Billboard Hot 100 Update - Week of September 15th

Surprises abundant on the Hot 100 this week! Three weeks after hitting #1, Flo Rida's (awful) Whistle is back at the summit of the Hot 100 sending Taylor Swift's We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together down to #2 in a surprise turn of events. Of course, Flo Rida had a lot working in his favor to reach the top again. He rises #5-#3 on Radio Songs this week, which must have helped, especially since the song slipped #3-#4 on Digital Songs. Taylor spent another week atop the Digital Songs chart, where the song has been since it's debut, and she jumps #13-#10 on Radio Songs, so it seems like Flo Rida's airplay had just enough momentum to beat Swift's this weekend, surprisingly. Rising one spot, Maroon 5's One More Night hits a new high of #3 this week, as it spends a second week at #2 on Digital Songs and leaps #16-#13 on Radio Songs. The song's momentum should only increase in the weeks to come, but it's still clear that Whistle and We Are Never don't plan on leaving the top of the charts any time soon. One song that, unfortunately, looks like it's on its way down is Ellie Goulding's surprise hit Lights, which falls one more spot to #4 (sorry, Ellie!), while fun.'s latest, Some Nights, spends a second week at #5, despite gains on Radio Songs #17-#14 and Digital Songs #4-#3. That effect should show next week, though, when Lights should fall a little further.

Neon Trees make a huge rush onto the Billboard Hot 100 this week as their infectious new single Everybody Talks leaps #11-#6. It's all thanks to gains across the board including a #9-#5 push on Radio Songs and #10-#8 on Digital Songs. If the song keeps this momentum, it should be a top 5 hit, which would be a (well-deserved) surprise. Katy Perry is not falling this week as her song Wide Awake spends another week at #7, but she should be intimidated by the rise of Carly Rae Jepsen and Owl City's Good Time which rises one spot to a new high, #8, this week following gains in sales and airplay. After slipping last week, Justin Bieber and Big Sean's As Long As You Love Me gains traction this week, rising #10-#9 despite a #6-#7 slip on Digital Songs but a well-needed #17-#15 bump on Radio Songs. Finally, rounding out the Top 10 is Carly Rae Jepsen's Call Me Maybe in what might be it's last week in the cream of the crop, which would be fitting: the song of the summer leaves the Top 10 after the last week of summer. But, it just goes to show the shift in momentum as new, hot songs make their chart push.

In the next tier, Pink gets a surprise bump from #12-#11, but don't expect a comeback for this first single from her new album. Pink is reportedly performing her new single Try tonight at the MTV VMAs, so it looks like she's ready to move past this first song. Maroon 5 end their reign in the Top 10 with Payphone as it slides #8-#12, although it's not surprising. Sales and airplay have been on a steady decline, but it's amazing to think that the song, which was released in late April, had managed to stay in the Top 10 every week since then. Between that and One More Night's impressive run thus far, Maroon 5 is doing just fine, I'd say. David Guetta and Sia are at a standstill with Titanium which retains its #13 slot from last week. After peaking at #7, it's a shame this song didn't run any higher on the charts since it is definitely one of Guetta's best and he has sent other songs higher. Also at a standstill this week is #14, Gotye and Kimbra's Somebody That I Used to Know. The song is still popular at radio and that is what is keeping it around. Alex Clare makes another big jump this week with Too Close, which rises three spots from #18-#15, and given it's recent iTunes bump, I wouldn't be surprised to see it go higher next week, maybe even Top 10. Demi Lovato hits a new high with Give Your Heart a Break which bumps up one spot #17-#16, and I couldn't be happier for her, she deserves so much success.

Unfortunately, the same does not go for Cher Lloyd's Want U Back, which falls one more spot this week #16-#17. I'm really confused by this song's performance: it has been in the iTunes Top 10 for a few weeks now, but has continue to fall, so I guess radio airplay isn't that good, but I know she's very popular at my hometown station. Regardless, she reached a #12 peak earlier this summer, so I guess that'll have to be good enough. Rihanna's Where Have You Been falls three more spots #15-#18 and won't get the VMA bump, since it has been reported that Rihanna is performing Cockiness, but no word if that is her new single. Kanye West's Mercy and Nicki Minaj's Pound the Alarm are static from last week, which indicates that Mercy is right in it's prime, but spells trouble for Minaj, since the song was on a steady rise for the past couple of weeks and seems to have hit a standstill. Minaj is performing at the VMAs tonight, but apparently just as a surprise guest in another performance (but she's featured on Alicia Keys' new song and Keys is performing...so, surprise!).

