ABC/Tim OgierAdele's album 21 has set a record for the largest post-Grammy sales bump ever, racking up 730,000 albums sold in the week following the awards show telecast, according to Nielsen Soundscan. But she's not the only one who reaped great rewards from exposure on the show.
Despite six nods, Bruno Mars didn't win any Grammys, but his show-stopping performance of "Runaway Baby" on the telecast led to a 133 percent sales increase for his album Doo-Wops & Hooligans -- it went from #30 to #8 on the Billboard chart. Lady Antebellum, who did win, saw their album Own the Night move from #17 to #9.
The late Whitney Houston was saluted at the Grammys a day after her death by Jennifer Hudson, LL Cool J and others, and her Greatest Hits album rose to #2 from #6; six other Whitney albums are also in the Billboard Top 200 chart this week.
Here's a look at some of the other sales increases from Grammy winners and performers on this week's chart:
Coldplay'sMylo Xyloto: 26%, #14 to #11
Rihanna'sTalk that Talk: 11%, #18 to #17
The Band Perry's self-titled album: 22%, #24 to #19
Foo Fighters'Wasting Light: 134%, #59 to #21
Taylor Swift'sSpeak Now: 60%, #42 to #25
Best New Artist winner Bon Iver's self-titled album: 61%, #49 to #29
Emma Summerton/EMI Music North AmericaKaty Perry's own marriage dreams may not have worked out, but that doesn't mean she wants to be a downer for other young women in love. People magazine reports that when Katy and friends were having dinner in her hometown of Santa Barbara, California recently, a "new bride," as the magazine described her, approached the singer's table and asked if she would pose for a photo with her. The blue-haired star, who was trying to be incognito in thick glasses and a beanie, said yes.
Art Streiber/NBCWho knew that Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks has time to sit around and watch reality singing competitions on TV? The New York Post reports that earlier this week, Adam Levine was having breakfast with a magazine editor at a New York City hotel when Hanks interrupted the meal to tell Adam he was a "die-hard fan" of his show The Voice. Spies told the Post that Hanks added, "I sit home with my wife and watch the show.” Hanks didn't say which coach's team he's rooting for, however.
Meanwhile, Adam has responded to Simon Cowell's suggestion that the winners of The Voice, X Factor and American Idol should all compete together in one big "super-final." He told Access Hollywood, "Simon's just so clever. He’s so hell bent on competing with other shows. We’re not really interested. In a way…that’s kind of a cool idea, actually, but I’m not so sure we’re totally interested in what everyone else is doing...we just want to do what we do."
Dave M. Benett/Getty ImagesMadonna's movie W.E. was disliked by critics, but it did receive an Oscar nomination -- for Best Costume Design. And its chances of winning that particular award this Sunday night may have have increased, now that it's just picked up an honor at the 14th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards, held Tuesday night in Beverly Hills.
Deadline.com reports that W.E.'s costume designer, Arianne Phillips, received the award for Excellence in Period Film, since a large portion of the movie takes place in the 1930s.
EMI Capitol MusicCongratulations to Katy Perry -- her new single "Part of Me" has debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. This is just the 20th song in that chart's 53-year history to premiere in the top slot. The last single to debut at #1 was Lady Gaga's "Born This Way," a year ago. Overall, this is Katy's seventh #1: she scored five from Teenage Dream, and one from her debut album, One of the Boys.
By the way, this song does not mean that Katy Perry has broken Michael Jackson'srecord for most #1 hits on a single album. "Part of Me" comes from Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection, an expanded version of Teenage Dream that is being counted as a separate album by the chart gurus at Billboard.
But remember that you can't have a discussion about chart success without mentioning Adele these days. The British Grammy Queen now sees all three of the singles from her album 21 land in the top 10 simultaneously. "Set Fire to the Rain" was already there, but "Rolling in the Deep" and "Someone Like You" have both jumped back in. This makes Adele the first female artist ever to have three top 10 hits at the same time and be the lead artist on all three.
Frank Micelotta/PictureGroupFollowing her well-received guest turn on How I Met Your Mother last year, Katy Perry is returning to the world of sitcoms for another go-round. Katy will guest-star on the March 6 episode of the Fox comedy Raising Hope, playing a prison attendant named Rikki who claims to be a friend of Sabrina's -- played by Shannon Woodward -- from back in the day.
How did Katy hook this up? In a statement, she said, "Shannon Woodward is my best friend. A couple weeks ago, I was home, just toasting up a frozen chicken fillet when she called me up and asked if I wanted to do something ‘fun’ for a change and try out a guest role on her TV show. I thought, ‘Sure, I have nothing else to do, and I like chillin’ with my best friend.’" No wonder Katy and Shannon exchanged tweets earlier this week alluding to something big they had to tell fans.
