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HITS Daily Double
"Eminem once again showed just how much sales power his fan base can deliver."
——Ken Feldman, HMV

MADE IN THE SHADY!!

Eminem And D12 Dominate, While Vandross, Sisqo, STP And 311 Debut
Oh sure, there’s controversy. As MTV grapples with his drug-themed video, radio stations get fined for playing "clean" versions of his songs, and politicos continue their "high-profile" pursuit of "cultural" insurgents, Eminem continues to do what he does best: RELEASE #1 ALBUMS!

This week, Em’s wacky band, D12 (Shady/Interscope), bows in the top spot with sales just shy of 370k. A few select jabs from Joe Lieberman and it probably would’ve broken half a mill.

"Eminem once again showed just how much sales power his fan base can deliver," said HMV’s Ken Feldman, who thinks Lieberman is a neighborhood mohel who never accepts tips. (Attn. WASPS: Ask a Jew in the office what that means.) "D12 debuted as a big #1 with us and, with the lack of MTV play, that’s no easy feat."

Rounding out this week’s Top Five is Elektra’s Staind at #2, MCA’s Blink-182 at #3, Columbia’s Destiny’s Child at #4 and Interscope’s "Moulin Rouge" at #5.

But let’s talk debuts. Check out J’s Luther Vandross at an impressive #6, Dragon/Def Soul/IDJ’s Sisqo at #7, Atlantic’s Stone Temple Pilots at #8 and Volcano’s 311 at #10.

"Customers are calling this the best Luther record in years," said HMV’s Feldman, who has never actually spoken to a customer, but another HMV employee told him that during one of those impromptu urinal chats. "The word of mouth is really driving sales."

Other chart bows this week include Atlantic’s Ray J at #18, Parlophone/Virgin’s Gorillaz at #26 and Epic’s Mandy Moore at #33. Meanwhile, the buzz is building over next week’s chart debut by Columbia’s Jagged Edge.

"We’re really looking forward to a huge week from Jagged Edge," said HMV’s Feldman, who possesses the edge of a marble. "They have a monster single with Nelly, which should really power the album."

Ken continued to talk, but we chose to have a more intelligent conversation with a small soap dish. Thank you.