Leona Lewis Wins Chart Battle Over Take That; Oasis Makes a Comeback

Singles for Leona Lewis, Take That, and McFly jockeyed for position over the past week, leaving some suspense as to whom would be No. 1 on Sunday. The chart turned out rather predictable, with X-Factor winner Lewis in the pinnacle spot and the boybands falling behind at No. 2 and No. 3. And look who’s on the chart again: the Gallagher brothers bring the roots-rock rebellion at No. 10 with “Lord Don’t Slow Me Down.”

1. Leona Lewis – Bleeding Love
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2. Take That – Rule the World
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3. McFly – The Heart Never Lies
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4. Sugababes – About You Now
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5. Mark Ronson ft. Amy Winehouse -Valerie
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6. Britney Spears – Gimme More
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7. Timbaland ft. New Republic -Apologize
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8. Freemasons ft. Bailey Tsuke -Uninvited
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9. The Hoosiers – Goodbye Mr. A
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10. Oasis – Lord Don’t Slow Me Down
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BTW, I saw Morrissey in concert for the first time on Saturday at the Hammerstein Ballroom here in New York. I’ll have more to say on it later in the week, but let me just convey this: I’ve been refreshed. Rejuvenated. Nay…I’ve been healed. OK, seriously, I’m none of those things – if anything, I’m more scarred, bitter, and horrible than before – but it was a damn great gig.

In other news:

Simon Cowell slams Take That’s record company for pitting them against Leona: “Take That were used to spoil the Leona party but it backfired and I feel really disappointed for them. They should never have been up against her in the first place.”(Mirror)
39-year-old Take That-er Howard Donald has been hospitalized with “a collapsed lung” after, as TheSun reports, “doing the splits on stage” and “performing a complex dance movement which also involves a backflip” during a tour date in Milan last week. He’ll be benched for two weeks.
“You’ve got to admire Take That – touching 40 and putting their bodies on the line for their fans.” OK, look here, Vicky Newton. These dudes aren’t soldiers or firefighters. They are aging boyband members who don’t have the good sense to know that their bodies can’t do the same things at 40 that they did at 25.
(The Sun)
During a gig in Moscow, Róisín Murphy “was rushed to hospital for surgery” after hitting her head on a chair and damaging her eye socket, reports BBC NEWS. Geez. She had a concussion but her vision was unharmed. Get well, girl.
An amazing interview with Girls Aloud in The Times in which Sarah Harding threatens to “lamp” Lily Allen and Cheryl Tweedy calls Pete Doherty “a waste of fresh air.” God, I love these girls.
Will Amy Winehouse join Lily Allen on the “Banned from the U.S.” list for her Norwegian drug arrest?(Contact Music)
Lily Allen on viewing her little brother’s “bits” on stage in Equus: “I’ve seen them before. He wanders around the house naked on Sunday mornings which is rather disgusting.”(Mirror)
Siobhan Donaghy sheds her clothes and her good-girl image for a burlesque strip-tease at London’s G-A-Y event. Victoria Newton’s diagnosis: saucy.
(The Sun)
Much to the delight of sex-starved, bible-toting grannies, 67-year-old Sir Cliff Richard goes shirtless for a new calendar, and The Daily Mail has a photo. OK, I will admit he has a nice body, even though his face is pulled tighter than a fitted sheet.
The Guardian‘s Alexis Petridis reviews Edwyn Collins‘ first gig since suffering a massive stroke two years ago. “He cut a frail figure, seated in the centre of the stage, reading his words from a lectern, but his voice was intact, bizarre, and unique. Collins sang like a man at the tail end of [sic] long and extremely enjoyable dinner, attempting to croon with a mouth full of port and walnuts while trying to stop himself laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. The songs sounded fantastic.”
The Independent asks, “What happened to female hip-hop stars, both in the UK and in America?” Good effin’ question.