1) Katy Perry: As “Last Friday Night” rises to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, she ties Michael Jackson”s record for most chart toppers from one album. Does that make her the Queen of Pop?
2) Kanye West and Jay-Z: Though their album, “Watch the Throne,” handily debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 this week, Imma gonna say the whole is not equal to the sum of the individual parts.
3) Sugarland: In the wake of last Saturday”s horrifying stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair just minutes before the country duo was to take the stage, Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush have handled themselves in the most gracious and appropriate way possible. They”ve commented via Twitter and their website about their plans to hold a memorial, but have always kept the focus squarely on the victims, including the families of the six who died.
4) Lady Gaga: Momma Monster debuts a new video for “You & I,” gets the opening slot for MTV”s Video Music Awards, and announces she”s in partnership with Barney”s to recreate Santa”s Workshop at the New York flagship store. Good grief, even God rested on the seventh day.
5) Edgar Bronfman: Warner Music Group CEO gets kicked up to the title of chairman and will focus on strategic development. Is that code for “negotiating purchase of EMI Music” or for “next stop: leaving the company?”
6) The Game: The rapper got more attention for his idiotic (and potentially dangerous) prank this week than he has for his music in years when he tweeted the emergency number of the Los Angeles Country Sheriff”s Dept. as the number to call to intern for him. I guess 9-1-1 isn”t the only joke.
7) Superstar artists: An report this week from IFPI (that”s the international equivalent of the Recording Industry Assn. of America) tallied that it costs a label $4.6 million to bankroll a superstar release including $2 million in marketing and promotion. And that”s AFTER payola has supposedly (ha, ha) been banned.
8)Jennifer Lopez: After weeks of speculation, she officially signs to return as a judge on “American Idol” for her second season. Life is good for Lopez. She really is The Gay Divorcee.
9)Blackberry: Will parent company RIM jump into the waters with the others and launch a music service that would run via BlackBerry Messenger? Only U2 knows for sure. CNET reports that a test version could appear within the next few weeks.
10) Hanson: Even if you haven”t listened to them since “MMMBop” (and if so, shame on you), you have to give a tip of the hat to eldest brother Isaac who took fellow brother/family act Kings of Leon to task this week for being a tad to precious. “I have a hard time with musicians who act like pricks because it just makes me mad,” Isaac told WENN this week, before citing KoL as an example. Lots of people, me included, think there”s more than just a little too much attitude behind KoL”s tour cancellation, but did you really ever think you”d here the “P” word come out of a member of Hanson”s mouth?