the scoop

the scoop

aeropostale pitches in

One third of all homeless people are under the age of 18. Do Something, a non-profit teen organization, and Aeropostale clothing stores are launching Teens for Jeans, a campaign encouraging people to drop off their gently used jeans so that they can be donated to a shelter or charity for the homeless. Jeans can be dropped off between Jan. 22 to Feb. 10 at any Aeropostale store in the country in exchange for 20 percent off a new pair of Aeropostale jeans. Aeropostale will kick off the initiative by donating 10,000 pairs of new Aéropostale jeans to the cause.

song of the week

Fresh off the smash “Kiss Kiss,” Chris Brown tears a page from the Beyonce playbook for his new hit “With You” (Jive), the lovey-dovey, upbeat version of “Irreplaceable,” complete with jangling acoustic guitars and an unstoppable chorus. The lighter, poppier touch he gives “With You” will introduce Brown to a whole new non-R&B, adult-contemporary audience that should make him one of 2008’s biggest new stars.

use your illusion

Last year saw a wave of consolidation in the video-game industry, topped by Electronic Arts’ assimilation of BioWare/Pandemic Studios and Vivendi’s acquisition of Activision. The trend doesn’t appear likely to slow down, even though the first deal of 2008 — Take-Two’s acquisition of Czech Republic-based Illusion Softworks — is relatively minor.

Illusion is best known for 2002’s “Mafia,” which got some good reviews despite (or perhaps because of) its clear debt to Rockstar Games’ “Grand Theft Auto.” Since Take-Two also owns Rockstar, it should be interesting to see how the company juggles the forthcoming “Grand Theft Auto IV” and “Mafia II” on its schedule.

can you spell cease ... and desist?

The companies that make Scrabble are trying to shut down Scrabulous, an online version of the game that is one of the most popular applications on the social networking site Facebook.

Hasbro Inc., which owns the rights to the crossword game in the U.S. and Canada, and El Segundo, Calif.-based Mattel Inc., which owns the rights elsewhere, believe the Facebook game infringes their copyrights and trademarks.

Scrabulous listed more than 600,000 daily active users on Facebook as of Wednesday and is one of the 10 most used applications on the site. People can also play at Scrabulous.com.

The companies jointly issued cease-and-desist notices to four parties involved in the development, hosting and marketing of Scrabulous, according to a letter Pawtucket-based Hasbro is sending consumers who have contacted them about Scrabulous.

In a separate written statement released Wednesday, Hasbro was not specific about who the four parties are, but said it was reviewing a number of options with them and hoped to find an amicable solution. “If we cannot come to one quickly, we will be forced to close down the site and its associated distribution points,” Hasbro said.

new music

Due in stores Tuesday:

The Audition, “Champion” (Victory Records). Chicago pop-punk rockers.

Natasha Bedingfield, “Pocketful of Sunshine” (Epic). Second U.S. studio album from British songbird who won a Grammy last year for the hit song “Unwritten.”

Black Mountain, “In the Future” (Jagjaguwar). Vancouver indie-rock group influenced by Neil Young, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath.

Ray Bonneville, “Goin’ By Feel” (Locust). Singer/storyteller taps swamp, blues, country and folk.

new video games

In stores this week: The Wii remote becomes a sword in Koei’s “Samurai Warriors: Katana”; motorcycle handlebars in Ubisoft’s “Nitrobike”; and 30 other things in Majesco’s minigame collection “Furu Furu Park.” ... The dating sim “Miami Nights: Singles in the City” (Ubisoft) makes the leap from cell phones to the Nintendo DS.

keys tops radiohead

Alicia Keys, left, and Radiohead swap places at the top of this week’s U.S. album chart, but it’s the soundtrack to indie-film-that-could “Juno” that’s making the biggest waves on the tally.

The soundtrack album jumps from its No. 8 post last week to No. 3, thanks to a 78 percent increase in sales, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It moved a total of 68,000 copies this week, bringing it to 143,000 copies sold so far.

Radiohead’s “In Rainbows” slips to No. 2 with sales of 69,000 copies. The album, online in October as a pay-what-you-will download, has sold 191,000 copies since its CD release on Jan. 1.

In two weeks in stores, “In Rainbows” still has not sold what Radiohead’s last album, 2003’s “Hail to the Thief,” moved in its first week (300,000 copies).

Keys’ “As I Am” returns to No. 1 despite a decline in sales, selling 70,000 copies this week on a 38 percent dip in sales. That’s 10,000 copies more than the all-time low figure for a No. 1 album, which was posted during the same week last year by the “Dreamgirls” soundtrack.

This week’s top debut comes from electronic-tinged pop artists Sia, whose Starbucks release, “Some People Have Real Problems,” enters at No. 26 after selling 20,000 copies. Further down, English singer-songwriter Kate Nash lands at No. 36 with “Made of Bricks.”