Home Books “Les Miz” Soundtrack is Number 1, Anne Hathaway Has A Hit Single

So. While we were celebrating the holidays, some people bought or downloaded music. And the result is that the soundtrack to “Les Miserables” is number 1, on amazon.com and on iTunes. So it’s number 1 both in physical sales and in virtual ones. “Les Miz” is beating Taylor Swift and all the other little popsters on the charts. Not bad. It’s a rarity for a single release to dominate all the number 1 slots, too– usually the top album on iTunes is something younger, while amazon buyers are older and want the CD. But it does seem like everyone wants “Les Miz.”

And to make it even sweeter, Anne Hathaway as a little bit of a hit with her version of “I Dreamed a Dream.” It’s number 25 on iTunes and 29 on amazon.com. Kudos to Republic Records/Universal Music for ‘getting’ it. Not every hit movie launches a hit CD– witness the “Twilight” movies, which should have sold bundles of CDs, but didn’t exactly.

Meantime, my favorite current CD, Van Morrison’s “Born to Sing: No Plan B,” is number 40 on amazon.com, somewhere on iTunes, and available to anyone who wants to hear some great, authentic soul performed by a legendary genius who has never heard of Taylor Swift or “Twilight.”

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Author
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
3 replies to this post
  1. I just stumbled across showbiz411. I am the guy who gave Christopher Hitchens’ first wife a much needed job in 1983, at the American Hellenic Development Alliance in Roslyn, VA. Eleni introduced me to Christopher…i taught him how to use the Apple on which he wrote his first book CYPRUS ISBN 0 7043 2436 9. My signed copy is dated 25.XII.84 which is how Brits did things.
    Christopher and i were special friends until his death, i have a marketing brain, Christopher did not. I urged him to take on this disc jockey – Rush Limbaugh – he never did.
    My higher power tells me it’s time to tell Christopher’s story – have Rushdie contact me.

    Ken Egan
    Reston, VA

  2. Roger-

    Actually, that is not totally true. Taylor Swift’s “Red” album will stay at #1 on Billboard’s Top 200 album this week, so she actually has beaten “Les Miserab;e” soundtrack in actual sales.

  3. Saw Les Miz last night; they should just give Hugh the Academy Award now … but, album of the year: Glen Campbell’s Ghost On The Canvas … brilliant!

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