Phillip Phillip's Home and Jason Mraz's I Won't Give Up were boosted this week by iTunes sales and they chart #21 and #22 this week, respectively. Hunter Hayes makes another jump with Wanted, which rises #26-#24 and is inching closer to the iTunes Top 10, a big break for a country song. His tour headliner, Carrie Underwood, also rises one spot this week to match the previous high of her song Blown Away. Interesting that the main act's single is charting lower than the opening act's. Chris Brown's Don't Wake Me Up has another good week, only gaining two spots from #29-#27 after jumping double-digits the past couple of weeks. Train's 50 Ways to Say Goodbye also gains two spots, #34-#32, as the song gains airplay. The Lumineers' Ho Hey is now a Top 40 hit as it jumps five spots from #42-#37. With sales reaching new highs and a slow crawl to the top on the Alternative Songs chart, it'll be interesting to see how much higher they can go. Making this week's most impressive jump is Matchbox Twenty with She's So Mean, which leaps thirteen spots from #53-#40, and with the release of their album this week, expect the song to soar higher in weeks to come.

Kelly Clarkson rebounds with Dark Side, up three spots #50-#47, so maybe she'll get another shot at making this a hit. Ne-Yo also makes an incredible leap, up eighteen (!!) spots from #74-#58 and the song is only getting better. This could definitely be the comeback of Ne-Yo, once hailed as the next Michael Jackson (yeah, that's stretching it). OneRepublic has this week's biggest debut at #61 with their new single Feel Again. We'll see how the song does in the coming weeks. #63 and #64 are lucky numbers for two songs which hit new heights this week, Imagine Dragon's It's Time and David Guetta's I Can Only Imagine, respectively. The latter should climb higher, I'm unsure about the former. Ed Sheeran hits a new high, climbing four spots #73-#69. Finally, at the bottom of the chart, Karmin get a Hot 100 debut with their second single, Hello, which arrives at #89. Keep your fingers crossed that song goes even higher, I love Karmin! That's all for this week. Until then...

Evan

TV This Fall: Tuesdays

In keeping with the daily tradition, it's time to analyze TV Tuesdays. While Thursdays used to be a big night for television (and it still is), Tuesday is making the rush this fall to be the hottest night of TV, and with good reason. With hot reality shows and the biggest comedy bloodbath we've ever seen, TV viewership will be hot on Tuesdays. So let's jump right in!

TUESDAYS:
8:00-9:00
NCIS (CBS, premieres 9/25), The Voice (NBC, 9/11), Raising Hope/Ben and Kate (Fox, 10/2 for Hope, 9/25 for Ben), Dancing with the Stars (ABC, 9/25), Hart of Dixie (The CW, 10/16)
9:00-10:00
NCIS: LA (CBS, 9/25), Go On/The New Normal (NBC, 9/11), New Girl/The Mindy Project (Fox, 9/25), Happy Endings/Don't Trust the B-- in Apt. 23 (ABC, 10/23), Emily Owens, M.D. (The CW, 10/16)
10:00-11:00
Vegas (CBS, 9/25), Parenthood (NBC, 9/11), Private Practice (ABC, 9/25)

The 8:00 hour starts off harmless for the most part. First, let's shuffle out Hart of Dixie, which got a second season, but faces such stiff competition this season that it's unsure if the show will make it again for 2013. Fox starts the night off with reliable family comedy Raising Hope and it's newest partner, the surprise of the season, Ben and Kate, so they should get good support from families. The final three networks all pulled out their strongest guns. NBC has it's second night of The Voice, which, as I detailed yesterday, should start off very strong. ABC has the results for Dancing with the Stars, which are never as strong as the performance episodes. That all makes the case for CBS' powerhouse NCIS to keep its title as the highest-rated scripted show on television.

