The most competitive chart week of the year in the UK?

November 24th is shaping up to be a highly competitive week for the UK singles chart--perhaps the most competitive of the year. Physical singles from a number of big-name acts are set for that date, which will compete for spots in the top 10 with the likes of the X Factor "Hero" single that is currently #1, Duffy's "Rain on Your Parade" (out Nov. 17), and Beyonce's "If I Were a Boy" (out Nov. 10). Here's my take on their prospects:

Take That - "Greatest Day" (#1). Take That's first new single in a year should easily be #1 on the Nov. 30 chart. It's highly anticipated, already getting massive airplay and is a pretty good song. Plus their recent track record has been very strong with two huge #1s ("Patience" and "Shine") and a #2 ("Rule the World") that was still one of last year's five best-selling singles.

T.I. Featuring Rihanna - "Live Your Life" (#2). With Take That an easy call for #1, #2 becomes very competitive. I'm giving the edge to T.I. and Rihanna, who on downloads are already #2. Still, the next three could be strong contenders too.

McFly - "Do Ya/Stay With Me" (#3). It's the Children in Need charity single, which generally does well and McFly's never landed outside the top 10. "Do Ya" is available now, but "Stay With Me" won't come out until the 24th, raising the bar for this to do better.

Britney Spears - "Womanizer" (#4). So I expect "Womanizer" will land at #4, just below where "Gimme More" came in at about a year ago.

Katy Perry - "Hot N Cold" (#5). Katy Perry's hot, but not as hot as Take That or T.I. & Rihanna. Still, this could conceivably even beat Britney's "Womanizer." This assumes though that these five singles will push down a cooled off X Factor Finalists's "Hero," which could still be a top 5 contender 2 weeks from now.

Akon - Right Now "Na Na Na" (Top 10).
The Pussycat Dolls - I Hate This Part" (Top 10). Both these singles are getting a fair amount of pre-release download sales. Normally, I'd say they could be top 5, but given the competition, I expect they'll have to settle for top 10.

Same Difference - "We R One" (Top 15). This one is a bit of a wild card, since they are a new act. I'm going to say "top 15," since lately new pop act's first singles seem to do just okay, with later singles charting higher (I'm thinking of The Saturdays and The Script, and to a lesser extent Duffy and Adele, who's first singles were not major hits, but also weren't promoted to be so).

Madonna - "Miles Away" (Top 20). I think Madonna is going to end up being a casualty. "Miles Away" is the third single, and the chart drop-off effect of subsequent singles has been pretty pronounced lately (except for Rihanna). "Give It 2 Me" only managed #7, and that was during the summer when the chart wasn't nearly as competitive as it is currently.

Alphabeat - "What Is Happening" (Top 30). It's their fourth single and the last two landed outside the top 10. No chance for them at this point, despite another good song.

Bob the Builder - "Big Fish Little Fish" (???). An even bigger wild card than Same Difference is the new Bob the Builder single. The children's TV show character had two big hits early this decade: 2000's best-selling single "Can We Fix It" and in 2001 a #1 remake of "Mambo No. 5." Does he still have the cache to score a major hit today? We shall see.