Is this the best opening line you have ever read?

[MmeLindor.]

Courtesy of the Daily Mail

I wonder if Georgina Littlejohn is a relation to Richard Littlejohn.

[winnybella]

great

[LadyClariceCannockMonty]

Mrs Gary Oldman?

It's funny but oh so fecking depressing at the same time.

[MmeLindor.]

Oh, I missed Mrs Gary.

Just read the rest. Even the picture captions make me head hurt:

Svetlana Khodchenkova was the only female star of the film that attended

And while cast mate Tom Hardy was noticeably absent from the line-up, they joined their co-star Benedict Cumberbatch on the red carpet to promote the film which is based on the 1974 novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré.

[LadyClariceCannockMonty]

Yeah, sorry to go off the subject, was obviously briefly in a more feminist than pedant frame of mind ...

I loathe things like 'that attended'. And in the other one, I'm struggling to decide which is more offensive, the 'they joined their co-star...' unholy mess or 'cast mate'. I'm not kidding about this. I'm a sad fuck stickler for hyphenation.

[MmeLindor.]

Yes, "that attended" made me cringe.

Isn't "co-star" more American English?

[LadyClariceCannockMonty]

Oh no, I was talking about the use of 'they' in 'they joined their co-star' after 'line-up'. Surely it should be ' ...was noticeably absent from the line-up, the rest of the cast joined their co-star'?

I think 'co-star' is correct. 'cast mate' should surely be 'castmate' or
'cast-mate'?

[MmeLindor.]

Oh, yes. I see what you mean. That annoyed me too.

My English battleaxe teacher would have shouted, "THEY! THEY! WHO ARE THEY??", and possibly thrown chalk at me.

[LadyClariceCannockMonty]

at your teacher.