Family

The Muppets' most memorable moments

A gallery of clips from our favourite frog and his friends

1 Feb 2012

The Muppets have a string of movies to their names already, including The Muppet Movie, The Muppets Christmas Carol, The Muppets Take Manhattan, and The Great Muppet Caper. Never ones to shirk away from serious film, darling, they’ve also had cameos in…

Ronan Keating wants reality show judging role

TV Gossip

13 Jan 2012

Ronan Keating would love to be a judge on a reality show in Europe. The Boyzone singer - who currently works alongside Melanie B, Natalie Bassingthwaighte and Guy Sebastian on the Australian version of 'X Factor' - admits he would love to be closer…

Preview of 2012 - Brave

Pixar’s highland fling has a lot of heart

6 Jan 2012

After dropping the ball with Cars 2 last summer – the only one of their 12 feature-length releases so far to have been deemed a bit lacklustre – the award-winning animation house will be looking to score big again with Brave. Set in the misty and…

War Horse

Unashamedly sentimental cinema from Spielberg

5 Jan 2012

(12A) 146m As War Horse begins, with soaring shots of rolling English hills and a sweeping John Williams overture, director Steven Spielberg sends a clear message: settle down for some large-canvas, unashamedly romanticised, old-fashioned big-screen…

Gavin Rossdale feels pain when away from Gwen

Celebrity Gossip

20 Nov 2011

Gavin Rossdale finds it "painful" when he is away from his wife Gwen Stefani. The Bush frontman is currently on tour and he admits the worse thing about it being on the road is not waking up next to the No Doubt singer - who he has been married to…

New Pixar film Brave set in Scottish highlands

Stars Kelly MacDonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson and Robbie Coltrane

17 Nov 2011

Pixar – the CG animation powerhouse behind hits such as Finding Nemo, Up and Wall-E – are turning their attention to Scottish shores for their next feature, Brave. Due to be released on Fri 22 Jun 2012, it stars Kelly Macdonald as the voice of Merida, a…

Design and Democracy exhibition - Free Family Weekend to mark St Andrew's Day

Free events include building your own rocket and radio-controlled car

16 Nov 2011

Design affects the lives of all of us. Whether it’s an intuitive new phone, a car that tells us we’ve left the lights on, or the Kindle doing something nobody expected and actually improving on the design of a book, who of us have not had our lives…

Africa in Motion 2011 animation strand wins the day

Burkinabé animated film L'arbre aux esprits (Tree of Spirits)

4 Nov 2011

Animation is a small but rapidly growing genre in African cinema. L’arbre aux esprits (Tree of Spirits) is one of several animated films to be screened at Africa in Motion 2011 as part their children’s programme, taking place on Saturday. The story…

Monte Carlo

Flat romcom vehicle for Justin Bieber's paramour Selena Gomez

12 Oct 2011

(PG) 108min The star of tween drama Wizards of Waverly Place, but better known as the current squeeze of Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez is being relentlessly packaged for fame. Her previous venture, last year’s Ramona and Beezus sank like a stone, and…

Pamela Anderson wants family meeting with Queen

Celebrity Gossip

24 Sep 2011

Pamela Anderson thinks Britain's Queen Elizabeth would hit it off with her great aunt. The Canadian star and her family are a huge fans of the 85-year-old monarch and says she would be made to feel very welcoming should she ever want to visit…

Mel B wants family labour panic

Celebrity Gossip

7 Aug 2011

Mel B can't wait to go into labour - so she can watch her family "panic". The former Spice Girls star is eight months pregnant with her third child and recently played a prank on husband Stephen Belafonte and daughters Phoenix, 12, and Angel, four…

Amy Winehouse's family left 'bereft' by her death

Music Gossip

24 Jul 2011

Amy Winehouse's family have been left "bereft" by her death. The 'Rehab' singer was found dead at her home in Camden, North London yesterday (23.07.11) after a suspected alcohol and drugs overdose and a statement today from her loved ones reveals…

