Pop group Maroon 5 rings up a download record this week with new single “Payphone,” featuring Wiz Khalifa, which moves a walloping 493,000 downloads in week one. That is the most
singles ever sold by a group or duo in one week—and also
good for a No.1 launch on Digital Songs. It marks the eighth-best sales week for any single since Nielsen SoundScan began tallying downloads in 2003.
The preview track from Maroon 5’s fourth studio album, "Overexposed,” on June 26, also dials in a No. 3 debut on the Hot 100, making it the group’s fifth top 10 hit, a worthy contender to previous No. 1 “Moves Like Jagger,” with Christina Aguilera. It’s making big noise on the airwaves, too, entering Radio Songs at No. 36, with 33 million first-week audience impressions. Fueling the strong chart action for “Payphone” is a performance of the song
April 16 on NBC's "The Voice" (where Maroon 5 lead Adam Levine is a coach).
Meanwhile, leading the Hot 100 for a second week is Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know," featuring Kimbra. It is the Hot 100's top Airplay Gainer, up 8-6 on Radio Songs, and tops both the Streaming and
On-Demand charts. Fun.'s "We Are Young," featuring Janelle Monae, holds at No. 2 for a second week after its previous six weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100. It leads Radio Songs for a second week.
Below "Payphone" at No. 3, Justin Bieber, rebounds 5-4 on the Hot 100 in its fourth week, with "Boyfriend," which is tops as the week’s Streaming Gainer, rising 10-6 on On-Demand Songs. It escalates 15-13 on Radio Songs, despite a slight 2% drop in airplay.
The Wanted's "Glad You Came" rounds out the Hot 100's top five, easing 3-5. Flo Rida's "Wild Ones," featuring Sia, is stable at No. 6; and Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" rises to a new peak of No. 7 (while spending a third week at No. 1 in the U.K.); One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful" falls 4-8; Nicki Minaj's "Starships" dips 7-9; and, Kelly Clarkson's three-week No. 1 "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)," slides 9-10.
On the long-play side of this week’s chart action, it appears the South has indeed risen again. For the second week, "Tuskegee" by Lionel Richie commands the summit of the Billboard 200, moving 114,000 copies, down a mere 11% from the previous week. This is the first album released in 2012 to
claim a second week at the top of the album chart—something Madonna and Bruce Springsteen couldn’t manage. The duets collection, which pairs Richie with Nashville musical royalty, also spends a third frame at No. 1 on Top Country Albums.
Richie’s lead keeps pop vet Jason Mraz from an expected No. 1 debut, as his "Love Is a Four Letter Word" opens at 2 on the Billboard 200, with sales of 102,000—still his highest rank ever, following 2008’s No. 3 "We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things." It’s also his third consecutive top 5 album, alongside 2005’s “Mr. A-Z.” Mraz is also in the top 40 with single “I Won’t Give Up,” which rebounds to No. 36, up from 49, in its 16th week, after peaking at No. 8. One caveat: Mraz is
No.1 on the Rock Albums chart.
Adele dips from 2 to 3 on the Billboard 200, as “21” continues to wipe out previous chart records. Paul Grein’s Yahoo! Music “Chart Watch” column notes that the set is the first to log 61 weeks in the top 10 since Celine Dion's “Falling Into You,” from March 1996 to June 1997. As well, when “21” merits one more week
in the top 10, it will be the longest-running top 10 album since Alanis Morissette's “Jagged Little Pill,” which spent 72 weeks in the top 10 from August 1995 to January 1997. Note that all three won Grammys as Album of the Year. And in the U.K., “21” tallies a 23rd week at No. 1, the same number of weeks it has topped the U.S. chart.
Moving along, Train tracks its first-ever top 5 album (and fourth top 10) with the No. 4 debut of “California 37”; One Direction's former No. 1 "Up
All Night" holds at. 5; Nicki Minaj's previous No. 1 "Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded" falls 3-6 (while topping both R&B/Hip Hop and Rap Albums); Gotye's "Making Mirrors" holds at No. 7; rapper Future launches at 8 with debut studio collection "Pluto”; Bonnie Raitt's "Slipstream" eases 6-9; and Luke Bryan's "Tailgates & Tanlines" returns to the top 10 for the first time since September, up from No. 13, in its 37th chart week.
Coming up: Jack White's solo debut “Blunderbuss” is sniffing a chart-topping debut on next week’s Billboard 200. And following that, look for a chart hurricane the next week as Carrie Underwood’s fourth album “Blown Away,” released May 1, tallies first-week sales. Other big releases in the coming month: May 1: B.o.B, Marilyn Manson, Norah Jones, Rufus Wainwright, “Smash” soundtrack. May 8: Barenaked Ladies, Keane, “Liza Minnelli Live At Winter Garden.” May 15: Adam Lambert, Garbage, Tenacious D. May
22: Joey Ramone, John Mayer, Kris Allen, Slash, The Cult. May 29: Regina Spektor.
