Taylor Swift Tops Billboard Again, While Michael Jackson Debuts At #3

In a big week for sales, Swift's Speak Now fends off Susan Boyle for #1.By James Montgomery





Taylor Swift's <i>Speak Now</i>

Photo: Big Machine Records




It's the most wonderful time of the year ... especially for the music industry. Album sales surged thanks to all you holiday shoppers, and you put Taylor Swift back on top of next week's Billboard albums chart. Swift barely edges out Susan Boyle in a week that saw plenty of big numbers put up across the board.
Swift's Speak Now sold more than 259,000 copies (up 30 percent from last week) to claim the #1 spot, according to figures provided by Neilsen SoundScan. Meanwhile, Boyle's The Gift sold more than 254,000, ending her run atop the chart. The week's highest debut belongs to the late Michael Jackson, whose posthumous Michael album sold nearly 228,000 copies to open at #3. A pair of holiday-themed releases — Jackie Evancho's O Holy Night and the "Glee" cast's Christmas album — round out the Top 5, selling nearly 191,000 and 158,000 copies, respectively.
Up next at #6, it's R. Kelly's Love Letter, which debuts with sales of nearly 154,000 copies, and, at #7, it's Diddy-Dirty Money, whose long-delayed Last Train to Paris opens to the tune of nearly 101,000 copies sold. The rest of the Top 10 is filled out by Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday (#8, more than 97,000 copies sold), Kid Rock's Born Free (#9, nearly 94,000) and the "Glee" cast's The Music, Volume 4 (nearly 87,000).
Outside the Top 10, there are debuts from "American Idol" runner-up Crystal Bowersox, whose Farmer's Daughter sold nearly 58,000 copies — 20,000 more than "Idol" champ Lee DeWyze sold in his first week — to open at #28. Smoove R&B crooner Tank's Now or Never bows at #35 (more than 43,000 sold), and Ciara's Basic Instinct, has a meek debut at #44, with sales of nearly 37,000 copies.
Nearly every album in the Billboard top 50 posted a sales increase from the previous week's numbers, including Katy Perry's Teenage Dream (#15), which saw a 26 percent increase in sales, Justin Bieber's My World 2.0 (#18, with a 36 percent bump in sales) and Eminem's Recovery (#22, with a 39 percent jump). And that trend looks to continue on next week's Billboard chart, too, since there are still two shopping days left before Christmas.



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Taylor Swift Suffers A Lonely Day Without Jake Gyllenhaal

Taylor Swift, who reportedly enjoyed celebrating Xmas with her mother and brother holidaying in Turks and Caicos, made her way back to Nashville, TN this week to prepare for the new year … sans Jake Gyllenhaal. Now, it’s not yet known if Taylor was able to ring in 2011 with Jakey poo last night but [...]

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Michelle Williams Says She'll Watch 'Brokeback Mountain' With Daughter

Actress says Matilda will see the film in which her mother and father Heath Ledger co-starred 'when she's ready.'By Terri Schwartz





Michelle Williams

Photo: Getty Images




Michelle Williams already told MTV News that she'll show her daughter Matilda her racy drama "Blue Valentine" someday, but that's not the only controversial film the actress thinks she'll be proud to show her child. In an interview with Angeleno magazine, Williams said that there will be a time in Matilda's future when she will sit down and show her daughter "Brokeback Mountain," a film that has a special place in Williams' heart.
"I will watch it with her, when she's ready," she said of the gay-cowboy film in which she co-starred with the late Heath Ledger, Matilda's father. "It is hard to imagine what that would feel like, but one day, yes, we will watch it together."

When describing why "Brokeback" was so important to their family, Williams said, "I was just an actor who happened to be lucky enough to be in the right place, and it was the place where I met Matilda's father, and that is a lot. It was a lot. And it will be a lot for Matilda too, when she gets around to watching it."
Matilda is only 5-years-old now, but Williams told MTV that she is excited for the day when she can share her work with her child. She described "Blue Valentine" as a movie she could "stand behind" and has been thinking a lot about what Matilda's reaction to her filmography will be.
"I feel like I'm excited for the day when she's old enough to see it, because my aim is to make her proud that the time I spent away from her wasn't in vain," she explained.
Williams recently opened up to the press about Ledger's death. Her ex-boyfriend was found dead in his apartment on January 22, 2008, at age 28. His death was attributed to an accidental overdose of a number of prescription medications.
"I've found meanings around the circumstance, but the actual event itself still doesn't ... I can't find a meaning for it," Williams told ABC's "Nightline." "I can find meanings in things and people and relationships that have sprung up and friendships that have strengthened. I can find a lot of meaning in that, but not in why."
Check out everything we've got on "Blue Valentine."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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New Couple Alert: John Mellencamp and Meg Ryan

John Mellencamp, who split with his wife of 18 years, has recently made himself a new friend — Meg Ryan. A source tells us the 59-year-old rocker, who this week announced he and his model wife, Elaine Irwin, are splitting up, has struck up a friendship with Ryan, 49. He and Ryan, who had their [...]

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Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Other Stars Make Forbes' Top-Earning Of 2010 List

Taylor Swift, Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus also made the magazine's top 20 list of Hollywood moneymakers.By Jayson Rodriguez





Beyoncé

Photo: Columbia/Music World




On the East Coast, revenue streams are slowly rising as banks are still cratering and trying to recover from the recession. But out West, money ain't a thing, as Jermaine Dupri and Jay-Z once rapped.
Forbes has released their list of Hollywood's 20 Highest Earners of 2010, with Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus among those rubbing elbows with the likes of power players like Oprah Winfrey.
The venerable talk-show host topped the list with a whopping $315 million haul. Winfrey's earnings were generated for the most part by her multimedia deals, which include a syndication deal for her TV show, a magazine and her soon-to-be-launched network.
"Avatar" creator James Cameron came in second, more than $100 million behind Winfrey, with a tally of $210 million. Director and playwright Tyler Perry ($125 million), blockbuster movie producer Michael Bay ($120 million) and golfer Tiger Woods ($105 million) rounded out the top five.
Beyoncé was the only pop star to break the top 10. The "Single Ladies" superstar landed at #9, sandwiched between George Lucas and Dr. Phil. Mrs. Carter, whose hubby, Jay-Z, was named Hip-Hop's Cash King by Forbes in August with a tally of $63 million, pulled down $87 million over the past 12 months.
The blond-haired trio of Britney Spears ($64 million), Lady Gaga ($62 million) and Madonna ($58 million) made their mark on the list at numbers 13, 14 and 15, respectively.
Pop tarts Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift capped the list. The young stars placed at 18 and 19 on the list, with Disney star Cyrus pocketing $48 million, and country singer Swift depositing $45 million into her bank account.
Hollywood's 20 highest-earning men and women of 2010, according to Forbes:
1. Oprah Winfrey, $315 million
2. James Cameron, $210 million
3. Tyler Perry, $125 million
4. Michael Bay, $120 million
5. Tiger Woods, $105 million
6. Jerry Bruckheimer, $100 million
7. Steven Spielberg, $100 million
8. George Lucas, $95 million
9. Beyoncé, $87 million
10. Dr. Phil, $80 million
11. Simon Cowell, $80 million
12. Jerry Seinfeld, $75 million
13. Britney Spears, $64 million
14. Lady Gaga, $62 million
15. Madonna, $58 million
16. Sandra Bullock, $56 million
17. Ellen DeGeneres, $55 million
18. Miley Cyrus, $48 million
19. Taylor Swift, $45 million
20. Judge Judy Sheindlin, $45 million



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