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HITS Daily Double
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.

WEEK IN PREVIEW: ASHLEE, NOW 16 DUKE IT OUT

Now 16, Ashlee Duel, Taking Back Sunday to Remain Top 5 in Slow Week for Chart Debuts
With nary a new release breaking into the album chart’s upper reaches this week, let’s look at how those already there should perform.

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.