A concert as part of the 2010 FIFA World Cup closing ceremonies took place on July 11 before the final match between the Netherlands and Spain. International pop star Shakira and her special guest Freshlyground performed their hit "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa. "Waka Waka" is the official song of this year's World Cup. Proceeds from sales of the single, which to-date top one million copies, benefit FIFA's Official Campaign of the World Cup, "20 Centers for 2010."
Eminem still dominating Billboard album chart
Eminem continues to dominate the Billboard 200 chart this week with his new album Recovery. Second week sales totaled 313,000 copies. According to Nielsen SoundScan, it has now passed the one million mark in total sales.
American Idol auditions begin
Auditions for season 10 of American Idol will begin on July 17 in Nashville, Tennessee. Tryouts will also take place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 21; New Orleans, Louisiana on July 26; East Rutherford, New Jersey on August 3; Austin, Texas on August 11; and San Francisco, California on August 19. This year, the minimum age for contestants was lowered to 15. The maximum age is 28.
Usher to release Two New CDs
R&B star Usher will release two CDs on August 24. Versus contains eight new songs, including his collaboration with Pitbull, "DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love." That track is slated to be the first single. Also set for release on August 24 is Raymond V. Raymond (The Deluxe Edition), which is a double CD packaged with the original Raymond V. Raymond album and Versus. "Raymond V. Raymond" debuted at Number One on the Billboard 200 and has sold 898,000 copies since its release in March 2010.
Billboard issues list of top summer-themed songs
Billboard magazine has compiled a list of the Top 30 summer-themed songs. Rankings were based on highest performance on the weekly Hot 100 chart. The Top 10 in ascending order are "The Boys Of Summer" by Don Henley, "Summer Nights" by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, "Surfin' U.S.A." by The Beach Boys, "Hot Fun In The Summertime" by Sly & The Family Stone, "Summertime" by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, "Endless Summer Nights" by Richard Marx, "Surf City" by Jan & Dean, "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini" by Bryan Hyland, "Wipe Out" by The Surfaris and "Summer In The City" by The Lovin' Spoonful.
New Album Releases July 13:
"Symphonicities" by Sting
"Laziest Girl In The World" by Jane Krakowski
"Intriguer" by Crowded House
"Judge Jerrod and the Hung Jury" by Jerrod Niemann
"I Am The West" by Ice Cube
"Don't Mess With A Big Band" by Brian Setzer
"Here Is My Song" by Kim Walker
"Knight and Day" original motion picture soundtrack
