Updated

The 40th time's the charm, it seems.

A British woman took 33 years, 40 attempts and spent tens of thousands of pounds to pass her driving test, according to the BBC.

Now finally at the age of 50, Venida Crabtree, of Cowley, Oxford, passed the exam in July and recently bought her first car after starting driving lessons in 1972 at age 17.

"It's fantastic. I'm very pleased," Crabtree told the BBC.

In her quest to get into the driver's seat, Crabtree went through seven instructors and spent about the equivalent of $31,000.

Her husband was finally freed from his life as her driver when Crabtree took her secondhand 980cc Suzuki for a spin last week.

"She's driving for the first time today and I'm no longer the chauffeur," Ralph Crabtree, 53, who earns a living driving for a delivery service, told the BBC.

— Thanks to Out There reader Peter L.

Mom, I Don't Think This Is 'Chicken Little'

A large group of kids trying to see Disney's G-rated "Chicken Little" at Time Square's AMC Empire 25 theater with their parents were mistakenly shown a foreign film opening with a boy killing himself, according the New York Daily News.

"It's pandemonium," 30-year-old parent Joshua Gallo told the Daily News as he rushed away with his 5-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter.

"The kids are crying," he told the paper. "The mothers are screaming for the managers to stop the film."

The bedlam ensued after the 8:45 p.m. screening was kicked off by a young boy hang himself from a tree as the horrified children looked on.

Stunned theater employees turned off the Spanish drama "Andrea" after five minutes and finally got "Chicken Little" playing.

Don't worry about the kids, though. The theater made everything OK by offering all of the moviegoers free-movie coupons.

— Thanks to Out There reader Barbara H.

Who Says Art Is Dead?

New York City hopes to bring its South Street Seaport back to life on Nov. 19 with an art exhibit of cleverly displayed corpses, according to The New York Post.

The lifeless display of body parts and pieces shows off what makes humans tick — after the artist removes the dead person's skin and fills the insides with shades of silicone.

The promoter of "Bodies: The Exhibition," Premier Exhibitions, is betting the draw of a behind-the-skin look at 22 cadavers and 260 organs will turn into dollar signs, and maybe drum up some business for the Seaport.

"You walk away empowered and inspired," Tom Zaller, vice president of Premier, told The Post.

Nearby business owners are just hoping that after visitors plunk down $24.50 for the corpse cabaret they emerge still retaining the ability to eat.

"I think it will liven up the restaurants and stores," retail expert Robert K. Futterman told The Post. "Anything that's a draw will work. [We hope] the visitors won't lose their appetites but go eat and shop."

— Click in the photo box above to see pictures of the corpse show.

Oh, Honey, Remember When We First Met?

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) — A woman said she still plans to marry the man who shot her in the groin and then held her hostage in his family's garage for six days.

Tina Marie Stebbins revealed her intentions in a letter released Monday as her boyfriend, Christian Leroy Lindblad, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for shooting her in June 2002.

"I love Christian today as deeply as I loved him before this awful thing happened to us," Stebbins wrote in a victim impact statement. "We are soul mates."

She added: "I want to tell you all that I have forgiven Christian. And I pray that Christian has forgiven me for failing him when he needed me most."

The incident occurred at the Big Bear City home the couple shared with Lindblad's parents. Lindblad and Stebbins had a history of domestic violence and substance abuse, according to a sentencing report. It also said Lindblad had been drinking at the time of the shooting.

Lindblad and his parents, Robert and Shirley Lindblad, tried to cover up the shooting by treating Stebbins with home remedies, according to a San Bernardino County Sheriff's report. They also threatened her young sons and her family, the report said.

Critically wounded, Stebbins was airlifted to a hospital after Lindblad mentioned the incident to a family friend who was a firefighter.

Lindblad, 37, pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted murder as his trial was about to begin in early October. He has said the shooting was an accident.

His father, Robert Leroy Lindblad, 72, pleaded guilty in 2003 to being an accessory and was sentenced to three years in prison. His mother, Shirley Royann Samantha Lindblad, 62, was sentenced to three years probation after pleading guilty to the same charge.

— Thanks to Out There reader Shannon O.

Thinking Outside the Box

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — Forget the fancy toy: The box it comes in can be much more fun.

The cardboard box — whether the imagination turns it into a spaceship, a castle or just a haven to daydream in — was enshrined Friday in America's National Toy Hall of Fame along with Jack-in-the-Box and Candy Land.

No kidding, grown-ups.

"I think every adult has had that disillusioning experience of picking what they think is a wonderful toy for a child, and then finding the kid playing with the box," said Christopher Bensch, chief curator of the Strong Museum. "It's that empty box full of possibilities that the kids can sense and the adults don't always see."

Low-tech and unpretentious it may be, but the cardboard box has fostered learning and creativity for multiple generations — a key qualifier for inclusion in the museum's 7-year-old hall of fame. And its appeal as a plaything or recreational backdrop is universal.

All over the world, "packaging is something that's accessible to kids, whether that's cans or tins or wooden crates," Bensch said. "[And the cardboard box] makes a point that you don't have to spend a lot, have a certain income level or charge it on your credit card to have your kids have a great play experience."

The museum, which boasts the world's largest collection of toys and dolls, acquired the hall in 2002 from A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village in Salem, Ore.

So far, 34 classic toys have been enshrined, from Barbie to Mr. Potato Head, Legos to Lincoln Logs, Slinky to Play-Doh and Crayola crayons to marbles.

— Thanks to Out There reader Aimee H.

— Click in the photo box above to see a picture of the honored toy box.

Meow, Who'll Feed Me While You're in Jail?

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A North Dakota man has served an unusually steep sentence for having an unlicensed cat: two days in jail.

William T. Dennis, 38, was charged with failing to license his feline, which normally brings a fine. But a warrant was issued for his arrest when he didn't show up for a court appearance on the charge.

Dennis spent two days in jail before appearing in court again.

"He basically just received credit for time served," said Bismarck Municipal Judge Charles Isakson.

Failure to license an animal carries a fine up to $1,000 and a possible 30-day jail sentence in Bismarck.

"I never thought I'd sentence someone to two days in jail for this," Isakson said. "Since no situations like this are on record, I had no history to go on for sentencing."

— Thanks to Out There reader Beth M. and Aimee H.

Compiled by FOXNews.com's Andrew Hard.

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