BEYONCE SET FOR FIERCE DEBUT

A double dose of Beyonce and her alter ego will grab the top spot on the HITS Album Sales chart next week, as her two-CD Music World/Columbia set, I Am… Sasha Fierce, will debut at #1 with 500-550k in sales, according to those hardy retailers who still have their doors open.

With a stunning appearance on Saturday Night Live last weekend, two hit singles in “If I Were a Boy” and “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)” and a starring role as Etta James in the upcoming Chess Records movie, Cadillac Records (and its accompanying soundtrack), Beyonce might as well be Sasha Claus.

The real tussle will be right below that for #2, as a debuting RCA/RMG’s David Cook and Roadrunner’s Nickelback go head-to-head with this week’s chart-topper, Big Machine’s Taylor Swift, in her second week. All look to be in the 300k range, mas o menos.

Syco/Columbia’s Il Divo, Simon Cowell’s tenor heartthrobs, are in the 100-125k range.

Other Top 50 newcomers will include Epic’s masked metal marauders Mudvayne, with 40-50k, and Asylum R&B crooner Slim at 30-40k.

Sunday will mark the release of Guns N’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy, while IDJ beats the Tuesday rush with three biggies in Kanye West, The Killers and Ludacris in stores on the Monday before Black Friday.

The market was up 27% vs. last week, down 24% vs. the same week last year and still down 13% year to date.

Now, excuse us while we get in line for our $125 Sony Bravia HDTV.