<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Us78Mw3Fr9U" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Wow, that was a very... blatant cut off.

And she flipped them off! That's hilarious.

Edited February 22, 201213 yr by YRBB

The Vogue pictures are stunning, but I don't like how much they photoshopped her waist

http://music-mix.ew.com/2012/02/23/adele-brit-awards-middle-finger-lily-allen/

Adele currently has three songs in the Top 10 of HOT 100: Set Fire To The Rain (#2), Rolling In The Deep (#5) and Someone Like You (#7)!

The Vogue pictures are stunning, but I don't like how much they photoshopped her waist

Oh, I don't think it;s photoshopped.... it's called a girdle

You may be right, but the first picture is clearly photoshopped. Her one boob looks...off.

http://www.billboard...006310552.story

Adele's '21' Becomes Longest-Running No. 1 Album Since 'Purple Rain'

February 29, 2012

By Keith Caulfield (@keith_caulfield), Los Angeles

Not unexpectedly, Adele's "21" album spends a 22nd week atop the Billboard 200, selling 297,000 (down 59%), according to Nielsen SoundScan. It's now the longest-running No. 1 since Prince & the Revolution's "Purple Rain" soundtrack scored 24 weeks at No. 1 in 1984 and 1985.

This is also the ninth consecutive week for "21" at No. 1 -- the most in-a-row frames at No. 1 since the "Titanic" soundtrack racked 14 straight in 1998.

"21" -- released slightly more than a year ago in the United States -- has now sold 7.7 million in the States. Of that figure, 1.8 million were sold in 2012.

Adele has a second album in the top 10 this week, as her first set, "19," descends 4-7 with 39,000 (down 56%).

As this week's sales charts reflect the week (ending Feb. 26) following the busy Grammy Awards-fueled frame (ending Feb. 19), we see a lot of albums' sales collapse after a fast rise last week, like Adele's two albums and the Civil Wars' "Barton Hollow" (10-31 with 15,000; down 48%).

The late Whitney Houston's "Whitney: The Greatest Hits" holds at No. 2 with 174,000 (down less than 1%). Meanwhile, her single "I Will Always Love You" slides 2-13 on the Digital Songs chart with 101,000 downloads sold (down 72%).

As physical stock of Houston's albums are finally reaching retail outlets, some of her older catalog sets rise on the list. "The Bodyguard" soundtrack, for one, rallies 38-6 (47,000; up 176%) while her "Whitney Houston" album motors 37-9 (30,000; up 72%). Since her death on Feb. 11, the bulk of her album sales have come from digital downloads, as most retailers didn't have physical copies of her albums on hand.

The band fun. has a banner week on the Billboard 200 as its second album, "Some Nights," debuts at No. 3 with 70,000 sold. Its new album sold almost as much as its last set has sold in total (74,000).

Its debut set, "Aim and Ignite," debuted and peaked at No. 71 on the Billboard 200 in 2009 and has sold 74,000 to date. This week, it re-enters the chart at No. 116 with 5,000 (up 42%).

Fun. is basking in the success of the single "We Are Young" (featuring Janelle Monae), which is featured in Chevy's 2012 Sonic TV commercial. The song sells 291,000 downloads this week, returning it to No. 1 (6-1) on the Digital Songs chart (up 19%).

Back in the Billboard 200 top 10, Tyga's debut studio album, "Careless World: Rise of the Last King," starts at No. 4 with 61,000. The set's first-week release was bungled a bit, courtesy of a sample-clearance issue. A good three or four days of the album's first-week sales were mostly driven by downloads (83% of its total), as the album had to be reshipped to retailers after it was discovered that its sample of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech wasn't cleared.

Alternative hip-hop act Chiddy Bang bows in the top 10 with its debut album, "Breakfast," starting at No. 8 with 31,000. Nearly all of the copies that the album sold were downloads. The set was exclusively available in the iTunes Store last week, which also offered the album's "Handclaps & Guitars" as its free single of the week. "Breakfast" became available to all retailers on Feb. 28, a week after its iTunes launch.

Rounding out the top 10 on the albums chart this week are "Now 41" (3-5 with 54,000; down 43%) and the "2012 Grammy Nominees" compilation (5-10 with 29,000; down 66%).

Over on the Digital Songs chart, last week's topper, Katy Perry's "Part of Me," falls to No. 4 in its second week with 187,000 (down 55%).

Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" rebounds 5-2 with 241,000 (down 4%) while the Wanted's "Glad You Came" zooms 19-3 with 188,000 (up 87%). The latter's gain is likely owed to the cast of "Glee" covering the tune on the Feb. 21 edition of the Fox series.

Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain" slips 4-5 (167,000; down 34%) while B.o.B bounds straight in at No. 6 with "So Good" (164,000). Nicki Minaj's "Starships" is steady at No. 7 for a second week (155,000; down 24%) while Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" (featuringKimbra) flies into the top 10, climbing 17-8 (134,000; up 17%).

LMFAO's "Sexy and I Know It" is up one position to No. 9 with 113,000 (down 17%) whileChris Brown's "Turn Up the Music" falls a place to No. 10 in its sophomore frame with 112,000 (down 37%).

Just outside the top 10, Carrie Underwood arrives at No. 12 with her new single "Good Girl," selling 108,000 downloads. It enters the tally after only three days of sales, as it was released on Friday, Feb. 24. (The tracking week ended on Sunday, Feb. 26.)

Overall album sales in this past chart week (ending Feb. 26) totaled 6.3 million units, down 18% compared with the sum last week (7.7 million) and down 3% compared with the comparable sales week of 2011 (6.5 million). Year-to-date album sales stand at 48 million, up 3% compared to the same total at this point last year (46.5 million).

Digital track sales this past week totaled 28.1 million downloads, down 13% compared with last week (32.3 million) and up 6% stacked next to the comparable week of 2011 (26.5 million). Year-to-date track sales are at 230.9 million, up 7% compared with the same total at this point last year (215.2 million).

Next week's Billboard 200 competes with the same week in 2011 when: Adele's "21" held at No. 1 for a second week, selling 168,000 (down 52%). Marsha Ambrosious' "Late Nights & Early Mornings" debuted at No. 2 with 96,000.

Edited March 1, 201213 yr by Y&RWorldTurner

Why do you think Adele's album is so popular?

Do you think she's one of those British artists who is more popular here than in the UK?

In an era of overproduced generic pop music, she stands out due to her only selling point being her voice and ballads.

I think people were craving something different from the average run of the mill pop star, and Adele just struck that cord and came along at the right time.

21 is also a massive success in the UK, and was the #1 selling album in both the US and UK last year (worldwide overall too).

I do think her US fans are a bit more obsessive though, but she's equally as successful in the UK.

That's a good point. I guess it helps that Rolling in the Deep had such a beat and was almost anthemic (although her voice wasn't quite up to it). She also seems very down to earth.

I wanted to start a thread on British singers who were more successful in America, but I'm not even sure how many there are...

I thought her first album was better, but I do love both her albums and find her to be a great song-writer. My problem with Adele (not really her fault though) is that if she were black, singing the exact same soul music, nobody would be listening to her. Especially in the UK. Blue-eyed soul is so "in" again, but when you have equally talented black women making the same music, it goes unnoticed. Especially if you look like an Estelle or Fantasia. Hell, even Corinne Bailey Rae struggled with her second album and it was flawless.

Wasn't Fantasia in a much more modern R&B type direction? I remember some fans who were very upset about her first album for that reason.

http://music.broadwayworld.com/article/Adele-Becomes-First-Artist-in-a-Decade-to-Certify-10-Million-Sales-in-Less-Than-Two-Years-With-21-20121128

Adele Becomes First Artist in a Decade to Certify 10 Million Sales in Less Than Two Years With '21'

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) today awarded Adele with a Diamond certification recognizing more than 10 million U.S. sales of “21” (XL Recordings/Columbia, 2011) as part of the RIAA’s historic Gold & Platinum Program.

Cary Sherman, Chairman & CEO, RIAA said the following about the prestigious award:

“We are thrilled to honor Adele with an RIAA Diamond award marking her enormous ‘21’ sales success. Selling more than 10 million albums in the United States, in less than two years, is an achievement unparalleled by any other artist in the past decade, let alone just a few in all of history. Adele’s unique talent is a gift to music fans, and her success is certainly cause for a celebration of Diamond magnitude.”

Officially launched in 1958, the RIAA’s Gold & Platinum Program expanded in 1999 to include a Diamond award honoring U.S. sales of 10 million or more copies of an album or single. The list of more than 100 Diamond titles, across all genres of music, represent some of the best and most influential sound recordings in history. Diamond honors awarded to The Beatles, Garth Brooks, Mariah Carey, The Eagles, Eminem, Michael Jackson, Kid Rock, Led Zeppelin, Madonna, Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Shania Twain, Usher and more represent an audio almanac of the last 50+ years.

In addition to earning Diamond honors for her sophomore album “21,” Adele’s first record “19” (2008) is currently RIAA 2x multi-Platinum, while her digital single certifications represent more than 19 million song downloads sold in the U.S. spanning eight separate songs.

Wasn't Fantasia in a much more modern R&B type direction? I remember some fans who were very upset about her first album for that reason.

