Lotus To Axe Esprit
January 2, 2003 - Orange Today
Sports car maker Lotus is to end production of its Esprit model at the end of this year. The Esprit was made famous when it was used in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me as a 'submarine car'.
It has been produced at Lotus's headquarters near Norwich for more than 25 years. A Lotus spokesman said the company planned to create a new Esprit which would be unveiled in a few years' time. The company plans to concentrate on the development of the Elise sports car.
Around 10,000 Esprits have been built since 1976 and the company expects about another 140 to roll off the production line. It is thought that around 30 people working on the Esprit production line will be redeployed within the Lotus group.
Deep sixed again!
The Power of Film: A Bond That Unites Koreans
January 2, 2003 - by James Brooke for The New York Times
SEOUL, South Korea, — In real life, President Bush wrestles with policies to force North Korea to stop selling missiles and making atom bombs.
On the big screen, at movie theaters here today, James Bond wrestled with a crazed North Korean colonel who was using a space-based laser to burn a massive hole in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea.
"The U.S. put North Korea in 'the axis of evil' and then the director merely followed the plot," said Kim So Won, a 19-year-old student taking a break from a New Year's Eve anti-American rally.
As her girlfriends nodded, she added, "We won't go see the movie."
The new 007 movie, "Die Another Day," opened here on New Year's Eve to a fledgling boycott. But reflecting the love-hate relationship with the United States — the fact that James Bond is British is a fine point lost on many people here — there were long lines of people waiting to see the film at the Seoul Theater.
Min Kyung Woo, a 28-year-old pacifist, lined up too, but on a picket line. "This is Hollywood's strategy toward Northeast Asia," said Mr. Min, who had not been converted by a pre-release showing of the movie intended by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to head off a boycott here.
"The movie industry is related to politics," he said.
Indeed, the boycott has been fueled by rising anti-American sentiment and the feeling among many here that North Koreans are replacing Colombians as Hollywood's current international bad guys.
"North Korean criminals in the movie are no different from Iraqi, Cuban or Russian terrorists, who easily commit mass murders in Hollywood action movies," the newspaper JoongAng Ilbo said in apparent surprise at the Bondian depiction of state-sponsored torture in North Korea, a nation that ranks high atop many "worst" lists compiled by international human rights groups.
While North and South Korea remain bitterly divided, judging by such reviews and those of some moviegoers here, the two sides have finally found common ground when confronting 007.
"I think there is plenty for Koreans to complain about in this movie," Doug E. Shin, a Korean-American pastor from Los Angeles, said as he walked in a jostling, and largely merry, flood of young South Koreans leaving a showing tonight. "Half the North Koreans were speaking with South Korean accents. That ox looked like it was from the Philippines. That shack at the end looked like it was from Japan."
"I guess the director didn't care," he continued. "But if the movie was about Japan, would they have treated the Japanese that way?"
A recurring complaint here is about a final scene where befuddled Korean farmers, goading an ox, look at luxury cars that James Bond has dropped, upended, in a rice paddy. While North Korean agriculture plods along on ox power, South Koreans say the only ox carts seen here are in museums.
The correct image of South Korea, people say, is a nation with among the world's highest rates of cellphone ownership, high-speed Internet access and college-educated youth.
Then there is a scene where an American officer orders a South Korea military mobilization, which prompted someone to write in an Internet chat room that "Korea in the movie is viewed as America's colony."
After watching the movie today, Kim Yu Min, a 24-year-old office worker, said, "My girlfriends said, `At least James Bond doesn't go to bed with a Korean girl.' "
20th Century Fox, which distributes the MGM movie, has worked hard to try to smooth ruffled feathers here, a nation of 43 million people that is now the 10th-largest foreign box office territory for American movies.
Lee Joo Sung, president of 20th Century Fox Korea, told opinion makers at one showing here: "It's a movie. Not reality. Viewers must understand that it's fiction."
The movie, which stars Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry and is already expected to be the most lucrative Bond movie yet, ran into early controversy when a South Korean actor, Cha In Pyo, turned down the bad-guy role, normally a coveted ticket to Hollywood stardom. He became a local hero last fall when he told reporters that the script was "demeaning."
Rick Yune, the Korean-American actor who stars as the movie's crazed North Korean officer, has found himself at news conferences here parrying hostile questions from reporters concerned about South Korea's image. In one burst of patriotism, Lee Jung Hyun, a pop singer, declined an invitation to appear alongside Mr. Yune on a popular talk show, "Happiness Channel."
North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency has obligingly given MGM free publicity by playing true to character.
Two weeks before the release here and well before pirated copies could have made their way to reviewers in North Korea, the news agency denounced the film as a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that clearly proved that the United States was "the root cause of all disasters and misfortune of the Korean nation."
Where in the film does it say that Bond and Halle are making love in Korea? It could be a coastal part of Japan. But who cares? This is the best kind of free publicity any film could wish for.
South Korean Cinema Pulls James Bond Film
January 8, 2003 - Japan Today
SEOUL — Bowing to public pressure, a cinema outside Seoul has canceled the showing of the latest James Bond movie, which South Korean critics say unfairly depicts their communist neighbor as a diabolically evil regime.
Only days after its opening, Broadway Cinema decided last Friday to halt the showings because of low audience turnout and sour public sentiment, theater worker Shin Sun-im said Monday. The film was scheduled for a two-week run at the movie house.
"Die Another Day," which features a North Korean villain, has come under attack throughout South Korea since its New Year's Eve premiere here. On Monday, a small group of South Korean students and civic activists in Seoul called for a nationwide boycott of the film. Before the film's release, North Korea slammed it as the latest example of "corrupt sex culture" in the United States.
In the movie, Bond is sent to North Korea to investigate a rogue communist officer who is planning an invasion of South Korea. The British spy is caught, imprisoned and subjected to torture. Later, the North Korean officer uses a satellite-based laser to burn a swath through the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas. His plot is foiled by Bond and an American agent.
Despite calls for a boycott, many South Koreans are watching the movie. Local media reported Monday that the movie ranked fifth in audience draw.
Too bad, now the film will be made into an illegal DVD or VHS and sold on the Korean streets. This is what they call 'free market'.
OSCAR Snubs OO7 Special Effects And Sound
January 9, 2003 - Variety
It's definitely the year of the digital character as a cast of computer-generated beings are featured prominently in the seven pictures tapped to compete in February for the visual f/x Oscar nomination. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences on Wednesday revealed its f/x and sound editing selections, with George Lucas (news)' Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound having plenty of reason for celebration.
The f/x behemoth once again dominated the list, snaring four of the seven slots with "Harry Potter (news - web sites) and the Chamber of Secrets," "Men in Black II," "Minority Report" and "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones." While ILM was the lead house on "Harry Potter," British f/x shops Mill Film, Cinesite and Moving Picture Co. also provided visuals for that picture.
Sony Pictures Imageworks received a nod for its work on "Spider-Man" and for its contributions to "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," though the main f/x studio for the fantasy sequel was once again New Zealand-based WETA Digital.
WETA walked away from last year's Oscar ceremony with the best f/x trophy for its work on "The Fellowship of the Ring."
The seventh picture in the running is "XXX," whose computer-generated visuals were created by Digital Domain. The picture is the only one on the list dominated by physical rather than digital f/x.
The seven selections signal a year in which live-action pictures starring digital characters in digital settings clearly impressed voters. WETA's work in creating the character of Gollum in "Rings" has been particularly celebrated, with its amalgam of a digitally made-over human actor, but "Spider-Man," "Potter," "MIB II" and "Star Wars" also extensively feature digitally created characters with significant roles.
Among surprise omissions in the list were "Stuart Little 2," a live-action pic that featured three major digital characters, including the lead mouse, and "Die Another Day," the latest James Bond actioner from MGM, which boasted considerably more effects than any of the previous 19 outings.
Leaders of the f/x teams on the seven movies in contention will put together 15-minute reels of their work for the Feb. 5 "bakeoff" at the Academy, where the f/x branch will choose three Oscar nominees. Oscar nominations are announced Feb. 11.
Meanwhile, in the sound editing category, "Potter," "Rings," "Report," "Spider-Man" and "XXX" made the semifinalist list. They were joined by "Road to Perdition" and "We Were Soldiers." Skywalker Sound worked on three of the pictures -- "Potter," "Rings" and "Report."
As with f/x, each picture's sound team will compile a 10-minute reel for a bakeoff to be held Feb. 4. Voters select the three nominees for Oscar consideration.
Typical when it comes to OSCAR. They have snubbed the Bond series for years. Only offering best sound for Goldfinger and best special effects for Thunderball. Diamonds Are Forever was nominated for best sound and lost. The Spy Who Loved Me had the most nominations and didn't win one award. Moonraker had competition with Star Trek and Alien. And the last time Bond was nominated was for Best Song in For Your Eyes Only. However, Cubby Broccoli did receive the Thalberg Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1982.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Manuscript Soars at Sale
January 10, 2003 - Reuters
Rare original manuscripts for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, one of the best-loved childrens' stories of all time, fetched a sky high price at auction in London Thursday.
"They sold for 29,290 pounds ($46,250) in very competitive bidding," a spokeswoman for auction house Sotheby's told Reuters. The presale estimate for the documents was 12-15,000 pounds. The buyer's identity has not been revealed.
The novel of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the flying car with the bubbly personality, was originally penned by James Bond author Ian Fleming in 1961 as he recovered after a heart attack and is based on stories he used to tell his son.
The work prompted Fleming to complain to his publishers they never gave him a moment's rest.
Originally written as three stories but published in 1964 under the name of Ian Lancaster as one, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was an instant success.
It was made into a classic children's film in 1968 with Dick Van Dyke (news) and Sally Ann Howes in the leading roles, and 34 years later has had a new lease of life as a hugely popular London stage musical.
Fleming manuscripts are extremely rare. The major Fleming collection held by the Lilly Library at Indiana University does not even include typescript of Chitty, Sotheby's said.
Fantasmagorical!
DVD Pirates Add Extra Credit To Die Another Day
January 15, 2003 - Reuters
Taiwan's Justice Minister has warned video compact-disc pirates not to underestimate the government's resolve to root out rampant piracy after counterfeiters taunted him by tagging pirated movies with this credit: 'Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!'
ON A TV news footage recently, a DVD player was shown playing the credits of the latest James Bond thriller Die Another day (above), but the pirates had added a sub-credit onto the video which read: "Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!" This was an open challenge to Mr Chen, Taiwan's Justice Minister.
'This is an open challenge to government authority. If you have guts, don't run away,' said an outraged Mr. Chen in comments broadcast on a cable news network yesterday. 'It is unbelievable and unforgivable. If these pirates believe that they will never be caught, they are dreaming,' the minister said.
The minister's warning came after pirated VCDs seized by police featured the challenge at the beginning of the movies. A television news report on Monday had said that the pirated editions of many new movies, such as Die Another Day and Hero, were now available on both VCDs and DVDs at the price of NT$100 (S$5) each at night markets.
Die Another Day, the latest James Bond thriller, is officially scheduled to start showing in Taiwan theatres on Jan 31 while Hero by Chinese director Zhang Yimou is scheduled to start showing on Friday. Its mainland distributor said that vigilant steps to prevent piracy, including requiring viewers to pass through metal detectors at early screenings, were a key factor in the movie's success.
Assistant US trade representative Joseph Papovich said during an October visit that Taiwan was considered one of the largest producers and exporters of pirated CDs, DVDs and other optical discs in Asia and one of the largest producers in the world.--Reuters, AFP
And to prove that theory just log onto Ebay and check out how many DVDs are sent from Taiwan.
NightFire Comes To GameBoy Advance
January 20, 2003 - by Tommy Craig for VideoGameCity
Product Description Get deep into the excitement and intrigue of the most complete James Bond game yet. All-new scenarios and gameplay complement a completely original storyline that delivers all-out Bond-style intensity on the handheld systems.
James Bond 007: NightFire for the Gameboy Advance video game system promises to take players higher and deeper than ever before. As Bond, players will operate in the Austrian Alps, a Japanese highrise, an island in the South Pacific, and even in a zero-gravity space station to defeat the evil criminal mastermind Raphael Drake.
NightFire will offer a deep gameplay experience that will stay true to the Bond universe. For the first time on a handheld system the Bond game is seen through a first person perspective. Adding to the legacy of the Bond universe will be the use of Pierce Brosnan's image for the Bond character. NightFire will feature a variety of missions filled with action and stealth, gorgeous women, and spy-craft gadgetry that Bond fans expect.
Each of the various locations in NightFire will contain challenging missions and objectives. The game will feature new and familiar characters from the Bond universe, including Zoe Nightshade (from EA's previous Bond game, James Bond 007 in... Agent Under FireTM). Players can blast through each level using weaponry or rely on tricks and gadgets to accomplish objectives and maximize scores.
Key Features: Go higher and deeper than any previous Bond game both in locales and gameplay. Original single-player storyline with new and familiar characters from the Bond universe. Features Pierce Brosnan's likeness as Bond. First person perspective. Various exotic locations worldwide filled with challenging missions and objectives. Nine levels of single-player action. New upgradeable Q-lab gadgets, some exclusive to console versions, advanced camera system, and original missions including zero-gravity assignments.
Well when it comes to this game you've got to hand it to EA.
Elton Says Madonna Will 'Kill Him' For Slamming Her Bond Theme
January 23, 2003 - by Darryl Morden for Launch
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
January 2, 2003 - Orange Today
Sports car maker Lotus is to end production of its Esprit model at the end of this year. The Esprit was made famous when it was used in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me as a 'submarine car'.
It has been produced at Lotus's headquarters near Norwich for more than 25 years. A Lotus spokesman said the company planned to create a new Esprit which would be unveiled in a few years' time. The company plans to concentrate on the development of the Elise sports car.
Around 10,000 Esprits have been built since 1976 and the company expects about another 140 to roll off the production line. It is thought that around 30 people working on the Esprit production line will be redeployed within the Lotus group.
Deep sixed again!
The Power of Film: A Bond That Unites Koreans
January 2, 2003 - by James Brooke for The New York Times
SEOUL, South Korea, — In real life, President Bush wrestles with policies to force North Korea to stop selling missiles and making atom bombs.
On the big screen, at movie theaters here today, James Bond wrestled with a crazed North Korean colonel who was using a space-based laser to burn a massive hole in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea.
"The U.S. put North Korea in 'the axis of evil' and then the director merely followed the plot," said Kim So Won, a 19-year-old student taking a break from a New Year's Eve anti-American rally.
As her girlfriends nodded, she added, "We won't go see the movie."
The new 007 movie, "Die Another Day," opened here on New Year's Eve to a fledgling boycott. But reflecting the love-hate relationship with the United States — the fact that James Bond is British is a fine point lost on many people here — there were long lines of people waiting to see the film at the Seoul Theater.
Min Kyung Woo, a 28-year-old pacifist, lined up too, but on a picket line. "This is Hollywood's strategy toward Northeast Asia," said Mr. Min, who had not been converted by a pre-release showing of the movie intended by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to head off a boycott here.
"The movie industry is related to politics," he said.
Indeed, the boycott has been fueled by rising anti-American sentiment and the feeling among many here that North Koreans are replacing Colombians as Hollywood's current international bad guys.
"North Korean criminals in the movie are no different from Iraqi, Cuban or Russian terrorists, who easily commit mass murders in Hollywood action movies," the newspaper JoongAng Ilbo said in apparent surprise at the Bondian depiction of state-sponsored torture in North Korea, a nation that ranks high atop many "worst" lists compiled by international human rights groups.
While North and South Korea remain bitterly divided, judging by such reviews and those of some moviegoers here, the two sides have finally found common ground when confronting 007.
"I think there is plenty for Koreans to complain about in this movie," Doug E. Shin, a Korean-American pastor from Los Angeles, said as he walked in a jostling, and largely merry, flood of young South Koreans leaving a showing tonight. "Half the North Koreans were speaking with South Korean accents. That ox looked like it was from the Philippines. That shack at the end looked like it was from Japan."
"I guess the director didn't care," he continued. "But if the movie was about Japan, would they have treated the Japanese that way?"
A recurring complaint here is about a final scene where befuddled Korean farmers, goading an ox, look at luxury cars that James Bond has dropped, upended, in a rice paddy. While North Korean agriculture plods along on ox power, South Koreans say the only ox carts seen here are in museums.
The correct image of South Korea, people say, is a nation with among the world's highest rates of cellphone ownership, high-speed Internet access and college-educated youth.
Then there is a scene where an American officer orders a South Korea military mobilization, which prompted someone to write in an Internet chat room that "Korea in the movie is viewed as America's colony."
After watching the movie today, Kim Yu Min, a 24-year-old office worker, said, "My girlfriends said, `At least James Bond doesn't go to bed with a Korean girl.' "
20th Century Fox, which distributes the MGM movie, has worked hard to try to smooth ruffled feathers here, a nation of 43 million people that is now the 10th-largest foreign box office territory for American movies.
Lee Joo Sung, president of 20th Century Fox Korea, told opinion makers at one showing here: "It's a movie. Not reality. Viewers must understand that it's fiction."
The movie, which stars Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry and is already expected to be the most lucrative Bond movie yet, ran into early controversy when a South Korean actor, Cha In Pyo, turned down the bad-guy role, normally a coveted ticket to Hollywood stardom. He became a local hero last fall when he told reporters that the script was "demeaning."
