Former participants including Slovakia, Czech Republic and Andorra will remain on the sidelines, while Turkey are shunning the competition for a second year in a row, saying they are unhappy with the rules. They have created an alternative contest called Turkvision, which will see 20 countries and autonomous regions populated with Turkic minorities take part, the first of which will be held in Eskisehir this December. However, Portugal and Bosnia-Herzegovina, which stayed away this year due to financial problems, have applied to take part in the Danish capital next May.
In The Money - Madonna has beaten Lady Gaga to top a list of the world's 25 highest-paid musicians. The 55-year-old singer made $125m (£77m) from June 2012 to June this year, according to Forbes. She made her money through her MDNA world tour, merchandise sales, a clothing line and a brand of perfume. Lady Gaga earned $80m (£49m) in the same period with Bon Jovi, Toby Keith and Coldplay in third, fourth and fifth spots.
American Music - Taylor Swift won four prizes at the American Music Awards 2013. They included artist of the year, favourite pop/rock female artist and favourite female country artist. Justin Timberlake picked up three awards including favourite soul and R&B male, while One Direction collected two prizes including best pop/rock group. Katy Perry, Jenifer Lopez, Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga were among the performers at the show in Los Angeles.
In The Swing - Robbie Williams' new big band album Swings Both Ways has become the 1,000th record to top the UK charts. He achieved the milestone 57 years after Frank Sinatra had the first number one, with Songs For Swingin' Lovers, in 1956. Williams has now had 11 number ones as a solo artist, equalling Elvis Presley.
Something Different - The Monty Python stage show has been extended from one date to five, running from 1 to 5 July at London's O2 Arena. The first show sold out within 43.5 seconds, organisers announced. The other four shows then sold out within 55 minutes. There were 14,500 tickets up for grabs for each show. Eric Idle said, "It's totally amazing. I don't think we realised quite how much Python is loved round the world. We look forward to paying off Terry Jones' mortgage soon."
(Jim Evans)
