TWINKLE TWINKLE: If you are feeling daring then it's time to get sticky and cover yourself in self-adhesive jewels - the effects can be truly stunning. Just a few carefully placed rhinestones can jazz up the most boring pair of jeans or T-shirt, as Madonna proved in her videos for Music and Tell Me.

But if you want the full glamour look you have to wear the jewels on your skin, not just decorate your wardrobe with them. So grab your best (patient) mate and a tube of glue and ask them to stick down the 800-odd gems needed to cover the average tum.

WALKIES: Want a dog without the mess, walks and vets bills? Then Tomy may have the answer with its all new cyber pet called Dog.com.

The loveable pooch has 35 movements, 16 moods and speaks more than 700 phrases - the only thing it lacks is fur. A real-life dog can cost up to £675 a year to care for while Dog.com can be yours for a one-off payment of £150. He may seem an expensive toy but if your child is crying out for a pet, this could be the ideal way to prove how dedicated to the idea you really are. If he becomes an unwanted pet, Dog.com can be switched off, a much better idea than adding to the growing number of real strays abandoned in the UK. Log on to www.dog.com.co.uk to find out more

WALL-TO-WALL: Forget wooden flooring and ceramic tiles - the hippest people are returning to carpet. The latest issue of fashion bible Vogue declares that floorboards are a cold clich and everyone in the know has returned to carpets. As well as insulating your home and being kinder to bare feet, carpets can be customised to make a very personal statement. Colour, pattern and pile can all be altered to give the ideal look in contrast to the uniformity of a dull wooden floor. New research has also suggested that carpets are healthier than floorboards as they trap and retain dust and therefore stop it from blowing around the room. Carpets are also a lot quieter than floorboards - ideal if you are living in a flat or simply want to keep your private life to yourself.

SAD SPICE: The battle between Victoria Beckham and Kylie Minogue for the No 1 spot comes to a culmination this week. While most of the British media are backing Kylie and her infectious tune which you really can't get out of your head, most of them have overlooked the possibility that neither of them will hit the top. An inside favourite for the top spot is metal band Alien Ant Farm's cover of Michael Jackson's hit Smooth Criminal. The faithful but raucous cover (it even has Jackson's trademark squawks on it) has got people talking, as well as its hilarious video. Poor old Posh is also facing a challenge in a very different chart. Her book Learning To Fly is released on the same day as the new Robbie Williams biography Somebody Someday. So far pre-orders for the Robbie book have topped orders for Posh's latest creation. It would seem the rock 'n' roll excesses of our Robbie hold a lot more appeal than Victoria's happy home life.

MYSTERY FOOD: Ice-cream makers Haagen-Dazs may find their latest marketing idea backfiring. The idea is not to label their tubs so shoppers have no idea which flavour they are about to indulge in. Some barmy researcher has claimed that detailed descriptions of flavours put people off their ice-cream experience and they end up confused as to whether they really enjoy it. So the American ice-cream maker has decided to end the 'confusion' and let us play lucky dip. But Haagen-Daza has failed to realise how important ice cream flavours really are. Sometimes only chocolate will do to lift you from depression while strawberry is great to share and vanilla's ideal on hot mince pies. Mix and match may work in the wardrobe but choosing your ice-cream flavour is far too serious a job to be left to chance.

OLD FRIENDS: Who ever thought we would miss Richard and Judy? This Morning has returned to our screens without the golden couple who first made it a hit. Richard may have been a patronising pain-in-the-neck and Judy's health and style may have let her down, but they made daytime TV strangely addictive. When the couple decided to leave the show, its producers naively thought it could continue without them. The pair have been replaced by a group of desperate E-list celebrities who are wooden in front of the camera and obviously nervous going out live. It's sad that we can only fully appreciate Rick and Jude now they have gone - like all stars they made what they did look so, so easy.

SINGING VICTIM: One of the worst TV moments ever was when Darius murdered Britney Spear's One More Time on Popstars. He wasn't chosen to be part of Hear'say but that hasn't stopped him trying to make it to the top again. The greasy singer has made it to the last 100 of a new show called Pop Idol which is looking for just one person to be catapulted into pop stardom. Sadly, this means we will have to watch another one of his unnerving performances but solo stardom is a much better idea for someone with Darius' attitude - even The Beatles were too small to contain his ego.