Rick Yune, the Korean-American actor who stars as the movie's crazed North Korean officer, has found himself at news conferences here parrying hostile questions from reporters concerned about South Korea's image. In one burst of patriotism, Lee Jung Hyun, a pop singer, declined an invitation to appear alongside Mr. Yune on a popular talk show, "Happiness Channel."
North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency has obligingly given MGM free publicity by playing true to character.
Two weeks before the release here and well before pirated copies could have made their way to reviewers in North Korea, the news agency denounced the film as a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that clearly proved that the United States was "the root cause of all disasters and misfortune of the Korean nation."
Where in the film does it say that Bond and Halle are making love in Korea? It could be a coastal part of Japan. But who cares? This is the best kind of free publicity any film could wish for.
South Korean Cinema Pulls James Bond Film
January 8, 2003 - Japan Today
SEOUL — Bowing to public pressure, a cinema outside Seoul has canceled the showing of the latest James Bond movie, which South Korean critics say unfairly depicts their communist neighbor as a diabolically evil regime.
Only days after its opening, Broadway Cinema decided last Friday to halt the showings because of low audience turnout and sour public sentiment, theater worker Shin Sun-im said Monday. The film was scheduled for a two-week run at the movie house.
"Die Another Day," which features a North Korean villain, has come under attack throughout South Korea since its New Year's Eve premiere here. On Monday, a small group of South Korean students and civic activists in Seoul called for a nationwide boycott of the film. Before the film's release, North Korea slammed it as the latest example of "corrupt sex culture" in the United States.
In the movie, Bond is sent to North Korea to investigate a rogue communist officer who is planning an invasion of South Korea. The British spy is caught, imprisoned and subjected to torture. Later, the North Korean officer uses a satellite-based laser to burn a swath through the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas. His plot is foiled by Bond and an American agent.
Despite calls for a boycott, many South Koreans are watching the movie. Local media reported Monday that the movie ranked fifth in audience draw.
Too bad, now the film will be made into an illegal DVD or VHS and sold on the Korean streets. This is what they call 'free market'.
OSCAR Snubs OO7 Special Effects And Sound
January 9, 2003 - Variety
It's definitely the year of the digital character as a cast of computer-generated beings are featured prominently in the seven pictures tapped to compete in February for the visual f/x Oscar nomination. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences on Wednesday revealed its f/x and sound editing selections, with George Lucas (news)' Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound having plenty of reason for celebration.
The f/x behemoth once again dominated the list, snaring four of the seven slots with "Harry Potter (news - web sites) and the Chamber of Secrets," "Men in Black II," "Minority Report" and "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones." While ILM was the lead house on "Harry Potter," British f/x shops Mill Film, Cinesite and Moving Picture Co. also provided visuals for that picture.
Sony Pictures Imageworks received a nod for its work on "Spider-Man" and for its contributions to "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," though the main f/x studio for the fantasy sequel was once again New Zealand-based WETA Digital.
WETA walked away from last year's Oscar ceremony with the best f/x trophy for its work on "The Fellowship of the Ring."
The seventh picture in the running is "XXX," whose computer-generated visuals were created by Digital Domain. The picture is the only one on the list dominated by physical rather than digital f/x.
The seven selections signal a year in which live-action pictures starring digital characters in digital settings clearly impressed voters. WETA's work in creating the character of Gollum in "Rings" has been particularly celebrated, with its amalgam of a digitally made-over human actor, but "Spider-Man," "Potter," "MIB II" and "Star Wars" also extensively feature digitally created characters with significant roles.
Among surprise omissions in the list were "Stuart Little 2," a live-action pic that featured three major digital characters, including the lead mouse, and "Die Another Day," the latest James Bond actioner from MGM, which boasted considerably more effects than any of the previous 19 outings.
Leaders of the f/x teams on the seven movies in contention will put together 15-minute reels of their work for the Feb. 5 "bakeoff" at the Academy, where the f/x branch will choose three Oscar nominees. Oscar nominations are announced Feb. 11.
Meanwhile, in the sound editing category, "Potter," "Rings," "Report," "Spider-Man" and "XXX" made the semifinalist list. They were joined by "Road to Perdition" and "We Were Soldiers." Skywalker Sound worked on three of the pictures -- "Potter," "Rings" and "Report."
As with f/x, each picture's sound team will compile a 10-minute reel for a bakeoff to be held Feb. 4. Voters select the three nominees for Oscar consideration.
Typical when it comes to OSCAR. They have snubbed the Bond series for years. Only offering best sound for Goldfinger and best special effects for Thunderball. Diamonds Are Forever was nominated for best sound and lost. The Spy Who Loved Me had the most nominations and didn't win one award. Moonraker had competition with Star Trek and Alien. And the last time Bond was nominated was for Best Song in For Your Eyes Only. However, Cubby Broccoli did receive the Thalberg Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1982.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Manuscript Soars at Sale
January 10, 2003 - Reuters
Rare original manuscripts for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, one of the best-loved childrens' stories of all time, fetched a sky high price at auction in London Thursday.
"They sold for 29,290 pounds ($46,250) in very competitive bidding," a spokeswoman for auction house Sotheby's told Reuters. The presale estimate for the documents was 12-15,000 pounds. The buyer's identity has not been revealed.
The novel of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the flying car with the bubbly personality, was originally penned by James Bond author Ian Fleming in 1961 as he recovered after a heart attack and is based on stories he used to tell his son.
The work prompted Fleming to complain to his publishers they never gave him a moment's rest.
Originally written as three stories but published in 1964 under the name of Ian Lancaster as one, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was an instant success.
It was made into a classic children's film in 1968 with Dick Van Dyke (news) and Sally Ann Howes in the leading roles, and 34 years later has had a new lease of life as a hugely popular London stage musical.
Fleming manuscripts are extremely rare. The major Fleming collection held by the Lilly Library at Indiana University does not even include typescript of Chitty, Sotheby's said.
Fantasmagorical!
DVD Pirates Add Extra Credit To Die Another Day
January 15, 2003 - Reuters
Taiwan's Justice Minister has warned video compact-disc pirates not to underestimate the government's resolve to root out rampant piracy after counterfeiters taunted him by tagging pirated movies with this credit: 'Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!'
ON A TV news footage recently, a DVD player was shown playing the credits of the latest James Bond thriller Die Another day (above), but the pirates had added a sub-credit onto the video which read: "Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!" This was an open challenge to Mr Chen, Taiwan's Justice Minister.
'This is an open challenge to government authority. If you have guts, don't run away,' said an outraged Mr. Chen in comments broadcast on a cable news network yesterday. 'It is unbelievable and unforgivable. If these pirates believe that they will never be caught, they are dreaming,' the minister said.
The minister's warning came after pirated VCDs seized by police featured the challenge at the beginning of the movies. A television news report on Monday had said that the pirated editions of many new movies, such as Die Another Day and Hero, were now available on both VCDs and DVDs at the price of NT$100 (S$5) each at night markets.
Die Another Day, the latest James Bond thriller, is officially scheduled to start showing in Taiwan theatres on Jan 31 while Hero by Chinese director Zhang Yimou is scheduled to start showing on Friday. Its mainland distributor said that vigilant steps to prevent piracy, including requiring viewers to pass through metal detectors at early screenings, were a key factor in the movie's success.
Assistant US trade representative Joseph Papovich said during an October visit that Taiwan was considered one of the largest producers and exporters of pirated CDs, DVDs and other optical discs in Asia and one of the largest producers in the world.--Reuters, AFP
And to prove that theory just log onto Ebay and check out how many DVDs are sent from Taiwan.
NightFire Comes To GameBoy Advance
January 20, 2003 - by Tommy Craig for VideoGameCity
Product Description Get deep into the excitement and intrigue of the most complete James Bond game yet. All-new scenarios and gameplay complement a completely original storyline that delivers all-out Bond-style intensity on the handheld systems.
James Bond 007: NightFire for the Gameboy Advance video game system promises to take players higher and deeper than ever before. As Bond, players will operate in the Austrian Alps, a Japanese highrise, an island in the South Pacific, and even in a zero-gravity space station to defeat the evil criminal mastermind Raphael Drake.
NightFire will offer a deep gameplay experience that will stay true to the Bond universe. For the first time on a handheld system the Bond game is seen through a first person perspective. Adding to the legacy of the Bond universe will be the use of Pierce Brosnan's image for the Bond character. NightFire will feature a variety of missions filled with action and stealth, gorgeous women, and spy-craft gadgetry that Bond fans expect.
Each of the various locations in NightFire will contain challenging missions and objectives. The game will feature new and familiar characters from the Bond universe, including Zoe Nightshade (from EA's previous Bond game, James Bond 007 in... Agent Under FireTM). Players can blast through each level using weaponry or rely on tricks and gadgets to accomplish objectives and maximize scores.
Key Features: Go higher and deeper than any previous Bond game both in locales and gameplay. Original single-player storyline with new and familiar characters from the Bond universe. Features Pierce Brosnan's likeness as Bond. First person perspective. Various exotic locations worldwide filled with challenging missions and objectives. Nine levels of single-player action. New upgradeable Q-lab gadgets, some exclusive to console versions, advanced camera system, and original missions including zero-gravity assignments.
Well when it comes to this game you've got to hand it to EA.
Elton Says Madonna Will 'Kill Him' For Slamming Her Bond Theme
January 23, 2003 - by Darryl Morden for Launch
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
Sports car maker Lotus is to end production of its Esprit model at the end of this year. The Esprit was made famous when it was used in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me as a 'submarine car'.
It has been produced at Lotus's headquarters near Norwich for more than 25 years. A Lotus spokesman said the company planned to create a new Esprit which would be unveiled in a few years' time. The company plans to concentrate on the development of the Elise sports car.
Around 10,000 Esprits have been built since 1976 and the company expects about another 140 to roll off the production line. It is thought that around 30 people working on the Esprit production line will be redeployed within the Lotus group.
Deep sixed again!
The Power of Film: A Bond That Unites Koreans
January 2, 2003 - by James Brooke for The New York Times
SEOUL, South Korea, — In real life, President Bush wrestles with policies to force North Korea to stop selling missiles and making atom bombs.
On the big screen, at movie theaters here today, James Bond wrestled with a crazed North Korean colonel who was using a space-based laser to burn a massive hole in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea.
"The U.S. put North Korea in 'the axis of evil' and then the director merely followed the plot," said Kim So Won, a 19-year-old student taking a break from a New Year's Eve anti-American rally.
As her girlfriends nodded, she added, "We won't go see the movie."
The new 007 movie, "Die Another Day," opened here on New Year's Eve to a fledgling boycott. But reflecting the love-hate relationship with the United States — the fact that James Bond is British is a fine point lost on many people here — there were long lines of people waiting to see the film at the Seoul Theater.
Min Kyung Woo, a 28-year-old pacifist, lined up too, but on a picket line. "This is Hollywood's strategy toward Northeast Asia," said Mr. Min, who had not been converted by a pre-release showing of the movie intended by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to head off a boycott here.
"The movie industry is related to politics," he said.
Indeed, the boycott has been fueled by rising anti-American sentiment and the feeling among many here that North Koreans are replacing Colombians as Hollywood's current international bad guys.
"North Korean criminals in the movie are no different from Iraqi, Cuban or Russian terrorists, who easily commit mass murders in Hollywood action movies," the newspaper JoongAng Ilbo said in apparent surprise at the Bondian depiction of state-sponsored torture in North Korea, a nation that ranks high atop many "worst" lists compiled by international human rights groups.
While North and South Korea remain bitterly divided, judging by such reviews and those of some moviegoers here, the two sides have finally found common ground when confronting 007.
"I think there is plenty for Koreans to complain about in this movie," Doug E. Shin, a Korean-American pastor from Los Angeles, said as he walked in a jostling, and largely merry, flood of young South Koreans leaving a showing tonight. "Half the North Koreans were speaking with South Korean accents. That ox looked like it was from the Philippines. That shack at the end looked like it was from Japan."
"I guess the director didn't care," he continued. "But if the movie was about Japan, would they have treated the Japanese that way?"
A recurring complaint here is about a final scene where befuddled Korean farmers, goading an ox, look at luxury cars that James Bond has dropped, upended, in a rice paddy. While North Korean agriculture plods along on ox power, South Koreans say the only ox carts seen here are in museums.
The correct image of South Korea, people say, is a nation with among the world's highest rates of cellphone ownership, high-speed Internet access and college-educated youth.
Then there is a scene where an American officer orders a South Korea military mobilization, which prompted someone to write in an Internet chat room that "Korea in the movie is viewed as America's colony."
After watching the movie today, Kim Yu Min, a 24-year-old office worker, said, "My girlfriends said, `At least James Bond doesn't go to bed with a Korean girl.' "
20th Century Fox, which distributes the MGM movie, has worked hard to try to smooth ruffled feathers here, a nation of 43 million people that is now the 10th-largest foreign box office territory for American movies.
Lee Joo Sung, president of 20th Century Fox Korea, told opinion makers at one showing here: "It's a movie. Not reality. Viewers must understand that it's fiction."
The movie, which stars Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry and is already expected to be the most lucrative Bond movie yet, ran into early controversy when a South Korean actor, Cha In Pyo, turned down the bad-guy role, normally a coveted ticket to Hollywood stardom. He became a local hero last fall when he told reporters that the script was "demeaning."
Rick Yune, the Korean-American actor who stars as the movie's crazed North Korean officer, has found himself at news conferences here parrying hostile questions from reporters concerned about South Korea's image. In one burst of patriotism, Lee Jung Hyun, a pop singer, declined an invitation to appear alongside Mr. Yune on a popular talk show, "Happiness Channel."
North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency has obligingly given MGM free publicity by playing true to character.
Two weeks before the release here and well before pirated copies could have made their way to reviewers in North Korea, the news agency denounced the film as a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that clearly proved that the United States was "the root cause of all disasters and misfortune of the Korean nation."
Where in the film does it say that Bond and Halle are making love in Korea? It could be a coastal part of Japan. But who cares? This is the best kind of free publicity any film could wish for.
South Korean Cinema Pulls James Bond Film
January 8, 2003 - Japan Today
SEOUL — Bowing to public pressure, a cinema outside Seoul has canceled the showing of the latest James Bond movie, which South Korean critics say unfairly depicts their communist neighbor as a diabolically evil regime.
Only days after its opening, Broadway Cinema decided last Friday to halt the showings because of low audience turnout and sour public sentiment, theater worker Shin Sun-im said Monday. The film was scheduled for a two-week run at the movie house.
"Die Another Day," which features a North Korean villain, has come under attack throughout South Korea since its New Year's Eve premiere here. On Monday, a small group of South Korean students and civic activists in Seoul called for a nationwide boycott of the film. Before the film's release, North Korea slammed it as the latest example of "corrupt sex culture" in the United States.
In the movie, Bond is sent to North Korea to investigate a rogue communist officer who is planning an invasion of South Korea. The British spy is caught, imprisoned and subjected to torture. Later, the North Korean officer uses a satellite-based laser to burn a swath through the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas. His plot is foiled by Bond and an American agent.
Despite calls for a boycott, many South Koreans are watching the movie. Local media reported Monday that the movie ranked fifth in audience draw.
Too bad, now the film will be made into an illegal DVD or VHS and sold on the Korean streets. This is what they call 'free market'.
OSCAR Snubs OO7 Special Effects And Sound
January 9, 2003 - Variety
It's definitely the year of the digital character as a cast of computer-generated beings are featured prominently in the seven pictures tapped to compete in February for the visual f/x Oscar nomination. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences on Wednesday revealed its f/x and sound editing selections, with George Lucas (news)' Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound having plenty of reason for celebration.
The f/x behemoth once again dominated the list, snaring four of the seven slots with "Harry Potter (news - web sites) and the Chamber of Secrets," "Men in Black II," "Minority Report" and "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones." While ILM was the lead house on "Harry Potter," British f/x shops Mill Film, Cinesite and Moving Picture Co. also provided visuals for that picture.
Sony Pictures Imageworks received a nod for its work on "Spider-Man" and for its contributions to "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," though the main f/x studio for the fantasy sequel was once again New Zealand-based WETA Digital.
WETA walked away from last year's Oscar ceremony with the best f/x trophy for its work on "The Fellowship of the Ring."
The seventh picture in the running is "XXX," whose computer-generated visuals were created by Digital Domain. The picture is the only one on the list dominated by physical rather than digital f/x.
The seven selections signal a year in which live-action pictures starring digital characters in digital settings clearly impressed voters. WETA's work in creating the character of Gollum in "Rings" has been particularly celebrated, with its amalgam of a digitally made-over human actor, but "Spider-Man," "Potter," "MIB II" and "Star Wars" also extensively feature digitally created characters with significant roles.
Among surprise omissions in the list were "Stuart Little 2," a live-action pic that featured three major digital characters, including the lead mouse, and "Die Another Day," the latest James Bond actioner from MGM, which boasted considerably more effects than any of the previous 19 outings.
Leaders of the f/x teams on the seven movies in contention will put together 15-minute reels of their work for the Feb. 5 "bakeoff" at the Academy, where the f/x branch will choose three Oscar nominees. Oscar nominations are announced Feb. 11.
