Battle of the Brands

No, it ' s not 1990, though you ' d think so when you see who ' s at the top of the pop charts: Madonna and Mariah. They both shimmied past Elvis last week — Madonna for the most top 10 singles, Mariah for the most No. 1 songs — but still, both are behind those pesky Beatles. They also just became the first artists to have their latest singles reach more than 200,000 digital downloads in the same week. So who ' s fiercer? You decide:

Madonna

AGE: 49
NICKNAME: Madge
ALBUM/RELEASE DATE: 'Hard Candy,' April 29
SECRET WEAPON: A duet, and a video, with Justin Timberlake
SINGLE: '4 Minutes'
CAREER MILESTONES: 200 million album sales; just inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
MOVIE CAREER: The good ('Desperately Seeking Susan'), the mediocre ('Dick Tracy,' 'Evita') and the ugly ('Swept Away')
DIVA MOMENT OF THE WEEK: Snags three magazine covers. Best assets: great skin and greater biceps.

Mariah

AGE: 38
NICKNAME: Mimi
ALBUM/RELEASE DATE: 'E=MC2,' April 15
SECRET WEAPON: A guest judge next week on 'American Idol'
SINGLE: 'Touch My Body'
CAREER MILESTONES: The most successful artist of the past decade and biggest female singer ever
MOVIE CAREER: It begins and, we hope, ends with one shiny word: 'Glitter'
DIVA MOMENT OF THE WEEK: Stops traffic in a swath of central London, where she showed up—two hours late—to sign CDs at Selfridges department store.

© 2008