I'm one of these fans that was upset that they've provided that great talent with such mediocre songs, as her covering the classics on various awards/tribute shows clearly show that she's a wonderfully-written-and-produced song away (i.e.: a major reason why Adele and the late Amy Winehouse are/were successful) from the success that she deserves.

I never understood the direction her career took, as she won Idol based on more of an old soul vibe.

Congrats to Adele. I think she has been smart to take this time off to avoid overexposure.

The fact that she was able to score a diamond certified album this day and age is astounding. The last album released in the 00's to score that feat was Usher's 2004 Confessions album, which took 8 years to reach what Adele was able to do in less than 2 years.

21 also becomes the 21st album to cross the 10 million mark since the beginning of the soundscan era in 1991 (All albums prior to 1991 were not measured by soundscan).

http://www.billboard...008031432.story

Best Selling Albums Since 1991 (Soundscan Era): Adele Joins Elite Club

by Keith Caulfield, L.A. | November 29, 2012 12:00 EST

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Adele's '21' Hits 10 Million in U.S. Sales

Adele's mega-selling "21" album continues to rewrite the record books. This week, the XL/Columbia release pushes past the 10 million U.S. sales mark in only its 92nd week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. In doing so, "21" becomes the 21st album to shift 10 million since the firm began tracking data in 1991.

Adele's "21" joins a rare group of albums this week, as the XL/Columbia set steps past the 10 million U.S. sales mark according to Nielsen SoundScan. It becomes one of only 21 titles to reach that rare threshold since SoundScan started tracking sales in 1991.

"21" ran to 10 million in only its 92nd week of release. The last set to hit 10 million faster was 'N Sync's "No Strings Attached," which hit the number in its 43rd frame in January of 2001.

So, "21" is the 21st album to sell 10 million. And thus, it becomes the 21st-biggest album of the SoundScan era. Clearly, 21 is a very lucky number for the pop diva. In a statement released by Columbia Records, Adele said, "What an incredible honour. A huge, huge thank you to my American fans for embracing this record on such a massive level."

"21" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 dated March 12, 2011 and spent 24 non-consecutive weeks atop the tally -- the most in the SoundScan era. It hasn't left the chart's top 40 since, earning 80 weeks in the top 10. This week, the set moves 31-35.

Since 1991, the highest selling album -- according to SoundScan -- is Metallica's self-titled 1991 release, which has moved 15.8 million. Shania Twain's "Come On Over" is in second place with 15.5 million and Alanis Morissette's "Jagged Little Pill" is in third with 14.8 million.

Below is a list of all the albums have have sold more than 10 million in the U.S. according to SoundScan (and thus, the top selling albums since 1991).

Albums With 10 Million in U.S. Sales, 1991-Present*

Artist, Title (Year of Release), Sales to Date, Time to 10 Million

1. Metallica, Metallica (1991), 15.83 million, 337 weeks

2. Shania Twain, Come On Over (1997), 15.52 million, 96 weeks

3. Alanis Morissette, Jagged Little Pill (1995), 14.80 million, 66 weeks

4. Backstreet Boys, Millennium (1999), 12.20 million, 39 weeks

5. The Beatles, 1 (2000), 12.11 million, 227 weeks

6. Whitney Houston/Soundtrack, The Bodyguard (1992), 12.05 million, 72 weeks

7. Santana, Supernatural (1999), 11.73 million, 60 weeks

8. Creed, Human Clay (1999), 11.62 million, 93 weeks

9. Bob Marley & the Wailers, Legend (1984), 11.17 million**, 18 years

10. *NSYNC, No Strings Attached (2000), 11.13 million, 43 weeks

11. Norah Jones, Come Away With Me (2002), 10.88 million, 259 weeks

12. Celine Dion, Falling Into You (1996), 10.80 million, 160 weeks

13. Eminem, The Marshall Mathers LP (2000), 10.65 million, 343 weeks

14. Britney Spears, . . . Baby One More Time (1999), 10.57 million, 106 weeks

15. Hootie & the Blowfish, Cracked Rear View (1994), 10.28 million, 442 weeks

16. Soundtrack, Titanic (1997), 10.17 million, 263 weeks

17. Backstreet Boys, Backstreet Boys (1997), 10.13 million, 226 weeks

18. Eminem, The Eminem Show (2002), 10.12 million, 489 weeks

19. Usher, Confessions (2004), 10.04 million, 433 weeks

20. Linkin Park, Hybrid Theory (2000), 10.03 million, 617 weeks

21. Adele, 21 (2011), 10.02 million, 92 weeks

* through the week ending Nov. 25, 2012

** 11.17 million between 1991-present; earlier sales not included

Edited November 30, 201213 yr by Y&RWorldTurner