Meanwhile, in the sound editing category, "Potter," "Rings," "Report," "Spider-Man" and "XXX" made the semifinalist list. They were joined by "Road to Perdition" and "We Were Soldiers." Skywalker Sound worked on three of the pictures -- "Potter," "Rings" and "Report."
As with f/x, each picture's sound team will compile a 10-minute reel for a bakeoff to be held Feb. 4. Voters select the three nominees for Oscar consideration.
Typical when it comes to OSCAR. They have snubbed the Bond series for years. Only offering best sound for Goldfinger and best special effects for Thunderball. Diamonds Are Forever was nominated for best sound and lost. The Spy Who Loved Me had the most nominations and didn't win one award. Moonraker had competition with Star Trek and Alien. And the last time Bond was nominated was for Best Song in For Your Eyes Only. However, Cubby Broccoli did receive the Thalberg Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1982.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Manuscript Soars at Sale
January 10, 2003 - Reuters
Rare original manuscripts for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, one of the best-loved childrens' stories of all time, fetched a sky high price at auction in London Thursday.
"They sold for 29,290 pounds ($46,250) in very competitive bidding," a spokeswoman for auction house Sotheby's told Reuters. The presale estimate for the documents was 12-15,000 pounds. The buyer's identity has not been revealed.
The novel of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the flying car with the bubbly personality, was originally penned by James Bond author Ian Fleming in 1961 as he recovered after a heart attack and is based on stories he used to tell his son.
The work prompted Fleming to complain to his publishers they never gave him a moment's rest.
Originally written as three stories but published in 1964 under the name of Ian Lancaster as one, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was an instant success.
It was made into a classic children's film in 1968 with Dick Van Dyke (news) and Sally Ann Howes in the leading roles, and 34 years later has had a new lease of life as a hugely popular London stage musical.
Fleming manuscripts are extremely rare. The major Fleming collection held by the Lilly Library at Indiana University does not even include typescript of Chitty, Sotheby's said.
Fantasmagorical!
DVD Pirates Add Extra Credit To Die Another Day
January 15, 2003 - Reuters
Taiwan's Justice Minister has warned video compact-disc pirates not to underestimate the government's resolve to root out rampant piracy after counterfeiters taunted him by tagging pirated movies with this credit: 'Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!'
ON A TV news footage recently, a DVD player was shown playing the credits of the latest James Bond thriller Die Another day (above), but the pirates had added a sub-credit onto the video which read: "Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!" This was an open challenge to Mr Chen, Taiwan's Justice Minister.
'This is an open challenge to government authority. If you have guts, don't run away,' said an outraged Mr. Chen in comments broadcast on a cable news network yesterday. 'It is unbelievable and unforgivable. If these pirates believe that they will never be caught, they are dreaming,' the minister said.
The minister's warning came after pirated VCDs seized by police featured the challenge at the beginning of the movies. A television news report on Monday had said that the pirated editions of many new movies, such as Die Another Day and Hero, were now available on both VCDs and DVDs at the price of NT$100 (S$5) each at night markets.
Die Another Day, the latest James Bond thriller, is officially scheduled to start showing in Taiwan theatres on Jan 31 while Hero by Chinese director Zhang Yimou is scheduled to start showing on Friday. Its mainland distributor said that vigilant steps to prevent piracy, including requiring viewers to pass through metal detectors at early screenings, were a key factor in the movie's success.
Assistant US trade representative Joseph Papovich said during an October visit that Taiwan was considered one of the largest producers and exporters of pirated CDs, DVDs and other optical discs in Asia and one of the largest producers in the world.--Reuters, AFP
And to prove that theory just log onto Ebay and check out how many DVDs are sent from Taiwan.
NightFire Comes To GameBoy Advance
January 20, 2003 - by Tommy Craig for VideoGameCity
Product Description Get deep into the excitement and intrigue of the most complete James Bond game yet. All-new scenarios and gameplay complement a completely original storyline that delivers all-out Bond-style intensity on the handheld systems.
James Bond 007: NightFire for the Gameboy Advance video game system promises to take players higher and deeper than ever before. As Bond, players will operate in the Austrian Alps, a Japanese highrise, an island in the South Pacific, and even in a zero-gravity space station to defeat the evil criminal mastermind Raphael Drake.
NightFire will offer a deep gameplay experience that will stay true to the Bond universe. For the first time on a handheld system the Bond game is seen through a first person perspective. Adding to the legacy of the Bond universe will be the use of Pierce Brosnan's image for the Bond character. NightFire will feature a variety of missions filled with action and stealth, gorgeous women, and spy-craft gadgetry that Bond fans expect.
Each of the various locations in NightFire will contain challenging missions and objectives. The game will feature new and familiar characters from the Bond universe, including Zoe Nightshade (from EA's previous Bond game, James Bond 007 in... Agent Under FireTM). Players can blast through each level using weaponry or rely on tricks and gadgets to accomplish objectives and maximize scores.
Key Features: Go higher and deeper than any previous Bond game both in locales and gameplay. Original single-player storyline with new and familiar characters from the Bond universe. Features Pierce Brosnan's likeness as Bond. First person perspective. Various exotic locations worldwide filled with challenging missions and objectives. Nine levels of single-player action. New upgradeable Q-lab gadgets, some exclusive to console versions, advanced camera system, and original missions including zero-gravity assignments.
Well when it comes to this game you've got to hand it to EA.
Elton Says Madonna Will 'Kill Him' For Slamming Her Bond Theme
January 23, 2003 - by Darryl Morden for Launch
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
Deep sixed again!
The Power of Film: A Bond That Unites Koreans
January 2, 2003 - by James Brooke for The New York Times
SEOUL, South Korea, — In real life, President Bush wrestles with policies to force North Korea to stop selling missiles and making atom bombs.
On the big screen, at movie theaters here today, James Bond wrestled with a crazed North Korean colonel who was using a space-based laser to burn a massive hole in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea.
"The U.S. put North Korea in 'the axis of evil' and then the director merely followed the plot," said Kim So Won, a 19-year-old student taking a break from a New Year's Eve anti-American rally.
As her girlfriends nodded, she added, "We won't go see the movie."
The new 007 movie, "Die Another Day," opened here on New Year's Eve to a fledgling boycott. But reflecting the love-hate relationship with the United States — the fact that James Bond is British is a fine point lost on many people here — there were long lines of people waiting to see the film at the Seoul Theater.
Min Kyung Woo, a 28-year-old pacifist, lined up too, but on a picket line. "This is Hollywood's strategy toward Northeast Asia," said Mr. Min, who had not been converted by a pre-release showing of the movie intended by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to head off a boycott here.
"The movie industry is related to politics," he said.
Indeed, the boycott has been fueled by rising anti-American sentiment and the feeling among many here that North Koreans are replacing Colombians as Hollywood's current international bad guys.
"North Korean criminals in the movie are no different from Iraqi, Cuban or Russian terrorists, who easily commit mass murders in Hollywood action movies," the newspaper JoongAng Ilbo said in apparent surprise at the Bondian depiction of state-sponsored torture in North Korea, a nation that ranks high atop many "worst" lists compiled by international human rights groups.
While North and South Korea remain bitterly divided, judging by such reviews and those of some moviegoers here, the two sides have finally found common ground when confronting 007.
"I think there is plenty for Koreans to complain about in this movie," Doug E. Shin, a Korean-American pastor from Los Angeles, said as he walked in a jostling, and largely merry, flood of young South Koreans leaving a showing tonight. "Half the North Koreans were speaking with South Korean accents. That ox looked like it was from the Philippines. That shack at the end looked like it was from Japan."
"I guess the director didn't care," he continued. "But if the movie was about Japan, would they have treated the Japanese that way?"
A recurring complaint here is about a final scene where befuddled Korean farmers, goading an ox, look at luxury cars that James Bond has dropped, upended, in a rice paddy. While North Korean agriculture plods along on ox power, South Koreans say the only ox carts seen here are in museums.
The correct image of South Korea, people say, is a nation with among the world's highest rates of cellphone ownership, high-speed Internet access and college-educated youth.
Then there is a scene where an American officer orders a South Korea military mobilization, which prompted someone to write in an Internet chat room that "Korea in the movie is viewed as America's colony."
After watching the movie today, Kim Yu Min, a 24-year-old office worker, said, "My girlfriends said, `At least James Bond doesn't go to bed with a Korean girl.' "
20th Century Fox, which distributes the MGM movie, has worked hard to try to smooth ruffled feathers here, a nation of 43 million people that is now the 10th-largest foreign box office territory for American movies.
Lee Joo Sung, president of 20th Century Fox Korea, told opinion makers at one showing here: "It's a movie. Not reality. Viewers must understand that it's fiction."
The movie, which stars Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry and is already expected to be the most lucrative Bond movie yet, ran into early controversy when a South Korean actor, Cha In Pyo, turned down the bad-guy role, normally a coveted ticket to Hollywood stardom. He became a local hero last fall when he told reporters that the script was "demeaning."
Rick Yune, the Korean-American actor who stars as the movie's crazed North Korean officer, has found himself at news conferences here parrying hostile questions from reporters concerned about South Korea's image. In one burst of patriotism, Lee Jung Hyun, a pop singer, declined an invitation to appear alongside Mr. Yune on a popular talk show, "Happiness Channel."
North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency has obligingly given MGM free publicity by playing true to character.
Two weeks before the release here and well before pirated copies could have made their way to reviewers in North Korea, the news agency denounced the film as a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that clearly proved that the United States was "the root cause of all disasters and misfortune of the Korean nation."
Where in the film does it say that Bond and Halle are making love in Korea? It could be a coastal part of Japan. But who cares? This is the best kind of free publicity any film could wish for.
South Korean Cinema Pulls James Bond Film
January 8, 2003 - Japan Today
SEOUL — Bowing to public pressure, a cinema outside Seoul has canceled the showing of the latest James Bond movie, which South Korean critics say unfairly depicts their communist neighbor as a diabolically evil regime.
Only days after its opening, Broadway Cinema decided last Friday to halt the showings because of low audience turnout and sour public sentiment, theater worker Shin Sun-im said Monday. The film was scheduled for a two-week run at the movie house.
"Die Another Day," which features a North Korean villain, has come under attack throughout South Korea since its New Year's Eve premiere here. On Monday, a small group of South Korean students and civic activists in Seoul called for a nationwide boycott of the film. Before the film's release, North Korea slammed it as the latest example of "corrupt sex culture" in the United States.
In the movie, Bond is sent to North Korea to investigate a rogue communist officer who is planning an invasion of South Korea. The British spy is caught, imprisoned and subjected to torture. Later, the North Korean officer uses a satellite-based laser to burn a swath through the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas. His plot is foiled by Bond and an American agent.
Despite calls for a boycott, many South Koreans are watching the movie. Local media reported Monday that the movie ranked fifth in audience draw.
Too bad, now the film will be made into an illegal DVD or VHS and sold on the Korean streets. This is what they call 'free market'.
OSCAR Snubs OO7 Special Effects And Sound
January 9, 2003 - Variety
It's definitely the year of the digital character as a cast of computer-generated beings are featured prominently in the seven pictures tapped to compete in February for the visual f/x Oscar nomination. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences on Wednesday revealed its f/x and sound editing selections, with George Lucas (news)' Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound having plenty of reason for celebration.
The f/x behemoth once again dominated the list, snaring four of the seven slots with "Harry Potter (news - web sites) and the Chamber of Secrets," "Men in Black II," "Minority Report" and "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones." While ILM was the lead house on "Harry Potter," British f/x shops Mill Film, Cinesite and Moving Picture Co. also provided visuals for that picture.
Sony Pictures Imageworks received a nod for its work on "Spider-Man" and for its contributions to "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," though the main f/x studio for the fantasy sequel was once again New Zealand-based WETA Digital.
WETA walked away from last year's Oscar ceremony with the best f/x trophy for its work on "The Fellowship of the Ring."
The seventh picture in the running is "XXX," whose computer-generated visuals were created by Digital Domain. The picture is the only one on the list dominated by physical rather than digital f/x.
The seven selections signal a year in which live-action pictures starring digital characters in digital settings clearly impressed voters. WETA's work in creating the character of Gollum in "Rings" has been particularly celebrated, with its amalgam of a digitally made-over human actor, but "Spider-Man," "Potter," "MIB II" and "Star Wars" also extensively feature digitally created characters with significant roles.
Among surprise omissions in the list were "Stuart Little 2," a live-action pic that featured three major digital characters, including the lead mouse, and "Die Another Day," the latest James Bond actioner from MGM, which boasted considerably more effects than any of the previous 19 outings.
Leaders of the f/x teams on the seven movies in contention will put together 15-minute reels of their work for the Feb. 5 "bakeoff" at the Academy, where the f/x branch will choose three Oscar nominees. Oscar nominations are announced Feb. 11.
Meanwhile, in the sound editing category, "Potter," "Rings," "Report," "Spider-Man" and "XXX" made the semifinalist list. They were joined by "Road to Perdition" and "We Were Soldiers." Skywalker Sound worked on three of the pictures -- "Potter," "Rings" and "Report."
As with f/x, each picture's sound team will compile a 10-minute reel for a bakeoff to be held Feb. 4. Voters select the three nominees for Oscar consideration.
Typical when it comes to OSCAR. They have snubbed the Bond series for years. Only offering best sound for Goldfinger and best special effects for Thunderball. Diamonds Are Forever was nominated for best sound and lost. The Spy Who Loved Me had the most nominations and didn't win one award. Moonraker had competition with Star Trek and Alien. And the last time Bond was nominated was for Best Song in For Your Eyes Only. However, Cubby Broccoli did receive the Thalberg Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1982.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Manuscript Soars at Sale
January 10, 2003 - Reuters
Rare original manuscripts for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, one of the best-loved childrens' stories of all time, fetched a sky high price at auction in London Thursday.
"They sold for 29,290 pounds ($46,250) in very competitive bidding," a spokeswoman for auction house Sotheby's told Reuters. The presale estimate for the documents was 12-15,000 pounds. The buyer's identity has not been revealed.
The novel of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the flying car with the bubbly personality, was originally penned by James Bond author Ian Fleming in 1961 as he recovered after a heart attack and is based on stories he used to tell his son.
The work prompted Fleming to complain to his publishers they never gave him a moment's rest.
Originally written as three stories but published in 1964 under the name of Ian Lancaster as one, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was an instant success.
It was made into a classic children's film in 1968 with Dick Van Dyke (news) and Sally Ann Howes in the leading roles, and 34 years later has had a new lease of life as a hugely popular London stage musical.
Fleming manuscripts are extremely rare. The major Fleming collection held by the Lilly Library at Indiana University does not even include typescript of Chitty, Sotheby's said.
Fantasmagorical!
DVD Pirates Add Extra Credit To Die Another Day
January 15, 2003 - Reuters
Taiwan's Justice Minister has warned video compact-disc pirates not to underestimate the government's resolve to root out rampant piracy after counterfeiters taunted him by tagging pirated movies with this credit: 'Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!'
ON A TV news footage recently, a DVD player was shown playing the credits of the latest James Bond thriller Die Another day (above), but the pirates had added a sub-credit onto the video which read: "Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!" This was an open challenge to Mr Chen, Taiwan's Justice Minister.
'This is an open challenge to government authority. If you have guts, don't run away,' said an outraged Mr. Chen in comments broadcast on a cable news network yesterday. 'It is unbelievable and unforgivable. If these pirates believe that they will never be caught, they are dreaming,' the minister said.
The minister's warning came after pirated VCDs seized by police featured the challenge at the beginning of the movies. A television news report on Monday had said that the pirated editions of many new movies, such as Die Another Day and Hero, were now available on both VCDs and DVDs at the price of NT$100 (S$5) each at night markets.
Die Another Day, the latest James Bond thriller, is officially scheduled to start showing in Taiwan theatres on Jan 31 while Hero by Chinese director Zhang Yimou is scheduled to start showing on Friday. Its mainland distributor said that vigilant steps to prevent piracy, including requiring viewers to pass through metal detectors at early screenings, were a key factor in the movie's success.
Assistant US trade representative Joseph Papovich said during an October visit that Taiwan was considered one of the largest producers and exporters of pirated CDs, DVDs and other optical discs in Asia and one of the largest producers in the world.--Reuters, AFP
And to prove that theory just log onto Ebay and check out how many DVDs are sent from Taiwan.
NightFire Comes To GameBoy Advance
January 20, 2003 - by Tommy Craig for VideoGameCity
Product Description Get deep into the excitement and intrigue of the most complete James Bond game yet. All-new scenarios and gameplay complement a completely original storyline that delivers all-out Bond-style intensity on the handheld systems.
James Bond 007: NightFire for the Gameboy Advance video game system promises to take players higher and deeper than ever before. As Bond, players will operate in the Austrian Alps, a Japanese highrise, an island in the South Pacific, and even in a zero-gravity space station to defeat the evil criminal mastermind Raphael Drake.
NightFire will offer a deep gameplay experience that will stay true to the Bond universe. For the first time on a handheld system the Bond game is seen through a first person perspective. Adding to the legacy of the Bond universe will be the use of Pierce Brosnan's image for the Bond character. NightFire will feature a variety of missions filled with action and stealth, gorgeous women, and spy-craft gadgetry that Bond fans expect.
