The record breakers in the news today
Veteran pop star Madonna has been named the world's top-earning celebrity over the past year, beating the likes of Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey. The 55-year-old made an estimated $125m (£80m) – largely thanks to her MDNA tour, as well as clothing and fragrance lines, according to Forbes.
According to the report, the figure represents the most money Madonna had made in a single year since Forbes began tracking earnings in 1999.
On 26 November 2005 Madonna became the oldest artist to simultaneously top the UK singles and album charts - with her single Hung Up from the album, Confessions On A Dance Floor, at the age of 47 years 101 days. This was the third time she had accomplished such a feat - itself a record for a female artist.
Next, on to another singer not shy from courting controversy.
Miley Cyrus's controversial performance during Sunday’s MTV VMAs has drawn complaints from a parenting pressure group in the US.
The Parents Television Council (PTC) has issued a complaint against the channel over the former Disney star's routine, which saw her dance suggestively with singer Robin Thicke.
Reaction to the performance has echoed the fallout to Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake’s notorious routine during the SuperBowl half-time show in 2004.
The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) (USA) fined the CBS Television network $550,000 (£306,814) for the transmission of the performance which saw Jackson expose her right breast, setting a record for highest fine imposed on a TV Broadcaster.
Games developer Rockstar has hit out at Sony after audio from forthcoming title Grand Theft Auto 5 was leaked online.
European PS3 owners who had pre-ordered the much-anticipated game were allowed to download a "locked" version ahead of the game's release, but some people were able to extract audio from the game - details of which were posted on forums, some of which revealed parts of the game’s ending.
Rockstar said it was "deeply disappointed" by the leaks, adding "GTA5 represents years of hard work by many people across the world, and we all couldn't be more excited to finally share it with you properly this 17 September."
In May 2007, a URL purporting to link to the first trailer for videogame Grand Theft Auto IV actually took web users to the music video of 1980s pop star Rick Astley (UK) singing “Never Gonna Give You Up”, in turn setting a world record for the first reported rickroll – and triggering a practice that would gradually became a world wide web phenomenon.
