THE BIG CHILI!

WB’s Red Hot Chili Peppers log the second-highest first-week total for a rock album in 2006 as their double-CD epic Stadium Arcadium bows at #1 on this week’s HITS chart with a grand total of nearly 456k. Nothing Flea-bitten about those numbers.

Jive’s Nick Lachey turns heartbreak into chart action with What’s Left of Me, bolstered by not only huge radio play, but support from AOL Music, where the title track is #1 and the video has been streamed more than 600k times. His 172k in sales is larger than any first-week total registered by his ex, so take that Jessica.

Said AOL Music’s Jack Isquith: “From ‘First Listen’ to now, Nick has been performing great. He had the best ‘Listening Party’ figures over the last six months, with more than 400k streams in just a single week. Think I can get Jessica’s cell number from him?”

Other Top 10 debuts include a pair of R&B veterans in Sony Urban/Columbia’s Jagged Edge (#4) and Island/IDJ’s Isley Brothers (#5). Last week’s #1, Volcano/ZLG’s Tool is #3, with Lyric Street’s Rascal Flatts (#6), Walt Disney Records’ High School Musical (#7), J Records’ Pearl Jam (#8), UTV’s Now 21 (#9) and Decca/Universal Classics’ Andrea Bocelli (#10) round out the leader board.

Other Top 50 newcomers include WB’s Paul Simon (#13), Reprise’s Neil Young (#16), Downtown/Atlantic’s Gnarls Barkley (#23), Universal’s Teena Marie (#25), A&M’s Snow Patrol (#33) and Epic’s Korn rarities disc (#50).

Major gainers, mostly fueled by Mother’s Day weekend sales, are led by Arista Nashville’s Alan Jackson, up a whopping 86%, moving #33-18. Others include Arista’s Carrie Underwood (+55%, #28-21), Reprise’s Michael Buble (+43%, #35-32), Curb’s Tim McGraw (+42%, #21-14), Geffen’s Mary J. Blige (+34%, #31-30), Decca’s Bocelli (+31%), Universal’s Chamillionaire (+30%, #24), Capitol Nashville’s Keith Urban (+27%, #43), Roadrunner/IDJ’s Nickelback (+25%, #29), RCA/RMG’s Kelly Clarkson (+23%, #40) and Custard/Atlantic’s James Blunt (+21%, #11).

Next week, look for Island/IDJ’s Hoobastank and Christina Milian, as well as V2’s The Raconteurs (featuring White Stripes’ Jack White and pal Brendan Benson) and Universal’s Ashley Parker Angel to bow on the charts.