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"The ['NOW'] setup is profound and the machine is so well-oiled, I hope we’ll be seeing this series continue for years to come."
—Vince Szyddylzzddii, Virgin Megastores

NOW... WOW!

Britney Bitch-Slaps Eminem and Hip-Hop Won't Stop, But "NOW" Is Forever
Now that's what we call amazing—a compilation LP containing a slew of hits by the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Smash mouth, Macy Gray and blink-182 has knocked Eminem from his #1 perch after an eight-week run.

UTV's "NOW Compilation Volume 4" made its debut in the top spot, with sales near 324k, thanks in large part to an aggressive advertising assault on the MTV generation via a deluge of tube spots. If memory serves—and we've sucked up way too many bong hits to be certain—"NOW" is the first non-soundtrack compilation to make this huge an impact since K-Tel's 1979 immortal "Star Flight," which was powered by such classics as Suzi Quatro's "Stumblin' In," M's "Pop Muzik"—and who can forget Maxine Nightingale's "Lead Me On"?…but we digress.

Said Bruce Resnikoff, President of UME, which includes the UTV imprint: "This is a significant accomplishment, proving you can capture the public's enthusiasm when you build a brand around great artists and great music. In fact, it's almost as innovative as Napster."

It's really all about capturing the public's money, of course, which is the only thing that rouses Virgin Megastores' Vince Szydlowski out of his usual semi-conscious state.

"The NOW series of compilations is nothing short of a phenomenon," Szydlowski woodenly enthused, reading from his cue cards. "The setup is profound and the machine is so well-oiled, I hope we'll be seeing this series continue for years to come."

Szydlowski then explained that the album was such a life-changing experience for him that he's decided to legally change his name to Vince SzydNOWski.

True to her word, teen queen Spears is doing it again as her "Oops" album holds the #2 spot while topping last week's total by 23k on the momentum of the new single "Lucky." That puts Britney right on top of Slim Shady (so to speak), who slips to #3.

The Top 10 has a pair of rap records with legs—Nelly's "County Grammar" (Fo' Reel/Universal), showing real staying power at #4, and Ruff Ryders/Interscope's Ruff Ryders, who round out the first 10.

Meanwhile, "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps" (Def Soul/IDJ) holds down the ninth spot, with the film hitting theaters this week.

"Wake me up when you get a release date on 'Now Volume 5,'" said Szydlowski before slipping into blissful unconsciousness. "Now give me a vowel, willya?"

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