Odds & Ends: Adele, Sade, Vicente Fernandez and Roxette

A fashion bigshot apologizes for commenting on Adele’s weight; Sade’s Diamond Life to get audiophile treatment; Ranchera music star Vicente Fernandez announces retirement plans; and Roxette cancels its Saturday concert.

Weighing In On Adele’s Weight

Designer and Chanel creative director Karl Lagerfeld probably has a better idea regarding how many fans British singing sensation Adele has than he did a few days ago.

While serving as The Metro’s global guest editor earlier this week, Lagerfeld commented on a number of subjects ranging from Russian women to M.I.A.’s single-finger salute during the Super Bowl halftime show. He also had a few things to say about Lana Del Rey, which led to an observation about Adele.

“The thing at the moment is Adele,” Lagerfeld said. “She is a little too fat, but she has a beautiful face and a divine voice.”

Photo: AP Photo
MTV Video Music Awards, Nokia Theatre, Los Angeles, Calif.

Although Lagerfeld felt comfortable enough to comment about Adele’s weight earlier this week, he’s now having second thoughts about his appraisal. CNN blog The Marquee reports the “uproar was fast and furious.”

Now Lagerfeld has responded to the controversy. Guess he couldn’t stand the collective weight of all those Adele fans leaning on him for an apology.

“I’d like to say to Adele that I am your biggest admirer,” Lagerfeld said in The Metro. “Sometimes when you take a sentence out of the article it changes the meaning of the thought. What I said was in relation to Lana Del Rey and the sentence has since been taken out of context from how it was originally published.

“I actually prefer Adele, she is my favorite singer and I am a great admirer of her. I lost over 30 kilos over 10 years ago and have kept it off. I know how it feels when the press is mean to you in regards to your appearance. Adele is a beautiful girl. She is the best. And I can’t wait for her next CD.”

Lagerfeld may have satisfied Adele’s fans, but his original comments about Del Rey probably weren’t well received by her fans.

“In her photos she is beautiful,” Lagerfeld said about Del Rey. “Is she a construct with all her implants? She’s not alone with implants.”

Photo: AP Photo
Meets with fans as she arrives for a taping of the Late Show with David Letterman, in New York.

180-Gram Sade

Diamond Life, the 1980s album that introduced Sade to the world with the monster hit “Smooth Operator” is being reissued via audiophile label Audio Fidelity as a 180-gram virgin-vinyl disc.

Released in the United Kingdom in 1984 and in the U.S. in ’85, the album’s track list includes “Your Love Is King,” “Hang On To Your Love,” “Frankie’s First Affair,” “When Am I Going To Make A Living” and “Cherry Pie.”

How big was Diamond Life? Aside from introducing singer Sade and the band, the album was certified four-times Platinum in the U.S. as well as the U.K. and sold six million copies worldwide, making it way overdue for the audiophile treatment.  The reissue lands in stores on St. Valentine’s Day.

Photo: AP Photo
Auditório Ibirapuera, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Bye Bye Fernandez

Ranchero music star Vicente Fernandez says he’s ready to call it quits.

While speaking to Mexican station Televisa, Fernandez fielded a question from a reporter who asked if he had ever considered retiring.

Fernandez answered by saying he hadn’t been thinking about it. However, since the reporter brought it up, Fernandez evidently decided on the spot that it was time to contemplate those golden years still ahead of him. The man who has sold tens of millions of records and starred in more than 20 films said he would retire after touring Latin America, Spain and the U.S.

Of course, he didn’t exactly say how long those tours would run, so he could be around for a while longer.

Silver Spurs Arena @ Osceola Park, Kissimmee, Fla.

No Roxette For Auckland

Roxette fans in New Zealand received some bad news this week when it was announced that the Swedish pop music duo had canceled its Auckland appearance.

Roxette was supposed to play the Vector Arena Feb. 11. However, that was before the group’s Per Gessle fell ill during a flight from Stockholm to Auckland. According to Roxette’s website, the illness has forced Gessle to spend several days resting so that he can continue with the rest of the tour.

Photo: AP Photo
Citibank Hall Rio, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

The tour resumes Feb. 14 in Brisbane, Australia.