Idolator

Trousersnake pulled it out. Check the final chart, it was just posted about a half-hour ago. I was following this horserace all day and rooting for Justin to win, so I'm happy.

I don't want to sound blasé, because I was as in suspense as you guys were. But I've been following the HITS building-album-sales chart for almost five years now, and late-hours upsets on Tuesdays, just before the chart closes, are more common than you'd think. Back in the summer of 2002, I spent all of one Monday and Tuesday thinking the Chili Peppers were gonna earn their first #1 seller with By The Way, and just before the buzzer Nelly's months-old Nellyville cock-blocked them back to #2.

I seem to recall hearing that the big-box stores report to HITS/SoundScan last. What this does, generally, is boost records that were already selling, because Wal-Mart, Best Buy et al. tend to help records that were already in the pipeline and on their "best-sellers" sales wall, etc. Obviously Clay Aiken is very popular with the Wal-Mart set, but Justin is too, and his momentum from last week in the chains probably powered him past Mr. My-Fans-Have-No-Gaydar in the end.

I, for one, am pleased at this development. *plays "LoveStoned/I Think She Knows" for the 10th time today on iTunes*

That's just the Hits chart. Let's all wait until last week's scans come out tomorrow morning.

How did people not see that Clay Aiken was gay....our kids are going to talk about this kid like he was liberace...

I love... absolutely love. That we are reduced to quibbling over who is better. Timberlake or Aiken. Call me a rockist f--- but really? Is this what we (collectively in the charts sense) have decided to go with?

If Clay has a song that is as fierce as "My Love" on his album, I'll be more than willing to re-evaluate.

I gotta admit I'm fully on Maura's side there. (Please note that I say this while despising that little stick insect -- but Clay is just THAT bad.)