Most actors would be thrilled to win just one Academy Award, but the inimitable Meryl Streep is desperate for a third. The 62-year-old actress is nominated for her portrayal of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. After a record 17 Oscar nominations, 25 Golden Globe nominations, and a slew of BAFTAs, […]

The Celebrity Apprentice was a tough gig, but it was a mere warm-up to Shane Crawford’s next job. Sue Smethurst discovers the family man behind the television and footy star. Behind the scenes of the boardroom bust-ups and charity challenges of last year’s hit TV series The Celebrity Apprentice, Shane Crawford was secretly preparing for […]

Divorce can be one of the most painful experiences in life. Yet it doesn’t have to be that way — more couples are working to keep their split friendly for the sake of the children, write Michael Sheather and Sue Williams. For Pru Quinlan, marriage wasn’t exactly the happy ever after she’d imagined it to […]

After the Darkness by Honey Brown, Viking, $29.95 There’s a sense of foreboding craftily interwoven with the darkness of sexual desire running right from the first to the last sentence in this achingly powerful suspense thriller. Although it takes a while to realise how every tiny observation and throwaway comment forms a tile in the […]

New people, new places, new friends, new faces — starting school is a huge change for any child. But what if the one struggling to adapt is you? Your “baby” is no longer a baby. You’ve watched them crawl, stumble and finally find their feet, and now they’re off to school, leaving you at home […]

As children head back to school, parents breathe a collective sigh of relief — but that relief may be short-lived as the bills start to pile up. Get an 'A' in budgeting wih these handy tips.

Cindy Crawford’s daughter is Versace’s newest fashion model – at the tender age of 10. No one was surprised to discover Kaia Crawford had inherited her mother’s supermodel looks, but her early entrance into the world of modelling has sparked debate around the world. Child modelling is becoming increasingly common, with French Vogue running a […]

After decades of claims they were ‘living in sin’ unwed couples might finally have the last laugh, with a new study finding unmarried partners are happier than their married counterparts. The research — published in the Journal of Marriage and Family found that cohabiting couples experience greater levels of happiness and self-esteem than married couples. […]

See all the best frocks from the 2012 Golden Globes red carpet here.

How to be a Man , by Glenn O’Brien, Hardie Grant, $29.95 A handsome volume to encourage gentlemanly behaviour — the ideal gift for the modern man seeking advice on hair (“nothing perfectly symmetrical”), clothes (“real men wear good socks”) and how to deliver a stinging insult (“be precise and specific; anyone can launch a […]