Hi °C | Lo °C 
Why Liam won't put his kids on stage
Odd business acting. Not so many centuries ago, it was a scandalous profession, sharing roughly the same status as prostitution. Today, actors are our gods, a pantheon of thespians to whom we look for guidance.
There is no way I want to be told off by my cutlery when I've had a tad too much to eat!
God, I've had it up to here with gadgets. I waited ages for the iPad Mini but, as usual with Apple, it was still too dear.
It's time to turn off these dark tales of violence against women
Somebody has to speak up for women. And, since they're too rubbish to do it themselves, I suppose I'll have to get on with it. I rise with thumbs in waistcoat pockets to make my case following the airing on television of Ripper Street, another television series with violence against women as its theme.
Tree-mendous! Congrats to Belfast residents who proved their bite was worse than their bark
Many people are sentimental about trees, in an almost anthropomorphic sense, influenced perhaps by Tolkien, in whose novels voices sometimes erupt from the foliage.
Why it's better to stay calm than go off your trolley
Rage is all the rage. It's all around us, getting out of the car and into the supermarket, ever-ready to give and take offence. Enough! Time to keep calm and stop carrying on.
Hair Hathaway of annoying you
As you might imagine, I provide lots of fashion advice to eagerly grateful women my age. One sage opinion I try to hammer home almost daily is this: don't cut your hair.
I just can't picture me lifelogging
It's stating the bleedin' oblivious, I know, but I ain't photogenic. Indeed, whenever I discover old photographs of myself, I destroy them.
Strictly speaking, fish diet doesn't help me dance
Congratulations to Louis Smith for winning the final of television's Strictly Come Dancing show.
The king and I decree too much flesh is evil
We need to talk about Swaziland. The King of Swaziland and I have much in common. For a start, we both have facial hair, though his is a bit dodgy.
Filming Cate in this way was a nasty Hobbit
Of course I've seen The Hobbit. I'm a man of the world. But did this not entail visiting the cinema, a place I abhor? Yes, it did.
Has world ended for Chinese Mayan believers?
The Chinese don't muck about. There are too many people? Right, everybody can only have a maximum of one sprog or else they'll be imprisoned.
Let's stamp out this plan to treat our fine posties as second class
I hope you all gave a cheer for your postie on Monday. It was the first-ever national postal workers day, which sounds naff, but was designed to make the point that privatising the mail will be disastrous.
Don't spoil it for fans with any Law of the Rings
Tomorrow, at last, I get to see The Hobbit. For the past month, I've been geeking out on forums and dedicated websites. I've watched a dozen different trailers and have polished my 3D specs.
Why this feelgood movement on the internet really is site for sore eyes
It's not all nasty on the internet. On sites like eBay, I'm constantly surprised and delighted by the politeness, praise and all-round feelgood factor that's often to the fore.
Dolly showed a lot of pluck defying her old grandad
I was informed the other day that some women shave their legs all the time and others not at all. When I say "informed", I don't mean the intelligence was conveyed to me by a dispatch rider from the Government.
Did ancient man spend all day pottering about?
You can't beat a good crannog, and archaeologists appear to have discovered a doozy in a Fermanagh bog.
Why the long face Kylie, it's just gravity
Science news, and Kylie Minogue has been startled after encountering first-hand - or face - the effects of gravity.
Size does matter when it comes to text, just ask any e-male like me!
Let's talk about txts. Or texts, if you don't suffer from loose vowels. Texting celebrated its 20th birthday this week. And the first words of the first ever text? "Merry Christmas." Kinda sweet.
It's time to reflect on wardrobe boob, Tess
We need to talk about Tess Daly's cleavage. Well, we don't need to, but I believe it would be morally uplifting to do so.
How magic drink can help weight loss and stop GIs shooting at you!
At last, they've found it! Found what? You know. It. The elixir. Well, not the elixir. An elixir, at any rate.
In Pictures: The G8 summit
Gerry forces Sammy into Mexican wave
Voice of Pomeroy pops home
Rapturous reception for Andrea
One Summer's Day 2013
We want you to get snapping!
Obama death bid fears - aircraft carriers on standby
In Pictures: Ulster Nightlife
Pubs, clubs and parties
In Pictures: The 'Big IF' concert in Botanic Gardens
Thousands turn out in the rain
Latest News
Roads closed because of gas leak new
Police have closed two of Belfast's busiest roads because of a gas leak.
Three rescued as fishing boat sinks new
Three fishermen have been rescued off north Donegal after their boat sank.
Sale of harvesting rights abandoned new
The sale of the harvesting rights for the country's state-owned forests has been abandoned.
Latest Sport
Carroll hoping to impress Hodgson new
Andy Carroll hopes his club record move to West Ham will help him cement a place in the England squad ahead of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Manchester City face Balotelli reunion new
Manchester City face a possible reunion with former striker Mario Balotelli in Germany this summer.
Mourinho welcomes home start new
Jose Mourinho has admitted his first match back at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea manager will be an emotional occasion - even though visitors Hull City have vowed to spoil his return party.
Latest Showbiz
Judge Nicole goes hell for leather new
Nicole Scherzinger went hell for leather at the X Factor auditions as she dazzled fans with her latest outfit.
Critics hail Radcliffe's stage turn new
Daniel Radcliffe has won magical reviews for his latest stage role as a disabled Irish dreamer in Martin McDonagh's The Cripple Of Inishmaan.
Kanye West slammed for lyrics new
Kanye West has come under fire for a lyric about Parkinson’s disease on his new track On Sight.
