Cut to the Chase: The Making of a Modern-Day Automotive-Action Sequence

“It’s reality plus 30 percent,” explains Justin Lin about the outsize action in the four Fast & Furious films he has directed. “We take everything that step beyond.” However, that step beyond, that leap from live action to full seat-rattling mayhem, takes people, cars, two years, logistics that span the globe, and a thick layer of technology. Plus bags and bags of cash.

This isn’t the early 1970s, when a relatively small crew could film street-level mayhem on a shoestring. And today’s audiences won’t accept the crappy, computer-generated car imagery that was the standard a decade ago. State of the art in 2013 means combining elements lavishly filmed at locations around the world with digital effects carefully crafted to blend in unnoticed.

Lin’s latest—and, likely, last—film in the series is Fast & Furious 6, basically a chase and heist action flick that opened today, May 24 and features what are probably the most technically ambitious and expensive car sequences ever filmed. F&F 6 pushes the plausibility of car action that extra 30 percent with hundreds of speeding, spinning, and flying cars. Presented here step by step, and skipping only a few hundred steps, is one chase in the film, from the writer’s notion to the full, finished frenzy.

'Man of Steel': 8 Reasons Behind its Super-Sized Box Office Victory

Warner Bros.

"Man of Steel" may have set a June record with the estimated $113.1 million it earned from Friday to Sunday ($125.1 million since Thursday), but its success was far from a sure thing. After all, it featured a little-known star (Henry Cavill) and a narrative that seemed to divide both fans and critics, in a reboot of a franchise not seen on screen for seven years. Even its own distributor, Warner Bros., predicted an opening in the modest $75 to $80 million range, while only a few pundits predicted an opening above $100 million.

How, then, did Cavill and his Superman reboot manage to leap over all that negative buzz in a single bound? Love it or hate it, here's what "Man of Steel" did right:

It's the Character That's the Star. Going with an unknown lead really isn't that big an obstacle. Christopher Reeve was an unknown before he starred in the benchmark "Superman" movie series of the '70s and '80s. So was every actor who's ever played Superman on TV (Tom Welling, Dean Cain, George Reeves). And so was Brandon Routh, who, whatever you thought of 2006's "Superman Returns," managed to sell nearly $400 million worth of tickets worldwide once he donned the red cape.

It's the Behind-the-Camera Team That's the Star. Warners did a good job making sure everyone knew that the creative team behind "Man of Steel" was producer Christopher Nolan and screenwriter David S. Goyer, the gurus who gave us Warners' bleak blockbuster Batman trilogy. The prospect of the "Dark Knight" team giving a similarly grim makeover to the Big Blue Boy Scout set fanboy hearts aflutter. As for director Zack Snyder, his track record is mixed (he had a comic-book smash with "300," a flop with "Sucker Punch," a revisionist superhero tale with "Watchmen," and, uh, there was that cartoon about owls), but his undeniable visual flair, along with Nolan's vote of confidence, earned him the benefit of the doubt.

It's the Trailers. Those ads we've been watching and re-watching online all spring were actually poignant and moving, hitting the movie's major emotional beats without entirely spoiling the plot. Plus, there were Snyder's gorgeous visuals to gawk at.

It's the Surcharges. "Man of Steel" is a film that demands to be seen on an eye-filling giant screen. The movie's opening weekend saw it earn 11 percent of its sales from IMAX theaters and 41 percent from 3D screenings.

It's the Word-of-Mouth. Reviews have been mixed -- sure, there's more action than in the introspective "Superman Returns," but some critics feel that the brooding hero is kind of a bummer. But the fans are happy and are avidly recommending the film, as its A- grade at CinemaScore attests.

It's the Timing. Apocalyptic comedy "This Is the End" actually proved to be shrewd counterprogramming, earning an estimated $20.5 million from Friday to Sunday and $32.8 million since its Wednesday debut. It may have even swiped a small fragment of the young male audience away from "Man of Steel." But otherwise, the superhero saga had the playing field to itself. It's the first summer action popcorn spectacle to open in two weeks, and it's fortuitous that the previous one, the bomb "After Earth," was too weak by now to prove any kind of a threat.

