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Morgan Wallen's ‘I'm the Problem' Returns to No. 1 on Billboard 200

Morgan Wallen's ‘I'm the Problem' Returns to No. 1 on Billboard 200

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Morgan Wallen's I'm the Problem returns to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart (dated Aug. 9), racking up a ninth nonconsecutive week atop the tally. The set rises 2-1 and earned 143,000 equivalent album units in the week ending July 31 (up 1%) according to Luminate. I'm the Problem debuted at No. 1 on the May 31-dated chart and spent it first eight weeks in the pole position.
Also in the top 10 of the latest Billboard 200, TOMORROW X TOGETHER collects its seventh top 10-charted effort with the No. 3 debut of The Star Chapter: TOGETHER; YoungBoy Never Broke Again lands his sweet 16th top 10 with the No. 6 bow of MASA; and Tyler Childers achieves his highest-charted album (and third top 10) with the No. 7 launch of Snipe Hunter.
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The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Aug. 9, 2025-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard's website on Aug. 5. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Of I'm the Problem's 143,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending July 31, SEA units comprise 137,000 (up 2%, equaling 180.43 million on-demand official streams of the set's songs — it leads Top Streaming Albums for a 10th nonconsecutive week), album sales comprise 5,000 (down 23% — it falls 15-16 on Top Album Sales) and TEA units comprise 1,000 (up 30%).
Cumulatively, Wallen's three No. 1 albums (I'm the Problem, One Thing at a Time and Dangerous: The Double Album) have spent a total of 38 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. That sum solely gives Wallen the fifth-most weeks at No. 1 among male artists in the chart's history, which dates to March 1956, when the chart began publishing on a regular weekly basis. He was previously tied with Harry Belafonte and Drake with 37 weeks each. Among male artists, the leaders are: Elvis Presley (67 weeks), Garth Brooks (52), Michael Jackson (51), Elton John (39), Wallen (38), Belafonte and Drake (37 each). Among all artists, The Beatles have the most weeks at No. 1, with 132 across 19 No. 1 albums.
The KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack returns to its peak on the Billboard 200, as it climbs 3-2 with 93,000 equivalent album units earned (up 4%) — its best week yet by units earned.
TOMORROW X TOGETHER collects its seventh top 10-charted effort as The Star Chapter: TOGETHER debuts at No. 3. The set earned 65,000 equivalent album units in its first week. Album sales comprise 62,000 of that sum (it debuts at No. 1 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise 3,000 (equaling 4.23 million on-demand official streams of the set's songs) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. The album's first-week sales were bolstered by its availability across 24 CD variants (all with collectible ephemera, some randomized, inside its packaging).
Tyler, The Creator's DON'T TAP THE GLASS falls 1-4 in its second week on the Billboard 200, with 59,000 equivalent album units earned (down 70%). Justin Bieber's SWAG rises 6-5 (52,000, down 28%).
YoungBoy Never Broke Again achieves his 16th top 10-charted album on the Billboard 200, as MASA enters at No. 6. The set earned 49,000 equivalent album units in its first week, with SEA units comprising 48,000 of that sum (equaling 69.15 million on-demand official streams of its songs — it debuts at No. 4 on Top Streaming Albums). Album sales comprise a little under 1,000 (it was only available to purchase as a standard widely available digital download) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum.
With a 16th top 10, YoungBoy Never Broke Again ties Jay-Z and Nas for the third-most top 10 albums among hip-hop artists. Only Future (with 18) and Drake (17) have more among hip-hop acts. (Among all artists, of all genres, The Rolling Stones have the most top 10s, with 38.)
Tyler Childers scores his highest-charting album, and third top 10, on the Billboard 200 with the No. 7 launch of Snipe Hunter. The set earned 48,000 equivalent album units in its first week. Album sales comprise 27,000 of that sum (it debuts at No. 2 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise 20,500 (equaling 26.14 million on-demand official streams of its songs — it debuts at No. 20 on Top Streaming Albums) and TEA units comprise about 500.
Snipe Hunter's first-week sales were aided by its availability across seven vinyl variants, along with a widely available standard CD and digital download.
The album was preceded by the radio-promoted single 'Nose on the Grindstone,' which climbs to No. 18 — a new peak — on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart.
Rounding out the top 10 of the latest Billboard 200 are Alex Warren's You'll Be Alright, Kid (falling 5-8 with 47,000 equivalent album units, down 35%); JACKBOYS and Travis Scott's former No. 1 JACKBOYS 2 (4-9 with 46,000, down 41%); and Ozzy Osbourne's The Essential Ozzy Osbourne (7-10 with nearly 46,000, up 5%).
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
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McDonaldland meal with volcano shake to joins menu for limited-time. Here's when
McDonaldland meal with volcano shake to joins menu for limited-time. Here's when

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time26 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

