DRILLING FOR BOYLE

The unlikely Syco/Columbia phenom will top the HITS’ Album chart for a third consecutive week next Tuesday (12/15), with a total that could hit between 625-675k, bringing her cumulative number close to 2 million.

That will certainly bring a smile to the faces of Rob Stringer, Steve Barnett and the notoriously hard-to-please Simon Cowell.

Based on one-day sales reports from those retailers not too busy selling flat-screen TVs, the top debut will come from Columbia’s Glee, Vol. 2, which is rapidly turning into its own cottage industry, with 120-130k, giving Barnett’s label the top two albums on next week’s chart.

Jive/JLG’s Chris Brown returns with Graffiti, which is on target for between 95-100k as the next highest newcomer, while Warner Bros. Birmingham, AL, rapper Gucci Mane is right behind him, with a projected total of 85-95k.

Virgin/EMI’s Thirty Seconds to Mars declare This Is War with a projected total between 65-75k, followed by Mailboat’s Jimmy Buffett (60-70k), Priority/EMI’s Snoop Dogg (55-65k), E1 Entertainment’s BG (40-50k), Blackground/Interscope’s Timbaland (35-40k) and Columbia Virginia Beach hip-hop duo Clipse (30-35k).

The market was down 5% vs. last week, down 10% vs. same week last year and down 13% year to date.

You may now return to enjoying the last few days of the “'Ought Decade.”