It's the Modest Expectations. Warner Bros.' prediction of a $75 to $80 million premiere now looks like deliberate lowballing, a way to make everyone feel pleasantly surprised when the movie's actual sales far outperformed that gloomy prognostication. Still, a lot of pundits bought into those numbers and, as a result, seemed astonished on Friday when it became clear that the movie was going to open north of $100 million.

It's the Saturation Marketing. More than anything else, the movie's ubiquity in advance of its release may have done the trick. In addition to the usual wall-to-wall ads and those viral trailers, there were upwards of 100 promotional partners among retailers, who kicked in $160 million worth of free promotional support. Even non-Superfans who might not have considered going to see the movie couldn't help but be bombarded by "Man of Steel" hype every time they went shopping. Clark Kent may not be the world's most intrepid reporter, but once he takes off the glasses, he's one Super Salesman.

News in Brief: In dark fishing spiders, males' post-mating nap is permanent

Once is apparently enough for male dark fishing spiders. After delivering only half of their available sperm to a single female, males curl up and wait for death.

In the considerable annals of spider sex ending badly, male Dolomedes tenebrosus suffer a fate not described before, says behavioral ecologist Steven K. Schwartz of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Males of this widespread North American species prepare sperm for two matings but spontaneously fall into a spidery version of a coma during the first one. Their legs crumple and their bodies hang terminally motionless without any sign of the female having injured them, Schwartz and his colleagues report June 18 in Biology Letters.

Male spiders deliver sperm via a pair of boxing-glove shaped projections, or pedipalps. Male dark fishing spiders load both pedipalps with sperm, but in lab and outdoor matings, males used only one before curling into a deathlike posture. Even when protected from any female attack, males’ hearts stopped beating about two hours after mating, Schwartz says.

If females eat the inert male, his death may gain him especially abundant or healthy offspring, Schwartz speculates. Or a recently fed female may be less likely to mate with the next suitor that comes along.

ENLARGE

FIRST AND ONLY

A male dark fishing spider (right) self-destructs during his first and only mating experience. He spontaneously collapses into a dead-spider position though his sperm-delivery organ still connects him with a female.

S.K. Schwartz

Food for Your Face: 5 Key Natural Skin Care Ingredients!

Homemade beauty products are simple and quick to make—even moreso if you already have the ingredients in the pantry. Keep your kitchen stocked with these essentials to whip up on-the-spot masks, cleansers, and lotions without even a trip to the store.

Honey: Cleopatra knew what she was doing with those milk and honey baths: the bees' sweet stuff is a natural humectant, so it's made to hold moisture. For a simple skin lotion, mix one teaspoon honey, one teaspoon vegetable oil, and ¼ teaspoon lemon juice, rub on dry skin, and rinse off after ten minutes. Find more honey recipes at the National Honey Board?s website.

Sugar: The glycolic acid in sugar—and the rough texture&makes;makes it ideal for exfoliating while giving skin a healthy glow. Make a body's worth of sugar scrub by combining ½ cup sugar, two tablespoons of cream or whole milk, five drops of orange oil and one cup of olive oil. Leave on for 10-15 minutes and then rinse off.

Olive Oil: The vitamin E and antioxidants in olive oil make it another great moisturizing option: try soaking your nails in a cup for a shiny, at-home manicure; apply it to your hair, leave on half an hour, and then shampoo for gleaming locks; or rub it onto hands and feet for soft skin.

Eggs: The protein in eggs is especially good for your hair. Add one to one ounce olive oil, one tablespoon lemon juice, and ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar for an easy shampoo—or combine one teaspoon of baby oil, one egg yolk, and one cup water for a quick conditioner.

Fruits and Vegetables: You already know they're key to good health—turns out they're important for great skin, too. Different recipes take advantage of the vitamins, minerals, and clean scents of different foods: avocados are great for vitamin E, carrots are high in beta-carotene and antioxidants, ginger is energizing, the folic acid and nutrients in strawberries have been shown to fight acne, tooth tartar, and cancer. 

Chennai Express trailer crosses 2 million mark on YouTube

The trailer of superstar Shahrukh Khan starrerChennai Express has crossed the 2 million mark on Youtube just four days after its launch.

