Taylor Swift is going back on tour, meaning there really was no competition in November. When added together, 65% more tickets were bought for Taylor Swift concerts than the nearest contender, Trans-Siberian Orchestra. She will likely continue to do well for at least the next couple weeks as more shows go on sale.
Meanwhile, TSO tickets are selling even better now that the holiday season is in full swing, and they've been joined in representing the holiday-themed shows by Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Also doing better is One Direction, who is back in the Top 3 after dropping to sixth place last month. Most of the rest of the Top 10 is pretty much the same, just with switched positions. The exception is the one other new event, Disney on Ice: Rockin' Ever After.
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Undoubtedly the most talked-about thing this week was the presidential election in the United States, but other things happened, too. So let's get right to it.
Obama gets re-elected
For a politics geek like me, the worst part about Tuesday night is that it was too short. I eagerly anticipated following developments into the wee hours of the morning. But, alas, it was not to be. Things were decided rather quickly overall. Currently, the President is up 303 electoral votes to Mitt Romney's 206. The final count will come when the results from Florida are reported—probably this weekend. No matter how you feel about the outcome, I think people are glad it's over. Unless you're me, in which case it's never over.
Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood onsales next week
Two weeks ago, Taylor Swift announced 2013 tour dates for her new RED Tour on ABC's "20/20." A few days later Carrie Underwood revealed a new leg of her Blown Away Tour. That was then. Now we know that the first tour dates will go on sale next Friday.
Skyfall opens today
Almost 50 years to the day that the first James Bond film, the Sean Connery-starring Dr. No, was released to theaters, the latest Bond flick has opened in the United States. By all accounts, the new film is very good; it has received a 93% "fresh" rating on RottenTomatoes.com.
That does it for this week. Have a great weekend, everybody!
Another week is in the books as people continue their preparation for Halloween next week (and on the east coast, preparation for Hurricane Sandy). There are a lot things that made news this week, here are just a few:
SF Giants' Pablo Sandoval's three home run night in the World Series
The 2012 World Series between the San Francisco Giants and Detroit Tigers began this past Wednesday, and Giants' third baseman Pablo Sandoval got it started in grand fashion. Kung Fu Panda, as he is known, hit home runs in his first three at-bats, becoming only the fourth player in MLB history to hit three homers in a World Series game.
Taylor Swift's big announcement on 20/20
Pop superstar Taylor Swift has become one of the biggest star of this generation with millions of fans around the globe. She will appear on ABC's "20/20" tonight, October 26, for an interview with Katie Couric. Swift made news yesterday when she tweeted: "I have some BIG news! I'll announce it tomorrow night on @ABC2020 with @katiecouric at 9pm ET ... Watch?". Many speculate that big news is new tour dates. Needless to say, many are eagerly awaiting the announcement.
NBA Commissioner David Stern retires after 30 years
On February 1, 2014, NBA Commissioner David Stern will be retiring from his post. That date coincides with the exact date 30 years ago when he took over as commissioner, and will make his tenure the longest of any commissioner in professional sports history. Many view him as the best commissioner in sports history as well, helping grow the league leaps and bounds over his three decades.
Have a great weekend everybody!!
Happy Friday the 13th! Check out this week's list of popular discussion topics:
Friday the 13th
Of course, the most popular discussion for a day like today is just how lucky or unlucky today is going to be. Those with friggatriskaidekaphobia (the fear of Friday the 13th) are probably just staying at home in bed, others are watching Friday the 13th, and some people are just going about their normal, everyday lives without any idea of the peril they may be risking. What do you do on Friday the 13th?
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It's always fun to watch a new event start selling tickets, and seeing how quickly it can overtake the leader. That's been the case with The Throne, made up of Jay-Z and Kanye West. Of course, both artists are popular enough in their own right, but put them together and you apparently have a powerhouse. Taylor Swift, meanwhile, has maintained a position in the top two since December. She was the top-seller for January, February, April, and July, but faced a challenger in March from Bob Seger, in May from American Idols Live, and in June from Paul McCartney. Now the challenge is from The Throne.
It's a bit difficult to speculate this early on, but Swift may lose August, too. That said, she has a comfortable position right now, as even though The Throne is leading in revenue, Swift still has more ticket sales (approximately 34% more for the period August 1 to August 10, which is the period from which all the following data comes).
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