Congratulations are in order for Britney Spears today … her new single 3 has debuted in the #1 position on the Billboard magazine Hot 100 Singles Chart giving her her third #1 song of her career. Even more impressive, 3 is the first song to debut at #1 in more than 3 years and is the first NON-American Idol song to debut at #1 in almost 11 years!!!

Britney Spears becomes the first artist in over three years to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, to be released tomorrow (Oct. 15), as “3″ opens at the pinnacle of the chart. Her new track, a racy paean to the joys of three-way sex from the upcoming hits set “The Singles Collection,” due Nov. 24, shifts 255,000 downloads in its first week of release, also propelling it to No. 1 on Digital Songs. The title also jumps 38-25 on the Pop Songs chart and debuts at No. 49 on Radio Songs/Hot 100 Airplay, which ranks songs based on airplay audience on all radio formats. “3″ is the first title to debut at No. 1 since Taylor Hicks’ “American Idol” victory song “Do I Make You Proud” did so on the chart dated July 1, 2006. In fact, the last four songs to open at No. 1 were all “American Idol”-related. Prior to Hicks, Carrie Underwood’s “Inside Your Heaven” (July 2, 2005), “I Believe” by Fantasia (July 10, 2004) and Clay Aiken’s “This Is The Night” each debuted at No. 1. The last non-”Idol” song to open at No. 1 was Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing)” on Nov. 14, 1998. “3″ is Spears’ third Hot 100 No. 1. Her debut single “…Baby One More Time” spent two weeks at No. 1 in 1999 and “Womanizer” spent a sole frame at the top, exactly one year ago this week, on the chart dated Oct. 25, 2008.

Woooot!!! What amazing news!!! While I’m still pretty stunned to realize that Britney has only ever previously enjoyed 2 #1 songs, the stunning success of 3 more than makes up for it. I knew that the song was doing well but I had no idea it was doing this well. Congratulations of the highest degree are deffo in order for our dear Britney today. In case you are one of the few folks who has yet to hear 3, you can give it a listen after the jump …

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Beyoncé was on hand at The Pierre Hotel in NYC, NY earlier today to accept her latest accolade at Billboard magazine’s 4th Annual Women In Music Brunch. Billboard has named Beyoncé their Woman of the Year and presented her with her award at today’s award ceremony. Here are photos of B making her red carpet arrival earlier today:

Fans are still getting to know Sasha Fierce, Beyoncé’s musical alter ego, formally introduced on the singer’s 2008 album, “I Am…Sasha Fierce.” Most probably don’t know, however, that the singer/songwriter has been friends with Fierce since elementary school. Manager and father Mathew Knowles will never forget the moment he first met Fierce. A 7-year-old Beyoncé was entered in a talent search open to Houston elementary and middle school students. The song she sang? John Lennon’s “Imagine.” “Beyoncé was the youngest,” Knowles says. “She got up onstage and when she was finished, she received a standing ovation. Her mother [Tina Knowles] and I looked at each other and said, ‘That can’t be our Beyoncé. She’s shy and quiet.’ ” Twenty-two years later, that simmering brew of shy, quiet talent peppered with fierce determination and ambition is at a boiling point. The former frontwoman of Destiny’s Child has come into her own, enjoying one of the best years of a still-evolving solo career. On Oct. 2, Beyoncé will add one more honor to her array of accolades when she accepts Billboard’s Woman of the Year Award. The presentation will be made at Billboard’s Women in Music brunch in New York, recognizing the year’s top 30 women in the music business. “Beyoncé is a multiplatinum artist and a multitalented woman who clearly embodies the qualities of excellence and achievement that the Billboard Woman of the Year Award was created to honor,” Billboard editorial director Bill Werde says. “She has not only influenced pop culture with her hit songs and her signature dance moves, but has inspired women everywhere with her unique style, business savvy and dedication to charitable causes.” In the past 12 months alone, Beyoncé has accomplished several career milestones. She not only sang “American the Beautiful” during the opening ceremony of the 2009 presidential inauguration, she also sang the Etta James hit “At Last” as President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama danced their first dance at the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball. In March Beyoncé launched her worldwide I Am…tour, which has grossed some $53.5 million to date, according to Billboard Boxscore. She’s also the star and executive producer of the 2009 film “Obsessed,” which opened at No. 1 and has grossed more than $68.3 million in North America, according to Nielsen EDI. “I Am…Sasha Fierce” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 when it was released by Columbia Records in November. The album, the singer’s third solo set, has spun off a string of Billboard Hot 100 hits: “If I Were a Boy,” “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” “Halo,” “Ego” and “Sweet Dreams.” After accepting MTV’s video of the year award for her iconic “Single Ladies” video a few weeks ago, Beyoncé gained a new level of fan and industry respect at the Sept. 13 event when she unselfishly brought Taylor Swift back onstage to complete the acceptance speech cut off by Kanye West’s surprise interruption. Beyoncé also continued her commitment this year to ongoing philanthropic projects and entrepreneurial activities from fashion to fragrances.

Beyoncé is my girl and I couldn’t be more happy that she has been chosen as Billboard’s Woman of the Year. There is no doubt that she has enjoyed a storied music career thus far and has reached new heights of success as a solo artist. 2009 has deffo been her year and she is really the only person who could’ve been named Woman of the Year. I’ve been a Beyoncé fan for years but she really won me over as a superfan after I saw her perform live in concert. To be honest, I see no sign of the girl slowing down and I only wish her nothing but the happiest of successes. Much love and congrats goes out to Beyoncé on this latest achievement … she deffo earned it.