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

The boy-wizard franchise goes out on a high

18 Jul 2011

(12A) 130min It gives this critic great pleasure to confirm that the final film in the franchise adapted from JK Rowling’s boy wizard publishing phenomenon is among the top three of the eight-part series. Since the series hit the ground running ten…

Cars 2

Uninspired sequel fails to keep the Pixar engine running

13 Jul 2011

(U) 112min After 25 years of animation production and a run of critical and commercial smash-hits, the super-smooth Pixar production line finally blows a gasket with Cars 2, a colourful but overstuffed, noisy and heartless sequel that feels more like…

Zookeeper

Kevin James stars in woefully bad family rom-com

13 Jul 2011

(PG) 101min Part rom-com, part Doctor Dolittle style family comedy, Zookeeper, starring lardarse comic actor Kevin James (The Dilemma, Grown Ups), is a wholly unsatisfactory experience for all but the most juvenile minds. The latest offering from…

Prom

Disney comedy is bland and generic tween fluff, starring Aimee Teegarden and Thomas McDonell

23 May 2011

(U) 103min After the huge success of the High School Musical franchise, Disney have been quick to cash in on the teen genre, and Prom is based on another event from the school calendar upon which it hangs a familiar story. But despite the assured…

Easter Revelry event at Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle hosts a weekend of family events this Easter

21 Apr 2011

The Easter Revelry event at Edinburgh Castle takes place on Sat 23 - Mon 25 April, and includes historically-themed activities that'll appeal to all the family. Kramis the wizard will perform magic tricks to amuse and amaze you, while Sir Hugo Sofboiled…

Rod Stewart's family emails

Celebrity Gossip

13 Mar 2011

Rod Stewart emailed his children to let them know he was a father again. The 'Maggie May' hitmaker and wife Penny Lancaster welcomed Aiden, their second son together, into the world last month and the singer didn't want his kids from previous…

Top five: Actors who steal the show from the animated characters they voice

In tribute to Johnny Depp's compelling performance in Rango

10 Mar 2011

Johnny Depp is usually famed for his leading roles in Hollywood blockbusters, his ageless face always strikingly present on the promotional canvases. However, there is talk buzzing about his brilliance in his latest film Rango, where he plays…an…

David Beckham: Victoria is doing 'great'

Celebrity Gossip

9 Mar 2011

David Beckham says pregnant wife Victoria is doing "great". The soccer star - who already has three sons, Brooklyn, 12, Romeo, eight, and six-year-old Cruz with the fashion designer - says his 36-year-old spouse is loving every minute of her fourth…

West is West an uninspired and unrewarding sequel to East is East

Andy DeEmmony's plodding, bland drama stars Om Puri and Aqib Khan

18 Feb 2011

(15) 103min East is East was one of the British box office successes of the late 90s, and found an even bigger audience on video and DVD, but it’s hard to believe that there is much, if any, anticipation for this belated sequel. That is probably for…

Joe McElderry wants a quiet family Christmas

Celebrity Gossip

21 Dec 2010

Joe McElderry is looking forward to a family Christmas. The 'Ambitions' hitmaker is hoping to enjoy a quiet festive period after having a busy 2010 promoting his debut album 'Wide Awake' - although he is unsure how much time off he will have. He…

Family weekend: Rebels with a Cause – The Jacobites and the Global Imagination

Traditional music, egg decorating and quiz among highlights of weekend of free children's events

17 Nov 2010

Rebels with a Cause – The Jacobites and the Global Imagination Wednesday 27 October to Saturday 8 January (closed Sundays except Sunday 28 November and 24 - 28, 31 December and 1 - 3 January) Monday and Friday 10:00 - 16.00 (last entry 15:30)…

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 1

16 Nov 2010

(12A) 145min The decision to split the final adaptation of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter books into two episodes will mostly pay dividends at the accounting office of Warner Brothers, as on-screen the latest wizard tale, the seventh in the series, lacks…

The events from Scottish history that shaped the nation's character

Jacobites exhibition reveals source of sentimentality in Scottish psyche

27 Oct 2010

Rebels with a Cause: The Jacobites and the Global Imagination exhibition reveals origin of Scottish character’s tendency for the romantic, mournful and sentimental.