Now for those of you not familiar with the British singles chart, a quick primer. unlike the american Billboard charts, which are a combination of sales and airplay points (where incidentally two huge stars in Europe are just inside or poised to surge into the top 10; craig david at 10 with 7 Days, a single that topped the british charts over a year ago and Kylie Minogue's Can't Get You Out Of My Head at #12, which topped the singles charts in 17 countries worldwide), the British singles chart is based exclusively on sales. that means that la Superstar's track was outsold by only 10 other singles last week throughout the United Kingdom, this including huge new debuts by major acts like Westlife and Ms. Minogue.

in fact, it was quite a busy week with SEVEN new tracks debuting inside the top fifteen. she even muscled out Alanis, who popped in at #12 with Hands Clean. wow! Just shy on her first try, but quite an achievement considering first time out of the gate, she has matched the chart peak of indie charmers St Etienne who topped out at #11 with the Motiv8-infused He's On The Phone several years back.

You know, much like the folks at Popbitch, i am curious to know what happened to motiv8. honestly, i have rediscovered their flawless mid-90's pairing with Kym Mazelle, "Searching for the Golden Eye". this shit puts all the "trance" that came after to shame. four on the floor, pulsing keyboards, and a screaming diva. ouch! and yes, it does reference the bond flick but leave it at that, or i just might have to yowl out that title track like ms. turner. Deutsche marks or dollars, american express will do nicely thank you.

actually, she might wanna think twice about accepting those marks, given that the currency will cease to exist as legal tender on Thursday. that's right, say goodbye to the mark, the lira, the drahma, etc. Feb 28 ends the official transition period from national currencies to the Euro for the 11 countries participating in this monumental undertaking. the dutch guilder fell into the dustbin of history in late january and the french bid a fond farewell to the franc on feb 17. i have been fascinated by the lack of interest or coverage in the american media, particularly with our economy in the crapper. if this sucker is successful, the dollar just might lose some stature and its predominant place as foreign currency reserve of choice. this could have some nasty repercussions for our current account and trade (im)balances and potentially threaten any "recovery" that might be underway. not that the intricacies of global monetary policy are THAT intriguing, but there IS a story in there somewhere. and believe it or not, it matters.

if you're addicted to my blather like the crack rock that it is, you may have noticed my recent protracted silence. much has been ON in the last 10 days or so, and much has been catalogued in order to share at an appropriate time. that time isn't now, but grab your knickers, because a blast of foul hot air is about to blow into town and it just might set you free.