George Michael injured in motorway car crash

Plus: Candice Glover wins American Idol; One Direction reveal new album and tour; Lady Antebellum top Billboard charts; Diddy will not appear on Downton Abbey.

The British singer George Michael, who has been involved in a car crash just outside London. Reuters / Suzanne Plunkett
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George Michael was being treated at a hospital on Friday for what his publicist called minor injuries after being in a car crash. The singer suffered "superficial cuts and bruises", said a statement. Sky News reported that the crash happened on Thursday on the M1 motorway just north-west of London. It said a different man in the crash was taken by air ambulance to hospital with a head injury. Michael has had numerous car-related problems in recent years. He served a four-week prison sentence in 2010 after he crashed his Range Rover into a shop in north London. – AP

Candice Glover wins American Idol

The 23-year-old R&B vocalist Candice Glover won the 12th season of American Idol on Thursday, besting the 22-year-old country singer Kree Harrison. Glover is the first woman and non-white singer to have won since Jordin Sparks dominated the sixth season in 2007. The previous five winners were all Caucasian guitar players. Among the performers in the finale show were Psy, Frankie Valli, Emeli Sandé, Jessie J, Aretha Franklin and former Idol judge Jennifer Lopez. Current Idol judges Keith Urban and Mariah Carey – along with Randy Jackson on bass – also performed. – AP

One Direction reveal new album and tour

One Direction are working on an "edgy" third album and will start a world tour next year. The British boy band told a press conference in London that their new album, which the music press speculated would share the same name as their forthcoming Where We Are 2014 tour, will depart from their usual brand of teen pop. "It's taking a slightly rockier tone to it," One Direction's Louis Tomlinson told reporters. They will start their tour on April 25, 2014 in Bogota, -Colombia. The group have confirmed 13 dates in Latin America, Ireland and Britain, with more to come. – Reuters

Lady Antebellum top Billboard charts

The country group Lady Antebellum scored their third No 1 album with Golden on the Billboard 200 album chart this week, staving off competition from Jay-Z's soundtrack for The Great Gatsby. On the third spot was the latest instalment of the long-running Now That's What I Call Music! franchise, with the latest Now 46 featuring hits by Bruno Mars, Justin -Timberlake and Taylor Swift. Rod Stewart's latest -album, Time, his first release of original songs in more than a decade, came in at No 7. – Reuters

Diddy will not appear on Downton Abbey, despite his tweets to the contrary

Sean "Diddy" Combs will not be appearing in Downton Abbey, said the US broadcaster PBS, despite tweets saying he would be joining the hit show's forthcoming season. Diddy set social media abuzz on Wednesday after posts on his verified Twitter account said, "MY BIG NEWS: So happy to announce that I'm a series regular on DOWNTON ABBEY – my favourite show. I'll be debuting a sneak peek tonight!" "It's not true," said PBS spokeswoman Carrie Johnson. It is unknown whether or not Diddy's Twitter account @iamdiddy, followed by 8.7 million people, was hacked after the Downton Abbey logo was added as the avatar and background on the account. – Reuters

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