FOXX BY A HAIR!

In a race so close it wasn’t decided until we received our flat-screen TV from Jack Abramoff, J Records/RMG multimedia star Jamie Foxx’s Unpredictable edged out Geffen diva Mary J. Blige’s The Breakthrough by slightly more than 1,000 units to retake the top spot on the HITS’ Top 50.

In a sign of the times, neither album broke 100k, but at least there are still 10 records in the Top 10 this week, if just.

Shady/Aftermath /Interscope’s favorite rapper Eminem (#3) and Arista/RMG country sweetheart Carrie Underwood (#4) remain in place, with the amazing (and still dead) Johnny Cash turning Golden Globe fever into platinum sales by going #9-5 and rounding out the Top 5 with his Island/IDJ retrospective.

RoadRunner/IDJ’s Nickelback (#6), Jive/ZLG’s teen idol Chris Brown (#7) and Bad Boy/Atlantic’s Notorious B.I.G. (#8) were the Top 10 holdovers, while Custard/Atlantic British sensation James Blunt crashed the party, going #15-9 and registering a 13% boost with his Back to Bedlam, thanks to multimedia exposure for his smash, “You’re Beautiful,” now being used on a ubiquitous TV spot. Island/IDJ Grammy sweetheart Mariah Carey (#10) rounds it out as one of five UMG records representing in the Top 10.

The big news this week is Neil Diamond’s Rick Rubin-produced 12 Songs album for Columbia, which rode the Jewish Elvis’ Oprah appearance last week into a more than 200% increase in sales, landing at #29, with more than 23k units flying out the doors of retail like they were copies of "Cherry Cherry."

Other major gains were posted by the Grammy-nominated Green Day, whose Reprise album keeps on attracting Idiot fans, this week moving #34-19 with a 15% gain. A&M/Interscope R&B crooner Keyshia Cole showed even more movement, going #44-21 with a 29% rise, fueled by Urban play for multiple cuts. VP/Atlantic’s Sean Paul (#43-33, +12%) and Wind-up’s Walk the Line soundtrack both keep a-rollin’ (#42-35, +9%).

Hasidic toaster Matisyahu’s “King Without a Crown” is helping power his Epic Live at Stubbs up the chart (#38), in advance of his eagerly awaited new studio album, while Atlantic’s Death Cab for Cutie re-emerges as “Soul Meets Body” puts the best-laid Plans back in play at #41.

Look for Capitol’s Yellowcard, Columbia’s Il Divo, Atlantic’s P.O.D., Sony BMG’s 2006 Grammy Nominees album and UTV’s Now #1s to debut on the chart next week.