Madonna’s newest album release, (why do we still call them albums?) MDNA debuted at Number One on the Billboard Charts.  This immediately produced talk of her comeback being a smashing success and would signal a triumphant return, so why, according to Forbes, has MDNA sales have fallen a record 88 percent week-to-week, from 379,000 copies to a mere 46,000?

The answer is actually pretty simple.  Madonna packaged the album with ticket sales to her upcoming tour on Ticketmaster.  She was basically giving her album away to anyone who bought a ticket. These “sales” were then counted in Billboard’s tally.  Once the tour dates sold out, the number of sales stopped.

Now to be fair, she is not the first person to offer this deal.  Both Tom Petty and Bon Jovi did this to climb the charts in the past, but you would have thought the Material Girl would be above such trickeration.  It’s hard on aging acts to stay relevant.  The older audience wants to hear the hits from the past, and the younger generation?  Well, they just don’t care.

Madonna will have no trouble selling-out large venues and, no doubt, put on a great show.  She’s scheduled to perform 4 nights at Yankee Stadium in September (She plays two nights at Toyota Center in October).

But, will this tour be enough to breathe life into MDNA, or are the days of owning the charts behind her?

Last night’s Academy Awards provided many memorable moments for fans of the big screen and the glitz it attracts.  From Jennifer Lopez’s alleged “Nip Slip”, Angelia Jolie proving her leg does indeed go all the way to her hip, to Sacha Baron Cohen baptizing Ryan Seacrest; there was a tsunami of twitter buzz through-out the night.

There was however, something that quietly snuck by.  The 2011 Academy Awards had only 2 songs nominated for an Oscar.  Never in the history of the award has so few songs been selected.  (3 songs were nominated in 2008, 2005, 1935 and 1934).

In his acceptance speech last night, Bret McKenzie thanked Disney for “making movies with songs in them”.  Afterwards, McKenzie said he was more than happy to have less competition, “Well, I am not sure why they only nominated two songs, but I was very happy with that situation.”

So does this bode bad news for song writers?  14 songs were nominated in 1945 (“It Might as Well be Spring” from the movie “State Fair” took the statue home that year) Past winners include such great names as Tim Rice, Burt Bacharach, Elton John, Oscar Hammerstein II, Randy Newman, Bob Dylan, Eminem and Henri Mancini just to name a few .

Perhaps it was just an anomaly; still one has to hope that along with amazing 3-D visual images, mind-blowing computer animation, incredible special effects and brilliant writing, there might be room in there for a good song or two.

Tired of hearing the same old same old on the radio? Between the exceedingly whiney Adele who can’t understand why her ex-boyfriend doesn’t want to still be friends to Maroon 5 serenading us with a very disturbing image of Mick Jagger’s tongue, the music coming out of the speakers can have us quickly reaching for a CD, or Pandora.

Fortunately there is a sanctuary of remarkable music for people who want to hear something other than “Sweet Home Alabama”. Say hello to Lost and Found; a nationally syndicated radio program that plays “the best music you never heard” (Lost and Found airs Sunday mornings from 8 to 11 on FM 103.7).

Lost and Found is hosted by Luke Crampton and offers a widely entertaining assortment of music from artists around the world. It’s like hanging out in a used record store with old friends exchanging new found music to check out. Crampton is a veritable wealth of knowledge who walks you through the world of undiscovered music with the ease of someone who genuinely enjoys bringing these hidden gems out of hiding for the world to hear.

Where else would you hear the smoky-voiced Nellie McKay singing a wonderfully sexy rendition of Doris Day’s “If I ever had a dream” or “Love has left the room” by Nina Persson performing under the name A Camp. How do you explain the genius of a Ross Cooperman, a wildly talented singer songwriter whose songs are in a league with John Mayer and Dave Matthews, but can’t seem to get a sniff of airplay?

Listening to Lost and Found makes you really appreciate the fine line that exists between being the rock star Nickelback sung about and that terribly talented musician who doesn’t have the luck, timing, right promotion (you fill in the blank) on what it takes to get noticed.

You need to have both hands on the wheel when listening. From The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, to Aaron Neville, to Graffiti6 and Smoove & Turrell (check out these guys if you like funk), there is no style left unturned. And yes, Campton does play Adela as well, but he digs deep into the playlist to find that rare nugget you won’t hear on the radio.

So make a pot of coffee, grab the Sunday paper and get ready to be entertained, informed and impressed by the best music you never heard.