Katy Perry Back to No. 1 on U.K. Singles Chart

Katy Perry has followed up her double win at the People's Choice Awards on Wednesday night, January 5 by returning to the top of the U.S. pop charts. The star's "Firework" claims a fourth non-consecutive week at number one after trading places with Bruno Mars' "Grenade".

Perry picked up Favorite Female Artist and Favorite Online Sensation honors at the People's Choice Awards. The rest of the Billboard Hot 100 top five is unchanged from last week with Ke$ha's "We R Who We R", Rihanna's "What's My Name" and "Raise Your Glass" by Pink all holding firm at three, four and five, respectively.

Big Time Rush score the chart's highest debut honor by bowing at 79 with "Big Night".

Eminem and Katy Perry Score 2010's U.S. Best-Selling Album and Song

Beside winning four coveted prizesat People's Choice Awards,Eminem is also celebrating another accolade as he scores 2010's U.S. best-selling album with his latest set "Recovery". The Hip-Hop album pulled in around 3.42 million copies since making its way out in June last year.

This is the second time he reached the landmark, making him the first act to top year-end sale number in more than one year.

He nabbed top-selling album when "The Eminem Show" moved 7.61 million at the end of 2002.

Additionally, the Slim Shady scores the biggest-selling album of a year since 2007. Josh Groban's "Noel" sold 3.70 million that year, Taylor Swift's "Fearless" got 3.22 million in 2009, and Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter III" reigned with 2.87 million in 2008.

Sitting behind him at the 2010 album year-end list are Lady Antebellumand Swift. The country music acts take the second and third spots respectively. Antebellum sold 3.09 million copies with their "Need You Now", and Swift scanned 2.96 million units with her "Speak Now".

Justin Bieber follows them at the fourth place, successfully bringing the sale number of his "My World 2.0" to a total of 2.32 million copies. Having "I Dreamed a Dream" as the second best-selling album last year, nowSusan Boyle has to drop to No. 5 with "The Gift" which sold more than 1.85 million.

In the best-selling song list, Katy Perry appears on top. Her former Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single "California Gurls" moved 4.40 million downloads. Train's "Hey, Soul Sister" sits at No. 2 with 4.31 million, Eminem's "Love the Way You Lie" claims the next spot with 4.25 million,Taio Cruz's "Dynamite" is at No. 4 with 4.08 million, and B.o.B's "Airplanes" rounds up the Top 5 with 4.00 million.

Several slots lower, Perry places her single "Teenage Dream" at No. 12 (3.01 million) and "Firework" at No. 28 (2.33 million). On top of that, the album where those three smash hits appear finishes at the 14th place in the 2010 biggest-selling overall album with 997,000 copies.

U.S. best-selling albums:

1. "Recovery" - Eminem (3.42 million)
2. "Need You Now" - Lady Antebellum (3.09 million)
3. "Speak Now" - Taylor Swift (2.96 million)
4. "My World 2.0" - Justin Bieber (2.32 million)
5. "The Gift" - Susan Boyle (1.85 million)
6. "The Fame" - Lady GaGa (1.59 million)
7. "Soldier of Love" - Sade (1.30 million)
8. "Thank Me Later" - Drake (1.27 million)
9. "Raymond vs. Raymond" - Usher (1.18 million)
10. "Animal" - Ke$ha (1.14 million)

U.S. best-selling songs:

1. "California Gurls" - Katy Perry ft. Snoop Dogg (4.40 million)
2. "Hey, Soul Sister" - Train (4.31 million)
3. "Love the Way You Lie" - Eminem ft. Rihanna (4.25 million)
4. "Dynamite" - Taio Cruz (4.08 million)
5. "Airplanes" - B.o.B ft. Hayley Williams (4.00 million)
6. "OMG" - Usher ft. will.i.am (3.76 million)
7. "Not Afraid" - Eminem (3.41 million)
8. "Just the Way You Are" - Bruno Mars (3.28 million)
9. "Break Your Heart" - Taio Cruz ft. Ludacris (3.25 million)
10. "Need You Now" - Lady Antebellum (3.18 million)

Katy Perry

One wouldn't guess it by listening to the sexually suggestive lyrics in her music, but Katy Perry is actually the daughter of two pastors and grew up singing in church until she was 17. Perry was also a fan of gospel music, and in her freshman year of high school, the California native dropped out to pursue a career in music. Perry's church singing turned the heads of some music veterans, who brought her to Nashville to hone her songwriting skills. Her first album (which she released under her original name Kate Hudson) was rooted in gospel and proved to be an unmitigated failure.

