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Thanks for your patience.

Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. (Yeah, we already knew that.) Lil Wayne dropped down to No. 2, while the “Camp Rock” soundtrack, featuring tween sensations the Jonas Brothers opened at No. 3. Probably the biggest surprise of the week was Rihanna’s 117-spot jump, from No. 124 to No. 7, due to the success of her single “Take A Bow.”

Finally, something kind of different on the New York Times fiction list. Janet Evanovich’s latest book in the Stephanie Plum series, “Fearless Fourteen,” is No. 1, with James Patterson’s “Sail” falling to No. 2. On the non-fiction list, David Sedaris still rules. Other than that, it’s the usual suspects: Zakaria (America is destined to fall!), McClellan,  and Barbara Walters, waxing rhapsodic on the “special men in [her] life.” Um, ew.

On the Billboard 200 chart, Lil Wayne debuted at No. 1, and Plies debuted at No. 2, making the only two debuts in the Top 5 this week. The group was rounded out by NOW Vol. 28, Disturbed and Usher. Disappointing debuts for N*E*R*D, Alanis Morisette, and My Morning Jacket, who came in at Nos. 6, 7, and 8, respectively.

“Sail” by James Patterson and Howard Roughan was the best-selling book on the NYT fiction list (”A sailing vacation turns into a disaster when someone attempts to destroy a family.” Running out of ideas, James?). In addition to disastrous sailing vacations, adultery (Jackie Collins, Emily Griffin), weird stuff (Dean Koontz, Stephanie Meyer), and spies and criminals (W.E.B. Griffin, Jeffery Deaver) are popular themes. As for the non-fiction list, David Sedaris is still at No. 1, as well as some political stuff, memoirs, and that damn Barbara Walters book.

Four of the albums in the top five of the Billboard 200 are held by newcomers this week. Disturbed’s “Indestructible” opened at No. 1, as Usher’s “Here I Stand” fell from the top spot to No. 3. Weezer’s self-titled album makes a strong showing, as does Journey’s new “Revelation,” debuting in slots four and five, respectively.

As usual, books about weird secrets dominate the NY Times Hardcover Fiction list. Lee Child’s “Nothing to Lose,” about small-town secrets, takes the top spot, while Stephanie Meyer’s “The Host” hangs on to No. 2. Also included are books about mysterious illnesses and vampire hunters. Dean Koonz’s “Odd Horus” falls to number seven. David Sedaris takes the top spot on the non-fiction list with “When You Are Engulfed in Flames.” “Audition” by Barbara Walters falls to number four, and somewhere around there are the requisite political books. (Oh: Ron Paul.) And one of those polygamy books is still clinging on to the top ten as well.

In other Apple-related news, as you may know, the new version of the iPhone will be available July 11, which means we’re extending our iPhone giveaway contest until then. Every dollar you earn increases your chances of winning, so trade like a madman for the next month and the next-gen iPhone could be yours!

The curtain may have fallen on “American Idol” and “Dancing With the Stars,” but (of course) they’re still atop the most recent Nielsen ratings.

Newcomers to the charts hold the top three spots on the Billboard 200. 3 Doors Down’s self-titled album debuts at No. 1, followed by Bun-B’s “II Trill” and Julianne Hough’s “Julianne Hough.” Frank Sinatra’s “Nothing But The Best” falls two spots to No. 4 and Death Cab for Cutie slides from first to fifth.

Dean Koontz is back at No. 1 on the NYT fiction list with “Odd Hours.” Other noteworthy titles include “Snuff” from Chuck Palahniuk (No. 5) and “Bright Shiny Morning” by James Frey (No. 12). Barbara Walters’ “Audition” is No. 1 again on the non-fiction list. Political books and polygamy books are apparently all the rage: Fareed Zakaria, Ron Paul, Jim Webb, and Ted Sorensen are all in the top 10, as are two memoirs by former members of polygamous sects.

Question: are we talking web startups or garage bands?

With each passing day, Web 2.0 looks less like a traditional industry, in which services or widgets (the old kind) are sold for profit. Rather, it resembles something vaguely like Hollywood. Keep it up, and you’ll see that this Rorschach Test keeps showing the same monster with a different name:

• This industry features vast numbers of candidate projects, produced at a grass-roots level and almost always initially financed by the creators themselves. Are we talking about indie films shot on video – or the latest Facebook App?
• This industry is characterized by fierce competition for recognition, in which middlemen select – from myriad prototypes – a small number of candidates for funding and promotion. Are we talking about A&R Reps and television producers – or angels and VCs?
• In this industry, ideas are easily stolen or imitated, so easily that often we see three or four similarly themed projects in the pipeline at once. Are we talking about this year’s smackdown between ‘Cashmere Mafia’ and ‘Lipstick Jungle’ – or Twitter and Pownce?

The conclusion: if you’re curious about the future of Web 2.0, you might want to ring up your out-of-work actor friends and get a crash course in Entertainment Industry 101. Once every college had its own slate of campus bands, chasing the dream. Soon each one will have a handful of web startups as well.

Some lessons we can learn from the comparison:
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“American Idol” (you guessed it) obliterated the competition to take the top two spots in the Nielsen ratings. (Congratulations on spotting David Cook as the winner weeks and weeks ago.) In other news, “CSI” snuck ahead of the “Dancing With the Stars” results show for the No. 4 spot.

Death Cab for Cutie debuted in the #1 spot on the Billboard 200 with their critically-acclaimed new album “Narrow Stairs.” Frank Sinatra, Jason Mraz, and Duffy, all also with albums in their first week on the charts, were Nos. 2-4, followed by Leona Lewis and Mariah Carey.

James Frey made his first appearance on the NYT fiction list at No. 9 with his widely-praised “debut” novel, “Bright Shiny Morning.” Barbara Walters remained atop the NYT non-fiction list.