The show's executive producer, Greg Garcia, said in a statement, "She came in and did a terrific job. She was hilarious. And now people are telling me that Katy is also a singer. I sincerely hope that her appearance on the show helps her get her singing career off the ground. It's a tough business.”
In the episode, Sabrina gets arrested after taking part in an Occupy protest, and gets sentenced to two weeks in prison. Rikki, played by Katy, is determined to make her stay behind bars as horrible as possible -- until she remembers they were childhood friends.
Blue Note/EMINorah Jones has announced that her new album, Little Broken Hearts, will hit stores May 1. As previously reported, the album is a collaboration with Danger Mouse,the acclaimed producer who with Cee Lo Green comprises the award-winning duo Gnarls Barkley, of "Crazy" fame.
According to Norah, the album's cover was inspired by the vintage movie posters that Danger Mouse, whose birth name is Brian Burton, has hanging in his studio. One in particular, for a film called Mudhoney, became the basis for the cover design. "I always was looking at it and thinking 'That’s so cool I want to look like [the girl on the poster!],’" says Norah in a statement. "I remember staring at [it] the whole time we made the record. It’s a great visual."
Norah will debut her new songs during a series of performances at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas nexst month.
Here's track listing for Little Broken Hearts:
"Good Morning" "Say Goodbye" "Little Broken Hearts" "She's 22" "Take It Back" "After the Fall" "4 Broken Hearts" "Travelin' On" "Out on the Road" "Happy Pills" "Miriam" "All a Dream"
Lauren Dukoff/Columbia RecordsAdele made headlines Tuesday night in London when she flipped the bird onstage at the Brit Awards -- the UK equivalent of the Grammys -- after her acceptance speech was cut short by the show's host. Now, the BBC reports that ITV, the network that aired the awards show, as well as the Brit Awards organizers, has issued an apology to the singer.
According to the BBC, ITV said in a statement, "The Brits is a live event. Unfortunately the program was over-running and we had to move on. We would like to apologize to Adele for the interruption."
A spokesperson for the Brits, meanwhile, added, "We regret this happened and we send our deepest apologies to Adele that her big moment was cut short. We don't want this to undermine her incredible achievement in winning our night's biggest award. It tops off what's been an incredible year for her."
Adele won Best British Album and Best British Female Artist at the awards show Tuesday night.
Facebook.com/TheBeatlesNow, instead of saying "hello" and "goodbye" on your mobile phone, you can have the Beatles do it for you. For the first time ever, Beatles ringtones are now available -- you can buy them exclusively on iTunes. Twenty-seven of the band's classics have been turned into ringtones, including "Hello Goodbye," "From Me to You," "Let It Be" and -- especially for those calls you make to apologize to your significant other for being a jerk -- "We Can Work It Out."
Here's the full list of Beatles ringtones available:
1. "Love Me Do" 2. "From Me To You" 3. "She Loves You" 4. "I Want To Hold Your Hand" 5. "Can't Buy Me Love" 6. "A Hard Day's Night" 7. "I Feel Fine" 8. "Eight Days a Week" 9. "Ticket to Ride" 10. "Help!" 11. "Yesterday" 12. "Day Tripper" 13. "We Can Work It Out" 14. "Paperback Writer" 15. "Yellow Submarine" 16. "Eleanor Rigby" 17. "Penny Lane" 18. "All You Need Is Love" 19. "Hello, Goodbye" 20. "Lady Madonna" 21. "Hey Jude" 22. "Get Back" 23. "The Ballad of John and Yoko" 24. "Something" 25. "Come Together" 26. "Let It Be" 27. "The Long and Winding Road"
ABC NewsBefore her tragic death, Whitney Houston was excited about the release of the movie Sparkle, which would've marked her return to the silver screen as an actress. But now comes word that Whitney was also planning another movie -- one that would've told her life story.
Actress Meagan Good, who stars in Californication, tells E! Online that she and Whitney were discussing a biopic before her death, and Good would've starred in it. "We were fairly in the beginning stages," Good tells E! Online, noting that she and Whitney were supposed to have met Monday about the project.
Good also reveals that the plan was for the movie to end on a high note. "My feeling is because she has the film Sparkle coming out and she's brilliant in it and she looks beautiful and healthy, my feeling was that's how we should end the movie -- as a new beginning for her," Good toldE!.
Good says it's too soon to start thinking about making the movie, but she says if it did come to pass, she wouldn't attempt to do her own singing in the project. "When people see someone's life story they want to hear that person's voice because they connect with it, in their spirit and their soul," she explained. "So you would have to use her voice."
Sandra Rose/Getty ImagesWith Whitney Houston's death still fresh in fans' minds, her ex-husband may try to revive a memoir he worked on years ago. An unnamed publisher tells The Huffington Post that Bobby Brown shopped a tell-all book in 2008 but didn't draw much interest at the time. However, the publisher says, "Now is the time for a book that details an honest look into the life of Whitney."
