MUSIC NEWS:
British pop singer Adele continues to set records this week as her album “21” spends a 17th week atop the Billboard 200 chart. Billboard reports that she now has the longest run at Number One since the soundtrack to “The Bodyguard,” which ended its 20-week reign in May 1993.
Adele also reaches the top spot on this week’s Hot 100 chart. Her latest single, “Set Fire to the Rain,” is the third consecutive Number One hit from “21.” According to Nielsen SoundScan tracking, the song sold 185,000 copies during the past week, which pushes its total downloads past the two-million mark.
An Oklahoma hospital will have to give back a $500,000 donation to Country singer Garth Brooks. During a week-long jury trial, Garth testified that he made the donation in 2005 with the understanding that Integris Canadian Valley Regional Hospital in Yukon, Oklahoma would build a women’s center and name it after his late mother, Colleen Brooks. The jury ruled that the hospital must return the donation and also pay Brooks an additional $500,000 in punitive damages.
Singer Jason Derulo is recovering from a serious injury that happened a few weeks ago during his tour rehearsals. According to reports, Derulo was performing a dance move and landed on his head, which fractured a vertebrae. He told People magazine that his girlfriend, singer Jordin Sparks, is helping him mend. He said, “We’ve gotten closer because of my accident. It’s awesome to have someone you can talk to and she’s a wonderful person.” Derulo added that he’s using his recovery time to work on a new album.
The New York Times reports that Lady Gaga’s parents, Joseph and Cynthia Germanotta, have opened an Italian restaurant in New York City. Cynthia told the newspaper that Joanne Trattoria will not pander to fans of the singer. “If they’re expecting to come in here and see Grammys and pictures and stuff like that, it’s not going to happen," she said.
On January 31, Hip-O/Universal Music Enterprises will release former Beatle Ringo Starr’s new album, “Ringo 2012.” The collection features collaborations with Charlie Haden, Kenny Wayne Shepard, the Eagles’ Joe Walsh, the Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart, Don Was and Edgar Winter, among others. Ringo is giving his fans the opportunity to make the video for the album’s first single, “Wings.” Ringo will personally pick the winner, who receives a $3,000 prize.
On February 3, Country star Keith Urban will make his first concert appearance since having vocal cord surgery in November 2011. He’ll perform on the Grand Ole Opry show at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium. Also on the bill are Vince Gill, Craig Morgan, Emmylou Harris, Del McCoury, the Oak Ridge Boys, Josh Turner and Ricky Skaggs. Special guests include Shawn Colvin and Rodney Crowell. Keith has also rescheduled his “All for the Hall” concert for April 10. The show, which benefits Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, was among the events that were postponed due to Keith’s surgery.
NEW ALBUM RELEASES:
New albums scheduled for release on January 31 include: “Born To Die” by Lana Del Rey, “Old Ideas” by Leonard Cohen, “Beyond Magnetic” by Metallica, “God, Love & Romance” by Fred Hammond, “Galaxy” by Jeff Lorber, “Hello Cruel World” by Gretchen Peters and “Crazy” by Candy Dulfer.
AWARDS PRESENTATIONS/WINNERS:
Nominations for the 84th annual Academy Awards have been announced. Best Picture nominees include “The Artist,” “The Descendants,” “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,” “The Help,” “Hugo,” “Midnight in Paris,” “Moneyball,” “The Tree of Life” and “War Horse.” Turning to the music categories, the Best Original Score nominees are John Williams for “The Adventures of Tintin,” Ludovic Bource for “The Artist,” Howard Shore for “Hugo,” Alberto Iglesias for “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” and John Williams for “War Horse.” Up for Best Original Song are “Man or Muppet” by Bret McKenzie from “The Muppets” and “Real in Rio” by Sergio Mendes from “Rio.” The Oscars will be handed out on February 26 in Los Angeles.
Kenny Chesney leads the nominees for the 47th annual Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards. His nine nominations include Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year for “Hemingway’s Whiskey” and Entertainer of the Year. He shares the Entertainer category with Jason Aldean, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton and Taylor Swift. Jason Aldean collected six nods, followed by Lady Antebellum with five and Brad Paisley with four. The 2012 ACM Awards will be handed out on April 1 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
TOUR DATES AND INFORMATION:
On February 3, Irish female vocal quartet Celtic Woman will kick off a 60-city North American tour in Nashville, Tennessee. The group features new addition Susan McFadden, who was born in Dublin and is best known as a London West End musical stage star. Celtic Woman will be supporting its new album, “Believe.”
