Bars
Absolutely not for exactly the same reasons as Sara.
Den or other private area
I think this is a very good idea, again for the same reasons as Sara.
Housemate coming in late
Undecided about this one. My first instinct was to say no as that person is at such a disadvantage, but it does actually add a new element into the house and it can add extra interest as that new person may bring out different sides to the existing housemates personalities.
Music playing on exit
Yes. Even though it is not a hugely important part of the show it is a good bit of fun and I think it worked well in BB2.
Pets
Yes. There will always be chickens anyway as it was originally written into the rules by Jan de Mol, but I think that they give the housemates something to do and a focus. I like the idea of them having a kitten or a puppy to look after.
Musical Instruments
Yes. One of the things that made BB3 so awful was the lack of music in the house - just look how they all came alive that one afternoon when they had instruments to compose that song for Tim. Some of the best BB2 moments were the Friday evenings sitting around with Dean playing his guitar.
Housemates get books and magazines
Yes. I know that people have said that this makes for more boring viewing for us, but I disagree. I think it makes for more contented housemates and that makes for better viewing all around.
Arguments
Arguments are a part of daily life and are bound to happen. When you put 10/12 strangers into a house you cannot expect them to get on all the time. Some arguments make interesting viewing and it would be quite boring if they all got on all the time, but personally I don't enjoy watching too many arguments. One of the things that went wrong with BB3 for me is that the producers seemed to want to promote discord and bad feeling and this often made it very unpleasant viewing. Some arguments are interesting and you do see the other side of peoples characters, but too many of them are uncomfortable and not what I want to watch.
Booze
One of the main things that went wrong in BB3 was, as I said in my last answer, that the producers seemed to go out of their way to promote unpleasantness and arguments, and one of the main tools they used here was alcohol. Yes there should definitely be alcohol in the house, but if the housemates have too much all of the time it it can get very unpleasant. I think the mix in BB2 was right, there was enough alcohol for them to loosen up and we saw some very funny moments, but in BB3 the housemates were so bored and there was so much alcohol to hand that they started drinking early and I think it ruined it.
Romance
The Helen and Paul romance made BB2 for me, however it was something that just happened and would have been impossible to plan. As Sara said the producers last year seemed to be trying to get something sexual to happen and this I wouldn't want to see.
Housemates that go for media careers afterwards or not
I don't want to see a house full of wannabes who are only there to promote themselves and get famous, however, if the housemates have personallity and star quality it would be silly to say that I wouldn't want any of them to go on to have media careers. Even though I am not much of a Brian fan, he does have that quality and I am really pleased that he's doing so well. Most of us on here would be quite hypocritical if we said we didn't want to see housemates on TV afterwards, I mean look how desperate we are for a glimpse of Helen and Paul and how guttted we were when the Lorraine show came to an end.
Older housemates or younger
I think a mixture of ages works best. It wouldn't work to have a predominantly young house with, for example, one older housemate, they would find it difficult to fit in. However, I think that attitude and personality is far more important than age, I get on with and have very good friends who are a lot younger than me and also good friends who are a lot older than me.
Bow or Elstree (already been decided of course)
I preferred the house in Bow, but as you say we don't have a choice in this matter. It will be Elstree.
Nice housemates or nasty ones?
A mixture, though I wouldn't want to see anyone too nasty in there. If everyone was too 'nice' I suppose it would make for boring TV and there does need to be a bit of tension, but I don't watch BB just to see big arguments. I feel that some of the best BB2 moments were when the housemates were getting on and working together and some of the worse BB3 moments were when they weren't.
Celebrity guests?
I actually quite like this idea, but not if it is over used. I think a short visit by someone would work and it would be quite interesting to see the housemates reactions, but what I wouldn't want to happen is for the celebrity to overshadow the real housemates because afterall the whole idea of BB is to see ordinary people interacting.