A friend of Whitney's believes Bobby would want to write a memoir just so he can make some money. However, The Huffington Post speculates that Bobby might not go ahead with the project out of consideration for the ex-couple's teen daughter, Bobbi Kristina. The report also states that he signed a confidentiality agreement when he divorced Whitney.
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty ImagesA Los Angeles judge on Tuesday dismissed concert promoter AEG Live from a wrongful-death lawsuit brought by Michael Jackson's father over the King of Pop's passing. The judge cited a law requiring all heirs file a single wrongful-death complaint. Michael's mother, Katherine Jackson, has also filed a wrongful-death suit.
AEG Live organized the London concerts Michael was rehearsing for at the time of his death.
Joe Jackson's lawsuit still lists as defendants Conrad Murray, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Michael's death, and Applied Pharmacy Services in Las Vegas, which sold the powerful anesthetic propofol to the doctor. Michael died of acute propofol intoxication in June of 2009.
Also on Tuesday, Los Angeles prosecutors responded to Murray's request to be released from jail while he appeals his case. According to TMZ.com, prosecutors argued that he could pose a danger to the public if he were to be released.
Columbia RecordsTrain will start the promotion ball rolling for their new album California 37 in a very appropriate place: California. The group has announced that they'll be doing six intimate club performances in their hometown of San Francisco, starting April 10 and wrapping up April 15. Ticket information will be available soon.
A portion of the ticket proceeds from these shows -- dubbed the San Francisco 2012 Tour -- will go to Family House, a San Francisco-based charity which provides temporary housing to families of seriously ill children. That's the same charity that benefits from Train's signature wines: Drops of Jupiter, Calling All Angels and the new one they're getting ready to release, California 37.
The album California 37 is due in stores April 17. The band has also revealed the cover art for the disc, which features an old-fashioned car driving down a highway, past a road marker that reads "California 37."
Here are the San Francisco 2012 tour dates:
4/10 -– Cafe Du Nord 4/11 -– Great American Music Hall 4/12 -– Bimbo's 4/13 -- Slim's 4/14 -- Independent 4/15 -- Fillmore
Dan MacMedan/WireImageAdele's trophy shelf is already groaning under the weight of the six Grammys she won earlier this month, but now she's got two more bits of hardware to add to it. The singer picked up two honors at the Brit Awards, the British equivalent of the Grammys, which were held Tuesday in London. Her album 21 was named Best British Album, while she was named Best British Female Artist at the ceremony.
According to the BBC, Adele, who performed "Rolling in the Deep" at the ceremony, told the audience, "Nothing makes me prouder than coming home with six Grammys and then coming to the Brits and winning album of the year. I'm so proud to be British and to be flying our flag." Unfortunately, someone then came up to her on the podium and cut her off in mid-speech. She accepted the diss with a smile, but threw her middle finger up. According to Idolator.com, she said afterwards, "It was for the suits, not for my fans. Sorry if I offended you."
Other winners at the Brit Awards included Bruno Mars for Best International Male, Rihanna for Best International Female and Foo Fighters for Best International Group. Coldplay took home the award for Best British Group, while Internet sensation Lana Del Rey was named International Breakthrough Act.
13 ManagementTaylor Swift and Zac Efron appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show Tuesday to promote their new animated movie, Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, in theaters March 2. During the interview, Taylor cleared up rumors she and Zac are in a relationship.
"We are not a couple," Taylor told Ellen. "He is awesome. We are not a couple though."
Taylor says it was really improbable that she and Zac would fall on love on the set since The Lorax was animated. She joked about it saying, "Like, 'Oh my God, as we were recording our voiceovers on separate coasts, we really connected.'"
Taylor and Zac are good friends though, and she even taught him how to play the Foster the People hit "Pumped Up Kicks" on guitar. The co-stars performed the song for Ellen, but then changed the words up to talk about some of the weird pranks Ellen has played on them over the years.
Romain BlanquartThe 2012 inductees for the Songwriters Hall of Fame have been announced: they include Bob Seger, Gordon Lightfoot, Jim Steinman, the team of Tom Jones & Harvey Schmidt and Don Schlitz.
While Bob Seger needs no introduction, Canadian music icon Gordon Lightfoot is best known for his hits "If You Could Read My Mind," "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" and "Sundown."
Jim Steinman's achievements including writing all the songs on Meat Loaf's classic album Bat out of Hell, and its sequel, Bat out of Hell II: Back into Hell. Among Steinman's other compositions: Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart," Air Supply's "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" and Celine Dion's"It's All Coming Back to Me Now."
Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones wrote the music for The Fantasticks, the longest-running musical in history, as well as other Broadway shows. Don Schlitz's best known composition is "The Gambler," which Kenny Rogers turned into a smash hit. He's also penned a string of other country music classics, recorded by big names like Reba McEntire, Randy Travis, Alabama, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Garth Brooks, Tanya Tucker and the Judds.
