entertainmentdissected

American Idoljudge Paula Abdul wonders whether or not she will be back on the FOX singing competition for a ninth season. (picture courtesy of AP/John Bazemore)

Looks like some American Idol fan’s worst fears may become a reality.

David Sonenberg, Paula Abdul’s manager, recently told the Los Angeles Times that the Idol judge may not return to the show for a ninth season. He claimed Idol producers have stalled in delivering a new contract proposal for Abdul.

The first round of season nine auditions began last month, with the judges’ round of auditions set to start in a few weeks- so time is winding down to secure Idol’s resident kook for the show’s ninth season. Fellow judge Randy Jackson is committed to the show until 2011, while Simon Cowell currently is in negotiations for a new contract; Cowell told Extra that he’s made it clear that he wants Abdul on the program.

Meanwhile, no word on negotiations regarding last season’s fourth-judge addition, the newly married Kara DioGuardi. Some fans were not pleased with DioGuardi’s addition to the show last season, worrying that Idol was grooming her to replace Abdul. Naturally, Idol denied such rumors (what else would the show do?) and insisted that Abdul was there to stay. During her debut season, DioGuardi did little to ease fans’ discontent, often mixing up the facts and going on incessantly about ARTISTRY. If she ends up staying and Abdul going, chances are that fans will not be the happiest bunch.

(It’s probably small consolation that So You Think You Can Dance judge/producer Nigel Lythgoe has said he would welcome Abdul as a guest judge on his FOX dance competition).

Whether Abdul actually gets the boot from Idol remains to be seen- her Idol status got down to the wire in past seasons, so until there’s official word from Abdul or Idol itself, let’s not cry just yet for our wonderful, loopy and, at times, nonsensical Paula.

Meanwhile, Idol host Ryan Seacrest has signed a three-year deal with the show, estimated to be worth $45 million. If it’s a financial issue that’s holding up Abdul’s Idol status, surely TPTB can find some decent scraps for the invaluable Paula.

Mariah Carey was all smiles on the set of her new video for “Obsessed,” the lead single from her upcoming 11th studio record. She perhaps may be smiling less now that the track missed the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100 this week. (picture courtesy of Reuters/Allison Joyce)

Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus scored her fourth top 10 hit on Billboard’s Hot 100 this week- and in the process, left a veteran hitmaker out in the cold.

Montana’s “He Could Be the One,” from the Hannah Montana season three soundtrack, had virtually zero airplay in the last week, but sales of 150,735 copies were enough to place it at No. 10 on the new Hot 100. Right behind at No. 11 is Mariah Carey’s “Obsessed,” the lead single from her upcoming Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel album. 

Such a lofty entry would be considered a triumph for most acts, but for someone as chart-fixated as Carey, it’s a disappointment. The track sold 118,925 units in its first week of digital release, according to Nielsen SoundScan, far less than the 286,000 that greeted “Touch My Body,” the lead single from 2008’s E=MC2.

Why the relatively cold reception? For one, Carey- who publicly apologized for her less-than-stellar rendition of ”I’ll Be There” at Michael Jackson’s memorial service last week- has not given radio or the public much of a chance to miss her. Following 2005’s smash The Emancipation of Mimi, Carey didn’t release the follow-up until three years later. However, selling less than 1.2 million units, E=MC2 was a commercial disappointment, probably leaving Carey anxious to get back to her chart-winning ways. Despite spawning an 18th No. 1 hit in “Body,” none of E=MC2’s other singles placed all that well on the charts: “Bye Bye” topped out at No. 19, while “I’ll Be Lovin’ U Long Time” stalled at No. 58. Furthermore, a fourth single “I Stay in Love,” failed to chart on either the Hot 100 or Bubbling Under charts.

If that were not enough, Carey also had a soundtrack single late last year that generated no interest. Tennessee’s “Right to Dream,” which with its quiet, restrained production, was a departure for Carey, did not come close to charting on the Hot 100. And, a collaboration with The-Dream on “My Love” got no higher than No. 82 earlier this year.

And now, “Obsessed”- a fairly generic slice of urban-pop, takes a swipe at Eminem, who has made some not-so-gentlemanly comments about his alleged relationship with Carey. The video (half of it, more like it) premiered at the end of NBC’s America’s Got Talent(hosted by her hubby Nick Cannon), and by the looks of it, likely won’t cause much of an upswing for the track. (Carey is scheduled to perform on the program August 5- but, judging by her past performance and their impact on sales, it also unlikely will provide much of a boost).

“Obsessed” is faring pretty well at urban and rhythmic top 40 radio, but mainstream top 40 has not jumped on the track as it has past Carey releases. The official impact date at the latter format comes later in the month, but no matter- for an act of Carey’s celebrity status, impact dates are formalities and don’t mean much of anything.

