Adele

Watch your back, Adele. The almighty songstress has ruled the Billboard 200 for many of the 55 weeks her "21" has charted, but there's another British threat lurking. Teen dreams One Direction are creeping up with their debut release, "Up All Night. " Not to be outdone, Brits The Wanted had their Billboard hit, "Glad You Came," featured on "Glee. " Here's three things to know about each potential mega-hit group -- and stay tuned on Wednesday to see if Adele is unseated. damoran@tribune.com | @redeyedana One Direction Members: Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles...

"Where do babies come from?" is a complicated question, terrifying and inevitable for parents. They must simplify for the sake of their children's psyches, but that answer obscures the many layers of such a question, for there is much to consider in the process of conceiving a child. It's a beautiful thing, often preceded by a fine dinner and too much wine, illuminated by candlelight and the soft smile of your lover. What a perfect night, they say to you, and to get the mood right, they stick the auxilary cord into the stereo's input, ready to be caressed by the golden pipes of...

Adele lovers breathed a sigh of relief Tuesday when the Guardian announced she was expected to make a full recovery from vocal cord surgery (made slightly more awesome by the use of lasers). It's expected that she'll take one to two months to fully recover, which is like a century for someone who's makes your shower singing sound like Roz from "Monsters Inc. " Here's how we think she might pass the time. damoran@tribune.com  |  @redeyedana   45 percent -- Hopefully NOT texting with her ex, about whom "21" is written.

EAT Dinner and a Movie El's Kitchen & Bar 1450 W. Webster Ave. 773-248-5210 Grab a date or a like-minded pal for the Lincoln Park's daily prix fixe promotion which features two entrees such as brisket, fried or smoked chicken or a veggie burger, two sides and a choice of shared appetizer and dessert plus two tickets to a movie at Regal Webster Place theater across the street. 5 p.m.-midnight. $50 for two. DRINK Flag Day of Chicago Drink Specials Square One 1400 S. Michigan Ave. 312-786-1750 Celebrate the day the Chicago flag was adopted by the City Council...

A few things to keep in mind when it comes to my take on Haley Reinhart: I've never watched a full episode of "American Idol" and female vocalists readily described as "old souls" kinda drive me nuts. The basic facts: Reinhart is young, from Chicago (suburban Wheeling) and placed third on "Idol" season 10, which I think was last year. Also, she appears to like '60s bathing suits and tank tops. Which is about as good a transition as any to the idea of "throwback" voices. You know the ones--Duffy, Adele, etc. Bold yet nasal-y.

James Bond is a character who has been played by six different actors in 23 films. That's heavy. What's even heavier is the fact that Adele's theme song for the new "Skyfall" movie has four times as many YouTube views as the movie's official trailer. Music supervisors go out of their way to find cool songs to complement what viewers see on the screen. Personally, I get a ton of exposure from having my music featured in TV shows and movies, and it rocks. It rocks very much. When it comes to movies and TV, what you hear is equally as important as what you see...

"Where do babies come from?" is a complicated question, terrifying and inevitable for parents. They must simplify for the sake of their children's psyches, but that answer obscures the many layers of such a question, for there is much to consider in the process of conceiving a child. It's a beautiful thing, often preceded by a fine dinner and too much wine, illuminated by candlelight and the soft smile of your lover. What a perfect night, they say to you, and to get the mood right, they stick the auxilary cord into the...

In her native England where her new album “Fall to Grace” debuted at number two, Paloma Faith performs to an average of 5,000 people. She recently played for a crowd of 40,000 as part of a BBC radio event, also featuring Emeli Sande and Jessie J. During her first U.S. tour, the remarkable 27-year-old singer (who's approaching 300,000 twitter followers) says she's playing to about 200 per night. “Which is kind of strange but also exciting,” says Faith, whose record comes out Dec. 4 in the states.

EAT Dinner and a Movie El's Kitchen & Bar 1450 W. Webster Ave. 773-248-5210 Grab a date or a like-minded pal for the Lincoln Park's daily prix fixe promotion which features two entrees such as brisket, fried or smoked chicken or a veggie burger, two sides and a choice of shared appetizer and dessert plus two tickets to a movie at Regal Webster Place theater across the street. 5 p.m.-midnight. $50 for two. DRINK Flag Day of Chicago Drink Specials Square One 1400 S. Michigan Ave. 312-786-1750 Celebrate the day the...