The 9:00 hour is where things get really...REALLY messy. Once again, The CW is chilling at the bottom, this time with new drama Emily Owens, M.D. which could actually benefit from the comedy overload. Yep, if you're reading the schedule above correctly, NBC, ABC, and Fox are all airing comedy blocks during the 9-10 hour this fall. NBC starts first, next week, with their two strongest pilots, Go On and The New Normal. Both projects have an immense amount of buzz and their pilot episodes have already been aired, and they get two weeks before they face competition. Next, Fox brings back the most popular series among 18-34 year olds from last season, New Girl, and their new wannabe hit, The Mindy Project. The Mindy Project has also already previewed it's pilot, and paired with New Girl, it makes for a potentially killer block for Fox. But their last competitor has one thing neither block has: ABC is the only network with a comedy block of two returning shows. Of course, the only problem would have to be that these comedies are the network's most struggling in terms of ratings. Happy Endings, a slowburner, just started to gain traction last season, but the fact that it's anchoring this block shows that ABC definitely has faith in the show. Don't Trust the B-- only aired seven episodes last year, but the network must have seen something great in the show (I know I did!), so hopefully new viewers jump on board this season. But ultimately, which block has the best chance of winning? I'm gonna go out on a limb here and predict...Fox! New Girl was huge last year and the obsession should only continue this fall, and it's paired with the hot Mindy Project which attracts the same audience. NBC has the potential to surprise if Go On and The New Normal become the big hits the network desperately needs, and of course, ABC could always come from behind and take this race!

Finally, the 10:00 hour is much calmer. ABC is airing (what many predict will be) the final season of Private Practice, so that could attract viewers to the show once more, after it moved last year. NBC has the reliable Parenthood which could finally benefit in this time slot by being the veteran of the hour. But it's certainly looking like CBS is priming Vegas to be a hit for them, and with star power like Michael Chiklis and Dennis Quaid, I can't see why it wouldn't be!

That's all for Tuesdays! What does your TV Tuesday schedule look like? I know mine is heavy (all six comedies in the 9:00 hour, plus Raising Hope and Ben and Kate, and Parenthood!), but how packed will your DVR be? Let me know in the comments section below!

Evan

TV This Fall: Mondays

Hello everyone, I've decided to start a new feature today called TV This Fall. As the beginning of the TV season is imminent, I've decided to analyze each day of the week and see what shows to watch, which to skip, and which ones should be hits and misses. Of course, there's nowhere better to start than Mondays!

MONDAYS:
8:00-9:00
How I Met Your Mother/Partners (CBS, premieres 9/24), The Voice (NBC, 9/10), Bones (Fox, 9/17), Dancing with the Stars (ABC, 9/24), 90210 (The CW, 10/8)
9:00-10:00
2 Broke Girls/Mike and Molly (CBS, 9/24), The Voice (NBC, 9/10), The Mob Doctor (Fox, 9/17), Dancing with the Stars (ABC, 9/24), Gossip Girl (The CW, 10/8)
10:00-11:00
Hawaii Five-O (CBS, 9/24), Revolution (NBC, 10/17), Castle (ABC, 9/24)

Starting at 8:00-9:00, it's interesting that each network, starting next Monday, is launching their shows, so there are no direct head-to-head premieres in this timeslot. That's actually a good thing since there won't be any major direct competition for each of these shows. Still, this is a jam-packed hour. Most would say the hour is between CBS, NBC, and ABC, but Fox will still have a good performer with Bones, one of their strongest shows and one they'll have to rely on now that House is gone, and 90210 is one of The CW's biggest shows, although it definitely won't rank higher than fifth in this timeslot. Back to the main competition, CBS has the younger skewing comedy crowd, pairing veteran How I Met Your Mother with new comedy Partners. Partners should get good ratings for the first couple of the weeks because of its placement in the CBS Monday comedy block. However, it would appear that the main competition is between ABC's long-standing victor Dancing with the Stars and NBC's hottest reality competition (possibly) ever, The Voice. Of course, ratings for reality shows are always bloated in the first few weeks, and that's certainly the case for The Voice, whose blind auditions always attract a huge audience. As for the whole season, however, Dancing with the Stars will probably take over that top spot, unless the changes to The Voice's format lead to consistently fantastic ratings for the whole season.

The 9:00-10:00 hour has basically the same set-up as the previous hour. The final season of Gossip Girl might bloat ratings, but don't expect massive numbers that overtake the other networks. The Mob Doctor has the potential to be a hit for Fox, but it's unlikely the show will win the hour. CBS' comedy hour is now missing long-time staple Two and a Half Men, but last year's breakout hit 2 Broke Girls has now taken it's space. Certainly, that looks to attract a female audience, and paired with Mike and Molly, it could prove to be a big hour. But, of course, it's down to NBC vs. ABC once again, since both of their reality shows air for two hours on Mondays, so expect NBC to win for the first couple of weeks, with ABC winning the whole season, barring, as mentioned before, a shift for The Voice.