McDonaldland meal with volcano shake to joins menu for limited-time. Here's when

McDonald's upcoming meal item is taking customers back to the forgotten fantasy world known as McDonaldland. Starting Aug. 12, the McDonaldland meal will join menus nationwide for a limited time, featuring a colorful shake inspired by the fast-food chain's fictional whimsical world. The meal includes a new Mt. McDonaldland shake, a side of fries, and a customer's choice of either a Quarter Pounder with Cheese or 10-piece McNuggets, according to an Aug. 5 news release. The shake pays ode to a volcano from McDonaldland with the vibrant drink representing blue "lava" and pink clouds. The company also announced the launch of limited-edition merch inspired by McDonaldland through collaborations with clothing brand Pacsun and accessories retailer Away. The Pacsun collaborations will feature sweat sets and graphic tees available as soon as Aug. 12, while the Away collaboration will include luggage tags and bag charms available starting Aug. 18 while supplies last, McDonald's said. What is McDonaldland? McDonaldland is McDonald's promotional fantasy world that debuted in 1971 and was featured in games and movies. The fictional world is home to quirky landmarks from Apple Pie Trees and Hamburger Patches to the volcanic yet vibrant Mt. McDonaldland as well as many brand characters. "Now the gang is back together, and fans can rediscover the epic world and its characters or experience it for the first time – all through the meal," McDonald's wrote in the news release. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: McDonaldland meal with volcano shake debuts in August. What is it?

This Billionaire Is Partnering With The Ellisons On The Paramount Deal
This Billionaire Is Partnering With The Ellisons On The Paramount Deal

Forbes

timean hour ago

  • Forbes

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T he year-long saga of Skydance Media's $8 billion Paramount takeover is fit for its own Paramount+ mini-series. There's political intrigue with critics slamming departing boss Shari Redstone's apparent capitulation to Donald Trump to get the deal approved, including Paramount's agreement to pay $16 million to Trump's future presidential library to resolve a lawsuit over a 60 Minutes segment on Kamala Harris followed by CBS News' announcement that it was cancelling popular Trump critic Stephen Colbert's late-night show in 2026 (supposedly for financial reasons). Trump celebrated both announcements vociferously. Then there is the potential family intrigue worthy of a Succession spinoff: David Ellison, the Skydance founder and former Biden backer behind such films as 'Top Gun: Maverick' and 'True Grit', is teaming up with his staunch Republican father Larry Ellison who is the second richest person in the world and founder of software giant Oracle. 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Born in 1967, he grew up in the leafy Main Line suburbs outside Philadelphia, the son of a trial attorney. He later studied social studies at Harvard, where he rowed heavyweight crew and graduated with honors before studying politics and political theory at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. Later on, he took a job at a Japanese think tank in Tokyo where he got a front-row seat to the effects of globalization. At the time, he was still considering law school, or getting his PhD in political theory. 'I wasn't one of these Wharton kids who knew I wanted to go to Wall Street from day one,' Cardinale recalled on The Deal. But meeting with investment bankers in Tokyo convinced Cardinale that finance would be a rewarding (and no doubt lucrative) career path. He joined Goldman Sachs as an analyst in 1992, the same year he published an article on Japanese anti-American sentiment and rising trade tensions in the academic journal Asian Survey . 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A Graceland discovery inspired Peter Guralnick's myth-busting biography of Colonel Tom Parker
A Graceland discovery inspired Peter Guralnick's myth-busting biography of Colonel Tom Parker

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A Graceland discovery inspired Peter Guralnick's myth-busting biography of Colonel Tom Parker

