Week of December 15, 2005

Iraqis vote in droves in an election that could determine the course of the nation.

The turnout was heavy among all ethnic and religious groups including the

Sunnis.

The Senate blocks the legislation to renew the patriot Act - a dramatic rebuff to

President Bush.

President Bush , urges Americans to “have patience” with

the U.S. mission in Iraq, even though it had been more

difficult than expected.

Facing criticism, President Bush said that after the Sept. 11

attacks, he authorized a secret eavesdropping program in

the U.S. that operates without court warrants, He defended

the program, saying it was vital to saving American lives and

that he has no intention of stopping it.

A Bahamas-bound seaplane carrying 20 crashes in the water near South Beach

just after takeoff, killing at least 19.

Emergency workers find the body of another Hurricane Katrina victim, bringing

the number of deaths to 1,072.

House Republicans are pushing legislation making illegal status a federal crime,

not just a violation of civil immigration. But President Bush wants a guest-worker

program

Time magazine names Bill and Melinda

Gates and Bono as its persons of the

year.

Passing - Senator William Proxmire (90).

Technology - Sales of I-Pods are expected to total 37 million by the end of the

year. Two new I-Pods - the Nano and the video I-Pod, are expected to be hot

holiday gift items.

Ebay Inc. cancels plans to allow pets to be sold on its website after receiving

thousands of angry letters.

Passing Jack Anderson (83) - Pulitzer Prize winning columnist.

Week of December 15, 2005

Radio news - Howard Stern does his final show on commercial radio. He’ll be

joining Sirius in January. Stern and crew did a remote from Las Vegas.

Radio trend? Clear Channel, always one to find extra revenue, says station

WIBA-FM in Madison (WI) is renaming its newsroom after a sponsor -. It will now

be called and Amcore Bank News Center.

Entertainment news - Justin Timberlake and his business

partners introduce their fashion line. It focuses on men’s and

women’s vintage T’s, polos, jeans and hats.

Britney Spears files a $20 million libel lawsuit against Us

Weekly charging that the magazine published a false story

that she and husband Kevin Federline had made a sex tape

and were about to release it.

Television news -

On Dr. Phil this week, Newlyweds ask for advice.

Passing - John Spencer (58) best known as the chief of

staff on “West Wing.” Of a heart attack.

Conservative pundit Robert Novak will jump from CNN to

Fox news, ending 25 years with the network.

Top TV -

CSI - 17.66

NCIS - 17.11

CSI: NY - 16.19

Without A Trace - 15.25

Criminal Minds - 15.23

Cold CASE - 15.22

House - 14.65

Two and a Half Men - 1425

The Christmas Blessing - 13.85

CSI: Miami - 13.79

Monday Night Football - 13.57

60 Minutes - 12.92

Week of December 15, 2005

Apprentice 4 - 12.81

Monday night TV -

CBS - King of Queens, How I Met Your Mother, Two and a half Men, Out of

Practice, CSI:Miami, Late Show

NBC - Deal or No Deal, 2005 Radio

Music Awards, Tonight Show

ABC - Wife Swap, Monday Night

Football, Nightline

WB - 7 th Heaven, Related

Fox - Arrested Development, Nanny 911

UPN - Everybody Hates Chris, One on

One, Girlfriends, Half & Half,

PBS - Antiques Roadshow, American

Experience, Hoxie: The Fist Stand, Tavis Smiley Charlie Rose

2005 Radio Music Awards - With Snoop Dogg, Rascal Flatts, Gavin deGraw,

Ricky Martin, Keith Urban, Sugarland, Michael Buble and Ashlee Simpson

Hosted By Mark McGrath and Jaime Pressly.

Late Show - Jim Carrey joins David Letterman.

Tonight Show - Pamela Anderson joins Jay Leno.

Music news -

Starbucks is adding new music stores

and unveils two new Hear Music

Coffeehouses. The stores integrate a

coffee shop with a traditional record store

and digital download outlet. The new

outlets are located in San Antonio and

Miami Beach. Both expand on the Santa

Monica (CA) prototype store opened in

March 2004.

Top concert grosser in 2005 - Billboard says it was U2’s “Vertigo” tour which

attracted more than 3 million and grossed more than $260 million. “The Eagles”

land in #2 - pulling in $117 million and Neil Diamond at #3.

Week of December 15, 2005

Worst trend in 2005 -

Talkshow host Carson Daly believes the worst trend -

there are just too many people trying to rap. “Rap is a

cultural thing - if you get up to the mike, you better have

something to say. Too many people are saying the same

things over and over… And, there’s too many cover

songs.”

Digital downloads going up - In May of this year, about

6.4 million digital downloads were selling per week, three

times that of the same period in 2004. But for the third

quarter - downloads were up slightly, at 6.6 million per

week. The record companies are taking a wait-and-see, since the business is at

an early state of development.

Rapper Foxy Brown says she hasn’t heard another

person’s voice in six months. She was diagnosed with

sudden hearing loss in May while she was recording her

upcoming album. She will have surgery early next year to

hopefully restore her hearing.

MTV is preparing a combination a la carte and

subscription digital music service called Urge and is

expected to go live in 2006. MTV is partnering with

MusicNet to offer more than 2 million tracks from major and independent labels.

