Hasta La Gadget!

Happy birthday, Judi Dench! The Dame was born on Dec. 9, 1934, meaning she turns 80 today — and yet she couldn’t be hotter in Hollywood. Though we’ll miss her as M in the recently-announced Bond film, after she was killed off in “Skyfall,” we still look forward to seeing our favorite witty Brit in her many upcoming projects — as well as binge-watching our favorite British funny, “As Time Goes By.”

We recently asked our Facebook fans what they love most about Dench and got an overwhelming number of responses. Here are five things that make Judi Dench our favorite Dame:

1. Those eyes.
While it would be pretty darn cool to be James Bond, it would be terrifying having M as your boss. With her feline-like eyes and that powerful gaze, imagine getting this look every time you messed up on the job.

Which brings us to our second point…

2. Her sass.

Whether she’s berating a secret agent as M in the Bond movie franchise, shunning Elizabeth Bennett in “Pride and Prejudice,” or outsmarting Lionel in “As Time Goes By,” the woman can deliver a line with serious biting precision. We think reader Dianne Heart put it best: “She was never afraid to deliver a line and does so with a hint of mischief in her eyes.”

3. Her naughty sense of humor.

Deviant Art/Tiggermyk

Now here’s something you probably didn’t know about Judi — and something her mostly prim-and-proper characters wouldn’t approve of. While Dench’s love for needlework might seem innocent enough at first, her co-stars from “Pride and Prejudice” revealed in an interview that she actually has a raunchy sense of humor.

“‘She makes these like needlework embroideries on set in the tedium of filming,” says Matthew MacFadyen, “but they are all: ‘You Are a Cunt’. And she gives them as presents. And it’s Dame Judi Dench. And she is doing this beautifully, intricate, ornate (work). You kind of see the work materializing as the shoot goes on. Like: ‘You Are a Fucking Shit’.”

Bloody hell, Judi.

4. She’s aging gracefully.

No plastic surgery here, as Dench is all about aging naturally. She shuns plastic surgery, saying “I’ve considered it, but I’m too old now. Every time I go to America I wonder if there is some process where it could be all sucked out and I could be there in time for dinner, but I’m frightened it would all drop off under the anesthetic.”

“She’s amazingly beautiful regardless of lines and creases that come with age,” said reader Sam Willis. “She hasn’t tried to look younger or more ‘Hollywood’. She makes any age look good by embracing her unique beauty,” commented reader Chris Nitzsche.

How many actresses can rock a silver pixie cut like that for years?

5. She’s down to earth.

While she often plays stuffy, upper-crust English aristocrats, and despite having been an industry A-lister for decades, Dench isn’t requesting special treatment or taking things for granted.

In a 2009 interview with The Sunday Times, the actress called herself “very un-divaish.” She’s also been quotes as saying, “I think you should take your job seriously, but not yourself — that is the best combination.” Pretty humble for an Oscar-winner if you ask us.

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In light of mass resignations at The New Republic, eBay co-founder Pierre Omidyar may be setting an example for tech billionaires trying a hand in the journalism with his newest project within First Look Media: Reported.ly.

Reported.ly serves as First Look Media’s real-time newsroom, but there’s an interesting spin: content will be published exclusively on social media platforms.

The concept of Reported.ly comes after Andy Carvin, editor-in-chief of First Look Media’s newest outlet, grew tired of the way news organizations use social media, saying other news outlets view it as “simply a tool to redirect people to their own websites.” Carvin explained how that frustration inspired Reported.ly in a Medium blog post:

We want to tell stories from around the world, serving these online communities as our primary platforms for reporting – not secondary to some website or app. Forget native advertising — we want to produce native journalism for social media communities, in conjunction with members of those communities.

Reported.ly is a step forward for the media company after months of internal conflict and concerns regarding editorial control.

After eight months working with the company, former Rolling Stone columnist Matt Taibbi raised several questions with regard to the future of First Look by stepping down from his role as creator Racket, the company’s digital magazine, in late October.

Omidyar, the primary backer of First Look, released a statement Oct. 28 stating the disputes with Taibbi were “never about editorial independence.” The Intercept wrote a piece disagreeing with Omidyar, citing the lack of autonomous budgets and Omidyar’s reluctance to give Taibbi managerial duties over Racket as the source of friction.

Following Taibbi’s exit, a few more departures from First Look Media were announced. HuffPost reported in late November:

Two weeks later, John Cook, who co-wrote that piece with co-founders Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras and Jeremy Scahill, announced plans to step down as The Intercept’s editor-in-chief and return to Gawker.

Now comes several more departures. An unsigned First Look “update” posted Tuesday announced that the Racket was being shuttered and its staff, which includes Alex Pareene, Edith Zimmerman and Elle Reeve, would be let go.

Since the series of events following Taibbi’s departure, First Look Media has come under scrutiny regarding editorial independence of journalists from corporate executives. However, Reported.ly’s core values seem to alleviate those concerns by stating that journalists will have full autonomy for the news coverage they produce.

“We take orders from no one — period. Our team alone will determine what we cover and what we don’t,” Carvin said in Reported.ly’s Medium blog post, citing their core values. “Funders, sponsors, corporate management and other institutional influencers will have no say in our editorial decision-making.”

Omidyar, co-founder of First Look Media, originally envisioned a flagship news organization that serves as a platform for adversarial journalism in an array of digital magazines. Omidyar launched First Look in February 2013 in conjunction with The Intercept, a digital magazine focusing on national security and privacy issues, with a staff that includes Glenn Greenwald, Jeremy Scahill and Laura Poitras. It is unknown as to what extent Reported.ly will work with The Intercept in producing global news coverage, but it is evident that they are already reaching out to social media communities, like Reddit, to help frame up their reporting.