| Thursday 19 December 2002 |
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Whitney & Mariah weak
The winner in the much-anticipated battle of the divas was neither Whitney nor Mariah - but Aaliyah. The over 205,000 copies sold of "Just Whitney" may have been the singer's best first week sales ever, but it only merited a weak No. 9 debut spot on the Top Album sales chart according to sales tracker SoundScan. And Mariah Carey's "Charmbracelet" lost its charms in its second week, falling to the No. 14 slot. Instead, it was late R&B star Aaliyah who beat expectations with her posthumously released album, "I Care 4 U", selling nearly 280,000 copies to debut at No. 3.
Houston's disappointing performance on the charts is being blamed on her appearance on "Primetime", where she admitted to Diane Sawyer being addicted to "making love" and partying her "tail off" with alcohol, marijuana and cocaine. Meanwhile, Shania Twain, now living the double life of a country and pop diva, continued her reign atop the charts for the fourth week in a row, selling 373,200 copies of "Up!" to bring her total sales to 2.2 million.
The Dixie Chicks' "Home" jumped from No. 9 to No. 2, selling nearly 300,000 copies fueled by their primetime concert special on NBC, which was watched by more than 11 million viewers. Tim McGraw's album hit the No. 4 spot, with Eminem's soundtrack to "8 Mile" still selling well at No. 5. The rapper's other effort, "The Eminem Show", is now at No. 20. B2K's "Pandemonium!" - at No. 10 - was the only other disc to bow in the top 10. (NY Post)
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