MTV says it will also make available such original content as “MTV Unplugged”

performances, original in-studio recordings, music videos and episodes of

various MTV series for downloads.

Notorious B.I.G. lives - Sean “Diddy” Combs will offer fans new tracts featuring

the slain artist when “Notorious B.I.G. Duets” is released Dec. 20. The album

pairs the voice of Notorious with the likes of Jay-Z, R. Kelly, Eminem and Mary J.

Blige.

Garth Brooks is appearing on Wal-Mart’s new Home for the Holidays ads seen

on TV.

50-Cent is just plain hot. (Real name) Curtis Jackson’s

“Get Rich or die Tryin” - the movie and soundtrack are

getting a big buzz. 50 Cent’s multimillion dollar G-Unit

empire which encompassed clothing, shoes and

watches - recently entered into a partnership with

Week of December 15, 2005

Pocket/MTV Books which is scheduled to launch in 2007.

Top Country -

Tequila Makes Her Clothes fall Off - Joe Nichols

Who You’d Be Today - Kenny Chesney

Come A Little Closer - Dierks Bentley

Good Ride Cowboy - Garth Brooks

She Let Herself Go - George Strait

Must Be Doin’ Somethin’ Right - Billy Currington

Jesus, Take the Wheel - Carrie Underwood

Big Blue Note - Toby Keith

Better Life - Keith Urban

Like We Never Love At All - Faith Hill

Best I ever Had - Gary Allan

Hot Hits this week -

Gold Digger - Kanye West Feat. Jamie Foxx

Laffy Taffy - D4L

Soul Survivor - Young Jeezy Feat. Akon

Photograph - Nickelback

My Humps - The Black Eyed Peas

Don’t Forget About us - Mariah Carey

Stickwitu - Pussycat Dolls

When I’m Gone - Eminem

Grillz - Nelly Feat. Paul Wall, Ali & Gipp

We Be Burnin’ - Sean Paul

I’m Sprung - t-Pain

Because of You - Kelly Clarkson

Hung Up - Madonna

There It Go! (The Whistle Song) - Jueiz

Santana

Stay Fly - Three 6 Mafia Feat. Young

Buck & Eightball & MJG

Here We Go - Trina Feat. Kelly Rowland

Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down - Fall Out Boy

One Wish - Ray J

Check On it - Beyonce Feat. Slim Thug

Week of December 15, 2005

Top albums this week -

The Massacre - 50 Cent

American Idiot - Green Day

Encore - Eminem

The Emancipation of Mimi - Mariah Carey

Destiny Fulfilled - destiny’s Child

Breakaway - Kelly Clarkson

How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb -

Feels Like Today - Rascal Flatts

Love. Angel. Music. Baby - Gwen

Stefani

Confessions - Usher

Greatest Hits - Shania Twain

Now 17 - Various Artists

Greatest Hits 2 - Toby Keith

The Documentary - The Garne

Crunk Juice - Lil Jon & The East

Side Boyz

X&Y - Coldplay

Goodies - Clara

Genius Loves Company - Ray

Charles

The Red Light District - Ludacris

Late Registration - Kanye West

Now 19 - Various Artists

Here For The Party - Gretchen Wilson

Hot Fuss - The Killers

Live Like You Were Dying - Tim McGraw

MTV Ultimate Mash-Ups Presents:

Collision Course

Top hits in Britain -

Let There Be Love - Oasis

Stickwitu - Pussycat Dolls

You Raise Me Up - Westlife

Hung Up - Madonna

My Humps - Black Eye Peas

No Worries - Simon Webbe

Because of You - Kelly Clarkson

Week of December 15, 2005

Top Rap -

One Wish - Ray J

Run It! - Chris Brown

Back Together Again- Melisa Morgan & Freddie Jackson

No strings - Lola

Clap - Cinque

Baby Girl - Tre

Padlock - Starr Blazz

Top Latin -

Ellay Y Yo - Aventura Feat. Don Omar

Rompe - Daddy Yankee

Amor Eterno - Christian Castro

Ven Bailalo - Angel & Khriz

Rakata - Wisin & Yandel

Mayor Que Yo - Baby Ranks, Daddy Yankee,

Tonny Tun Tun, Wisin, Yandel & Hector

Billboard’s top pop artists for 2005 -

50 Cent

Kelly Clarkson

Mariah Carey

Green Day

Gwen Stefani

The Black Eyed Peas

Ciara

Destiny’s Child

Eminem

The Game

Ludacris

Mario

Kayne West

Sher

The Kilers

Toby Keith

Rascal Flatts

Rob Thomas

Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz

Akon

T.I

Snoop Dogg

Bow Wow

Kenny Chesney

Week of December 15, 2005

Nelly

Fantasia

Alicia Keys

Coldplay

Lifehouse

Missy Elliott

Maroons

Pretty Ricky

Weezer

Frankie J

Keith Urban

Gretchen Wilson

Top movies this week -

King Kong

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

The Family Stone

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Syrlana

Walk the Line

Yours, Mine & Ours

Brokeback Mountain

Just Friends

Adeon Flux