And finally a sentimental send-off to the legendary Dick Clark, who died Wednesday at the age of 82. He brought the biggest hits into America’s households for so many years as host of “American Bandstand,” allowing me to see the personalities behind so many ‘70s and ‘80s favorites. I had the pleasure of working with Dick when he hosted the 1998 Billboard Radio Awards in Phoenix. As Radio Editor at Billboard, I actually wrote a script for him and worked with him on flow and the pronunciation of names... humbling, huh? He could not have been kinder, more gracious and, of course, a total pro—and sent a signed thank you letter after the fact It hangs in my office to this day. R.I.P. *
This column originally appeared on Radio-Info.com here.
The annual St. Ann's Puppet Parade—Brooklyn Heights' own version of a kiddie Mardis Gras—made its way down Montague Street to the Promenade at 1 p.m. Monday, filling the streets with clowns, jugglers, 10-foot-tall marionette puppets and the rat-a-tat of percussion, accompanied by hundreds of pre-school, primary, middle and high school students. *
New York couple Michael & Danielle take in the view from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade on the day national headlines proclaimed that One World Trade has surpassed the height of the Empire State Building—to once again become New York City's tallest building.
With its unfinished frame, the structure now stands at just over 1,250 feet high.
It will be at least another year before the tower—which broke ground five long years ago in 2006—reaches its full height of 1,776 feet including a 408-foot spire.
The Park Slope Patch features a series of dramatic photos taken by members of the Prospect Park Track Club, who organized a run to the Promenade Friday from Grand Army Plaza to witness the retired NASA space shuttle Enterprise zip around New York City.
Coming to theaters May 4... The Avengers. Ruff, bow-wow and Whoot! We've certainly spilled ink 
previously about the hotties in this flick, including Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo.
good for a No.1 launch on Digital Songs. It marks the eighth-best sales week for any single since Nielsen SoundScan began tallying downloads in 2003.
April 16 on NBC's "The Voice" (where Maroon 5 lead Adam Levine is a coach). 
On-Demand charts. Fun.'s "We Are Young," featuring Janelle Monae, holds at No. 2 for a second week after its previous six weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100. It leads Radio Songs for a second week.
claim a second week at the top of the album chart—something Madonna and Bruce Springsteen couldn’t manage. The duets collection, which pairs Richie with Nashville musical royalty, also spends a third frame at No. 1 on Top Country Albums. 
No.1 on the Rock Albums chart.
in the top 10, it will be the longest-running top 10 album since Alanis Morissette's “Jagged Little Pill,” which spent 72 weeks in the top 10 from August 1995 to January 1997. Note that all three won Grammys as Album of the Year. And in the U.K., “21” tallies a 23rd week at No. 1, the same number of weeks it has topped the U.S. chart.
All Night" holds at. 5; Nicki Minaj's previous No. 1 "Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded" falls 3-6 (while topping both R&B/Hip Hop and Rap Albums); Gotye's "Making Mirrors" holds at No. 7; rapper Future launches at 8 with debut studio collection "Pluto”; Bonnie Raitt's "Slipstream" eases 6-9; and Luke Bryan's "Tailgates & Tanlines" returns to the top 10 for the first time since September, up from No. 13, in its 37th chart week.
22: Joey Ramone, John Mayer, Kris Allen, Slash, The Cult. May 29: Regina Spektor.
of "Still Willing To Try," a consummate love ballad that appeared on her 1988 eighth studio album No Sound But A Heart.
"Eternity," written by Prince, and then... the LP was shelved in the U.S. until many years later. So not only did it take years for me to own the song that enchanted me on Johnny Carson, but it was never released as a single, becoming a deserved hit among Sheena's catalog.
alleged honor with this 
statement: "I feel more beautiful than I've ever felt because I've given birth. I have never felt so connected, never felt like I had such a purpose on this earth. The best thing about having a daughter is having a true legacy."
Blue Ivy Carter in January, she was one homely gal. Sadly, while Beyonce, 30, is now very (very) beautiful since she's a mommy, her kid still has one of the dumbest names this side of Jupiter.
resignation of a 32-year on-air host at WDUV in Tampa. When I 
Googled the DJ's name for more information, I was flabbergasted at what came up on the homepage.
HGTV has certainly served up its share of hot hosts and rugged construction crew titans that are damn good with their tools. 
But we've never quite seen the likes 
of the soft porn delivered weekly in the burgeoning series Kitchen Cousins (airing Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m.). The familial dripping hot twosome launches their second season on HGTV, Wednesday, May 2.
Curb Appeal's John Gidding 
and dethroned Carter Can's Carter Oosterhouse (all that shit about "green design" was a big snooze). Sorry Property Brothers... not so much.
fitting denim while they move around refrigerators and kitchen cabinets... as their biceps swell and glisten.
in the series. And good lord he is a tribute to Levi Strauss with the way he packs those britches. John, meanwhile, has smiling eyes that resemble George Clooney, and is the big, brawny hunk next door with just enough beard stubble to let you know he probably has to shave three of four times a day to keep up with all of that testosterone. He is also a godsend to the joys of well-fitting jeans... All I know is, I want to attend their next family reunion. Wowsah! See the guys on Facebook here. *