Each of the various locations in NightFire will contain challenging missions and objectives. The game will feature new and familiar characters from the Bond universe, including Zoe Nightshade (from EA's previous Bond game, James Bond 007 in... Agent Under FireTM). Players can blast through each level using weaponry or rely on tricks and gadgets to accomplish objectives and maximize scores.
Key Features: Go higher and deeper than any previous Bond game both in locales and gameplay. Original single-player storyline with new and familiar characters from the Bond universe. Features Pierce Brosnan's likeness as Bond. First person perspective. Various exotic locations worldwide filled with challenging missions and objectives. Nine levels of single-player action. New upgradeable Q-lab gadgets, some exclusive to console versions, advanced camera system, and original missions including zero-gravity assignments.
Well when it comes to this game you've got to hand it to EA.
Elton Says Madonna Will 'Kill Him' For Slamming Her Bond Theme
January 23, 2003 - by Darryl Morden for Launch
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
The Power of Film: A Bond That Unites Koreans
January 2, 2003 - by James Brooke for The New York Times
SEOUL, South Korea, — In real life, President Bush wrestles with policies to force North Korea to stop selling missiles and making atom bombs.
On the big screen, at movie theaters here today, James Bond wrestled with a crazed North Korean colonel who was using a space-based laser to burn a massive hole in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea.
"The U.S. put North Korea in 'the axis of evil' and then the director merely followed the plot," said Kim So Won, a 19-year-old student taking a break from a New Year's Eve anti-American rally.
As her girlfriends nodded, she added, "We won't go see the movie."
The new 007 movie, "Die Another Day," opened here on New Year's Eve to a fledgling boycott. But reflecting the love-hate relationship with the United States — the fact that James Bond is British is a fine point lost on many people here — there were long lines of people waiting to see the film at the Seoul Theater.
Min Kyung Woo, a 28-year-old pacifist, lined up too, but on a picket line. "This is Hollywood's strategy toward Northeast Asia," said Mr. Min, who had not been converted by a pre-release showing of the movie intended by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to head off a boycott here.
"The movie industry is related to politics," he said.
Indeed, the boycott has been fueled by rising anti-American sentiment and the feeling among many here that North Koreans are replacing Colombians as Hollywood's current international bad guys.
"North Korean criminals in the movie are no different from Iraqi, Cuban or Russian terrorists, who easily commit mass murders in Hollywood action movies," the newspaper JoongAng Ilbo said in apparent surprise at the Bondian depiction of state-sponsored torture in North Korea, a nation that ranks high atop many "worst" lists compiled by international human rights groups.
While North and South Korea remain bitterly divided, judging by such reviews and those of some moviegoers here, the two sides have finally found common ground when confronting 007.
"I think there is plenty for Koreans to complain about in this movie," Doug E. Shin, a Korean-American pastor from Los Angeles, said as he walked in a jostling, and largely merry, flood of young South Koreans leaving a showing tonight. "Half the North Koreans were speaking with South Korean accents. That ox looked like it was from the Philippines. That shack at the end looked like it was from Japan."
"I guess the director didn't care," he continued. "But if the movie was about Japan, would they have treated the Japanese that way?"
A recurring complaint here is about a final scene where befuddled Korean farmers, goading an ox, look at luxury cars that James Bond has dropped, upended, in a rice paddy. While North Korean agriculture plods along on ox power, South Koreans say the only ox carts seen here are in museums.
The correct image of South Korea, people say, is a nation with among the world's highest rates of cellphone ownership, high-speed Internet access and college-educated youth.
Then there is a scene where an American officer orders a South Korea military mobilization, which prompted someone to write in an Internet chat room that "Korea in the movie is viewed as America's colony."
After watching the movie today, Kim Yu Min, a 24-year-old office worker, said, "My girlfriends said, `At least James Bond doesn't go to bed with a Korean girl.' "
20th Century Fox, which distributes the MGM movie, has worked hard to try to smooth ruffled feathers here, a nation of 43 million people that is now the 10th-largest foreign box office territory for American movies.
Lee Joo Sung, president of 20th Century Fox Korea, told opinion makers at one showing here: "It's a movie. Not reality. Viewers must understand that it's fiction."
The movie, which stars Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry and is already expected to be the most lucrative Bond movie yet, ran into early controversy when a South Korean actor, Cha In Pyo, turned down the bad-guy role, normally a coveted ticket to Hollywood stardom. He became a local hero last fall when he told reporters that the script was "demeaning."
Rick Yune, the Korean-American actor who stars as the movie's crazed North Korean officer, has found himself at news conferences here parrying hostile questions from reporters concerned about South Korea's image. In one burst of patriotism, Lee Jung Hyun, a pop singer, declined an invitation to appear alongside Mr. Yune on a popular talk show, "Happiness Channel."
North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency has obligingly given MGM free publicity by playing true to character.
Two weeks before the release here and well before pirated copies could have made their way to reviewers in North Korea, the news agency denounced the film as a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that clearly proved that the United States was "the root cause of all disasters and misfortune of the Korean nation."
Where in the film does it say that Bond and Halle are making love in Korea? It could be a coastal part of Japan. But who cares? This is the best kind of free publicity any film could wish for.
South Korean Cinema Pulls James Bond Film
January 8, 2003 - Japan Today
SEOUL — Bowing to public pressure, a cinema outside Seoul has canceled the showing of the latest James Bond movie, which South Korean critics say unfairly depicts their communist neighbor as a diabolically evil regime.
Only days after its opening, Broadway Cinema decided last Friday to halt the showings because of low audience turnout and sour public sentiment, theater worker Shin Sun-im said Monday. The film was scheduled for a two-week run at the movie house.
"Die Another Day," which features a North Korean villain, has come under attack throughout South Korea since its New Year's Eve premiere here. On Monday, a small group of South Korean students and civic activists in Seoul called for a nationwide boycott of the film. Before the film's release, North Korea slammed it as the latest example of "corrupt sex culture" in the United States.
In the movie, Bond is sent to North Korea to investigate a rogue communist officer who is planning an invasion of South Korea. The British spy is caught, imprisoned and subjected to torture. Later, the North Korean officer uses a satellite-based laser to burn a swath through the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas. His plot is foiled by Bond and an American agent.
Despite calls for a boycott, many South Koreans are watching the movie. Local media reported Monday that the movie ranked fifth in audience draw.
Too bad, now the film will be made into an illegal DVD or VHS and sold on the Korean streets. This is what they call 'free market'.
OSCAR Snubs OO7 Special Effects And Sound
January 9, 2003 - Variety
It's definitely the year of the digital character as a cast of computer-generated beings are featured prominently in the seven pictures tapped to compete in February for the visual f/x Oscar nomination. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences on Wednesday revealed its f/x and sound editing selections, with George Lucas (news)' Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound having plenty of reason for celebration.
The f/x behemoth once again dominated the list, snaring four of the seven slots with "Harry Potter (news - web sites) and the Chamber of Secrets," "Men in Black II," "Minority Report" and "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones." While ILM was the lead house on "Harry Potter," British f/x shops Mill Film, Cinesite and Moving Picture Co. also provided visuals for that picture.
Sony Pictures Imageworks received a nod for its work on "Spider-Man" and for its contributions to "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," though the main f/x studio for the fantasy sequel was once again New Zealand-based WETA Digital.
WETA walked away from last year's Oscar ceremony with the best f/x trophy for its work on "The Fellowship of the Ring."
The seventh picture in the running is "XXX," whose computer-generated visuals were created by Digital Domain. The picture is the only one on the list dominated by physical rather than digital f/x.
The seven selections signal a year in which live-action pictures starring digital characters in digital settings clearly impressed voters. WETA's work in creating the character of Gollum in "Rings" has been particularly celebrated, with its amalgam of a digitally made-over human actor, but "Spider-Man," "Potter," "MIB II" and "Star Wars" also extensively feature digitally created characters with significant roles.
Among surprise omissions in the list were "Stuart Little 2," a live-action pic that featured three major digital characters, including the lead mouse, and "Die Another Day," the latest James Bond actioner from MGM, which boasted considerably more effects than any of the previous 19 outings.
Leaders of the f/x teams on the seven movies in contention will put together 15-minute reels of their work for the Feb. 5 "bakeoff" at the Academy, where the f/x branch will choose three Oscar nominees. Oscar nominations are announced Feb. 11.
Meanwhile, in the sound editing category, "Potter," "Rings," "Report," "Spider-Man" and "XXX" made the semifinalist list. They were joined by "Road to Perdition" and "We Were Soldiers." Skywalker Sound worked on three of the pictures -- "Potter," "Rings" and "Report."
As with f/x, each picture's sound team will compile a 10-minute reel for a bakeoff to be held Feb. 4. Voters select the three nominees for Oscar consideration.
Typical when it comes to OSCAR. They have snubbed the Bond series for years. Only offering best sound for Goldfinger and best special effects for Thunderball. Diamonds Are Forever was nominated for best sound and lost. The Spy Who Loved Me had the most nominations and didn't win one award. Moonraker had competition with Star Trek and Alien. And the last time Bond was nominated was for Best Song in For Your Eyes Only. However, Cubby Broccoli did receive the Thalberg Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1982.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Manuscript Soars at Sale
January 10, 2003 - Reuters
Rare original manuscripts for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, one of the best-loved childrens' stories of all time, fetched a sky high price at auction in London Thursday.
"They sold for 29,290 pounds ($46,250) in very competitive bidding," a spokeswoman for auction house Sotheby's told Reuters. The presale estimate for the documents was 12-15,000 pounds. The buyer's identity has not been revealed.
The novel of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the flying car with the bubbly personality, was originally penned by James Bond author Ian Fleming in 1961 as he recovered after a heart attack and is based on stories he used to tell his son.
The work prompted Fleming to complain to his publishers they never gave him a moment's rest.
Originally written as three stories but published in 1964 under the name of Ian Lancaster as one, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was an instant success.
It was made into a classic children's film in 1968 with Dick Van Dyke (news) and Sally Ann Howes in the leading roles, and 34 years later has had a new lease of life as a hugely popular London stage musical.
Fleming manuscripts are extremely rare. The major Fleming collection held by the Lilly Library at Indiana University does not even include typescript of Chitty, Sotheby's said.
Fantasmagorical!
DVD Pirates Add Extra Credit To Die Another Day
January 15, 2003 - Reuters
Taiwan's Justice Minister has warned video compact-disc pirates not to underestimate the government's resolve to root out rampant piracy after counterfeiters taunted him by tagging pirated movies with this credit: 'Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!'
ON A TV news footage recently, a DVD player was shown playing the credits of the latest James Bond thriller Die Another day (above), but the pirates had added a sub-credit onto the video which read: "Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!" This was an open challenge to Mr Chen, Taiwan's Justice Minister.
'This is an open challenge to government authority. If you have guts, don't run away,' said an outraged Mr. Chen in comments broadcast on a cable news network yesterday. 'It is unbelievable and unforgivable. If these pirates believe that they will never be caught, they are dreaming,' the minister said.
The minister's warning came after pirated VCDs seized by police featured the challenge at the beginning of the movies. A television news report on Monday had said that the pirated editions of many new movies, such as Die Another Day and Hero, were now available on both VCDs and DVDs at the price of NT$100 (S$5) each at night markets.
Die Another Day, the latest James Bond thriller, is officially scheduled to start showing in Taiwan theatres on Jan 31 while Hero by Chinese director Zhang Yimou is scheduled to start showing on Friday. Its mainland distributor said that vigilant steps to prevent piracy, including requiring viewers to pass through metal detectors at early screenings, were a key factor in the movie's success.
Assistant US trade representative Joseph Papovich said during an October visit that Taiwan was considered one of the largest producers and exporters of pirated CDs, DVDs and other optical discs in Asia and one of the largest producers in the world.--Reuters, AFP
And to prove that theory just log onto Ebay and check out how many DVDs are sent from Taiwan.
NightFire Comes To GameBoy Advance
January 20, 2003 - by Tommy Craig for VideoGameCity
Product Description Get deep into the excitement and intrigue of the most complete James Bond game yet. All-new scenarios and gameplay complement a completely original storyline that delivers all-out Bond-style intensity on the handheld systems.
James Bond 007: NightFire for the Gameboy Advance video game system promises to take players higher and deeper than ever before. As Bond, players will operate in the Austrian Alps, a Japanese highrise, an island in the South Pacific, and even in a zero-gravity space station to defeat the evil criminal mastermind Raphael Drake.
NightFire will offer a deep gameplay experience that will stay true to the Bond universe. For the first time on a handheld system the Bond game is seen through a first person perspective. Adding to the legacy of the Bond universe will be the use of Pierce Brosnan's image for the Bond character. NightFire will feature a variety of missions filled with action and stealth, gorgeous women, and spy-craft gadgetry that Bond fans expect.
Each of the various locations in NightFire will contain challenging missions and objectives. The game will feature new and familiar characters from the Bond universe, including Zoe Nightshade (from EA's previous Bond game, James Bond 007 in... Agent Under FireTM). Players can blast through each level using weaponry or rely on tricks and gadgets to accomplish objectives and maximize scores.
Key Features: Go higher and deeper than any previous Bond game both in locales and gameplay. Original single-player storyline with new and familiar characters from the Bond universe. Features Pierce Brosnan's likeness as Bond. First person perspective. Various exotic locations worldwide filled with challenging missions and objectives. Nine levels of single-player action. New upgradeable Q-lab gadgets, some exclusive to console versions, advanced camera system, and original missions including zero-gravity assignments.
Well when it comes to this game you've got to hand it to EA.
Elton Says Madonna Will 'Kill Him' For Slamming Her Bond Theme
January 23, 2003 - by Darryl Morden for Launch
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
January 2, 2003 - by James Brooke for The New York Times
SEOUL, South Korea, — In real life, President Bush wrestles with policies to force North Korea to stop selling missiles and making atom bombs.
On the big screen, at movie theaters here today, James Bond wrestled with a crazed North Korean colonel who was using a space-based laser to burn a massive hole in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea.
"The U.S. put North Korea in 'the axis of evil' and then the director merely followed the plot," said Kim So Won, a 19-year-old student taking a break from a New Year's Eve anti-American rally.
As her girlfriends nodded, she added, "We won't go see the movie."
The new 007 movie, "Die Another Day," opened here on New Year's Eve to a fledgling boycott. But reflecting the love-hate relationship with the United States — the fact that James Bond is British is a fine point lost on many people here — there were long lines of people waiting to see the film at the Seoul Theater.
Min Kyung Woo, a 28-year-old pacifist, lined up too, but on a picket line. "This is Hollywood's strategy toward Northeast Asia," said Mr. Min, who had not been converted by a pre-release showing of the movie intended by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to head off a boycott here.
"The movie industry is related to politics," he said.
Indeed, the boycott has been fueled by rising anti-American sentiment and the feeling among many here that North Koreans are replacing Colombians as Hollywood's current international bad guys.
"North Korean criminals in the movie are no different from Iraqi, Cuban or Russian terrorists, who easily commit mass murders in Hollywood action movies," the newspaper JoongAng Ilbo said in apparent surprise at the Bondian depiction of state-sponsored torture in North Korea, a nation that ranks high atop many "worst" lists compiled by international human rights groups.
While North and South Korea remain bitterly divided, judging by such reviews and those of some moviegoers here, the two sides have finally found common ground when confronting 007.
"I think there is plenty for Koreans to complain about in this movie," Doug E. Shin, a Korean-American pastor from Los Angeles, said as he walked in a jostling, and largely merry, flood of young South Koreans leaving a showing tonight. "Half the North Koreans were speaking with South Korean accents. That ox looked like it was from the Philippines. That shack at the end looked like it was from Japan."
"I guess the director didn't care," he continued. "But if the movie was about Japan, would they have treated the Japanese that way?"
A recurring complaint here is about a final scene where befuddled Korean farmers, goading an ox, look at luxury cars that James Bond has dropped, upended, in a rice paddy. While North Korean agriculture plods along on ox power, South Koreans say the only ox carts seen here are in museums.
The correct image of South Korea, people say, is a nation with among the world's highest rates of cellphone ownership, high-speed Internet access and college-educated youth.
Then there is a scene where an American officer orders a South Korea military mobilization, which prompted someone to write in an Internet chat room that "Korea in the movie is viewed as America's colony."
After watching the movie today, Kim Yu Min, a 24-year-old office worker, said, "My girlfriends said, `At least James Bond doesn't go to bed with a Korean girl.' "
20th Century Fox, which distributes the MGM movie, has worked hard to try to smooth ruffled feathers here, a nation of 43 million people that is now the 10th-largest foreign box office territory for American movies.
Lee Joo Sung, president of 20th Century Fox Korea, told opinion makers at one showing here: "It's a movie. Not reality. Viewers must understand that it's fiction."
The movie, which stars Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry and is already expected to be the most lucrative Bond movie yet, ran into early controversy when a South Korean actor, Cha In Pyo, turned down the bad-guy role, normally a coveted ticket to Hollywood stardom. He became a local hero last fall when he told reporters that the script was "demeaning."
Rick Yune, the Korean-American actor who stars as the movie's crazed North Korean officer, has found himself at news conferences here parrying hostile questions from reporters concerned about South Korea's image. In one burst of patriotism, Lee Jung Hyun, a pop singer, declined an invitation to appear alongside Mr. Yune on a popular talk show, "Happiness Channel."
North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency has obligingly given MGM free publicity by playing true to character.