**** (out of 4) What do you think of when you hear the name James Bond? Gun battles? Martinis? Promiscuous sex with women from Eastern European nations? Well, yeah. But if you're like me, you associate the character with the opening credits. There's silouhettes of pretty women, fast cars, and always a theme tailored to the film. Recently, the Bond films have suffered from attempts to modernize the theme song even as the franchise has found new life with Daniel Craig in 007's shoes (and suits)

James Bond is a character who has been played by six different actors in 23 films. That's heavy. What's even heavier is the fact that Adele's theme song for the new "Skyfall" movie has four times as many YouTube views as the movie's official trailer. Music supervisors go out of their way to find cool songs to complement what viewers see on the screen. Personally, I get a ton of exposure from having my music featured in TV shows and movies, and it rocks. It rocks very much. When it comes to movies and TV, what you hear is equally as important as what you see on the screen.

In her native England where her new album “Fall to Grace” debuted at number two, Paloma Faith performs to an average of 5,000 people. She recently played for a crowd of 40,000 as part of a BBC radio event, also featuring Emeli Sande and Jessie J. During her first U.S. tour, the remarkable 27-year-old singer (who's approaching 300,000 twitter followers) says she's playing to about 200 per night. “Which is kind of strange but also exciting,” says Faith, whose record comes out Dec. 4 in the states.

**** (out of 4) What do you think of when you hear the name James Bond? Gun battles? Martinis? Promiscuous sex with women from Eastern European nations? Well, yeah. But if you're like me, you associate the character with the opening credits. There's silouhettes of pretty women, fast cars, and always a theme tailored to the film. Recently, the Bond films have suffered from attempts to modernize the theme song even as the franchise has found new life with Daniel Craig in 007's shoes (and suits)

A few things to keep in mind when it comes to my take on Haley Reinhart: I've never watched a full episode of "American Idol" and female vocalists readily described as "old souls" kinda drive me nuts. The basic facts: Reinhart is young, from Chicago (suburban Wheeling) and placed third on "Idol" season 10, which I think was last year. Also, she appears to like '60s bathing suits and tank tops. Which is about as good a transition as any to the idea of "throwback" voices. You know the ones--Duffy, Adele, etc. Bold yet nasal-y.

Watch your back, Adele. The almighty songstress has ruled the Billboard 200 for many of the 55 weeks her "21" has charted, but there's another British threat lurking. Teen dreams One Direction are creeping up with their debut release, "Up All Night. " Not to be outdone, Brits The Wanted had their Billboard hit, "Glad You Came," featured on "Glee. " Here's three things to know about each potential mega-hit group -- and stay tuned on Wednesday to see if Adele is unseated. damoran@tribune.com | @redeyedana One Direction Members: Niall...

Adele lovers breathed a sigh of relief Tuesday when the Guardian announced she was expected to make a full recovery from vocal cord surgery (made slightly more awesome by the use of lasers). It's expected that she'll take one to two months to fully recover, which is like a century for someone who's makes your shower singing sound like Roz from "Monsters Inc. " Here's how we think she might pass the time. damoran@tribune.com  |  @redeyedana   45 percent -- Hopefully NOT texting with her ex, about whom "21" is written.

To the surprise of no one, Adele was the big winner Sunday night, taking home awards for album of the year ("21"), record and song of the year ("Rolling in the Deep") and more at the 54th Grammy Awards. Just as expectedly, the night unfolded in the shadow of the passing of Whitney Houston. The presence of the legendary singer, who died Saturday at the age of 48, was felt on the pre-show red carpet, where Ryan Seacrest and Giuliana Rancic asked nearly everyone for their reactions to the sad news.

We can't possibly argue over what is obviously the best music we heard in 2011. Wait, yes we can. RedEye's Sound Board, made up of 10 staff members who fancy themselves to be music connoisseurs, has named their picks for the year's best albums and songs. Fans of Cults and Adele, you will enjoy the song list .   Rex Chekal Phantogram, "Don't Move" An upbeat alternative to last year's "Mouthful of Diamonds. " A must for strutting down Michigan Ave.   Little Dragon, "Please Turn" Vibey synth sounds and a great dance solo.