The honours for Adele come in a year which saw her win six Grammy awards and dominate the US charts. Her second album 21 went straight to number one when it was released in March 2011 and did not leave the top 10 until the beginning of September this year. During that time, it spent 24 weeks at the top spot.
Play It Again - A piano that features in the classic 1940s film Casablanca has been sold for more than $600,000 (£370,000) at an auction in New York. The upright piano appears in one of the film's most iconic scenes, in which Humphrey Bogart's character Rick utters the line: "Here's looking at you, kid." It was sold to an unknown buyer at Sotheby's in New York. The piano had been offered for sale by its Japanese collector owner to mark the film's 70th anniversary. It is used in the film by pianist Sam, played by Dooley Wilson, to play the song As Time Goes By during a key flashback scene set in a Paris bar.
Womad on Track - The Womad festival will continue after agreements were made over policing concerns. Following a hearing, Wiltshire Police said it was content that conditions had been set which would "provide a safe event for people to enjoy" in 2013. Earlier this year the force had challenged the licence that allows the annual festival to be staged on the Charlton Park Estate near Malmesbury. The festival, co-founded by Peter Gabriel, has been running for 30 years. A Wiltshire Police spokesperson said: "Our priority is, and always has been, to work with the organisers to ensure the safety and security of festival-goers, and of the public across the county."
Tate Crash - The Tate Modern has apologised "unreservedly" after its website was brought to a standstill by fans trying to buy tickets to see Kraftwerk. The German electro pioneers will a play series of eight shows in the Turbine Hall next February. But Tate's website crashed under the demand when booking began on Wednesday. The gallery said its system had been "overwhelmed by the phenomenal number of people attempting to access it" on Wednesday. Tickets are now sold out.
Coronation - Carole King is to be awarded the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, the Library of Congress has announced. The 70-year-old is the first woman to win the award, which honours lifetime achievement in popular music. King is best known for penning hit songs such as Aretha Franklin's (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman and You've Got a Friend by James Taylor. She will receive her award at a ceremony in Washington in the spring. The Library of Congress praised King's work for being able to "communicate universal human emotions like love, joy and pain".
See You Later - Jessie J has postponed her UK arena tour, saying she wants to spend more time recording her second album. The singer was due to play 17 dates in the new year, starting in Nottingham on 26 February. The Nice To Meet You tour has been rescheduled for October. She tweeted: "I am honestly truly sorry but I hope you all can understand that it's just because I would like to take more time to finish my new album."
Lottery Winner - Chichester Festival Theatre has received a grant of £1.2m from the Heritage Lottery Fund towards its redevelopment project. The HLF grant will support the restoration of the grade-II listed theatre, which will include re-instating 100 seats in the balconies, removing additional extensi