Two weeks before the release here and well before pirated copies could have made their way to reviewers in North Korea, the news agency denounced the film as a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that clearly proved that the United States was "the root cause of all disasters and misfortune of the Korean nation."
Where in the film does it say that Bond and Halle are making love in Korea? It could be a coastal part of Japan. But who cares? This is the best kind of free publicity any film could wish for.
South Korean Cinema Pulls James Bond Film
January 8, 2003 - Japan Today
SEOUL — Bowing to public pressure, a cinema outside Seoul has canceled the showing of the latest James Bond movie, which South Korean critics say unfairly depicts their communist neighbor as a diabolically evil regime.
Only days after its opening, Broadway Cinema decided last Friday to halt the showings because of low audience turnout and sour public sentiment, theater worker Shin Sun-im said Monday. The film was scheduled for a two-week run at the movie house.
"Die Another Day," which features a North Korean villain, has come under attack throughout South Korea since its New Year's Eve premiere here. On Monday, a small group of South Korean students and civic activists in Seoul called for a nationwide boycott of the film. Before the film's release, North Korea slammed it as the latest example of "corrupt sex culture" in the United States.
In the movie, Bond is sent to North Korea to investigate a rogue communist officer who is planning an invasion of South Korea. The British spy is caught, imprisoned and subjected to torture. Later, the North Korean officer uses a satellite-based laser to burn a swath through the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas. His plot is foiled by Bond and an American agent.
Despite calls for a boycott, many South Koreans are watching the movie. Local media reported Monday that the movie ranked fifth in audience draw.
Too bad, now the film will be made into an illegal DVD or VHS and sold on the Korean streets. This is what they call 'free market'.
OSCAR Snubs OO7 Special Effects And Sound
January 9, 2003 - Variety
It's definitely the year of the digital character as a cast of computer-generated beings are featured prominently in the seven pictures tapped to compete in February for the visual f/x Oscar nomination. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences on Wednesday revealed its f/x and sound editing selections, with George Lucas (news)' Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound having plenty of reason for celebration.
The f/x behemoth once again dominated the list, snaring four of the seven slots with "Harry Potter (news - web sites) and the Chamber of Secrets," "Men in Black II," "Minority Report" and "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones." While ILM was the lead house on "Harry Potter," British f/x shops Mill Film, Cinesite and Moving Picture Co. also provided visuals for that picture.
Sony Pictures Imageworks received a nod for its work on "Spider-Man" and for its contributions to "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," though the main f/x studio for the fantasy sequel was once again New Zealand-based WETA Digital.
WETA walked away from last year's Oscar ceremony with the best f/x trophy for its work on "The Fellowship of the Ring."
The seventh picture in the running is "XXX," whose computer-generated visuals were created by Digital Domain. The picture is the only one on the list dominated by physical rather than digital f/x.
The seven selections signal a year in which live-action pictures starring digital characters in digital settings clearly impressed voters. WETA's work in creating the character of Gollum in "Rings" has been particularly celebrated, with its amalgam of a digitally made-over human actor, but "Spider-Man," "Potter," "MIB II" and "Star Wars" also extensively feature digitally created characters with significant roles.
Among surprise omissions in the list were "Stuart Little 2," a live-action pic that featured three major digital characters, including the lead mouse, and "Die Another Day," the latest James Bond actioner from MGM, which boasted considerably more effects than any of the previous 19 outings.
Leaders of the f/x teams on the seven movies in contention will put together 15-minute reels of their work for the Feb. 5 "bakeoff" at the Academy, where the f/x branch will choose three Oscar nominees. Oscar nominations are announced Feb. 11.
Meanwhile, in the sound editing category, "Potter," "Rings," "Report," "Spider-Man" and "XXX" made the semifinalist list. They were joined by "Road to Perdition" and "We Were Soldiers." Skywalker Sound worked on three of the pictures -- "Potter," "Rings" and "Report."
As with f/x, each picture's sound team will compile a 10-minute reel for a bakeoff to be held Feb. 4. Voters select the three nominees for Oscar consideration.
Typical when it comes to OSCAR. They have snubbed the Bond series for years. Only offering best sound for Goldfinger and best special effects for Thunderball. Diamonds Are Forever was nominated for best sound and lost. The Spy Who Loved Me had the most nominations and didn't win one award. Moonraker had competition with Star Trek and Alien. And the last time Bond was nominated was for Best Song in For Your Eyes Only. However, Cubby Broccoli did receive the Thalberg Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1982.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Manuscript Soars at Sale
January 10, 2003 - Reuters
Rare original manuscripts for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, one of the best-loved childrens' stories of all time, fetched a sky high price at auction in London Thursday.
"They sold for 29,290 pounds ($46,250) in very competitive bidding," a spokeswoman for auction house Sotheby's told Reuters. The presale estimate for the documents was 12-15,000 pounds. The buyer's identity has not been revealed.
The novel of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the flying car with the bubbly personality, was originally penned by James Bond author Ian Fleming in 1961 as he recovered after a heart attack and is based on stories he used to tell his son.
The work prompted Fleming to complain to his publishers they never gave him a moment's rest.
Originally written as three stories but published in 1964 under the name of Ian Lancaster as one, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was an instant success.
It was made into a classic children's film in 1968 with Dick Van Dyke (news) and Sally Ann Howes in the leading roles, and 34 years later has had a new lease of life as a hugely popular London stage musical.
Fleming manuscripts are extremely rare. The major Fleming collection held by the Lilly Library at Indiana University does not even include typescript of Chitty, Sotheby's said.
Fantasmagorical!
DVD Pirates Add Extra Credit To Die Another Day
January 15, 2003 - Reuters
Taiwan's Justice Minister has warned video compact-disc pirates not to underestimate the government's resolve to root out rampant piracy after counterfeiters taunted him by tagging pirated movies with this credit: 'Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!'
ON A TV news footage recently, a DVD player was shown playing the credits of the latest James Bond thriller Die Another day (above), but the pirates had added a sub-credit onto the video which read: "Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!" This was an open challenge to Mr Chen, Taiwan's Justice Minister.
'This is an open challenge to government authority. If you have guts, don't run away,' said an outraged Mr. Chen in comments broadcast on a cable news network yesterday. 'It is unbelievable and unforgivable. If these pirates believe that they will never be caught, they are dreaming,' the minister said.
The minister's warning came after pirated VCDs seized by police featured the challenge at the beginning of the movies. A television news report on Monday had said that the pirated editions of many new movies, such as Die Another Day and Hero, were now available on both VCDs and DVDs at the price of NT$100 (S$5) each at night markets.
Die Another Day, the latest James Bond thriller, is officially scheduled to start showing in Taiwan theatres on Jan 31 while Hero by Chinese director Zhang Yimou is scheduled to start showing on Friday. Its mainland distributor said that vigilant steps to prevent piracy, including requiring viewers to pass through metal detectors at early screenings, were a key factor in the movie's success.
Assistant US trade representative Joseph Papovich said during an October visit that Taiwan was considered one of the largest producers and exporters of pirated CDs, DVDs and other optical discs in Asia and one of the largest producers in the world.--Reuters, AFP
And to prove that theory just log onto Ebay and check out how many DVDs are sent from Taiwan.
NightFire Comes To GameBoy Advance
January 20, 2003 - by Tommy Craig for VideoGameCity
Product Description Get deep into the excitement and intrigue of the most complete James Bond game yet. All-new scenarios and gameplay complement a completely original storyline that delivers all-out Bond-style intensity on the handheld systems.
James Bond 007: NightFire for the Gameboy Advance video game system promises to take players higher and deeper than ever before. As Bond, players will operate in the Austrian Alps, a Japanese highrise, an island in the South Pacific, and even in a zero-gravity space station to defeat the evil criminal mastermind Raphael Drake.
NightFire will offer a deep gameplay experience that will stay true to the Bond universe. For the first time on a handheld system the Bond game is seen through a first person perspective. Adding to the legacy of the Bond universe will be the use of Pierce Brosnan's image for the Bond character. NightFire will feature a variety of missions filled with action and stealth, gorgeous women, and spy-craft gadgetry that Bond fans expect.
Each of the various locations in NightFire will contain challenging missions and objectives. The game will feature new and familiar characters from the Bond universe, including Zoe Nightshade (from EA's previous Bond game, James Bond 007 in... Agent Under FireTM). Players can blast through each level using weaponry or rely on tricks and gadgets to accomplish objectives and maximize scores.
Key Features: Go higher and deeper than any previous Bond game both in locales and gameplay. Original single-player storyline with new and familiar characters from the Bond universe. Features Pierce Brosnan's likeness as Bond. First person perspective. Various exotic locations worldwide filled with challenging missions and objectives. Nine levels of single-player action. New upgradeable Q-lab gadgets, some exclusive to console versions, advanced camera system, and original missions including zero-gravity assignments.
Well when it comes to this game you've got to hand it to EA.
Elton Says Madonna Will 'Kill Him' For Slamming Her Bond Theme
January 23, 2003 - by Darryl Morden for Launch
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
SEOUL, South Korea, — In real life, President Bush wrestles with policies to force North Korea to stop selling missiles and making atom bombs.
On the big screen, at movie theaters here today, James Bond wrestled with a crazed North Korean colonel who was using a space-based laser to burn a massive hole in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea.
"The U.S. put North Korea in 'the axis of evil' and then the director merely followed the plot," said Kim So Won, a 19-year-old student taking a break from a New Year's Eve anti-American rally.
As her girlfriends nodded, she added, "We won't go see the movie."
The new 007 movie, "Die Another Day," opened here on New Year's Eve to a fledgling boycott. But reflecting the love-hate relationship with the United States — the fact that James Bond is British is a fine point lost on many people here — there were long lines of people waiting to see the film at the Seoul Theater.
Min Kyung Woo, a 28-year-old pacifist, lined up too, but on a picket line. "This is Hollywood's strategy toward Northeast Asia," said Mr. Min, who had not been converted by a pre-release showing of the movie intended by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to head off a boycott here.
"The movie industry is related to politics," he said.
Indeed, the boycott has been fueled by rising anti-American sentiment and the feeling among many here that North Koreans are replacing Colombians as Hollywood's current international bad guys.
"North Korean criminals in the movie are no different from Iraqi, Cuban or Russian terrorists, who easily commit mass murders in Hollywood action movies," the newspaper JoongAng Ilbo said in apparent surprise at the Bondian depiction of state-sponsored torture in North Korea, a nation that ranks high atop many "worst" lists compiled by international human rights groups.
While North and South Korea remain bitterly divided, judging by such reviews and those of some moviegoers here, the two sides have finally found common ground when confronting 007.
"I think there is plenty for Koreans to complain about in this movie," Doug E. Shin, a Korean-American pastor from Los Angeles, said as he walked in a jostling, and largely merry, flood of young South Koreans leaving a showing tonight. "Half the North Koreans were speaking with South Korean accents. That ox looked like it was from the Philippines. That shack at the end looked like it was from Japan."
"I guess the director didn't care," he continued. "But if the movie was about Japan, would they have treated the Japanese that way?"
A recurring complaint here is about a final scene where befuddled Korean farmers, goading an ox, look at luxury cars that James Bond has dropped, upended, in a rice paddy. While North Korean agriculture plods along on ox power, South Koreans say the only ox carts seen here are in museums.
The correct image of South Korea, people say, is a nation with among the world's highest rates of cellphone ownership, high-speed Internet access and college-educated youth.
Then there is a scene where an American officer orders a South Korea military mobilization, which prompted someone to write in an Internet chat room that "Korea in the movie is viewed as America's colony."
After watching the movie today, Kim Yu Min, a 24-year-old office worker, said, "My girlfriends said, `At least James Bond doesn't go to bed with a Korean girl.' "
20th Century Fox, which distributes the MGM movie, has worked hard to try to smooth ruffled feathers here, a nation of 43 million people that is now the 10th-largest foreign box office territory for American movies.
Lee Joo Sung, president of 20th Century Fox Korea, told opinion makers at one showing here: "It's a movie. Not reality. Viewers must understand that it's fiction."
The movie, which stars Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry and is already expected to be the most lucrative Bond movie yet, ran into early controversy when a South Korean actor, Cha In Pyo, turned down the bad-guy role, normally a coveted ticket to Hollywood stardom. He became a local hero last fall when he told reporters that the script was "demeaning."
Rick Yune, the Korean-American actor who stars as the movie's crazed North Korean officer, has found himself at news conferences here parrying hostile questions from reporters concerned about South Korea's image. In one burst of patriotism, Lee Jung Hyun, a pop singer, declined an invitation to appear alongside Mr. Yune on a popular talk show, "Happiness Channel."
North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency has obligingly given MGM free publicity by playing true to character.
Two weeks before the release here and well before pirated copies could have made their way to reviewers in North Korea, the news agency denounced the film as a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that clearly proved that the United States was "the root cause of all disasters and misfortune of the Korean nation."
Where in the film does it say that Bond and Halle are making love in Korea? It could be a coastal part of Japan. But who cares? This is the best kind of free publicity any film could wish for.
South Korean Cinema Pulls James Bond Film
January 8, 2003 - Japan Today
SEOUL — Bowing to public pressure, a cinema outside Seoul has canceled the showing of the latest James Bond movie, which South Korean critics say unfairly depicts their communist neighbor as a diabolically evil regime.
Only days after its opening, Broadway Cinema decided last Friday to halt the showings because of low audience turnout and sour public sentiment, theater worker Shin Sun-im said Monday. The film was scheduled for a two-week run at the movie house.
"Die Another Day," which features a North Korean villain, has come under attack throughout South Korea since its New Year's Eve premiere here. On Monday, a small group of South Korean students and civic activists in Seoul called for a nationwide boycott of the film. Before the film's release, North Korea slammed it as the latest example of "corrupt sex culture" in the United States.
In the movie, Bond is sent to North Korea to investigate a rogue communist officer who is planning an invasion of South Korea. The British spy is caught, imprisoned and subjected to torture. Later, the North Korean officer uses a satellite-based laser to burn a swath through the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas. His plot is foiled by Bond and an American agent.
Despite calls for a boycott, many South Koreans are watching the movie. Local media reported Monday that the movie ranked fifth in audience draw.
Too bad, now the film will be made into an illegal DVD or VHS and sold on the Korean streets. This is what they call 'free market'.
OSCAR Snubs OO7 Special Effects And Sound
January 9, 2003 - Variety
It's definitely the year of the digital character as a cast of computer-generated beings are featured prominently in the seven pictures tapped to compete in February for the visual f/x Oscar nomination. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences on Wednesday revealed its f/x and sound editing selections, with George Lucas (news)' Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound having plenty of reason for celebration.
The f/x behemoth once again dominated the list, snaring four of the seven slots with "Harry Potter (news - web sites) and the Chamber of Secrets," "Men in Black II," "Minority Report" and "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones." While ILM was the lead house on "Harry Potter," British f/x shops Mill Film, Cinesite and Moving Picture Co. also provided visuals for that picture.
Sony Pictures Imageworks received a nod for its work on "Spider-Man" and for its contributions to "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," though the main f/x studio for the fantasy sequel was once again New Zealand-based WETA Digital.
WETA walked away from last year's Oscar ceremony with the best f/x trophy for its work on "The Fellowship of the Ring."
The seventh picture in the running is "XXX," whose computer-generated visuals were created by Digital Domain. The picture is the only one on the list dominated by physical rather than digital f/x.
The seven selections signal a year in which live-action pictures starring digital characters in digital settings clearly impressed voters. WETA's work in creating the character of Gollum in "Rings" has been particularly celebrated, with its amalgam of a digitally made-over human actor, but "Spider-Man," "Potter," "MIB II" and "Star Wars" also extensively feature digitally created characters with significant roles.
Among surprise omissions in the list were "Stuart Little 2," a live-action pic that featured three major digital characters, including the lead mouse, and "Die Another Day," the latest James Bond actioner from MGM, which boasted considerably more effects than any of the previous 19 outings.
Leaders of the f/x teams on the seven movies in contention will put together 15-minute reels of their work for the Feb. 5 "bakeoff" at the Academy, where the f/x branch will choose three Oscar nominees. Oscar nominations are announced Feb. 11.
Meanwhile, in the sound editing category, "Potter," "Rings," "Report," "Spider-Man" and "XXX" made the semifinalist list. They were joined by "Road to Perdition" and "We Were Soldiers." Skywalker Sound worked on three of the pictures -- "Potter," "Rings" and "Report."
As with f/x, each picture's sound team will compile a 10-minute reel for a bakeoff to be held Feb. 4. Voters select the three nominees for Oscar consideration.
Typical when it comes to OSCAR. They have snubbed the Bond series for years. Only offering best sound for Goldfinger and best special effects for Thunderball. Diamonds Are Forever was nominated for best sound and lost. The Spy Who Loved Me had the most nominations and didn't win one award. Moonraker had competition with Star Trek and Alien. And the last time Bond was nominated was for Best Song in For Your Eyes Only. However, Cubby Broccoli did receive the Thalberg Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1982.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Manuscript Soars at Sale
January 10, 2003 - Reuters
Rare original manuscripts for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, one of the best-loved childrens' stories of all time, fetched a sky high price at auction in London Thursday.
"They sold for 29,290 pounds ($46,250) in very competitive bidding," a spokeswoman for auction house Sotheby's told Reuters. The presale estimate for the documents was 12-15,000 pounds. The buyer's identity has not been revealed.
