DIDDY’S FULL COURT
PRESS GETS #1 PLAY

The Artist Formerly Known as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy earns the #1 spot on the HITS Top 50 this week with his new Bad Boy/Atlantic album, Press Play, good enough for 176k in sales.

That was more than enough to beat back Wind-up’s Evanescence, whose The Open Door topped 107k in its third week on the chart.

Blackground/Universal Motown’s JoJo also tops the six-figure mark, with a #3 debut good for 106k. Capitol Nashville country star Dierks Bentley’s Long Trip Alone gathers some passengers, with a #5 bow, selling 81k, while J Records’ Ruben Studdard is the other Top 10 newcomer at #8 for the newly thinned American Idol star’s The Return.

Jive/ZLG superstar Justin Timberlake’s FutureSex/LoveSounds is back up to #4, while last week’s chart-topping Rod Stewart J Records collection of rock covers drops to #6.

Universal Republic’s rock artist development story of the year, Hinder, is #7, followed by RPM/Columbia’s Tony Bennett Duets album (#9) and Island/IDJ’s The Killers (#10).

Among the other Top 50 debuts are MCA Nashville’s Vince Gill (#17), Columbia’s Frankie J (#29), SLG/Legacy/Columbia’s Aerosmith greatest hits package (#33), Koch’s Xzibit (#39), SBMG Nashville/BNA’s Lonestar (#41) and Arista/RMG’s Sarah McLachlan holiday album (#48).

Timberlake (+6%), Arista’s Carrie Underwood (#22, +8%) and Island’s Lionel Richie (#43, +4%) all show upward mobility this week.

Next week, look for Reprise's My Chemical Romance and Disney’s Hannah Montana soundtrack to fight it out for the #1 spot, followed by Columbia’s John Legend, Geffen rapper Jibbs and Columbia Nashville’s Montgomery Gentry.