Ed. note: Chris "dennisobell" Molanphy, our resident chart guru, looks at the upward, downward, and lack of movement on this week's Billboard charts:
* OK, so one of these acts is, like, president of the United States and the other the president of American Samoa. I'll get to the White Stripes later...
Yesterday on Idolator, Maura brought up a subject I've been downplaying here since 2008 began: mediocre pop-rapper Flo Rida's depressing death grip on Billboard's Hot 100. Mostly, I've avoided a deep discussion of his T-Pain-assisted No. 1 smash "Low"—now in its 10th week atop the chart, matching last winter's run by Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable"—because there's not much to tell. Its sales have been massive since fall, it has led in radio airplay since mid-January, and no single has seriously challenged it for No. 1 all winter.
But as Maura noted, we'll have to pay mind to Mr. Rida now that his followup single, the Timbaland-assisted "Elevator," is making a fast break up the chart. The thought that "Low" would be succeeded by another Flo Rida song is enough to make one swear off Billboard forever.
Don't despair. There are a lot of ways for this story to play out, and I'd say it's less than 50-50 that Uncle Flo will succeed himself at the top. Let's run down some scenarios.
More »
Idolator
Jack White may have been a little down on his hometown in interviews lately, but don't think he doesn't have love for the Motor City. The Raconteur may have said that Detroit's "super-negative" music scene was part of what drove him to move to Nashville in 2006, but "those expressions of mine have never been a representation of my feelings about Detroit the city, a town that I have strong feelings about ... nor were they expressions about its citizens." To prove his devotion to the city that gave us Ted Nugent, General Motors, and some of the most successful white rappers in American history, he has crafted a poem. A series of stanzas that includes references to "malt from Stroh's and Sanders," "frescoed families strife fractured," and "The water letter carrier, bringing prose to lonely sailors." Surely the fear of another lyrical waxing of this kind will keep locals from ever daring to question his spiritual solidarity again.
More »
Meg White's publicist issues a statement on this morning's hottest viral video: "Some people have a very twisted sense of humor and this prank is in particularly bad taste. The tape 
