak Now
3. Glee Cast, Glee: The Music—The Christmas Album
4. T.I., No Mercy *new*
5. Jackie Evancho, O Holy Night
6. Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday
7. Josh Groban, Illuminations
8. Glee Cast, Glee: The Music, Vol. 4
9. Rihanna, Loud
10. Daft Punk, TRON: Legacy *new*