The action-comedy directed by Rohit Shetty also stars Deepika Padukone, who plays a South Indian in the film, has dubbed in the typical southern accent.

This is the second collaboration between Khan and Padukone after the 2007 blockbuster Om Shanti Omand the first collaboration between Khan and Shetty.

Chennai Express is about a man's journey from Mumbai to Rameshwaram and what happens along the way after he falls in love with the daughter of a don, played by Padukone.

SRK, 47, is back as Rahul, one of his most famous screen names, in this film.

In the trailer, SRK is seen taking fun potshots at himself and his previous films like the famous train sequence from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.
He says, "Myself Rahul. Chaalis saal ka ho gaya hoon (I am 40). Normally iss age tak har kissi ke life mein adha ek twist to aa hi jata hain. Meri life mein bhi ek twist aya, bahut bara twist jisse meri life hi badal gayi (In this age normally everyone has some big twist in their life and so did I. And it completely changed my life."
The UTV Motion Pictures and Red Chillies Entertainment movie will release on August 8.
Keeping the impending promotions in mind, SRK has returned to twitter after a gap of few months. In his most recent tweet, the actor has praised his director friend Farhan Akhtar's latest production Fukrey.

 Highest cricket score in one-day match - Olly   Hardaker sets world record 

 Photo: Oliver Hardaker hit 329 runs off 144 balls - setting the new world record for theHighest cricket score in adult one-day match (enlarge photo)

His stunning performance for the 3rd XI against Upper Wharfedale in the Yorkshire Dales helped Horsforth to a league record 419-5 in 40 overs in the Ian Chappell Cup first round.

   Oliver said: 'I just kept playing my shots and didn't think about my score. It was a bit weird when I got to 100 with 27 overs left and I thought I could get something big here.'

     Oliver, 18, needed just 144 balls to notch up the record breaking total and his stunning innings included 27 sixes and 28 fours.

   He said: "My best previous score was 100 not out for the under-17s. I offered only one chance when I was on 140. "I went for a straight drive but skied the ball. However, it caught in the wind and drifted and the wicketkeeper did not get to it."

   The previous Guinness world record for the Highest cricket score in adult one-day match was set by Indian International Sachin Tendulkar who scored 304 in a North Californian Cricket Association match in 1999.

   Mr Hardaker's 329 in 144 balls even eclipses the highest one-day totals in professional cricket.

   The achievement has also turned him into an instant celebrity at Woodhouse Grove School in Bradford where he is studying for A Levels and the teenager has been hailed as a 'god' on Facebook.

    Oliver is the fifth generation of his family to represent the Leeds-based Horsforth and ironically it was one of the only games his father Sean, a bakery owner, has missed.

    'It was quite funny because my dad normally comes along to watch but he couldn't make it that day. My friends texted him to let him know what I was doing but he didn't believe them. It wasn't until someone sent him a picture message of the scoreboard that he believed it had happened.'

    Oliver, who has played cricket since he was five, said he would 'love to be a professional cricketer' and has been selected for Yorkshire Under 19 trials later this summer.

    Ian Frost, the head of cricket at his £10,000-a-year independent school, said: 'I'm delighted for him. He is a very correct young batsman and although he's not very big, he does strike the ball hard.'

   Edward Craig, of The Wisden Cricketer magazine, said: "I haven't heard of someone scoring this many runs in 40 overs before. It is an amazing feat."

       One Day Cricket World Records
  One Day International: Sachin Tendulkar 200 for India v South Africa in 2010              
  First Class Matches: Alistair Brown 268 for Surrey v Glamorgan  in 2002
  Amateur Cricket (from available records): Oliver Hardaker 329 for Horsforth v Upper Wharfedale in 2010

Kapil Dev’s ODI record 175 not out masterminds World Cup’s “Great Escape” after India were reeling at 17 for 5

June 18, 1983. The idyllic setting of the Tunbridge Wells cricket ground was witness to extraordinary fireworks as Kapil Dev engineered a remarkable victory from the veritable jaws of defeat. Arunabha Sengupta recounts the epic 175 not out that rescued India from possible elimination, and paved the way for the miraculous World Cup triumph.