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]

It’s official! Britney Spears’s new album Circus has debuted in the top position on the Billboard magazine Top 200 Album Chart this week!

Britney Spears’ latest CD, “Circus,” has landed her back at a familiar position — No. 1. The singer’s comeback CD — actually, make that her second comeback CD — will top the album charts next week, according to her label, Jive … estimates have the record selling as many as 500,000 copies in its first week of release. “This is going to reinforce her icon status,” said Barry Weiss, chairman and CEO of the BMG Label Group, which includes Spears’ label. “It’s not just a No. 1 album.” Indeed, it’s not. For Spears, who has rebounded after a disastrous year that included rehab, a custody battle for her two sons and court-ordered supervision by her father, it is another step in her bid to reclaim her status among pop’s elite. “At the end of the day, I think she is America’s pop princess, and the world’s pop princess, and this just reconfirms it to everyone who doubted it,” said her manager, Larry Rudolph. While her last CD, “Blackout,” also debuted at No.1 when it was released in October 2007, it quickly fizzled on the U.S. charts, despite receiving critical acclaim, because Spears didn’t really promote it amid the chaos in her life. Things appear to be different this time around. Spears has been showing off her dancing moves and taut body during high-profile appearances on shows like ABC’s “Good Morning America” and was also the focus of a documentary, “Britney: For the Record.” The special, executive produced by Rudolph, aired on MTV in the days before the release of “Circus.” “The documentary had a huge role,” said Rudolph. “People were able to see Britney, to see her tell her story. I think they got the true sense of who she is, and they appreciated it.” “Circus,” which debuted to mainly positive reviews, was released on the singer’s 27th birthday, Dec. 2. The CD’s first single, “Womanizer,” was a No. 1 hit, and her latest single, “Circus,” was the most added song at pop radio, her label said. Spears plans a nationwide tour that is set to kick off March 3 in New Orleans. Weiss said Jive decided to release “Circus” just a year after “Blackout” because of the strength of the music, and said recording the CD was a great constructive outlet for the singer. Rudolph said when it comes to crunching the numbers, Spears is not all that interested in how many copies she sold the first week or her chart positions. But, he added: “Professionally, she’s feeling great. … It’s great for her to hear that she’s got a No. 1 album again.” One of entertainment’s biggest names, Spears has been a multiplatinum sensation since she made her debut over a decade ago. She’s sold more than 30 million albums in the United States alone.

Woot! More great news for the Britney Comeback campaign. Unforth, this report is wrong in saying that Blackout debuted at #1 on the Soundscan chart last year … it actually debuted at #2 and The Eagles nabbed the #1 position. But that was last year, this is a whole new year … a whole new beginning for our dear Britney Spears. Much love and congrats on her latest #1 album … something tells me, it won’t be her last :)

[Source]

Despite the fact that Britney Spears’s new single Womanizer was accidentally removed from the iTunes online music store for a 24 hour period (and has since reappeared on the site), the single still made a record-breaking leap to the #1 spot on the Billboard magazine Hot 100 singles chart to become the #1 song in the country:

Another week, another record-breaking jump to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Britney Spears makes a near-maximum 96-1 rise with “Womanizer,” returning to the top of the list for the first time since her debut single “…Baby One More Time” hit No. 1 in January 1999. This is the third time in the past two months that the mark for the biggest jump to No. 1 has been shattered. On the Hot 100 dated Sept. 6, T.I. soared 71-1 with “Whatever You Like” and last week he sprinted 80-1 with “Live Your Life.” Spears’ single is spurred by first-week download sales of 286,000, the biggest opening-week tally by a female artist since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking digital downloads in 2003, besting Mariah Carey’s take for “Touch My Body” by just over 200 units. In between her nearly 10-year gap between No. 1s, Spears has placed four other top 10s on the Hot 100, the last being “Gimme More,” the first single from her last set, “Blackout.” That song jumped 68-3 last October with first-week download sales of 179,000. “Womanizer” previews Spears’ sixth studio set “Circus,” due Dec. 2 via Jive.

Sooo … according to Billboard magazine, Womanizer becomes Britney’s second #1 song on the Hot 100 chart?! I guess I never really paid attention to her chart success considering all of the amazing singles she has put out over the years. I am pretty geeked that Britney’s song made a record-breaking jump from the #96 position to the #1 position — especially when you consider the song charted even before it was available for sale and managed to make its mark based solely on radio play. I think it’s quite clear that Britney’s comeback is in full swing with this news … now the question becomes, to what heights will Britney continue to soar as she continues to release new material?

[Source]

This past Friday, the official Nine Inch Nails website was updated with a new photo of NIN frontman Trent Reznor pausing backstage on his way to the stage at their tour stop in Philadelphia, PA … check it out:

Hot damn, now this is an awesome picture … whether you’re a NIN fan or not ;) Sarah and I noted that Trent was letting his facial hair grow back when we saw NIN play Toledo, OH last Monday and it looks like he’s been letting it grow since then — oh yes, me likey. Hopefully he’ll have himself a full-on beard by the time I get to see NIN again in Inglewood, CA next weekend.

In other NIN-related news, Pink reader Kent gave me the heads up that Billboard.com has posted a very cool article on the band called 20 Years of Nine Inch Nails in their ongoing Music Milestones feature. I guess I never really realized that since Pretty Hate Machine, NIN’s debut album, was released in 1988 that this year is the band’s 20th anniversary. Wow. In any event, I think all y’all should read the Billboard feature on NIN HERE … I’m pretty sure that even the most hardcore fans will learn (or be reminded of) a few things about this amazing band.

[Source via Source, thanks Kent]