21 sets a new high mark for post-Grammy sales.
By Gil Kaufman

Adele at the 2012 Grammys
Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Adele is starting to make this look a little too easy. And also, who out there doesn't own 21 already? After all, they've had a full year to get their act together.

In the same week that she celebrates 52 weeks on the Billboard 200 albums chart, all of them spent in the top 10, the singer set yet another high-water mark when she notched the biggest sales week yet following her Grammy Awards comeback. In the wake of her six-for-six night at the awards show, Adele rolled up her biggest sales week to date, moving 730,000 copies, more than doubling her previous high mark of 399,000 for the week ending December 25, 2011, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan.

The last album to sell more copies in a single week before Adele's big jump was Lil Wayne, whose Tha Carter IV moved 964,000 in August 2011. To put her giant leap into perspective, in her 52nd week on the charts, Adele moved the third-highest amount of product of any artist in the past year, surpassed only by Lady Gaga's Born This Way (1.1 million) and Weezy, and coming in ahead of highly anticipated chart bows by Drake (631,000), Coldplay (447,000), Jay-Z and Kanye West (436,000), Lady Antebellum (347,000), Beyoncé (310,000), Britney Spears (276,000) and Chris Brown (270,000).

Among the other records Adele set with her massive week:

» The biggest weekly sales increase following a Grammy win in the, um, 21-year history of SoundScan. With her 207 percent bump, Adele beat the previous record holder, Norah Jones, who sold 621,000 (a 331 percent increase) following her five Grammy wins in 2003 for Come Away With Me.

» With her massive sales hike, Adele became the first artist to go double-platinum on iTunes.

» With 21 non-consecutive weeks at #1, Adele now holds the record for the longest #1 album by a woman in Billboard history, beating the record formerly held by the late Whitney Houston's soundtrack to "The Bodyguard."

And it wasn't just 21 that got the Grammy love. Adele's debut, 19, zoomed up five spots to #4 thanks to a 144 percent sales increase, with 87,000 copies sold, setting another one-week sales best by eclipsing its previous high of 71,000 units shifted for the week ending December 25, 2011.

In the first full chart week after her death, Houston's only greatest-hits collection, Whitney: The Greatest Hits, saw a sales increase of 174 percent, shifting 175,000 copies to move up four spots to #2.

The rest of the top 10: Now 41 (#3, 94,000), 2012 Grammy Nominees (#5, 85,000), Van Halen's A Different Kind of Truth (#6, down 69 percent in its second week on sales of 58,000) and Paul McCartney's Kisses on the Bottom (#7, 58,000).

A number of acts also got a significant Grammy boost, including performer Bruno Mars, whose Doo-Wops & Hooligans rose 133 percent on sales of 38,000, bumping it up 22 spots to #8; Lady Antebellum, whose Own the Night was up eight to #9 (37,000, up 47 percent); and the Civil Wars, who rocketed up 31 spots to #10 with Barton Hollow (36,000, up 178 percent).

Coldplay got a more modest boost from their performance, as Mylo Xyloto inched up three spots to #11 on a 26 percent sales increase to 35,000, while Grammy winners Foo Fighters were up 134 percent and 28 spots to #21 with Wasting Light (23,000).

Further down the line, two other Houston albums, her self-titled debut and the soundtrack to "The Bodyguard," both sold more than 17,000 copies, seeing respective sales increases of 113 and 123 percent.

Over on the iTunes charts, Grammy performer Katy Perry topped the singles tally with her new single, "Part of Me," followed by Houston's iconic cover of "I Will Always Love You," Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" and "Set Fire to the Rain" and Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)."

Coming in at #6 were buzz band fun. with "We Are Young," Nicki Minaj with "Starships," Brown's "Turn up the Music," Adele's "Someone Like You" and One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful."

21 was at #1 on the iTunes albums chart, followed by Houston's greatest-hits comp, the Civil Wars' Barton Hollow, Adele's 19, Coldplay, the Grammy compilation, Mars, Clarkson's Stronger, the Fray's Scars & Stories and Grammy winner Bon Iver's self-titled album.

With Houston's chart record in the rearview, next up for Adele is the 24-week #1 reigns of the "Saturday Night Fever" and "Purple Rain" soundtracks. She should be safe for another week, as the only competition coming up in the next chart frame is from Sleigh Bells, Tyga and fun.

• Adele

'I believe that reaching out for help is the bravest thing a person can do,' the 'Harry Potter' star says in the 30-second spot.
By Kara Warner

Daniel Radcliffe in the Trevor Project PSA
Photo: Trevor Project

As if we needed more reasons to love and respect Daniel Radcliffe.

The "Harry Potter" actor successfully carried a history-making franchise on his shoulders for more than a decade, charmed audiences on the Great White Way with his critically acclaimed performance in "How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying" and is making great post-"Potter" career choices. Not only is he generally talented and charming, but he has also put his star power behind the Trevor Project, which is a nonprofit organization that offers support to sexual minority youth, particularly those experiencing emotional difficulty dealing with their sexuality who need someone to talk to. The Trevor Project also endeavors to foster safe and inclusive environments in homes and schools.

Radcliffe's latest work with the organization is a 30-second PSA that aired Tuesday night during "Glee" and MTV News now has exclusively online. In the spot, Radcliffe addresses the very important issue of supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth.

"I'm Daniel Radcliffe, and I believe that reaching out for help is the bravest thing a person can do," Radcliffe says in the PSA. "If you are struggling and need support, call the Trevor Lifeline at 1-866-488-7386. It's free and confidential, and trained counselors are there to listen 24/7 without judgment."

The 22-year-old said in a statement that his work with the Trevor Project has taught him the importance of being a straight ally and offering his support. "When we let someone know that we accept them for who they are and that we are safe to talk to, we can help save lives," he said. "It's as simple as that."

