This week, Justin Bieber becomes the second artist to simultaneously place four albums in the Billboard 200’s Top 40. His new CD, Never Say Never: The Remixes, debuts at Number One after selling 161,000 copies its first week of release. Justin sits at Number 8 with My World 2.0, at Number 18 with My Worlds Acoustic and at Number 31 with My World. According to Billboard, Garth Brooks was the first artist to have four Top 40 albums on the Billboard 200 concurrently. For the week of January 23, 1993, Garth held the Number 2, 23, 26 and 29 positions on that list with The Chase, Beyond the Season, Ropin’ the Wind and No Fences, respectively.
Billboard also reports that Adele has become the first living artist since the Beatles to have two singles and two albums in the Top 5 on the U.K. chart simultaneously. Her new album, 21, enters at Number One and her debut release, 19, climbs two spaces to Number 4. On the U.K. singles chart, Adele rockets from Number 47 to Number 1 with Someone Like You and she climbs from Number 5 to Number 4 with 21’s first hit, “Rolling In The Deep.”
Garth Brooks Among New Songwriters Hall of Fame Inductees
Garth Brooks, John Bettis, Leon Russell, Allen Toussaint and the songwriting team of Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly are this year’s inductees into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Songwriters Hall of Fame Chairman and inductee Jimmy Webb released a statement that says, “We are inspired by the striking caliber and range of the 2011 Songwriters Hall of Fame class. John, Garth, Leon, Billy, Tom and Allen each represent a unique breed of artist, warmly respected by their peers and revered by all lovers of song. As songwriters, their work has forever enriched our world's music.” The 42nd annual induction and awards dinner will take place in New York on June 16.
Eminem Popular Among YouTube Viewers
Rapper Eminem recently became the third artist to have more than one billion views on YouTube. His 1.01 billion hits trail Lady Gaga’s 1.1 billion views and Justin Bieber’s 1.3 billion. The statistics are provided by the social media fame tracking company Famecount.com. Famecount also reports that Rihanna is only weeks away from surpassing one billion YouTube views.
Chris Brown Restraining Order Loosened
A Los Angeles judge has loosened singer Chris Brown’s restraining order, which kept him 50 yards away from Rihanna for the past two years. Rihanna agreed to the downgrade after Brown finished a domestic violence counseling program. Brown remains on probation for assaulting Rihanna in February 2009. His probation is scheduled to end in August 2014.
Lady Gaga Taps Springsteen Saxophonist
Bruce Springsteen’s saxophonist Clarence Clemons recently received a call from a Lady Gaga representative. “They said to me, ‘Lady Gaga wants you to play on her album,’” he told Rolling Stone magazine. That same day, Clemons was on a plane to New York City, where he played on a song called “Hair.” The track will appear on Lady Gaga’s upcoming album, “Born This Way,” which is due out on May 23.
New Album Releases March 1:
“Blessed” by Lucinda Williams
“The Mission Field” by Blessid Union Of Souls
“Town Line” by Aaron Lewis
“Now” by Linda Eder
“Hit Man Returns: David Foster & Friends” by David Foster
“Majestic Silver Strings” by Buddy Miller
“In Concert On Broadway” by Harry Connick Jr.
“John Popper & the Duskray Troubadours” by John Popper
Awards Presentations / Winners:
The 2011 NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) Image Awards will be handed out on March 4. This year’s leading contender is writer, actor and director Tyler Perry, who received 19 nominations. Fifty-three awards will be presented in the fields of motion picture, television, recording and literature. (Complete list at www.naacpimageawards.net.)
Look Who's Going On Tour!
Sugarland will kick off its 2011 “The Incredible Machine Tour” in Houston, Texas on March 3. The duo will visit more than 60 U.S. cities. Opening acts throughout the trek include Sara Bareilles, Little Big Town and Matt Nathanson.
Janet Jackson begins a tour of the U.S. and Canada on March 3 in Hidalgo, Texas. She’ll be performing hits from her 2009 album, Number Ones. “These concerts will be different from anything I have ever done," a statement from Janet said. "I will be as up close and personal as possible. These concerts are not about special effects. This is a love affair between me and those of you who have supported me and my work for all these years. I’ll be singing and dancing from my heart. The music will all be songs that you’ve made number ones for me. Let’s go!” The 32-date tour is scheduled to end on April 24 in Las Vegas.
On March 4, teen pop superstar Justin Bieber will begin a 22-city European tour in Birmingham, England. After wrapping up dates on April 9 in Assago, Italy, Justin will continue the tour in Australia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Japan and Brazil.
