BUILDING BLOCKS: He may seem an unlikely pop star and icon, but Bob the Builder is set to take over the charts and our shopping lists this Christmas. The animated handy-man has captured the hearts of a generation of youngsters and their parents with his weekly adventures.

Now he has moved into the pop charts with a rap version of his slogan: "Can we fix it? yes we can". The song is the sort of novelty record that makes Christmas fun and could actually help Bob become a cult figure among grown-ups - there are bound to be some serious remixes of his tune hitting the clubs over the festive period. Bob has also become the new king of merchandise with his face adorning everything from pillow cases to thermos flasks. It's great to see a simple idea capturing the nation's imagination, especially when parents know they can leave their children with Bob and they will be simply entertained.

STREET CRED: So Corrie has celebrated its 40th birthday. A classy soap that hasn't had to fall back on alien space ships and reincarnations in the shower to keep the viewers interested. The show has had its fair share of dramas, romances and laughs and is still going strong years after others have been axed. Over the years Coronation Street has done more than entertain us - it has entered the national consciousness. We all know who the Duckworths are, the Rovers is the best loved local in the land and who can't hum the theme tune? Coronation Street was the first television show to present working class life in the north as it really was, and it has stayed true to its roots ever since. It delivers as many laughs as tragedies but unlike some of its rivals it is always like real-life. At the moment viewers are gripped by Jim being in prison, Vera's kidney donation and Deirdre's feelings for Dev. Many programmes fail to hold viewers' interest for 40 minutes, so to be pulling in huge audiences after 40 years is a phenomenon. Here's to another 40 years.

FACE PAINT: No-one can deny that Cindy Crawford is an attractive woman. She has curves in all the right places, a great face and enduring style - but that's not enough for the people at Revlon. The make-up giant has dropped Cindy from their books allegedly because, at 35, she is too old for them. It's ironic that a lot of Revlon products are aimed at making women look younger, firming their skin and putting a sparkle in their eyes but a 35-year-old supermodel is too old to represent them. Women are not stupid, show them a teenager advertising anti-ageing cream and they will realise the product won't take years off their birth certificate and make them look the same. We want realistic role models, and although very few women are lucky enough to look like Cindy, at least she is the same age as a lot of Revlon's customers. Other companies rely on older women like Isabella Rossellini and Liz Hurley to give their products a sophisticated image, by ditching Cindy all Revlon will do is alienate their older, big spending customers.

BAD TASTE: Having given his approval to rape, armed robbery and drugs, the vile Eminem is giving the thumbs-up to murder. His latest single, Stan, tells the story of an obsessed fan who feels rejected by the American rapper so kills himself and his pregnant girlfriend. The song is getting a huge amount of air-play on the radio and is being championed as a lyrical masterpiece. However good the rap or the music (neither of which are exceptional) is it really OK to hold such a disturbed man in high esteem? His album is full of references to illegal acts and while he might not invite his fans to follow his lead, he does little to dissuade them. Not all children are impressionable and many will listen to Eminem's album and still be well-adjusted humans, but some will not.

With his evil raps going through their heads and egged on by friends, some youngsters could persuade themselves that it is all right to go out and break the law. Eminem obviously has no respect for himself or his fans, but should we really be encouraging his behaviour by playing his songs on the radio