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HITS Daily Double
Steve Barnett and company help 80-year-old Tony Bennett secure his best chart debut ever, with Duets: An American Classic entering at #3, boasting an impressive 200k in first-week sales.

LUDACRIS A MONEY MAKER AT #1

Janet, Tony, Alan Jackson Make It Four Debuts in Top Five. Weird Al Bows in Top 10
In the end, LudacrisRelease proved to be just the right Therapy for retailers.

The Def Jam South/IDJ rapper-turned-actor’s new album debuts at #1 with 314k in sales, more than enough to turn back the challenge of Virgin queen Janet Jackson’s 20 Y.O., which finishes #2 with 301k. It was a battle to the end, with Jackson’s quick start thanks to her appearance on Oprah counteracted by late-week action on the Atlanta hip-hop icon.

Columbia continues to roll out its impressive roster of living legends, as Steve Barnett and company help 80-year-old Tony Bennett secure his best chart debut ever, with Duets: An American Classic entering at #3, boasting an impressive 200k in first-week sales.

SMGB Nashville/Arista country legend Alan Jackson’s Like Red on a Rose comes on at #5 in its first week, while Volcano/ZLG rock satirist Weird Al Yankovic is the other Top 10 debut at #9.

Holdovers include last week’s chart-topping Jive/ZLG superstar Justin Timberlake at #4, Aware/Columbia’s John Mayer at #6, RCA’s Clay Aiken at #7, Universal Republic’s ascendant Hinder at #8 and A&M/Interscope’s Fergie at #10.

Chart newcomers include Universal Motown’s Scissor Sisters (#19), Capitol rockers Saosin (#22), Artist First’s Jerry Lee Lewis (#26), Hollywood’s High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens (#28), Machete Music’s Luny Tunes & Tain (#34) and Concord Jazz vet Boney James (#45).

A&M/Interscope’s Snow Patrol are the week’s largest double-digit gainer, up 14% at #30, thanks to exposure from Grey’s Anatomy, followed by Def Jam/IDJ’s Rick Ross (#24) and Hinder, both up 10%. Arista/RMG’s Carrie Underwood (#32, +6%) along with Disney’s High School Musical (#39, +5%) and The Cheetah Girls soundtracks (#18, +3%), are also up, as is Universal Motown’s Blue October (#40, +3%).

This week, Island’s The Killers and Wind-up’s Evanescence hit stores, along with MCA Nashville’s George Strait, Sony BMG Nashville’s Jimmy Buffett, Interscope’s Beck, Elektra’s Jet, J’s Monica and Concord’s Ray Charles & Count Basie Orchestra, in conjunction with Starbucks Hear Music.