Arch MUSIC NEWS for 8/30/12

Adele’s blockbuster album “21″ has fallen out of the Top 10 for the first time since it arrived there a year-and-a-half ago, sliding from number eight to number 12 on the chart.  She’s tied for number three on the all-time list of longest stays in the Top 10. Michael Jackson‘s “Thriller” and Def Leppard‘s “Hysteria” were also in the top ten for 78 weeks. Only Bruce Springsteen‘s “Born in the U.S.A.” and the soundtrack to “The Sound of Music” were there longer, with a total of 84 weeks and 109 weeks, respectively.

Whitney Houston‘s legacy will officially be in the books this fall. The late singer’s estate has announced plans to publish a collection of photos and essays in a tribute book called “Whitney: Tribute To An Icon.” The book will include about 130 photographs of Houston — some never-before-published.  The book is meant to be a visual timeline of Houston’s career and milestones. It will also include an essay from her legendary producer and mentor Clive Davis. Houston was preparing to attend Davis’ pre-Grammy party when she died at the Beverly Hills Hotel on February 11th. She was 48.

There may not be as many “Little Monsters” out there as the world thought. A study by social media company Status People is suggesting that 71 percent of Lady Gaga‘s 29 million followers on Twitter could be fake. In March, the singer became the first public figure to gather more than 20 million followers. Status People says separates followers into categories depending on how active they are and how many followers they have themselves. Fake accounts can be set up to follow people and send out spam, and usually have zero to few followers. Status People’s research showed that out of Gaga’s last 100-thousand followers, only 29 percent were real and active. There is no evidence that Gaga purchased any followers intentionally. Gaga’s new album “ARTPOP” is expected to be released in early 2013.

Van Halen’s Eddie Van Halen is recovering from what’s being described as “a severe bout of diverticulitis.” A post Wednesday evening on the group’s Facebook page says the guitarist underwent emergency surgery for the condition. He’s not expected to need any additional operations and is expected to make a full recovery. However, Eddie will be laid up for the next four to six months. Consequently, Van Halen won’t be returning to the road this fall.

Slash has seen a very private side of David Bowie. The former Guns N’ Roses guitarist tells Sydney, Australia’s Triple M Radio that when he was a kid his mom had an affair with Bowie. Slash adds that Bowie’s then-wife Angie and their son Zowie were also “around,” and when he looks back on that time now he can “only imagine how sort of freaky it was.” The guitarist explains that his mom initially had a professional relationship with Bowie, and it “turned into some sort of mysterious romance that went on for a while.” Slash’s mom was a costume designer. He says she created Bowie’s wardrobe for his “Thin White Duke” phase, and also worked with him on the film “The Man Who Fell To Earth.” Slash adds that Bowie was “cool,” and despite their unusual domestic situation he still “liked David a lot.”

The Monkees‘ Micky Dolenz admits he’s “a little torn” over hearing that the group’s song “Goin’ Down” was used in the AMC series “Breaking Bad.” The singer tells “The Hollywood Reporter” he’s a fan of the show and thinks it’s “very well-made,” but he’s not thrilled the song was the soundtrack to a meth-cooking montage on last Sunday’s episode. He explains that “Goin’ Down” “has nothing to do with drugs,” and adds that he definitely doesn’t condone methamphetamine use. While Micky admits he’s smoked his “fair share” of marijuana, he calls meth “nasty stuff that kills a lot of people and ruins a lot of lives.” Dolenz also says he had nothing to do with giving the show permission to use the song. He explains that he has no control over the licensing of The Monkees’ music, and makes no money off such deals. “Goin’ Down” was originally released as the B-side to the 1967 chart-topping hit “Daydream Believer.”