News about Madonna

By Paul Sexton, London

Madonna has notched her latest U.K. chart triumph, starting a third week at the top with "4 Minutes" (Warner Bros.) featuring Justin Timberlake and adding a No. 1 debut with the album "Hard Candy" (Warner Bros.). It's the fourth time in Madonna's 24-year U.K. chart career that she's had simultaneous chart-topping singles and albums, according to Official U.K. Charts Company data. No other solo female artist has achieved that feat more than once. She previously did the double with the single "Papa Don't Preach" and album "True Blue" in 1986, single and album "Like A Prayer" in 1989 and "Hung Up" and "Confessions on a Dancefloor" in 2005. Arriving in the runner-up spot on the new album chart were dance and ambient experimentalists Portishead, with "Third" (Universal Island). Duffy's "Rockferry" (A&M/Universal) moved up 4-3 as its new single "Warwick Avenue" climbed 67-29, while last week's new entry at No. 1, the Last Shadow Puppets' "The Age of the Understatement" (Domino) fell to No.4. Universal Island's Australian-born, U.K.-based pop-funk newcomer Sam Sparro followed the success of his "Black and Gold" single (which held at No. 2 on the new survey) with a No. 5 entry for his self-titled debut album. Meanwhile, Universal's UMTV division created its latest startling "comeback" in the form of a TV-advertised "Very Best Of" collection by 1950s vocal group the Platters. The album entered at No. 9, 30 years to the week since the group made its only other U.K. album chart appearance, reaching No. 8 with a "20 Classic Hits" set. With "4 Minutes" holding at the top of the singles chart and Sparro at No. 2 again, there was a 4-3 move for "Wearing My Rolex" (Asylum/Atlantic) by U.K. "grime" star Wiley. "Love In This Club" (LaFace/Sony BMG) by Usher featuring Young Jeezy climbed 7-4 and Pendulum's "Propane Nightmares" (Warner Bros.) went 16-9. Irish band the Script jumped 30-15 with its first top 20 single "We Cry" (RCA/Sony BMG), Asian R&B-pop soloist Jay Sean's "Maybe" (2Point9) climbed 42-19, and 16-year-old Australian singer-songwriter Gabriella Cilmi improved 27-20 with "Sweet About Me" (Universal Island). "4 Minutes" is on top of Billboard's Eurochart Hot 100 Singles for a second week, while Duffy's "Rockferry" (A&M/Universal) is in a third week at No.1 on European Top 100 Albums.

News about Madonna

By Paul Sexton, London

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