A recent trend, not necessarily appreciated by those on the other side of the pond, has been to cast British, Australian or even New Zealand actors in the lead roles in films about American heroes. And why not? After all, there have been some English kings, queens, knights and other figures portrayed with some pretty dodgy accents in the past.
Keeping up appearances
According to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), whose members account for 40% of UK cosmetic surgeons, there were 3,214 nose jobs (up 9%), 3,039 tummy tucks (down 7%), 2,896 liposuctions (down 4%) and 9,418 breast enhancements (up 10%) carried out on women in 2010.
No threat too small
After a man claimed to have smuggled 80 guns into the UK despite the stringent security measures in place at airports, who could blame the security officials from taking this sort of action? Apart from everyone, of course. Safety Threat
When on holiday in Spain
Everyone was tired but I thought, if I do a streak round the tennis court, it will make the lads laugh and get everyone up for a night out. Obviously, if I’d realised there was a glass door on that tennis court, I’d have opened it first.
Tragic end for German ‘reality star’
Another sad indictment of modern life as German ‘adult actress’ (porn star) Cora, real name Carolin Berger, died yesterday at the age of 23 years following complications during her sixth breast enlargement. Cora, who came to the attention of the nation as a contestant in the German Big Brother series, had been in a coma for nine days following the …
Making a splash
CCTV footage of Cathy Marrero failing to notice that she was walking straight into a fountain because she was too busy texting on her mobile phone has become a YouTube hit after being watched by 1.5 million people.
The end of the Segway in the UK?
A judge in the UK has ruled that the Segway, a two-wheeled machine introduced in 2001, cannot be ridden on the pavement as it is a motor vehicle under Section 72 of the Highways Act 1835.
That’s snow business
It is hard to believe, but at this moment in time, there is snow on the ground in 49 of the 50 states in the USA. And yes, it includes Hawaii where snow is a regular winter feature on Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. The only state without any white stuff is sunny Florida.
The Peter principle
The UK economy is going to be in good hands if Labour ever get re-elected, the Shadow Chancellor, former postman Alan Johnson, informing the nation of the party’s intention to raise the national insurance rate from 20% to 21%. As the current rate is 12.8%, he obviously has a pretty good grasp of the situation, especially as a few minutes …
The return of Kurt Wallender
After an absence of ten years, Inspector Wallender is back in The Troubled Man, due to be published in English on March 31st 2011. This will be the final appearance of the sometimes morose, insomniac of a homicide detective, from the pen of one of the great crime writers of recent times, Henning Mankell. Happy ending or not?