AMERICAN IDOL - IDOL RUNNER-UP RULES THE CHARTS

AMERICAN IDOL runner-up CLAY AIKEN has stormed to the top of America's album charts after his debut CD MEASURE OF A MAN raked in an impressive 613,000 sales in its opening week.

Aiken's figures hammered those of KELLY CLARKSON, the first American Idol winner, whose 2002 debut THANKFUL entered the top of the charts with a first-week sales total of 297,000.

Measure Of A Man limits rapper LUDACRIS first stint at the top of the BILLBOARD album charts to just a week. The CD was relegated to number two after notching up sales of 194,000.

Meanwhile, OUTKAST's two-CD set SPEAKERBOXXX/THE LOVE BELOW has now topped the one million-sales mark in America with a healthy fourth week total of 168,000 sales.