The novel of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the flying car with the bubbly personality, was originally penned by James Bond author Ian Fleming in 1961 as he recovered after a heart attack and is based on stories he used to tell his son.
The work prompted Fleming to complain to his publishers they never gave him a moment's rest.
Originally written as three stories but published in 1964 under the name of Ian Lancaster as one, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was an instant success.
It was made into a classic children's film in 1968 with Dick Van Dyke (news) and Sally Ann Howes in the leading roles, and 34 years later has had a new lease of life as a hugely popular London stage musical.
Fleming manuscripts are extremely rare. The major Fleming collection held by the Lilly Library at Indiana University does not even include typescript of Chitty, Sotheby's said.
Fantasmagorical!
DVD Pirates Add Extra Credit To Die Another Day
January 15, 2003 - Reuters
Taiwan's Justice Minister has warned video compact-disc pirates not to underestimate the government's resolve to root out rampant piracy after counterfeiters taunted him by tagging pirated movies with this credit: 'Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!'
ON A TV news footage recently, a DVD player was shown playing the credits of the latest James Bond thriller Die Another day (above), but the pirates had added a sub-credit onto the video which read: "Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!" This was an open challenge to Mr Chen, Taiwan's Justice Minister.
'This is an open challenge to government authority. If you have guts, don't run away,' said an outraged Mr. Chen in comments broadcast on a cable news network yesterday. 'It is unbelievable and unforgivable. If these pirates believe that they will never be caught, they are dreaming,' the minister said.
The minister's warning came after pirated VCDs seized by police featured the challenge at the beginning of the movies. A television news report on Monday had said that the pirated editions of many new movies, such as Die Another Day and Hero, were now available on both VCDs and DVDs at the price of NT$100 (S$5) each at night markets.
Die Another Day, the latest James Bond thriller, is officially scheduled to start showing in Taiwan theatres on Jan 31 while Hero by Chinese director Zhang Yimou is scheduled to start showing on Friday. Its mainland distributor said that vigilant steps to prevent piracy, including requiring viewers to pass through metal detectors at early screenings, were a key factor in the movie's success.
Assistant US trade representative Joseph Papovich said during an October visit that Taiwan was considered one of the largest producers and exporters of pirated CDs, DVDs and other optical discs in Asia and one of the largest producers in the world.--Reuters, AFP
And to prove that theory just log onto Ebay and check out how many DVDs are sent from Taiwan.
NightFire Comes To GameBoy Advance
January 20, 2003 - by Tommy Craig for VideoGameCity
Product Description Get deep into the excitement and intrigue of the most complete James Bond game yet. All-new scenarios and gameplay complement a completely original storyline that delivers all-out Bond-style intensity on the handheld systems.
James Bond 007: NightFire for the Gameboy Advance video game system promises to take players higher and deeper than ever before. As Bond, players will operate in the Austrian Alps, a Japanese highrise, an island in the South Pacific, and even in a zero-gravity space station to defeat the evil criminal mastermind Raphael Drake.
NightFire will offer a deep gameplay experience that will stay true to the Bond universe. For the first time on a handheld system the Bond game is seen through a first person perspective. Adding to the legacy of the Bond universe will be the use of Pierce Brosnan's image for the Bond character. NightFire will feature a variety of missions filled with action and stealth, gorgeous women, and spy-craft gadgetry that Bond fans expect.
Each of the various locations in NightFire will contain challenging missions and objectives. The game will feature new and familiar characters from the Bond universe, including Zoe Nightshade (from EA's previous Bond game, James Bond 007 in... Agent Under FireTM). Players can blast through each level using weaponry or rely on tricks and gadgets to accomplish objectives and maximize scores.
Key Features: Go higher and deeper than any previous Bond game both in locales and gameplay. Original single-player storyline with new and familiar characters from the Bond universe. Features Pierce Brosnan's likeness as Bond. First person perspective. Various exotic locations worldwide filled with challenging missions and objectives. Nine levels of single-player action. New upgradeable Q-lab gadgets, some exclusive to console versions, advanced camera system, and original missions including zero-gravity assignments.
Well when it comes to this game you've got to hand it to EA.
Elton Says Madonna Will 'Kill Him' For Slamming Her Bond Theme
January 23, 2003 - by Darryl Morden for Launch
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
Where in the film does it say that Bond and Halle are making love in Korea? It could be a coastal part of Japan. But who cares? This is the best kind of free publicity any film could wish for.
South Korean Cinema Pulls James Bond Film
January 8, 2003 - Japan Today
SEOUL — Bowing to public pressure, a cinema outside Seoul has canceled the showing of the latest James Bond movie, which South Korean critics say unfairly depicts their communist neighbor as a diabolically evil regime.
Only days after its opening, Broadway Cinema decided last Friday to halt the showings because of low audience turnout and sour public sentiment, theater worker Shin Sun-im said Monday. The film was scheduled for a two-week run at the movie house.
"Die Another Day," which features a North Korean villain, has come under attack throughout South Korea since its New Year's Eve premiere here. On Monday, a small group of South Korean students and civic activists in Seoul called for a nationwide boycott of the film. Before the film's release, North Korea slammed it as the latest example of "corrupt sex culture" in the United States.
In the movie, Bond is sent to North Korea to investigate a rogue communist officer who is planning an invasion of South Korea. The British spy is caught, imprisoned and subjected to torture. Later, the North Korean officer uses a satellite-based laser to burn a swath through the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas. His plot is foiled by Bond and an American agent.
Despite calls for a boycott, many South Koreans are watching the movie. Local media reported Monday that the movie ranked fifth in audience draw.
Too bad, now the film will be made into an illegal DVD or VHS and sold on the Korean streets. This is what they call 'free market'.
OSCAR Snubs OO7 Special Effects And Sound
January 9, 2003 - Variety
It's definitely the year of the digital character as a cast of computer-generated beings are featured prominently in the seven pictures tapped to compete in February for the visual f/x Oscar nomination. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences on Wednesday revealed its f/x and sound editing selections, with George Lucas (news)' Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound having plenty of reason for celebration.
The f/x behemoth once again dominated the list, snaring four of the seven slots with "Harry Potter (news - web sites) and the Chamber of Secrets," "Men in Black II," "Minority Report" and "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones." While ILM was the lead house on "Harry Potter," British f/x shops Mill Film, Cinesite and Moving Picture Co. also provided visuals for that picture.
Sony Pictures Imageworks received a nod for its work on "Spider-Man" and for its contributions to "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," though the main f/x studio for the fantasy sequel was once again New Zealand-based WETA Digital.
WETA walked away from last year's Oscar ceremony with the best f/x trophy for its work on "The Fellowship of the Ring."
The seventh picture in the running is "XXX," whose computer-generated visuals were created by Digital Domain. The picture is the only one on the list dominated by physical rather than digital f/x.
The seven selections signal a year in which live-action pictures starring digital characters in digital settings clearly impressed voters. WETA's work in creating the character of Gollum in "Rings" has been particularly celebrated, with its amalgam of a digitally made-over human actor, but "Spider-Man," "Potter," "MIB II" and "Star Wars" also extensively feature digitally created characters with significant roles.
Among surprise omissions in the list were "Stuart Little 2," a live-action pic that featured three major digital characters, including the lead mouse, and "Die Another Day," the latest James Bond actioner from MGM, which boasted considerably more effects than any of the previous 19 outings.
Leaders of the f/x teams on the seven movies in contention will put together 15-minute reels of their work for the Feb. 5 "bakeoff" at the Academy, where the f/x branch will choose three Oscar nominees. Oscar nominations are announced Feb. 11.
Meanwhile, in the sound editing category, "Potter," "Rings," "Report," "Spider-Man" and "XXX" made the semifinalist list. They were joined by "Road to Perdition" and "We Were Soldiers." Skywalker Sound worked on three of the pictures -- "Potter," "Rings" and "Report."
As with f/x, each picture's sound team will compile a 10-minute reel for a bakeoff to be held Feb. 4. Voters select the three nominees for Oscar consideration.
Typical when it comes to OSCAR. They have snubbed the Bond series for years. Only offering best sound for Goldfinger and best special effects for Thunderball. Diamonds Are Forever was nominated for best sound and lost. The Spy Who Loved Me had the most nominations and didn't win one award. Moonraker had competition with Star Trek and Alien. And the last time Bond was nominated was for Best Song in For Your Eyes Only. However, Cubby Broccoli did receive the Thalberg Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1982.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Manuscript Soars at Sale
January 10, 2003 - Reuters
Rare original manuscripts for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, one of the best-loved childrens' stories of all time, fetched a sky high price at auction in London Thursday.
"They sold for 29,290 pounds ($46,250) in very competitive bidding," a spokeswoman for auction house Sotheby's told Reuters. The presale estimate for the documents was 12-15,000 pounds. The buyer's identity has not been revealed.
The novel of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the flying car with the bubbly personality, was originally penned by James Bond author Ian Fleming in 1961 as he recovered after a heart attack and is based on stories he used to tell his son.
The work prompted Fleming to complain to his publishers they never gave him a moment's rest.
Originally written as three stories but published in 1964 under the name of Ian Lancaster as one, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was an instant success.
It was made into a classic children's film in 1968 with Dick Van Dyke (news) and Sally Ann Howes in the leading roles, and 34 years later has had a new lease of life as a hugely popular London stage musical.
Fleming manuscripts are extremely rare. The major Fleming collection held by the Lilly Library at Indiana University does not even include typescript of Chitty, Sotheby's said.
Fantasmagorical!
DVD Pirates Add Extra Credit To Die Another Day
January 15, 2003 - Reuters
Taiwan's Justice Minister has warned video compact-disc pirates not to underestimate the government's resolve to root out rampant piracy after counterfeiters taunted him by tagging pirated movies with this credit: 'Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!'
ON A TV news footage recently, a DVD player was shown playing the credits of the latest James Bond thriller Die Another day (above), but the pirates had added a sub-credit onto the video which read: "Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!" This was an open challenge to Mr Chen, Taiwan's Justice Minister.
'This is an open challenge to government authority. If you have guts, don't run away,' said an outraged Mr. Chen in comments broadcast on a cable news network yesterday. 'It is unbelievable and unforgivable. If these pirates believe that they will never be caught, they are dreaming,' the minister said.
The minister's warning came after pirated VCDs seized by police featured the challenge at the beginning of the movies. A television news report on Monday had said that the pirated editions of many new movies, such as Die Another Day and Hero, were now available on both VCDs and DVDs at the price of NT$100 (S$5) each at night markets.
Die Another Day, the latest James Bond thriller, is officially scheduled to start showing in Taiwan theatres on Jan 31 while Hero by Chinese director Zhang Yimou is scheduled to start showing on Friday. Its mainland distributor said that vigilant steps to prevent piracy, including requiring viewers to pass through metal detectors at early screenings, were a key factor in the movie's success.
Assistant US trade representative Joseph Papovich said during an October visit that Taiwan was considered one of the largest producers and exporters of pirated CDs, DVDs and other optical discs in Asia and one of the largest producers in the world.--Reuters, AFP
And to prove that theory just log onto Ebay and check out how many DVDs are sent from Taiwan.
NightFire Comes To GameBoy Advance
January 20, 2003 - by Tommy Craig for VideoGameCity
Product Description Get deep into the excitement and intrigue of the most complete James Bond game yet. All-new scenarios and gameplay complement a completely original storyline that delivers all-out Bond-style intensity on the handheld systems.
James Bond 007: NightFire for the Gameboy Advance video game system promises to take players higher and deeper than ever before. As Bond, players will operate in the Austrian Alps, a Japanese highrise, an island in the South Pacific, and even in a zero-gravity space station to defeat the evil criminal mastermind Raphael Drake.
NightFire will offer a deep gameplay experience that will stay true to the Bond universe. For the first time on a handheld system the Bond game is seen through a first person perspective. Adding to the legacy of the Bond universe will be the use of Pierce Brosnan's image for the Bond character. NightFire will feature a variety of missions filled with action and stealth, gorgeous women, and spy-craft gadgetry that Bond fans expect.
Each of the various locations in NightFire will contain challenging missions and objectives. The game will feature new and familiar characters from the Bond universe, including Zoe Nightshade (from EA's previous Bond game, James Bond 007 in... Agent Under FireTM). Players can blast through each level using weaponry or rely on tricks and gadgets to accomplish objectives and maximize scores.
Key Features: Go higher and deeper than any previous Bond game both in locales and gameplay. Original single-player storyline with new and familiar characters from the Bond universe. Features Pierce Brosnan's likeness as Bond. First person perspective. Various exotic locations worldwide filled with challenging missions and objectives. Nine levels of single-player action. New upgradeable Q-lab gadgets, some exclusive to console versions, advanced camera system, and original missions including zero-gravity assignments.
Well when it comes to this game you've got to hand it to EA.
Elton Says Madonna Will 'Kill Him' For Slamming Her Bond Theme
January 23, 2003 - by Darryl Morden for Launch
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
South Korean Cinema Pulls James Bond Film
January 8, 2003 - Japan Today
SEOUL — Bowing to public pressure, a cinema outside Seoul has canceled the showing of the latest James Bond movie, which South Korean critics say unfairly depicts their communist neighbor as a diabolically evil regime.
Only days after its opening, Broadway Cinema decided last Friday to halt the showings because of low audience turnout and sour public sentiment, theater worker Shin Sun-im said Monday. The film was scheduled for a two-week run at the movie house.
"Die Another Day," which features a North Korean villain, has come under attack throughout South Korea since its New Year's Eve premiere here. On Monday, a small group of South Korean students and civic activists in Seoul called for a nationwide boycott of the film. Before the film's release, North Korea slammed it as the latest example of "corrupt sex culture" in the United States.
In the movie, Bond is sent to North Korea to investigate a rogue communist officer who is planning an invasion of South Korea. The British spy is caught, imprisoned and subjected to torture. Later, the North Korean officer uses a satellite-based laser to burn a swath through the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas. His plot is foiled by Bond and an American agent.
Despite calls for a boycott, many South Koreans are watching the movie. Local media reported Monday that the movie ranked fifth in audience draw.
Too bad, now the film will be made into an illegal DVD or VHS and sold on the Korean streets. This is what they call 'free market'.
OSCAR Snubs OO7 Special Effects And Sound
January 9, 2003 - Variety
It's definitely the year of the digital character as a cast of computer-generated beings are featured prominently in the seven pictures tapped to compete in February for the visual f/x Oscar nomination. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences on Wednesday revealed its f/x and sound editing selections, with George Lucas (news)' Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound having plenty of reason for celebration.
The f/x behemoth once again dominated the list, snaring four of the seven slots with "Harry Potter (news - web sites) and the Chamber of Secrets," "Men in Black II," "Minority Report" and "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones." While ILM was the lead house on "Harry Potter," British f/x shops Mill Film, Cinesite and Moving Picture Co. also provided visuals for that picture.
Sony Pictures Imageworks received a nod for its work on "Spider-Man" and for its contributions to "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," though the main f/x studio for the fantasy sequel was once again New Zealand-based WETA Digital.
WETA walked away from last year's Oscar ceremony with the best f/x trophy for its work on "The Fellowship of the Ring."
The seventh picture in the running is "XXX," whose computer-generated visuals were created by Digital Domain. The picture is the only one on the list dominated by physical rather than digital f/x.
The seven selections signal a year in which live-action pictures starring digital characters in digital settings clearly impressed voters. WETA's work in creating the character of Gollum in "Rings" has been particularly celebrated, with its amalgam of a digitally made-over human actor, but "Spider-Man," "Potter," "MIB II" and "Star Wars" also extensively feature digitally created characters with significant roles.
Among surprise omissions in the list were "Stuart Little 2," a live-action pic that featured three major digital characters, including the lead mouse, and "Die Another Day," the latest James Bond actioner from MGM, which boasted considerably more effects than any of the previous 19 outings.
Leaders of the f/x teams on the seven movies in contention will put together 15-minute reels of their work for the Feb. 5 "bakeoff" at the Academy, where the f/x branch will choose three Oscar nominees. Oscar nominations are announced Feb. 11.
Meanwhile, in the sound editing category, "Potter," "Rings," "Report," "Spider-Man" and "XXX" made the semifinalist list. They were joined by "Road to Perdition" and "We Were Soldiers." Skywalker Sound worked on three of the pictures -- "Potter," "Rings" and "Report."
As with f/x, each picture's sound team will compile a 10-minute reel for a bakeoff to be held Feb. 4. Voters select the three nominees for Oscar consideration.
Typical when it comes to OSCAR. They have snubbed the Bond series for years. Only offering best sound for Goldfinger and best special effects for Thunderball. Diamonds Are Forever was nominated for best sound and lost. The Spy Who Loved Me had the most nominations and didn't win one award. Moonraker had competition with Star Trek and Alien. And the last time Bond was nominated was for Best Song in For Your Eyes Only. However, Cubby Broccoli did receive the Thalberg Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1982.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Manuscript Soars at Sale
January 10, 2003 - Reuters
Rare original manuscripts for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, one of the best-loved childrens' stories of all time, fetched a sky high price at auction in London Thursday.
"They sold for 29,290 pounds ($46,250) in very competitive bidding," a spokeswoman for auction house Sotheby's told Reuters. The presale estimate for the documents was 12-15,000 pounds. The buyer's identity has not been revealed.
