Guillermo Del Toro has announced he is no longer directing the two movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit.

Prince Harry has been crowned king of cool by GQ magazine.

Employers cannot force workers to buy from the company catalogue.

A 23-year-old Westpac bank teller is leaving her job to compete in a kickboxing reality TV show in Thailand.

Themed restaurants are, I suspect, an acquired taste that I have failed to acquire.

The All Whites have scored a shock win over Serbia in a World Cup football warm-up friendly match in Klagenfurt, Austria today.

Parents might have long suspected it, but research has shown girls cost more than boys to raise.

Rugby writer Wynne Gray tries to read Graham Henry's mind, with the All Black coach naming his 2010 squad tomorrow.

Another movie about Coco Chanel sees Mads Mikkelsen play her possible lover, Igor Stravinsky. He talks to Helen Barlow.

Lake Tahoe offers mountain beauty paired with casino bustle, writes Pamela Wade.

'I've got my iMac computer and my iPhone and I would probably buy anything that had an i in front of it,' said an Apple fangirl as the iPad launched in Sydney.

Whitcoulls has entered the e-book fray with a new reader, as Amazon continues to ignore New Zealand with its popular Kindle.

Rhys Darby was in three shows last Friday. I saw only two of them but, frankly, I say enough. Enough, enough, enough.

Why have the SATC gang swapped New York for the Middle East in their latest caper - and won't the locals disapprove?

Venus Williams has been playing at the French Open in a revealing black lace dress with a plunging neckline and bright red straps.

Lost has succumbed to a sudden outbreak of acting. It's been really slowing things down.

How do you buy those precious concert tickets before the scalpers? Scott Kara investigates.

Creating an optical illusion is one of the best makeup artists' tricks to learn.

A big, ballsy, fun and instantly forgettable blockbuster.

The Kings Arms will be the perfect place to hide away from wintry weather tonight, with mellow tunes by Auckland indie bunch Nightchoir who are celebrating the release of their new album.

Forty shades of sand are just one of the many attractions in this laid back holiday spot.