With so many different airlines flying to destinations all over the world, and so many different travel agents out there, it's sometimes hard to work out if you're getting a good deal.

Savvy travellers have switched to the internet to research and book their holidays, and one of the best sites for European based travellers is Holiday Hypermarket.

The site offers a huge range of low cost flights to European and international destinations, and their "Holiday search engine" lets you find bargain package holidays and great last minute deals from the most well known UK Tour Operators like Thomas Cook and Thomson.

For seasoned travellers who like to do their own thing, Holiday Hypermarket offers a unique "Build Your Own" section, which lets you create your own perfect holiday package. Choose the destinations and flights that you want, and search out your choice of accommodation.

Whether you're looking for a bargain City Break for a quick few days away, or perhaps cheap flights to other exotic destinations, checking out the deals online first can save you money.

Hollywood striking TV and movie writers have given studios faint hope of a possible resolution before Christmas, with plans to meet with studios for formal talks after Thanksgiving.

Members of the Writers Guild of America walked off the job two weeks ago, after disputes over payment for content used in digital media, including internet downloads, promotional videos, and downloads for mobile devices.

Negotiators for the writers and the major movie and television studios will meet again on November 26th. The strike has already shut down many major TV shows, and forced topical programmes like The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and The Late Show with David Letterman into repeats, which has seen late night ratings drop.

Duran Duran's comeback gigs on Broadway have been interrupted by the latest strike to hit the United States. The 80's pop group were midway through a concert series at Broadway's Ethel Barrymore Theater, when stagehands decided to down tools and set up picket lines outside over 20 New York theatres.


Duran Duran's concerts were aimed at previewing their new studio album Red Carpet Massacre for fans. Their latest comeback album is due for release next week, and features the lead single Falling Down, co-written by former NSync'er Justin Timberlake and produced by Timbaland...


Duran Duran's new album features four of the original members - Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, and Roger Taylor... but not guitarist Andy Taylor, who quit (for a second time) after differences in opinion over the band's musical direction.

The remaining quartet ended up dumping the almost-completed album Reportage, and returning to the studio with the likes of Timbaland and JT to record Red Carpet Massacre.


The lead single Falling Down still has a very familiar Duran Duran sound, but some of the other tracks like Nite Runner and Skin Divers have more in common with Justin Timberlake & Timbaland's hit SexyBack than Rio or The Reflex. It will be interesting to see what the music buying public make of the all-new 2007 model Duran Duran...

The writers' strike in the United States has claimed its first major long-term casualty, with the Fox TV network announcing it's pulling the hit show "24" from next year's schedules.

The "real-time" series starring Keifer Sutherland had completed shooting only a third of its 24 episodes for the show's seventh season. Filming was also affected by the recent wildfires, and producers were already having to work around Keifer Sutherland's upcoming jail stay, after a drunk-driving conviction.


While the strike is only in its first week, Fox claims the early decision to pull 24 was aimed at reducing losses from marketing spend. (Promos for the new season of 24 have already screened during the baseball 'World Series', as well as in Times Square).

Over 12,000 film and tv writers have walked off the job in the United States, after contract negotiations with the major studios broke down last week, despite three months of negotiations.

The crucial sticking point in the dispute between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers comes down to how writers are compensated when films or tv shows are sold online, and the issue of 'residual payments' for DVDs and clips used for promotional purposes.

The strike immediately affected topical late night TV shows like Jon Stewart's The Daily Show, Jay Leno's The Tonight Show, and The Late Show with David Letterman, which have all gone into repeats.


NBC's The Office has also stopped production with just two new episodes in the can, after lead actor Steve Carell refused to cross picket lines. (Several writers are also actors on the show). NBC's Law & Order: SVU is also preparing to halt production.

ABC's Desperate Housewives is another shutting up shop, with the support of the show's creator Marc Cherry. Writers have been protesting outside Universal Studios (where the show is shot), but were visited by Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria, who delivered pizzas to show her support. A number of TV sitcoms have also 'gone dark', with little stockpiling of scripts, and a reliance on writers to rewrite and tweak scenes during production.


The major TV networks and movie studios have been stockpiling scripts over the last six months, to help protect them against a possible strike. The networks claim viewers will still see little disruption to many of their favourite shows in the short term, with many having at least half of their season orders in the can.

However, mid-season programming is expected to be affected if there isn't a quick resolution. The 2009 TV pilot season could also be hit, which could see networks searching for more reality and sports programming, as well as renewing 'marginal rating' shows.

The Writers Guild is preparing for a long fight, and has a $12.5 million strike fund to provide loans to writers in financial need. The last major strike by writers (almost 20 years ago) lasted 22 weeks, and cost the tv and film industry around US $500 million.