By Stacey Willets

When hundreds of people lined up outside a box office in Pittsburgh this week, it wasn’t for Hannah Montana tickets. Ticket buyers were trying to get their seats for Lion King, also a Disney production, before tickets were available for sale online. Between the ticket explosion in Pittsburgh and a strong week for the Dallas production, Lion King moves into the Overall Top Events at number five.

The NFL presence in the Top Events rankings is halved by the return of Major League Baseball. The Dallas Cowboys move up to number four and the Green Bay Packers drop five spots to number ten. The New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers are booted this week in favor of the ninth-ranked New York Yankees and sixth-ranked Colorado Rockies, two playoff teams on very different paths. The Yanks were eliminated in round one of postseason play for the third straight year, while the Rockies are competing in the National League Championship Series for the first time in franchise history.

The Top Events chart isn’t the only place baseball is turning up. This week’s Top Sports chart is
full of the star teams of the MLB
– some of which are burning bright, and some of which have already burned out. The second-ranked Rockies, sixth-ranked Red Sox, and ninth-ranked Indians will all move on to the next round of playoffs while the third-ranked Yankees, fifth-ranked Phillies, and eighth-ranked Cubs will return home to broken-hearted fans.

TFL and ATBS for ticketing professionals

MTV may not be showing many music videos anymore, but it is airing more musicals. Legally Blonde returns to the New York City Theatre chart after a six week hiatus, likely because of interest drummed up by
online clips
of the network’s live recording of the production. The musical takes number eight on the chart this week, and may see another boost after the October 13 television debut of the full-length recording.

This has been the year of reunion tours: The Police, Van Halen, Genesis . . . the Spice Girls. Scary, Sporty, Posh, Baby, and Ginger debut at number six on the Top Concerts chart as they stage a comeback that almost makes it feel safe for closet fans to dig their old CDs out of hiding.

Annie Lennox, whose new album “Songs of Mass Destruction” was released this week, also earns a debut in the Top Concerts rankings. Her distinctive soulful voice and small U.S. tour put her at position eight, between Rascal Flatts and Elton John.

The quest for the Holy Grail brings Monty Python’s Spamalot back into the Top Vegas rankings. The musical returns to the chart at the number five spot. Blue Man Group, number five last week, drops to ten, bumping Barry Manilow out of the rankings.

To see this week’s rankings, check out the press release in the Daily Buzz section of TicketNews.com.