Arch MUSIC NEWS for 11/21/12

Arch MUSIC NEWS is compiled by Jay Philpott -

One Direction officially has the number one album in the U.S. The group’s sophomore album “Take Me Home” has sold 540-thousand copies in its first week and has scored the number one spot on the Billboard 200, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The album saw the third-largest sales week of the year. It was surpassed only by Taylor Swift’s “Red” and Mumford and Sons’ “Babel.”

Britney Spears has been named one of 2012′s Most Powerful People by “Entertainment Tonight.” The show aired its first-ever “Powerful People” segment on Monday and decided to include the pop princess and “X Factor” judge on their list. The show talked to the star about her career, and she even had a chance to squash the rumors surrounding her relationship with fiance Jason Trawick. Britney said that her wedding plans are “getting there” and her and Jason are doing “pretty good.” She did joke that she loves “organizing and keeping things clean” and that she’s “OCD to the point where [she's] completely anal,” which she admits leads to some squabbles between the two.

Kesha wants her fans to know just how crazy and beautiful her life is. On Tuesday, the singer released her first ever book, a memoir that includes very personal anecdotes and photos. She tells MTV she feels she owed it to her fans to give them the full story of what her life is really like “without any filters.” Kesha says she opened up her own journals and family archives in order to put the book together. Her reasoning for revealing so much of her real life to fans was that she wanted to prove that she’s not just all talk. Kesha says, “I decided that if I’m going to preach that you have to give haters the finger and be who you are no matter what, then I have to walk the walk as well.” Kesha’s upcoming album “Warrior” drops on December 4th. Her book, titled “My Crazy Beautiful Life,” is out now.

Some One Direction fans are outraged about Carly Rae Jepsen‘s victory at the American Music Awards. When the “Call Me Maybe” singer beat out the British boy band for the “New Artist of the Year” award, some fans took to Twitter to voice their anger. Some even made death threats about the decision, not believing that Jepsen could have possibly raised enough votes to win the award. One tweet read: “Carly Rae Jepsen I’ll Kill You Maybe.” Another said, “I’m screaming so loud who voted for Carly Rae Jepsen I will kill yr firstborn.”  Jepsen isn’t the only artist to feel the wrath of One Directioners’ teenage drama. Taylor Swift was also recently targeted by fans of the boy band after rumors of her relationship with member Harry Styles started making headlines.

The Rolling Stones now have their own app. Through the application, users will gain access to a variety of exclusive content including interviews, performance footage, photos, and videos. It also includes interactive features that will allow fans to connect with one another and vote on songs they want to hear the band play at their upcoming shows. The Stones were involved in developing the app, which frontman Mick Jagger says is “something a bit special and innovative” from the group. Guitarist Keith Richards calls the app “part of a rather splendid celebration” for the band, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. He adds that there will be “quite a few surprises in there for the fans.” The Rolling Stones Official App is free, and available for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.

The farmers accused in the death of former Electric Light Orchestra cellist Mike Edwards have been cleared of any wrongdoing. The BBC reports that Brian Burden and Russell Williams have been found not guilty on both of the health and safety charges they faced. Edwards was killed in September 2010 when a 13-hundred-pound bale of hay crashed through a fence, rolled down a steep hill, and crushed his van as he was driving through Halwell, England. Burden and Williams had been accused of not controlling the placement of the hay bale and of inaccurately assessing the risk of the bale rolling away. They successfully argued that they took the necessary standard precautions to protect the public.  A 2011 inquest ruled that Edwards’ death had been an accident. Following that hearing the musician’s family has lobbied for new safety rules to be put in place to prevent similar tragedies in the future. Edwards was a member of ELO from 1972 until 1975, and is featured on the band’s early hits “Roll Over Beethoven” and “Can’t Get It Out Of My Head.”