If “Obsessed” fizzles early, there’s little doubt that Carey will unleash the second single before the album drops. It likely will be a ballad, but even she cannot think she’ll score a hit along the lines of “We Belong Together” at this stage. That track spent 14 weeks atop the Hot 100, breaking airplay records in the process. While “Together” was the same old song, it was Carey’s best ballad in years and marked a remarkable commercial comeback for the diva.

Nowadays, Carey faces an ageist pop format (she’s either 39 or 40, depending on the source), and big airplay at top 40 radio will not come as easy as it once had. However, maybe she can score a top 10 hit with the second single, and add to her already impressive tally.

Both Carey and her mega-mega fans (affectionately known as lambs) should take comfort in any respectable level of success that comes her way. There is no law that says she has to score a No. 1 with each and every album release- but with the way she and fans obsess over her placement on the charts, perhaps they are reading a different lawbook than most.

The late Michael Jackson’s music continues to be picked up in droves following the singer’s death almost two weeks ago. (picture courtesy of AP/ Michael A. Mariant)

Other entertainment news going on in the world, but post-death coverage of Michael Jackson’s life continues to dominate headlines.

Whether it be about his troubled personal life or his music, Jackson remains the top entertainment news story. His memorial service- aired on some 19 networks yesterday- likely will result in even bigger sales for his musical catalog. Not that it needed the boost- last week, his albums sold 800,000 units, up 90 percent from the prior week.

Jackson’s Number Ones compilation sold 339,000 units, according to Nielsen SoundScan, up 215 percent from the prior week. The album ranks No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Comprehensive Albums chart, with Jackson’s Thriller at No. 2, selling 187,000 (up 86 percent). The 31st installment in the Now! That’s What I Call Music series debuts at No. 3 with 169,000, and, at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (which does not chart catalog albums).

On the new Top Pop Catalog Albums chart, Jackson again dominates. Last week, there was just one non-Jackson-related title in the top 10, but this week, Jackson comprises the entire top 10. Following Number Ones and Thriller in the catalog top 10 are The Essential Michael Jackson (125,000), Off the Wall (51,000), Dangerous (26,000), Bad (23,000), Jackson 5’s Ultimate Collection (10,000), Jackson’s Ultimate Collection box set (10,000), Invincible (8,000) and Greatest Hits: HIStory- Vol. 1 (7,000). An additional three titles come in at Nos. 16, 21 and22.

While Jackson’s album sales saw a huge increase, sales of individual digital tracks (including Jackson 5 titles) dropped slightly, from 2.6 million to 2.2 million. “Man in the Mirror” jumped “Thriller” as his top seller, climbing to No. 2 on Hot Digital Songs.

Where will Jackson’s sales stand in one week’s time?  Can they go even higher, possibly to 1 million copies sold in a week?

As expected, sales of Michael Jackson’s albums skyrocketed in the three days following his unexpected death at the age of 50.

Three Jackson albums topped the 100,000-unit mark- Number Ones, The Essential Michael Jackson and Thriller (which was re-released last year to commemorate its 25th anniversary). In fact, they were the only albums in the USA to scan more than 100K, according to Nielsen Soundscan, marking the first time since SoundScan started tracking sales in 1991 that a catalog title sold more than a current album. Being catalog titles, however, renders them ineligible to chart on the Billboard 200; the three titles do lead Billboard’s all-encompassing Comprehensive Albums chart.

One Michael Jackson album did debut on the Billboard 200 this week- compilation Gold, which like most albums in the Gold series never made it onto the big chart upon its 2008 release, entered at No. 191.

On Top Pop Catalog Albums, Jackson/Jackson 5 titles hold down the top nine positions, more than any other act in the chart’s 18-year history. After his top three sellers, finishing in positions four through nine and selling notably less were Off the Wall, the Jackson 5’s Ultimate Collection, Bad, Dangerous, Greatest Hits: HIStory- Vol. 1 and Jackson’s 2004 box set The Ultimate Collection. All in all, Jackson’s albums sold more than 415,000 copies last week, nearly 40 percent more than what his albums had sold from the beginning of the year through June 21.

Jackson’s songs also moved massive amounts last week (2.6 million); on the Hot Digital Songs chart, Jackson/Jackson 5 titles occupied no less than 25 slots on the 75-position listing. The top five sellers were “Thriller” at No.2, with 167,000, followed by “Man in the Mirror” at No. 3 (165,000), “Billie Jean” at No. 4 (158,000), “The Way You Make Me Feel” at No.6 (136,000) and “Beat It” at No. 7 (134,000).

Jackson’s musical catalog will continue seeing big sales, but not to the extent of the immediate commercial reaction to his death.