Staying In | Entertainment

Animal tragic - UK kids struggle to identify wild animals

While we pride ourselves on being a nation of animal lovers – it seems we’re not passing our vital knowledge onto our kids. According to a new survey out today thousands of British children struggle to identify even the most basic of wild animals such as gorillas, cheetahs and chimpanzees.

Jo Caulfield back on Radio 4 with new show

Described by The Scotsman as “A wit so sharp it could slice through steel” and by The Herald as “One of the funniest woman on the airwaves” Jo Caulfield is back on Radio 4 with a new show ‘Jo Caulfield Won’t Shut Up.’

Locatorz launches new tracking application for mobile phones

A new mobile phone based service is being launched today that allows families and businesses to locate loved ones and staff to within 10 metres of their location, anywhere in the UK.

Are you green or mean?

Life’s full of little challenges. Anyone who aspires to live in a greener way will have experienced those moments when a little devil suddenly appears on your shoulder.

Get your kids drawing – without the crayons!

Every parent knows how much kids love to draw. Settling them down with some sheets of paper and a set of crayons can keep them occupied for hours! Drawing does not only stimulate imagination and creativity, but it can also play a crucial role in a child’s development – improving cognitive skills, problem-solving abilities and fine motor skills.

The ultimate ‘handbag hits’ revealed

Whether you like to jive, bop or boogie, if you’re a woman the chances are ‘Dancing Queen’ is the song most likely to get you up and dancing round your handbag, according to a new poll to find out the ultimate handbag hit.

How to keep kids entertained on a budget

As the summer holidays draws to a close and budgets become ever tighter, TV Presenter Cesarina Holm-Kander takes us through the best tips from hard working Mum’s across the country and gives her run down of how best to entertain the kids on a budget.

Top summer reads 2009

Looking for this summer’s big hit books? Look no further – we have called in top experts from the trade to tell you which titles not to miss in the months to come. Covering various genres from thrillers and romances to the best in comedic fiction and more besides, we’ll be giving tips for the hottest beach reads and coolest tomes to take on a long journey.

The age of the brain

A sharper mind and a brighter future could be no more than a mouse-click away with the launch of a revolutionary new Brain Gym by Funkyfogey.com, the lifestyle web portal.

Jump back with the Rolling Stones

Universal Music Group is to reissue of Jump Back: The Best Of The Rolling Stones 1971-1993 on 17 August 2009. Originally released in November 1993, this definitive collection gathers eighteen of the group’s classics from the seventies and eighties, such as the Transatlantic Top Ten hits Tumbling Dice, Fool To Cry, Emotional Rescue and the much-loved Start Me Up.

Classic Rock unveils Roll of Honour nominations

The nominations for the 2009 Classic Rock Roll Of Honour were exclusively unveiled this week by legends of rock parody Spinal Tap.

Sky1 says goodbye to Basra

Sky1 HD has commissioned a documentary chronicling the withdrawal of British forces from Basra, Iraq between March and May 2009. Goodbye Basra (working title) will hear from British troops prior to, during, and post withdrawal and will expose what current and ex serviceman feel about the role they played in the Iraq war, what they feel they achieved in the area, as well as detailing their own feelings and thoughts on what they experienced fighting thousands of miles from home.

Vodafone launches the Taxi Grand Prix

The Taxi Grand Prix launches on Friday 12th of June and is a new online fantasy racing competition where the public can enter a team and compete in races to make the fastest time in order to win prizes. Just like in Formula 1, the aim of the game is for your team of drivers to finish the race before anyone else.

Is your pet in peak condition?

Nearly one in three pet owners across the UK think their pets are overweight according to a recent survey, however pet owners themselves are often unsure of the measures they need to take to help keep their pet in shape. If you’re one of them, you need to watch this Web TV show.

Marilynne Robinson wins Orange Prize for Fiction

The winners of the 2009 Orange Prize for Fiction and the Orange Award for New Writers were announced yesterday at a high-prolife awards ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall in London. American author Marilynne Robinson was the recipient of the top award, the Orange Prize for Fiction, for her third novel Home (Virago). British debut author Francesca Kay won the award for New Writers with her novel An Equal Stillness (Weidenfeld & Nicolson).

A youthful opinion for top literary prize

As the winners of one of literature’s largest international prizes are announced this evening, it is key to note that this time some youthful opinion has gone into the overall judging.

Parents choose Pirates for family film fun

There are few experiences that bond British broods like settling down together and enjoying a great family film. Now, a new poll has determined the absolute favourite flicks that families love to watch and how they like to watch them.

Radio 2 celebrates local communities

Starting this week, BBC Radio 2 journeys to the heart of the local neighbourhood to celebrate the spirit of the local community during tough economic times in Love Where You Live.

BBC One addresses ‘The Estate We're In’

BBC One Daytime has announced the recommission of a second series of the award-winning The Estate We're In, which recently scooped RTS and Broadcast awards for Best Daytime Programme.

Get your garden summer-ready

The garden is set to be the number one entertaining space at home this summer with research by Grant’s Whisky showing a 115% increase in the amount of social gatherings that homeowners are planning to hold in their gardens this year – and with the hottest summer of the decade predicted, it’s worth ensuring that your garden is somewhere your friends would want to relax. Better still, it needn’t cost a fortune.

A woman’s worth

Britain’s obsession with the cult of celebrity looks as though it could be on the wane following the results of a new survey which aimed to discover the ‘World’s Most Inspirational Woman’.

Blu-Ray sales rocket after Wall-E wins Oscar

Disney’s Wall-E has rocketed into the record books to become the biggest selling animated Blu-ray Disc of all time. According to figures released today, Blu-ray Discs have accounted for more than one in ten of Wall-E sales, beating the Blu-ray sales of box office hits such as Mamma Mia!, Ratatouille and Kung Fu Panda.

New poll reveals lucky locations and tragic towns

Friday the 13th is upon us for the second time already in 2009, and, for those living in certain cities, the bad news just keeps coming. A UK-wide analysis by Virgin Games, based on the likelihood of placing a successful bet, has revealed the UK's most unlucky towns - places to avoid walking under a ladder and take extra care with that mirror.

Juno Download launches free dance music podcasts

Dance music download store Juno Download (junodownload.com) has launched a new series of free podcasts featuring key dance labels. Each episode of the Juno Label Podcast will present an exclusive DJ mix from a leading international label, starting this month with a set from Germany’s Great Stuff, including tracks from Luomo, Mihalis Safras, Tomcraft and Rainer Weichhold.

Fleet Foxes nominated for MOJO honours

MOJO Magazine announced today the nominations for The 2009 MOJO Honours List as voted for by readers of the magazine online at mojo4music.com.

Technology is good for family relations says report

New research released today reveals that on average, UK households now have 2.4 TVs, 1.6 home computers, 2.4 games consoles, 3 mobile phones and 2.2 MP3 players; and 40% of parents say internet subscriptions, mobile phone bills and one-off gadget purchases now account for 10% of their total annual household income.

Universal launches next phase of Rolling Stones reissues

Following the release of the first batch of re-mastered, post 1971 studio albums by The Rolling Stones, Universal Music Group have confirmed details of the second instalment in this trilogy of reissued albums.