Monkey Business - Arctic Monkeys have topped this year's NME Award nominations with eight nods, followed by Californian all-sister trio Haim, who have six. Arctic Monkeys, who topped the chart with their fifth album AM are up for best British band and best album. They compete with Haim, who were the BBC's Sound of 2013, in the best live band category.
Punk band Pussy Riot are nominated for hero of the year following their imprisonment in Russia. Two of the band's members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina were jailed in August 2012 after performing a protest song in Moscow's main cathedral.
NME editor Mike Williams said, "The past 12 months of music have had everything - returning legends, era-defining singles, more albums with a claim to be modern classics than any year in recent memory and tons of massive live moments to celebrate." Winners are largely chosen by public vote, and the awards will be handed out on 26 February at the O2 Academy in Brixton, London.
Musical Run - Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Stephen Ward has announced a three-month extension to its booking period at the Aldwych Theatre. The show, which opened in the West End on 19 December, is now booking until 31 May. It had originally been booking until 1 March. The show has music by Lloyd Webber and book and lyrics by Christopher Hampton and Don Black. Directed by Richard Eyre, its costume designs are by Rob Howell, with lighting by Peter Mumford, sound by Paul Groothuis, projection design by Jon Driscoll and choreography by Stephen Mear.
Bossing It - Bruce Springsteen has racked up his 10th UK number one album, putting him ahead of the likes of Abba, David Bowie and Michael Jackson. High Hopes, described as the singer's best "unreleased material from the past decade" went straight to the top this week, dethroning Ellie Goulding. The achievement puts him on level pegging with The Rolling Stones and U2, who also have 10 UK number ones. Only four artists have had more, said the Official Charts Company. The Beatles lead the way, with 15, followed by Madonna on 12, while Elvis Presley and Robbie Williams have 11 each.
Final Note - Violinist Vanessa Mae is set to ski for Thailand at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, which start next month. Mae, a keen skier since childhood, has been competing as Vanessa Vanakorn using her father's surname. She raced four times in Slovenia at the weekend in a last-ditch bid to meet the qualifying standard.
(Jim Evans)
