Company Town

Music: Singer George Michael lost a bid Monday to speed up an appeal in his legal battle for a “divorce” from record company Sony Corp. Michael, who British courts say is tied to a contract with Sony that has six albums and 10 years to run, wanted to accelerate his appeal against the ruling, saying his career remains “blighted” until it is settled. The singer’s career was becoming “a wasting asset,” his attorney Charles Gray argued. “Millions and millions of people all over the world listen to this man’s music. There is deprivation over a huge field.” But the British Court of Appeal ruled there is no good reason to let the 30-year-old singer’s case leapfrog over others. Michael has already run up legal bills totaling about $4.7 million trying to scrap his 15-year contract with the company, and he has vowed he will never record for Sony again.