blog crack

I'd like to think this image has somehow been staged or photoshopped, but no - it's the real deal.

It's Winnie Langley who celebrated her 100th birthday by smoking her 170,000th cigarette. She started smoking in 1914 when she was 7-years-old.

The Daily Mail ran the story:

"An iron-lunged pensioner has celebrated her 100th birthday by lighting up her 170,000th cigerette from a candle on her birthday cake.

Winnie Langley started smoking only days after the First World War broke out in June 1914 when she was just seven-years-old - and has got through five a day ever since.

She has no intention of quitting, even after the nationwide ban forced tobacco-lovers outside.

Speaking at her 100th birthday party Winnie said: "I have smoked ever since infant school and I have never thought about quitting.

"There were not all the the health warnings like there are today when I started. It was the done thing."

Winnie, from Croydon, South London, claims tobacco has never made her ill.

She has outlived a husband, Robert, and son, Donald, who died two years ago aged 72.

The former launderette worker said she started the habit in 1914 - just weeks after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo on June 28 - which sparked the First World War.

The 100-year-old, who is awaiting her telegram from the Queen today, said smoking helped calm her nerves during the two World Wars.

She said: "A lot of people smoked during the war. It helped steady the nerves."

Despite the numerous health warnings, Mrs Langley insists she's never suffered because of the habit as she "has never inhaled".

AH! Never inhaled - like Bill Clinton!

Labels: funny

This has got to be the coolest bird on the planet. The Lyre bird, native to Australia.




A close second, of course, would be this guy:



Now, if only human males would go to such lengths...

Labels: cool

Last night while eating dinner I turned on the television and watched an episode of The Pick-up Artist on VH1. Has anyone else seen this show?

It's a "reality" show where a group of men sorely lacking in lady-luring skills are coached by a man named "Mystery", who is the self-proclaimed guru of pick-up artists. The contestants are given training and tasks and are eliminated one-by-one until a Master Pick-up Artist emerges.

Someone help these guys! They don't need a douche-bag like "Mystery" (what kind of nickname is that?) to help them. All these sad sacks need are sisters and/or female friends.

All Mystery, and his "wingmen", have are gimmicks. I wish I could describe some of them but my words do not do them justice, but they include ignoring women and treating them like objects in order to hold their attention and make themselves seem more interesting. He has his own company and seminar called The Mystery Method where they charge up to $3000 for a three day seminar.

Mystery, I have a question: What's up with the pirate shirts and the fur hat? It is not 1996 and you are not Jamiroquai .
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More on the series: "The VH1 series, The Pick-up Artist, is a tale of transformation. For these eight lovable losers, "socially awkward" is the understatement of the year. And when it comes to this lonely hearts club, desperate times call for desperate measures. Enter Mystery, best-selling author and ultimate pick-up artist--a former nerd from the Great White North who has discovered the secret to wooing women. Under his expert tutelage, he'll guide this group of hapless horndogs through the rough waters of romance and help them find the courage to overcome their biggest fear--talking to women.

In The Pick-up Artist, eight misfits will live together, learn together and love together as they compete for the title of "Master Pick-Up Artist." Over the course of eight episodes, the men will learn the ins and outs of the Mystery Method-- "how to open a set," "the number close" and "the kiss close" among others. Aided by his faithful wingmen, Matador and J Dog, Mystery will teach these average guys how to turn the women of their dreams into the women of their reality."

Labels: funny

I got a puppy last Wednesday. He's a miniature Boston Terrier. He is the easiest going puppy of all time. But I must say: it definitely isn't easy being the Alpha. Being that bossy takes a lot of hard work!

But I'm proud, amidst all the hugs and love, I've already taught Frodo how to sit and stay.

He's a genius. I'm a proud mom, er, I mean pack leader.

Labels: frodo, personal

This is what I look like when I eat cookies:

Labels: random

One of the most anticipated movies of the summer, Stardust, lives up to expectations and delivers so much more. It succeeds as both a fantasy film and as a romantic comedy, which is a difficult feat. Some have compared it to the cult classic The Princess Bride, but while Stardust references other films, it is essentially unique.

Based on the graphic novel by Neil Gaiman and adapted to the screen by writer Jane Goldman and writer/director Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake), Stardust is an adventure with a romantic soul. It tells the tale of sweet and naïve Tristran (Charlie Cox) who is in love with a vain and self-involved woman named Victoria (Sienna Miller). When she's not accepting advances from the foppish Humphrey (Henry Cavill), she's stringing Tristran along.

One evening they witness a falling star, and Victoria issues him a challenge: if in one week he can retrieve the star and bring it back to her, she will agree to marry him. Problem is the star has fallen on the other side of the "heavily" guarded wall that borders their village, and which no one dares to cross. What the villagers don't know is that it's also the entrance to another dimension -- a magical kingdom known as Stormhold.

