Pork here with this week's Chart Attack.

Spears slips as T.I. climbs. Hudson ain’t going.

If you read last week’s Chart Attack, you’d understand exactly why Britney wasn’t able to keep T.I. down as “Whatever You Like” rebounds to the top spot for the third time on the Hot 100 and “Womanizer” drops to No. 4. T.I. (with a little help from Rihanna) also solidified the No. 2 position with “Live Your Life.” It’s all good with me! “Whatever You Like” has a certain swagger and is as infectious as “Womanizer” is annoying. Britney’s short-lived stay at the summit (after a record-setting jump from 96-1) was most likely due to a sales surge upon the first week of digital availability and has now leveled off. Otherwise, it is just not the time to be battling with T.I. as he is in the midst of some chart dominance. Chart Attack indeed. (Warning: Here comes some chart trivia that possibly only my hardcore chart-ians will appreciate.) Keep reading here, Chart-ians. As covered last week, T.I.’s “Live Your Life” replaced his own song “Whatever You Like” on the top of the Hot 100, making him the 9th artist in the “rock era” to achieve such a feat. Well, this week T.I. has a first. Here’s how it goes. T.I. is the first artist to have a former No. 1 return to the peak position after that same artists follow-up spent time at the top. It’s like an amusement park ride. :]

Look out for “Fearless (Big Machine)” by Taylor Swift as the track moves swiftly (I had to) into the Top 10 at No. 9 this week. Ms. Swift is on the move. Can the tweeners take on the hip-hoppers? Stay tuned.


Meanwhile, Jennifer Hudson doesn’t give it up as easily as Britney does and secures the “Spotlight” for another week as her song of the same name stays solidly at the top of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay. There is an easy explanation for this streak atop the charts: stellar songcraft, brilliant production by StarGate and Ne-Yo and…that voice. Viva la Jhud!

What's currently sitting atop all of this week's Billboard charts, plus Bing Crosby better than ever, after the jump.


A View From The Top:
Here is a look at what’s currently sitting atop this week’s Billboard charts:

November 1st, 2008 (week ending)

Singles:
-Hot 100: T.I. “Whatever You Like”
-Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: Jennifer Hudson “Spotlight”
-Pop 100: P!nk “So What”
-Mainstream Top 40: P!nk “So What”
-Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop: T-Pain feat. Lil Wayne “Can’t Believe It”
-Hot Modern Rock Tracks: The Offspring “You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid”
-Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks: Metallica “The Day That Never Comes”
-Triple A: O.A.R. “Shattered (Turn The Car Around)
-Hot Rap Tracks: T.I. “Whatever You Like”
-Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks: Jason Mraz “I’m Yours”
-Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks: David Cook “The Time Of My Life”
-Hot Digital Songs: Britney Spears “Womanizer”
-Rhythmic Top 40: T.I. “Whatever You Like”
-Hot Dance Club Play: Georgie Porgie “Can You Feel That Sound”
-Hot Dance Airplay: Kaskade & Deadmau5 “Move For Me”
-Hot Dance Single Sales: Jealous Sound “Got Friends”
-Pop 100 Airplay: P!nk “So What
-Hot 100 Airplay: T.I. “Whatever You Like”
-Hot Singles Sales: Artists Stand Up To Cancer “Just Stand Up!”
-Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales: Artists Stand Up To Cancer “Just Stand Up!”
-Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: Jennifer Hudson “Spotlight”
-Hot Adult R&B Airplay: Jennifer Hudson “Spotlight”
-Hot Singles Recurrents: Natasha Bedingfield “Pocketful Of Sunshine”
-Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Recurrents: Noel Gourdin “The River”
-Hot 100 Recurrent Airplay: Natasha Bedingfield “Pocketful Of Sunshine”
-Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Recurrent Airplay: Noel Gourdin “The River”
-Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles: Billy Currington “Don’t”
-Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: Soulja Boy Tell’em – “Birdwalk”
-Hot Ringtones: Grupo Montez De Durango “Adios Amore Te Vas”
-Hot Country Songs: Toby Keith “She Never Cried In Front Of Me”

Albums:
-The Billboard 200 Albums: Kenny Chesney – Lucky Old Sun
-Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: T.I. – Paper Trail
-Top Rock Albums: Ray LaMontagne – Gossip In The Grain
-Top Modern Rock/Alternative Albums: Metallica – Death Magnetic
-Top Hard Rock Albums: Metallica – Death Magnetic
-Top Independent Albums: Ray LaMontagne – Gossip In The Grain
-Top Electronic Albums: M.I.A. – Kala
-Top Rap Albums: T.I. – Paper Trail
-Top Soundtracks: Mamma Mia!
-Top Cast Albums: Original Broadway Cast Recording – Wicked
-Top Country Albums: Kenny Chesney – Lucky Old Sun
-Top Heatseekers: Gojira – The Way Of All Flesh

. . . and on the international front:-European Hot 100 Singles: P!nk “So What” (go P!nk!)
-European Top 100 Albums: Metallica – Death Magnetic

. . . and . . . why not?
-Hot Holdiay Songs: Bing Crosby “White Christmas” (after all these years . . . .)

The Washington Blade reports:

The Human Rights Campaign released its biennial scorecard assigning U.S. lawmakers ratings for their votes and sponsorship of gay-related legislation in the 110th Congress.

• Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), the Democratic presidential nominee, scored 94 on the scorecard. He lost points for not supporting HRC’s position on the Uniting American Families Act. Obama supports the bill but has not signed on as a co-sponsor. HRC's scoring criteria included points for co-sponsoring the measure.

• Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the Republican presidential nominee, scored 0.

• Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), a former contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, scored 95. She also did not support HRC’s position on the Uniting American Families Act. She also supports UAFA but has not signed on as a co-sponsor.

• Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.), Obama’s running mate, also scored 95. Like Obama and Clinton, he supports UAFA but has not signed on as a co-sponsor.

After Elton has a great review of the new movie, Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom, based on the origingal Logo series Noah's Arc.

Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom is a ferociously funny, witty, and sexy bookend to the groundbreaking television series of the same name which aired on Logo (AfterElton.com’s parent company) for two seasons. Playing like an extended version of the most well-written and acted episode of the show, the film version successfully extends the scope of the series to fit its big-screen surroundings.

The film takes its title from slavery-era slang for getting married (a broom was literally jumped over in view of witnesses due to the lack of access to other signifiers), and also jumps forward in real time two years after the events of the Noah’s Arc series finale that found Wade and Noah inching back together after a serious motorcycle accident.

Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom opens in select cities today.

Via The Daily Beast:

The best gadgets have yet to be released, including:

Amazon Kindle 2
When Amazon announced the breakthrough Kindle electronic book reader, Newsweek proclaimed on its cover that the device was "the future of reading." Now, eleven months later, wired bibliophiles are seeking a Kindle that's even more futuristic—or at least, one that fixes the annoying design and user-interface defects of the original.

Motorola's Android phone
The T-Mobile G1, the first smartphone to run Google's "Android" operating system for mobile phones, is now in stores. But other mobile phone manufacturers are readying their own Android headsets, including Motorola, whose phone BusinessWeek reports "will boast an iPhone-like touch screen, a slide-out qwerty keyboard, and a host of social-network-friendly features."

Via Pink News

In 1998, six people gathered in a gay bar in London to plan a revolution. They wanted to challenge anti-gay practices in their workplace - and as employees of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, they soon had a plan.

. . . While the outright ban on gay, lesbian, bisexual or trans people had been lifted seven years previously, there were still difficulties for staff who had not previously declared their homosexuality and many managers were resistant to change.New recruits were joining an organisation where the files of gay staff where marked with tags and same-sex partners were invisible.

FLAGG - the Foreign Office Lesbian and Gay Group - faced serious challenges when it started a decade ago . . . [but] The group they founded that night in The Yard celebrated its tenth anniversary last night, with a minister heaping praise on their achievements and original members remarking that all their objectives have been met.

Ten years ago, in CA, I was fired for being gay. At the time there were no laws prohibiting firing someone because of his or her sexuality, but I sued my former employers anyway. And won.

It was a nasty fight. I had no idea the battle would, or even could, get so rough. But it was a battle worth fighting. Congratulations to the FLAGG members for keeping up the good fight.

Click below to jump the the full size players, or click here to launch them in a new window. Or just pull up a chair, hang out, and watch them in The Media Bar.

Today's Buffet:

Daily Song:
T.I Whatever You Like (#1 Song)



Television:
Will Ferrell returns to SNL with with Tina Fey. Did anyone else think of Josh Brolin or Oliver Stone? (5:16)


Movies:
With all the political piling going on right now (motivated at least in part by sexism), I've been thinking of Blade Runner, Harrison Ford's Deckard, and Sean Young's Rachael. (7:57)

Politics:
From the First to the Last Debate in Four Minutes, Slate V recaps everything you need to know about the presidential race between the first and last debates. (3:51)

Music Video:
In honor of my blog's new name, kd lang's "Hallelujah" (5:15)

The players after the jump. Or click here to launch them in a new window. Or just pull up a chair, hang out, and watch them in The Media Bar.


Daily Song:
T.I Whatever You Like (#1 Song)

Television:

Will Ferrell returns to SNL with with Tina Fey. Did anyone else think of Josh Brolin or Oliver Stone? (5:16)


Movies:

With all the political piling going on right now (motivated at least in part by sexism), I've been thinking of
Blade Runner, Harrison Ford's Deckard, and Sean Young's Rachael.

Politics:

From the First to the Last Debate in Four Minutes
Slate V recaps everything you need to know about the presidential race between the first and last debates. (3:51)

Music Video:

In honor of my blog's new name, kd lang's "Hallelujah" (5:15)

Wake Up With These:

The New York Times:
The Front Page
Summary of the NYT front page, Friday October 24, 2008.

NPR
Tell Me More:
Stories: 1) UNCH Pillay Set To Observe U.N. Day 2) Businessman Bob Johnson Invests In Liberia 3) Darfur Women Scarred By Fighting 4) Cultural Workouts, A New Fitness Trend

Fresh Air:
Stories: 1) Charlie Kaufman On Being — And Directing 2) The Many Facets Of 'Changeling' Eastwood

Slate:
Culture Gabfest
In this week's Culture Gabfest, our critics discuss the unexpected catharsis they felt watching Oliver Stone's W. Then, in a special lightning round, they revisit past Gabfest topics, including the ongoing Fey/Palin tragicomedy, Rachel Maddow, and the future of the current environmental movement.

Audio player after the jump. Or click here to launch the player in a new window so you can browse while you listen. Or, head over to The Media Bar and listen there.