Taylor Swift

As far as power ballads go, you could do worse than Taylor Swift's  “The Last Time," which features Northern Irish singer Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol. A dramatic back-and-forth duet between a man and woman about their failing but enduring relationship, the song is well-crafted, emotional and features an instantly hummable refrain. The drama is pushed forward when an orchestra arrives to amplify the tension beneath the chorus and gently lift the melody via strings and brass.

How big a hit is Taylor Swift's “Red” album? As previously reported , first-week sales of 1.21 million copies decisively places it at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 national album chart this week and makes it the fastest-selling album since Eminem's “The Eminem Show” sold 1.32 million more than 10 years ago. That translates to two copies of “Red” sold virtually every second in the seven days since “Red” was released on Oct....

The tally is in, and Taylor Swift's “Red” album sold 1.208 million copies during its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan, the biggest single-week sales figure in more than a decade. It's Swift's second consecutive album to top the 1-million mark in its debut week, joining - and surpassing - her 2010 album “Speak Now,” which bowed with 1.047 million copies out of the gate. "They just told me Red sold 1.2 million albums first week," Swift tweeted shortly after final figures were released.

When Taylor Swift's album "Red" was released last week, the pop singer's most ardent fans wasted no time downloading the digital edition on iTunes, vaulting it to No. 1 on the online retailer's Top Albums chart in a quick 36 minutes. Those who wanted to hold a CD with her latest 16 songs were also able to snap it up as early as 12:01 a.m. Oct. 22 at thousands of 24-hour Walgreens and Wal-Mart stores. By daybreak though, the options had multiplied: A deluxe 22-track edition was available at Target, and if the music alone wasn't enough, Swift aficionados could also pick up a custom pair of Keds "Red" sneakers ($49.99)

Taylor Swift is having quite the month. Just as “Red,” her latest opus of lovelorn anthems, opened to massive first-week sales numbers, the country-pop phenom has been tapped to co-host the Grammy nomination special, the Recording Academy announced on Monday. Swift will co-host the CBS special with LL Cool J. The exhaustively titled CBS special, "Grammy Nominations Concert Live: Countdown to Music's Biggest Night,” will be held in Nashville. This is the first time the telecast will be held outside of Los Angeles in its five-year history.

Looks as if Taylor Swift is too busy to date these days: As the days have grown shorter, she and Conor Kennedy have reportedly broken off their summer fling. "They quietly parted ways a while ago," a Swift friend told Us Weekly about the 22-year-old singer and her 18-year-old high school student flame. "It was just a distance thing. No hard feelings. They're fine. " Well that's good news, given Swift's penchant for writing songs when she's vexed by exes - think "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," her catchy hit from the new album "Red," which dropped Monday.  Swift and Kennedy, who were spotted together all over Hyannis Port, Mass., and elsewhere in July and August, haven't seen each other for more than a month, the friend told the mag . "With her promotion for 'Red,' she has no time off until the end of the year.

The Taylor Swift release-week blitz continues with the arrival of the video for her new single “Begin Again,” the closing track from her album “Red.” The record was released Monday, and Billboard has projected the album will top sales of 1 million copies in its first week of release. In the “Begin Again” video, she strolls the banks of the Seine River and the streets of Paris as she sings of a promising new relationship, and how it contrasts with a previous romance. I think it's strange that you think I'm funny 'Cuz he never did I've been spending the last 8 months thinking all love ever does Is break and burn and end But on a Wednesday in a cafe I watched it begin again.

Taylor Swift may never, ever be getting back together with a certain beau, but she seems strongly positioned to getting back above the 1 million first-week sales mark with her new album. According to her label, Big Machine Records, "Red" bolted out of the starting gate with 262,000 copies sold the first day on iTunes alone. Big Machine noted that the record went to No. 1 on iTunes' all-genre Top Albums chart just 36 minutes after it was released at 12:01 a.m. Monday. The label also said  “Red” was responsible for more than 4½ million individual iTunes song downloads to date in the U.S. Swift's song “Everything Has Changed” also shot to No. 1 on iTunes' Top Songs chart, one of 13 tracks from the album to reach the chart's Top 20. Swift's fourth studio collection also tops Amazon.com's list of bestselling albums, having spent 61 days in the Top 100, based on pre-release orders.

Click here to download TV listings for the week of Oct. 21 - 27 in PDF format This week's TV Movies     CBS This Morning Bill O'Reilly; Tom Wolfe. (N) 7 a.m. KCBS Today John Grisham; Tony Bennett; Jamie-Lynn Sigler; Jaleel White. (N) 7 a.m. KNBC Good Morning America Taylor Swift; Pat Houston. (N) 7 a.m. KABC Rachael Ray Hayden Panettiere. (N) 8 a.m. KCAL Live With Kelly and Michael Gerard Butler; Krysten Ritter. (N) 9 a.m. KABC The View The Houston family; Tony Bennett; Juan Luis Guerra.

The promotional blitz for Taylor Swift's fourth studio album “Red” reached its climax early Monday morning as many Walgreens and other brick-and-mortar retailers that stay open 24 hours a day took maximum advantage of the record's Oct. 22 release date, allowing her most ardent fans to start listening that much sooner. Those who hear it from beginning to end will be reminded again that Swift, at 22, is part of a generation of young musicians who still value the album form as something more than just a repository for potential hit singles, and instead strive to create an extended experience over the course of their songs.