Radcliffe has been involved with the Trevor Project since 2009, appearing in public service announcements for the group's prevention hot line and speaking out in support of LGBT youth. Radcliffe has called his work with the Trevor Project "one of the most important, if not the most important, thing that I'm associated with."

Brown reacts to Rihanna-related criticism from the singer and the wrestler on Twitter.
By Jocelyn Vena

Chris Brown
Photo: Mindy Small/ FilmMagic

It's an interesting time for Chris Brown. With several career highs, which include a Grammy win and performance at the show earlier this month, come several personal lows, including feuds with two other celebrities.

On Tuesday, Brown took to Twitter to address some comments made by WWE wrestler CM Punk in a video he released on TMZ, which itself came in response to an ongoing Twitter feud the guys have been having.

"I'm a lifelong proud, drug-free, straight-edge individual, so Chris and I come from two completely different worlds," Punk said in the video, referring to a previous tweet Brown had posted accusing Punk of taking steroids. "I don't have a manager, I don't have a bodyguard, I don't have an assistant, I have no need for a PR team what to tweet or when to delete tweets, and I don't hit women. Period. In my world women are to be revered and respected and I firmly believe that in this life there are consequences and repercussions for people's actions, and I don't think Chris has paid for what he's done. Picking up trash on the side of a highway does not make amends for repeatedly striking a woman in her face and sending her to hospital.

"So if Chris wants to throw stones my way now, I say that's fine. Let's put some gloves out and get in the ring and I will choke you out and I will make you feel as weak and as powerless and scared and alone as any woman who has had the misfortune of knowing a sad, cowardly, little boy such as yourself. And all proceeds can go to a women's shelter of my choosing ... Chris Brown isn't a man and that's fine. I just know that someday, somewhere, somehow, somebody will put Chris Brown exactly where he belongs and that obviously doesn't have to be me, I would just really like it to be."

After the video was released, Brown responded, "@cmpunk the video u just posted was cute! It's so funny how defensive u are. And the fact that I really don't know who you are and could give a sh-- is the funny part! I miss the real wrestlers! (Hacksaw Jim duggan, Brett the hitman heart, coco beware, rowdy roddy piper) #Notnopunks."

Several tweets later, he brought it back to Punk, but noted that he would no longer be addressing the issue. "Note: today will be the last day I bring @cmpunk existence up! The confrontations that people continuously bring my way are very amusing," he wrote. "Cuz honestly, that sh-- is too time consuming to argue wit every person who has their own issues to deal with!"

It all started on February 20, when Punk tweeted about Brown's 2009 assault of his then-girlfriend Rihanna. From there, the two became involved in a Twitter back-and-forth. Since Brown's last tweet about the video, as of press time, Punk has not tweeted about it again.

This is hardly the first bit of criticism that Brown has received since his Grammy win on February 12. While a number of celebrities tweeted their criticisms of Brown's win and performance that night, country star Miranda Lambert has been the most vocal about it.

Brown responded to her post-Grammy tweets, writing, "Using my name to get publicity? I love it! Perform your heart out! Go buy Miranda Lambert album! So motivational and 'PERFECT'!"

Not only did she tweet about it, but in concert last week Usmagazine.com reported Lambert addressed the issue further, saying, "I just have to speak my mind, because where I come from, beating up on a woman is never OK. So that's why my daddy taught me early on in life how to use a shotgun."

• Chris Brown
• Miranda Lambert

MTV News joins Spidey supporters to spread the friendly neighborhood web-slinger's insignia all across Manhattan.
By Josh Wigler

Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker in "The Amazing Spider-Man"
Photo: Marvel / Columbia Pictures

NEW YORK — Spider-Man needs support. Sure, he's better off than most: Spinning webs and climbing walls does have its perks. But a strong superhero is nothing without a strong base of supporters championing his every move — something that isn't exactly easy for Spidey to accomplish with the Daily Bugle painting him as a menace on every other front page.

Perhaps MTV News can show the hero in a different light. Last Friday, we were invited to join a small group of passionate supporters to spread the mark of Spider-Man all across New York City. Our mission: to travel to predetermined locations throughout Manhattan to tag specific walls with the Amazing Spider-Man's famous insignia. "That's kind of odd," you might be saying to yourself. But there was nothing odd about it to Abigail Flynn, one of the carefully selected Spidey supporters out in full force on behalf of the amazing web-slinger.

"We're supporting Spider-Man," Flynn told MTV News of the campaign. "We're putting up the mark of the Spider-Man around the city to spread awareness and spread his message."

Fellow web-head Walter Sojda added, "He's fighting for the little guy. We have to show that in New York, we care about Spider-Man. We're supporting him here."

New York isn't the only place Spider-Man has recently found support. All last week, the superhero's message was spread throughout five other American cities, including Los Angeles, Seattle and Atlanta. Clearly, the hero's national awareness is on the rise — good timing, no doubt, considering he has a movie on the way!

Spreading the mark of Spider-Man isn't the only thing that has our spider senses tingling here at MTV News. Early last week, MTV Splash Page received a mysterious backpack in the mail, with no explanation as to its origin other than a haphazardly attached piece of duct tape reading "Property of Peter Parker." Spidey's supporters were tight-lipped when asked about Parker's identity, so the connection between the two remains unclear for now.

Here's something that is clear: Despite what the Bugle says, there's a whole lot of love out there for your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man — and Manhattan has the mark to prove it.

Are you following the mark of Spider-Man? Let us know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter at @roundhoward!

Check out everything we've got on "The Amazing Spider-Man."

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

• MTV Rough Cut: Andrew Garfield