This year's inductees will receive their honors at a gala ceremony in New York City on June 14.
Tommaso Boddi/FilmMagicKatyPerry unloaded her husband, Russell Brand -- now she's getting rid of some real estate. The Dailyreports that Katy is selling the deluxe penthouse she purchased in New York City's TriBeCa neighborhood 18 months ago. She's asking the same $2.75 million that she initially paid for the property, which features two bedrooms, two bathrooms, great views, a heated bathroom floor and a cherrywood staircase. Katy bought the property in September 2010, before she and Russell were actually married.
Leon Neal/AFP/Getty ImagesAfter saying that comments attributed to him in a British paper regarding a performance with Queen had been taken out of context, Adam Lambert has now confirmed that he will, indeed, be singing with the legendary British rockers.
He wrote on Twitter Monday, "As many suspected, I can finally confirm: I have been invited by Queen to sing one very special concert! Sonisphere at Knebworth July 7th!" He added, "Sorry to be coy about the details the past few weeks, but I made a promise to keep it under wraps as best I could. Gonna be a surreal night!"
The performance is scheduled for July 7. The Sonisphere Festival, a touring festival which will take place this year from July 6 to July 8 in Knebworth, England, was the site of Queen's final performance with their lead singer Freddie Mercury. That performance came in 1986; Mercury died of an AIDS-related illness in 1991.
Adam has performed with Queen twice: once during the 2009 American Idol finale, and last November at the MTV European Music Awards.
In a statement posted on his official website, Adam says, "I'm completely in awe of the Queen phenomenon. The thought of sharing the stage for a full set is so beautifully surreal. I'm honored to be able to pay my respects to Freddie's memory. He's a personal hero of mine and I am deeply grateful for the chance to sing such powerful music for fans of this legendary band."
Rebecca Taylor/MSGIf you're an Elton John fan who's been saving all your ticket stubs from his concerts over the years, the folks who run his archives want you to get in touch.
A request has been put out on Elton's official website for ticket stubs -- not the actual stubs, but scans of them. Specifically, the archive is looking for hi-res scans of Elton ticket stubs from any of his concerts, anywhere in the world, but particularly ones from the seventies. Since Elton has performed more than 3,000 concerts in his career, that's a lot of stubs. The collected scans will be used to compile a "visual history" of Elton's live work, so if you've got stubs rotting away in a shoebox in your closet, haul them out, scan them and email them to Editor@website.eltonjohn.com with the subject line "Ticket Scans."
Not long ago, the website appealed to fans for scans of tickets from Elton's first-ever performances in Las Vegas, and got a great response, which is why they're reaching out once again.
Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty ImagesMariah Carey was among the first to tweet a heartfelt eulogy for Whitney Houston a week ago when the singer passed away, and Carey later canceled an appearance on Good Morning America because she said she was still mourning for her late friend. After attending the star's funeral on Saturday, Mariah finally made her appearance on Good Morning America Tuesday, during which she spoke about Whitney.
At first, she declared herself "almost incapable of talking about this, still," but then, she told ABC's Robin Roberts, "We all loved her. We were all inspired by her, and we all loved her. May she rest in peace, and her legend's gonna go on forever."
Asked what it was like to work with Whitney on their hit duet "When You Believe," Mariah said, "It was great and I don't think people could ever understand our relationship. There was always this supposed rivalry in the beginning, and then we did the duet and we became friends. I saw her toward the end and...I loved her." Mariah later tweeted a link to a YouTube video featuring a montage of her and Whitney singing together.
Mariah also talked about her husband Nick Cannon, who recently announced plans to quit his radio show after struggling with health issues that included kidney failure and blood clots in his lungs. "Nick is doing well," said Mariah. "The best thing, I think, was the choice that he made to leave the radio show and just focus on [America's Got Talent] and Up All Night."
She added, "The thing is, he's a young, healthy person and it's about changing the lifestyle...it's just a lifestyle choice, and an awareness of what can really happen to you no matter how young or in great shape you are So I think he's gonna, like he always does, turn something that happened into a positive thing."
The topic of lifestyle choices also fit neatly into Mariah's main reason for the GMA appearance, which was to promote a new heart health initiative that she's involved in, through Jenny Craig and the American Heart Association. She also debuted her new PSA that she co-directed and starred in, in which she says, "Did you know that every 34 seconds, someone has a heart attack? Every 40 seconds, someone has a stroke. But it doesn't have to be that way. Every day, there's hope...Get serious about your heart and your health."
Mariah also revealed that she's working on some new music -- specifically, she mentioned a song that she wants to get done next week. "It just happened and I feel like it's appropriate for the moment right now," she said.