The novel of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the flying car with the bubbly personality, was originally penned by James Bond author Ian Fleming in 1961 as he recovered after a heart attack and is based on stories he used to tell his son.
The work prompted Fleming to complain to his publishers they never gave him a moment's rest.
Originally written as three stories but published in 1964 under the name of Ian Lancaster as one, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was an instant success.
It was made into a classic children's film in 1968 with Dick Van Dyke (news) and Sally Ann Howes in the leading roles, and 34 years later has had a new lease of life as a hugely popular London stage musical.
Fleming manuscripts are extremely rare. The major Fleming collection held by the Lilly Library at Indiana University does not even include typescript of Chitty, Sotheby's said.
Fantasmagorical!
DVD Pirates Add Extra Credit To Die Another Day
January 15, 2003 - Reuters
Taiwan's Justice Minister has warned video compact-disc pirates not to underestimate the government's resolve to root out rampant piracy after counterfeiters taunted him by tagging pirated movies with this credit: 'Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!'
ON A TV news footage recently, a DVD player was shown playing the credits of the latest James Bond thriller Die Another day (above), but the pirates had added a sub-credit onto the video which read: "Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!" This was an open challenge to Mr Chen, Taiwan's Justice Minister.
'This is an open challenge to government authority. If you have guts, don't run away,' said an outraged Mr. Chen in comments broadcast on a cable news network yesterday. 'It is unbelievable and unforgivable. If these pirates believe that they will never be caught, they are dreaming,' the minister said.
The minister's warning came after pirated VCDs seized by police featured the challenge at the beginning of the movies. A television news report on Monday had said that the pirated editions of many new movies, such as Die Another Day and Hero, were now available on both VCDs and DVDs at the price of NT$100 (S$5) each at night markets.
Die Another Day, the latest James Bond thriller, is officially scheduled to start showing in Taiwan theatres on Jan 31 while Hero by Chinese director Zhang Yimou is scheduled to start showing on Friday. Its mainland distributor said that vigilant steps to prevent piracy, including requiring viewers to pass through metal detectors at early screenings, were a key factor in the movie's success.
Assistant US trade representative Joseph Papovich said during an October visit that Taiwan was considered one of the largest producers and exporters of pirated CDs, DVDs and other optical discs in Asia and one of the largest producers in the world.--Reuters, AFP
And to prove that theory just log onto Ebay and check out how many DVDs are sent from Taiwan.
NightFire Comes To GameBoy Advance
January 20, 2003 - by Tommy Craig for VideoGameCity
Product Description Get deep into the excitement and intrigue of the most complete James Bond game yet. All-new scenarios and gameplay complement a completely original storyline that delivers all-out Bond-style intensity on the handheld systems.
James Bond 007: NightFire for the Gameboy Advance video game system promises to take players higher and deeper than ever before. As Bond, players will operate in the Austrian Alps, a Japanese highrise, an island in the South Pacific, and even in a zero-gravity space station to defeat the evil criminal mastermind Raphael Drake.
NightFire will offer a deep gameplay experience that will stay true to the Bond universe. For the first time on a handheld system the Bond game is seen through a first person perspective. Adding to the legacy of the Bond universe will be the use of Pierce Brosnan's image for the Bond character. NightFire will feature a variety of missions filled with action and stealth, gorgeous women, and spy-craft gadgetry that Bond fans expect.
Each of the various locations in NightFire will contain challenging missions and objectives. The game will feature new and familiar characters from the Bond universe, including Zoe Nightshade (from EA's previous Bond game, James Bond 007 in... Agent Under FireTM). Players can blast through each level using weaponry or rely on tricks and gadgets to accomplish objectives and maximize scores.
Key Features: Go higher and deeper than any previous Bond game both in locales and gameplay. Original single-player storyline with new and familiar characters from the Bond universe. Features Pierce Brosnan's likeness as Bond. First person perspective. Various exotic locations worldwide filled with challenging missions and objectives. Nine levels of single-player action. New upgradeable Q-lab gadgets, some exclusive to console versions, advanced camera system, and original missions including zero-gravity assignments.
Well when it comes to this game you've got to hand it to EA.
Elton Says Madonna Will 'Kill Him' For Slamming Her Bond Theme
January 23, 2003 - by Darryl Morden for Launch
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
January 8, 2003 - Japan Today
SEOUL — Bowing to public pressure, a cinema outside Seoul has canceled the showing of the latest James Bond movie, which South Korean critics say unfairly depicts their communist neighbor as a diabolically evil regime.
Only days after its opening, Broadway Cinema decided last Friday to halt the showings because of low audience turnout and sour public sentiment, theater worker Shin Sun-im said Monday. The film was scheduled for a two-week run at the movie house.
"Die Another Day," which features a North Korean villain, has come under attack throughout South Korea since its New Year's Eve premiere here. On Monday, a small group of South Korean students and civic activists in Seoul called for a nationwide boycott of the film. Before the film's release, North Korea slammed it as the latest example of "corrupt sex culture" in the United States.
In the movie, Bond is sent to North Korea to investigate a rogue communist officer who is planning an invasion of South Korea. The British spy is caught, imprisoned and subjected to torture. Later, the North Korean officer uses a satellite-based laser to burn a swath through the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas. His plot is foiled by Bond and an American agent.
Despite calls for a boycott, many South Koreans are watching the movie. Local media reported Monday that the movie ranked fifth in audience draw.
Too bad, now the film will be made into an illegal DVD or VHS and sold on the Korean streets. This is what they call 'free market'.
OSCAR Snubs OO7 Special Effects And Sound
January 9, 2003 - Variety
It's definitely the year of the digital character as a cast of computer-generated beings are featured prominently in the seven pictures tapped to compete in February for the visual f/x Oscar nomination. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences on Wednesday revealed its f/x and sound editing selections, with George Lucas (news)' Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound having plenty of reason for celebration.
The f/x behemoth once again dominated the list, snaring four of the seven slots with "Harry Potter (news - web sites) and the Chamber of Secrets," "Men in Black II," "Minority Report" and "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones." While ILM was the lead house on "Harry Potter," British f/x shops Mill Film, Cinesite and Moving Picture Co. also provided visuals for that picture.
Sony Pictures Imageworks received a nod for its work on "Spider-Man" and for its contributions to "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," though the main f/x studio for the fantasy sequel was once again New Zealand-based WETA Digital.
WETA walked away from last year's Oscar ceremony with the best f/x trophy for its work on "The Fellowship of the Ring."
The seventh picture in the running is "XXX," whose computer-generated visuals were created by Digital Domain. The picture is the only one on the list dominated by physical rather than digital f/x.
The seven selections signal a year in which live-action pictures starring digital characters in digital settings clearly impressed voters. WETA's work in creating the character of Gollum in "Rings" has been particularly celebrated, with its amalgam of a digitally made-over human actor, but "Spider-Man," "Potter," "MIB II" and "Star Wars" also extensively feature digitally created characters with significant roles.
Among surprise omissions in the list were "Stuart Little 2," a live-action pic that featured three major digital characters, including the lead mouse, and "Die Another Day," the latest James Bond actioner from MGM, which boasted considerably more effects than any of the previous 19 outings.
Leaders of the f/x teams on the seven movies in contention will put together 15-minute reels of their work for the Feb. 5 "bakeoff" at the Academy, where the f/x branch will choose three Oscar nominees. Oscar nominations are announced Feb. 11.
Meanwhile, in the sound editing category, "Potter," "Rings," "Report," "Spider-Man" and "XXX" made the semifinalist list. They were joined by "Road to Perdition" and "We Were Soldiers." Skywalker Sound worked on three of the pictures -- "Potter," "Rings" and "Report."
As with f/x, each picture's sound team will compile a 10-minute reel for a bakeoff to be held Feb. 4. Voters select the three nominees for Oscar consideration.
Typical when it comes to OSCAR. They have snubbed the Bond series for years. Only offering best sound for Goldfinger and best special effects for Thunderball. Diamonds Are Forever was nominated for best sound and lost. The Spy Who Loved Me had the most nominations and didn't win one award. Moonraker had competition with Star Trek and Alien. And the last time Bond was nominated was for Best Song in For Your Eyes Only. However, Cubby Broccoli did receive the Thalberg Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1982.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Manuscript Soars at Sale
January 10, 2003 - Reuters
Rare original manuscripts for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, one of the best-loved childrens' stories of all time, fetched a sky high price at auction in London Thursday.
"They sold for 29,290 pounds ($46,250) in very competitive bidding," a spokeswoman for auction house Sotheby's told Reuters. The presale estimate for the documents was 12-15,000 pounds. The buyer's identity has not been revealed.
The novel of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the flying car with the bubbly personality, was originally penned by James Bond author Ian Fleming in 1961 as he recovered after a heart attack and is based on stories he used to tell his son.
The work prompted Fleming to complain to his publishers they never gave him a moment's rest.
Originally written as three stories but published in 1964 under the name of Ian Lancaster as one, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was an instant success.
It was made into a classic children's film in 1968 with Dick Van Dyke (news) and Sally Ann Howes in the leading roles, and 34 years later has had a new lease of life as a hugely popular London stage musical.
Fleming manuscripts are extremely rare. The major Fleming collection held by the Lilly Library at Indiana University does not even include typescript of Chitty, Sotheby's said.
Fantasmagorical!
DVD Pirates Add Extra Credit To Die Another Day
January 15, 2003 - Reuters
Taiwan's Justice Minister has warned video compact-disc pirates not to underestimate the government's resolve to root out rampant piracy after counterfeiters taunted him by tagging pirated movies with this credit: 'Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!'
ON A TV news footage recently, a DVD player was shown playing the credits of the latest James Bond thriller Die Another day (above), but the pirates had added a sub-credit onto the video which read: "Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!" This was an open challenge to Mr Chen, Taiwan's Justice Minister.
'This is an open challenge to government authority. If you have guts, don't run away,' said an outraged Mr. Chen in comments broadcast on a cable news network yesterday. 'It is unbelievable and unforgivable. If these pirates believe that they will never be caught, they are dreaming,' the minister said.
The minister's warning came after pirated VCDs seized by police featured the challenge at the beginning of the movies. A television news report on Monday had said that the pirated editions of many new movies, such as Die Another Day and Hero, were now available on both VCDs and DVDs at the price of NT$100 (S$5) each at night markets.
Die Another Day, the latest James Bond thriller, is officially scheduled to start showing in Taiwan theatres on Jan 31 while Hero by Chinese director Zhang Yimou is scheduled to start showing on Friday. Its mainland distributor said that vigilant steps to prevent piracy, including requiring viewers to pass through metal detectors at early screenings, were a key factor in the movie's success.
Assistant US trade representative Joseph Papovich said during an October visit that Taiwan was considered one of the largest producers and exporters of pirated CDs, DVDs and other optical discs in Asia and one of the largest producers in the world.--Reuters, AFP
And to prove that theory just log onto Ebay and check out how many DVDs are sent from Taiwan.
NightFire Comes To GameBoy Advance
January 20, 2003 - by Tommy Craig for VideoGameCity
Product Description Get deep into the excitement and intrigue of the most complete James Bond game yet. All-new scenarios and gameplay complement a completely original storyline that delivers all-out Bond-style intensity on the handheld systems.
James Bond 007: NightFire for the Gameboy Advance video game system promises to take players higher and deeper than ever before. As Bond, players will operate in the Austrian Alps, a Japanese highrise, an island in the South Pacific, and even in a zero-gravity space station to defeat the evil criminal mastermind Raphael Drake.
NightFire will offer a deep gameplay experience that will stay true to the Bond universe. For the first time on a handheld system the Bond game is seen through a first person perspective. Adding to the legacy of the Bond universe will be the use of Pierce Brosnan's image for the Bond character. NightFire will feature a variety of missions filled with action and stealth, gorgeous women, and spy-craft gadgetry that Bond fans expect.
Each of the various locations in NightFire will contain challenging missions and objectives. The game will feature new and familiar characters from the Bond universe, including Zoe Nightshade (from EA's previous Bond game, James Bond 007 in... Agent Under FireTM). Players can blast through each level using weaponry or rely on tricks and gadgets to accomplish objectives and maximize scores.
Key Features: Go higher and deeper than any previous Bond game both in locales and gameplay. Original single-player storyline with new and familiar characters from the Bond universe. Features Pierce Brosnan's likeness as Bond. First person perspective. Various exotic locations worldwide filled with challenging missions and objectives. Nine levels of single-player action. New upgradeable Q-lab gadgets, some exclusive to console versions, advanced camera system, and original missions including zero-gravity assignments.
Well when it comes to this game you've got to hand it to EA.
Elton Says Madonna Will 'Kill Him' For Slamming Her Bond Theme
January 23, 2003 - by Darryl Morden for Launch
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
SEOUL — Bowing to public pressure, a cinema outside Seoul has canceled the showing of the latest James Bond movie, which South Korean critics say unfairly depicts their communist neighbor as a diabolically evil regime.
Only days after its opening, Broadway Cinema decided last Friday to halt the showings because of low audience turnout and sour public sentiment, theater worker Shin Sun-im said Monday. The film was scheduled for a two-week run at the movie house.
"Die Another Day," which features a North Korean villain, has come under attack throughout South Korea since its New Year's Eve premiere here. On Monday, a small group of South Korean students and civic activists in Seoul called for a nationwide boycott of the film. Before the film's release, North Korea slammed it as the latest example of "corrupt sex culture" in the United States.
In the movie, Bond is sent to North Korea to investigate a rogue communist officer who is planning an invasion of South Korea. The British spy is caught, imprisoned and subjected to torture. Later, the North Korean officer uses a satellite-based laser to burn a swath through the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas. His plot is foiled by Bond and an American agent.
Despite calls for a boycott, many South Koreans are watching the movie. Local media reported Monday that the movie ranked fifth in audience draw.
Too bad, now the film will be made into an illegal DVD or VHS and sold on the Korean streets. This is what they call 'free market'.
OSCAR Snubs OO7 Special Effects And Sound
January 9, 2003 - Variety
It's definitely the year of the digital character as a cast of computer-generated beings are featured prominently in the seven pictures tapped to compete in February for the visual f/x Oscar nomination. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences on Wednesday revealed its f/x and sound editing selections, with George Lucas (news)' Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound having plenty of reason for celebration.
The f/x behemoth once again dominated the list, snaring four of the seven slots with "Harry Potter (news - web sites) and the Chamber of Secrets," "Men in Black II," "Minority Report" and "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones." While ILM was the lead house on "Harry Potter," British f/x shops Mill Film, Cinesite and Moving Picture Co. also provided visuals for that picture.
Sony Pictures Imageworks received a nod for its work on "Spider-Man" and for its contributions to "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," though the main f/x studio for the fantasy sequel was once again New Zealand-based WETA Digital.
WETA walked away from last year's Oscar ceremony with the best f/x trophy for its work on "The Fellowship of the Ring."
The seventh picture in the running is "XXX," whose computer-generated visuals were created by Digital Domain. The picture is the only one on the list dominated by physical rather than digital f/x.
The seven selections signal a year in which live-action pictures starring digital characters in digital settings clearly impressed voters. WETA's work in creating the character of Gollum in "Rings" has been particularly celebrated, with its amalgam of a digitally made-over human actor, but "Spider-Man," "Potter," "MIB II" and "Star Wars" also extensively feature digitally created characters with significant roles.
Among surprise omissions in the list were "Stuart Little 2," a live-action pic that featured three major digital characters, including the lead mouse, and "Die Another Day," the latest James Bond actioner from MGM, which boasted considerably more effects than any of the previous 19 outings.
Leaders of the f/x teams on the seven movies in contention will put together 15-minute reels of their work for the Feb. 5 "bakeoff" at the Academy, where the f/x branch will choose three Oscar nominees. Oscar nominations are announced Feb. 11.
Meanwhile, in the sound editing category, "Potter," "Rings," "Report," "Spider-Man" and "XXX" made the semifinalist list. They were joined by "Road to Perdition" and "We Were Soldiers." Skywalker Sound worked on three of the pictures -- "Potter," "Rings" and "Report."
As with f/x, each picture's sound team will compile a 10-minute reel for a bakeoff to be held Feb. 4. Voters select the three nominees for Oscar consideration.
Typical when it comes to OSCAR. They have snubbed the Bond series for years. Only offering best sound for Goldfinger and best special effects for Thunderball. Diamonds Are Forever was nominated for best sound and lost. The Spy Who Loved Me had the most nominations and didn't win one award. Moonraker had competition with Star Trek and Alien. And the last time Bond was nominated was for Best Song in For Your Eyes Only. However, Cubby Broccoli did receive the Thalberg Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1982.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Manuscript Soars at Sale
January 10, 2003 - Reuters
Rare original manuscripts for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, one of the best-loved childrens' stories of all time, fetched a sky high price at auction in London Thursday.
"They sold for 29,290 pounds ($46,250) in very competitive bidding," a spokeswoman for auction house Sotheby's told Reuters. The presale estimate for the documents was 12-15,000 pounds. The buyer's identity has not been revealed.
The novel of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the flying car with the bubbly personality, was originally penned by James Bond author Ian Fleming in 1961 as he recovered after a heart attack and is based on stories he used to tell his son.
The work prompted Fleming to complain to his publishers they never gave him a moment's rest.
