KATY PERRY WINS
BATTLE OF THE DIVAS

The summer may be nearing an end, but Katy Perry’s still in her Daisy Dukes and bikini top, straddling the chart universe.

That’s the news from one-day sales reports sent to us by those retailers who haven’t permanently deleted us from their e-mail base.

Coming on the heels of two straight smash singles, including "California Gurls" and the title track, Perry’s sophomore Capitol Records album, Teenage Dream, finds her in the clouds, set to debut at #1 with a total of around 200k. And while the first-week sales are slightly below expectations, if the steady stream of hit singles keep coming, it could eventually approach a similar performer, Black Eyed Peas’ E.N.D., which is up to 2.7m and still selling 12-15k a week more than a year after its release.

And while Perry’s chart-topping debut would suggest sex trumps a suicide attempt, Fantasia’s J/RMG album Back to Me seemed to generate sales from media interest in her overdose, with first-week estimates of 120-130k, making her a solid #2.

Capitol Nashville co-ed country rockers Little Big Town are targeting sales in the 40-45k range for their new album, The Reason Why.

Usher’s new LaFace/JLG remix album Versus will be counted separately in the chart tally, with around 40-45k, while tne newly released deluxe edition should add some sales to the current Raymond v Raymond CD, already over a million.

Sire’s Never Shout Never looks to be in the 25-30k area for the second studio album from singer/songwriter Christofer Drew Ingle, Harmony. MCA Nashville’s Randy Rogers Band should do between 24-27k, while indie label Ferrett/ADA’s Dayton, OH, metalcore band The Devil Wears Prada is in the 15-20k range for their Zombie EP.

The market was up 2% vs. last week, down 11% vs. same week last year and still down 12% year to date.

You can now return to tallying up how much Tiger Woods will be shelling out to get rid of Elin Nordegren, and when he starts sexting again.