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Monday, April 2, 2012

Adele Notches Best Sales Year Since Usher's Confessions

In 2011, 21 moved more than 5.6 million copies in the U.S.
By Gil Kaufman

The music industry has been stuck in a rut for nearly a decade. But every once in a while, it still manages to produce one of those unstoppable hit albums that give everyone that good old feeling. <div class="player-placeholder right" title="Rolling in the Deep" id="vid:604336" width="240" height="211"></div> This year's model is <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/adele/artist.jhtml">Adele</a>'s 21, which not only sold more copies than any other album in the U.S. in 2011 (more than 5.6 million to date), but which has also moved the most units of any artist since 2004. According to a <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/27/us-adele-idUSTRE7BQ10V20111227" target="_blank">Reuters report</a>, those gaudy figures (which top 15 million worldwide) make the British songbird the first artist to cross the 5 million mark in one year since Usher did it with his fourth studio album, Confessions, which sold 7.9 million units more than seven years ago. And to think she did it by releasing just two mega singles, <a href="/news/articles/1675976/adele-rolling-in-the-deep-best-song-2011.jhtml">"Rolling in the Deep"</a> and "Someone Like You," and barely touring North America due to <a href="/news/articles/1674453/adele-throat-surgery-recovery.jhtml">recurring vocal issues.</a>  There have been other big hits along the way to Adele's mark, including Eminem selling more than 3.4 million copies of his comeback Recovery album last year and Taylor Swift taking the honors in 2009 with Fearless, which sold 3.2 million copies. But none have come as close to Usher's mark in the interim. There doesn't seem to be any chance Adele will be surpassed by the end of the year: The closest contenders are Lady Gaga's Born This Way (2.08 million) and Michael Bublé's Christmas (2.4 million). The other good news is that overall music sales are expected to be up slightly (3 percent) by the end of this year, marking the first time that's happened since 2004.

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Ke$ha - Blow

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Taylor Swift, Rihanna Dress To Impress At Billboard Awards

Nicki Minaj, Ke$ha, Selena Gomez also make fashion splash on red carpet, as showgirl style rules at the Las Vegas event on Sunday night.
By Jocelyn Vena

On Sunday night, some of the biggest names in the music industry hit up the <a href="/news/articles/1664375/billboard-music-awards-recap-justin-bieber-selena-gomez-kiss.jhtml">Billboard Music Awards</a> in Las Vegas and decided that sparkles and sequins make for the perfect additions to any red carpet get-up. Well, it is Sin City after all. <a href="/music/artist/swift__taylor/artist.jhtml">Taylor Swift</a> always seems to bring some of that Nashville sparkle to any red carpet. She arrived at the show in a pale-hued, sequined Elie Saab gown. <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/minaj__nicki/artist.jhtml">Nicki Minaj</a> showed off her signature sense of style in her baby-blue, body-hugging spandex Mark Fast catsuit. <a href="/music/artist/gomez__selena/artist.jhtml">Selena Gomez</a> turned up the style dial in a sexy, cut-out black Dolce & Gabbana gown that she paired with red strappy sandals with sparkly bow detailing. Like Gomez, <a href="/music/artist/_kesha_/artist.jhtml">Ke$ha</a> opted for some cut-out detailing in her sparkly, slate-gray dress with tulle skirt. <a href="/music/artist/rihanna/artist.jhtml">Rihanna</a> looked white hot in her men's tailored Max Azria suit, which she kept sexy and feminine by not buttoning her shirt all the way. Fergie went S&M chic in her little black bandage-type dress by Hervé Léger. Nicole Kidman also wore black. She paired a casual braid hairstyle with a long black gown and Keith Urban. British pop cutie Kyle Minogue looked funky in her little black lacey dress. Inside the show, Britney Spears sat in the audience wearing a skimpy black dress of her own, her hair in loose curls, with little-to-no accessories. While some stars kept the color scheme low-key, Keri Hilson decided to stand out in her billowy little yellow dress paired with a turquoise-colored belt. Kelly Rowland showed off some of her best assets in a body-hugging, bright pink bandage dress. The fellas also looked tight on the carpet. Joe Jonas wore all black with white sneakers, Ne-Yo paired his periwinkle suit with a Yankees cap and Justin Bieber wore black tuxedo pants with a gold-lamé tuxedo jacket. Which stars' styles caught your eye at the Billboard Music Awards? Tell us in the comments.