As the author of multiple books about Elvis Presley — including his magisterial 1994 biography 'Last Train to Memphis' and its 1999 sequel, 'Careless Love' — Peter Guralnick has interviewed hundreds of subjects and combed through a tall mountain of archival material in his quest for the truth about the most consequential American musical artist of the post World-War II era. But as it turned out there was more material, far more than Guralnick could squeeze into his Elvis biographies, and that material is the basis for his latest deep dive, "The Colonel and the King." A visit to the Graceland archive shortly after the publication of 'Last Train to Memphis' revealed a trove of correspondence written by Presley's manager Colonel Tom Parker, the rotund, blustery operator that shepherded the musician's career from the mid-1950s until shortly before his death in 1977. A cursory sift through the material revealed tens of thousands of letters tracing in minute detail the inner workings of Elvis business, from publicity campaigns to the finer points of his recording and movie contracts. These missives exploded the myths around a man who has for decades been derided as a cynical and unscrupulous opportunist that cheapened Presley's legacy while enriching himself at his client's expense. 'I read the letters and thought, 'Oh my God, this is nothing like the person that has been portrayed,'' says Guralnick from his Massachusetts home. What Guralnick found was a scrupulously honest businessman in love with what he called 'the wonderful world of show business' and the art of the handshake deal, in thrall to his star client's talent and willing to do whatever was necessary to keep him front and center. Guralnick's new book is the story of an immigrant scrapper who became a kingmaker with his unerring instinct for the main chance. The first half of the book is Guralnick's narrative; the second half contains a generous selection of Parker letters. Born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk in Holland, Elvis' manager-to be-dropped out of school at 12. "His uncle owned a small circus," Guralnick notes. "He did every sort of job, like how to site the tent so it would have the maximum visual impact. He knew how to water the elephants, he studied the acrobats.' After a few false starts, he stowed away in 1929 on a ship bound for New Jersey, adopting the name Tom Parker shortly after reaching American soil. There was an Army stint in Hawaii, some odd jobs, and then he found what he loved: the itinerant world of the traveling carnival. At home in this milieu, Parker mastered the art of grassroots promotion, of pulling in large crowds by plastering the town with loud, hyperbolic placards. "In the world of the carnival and the circus, nobody questioned your pedigree," says Guralnick. "Your handshake was your word, and everyone trusted and supported each other." Parker scouted talent and took them on as clients. By the time he witnessed Elvis performing at the Louisiana Hayride in the summer of 1955, he had already enjoyed big success with singers Hank Snow and Eddy Arnold and had adopted the Colonel moniker. Elvis, he sensed, was different. 'He sees in Elvis someone without limits, a great creative artist with great drive,' says Guralnick, "and Parker was prepared to throw over all of what he had achieved with Arnold and Snow in order to cultivate this untested talent. And he put everything he had into it.' Even a cursory reading of Parker's voluminous correspondence reveals a man not prone to passing over even the smallest detail in order to please his client. Working with a small staff of loyalists including his trusted associate Tom Diskin, Parker oversaw every aspect of Elvis' business, from meals to publicity to hotel accommodations. Work was play, it consumed his life, and this is exactly how he liked it. "It is of course these funny letters and my feeling that One must enjoy his work or grow stale keeps me on the go," he wrote to his friend Paul Wilder in a 1957 letter. He was a tireless proselytizer for his star client. Shortly after signing Elvis to a management deal, he immediately set about convincing the William Morris Agency of the greatness of his charge, writing to agent Harry Kalcheim that Elvis "has the same type of personality, and talents along the line of James Dean," and that "if you ever follow one of my hunches, follow up on this one and you won't go wrong." Elvis, for his part, deeply appreciated Parker's enthusiasm and loyalty. "Believe me when I say I will stick with you thru thick and thin and do everything I can to uphold your faith in me," Presley wrote to Parker in November 1955, shortly after he had secured a recording contract with RCA. "I love you like a father." "Parker defended Elvis against every single entity with which he was dealing," says Guralnick. "RCA wanted to turn him into a mainstream artist, like a crooner, and Colonel wouldn't allow that to happen. When Kalsheim asked Parker to rein in Elvis, because he was too wild on stage, Parker refused." "The Colonel and the King" debunks some of the most stubborn myths about Parker, refuting the notion that Parker destroyed Elvis' career by force-feeding awful material down his throat. While Parker was a hawk when it came to contract negotiations, he had no say in any artistic decisions and fended off record and film executives with designs on grabbing Elvis' ear. "He completely removed himself from Elvis' creative life," says Guralnick. "It was a partnership of equals, but Parker didn't get involved in that aspect of Elvis' career." For many Elvis fans of long standing, Parker's hands-off approach as revealed in his letters will be hard to square with the singer's enlistment in the Army in 1958 and his subsequent posting to Germany, which, so the conventional wisdom tells us, killed the first vital phase of his career and kick-started the descent into awful Hollywood movies that effectively turned this erstwhile force of nature into a B-movie hack. Read more: Heartbreak estate: Inside the legal battles of Elvis Presley's financial legacy Parker endorsed Elvis' Army move — his client wasn't about to be a draft dodger — but the decision to push Elvis into movies was a bilateral strategy that both men agreed was the best way to generate income at a time when Presley was reeling from his mother's death and fretting about money — as was Parker. 'It was actually financial and psychological,' says Guralnick about the left turn that changed Presley's career. 'And so the Colonel needed to reassure him, to say, 'things are even better now than when you went into the Army, and when you get out you'll be making even more money.'' But even 'Clambake' and 'Harum Scarum' couldn't douse Presley's musical artistry and fire. His triumphant 1968 comeback TV special kick-started an artistic renaissance. The hits returned: 'In the Ghetto,' 'Suspicious Minds,' 'Burning Love.' In 1969, Parker booked Elvis for a triumphant series of dates at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. The downside of this was that Parker picked up a nasty gambling habit, while his client soon became dependent on prescription drugs. Presley and Parker grew distant, as Presley insulated himself with sycophants and his behavior both on and offstage grew increasingly erratic. Read more: Col. Parker Dies; He Made Elvis a Star Parker was cast adrift by Elvis' death in 1977, retreating to his Palm Springs home. Ten years later, he was brought back into 'Elvisland' by Priscilla Presley and Elvis Presley Enterprises President Jack Soden, coordinating an Elvis festival at the Las Vegas Hilton and selling all of his memorabilia to the estate. But he never regained his standing at the top of the Elvis hierarchy, much to his dismay. In assessing Parker's legacy, Guralnick thinks that it all comes down to 'the great music he helped Elvis bring to the world — not through any musical contributions of his own, obviously, but by creating the conditions necessary to ensure Elvis' creative independence from the start. Not to mention all the joy he himself delivered and derived from what he always liked to call the Wonderful World of Show Business.' Get the latest book news, events and more in your inbox every Saturday. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Solve the daily Crossword

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