Lil Wayne had the year’s top-selling album, “Tha Carter III,” with 2.87 million units sold, with Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” (2.14 million) and Taylor Swift’s “Fearless” (2.11 million).

2008 was the year where digital downloads grew, and interestingly enough so did vinyl album sales. In 2008, more vinyl albums were purchased (1.88 million) than any other year since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991.

The company has said that more than two of every three vinyl albums were purchased at an independent music store during the year. The top selling vinyl albums were Radiohead’s “In Rainbows” (26,000 units), the Beatles’ “Abbey Road” (16,500) and Guns ‘N Roses’ “Chinese Democracy” (13,600).

Taylor first topped the charts over Thanksgiving and is leading holiday sales over naughty girl Britney as well as Keyshia Cole, Jamie Foxx and Fall Out Boy’s albums.

Taylor’s Fearless held at No. 1 on sales of 330,000, per Nielsen SoundScan. Grammy-nominated Keyshia was just 8,000 behind with A Different Me, while Foxx’s Intuition at No. 3 (265,000), ahead of Brit’ Circus (196,000).

Pete Wentz and his fellow Fall Out Boys came in at third. Folie à Deux checked in at No. 8 with 150,000. The band topped the charts last year with Infinity on High.

Check Out Last Week’s Top 10 albums for the week ending Sunday:

1. Fearless, Taylor Swift

2. A Different Me, Keyshia Cole

3. Intuition, Jamie Foxx

4. Circus, Britney Spears

5. I Am…Sasha Fierce, Beyoncé

6. Dark Horse, Nickelback

7. Twilight soundtrack, various

8. Folie à Deux, Fall Out Boy

9. Black Ice, AC/DC

10. Now That’s What I Call Music! Vol. 29, various

Leona Lewis is pictured here getting handcuffed by a police officer on the set of her latest music video “I Will Be” . The pop rock ballad will be produced by Dr. Luke and was co-written by Avril Lavigne and Max Martin. It was filmed in Brooklyn on Friday.

This will be Leona’s third single off her debut album, Spirit.

Chace Crawford, one of the stars of Gossip Girl will make a cameo in the video. A source told People how the two of them met:

“Chace went to London a couple months ago for meetings and to promote Gossip Girl. He went to a party and ended up meeting Leona. [The two] hit it off and talk every once in a while and have become fast friends… A couple weeks ago Leona called Chace and asked if he would be in her next video. He obviously said yes.”

The song was originally recorded by Avril a couple of years ago and is included on the Limited Edition version of her third studio album, The Best Damn Thing.

Here are Rihanna and Chris Brown performing at Z100’s Jingle Ball at Madison Square Garden in New York City last night.

Chris talked to Billboard about making guests spots on other albums:

“I did (a song titled “Human”) with Tim McGraw. It’s incredible. I wanted to do something more along the country line. That’s a bigger and different audience for me. I also did a song with the Japanese group called the Teriyaki Boys out of (producer/performer) Pharrell’s camp!”

He added:

“I actually have a couple of songs written already that would be dope collaborations between me and her [Rihanna]. And I’m writing for her new album now!”

He continued:

” [I] did a couple of songs for the Jonas Brothers, but I don’t know if they took any of them. And I did a couple of songs with the Backstreet Boys and the Pussycat Dolls. I’ve also been writing songs
for several new girl groups who are coming out.”

A sparkly cane fit for a prince!

Prince is one of the rare breed of artist that has won multiple Grammys over the past 20 years. He is also in the category of being one of the few artists from the 1980’s still making award winning (and very popular) music.

He has sold more than 25 albums.

Word has it that the legendary singer has been going door-to-door all over LA in an attempt to spread the word of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Prince told last week’s New Yorker that he became part of the Christian denomination two years ago and has made it his mission to get out there and knock on as many doors as possible.

He said:

“Sometimes people act surprised, but mostly they’re totally cool about it,”

He explains his conversion as something of “a realization: “

It’s like Morpheus and Neo in ‘The Matrix.’ “

How cool would it be to have Prince show up at your doorstep on a random afternoon? I’d definitely invite him inside to hear what he had to say.

Christina Aguilera looks flawless in a strapless Monique Lhulier as she posed on the red carpet of the Grammy Nominations Concert Live at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles last night.

She “Keeps Getting Better” with this polished look accessorizing with Louboutin pumps and Webster jewels. She performed alongside Celine Dion and Mariah Carey at the star-studded gala.

A few nominations have already been announced for the 51st Grammy Awards set to take place February 2009 including The Jonas Brothers and Duffy for Best New Artist. Radiohead, Robert Plant, Alison Krauss, Sullivan, and John Mayer all got five Grammy nominations each.

Jessica Simpson has made the risky transition from pop to country, insisting country music is rooted in her past and everlasting in her future. She’ll be touring with Rascal Flatts when she opens more than two dozen shows on the second leg of the tour. Taylor Swift will be leaving and Jess will take her place on the Bob that Head Tour, starting in mid-January.

She appears in a Macy’s commercial with Donald Trump and Martha Stewart, but still… I remember when she had commercially successful albums, concerts, a TV show, gorgeous Nick Lachey, merchandise, and even a couple of hit films.

When I read about her most recent show on the 13th of November being held in a bingo hall that seats 2500 people in Highland California, I thought to myself is she doing this because performers HAVE TO perform at “X” amount of small venues in order to be nominated for AMA’S and Grammy’s? I hope that is the reason.

Apparently OK! Magazine thinks her star quality seems to be fading. They wrote:

“The hall’s florescent lighting, dirty carpet and fried-food odor is a far cry from the venues J-Simp played back when her album In This Skin sold 7 million copies.”

CosmoGirl announced last month that it was folding and they have chosen Taylor Swift as their cover girl for their December/January double issue.

Taylor won the title of Favorite Female Country Artist last night at the AMAs and now she is featured on the cover as well as a five-page spread. She also wins the coveted lead position in the magazine’s annual Born To Lead honors section. Taylor was photographed for the article in New York’s Central Park.

Taylor Swift: Insider Special Edition, a special episode of CMT Insider, premieres this Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, at 10AM ET. She will also make an appearance on The Tonight Show on December 5th for a performance and interview.

Rapper MC Breed who had worked with the late Tupac Shakur and Warren G was found dead at a friend’s house in Michigan yesterday. He had died in his sleep and the cause of death has yet to be determined.

He had been hospitalized this past September when his kidneys collapsed.

He was 36.

The rapper was known for his 1991 hit “Ain’t No Future in Yo’ Frontin’” Breed recorded 13 albums, including releasing one record per year between 1991 and 2001. His last album, “The New Prescription,” was released in 2004. His first album, “MC Breed & DFC,” was estimated to have sold 2.5 million to 4 million records.

Rihanna reminds me of a combo of Mr. T. and Prince. This look does one thing for sure… takes the focus off her hairstyle. Like seriously… who is this girl’s stylist? Here she is covered in necklaces adorned with silver crucifixes, keys, horseshoes and what looks like hands? while having a bite to eat at the Cafe Med at Sunset Plaza in West Hollywood.

She’s been in rehearsals getting ready for her performace at Sunday’s American Music Awards airing @ 8PM ET/PT on ABC.

Kanye West had this to say about her:

“Rihanna had a really breakout year and became the biggest artist. Like, Rihanna sells more records than me all together if you include her in national sales and she is arguably the biggest artist in the world right now.”