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Usher, Lil Wayne Mark Justin Bieber's Birthday

'Happy birthday, slime. You in the club,' Weezy tells Biebs in birthday video compiled by MTV News.
By Rob Markman

When it's your 18th birthday, you'll probably get well wishes from mom, dad, and, if you're lucky, your teenage crush. But when you're <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/bieber_justin/artist.jhtml">Justin Bieber</a>, you get shouts from Usher, Lil Wayne and Sean Kingston. Be jealous! On Thursday (March 1), the Biebs turned 18 years old, and his most famous friends hooked up with MTV News to celebrate <a href="/news/articles/1680191/justin-bieber-birthday-fan-questions.jhtml">Bieber's birthday</a>. "I hope that you are around all of your loved ones and having a good time. This is from big bro, from the heart," Usher said in a video piece compiled by MTV News for the Biebs. <div style="background-color:#000000;width:428px;"><div style="padding:4px;"><iframe src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:744682/cp~id%3D1680192%26vid%3D744682%26instance%3Dmtv%26uri%3Dmgid%3Auma%3Avideo%3Amtv.com%3A744682" width="420" height="236" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></div> The Confessions singer initially signed Justin along with his manager Scooter Braun, and he has since become a mentor to the pop star. So of course the 33-year-old Usher had to impart some b-day wisdom on his young homey. "Eighteen will give you an opportunity to do a little bit, not all, so we got a few more years before you can go all the way," he said, acknowledging the three years until JB turns 21 and is allowed to legally drink in the U.S. "Maybe I might even be able to sneak you into a club. Anyway dawg, happy birthday. I love you." Comedian Kevin Hart isn't buying all of Justin's birthday hype, though. "Whatever Justin Bieber is supposed to be doing at 18, he was doing at 15," he joked after sending his well wish. Platinum hitmakers RedFoo, B.o.B, Sean Kingston and Flo Rida all helped MTV News celebrate the occasion. Even <a href="/news/articles/1678337/justin-bieber-lil-wayne-studio-visit.jhtml">Lil Wayne, who was with Bieber</a> in the studio in February, sent a special message. "Happy Birthday, slime, the big one-eight. You in the club, slime," Weezy said, standing beside Young Money's Lil Chuckee. As far as birthday presents go, it's anybody's guess what his buddies will actually get Bieber. But Robin Thicke bypassed tradition and instead hit up the "Never Say Never" singer for a loan. "Send me some money, Justin. You got way too much," he said, laughing. But what do you get the young man who has everything? Sometimes all it takes is a few kind words. "Thank you to all the people that made the video," Bieber told MTV News. "It really brought a smile to my face." Leave your own birthday message for Justin Bieber in our comments section! Happy 18th birthday, <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/bieber_justin/artist.jhtml">Justin Bieber</a>! Now that we've counted down the superstar's <a href="/news/articles/1680195/justin-bieber-18th-birthday-top-moment.jhtml">18 greatest moments</a>, stick with MTV News as we celebrate the milestone all day.

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Los Angeles

I'm here! I'm here! And I saw my first gang-banger get arrested yesterday so I feel like a total Angeleno.

I'm getting ready to go to the gym (again, like a total Angeleno!) so I will update later about my run-ins with Alexander Skarsgard, Pauly Shore, and Jeremy or Jason London (I'm not sure which one it was and seeing if I could force him to do drugs to find out seemed unfair. Besides, as it turned out, he was telling the truth?)

Anyhoo, I've got a lot to tell you about gardening! (Did you know if you get dirt wet it turns into mud? Yuck.)

And bumpers! (They don't bump off anything... they go, "Scraaaaaaaatch!")

And there's probably more but, again, I have to go because I have to get to the gym!

Deanna Russo Denise Richards Desiree Dymond Diane Kruger

Photos | 2011 Billboard Music Awards Red Carpet

2011 Billboard Music Awards Red Carpet