TALKIN’ ’SMACK!!!

Even if the Apple entrepreneur doesn’t, more than 260k fans certainly do, making the Republic/Universal rockers from New England #1 on this week’s Top 50 HITS album chart with their third album, Faceless, which should make them anything but.

Homer’s Omaha-based honcho Rick Galusha denied he was the role model for Jack Nicholson in About Schmidt, flashed the devil sign, banged his head and insisted: "I may be an atheist, but I believe in Godsmack. The new album was a big winner for us this week, and I look forward to celebrating the occasion by sacrificing a goat to Sully and the boys on the pyre in my backyard."

Other newcomers to the Top 10 included Capitol’s Lisa Marie Presley, whose debut album, To Whom It May Concern, was anything but a hound dog, bowing at #5, with an impressive 140k in sales. Epic soul man Ginuwine’s The Senior landed at #7.

Added Galusha: "The Lisa Marie album was a pleasant surprise. It seems like she grabbed a lot of her old man’s fans, as well as some of her own. And Ginuwine is always a strong performer for us. This isn’t widely known, but insurance agents love R&B."

James Taylor’s best-of on Warner Strategic Marketing debuted just outside the Top 10 at #11, while WSM’s Cher retrospective was up 11%, thanks to last week’s primetime TV special, at #6.

WB’s Linkin Park dropped a spot from #1, a position it had held for two weeks, with Shady/Aftermath/Interscope’s 50 Cent (#3), Capitol’s Now 12 (#4), Blue Note’s Norah Jones (#8), Epic’s Celine Dion (#9) and Wind-up’s Evanescence (#10) completing the Top 10. There were a total of nine 100k-plus sellers on the charts this week; interestingly, the nine were ranked #1-9 as well. Will wonders never cease?

Other chart newcomers included Roc-A-Fella/IDJ’s Jay-Z re-package (#13), Lost Highway/IDJ’s Lucinda Williams (#18) and Rap-A-Lot/Virgin’s Scarface (#28).

Aside from Cher, double-digit increases were registered by RCA’s Christina Aguilera (+15%, 31-27), DreamWorks Nashville’s Toby Keith (+16%, 37-34), WB’s Trapt (+16%, 40-38) and Epic’s Jennifer Lopez (+12%, 45-44).

Next week, it’s gonna be all about 50 Cent, as his historic combo DVD + CD hits…yup, the album charts.