WEEK IN PREVIEW: ASHLEE, NOW 16 DUKE IT OUT

As the tallying of national sales reports continues, it looks like UTV's Now 16 will see the usual second-week dropoff of about 40-45%, reducing the compilation’s whopper of a 500k-plus debut to around 270k-280k. But that won't necessarily give the album a slam-dunk #1, as Ashlee Simpson’s Autobiography (Geffen), showing surprise strength in its third week, could give the hits disc a run for its money.

Victory Records’ emo powerhouse Taking Back Sunday, meanwhile, could maintain its presence in the Top Five following its 161k #3 debut, depending on how well competitors Usher, Jimmy Buffett, Terror Squad and Gretchen Wilson hold up.

This week’s biggest chart debut will be Hollywood’s Princess Diaries 2 soundtrack, which should come in at about 25k-30k.

As if to make up for the slow week, an assortment of big projects hits the streets tomorrow, led by ex-Creed members' new band, Alter Bridge (Wind-Up), which experts are predicting will make a first-week splash of around 250k-300k. Gangland/IDJ's Shyne will have plenty to celebrate behind bars as his debut looks to roll in the 200k range. Jive/ZLG’s Mobb Deep, meanwhile, should see a first week of around 125k, while Capitol’s Houston is expected to log about 100k. TVT’s 213, featuring Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg and Warren G, also has observers looking for a 100k first week, while Mystikal (Jive/ZLG) and Richard Marx (Manhattan) are expected to sell 40k and 20k-30k, respectively, in their first weekly sales cycles.