But Tristran, full of hope and eager to please, ventures forth. He finds the star, only to discover that it's actually a young woman, Yvaine (Claire Danes). Unfortunately, he's not the only person after the star's charms, which include immortality. The witch queen Lamia (played superbly by Michelle Pfeiffer) is also after her as is the (only-living) male successor to the thrown of Stormhold, Septimus (Mark Strong), who seeks the ruby necklace in her possession which will declare him the new king of the land.

Stardust is a charming movie that will please any number of audiences. The acting and writing are both excellent and engaging. The chemistry between Danes and Cox is palpable and their exchanges are layered with great volleys full of witty dialogue. In one of the film's highpoints, Danes delivers a declaration on the definition of love with the same wide-eyed wonder she demonstrated in Romeo and Juliet. However, it is Robert De Niro as the pirate Captain Shakespeare and Pfeiffer who steal the show. Indeed, De Niro's scenes are worth watching the whole film for.

This movie was made to be a cult classic. There are several pop cultural references, including a shot lifted directly from Lord of the Rings that any fan can spot and a catchphrase from Ricky Gervais' hilarious HBO show "Extras" delivered by the man himself in a brief cameo. And while Stardust could have done without a particular sequence that bordered on saccharine, in which the characters predictably grow and bond, all set to music, it is still among the very best of films of 2007 and definitely the most refreshing.


Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Labels: movies, reviews

Jane Austen is considered by many to be one of the world's greatest authors. Well, she certainly knew how to write chick lit. That is, the complexities of courtship and affairs of the heart. However, Austen herself never married and had no significant known relationships. How is it then that someone with no such experience could write about love so insightfully? Becoming Jane has its own theory on that matter.

Director Julian Jarrold (Kinky Boots) and writers Kevin Hood and Sarah Williams have crafted an insightful look into what may have been the turning point of Austen's life. Inspired by bits of historical evidence that Austen may have had a brief flirtation when she was twenty and still a budding writer, they came up with the story for Becoming Jane. We are introduced to our spunky, independent-minded heroine in 1795.

Like in many of her novels, Jane (played by Anne Hathaway sporting a passable English accent) has a calculating, fussy mother (Julie Walters) who is trying to marry her off, preferably to the highest bidder. Luckily, there is a beau to be found in Mr. Wisley (Laurence Fox), the dour nephew of the even dourer Lady Gresham (Maggie Smith) who owns the rectory over which Jane's unconventional and indulgent father (James Cromwell) presides. Unfortunately, Jane isn't very keen on Mr. Wisley.

Nonetheless, life is going on as usual in the countryside, but when Henry (Joe Anderson), Jane's older brother, visits things spice up a bit. Shortly after Henry arrives, his good friend Thomas Lefroy (James McAvoy), a debaucherous budding Irish lawyer who lives with his domineering uncle in London, gets shipped out to the country to stay with relatives as punishment for his whoring ways. The relatives are, of course, neighbors and friends to the Austens, and soon Jane finds herself in Lefroy's company, whether she likes it or not.

The two immediately begin to quarrel. In Austen's books, these kinds of exchanges are full of wit, fire and unresolved sexual tension. Here the words come off more like limp leaves of lettuce or overcooked carrots -- all the zest and crunch are boiled out of them; except for one memorable scene in the library which shines. In fact, while this section of Becoming Jane has its charming moments, and one can feel the chemistry just bubbling under the surface, it does not capture how Austen and Lefroy go from barely tolerating one another to falling head over heels in love. There's just something missing and rushed.

But after they do fall, the movie tightens up and moves towards a poignant ending. The direction is satisfying and hits all the necessary highs and lows, including the ubiquitous scenes of the English countryside. Despite its unevenness, Becoming Jane is a sweet, engaging romantic film.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Labels: movies, reviews

I saw The Bourne Ultimatum last night. It was amazing!! I think it's one of the most successful action series out there. They're well-done, smart and riveting. And this third installment does not disappoint.

In The Bourne Ultimatum, the protagonist, Jason Bourne, played by Matt Damon, is still on his quest to find out about his mysterious past. His flashbacks have increased and so have the C.I.A.'s attempts to off him.

From the very beginning, it was non-stop action. I was rushing with adrenaline and buzzing with it afterwards. There were some scenes that were so well orchestrated that people felt compelled to clap. These are jaded moviegoers and critics -- so that says a lot.

The script is well-written and Paul Greengrass' direction is tight. He captures both the chaos of the scenes and Bourne's intense control over the situations he finds himself in.

There is one particular scene, out of the many excellent ones, that stands out in my mind. It's an absolutely amazing car chase that makes me wants to watch the movie over again. This scene alone must have taken half their budget; they must have wrecked dozens upon dozens of cars on top of what was probably a very hefty insurance policy.

David Strathairn is excellent as Noah Vosen, head of black ops and coordinator for the top secret Blackbriar project (if you want to know what this means, you'll have to watch the movie!). He is the ultimate bad guy and absolutely drips with Machiavellian smugness. Joan Allen is excellent as well. By the way, she has really thin lips. As does Julia Stiles who also makes an appearance (but I won't say how).

All in all, The Bourne Ultimatum is one of the best movies of the summer and on my fav of 2007 list.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Labels: movies