[WGO] Yee Haw, the Easter Bunny Brought Us Records!

Apparently, a lot of people got CDs in their Easter baskets this week, because the foretasted numbers for this week's retail report are through the roof (finally!). For the first time in what feels like a literal century, sales appear to be...what's that? Up? Seriously? Wow!

Rascal Flatts are expected to debut at #1 when it all gets announced at Billboard tomorrow night. Their album (their sixth), appropriately dubbed Unstoppable, is expected to bow at the top position with a whopping 355K+ in its first week. This is incredibly powerful, especially in today's sales climate! FYI - for 'Idol' fans -- the band's first single from this album, "Here Comes Goodbye", was co-written by season 6 finalist, Chris Sligh, and recently hit #1 on Billboard's Top Country Songs Chart.

Miley Cyrus also recieved a huge Easter bump, coupled with Friday's release of 'Hannah Montana: The Movie'. Its soundtrack, released on March 24th, saw a big bump back up to the #2 position on the album chart this week, with an expected retail intake of just shy of 200K units, boosting it up three positions from where it sat last week. The soundtrack also features cuts by the aforementioned Rascal Flatts, the omnipresent Taylor Swift and of course, Miley's papa, Billy Ray, in addition to Miley as herself, and Miley as Hannah.

This week's Top 10 Album Chart also includes debuts from Jadakiss (holy blast from the past!) at #3 with an expected 130K+ and Jason Adelean (another country artist! who recently toured with Keith Urban)at #4 with 107K+. Just to land in the Top 10, you had to sell at least 55K, as Lady Gaga is expected to hang in there at the #10 spot with 56K+.

Over in the singles market, Eminem has gained the greatest amounts of adds this week at Top 40 and Rhythmic radio formats with his new single, "We Made You". I could go either way on this song, as I usually don't care for Em's lighter fare. However, do not count out Kelly Clarkson, whose Katy Perry-penned new single "I Do Not Hook Up" (which I quite prefer to "My Life Would Suck Without You") comes in a very close second at Top 40. P!NK's third single off Funhouse, "Please Don't Leave Me" comes in a far off third in terms of adds, and ties with newcomer Jessie James (more on her later) with her first single "Wanted". The boys of Day26 managed to scrape out 17 new adds of their new single "I'ma Put It On Her" (featuring Yung Joc) (which I actually really dig) over a Rhythmic to tie with Flo Rida's new cut with my girl Wynter Gordon, "Sugar", for 3rd place in terms of adds...

However, in terms of radio airplay, Lady Gaga is still ruling the roost at Top 40 with "Poker Face", and she continues to increase in spins. The songs currently in the positions of #2-5 (Flo Rida's "Right Round", All American Rejects' "Gives You Hell", T.I. & Justin Timberlake's "Dead & Gone" and Kelly Clarkson's "My Life...") all are seeing spin decreases this week. Soulja Boy's "Kiss Me Thru the Phone" is currently landing at #6 at Top 40, and up by 8%.

Despite being the #1 song on the Hot 100 this past week, the Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow" are currently placed at the same position at Top 40 as they were last week: #8 (they are up from #8 last week to #5 this week over at Rhythmic). However, they are up by 11%. Jesse McCartney's new(ish) single "How Do You Sleep" bounces into the Top 10 at Top 40 at #9, and continues to increase in spins at a rate of around 8%. Jamie Foxx's "Blame It" is also up by quite a bit (12%), to lock in at #11 (up from #17 last week), and is currently the most played song at the Rhythmic radio format. Other big climbers at Top 40 are Shinedown's "Second Chance" (#16, up 17%) and Beyonce's "Halo" (#17, up almost 13%).

Kid Cudi (or however he wants to capitalize that)'s "Day N Night" zooms to the #3 position on the Rhythmic radio format, up by 9%, and is also up quite a bit at Top 40 (15%), at #23, just ahead of an artist that I feel is much more deserving of mainstream airplay: White Tie Affair and their single "Candle (Sick and Tired)'". The Rhythmic Top 10 also includes: Soulja Boy (#2), T.I. (#4), Flo Rida ("Right Round") (#6), Lady Gaga ("Poker Face") (#7), Keri Hilson ("Turnin' Me On") (#8), Ne-Yo ("Mad") (#9) and Pitbull ("I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)") (#10).

We'll see where the Hot 100 stacks up tomorrow night. Do you think the BEP will hold on the top spot with their first #1 for a second week?