Despite a strong first-week showing from Justin Timberlake's solo debut, the

"8 Mile" soundtrack will stay a stride ahead of the 'NSYNC singer on next

week's Billboard albums chart.

Timberlake Justified his #2 position with more than 439,000 copies

sold, according to SoundScan figures released Wednesday. However, fueled by

the adrenaline-inducing single "Lose Yourself" and the momentum associated

with the film topping weekend box-office charts (see [article id="1458617"]" '8 Mile' Goes The Dista

nce With Record-Breaking Opening Weekend"[/article]"), the Eminem-stamped

soundtrack bested the NSYNCer's LP by more than 68,000 copies to bring its

two-week total to more than 1.2 million.

Eminem's über-presence in the media last week made more than 114,000

people realize that he's not just a movie star -- he's got an album out,

too. Sales to those catching on late in the game allowed The Eminem

Show to continue its 25-week engagement in the top 10. The LP actually

increased its weekly sales tally from last week's 99,000, nudging it up a

slot on to #7. In all, the rapper's third major-label album clocks in with

total sales upwards of 6.5 million.

Picked from hits of the last decade, including "Beautiful Day," "One" and

"Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of," U2's "The Best Of 1990-2000

will debut at #3 with more than 184,000 copies sold. The landing surprised

many chart watchers, not the least of whom is Christina Aguilera, whose

second album, Stripped, will drop to #4 (168,000) in its second week.

Jaheim got into the #8 slot with Still Ghetto (see [article id="1457759"]"Jaheim Shooting

For 10 Million With Still Ghetto[/article]"), his follow-up to last

year's Ghetto Love, while fans are still gettin' into the Dave

Matthews Band big time. The group's Live at Folsom Field - Boulder,

Colorado, which will follow at #9, continues their streak of

high-charting LPs. Since 1994's breakthrough Under the Table and

Dreaming, eight of their nine full-length albums -- including live

records -- have placed in the top 10. Listener Supported,

released in 1999, came in at #15.

Elsewhere in the chart's top 10, Santana's Shaman will slip a spot to

#5; Faith Hill's Cry will maintain its #6 position for the second

week, and Nirvana's greatest hits collection, Nirvana, will bring up

the rear, falling seven spots from its #3 debut.

Juggalos nationwide united to give the Insane Clown Posse their highest chart

debut in three years. The harrowing harlequins' latest album, The Wraith:

Shangri-La (see [article id="1457924"]"Insane Clown Posse Find Light (And Hotties, Homies,

Faygo) At End Of Tunnel[/article]"), will

land at #15 with more than 76,000 copies sold. Only 1999's The Amazing

Jeckel Brothers, -- which came in at #4 and sold nearly twice as

much -- proved a more successful debut for the clown-faced couple.

"The Other Side," the first single from acoustic softie David Gray's latest

album, A New Day at Midnight, helped propel the new release into top

20 territory. The British bard's fifth album will land at #17 after selling

more than 71,000 copies in its first week.

In July, he presented the Inc. Now Irv Gotti has served more dishes with a

new twist from his posse (see [article id="1457969"]"Irv Gotti Shooting Ja Rule, Bobby Brown,

Charli; Reveals Remixes List [/article]"), and hip-hop heads are

salivating for a taste. Irv Gotti Presents the Remixes, featuring new

takes on tunes by Ashanti ("Unfoolish"), Toni Braxton ("Me and My

Boyfriend"), and Ja Rule ("No One Does It Better"), among others, will come

in at #24 with more than 46,000 copies sold.

The Wallflowers' make their second attempt to match the success of their 1996

breakthrough, Bringing Down the Horse, with Red Letter Days (see

[article id="1458658"]"Red Letter Days Shows Wallflowers Aren't Leaving The Dance[/article]"), which will place at #32 with

more than 38,000 copies sold. Unfortunately for Jakob Dylan and company,

2000's Breach fared far better after its first week in stores, having

come in at #13 with more than 80,000 copies sold.

Other notable debuts on next week's chart include Italian opera singer Andrea

Bocelli's Sentimento at #12 (98,000); "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"

soundtrack alum Alison Krauss' Live at #36; classic rockers Boston's

first full-length album of new material in eight years, Corporate Ame

rica, at #42; Eric Clapton's two-disc tour re-visitation, One More

Car, One More Rider, at #43; Missy Elliott and Timbaland

protégé Ms. Jade's Girl Interrupted at #51; R&B crooner

Brian McKnight's 13-year retrospective, From There to Here 1989-2002,

at #62; living legend Johnny Cash's latest covers album, Amercian IV: The

Man Comes Around, at #70; Grandes Exitos, a best-off culled from

Shakira's three Spanish-language albums, at #80; Björk's Greatest

Hits at #115; Badly Drawn Boy's uncharacteristically peppy pop album (see

[article id="1458575"]" Badly Drawn Boy Salutes Cobain, Turns Down Madonna[/article]"), Have You Fed

the Fish? at #135; and Ours' second LP, Precious, at #187.