Finally, the 10:00-11:00 hour features two of the timeslot's oldest veterans and one of this fall's hottest pilots. CBS and ABC's mainstays, Hawaii Five-O and Castle, respectively, have been solid performers in this timeslot for the past couple of years, with Castle having the edge over the CBS reboot. However, this year, after many years of struggling to find a hit (minus midseason's Smash), NBC seems to have a solid competitor for the 10:00-11:00 hour: Revolution, an ambitious new pilot about an energy-less country facing revolt. The pilot has gotten a lot of early buzz, which could bloat ratings in the beginning of the season, but facing solid competitiors like Castle and Hawaii Five-O will make a takeover for NBC very hard unless the show impresses creatively. To do this, the show needs to shed those Terra Nova comparisons....fast. For now, I say Castle will still win the timeslot, with Hawaii Five-O close behind and Revolution a respectable third.

What do you think? What shows are you watching on Mondays this fall? What shows do you think will be ratings successes this fall? Let me know in the comments section below!

Evan

Fall First Look: Halycon by Ellie Goulding

Sure, Ellie Goulding made a name for herself with her 2010 debut album Lights, but she didn't really blow up in the United States until this summer when the album's seventh (yes, seventh) single, also titled Lights, made a gargantuan impression, topping the radio charts and hitting #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 (yep, it never made the peak, what a crime!). But now that Ellie is a full-fledged US star, it would make sense that her next album is arriving on the heels of her newfound success. Goulding's next album, Halycon, arrives October 9th, and with a new fan legion on her side, the album has the possibility of really blowing up this fall. While Lights was getting big in America, British fans were anxiously awaiting fresh music from their pop princess. They were treated in July when Ellie released a free download of the promotional single, a cover of Active Child's Hanging On featuring British rapper Tinie Tempah. The song received immediate acclaim and was heralded for the arrival of a new era for Goulding, one that embraced the dance vibe that had been remixed into many of her songs (in fact, Goulding's blowup in the US is thanks to the heavy remix potential of Lights). About a month later, Goulding released the official first single from the album, titled Anything Could Happen, which was cherished by fans. In addition to a trailer for the album which features song snippets, the anticipation for Ellie Goulding's next album is sky-high, and the album should be a huge hit this fall. Look below for a music video to the promo single Hanging On, a lyric video to Anything Could Happen, and the album's trailer. Let me know what you think below in the comments section!

Hanging On

Anything Could Happen

Halycon Trailer

Evan

Fall First Look: Paranormal Activity 4

Now that it's September, that means we're only a month away from October and Halloween, and of course, that means we're closer than ever to the next Paranormal Activity installment. Ever since the original saw outstanding success, every year since 2009 has seen a brand new Paranormal Activity installment that takes the story to the next level. Each movie has gotten more and more inventive with the story, but the story takes a turn in this fourth go-round. Whereas each movie has progressed further in the storyline, 4 actually moves forward to 2011, five years after the events of the original Paranormal Activity. Just to recap, *SPOILER ALERT* the first movie ended with Katie killing her husband Micah, then, in Paranormal Activity 2, we found out that Katie, the same night, also killed her sister and brother-in-law and then kidnapped their infant son. After the third movie took some time to focus on the sisters' childhood, 4 takes place five years in the future and follows a young teenager, Alice, and her experiences with the paranormal, which begin, conveniently enough, when the new neighbors move into the neighborhood. New neighbors that are no other than Katie and her nephew! What could this possibly mean? Where does the story go from here? Certainly, fans are looking for answers to the series' unending questions, but it's uncertain if everything will be revealed in this next chapter, which may or may not be the final chapter (of course, no one actually knew about PA2 until after PA was a success, and likewise with PA3 and PA4). Still, Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, who directed the last installment of the series, are back again, but ready to bring the series into a new era. PA3 took place in the eighties, so alot of the technology was very outdated. However, putting the action in current time makes for more creative liberties, including webcams, as fans have already seen in the trailer that surfaced earlier this summer. Regardless, the quality of the films have never been at their forefront. Rather, because of their timed release with Halloween, the movies have become an event of sorts, driving massive audiences to the movie theaters in the first weekend. Paranormal Activity has certainly become a mega pop culture event and the trend will hopefully continue this fall (October 19th to be exact) with PA4. Check out the trailer below, but beware, it's got some frights! Let me know if you're excited for the next Paranormal Activity installment in the comments section below.

