Bowie's last album set to top charts

Blackstar, David Bowie's final album that was released just two days before his death on Sunday, has soared in sales and looked set on Tuesday to top charts around the world.

It is on course to be his first No. 1 album in the United States.

Billboard magazine, which publishes the US chart, said sales of Blackstar were forecast to surpass those of Adele's blockbuster 25, which has spent seven weeks at No. 1.

Blackstar also led Apple's iTunes download chart for Monday in virtually every developed country, according to sites that track such data.

SMAP may be breaking up

Japan's most famous boyband, SMAP, may be splitting up.

The talent agency Johnny & Associates confirmed on Wednesday that some of its five SMAP members are in talks to break free, but declined to disclose more details, said Yomiuri Online.

Masahiro Nakai, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi and Shingo Katori are considering leaving the company, but Takuya Kimura intends to stay.