After changing her name and moving to California, Perry recorded a rock album for Island Records with super-producer Glen Ballard, though it was never released. After a continued series of falling outs and shelved projects with a variety of record labels, Perry's undeniable talent and star quality captured the attention of a Capitol Music executive who signed her in 2007.

katy perry kisses a girl and likes it

While the first song released off Katy Perry's debut album called "Ur So Gay" created online buzz and controversy for obvious reasons, it was the official lead single "I Kissed A Girl," that established Perry as a bona fide pop sensation. The racy tale of woman-on-woman love soared to the top of the Billboard charts where it remained for seven weeks, while drawing the ire of gay and lesbian groups across the country. Perry's mother, an Evangelical Christian, was one of the song's most vocal critics, calling it "shameful and disgusting." Still, its injection into the cultural zeitgeist was undeniable, as was its success, earning Perry a nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 51st Grammys. Her debut album One of the Boys featured a string of equally successful singles including "Hot N' Cold" and "Waking Up in Vegas," making it a platinum-selling disc with a 71 week-long stay on the charts.

katy perry saddles up with russell brand

With her professional career progressing full steam ahead, all Katy Perry lacked was stability in her personal life. Ironic, then, that she began a courtship with notorious British bad-boy Russell Brand. After a rocky on-and-off again relationship with Gym Class Heroes singer Travis McCoy, Perry began seeing Brand after the two met at the MTV Video Awards, and their relationship has progressed into a highly publicized engagement under constant scrutiny from the tabloids. Set to marry this October, the couple is very vocal about their love for one another, and often share intimate details with the press. Though Brand -- a former drug addict -- will forgo the bachelor party festivities, Perry's bachelorette is being thrown by her good friend Rihanna. And yes, we're still waiting for our invitation in the mail.

katy perry looks to dominate the summer

When Katy Perry released "California Gurls" -- the infectious first single from her coming sophomore effort Teenage Dream, it instantly became the front-runner for the coveted "Song of The Summer" crown. The Snoop Dogg-featuring electro banger soared to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, which certainly bodes well for Perry's latest disc, released in the U.S. on August 24th. Perry claims that the song is a direct response to Jay-Z's Big Apple big-up "Empire State of Mind," igniting the fiercest coast wars since Tupac and Biggie went at it in the '90s.

katy perry takes on lady gaga

Speaking of feuds, Katy Perry must have been looking to shake up the pop landscape when she tweeted "using blasphemy as entertainment is as cheap as a comedian telling a fart joke," which was perceived as a direct shot at Lady Gaga and her controversial video for "Alejandro." Perry immediately clarified that her statement was directed at blasphemous pop stars in general, not just at Gaga, insisting that she's in fact a fan of the megastar. Millions of men around the world hoping for the world's sexiest cat fight just let out a simultaneous groan.

Katy Perry and Russell Brand married in Hindu ceremony in India

American singer Katy Perry, 26, and her comedian fiancé Russell Brand, 35, have married in a Hindu marriage ceremony under heavy security arrangements in Ranthambhore National Park, India's leading tiger park. The couple exchanged their marriage vows on Saturday surrounded by a small group of friends and family, in the Hindu marriage rituals conducted by a Hindu priest at the luxury tented camp Aman-i-Khas. Perry’s parents Mary and Keith Hudson, and Brand’s mother Barbara Brand were present.

There was tight security with private security guards stationed at the resort and other nearby hotels where guests and the couple are staying for the six-day wedding celebration.

Perry and Brand began their wedding by worshipping a statue of Lord Ganesha, the Hindu God, as practiced by Hindus before the start of any new venture, and the pair walked to a specially designed mandap, as usual in Hindu weddings, and sat on ornate thrones as a Hindu priest performed the ceremonial rituals.

As is usual in most Indian marriages, the couple walked around a sacred fire seven times reciting Sanskrit mantras and tying a special wedding scarf together to symbolize their life partnership. Brand stooped low to touch Perry’s parents' feet requesting permission to marry Perry.

According to reports, about 40 guests of the couple have been staying since Wednesday at the camp, where tents cost £600 a night, and the neighboring £300 a night Sher Bagh resort.

The celebrity guests, who attended the wedding, included comedian David Baddiel and his wife Morwenn Banks, and on the invitation list were rapper P Diddy, Jonathan Ross, David Williams and pop star Rihanna.

A spokesperson said that though the couple had a Hindu wedding and sat patiently through an hour-long havan, “The very private and spiritual ceremony, attended by the couple’s closest family and friends, was performed by a Christian minister and long time friend of the Hudson (Perry) family.”