Reasons why I would sin with Sophie Marceau:

1. Her name is Sophie Marceau, which is one of the sexiest names in the world if you are a French woman.
2. She is not ugly.
3. She has brown hair. (This is a good thing.)
4. She speaks French, even when naked.
5. She also speaks English, occasionally when naked.
6. She has very nice girl parts, all of them very real.
7. Because she went to school in France, she is well educated - which means we can have fascinating conversations about Zola, Voltaire and Proust while eating cassoulet or sharing a jambon-beurre.
8. She drives a stick shift.
9. She was a James Bond girl.
10. I may or may not have had a crush on her since the 6th grade.

To prove my point, here is part of an interview in which Sophie expresses her awesomeness:

"The best way to protect the Culture is by making it worthy -- not by passing laws. France is a country of subsidies. Socially speaking, that's fine, but culturally it can create problems. Nobody is challenged or forced to question their work, and that leads to an extremely conservative environment. There are no new ideas. France is not a modern country! And cinema is a modern art ...

"So I think it's great that American cinema poses such a threat. I don't think we should imitate it -- it's not our culture. But right now we have all these pseudo-auteurs who bore me, who don't have a new idea in their heads. And since they are so well-protected against the American invaders, they live among themselves in total autocracy. Outside France, their ideas interest nobody, but they won't change, because they're not really in danger ...

"What I wish for the French cinema -- and this is terrible, because I'd be the first victim -- is that it gets even worse. Because then, at least, we'll look for new solutions. The problem with the French, in politics as well as in cinema, is that we say nothing, we change nothing until we're pushed to the limit.

"Someone once said, 'The French hate change, but they adore revolution.' It's true. We can't change day by day. We wait and wait, and we say nothing. And then, one day we can't stand it any longer, we kill everyone !"

Looks like I picked a good month to go vegetarian (from MSN.com):

The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Sunday ordered the recall of 143 million pounds of frozen beef from a California slaughterhouse, the subject of an animal-abuse investigation, that provided meat to school lunch programs.

Officials said it was the largest beef recall in the United States, surpassing a 1999 ban of 35 million pounds of ready-to-eat meats. No illnesses have been linked to the newly recalled meat, and officials said the health threat was likely small.

The recall will affect beef products dating to Feb. 1, 2006, that came from Chino-based Westland/Hallmark Meat Co., the federal agency said.

Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer said his department has evidence that Westland did not routinely contact its veterinarian when cattle became non-ambulatory after passing inspection, violating health regulations.

“Because the cattle did not receive complete and proper inspection, Food Safety and Inspection Service has determined them to be unfit for human food and the company is conducting a recall,” Schafer said in a statement.

A phone message left for Westland president Steve Mendell was not immediately returned.

Federal officials suspended operations at Westland/Hallmark after an undercover video from the Humane Society of the United States surfaced showing crippled and sick animals being shoved with forklifts.

Three ex-employees charged
Two former employees were charged Friday. Five felony counts of animal cruelty and three misdemeanors were filed against a pen manager. Three misdemeanor counts — illegal movement of a non-ambulatory animal — were filed against an employee who worked under that manager. Both were fired.

Authorities said the video showed workers kicking, shocking and otherwise abusing “downer” animals that were apparently too sick or injured to walk into the slaughterhouse. Some animals had water forced down their throats, San Bernardino County prosecutor Michael Ramos said.

No charges have been filed against Westland, but an investigation by federal authorities continues.

Officials estimate that about 37 million pounds of the recalled beef went to school programs, but they believe most of the meat probably has already been eaten.

“We don’t know how much product is out there right now. We don’t think there is a health hazard, but we do have to take this action,” said Dr. Dick Raymond, USDA Undersecretary for Food Safety.

Most of the beef was sent to distribution centers in bulk packages. The USDA said it will work with distrbutors to determine how much meat remains.

Federal regulations call for keeping downed cattle out of the food supply because they may pose a higher risk of contamination from E. coli, salmonella or mad cow disease because they typically wallow in feces and their immune systems are often weak.

About 150 school districts around the nation have stopped using ground beef from Hallmark Meat Packing Co., which is associated with Westland. Two fast-food chains, Jack-In-the-Box and In-N-Out, said they would not use beef from Westland/Hallmark.

Jack in the Box, a San Diego-based company with restaurants in 18 states, told its meat suppliers not to use Hallmark until further notice, but it was unclear whether it had used any Hallmark meat. In-N-Out, an Irvine-based chain, also halted use of the Westland/Hallmark beef. Other chains such as McDonald’s and Burger King said they do not buy beef from Westland.

Raymond countered a claim leveled by Humane Society President and CEO Wayne Pacelle, who said a USDA inspector was at the Westland plant for about two hours each day. USDA inspectors are there at slaughterhouses “continuously,” Raymond said.

Federal lawmakers on Thursday had called for the Government Accountability Office to investigate the safety of meat in the National School Lunch Program.

'Test our luck'
Upon learning about the recall, some legislators criticized the USDA, saying the federal agency should conduct more thorough inspections to ensure tainted beef doesn’t get to the public.

“Today marks the largest beef recall in U.S. history, and it involves the national school lunch program and other federal food and nutrition programs,” said U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, chairman of the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. “This begs the question: how much longer will we continue to test our luck with weak enforcement of federal food safety regulations?”

Advocacy groups also weighed in, noting the problems at Westland wouldn’t have been revealed had it not been for animal right activists.

“On the one hand, I’m glad that the recall is taking place. On the other, it’s somewhat disturbing, given that obviously much of this food has already been eaten,” said Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives at Consumers Union. “It’s really closing the barn door after the cows left.”

© 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

I always thought she was pretty and everything, but that movie takes her mojo to a whole different level.  Oh my god.  Her spice factor is off the charts.  I'm all verklempt now. 

Which might prompt a new Top Ten crush list... and an Alicia Keys shrine, even.

Is that so wrong?

That's her on the right (above) and in the orange box (below).