Evan

Fall First Look: Ben and Kate

When the networks decided last week to release some of their new comedy pilots, there was one I was not keen on watching: Ben and Kate. While I had definitely wanted to see the pilots for Go On, The New Normal, and The Mindy Project (and I watched the Animal Practice pilot just because it was on after the Olympics, but I'm regretting that decision), I was not interested in Ben and Kate. The trailer didn't really appeal to me, and I wasn't that interested in it. But after I heard some early word that the pilot was actually good, I decided it wouldn't be a bad thing to give it a try. I'm very thankful I did. This, at least out of the pilots I've seen, was the biggest surprise for me! I went from having no interest in the show to adding it to my list of shows to watch this fall. The set up is fairly simple: Oscar winner Nat Faxon (yep, he co-wrote the screenplay for The Descendants) plays Ben, the crazy, unpredictable older brother to Kate (Dakota Johnson), a woman with a plan, minus one unplanned pregnancy in high school, resulting in her cute, precocious daughter Maddie (the adorable Maggie Elizabeth Jones). Basically, the pilot episode sets up a situation where Ben moves in and helps Kate raise Maddie so that Maddie can move on with her life and her dreams. Also in the mix is Echo Kellum as Ben's best friend Tommy (he's also obsessed with Kate) and Lucy Punch as Kate's BFF BJ (there's a joke about the name, of course!). The writing for this show mixes the best elements of two other new comedies: the heart of The New Normal and the wit of The Mindy Project. In the end, the project comes out just as good as those two prospects. Faxon's character is definitely a big pill to swallow, but the lovable dork comes off really sweet at episode's end. Johnson's character is pretty funny, and she's good with potential to get better. Jones easily beats Bebe Woods of The New Normal for this fall's cutest child actor. She's funny and sweet and I'd love to see how involved Maddie gets in the plot of the show. Kellum's character is pretty funny, although I hope he gets more material beyond obsessing over Kate, but the highlight of the cast so far, it should come as no surprise, is Punch. I thought she was easily the best part of Bad Teacher with Cameron Diaz, and I'm so psyched to see her here, although in reality, she should be the lead of her own TV show, but she gets to steal the show here, and that could land her some attention. Now I can see Fox's plan in pairing this show with Raising Hope: both are witty and funny, but have sentimental family elements, and if this show can reach Raising Hope levels, it should be a great success for Fox. In fact, with the family hour followed by New Girl and The Mindy Project, Fox might have the funniest block of TV this fall (The Neighbors kinda ruins ABC's two-hour block on Wednesdays, but NBC's Thursday block is pretty strong). Overall, I was very surprised by this strong pilot episode. I still think Go On is the best comedy pilot of the season (so far), but I'd say Ben and Kate is just as good as The Mindy Project and The New Normal, although I really won't be able to judge which show is better until I see more episodes, but I would really suggest everyone check out the first episode and see what I was surprised to find. Here's the trailer, which could persuade you to watch the pilot, but you'll just have to take my word and let me know if I was correct in the comments section below!

Evan

Fall First Look: Sticks + Stones by Cher Lloyd

Between Adele, One Direction, Jessie J, Ellie Goulding, Ed Sheeran, and Mumford and Sons, it seems like making the British to American translation is the new big thing in music, so it makes sense why Cher Lloyd has recently found success in the United States. After competing on the British version of The X Factor, Lloyd released her debut album in the UK in November of 2011 and found great success overseas. Jumping onto the latest trend, Lloyd signed with American label Epic Records and is planning to release her first album in the United States this fall. Of course, in order to establish herself, Lloyd first needed to put her name out there for American audiences. That's where her first US single, Want U Back, comes into play. Originally recorded with a feature by British rapper Astro, she rereleased the song for the US, first with an appearance by American rapper Snoop Dogg, and then again as just Lloyd's song. The final version shot her to fame: the song became a big success, peaking (at least so far) at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. The singer has been making a name for herself. Now, it's all about making the album a success. Lloyd recently flew back to the United States to start a month of promo for the album, Sticks + Stones, beginning with an appearance on The Today Show. Last week, the album was put up for pre-sale on iTunes with the next single, With Ur Love, being available for purchase immediately. It's a promising sign for Lloyd that the song is already getting pretty great sales in it's first week, considering Lloyd is still largely unknown in the States. Although Lloyd originally stated she wanted to record some new songs for the US version, it appears there is only one new song on the album titled Behind the Music, but the album itself is still brand new to US audiences. Hopefully, the album's success can launch another great transition for British pop music, which is seeing a resurgence no one could have expected. In case you haven't heard it, check out Lloyd's first US single, Want U Back, in the first video, and her next single, With Ur Love, below it. Let me know if you think Lloyd has what it takes to be another British export star in the United States, and check out her album, Sticks + Stones, when it drops October 2nd!

Evan