Originally written as three stories but published in 1964 under the name of Ian Lancaster as one, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was an instant success.
It was made into a classic children's film in 1968 with Dick Van Dyke (news) and Sally Ann Howes in the leading roles, and 34 years later has had a new lease of life as a hugely popular London stage musical.
Fleming manuscripts are extremely rare. The major Fleming collection held by the Lilly Library at Indiana University does not even include typescript of Chitty, Sotheby's said.
Fantasmagorical!
DVD Pirates Add Extra Credit To Die Another Day
January 15, 2003 - Reuters
Taiwan's Justice Minister has warned video compact-disc pirates not to underestimate the government's resolve to root out rampant piracy after counterfeiters taunted him by tagging pirated movies with this credit: 'Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!'
ON A TV news footage recently, a DVD player was shown playing the credits of the latest James Bond thriller Die Another day (above), but the pirates had added a sub-credit onto the video which read: "Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!" This was an open challenge to Mr Chen, Taiwan's Justice Minister.
'This is an open challenge to government authority. If you have guts, don't run away,' said an outraged Mr. Chen in comments broadcast on a cable news network yesterday. 'It is unbelievable and unforgivable. If these pirates believe that they will never be caught, they are dreaming,' the minister said.
The minister's warning came after pirated VCDs seized by police featured the challenge at the beginning of the movies. A television news report on Monday had said that the pirated editions of many new movies, such as Die Another Day and Hero, were now available on both VCDs and DVDs at the price of NT$100 (S$5) each at night markets.
Die Another Day, the latest James Bond thriller, is officially scheduled to start showing in Taiwan theatres on Jan 31 while Hero by Chinese director Zhang Yimou is scheduled to start showing on Friday. Its mainland distributor said that vigilant steps to prevent piracy, including requiring viewers to pass through metal detectors at early screenings, were a key factor in the movie's success.
Assistant US trade representative Joseph Papovich said during an October visit that Taiwan was considered one of the largest producers and exporters of pirated CDs, DVDs and other optical discs in Asia and one of the largest producers in the world.--Reuters, AFP
And to prove that theory just log onto Ebay and check out how many DVDs are sent from Taiwan.
NightFire Comes To GameBoy Advance
January 20, 2003 - by Tommy Craig for VideoGameCity
Product Description Get deep into the excitement and intrigue of the most complete James Bond game yet. All-new scenarios and gameplay complement a completely original storyline that delivers all-out Bond-style intensity on the handheld systems.
James Bond 007: NightFire for the Gameboy Advance video game system promises to take players higher and deeper than ever before. As Bond, players will operate in the Austrian Alps, a Japanese highrise, an island in the South Pacific, and even in a zero-gravity space station to defeat the evil criminal mastermind Raphael Drake.
NightFire will offer a deep gameplay experience that will stay true to the Bond universe. For the first time on a handheld system the Bond game is seen through a first person perspective. Adding to the legacy of the Bond universe will be the use of Pierce Brosnan's image for the Bond character. NightFire will feature a variety of missions filled with action and stealth, gorgeous women, and spy-craft gadgetry that Bond fans expect.
Each of the various locations in NightFire will contain challenging missions and objectives. The game will feature new and familiar characters from the Bond universe, including Zoe Nightshade (from EA's previous Bond game, James Bond 007 in... Agent Under FireTM). Players can blast through each level using weaponry or rely on tricks and gadgets to accomplish objectives and maximize scores.
Key Features: Go higher and deeper than any previous Bond game both in locales and gameplay. Original single-player storyline with new and familiar characters from the Bond universe. Features Pierce Brosnan's likeness as Bond. First person perspective. Various exotic locations worldwide filled with challenging missions and objectives. Nine levels of single-player action. New upgradeable Q-lab gadgets, some exclusive to console versions, advanced camera system, and original missions including zero-gravity assignments.
Well when it comes to this game you've got to hand it to EA.
Elton Says Madonna Will 'Kill Him' For Slamming Her Bond Theme
January 23, 2003 - by Darryl Morden for Launch
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
Too bad, now the film will be made into an illegal DVD or VHS and sold on the Korean streets. This is what they call 'free market'.
OSCAR Snubs OO7 Special Effects And Sound
January 9, 2003 - Variety
It's definitely the year of the digital character as a cast of computer-generated beings are featured prominently in the seven pictures tapped to compete in February for the visual f/x Oscar nomination. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences on Wednesday revealed its f/x and sound editing selections, with George Lucas (news)' Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound having plenty of reason for celebration.
The f/x behemoth once again dominated the list, snaring four of the seven slots with "Harry Potter (news - web sites) and the Chamber of Secrets," "Men in Black II," "Minority Report" and "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones." While ILM was the lead house on "Harry Potter," British f/x shops Mill Film, Cinesite and Moving Picture Co. also provided visuals for that picture.
Sony Pictures Imageworks received a nod for its work on "Spider-Man" and for its contributions to "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," though the main f/x studio for the fantasy sequel was once again New Zealand-based WETA Digital.
WETA walked away from last year's Oscar ceremony with the best f/x trophy for its work on "The Fellowship of the Ring."
The seventh picture in the running is "XXX," whose computer-generated visuals were created by Digital Domain. The picture is the only one on the list dominated by physical rather than digital f/x.
The seven selections signal a year in which live-action pictures starring digital characters in digital settings clearly impressed voters. WETA's work in creating the character of Gollum in "Rings" has been particularly celebrated, with its amalgam of a digitally made-over human actor, but "Spider-Man," "Potter," "MIB II" and "Star Wars" also extensively feature digitally created characters with significant roles.
Among surprise omissions in the list were "Stuart Little 2," a live-action pic that featured three major digital characters, including the lead mouse, and "Die Another Day," the latest James Bond actioner from MGM, which boasted considerably more effects than any of the previous 19 outings.
Leaders of the f/x teams on the seven movies in contention will put together 15-minute reels of their work for the Feb. 5 "bakeoff" at the Academy, where the f/x branch will choose three Oscar nominees. Oscar nominations are announced Feb. 11.
Meanwhile, in the sound editing category, "Potter," "Rings," "Report," "Spider-Man" and "XXX" made the semifinalist list. They were joined by "Road to Perdition" and "We Were Soldiers." Skywalker Sound worked on three of the pictures -- "Potter," "Rings" and "Report."
As with f/x, each picture's sound team will compile a 10-minute reel for a bakeoff to be held Feb. 4. Voters select the three nominees for Oscar consideration.
Typical when it comes to OSCAR. They have snubbed the Bond series for years. Only offering best sound for Goldfinger and best special effects for Thunderball. Diamonds Are Forever was nominated for best sound and lost. The Spy Who Loved Me had the most nominations and didn't win one award. Moonraker had competition with Star Trek and Alien. And the last time Bond was nominated was for Best Song in For Your Eyes Only. However, Cubby Broccoli did receive the Thalberg Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1982.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Manuscript Soars at Sale
January 10, 2003 - Reuters
Rare original manuscripts for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, one of the best-loved childrens' stories of all time, fetched a sky high price at auction in London Thursday.
"They sold for 29,290 pounds ($46,250) in very competitive bidding," a spokeswoman for auction house Sotheby's told Reuters. The presale estimate for the documents was 12-15,000 pounds. The buyer's identity has not been revealed.
The novel of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the flying car with the bubbly personality, was originally penned by James Bond author Ian Fleming in 1961 as he recovered after a heart attack and is based on stories he used to tell his son.
The work prompted Fleming to complain to his publishers they never gave him a moment's rest.
Originally written as three stories but published in 1964 under the name of Ian Lancaster as one, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was an instant success.
It was made into a classic children's film in 1968 with Dick Van Dyke (news) and Sally Ann Howes in the leading roles, and 34 years later has had a new lease of life as a hugely popular London stage musical.
Fleming manuscripts are extremely rare. The major Fleming collection held by the Lilly Library at Indiana University does not even include typescript of Chitty, Sotheby's said.
Fantasmagorical!
DVD Pirates Add Extra Credit To Die Another Day
January 15, 2003 - Reuters
Taiwan's Justice Minister has warned video compact-disc pirates not to underestimate the government's resolve to root out rampant piracy after counterfeiters taunted him by tagging pirated movies with this credit: 'Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!'
ON A TV news footage recently, a DVD player was shown playing the credits of the latest James Bond thriller Die Another day (above), but the pirates had added a sub-credit onto the video which read: "Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!" This was an open challenge to Mr Chen, Taiwan's Justice Minister.
'This is an open challenge to government authority. If you have guts, don't run away,' said an outraged Mr. Chen in comments broadcast on a cable news network yesterday. 'It is unbelievable and unforgivable. If these pirates believe that they will never be caught, they are dreaming,' the minister said.
The minister's warning came after pirated VCDs seized by police featured the challenge at the beginning of the movies. A television news report on Monday had said that the pirated editions of many new movies, such as Die Another Day and Hero, were now available on both VCDs and DVDs at the price of NT$100 (S$5) each at night markets.
Die Another Day, the latest James Bond thriller, is officially scheduled to start showing in Taiwan theatres on Jan 31 while Hero by Chinese director Zhang Yimou is scheduled to start showing on Friday. Its mainland distributor said that vigilant steps to prevent piracy, including requiring viewers to pass through metal detectors at early screenings, were a key factor in the movie's success.
Assistant US trade representative Joseph Papovich said during an October visit that Taiwan was considered one of the largest producers and exporters of pirated CDs, DVDs and other optical discs in Asia and one of the largest producers in the world.--Reuters, AFP
And to prove that theory just log onto Ebay and check out how many DVDs are sent from Taiwan.
NightFire Comes To GameBoy Advance
January 20, 2003 - by Tommy Craig for VideoGameCity
Product Description Get deep into the excitement and intrigue of the most complete James Bond game yet. All-new scenarios and gameplay complement a completely original storyline that delivers all-out Bond-style intensity on the handheld systems.
James Bond 007: NightFire for the Gameboy Advance video game system promises to take players higher and deeper than ever before. As Bond, players will operate in the Austrian Alps, a Japanese highrise, an island in the South Pacific, and even in a zero-gravity space station to defeat the evil criminal mastermind Raphael Drake.
NightFire will offer a deep gameplay experience that will stay true to the Bond universe. For the first time on a handheld system the Bond game is seen through a first person perspective. Adding to the legacy of the Bond universe will be the use of Pierce Brosnan's image for the Bond character. NightFire will feature a variety of missions filled with action and stealth, gorgeous women, and spy-craft gadgetry that Bond fans expect.
Each of the various locations in NightFire will contain challenging missions and objectives. The game will feature new and familiar characters from the Bond universe, including Zoe Nightshade (from EA's previous Bond game, James Bond 007 in... Agent Under FireTM). Players can blast through each level using weaponry or rely on tricks and gadgets to accomplish objectives and maximize scores.
Key Features: Go higher and deeper than any previous Bond game both in locales and gameplay. Original single-player storyline with new and familiar characters from the Bond universe. Features Pierce Brosnan's likeness as Bond. First person perspective. Various exotic locations worldwide filled with challenging missions and objectives. Nine levels of single-player action. New upgradeable Q-lab gadgets, some exclusive to console versions, advanced camera system, and original missions including zero-gravity assignments.
Well when it comes to this game you've got to hand it to EA.
Elton Says Madonna Will 'Kill Him' For Slamming Her Bond Theme
January 23, 2003 - by Darryl Morden for Launch
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
OSCAR Snubs OO7 Special Effects And Sound
January 9, 2003 - Variety
It's definitely the year of the digital character as a cast of computer-generated beings are featured prominently in the seven pictures tapped to compete in February for the visual f/x Oscar nomination. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences on Wednesday revealed its f/x and sound editing selections, with George Lucas (news)' Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound having plenty of reason for celebration.
The f/x behemoth once again dominated the list, snaring four of the seven slots with "Harry Potter (news - web sites) and the Chamber of Secrets," "Men in Black II," "Minority Report" and "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones." While ILM was the lead house on "Harry Potter," British f/x shops Mill Film, Cinesite and Moving Picture Co. also provided visuals for that picture.
Sony Pictures Imageworks received a nod for its work on "Spider-Man" and for its contributions to "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," though the main f/x studio for the fantasy sequel was once again New Zealand-based WETA Digital.
WETA walked away from last year's Oscar ceremony with the best f/x trophy for its work on "The Fellowship of the Ring."
The seventh picture in the running is "XXX," whose computer-generated visuals were created by Digital Domain. The picture is the only one on the list dominated by physical rather than digital f/x.
The seven selections signal a year in which live-action pictures starring digital characters in digital settings clearly impressed voters. WETA's work in creating the character of Gollum in "Rings" has been particularly celebrated, with its amalgam of a digitally made-over human actor, but "Spider-Man," "Potter," "MIB II" and "Star Wars" also extensively feature digitally created characters with significant roles.
Among surprise omissions in the list were "Stuart Little 2," a live-action pic that featured three major digital characters, including the lead mouse, and "Die Another Day," the latest James Bond actioner from MGM, which boasted considerably more effects than any of the previous 19 outings.
Leaders of the f/x teams on the seven movies in contention will put together 15-minute reels of their work for the Feb. 5 "bakeoff" at the Academy, where the f/x branch will choose three Oscar nominees. Oscar nominations are announced Feb. 11.
Meanwhile, in the sound editing category, "Potter," "Rings," "Report," "Spider-Man" and "XXX" made the semifinalist list. They were joined by "Road to Perdition" and "We Were Soldiers." Skywalker Sound worked on three of the pictures -- "Potter," "Rings" and "Report."
As with f/x, each picture's sound team will compile a 10-minute reel for a bakeoff to be held Feb. 4. Voters select the three nominees for Oscar consideration.
Typical when it comes to OSCAR. They have snubbed the Bond series for years. Only offering best sound for Goldfinger and best special effects for Thunderball. Diamonds Are Forever was nominated for best sound and lost. The Spy Who Loved Me had the most nominations and didn't win one award. Moonraker had competition with Star Trek and Alien. And the last time Bond was nominated was for Best Song in For Your Eyes Only. However, Cubby Broccoli did receive the Thalberg Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1982.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Manuscript Soars at Sale
January 10, 2003 - Reuters
Rare original manuscripts for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, one of the best-loved childrens' stories of all time, fetched a sky high price at auction in London Thursday.
"They sold for 29,290 pounds ($46,250) in very competitive bidding," a spokeswoman for auction house Sotheby's told Reuters. The presale estimate for the documents was 12-15,000 pounds. The buyer's identity has not been revealed.
The novel of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the flying car with the bubbly personality, was originally penned by James Bond author Ian Fleming in 1961 as he recovered after a heart attack and is based on stories he used to tell his son.
The work prompted Fleming to complain to his publishers they never gave him a moment's rest.
Originally written as three stories but published in 1964 under the name of Ian Lancaster as one, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was an instant success.
It was made into a classic children's film in 1968 with Dick Van Dyke (news) and Sally Ann Howes in the leading roles, and 34 years later has had a new lease of life as a hugely popular London stage musical.
Fleming manuscripts are extremely rare. The major Fleming collection held by the Lilly Library at Indiana University does not even include typescript of Chitty, Sotheby's said.
Fantasmagorical!
DVD Pirates Add Extra Credit To Die Another Day
January 15, 2003 - Reuters
Taiwan's Justice Minister has warned video compact-disc pirates not to underestimate the government's resolve to root out rampant piracy after counterfeiters taunted him by tagging pirated movies with this credit: 'Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!'
ON A TV news footage recently, a DVD player was shown playing the credits of the latest James Bond thriller Die Another day (above), but the pirates had added a sub-credit onto the video which read: "Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!" This was an open challenge to Mr Chen, Taiwan's Justice Minister.
'This is an open challenge to government authority. If you have guts, don't run away,' said an outraged Mr. Chen in comments broadcast on a cable news network yesterday. 'It is unbelievable and unforgivable. If these pirates believe that they will never be caught, they are dreaming,' the minister said.
The minister's warning came after pirated VCDs seized by police featured the challenge at the beginning of the movies. A television news report on Monday had said that the pirated editions of many new movies, such as Die Another Day and Hero, were now available on both VCDs and DVDs at the price of NT$100 (S$5) each at night markets.
Die Another Day, the latest James Bond thriller, is officially scheduled to start showing in Taiwan theatres on Jan 31 while Hero by Chinese director Zhang Yimou is scheduled to start showing on Friday. Its mainland distributor said that vigilant steps to prevent piracy, including requiring viewers to pass through metal detectors at early screenings, were a key factor in the movie's success.
Assistant US trade representative Joseph Papovich said during an October visit that Taiwan was considered one of the largest producers and exporters of pirated CDs, DVDs and other optical discs in Asia and one of the largest producers in the world.--Reuters, AFP
And to prove that theory just log onto Ebay and check out how many DVDs are sent from Taiwan.
NightFire Comes To GameBoy Advance
January 20, 2003 - by Tommy Craig for VideoGameCity
Product Description Get deep into the excitement and intrigue of the most complete James Bond game yet. All-new scenarios and gameplay complement a completely original storyline that delivers all-out Bond-style intensity on the handheld systems.
James Bond 007: NightFire for the Gameboy Advance video game system promises to take players higher and deeper than ever before. As Bond, players will operate in the Austrian Alps, a Japanese highrise, an island in the South Pacific, and even in a zero-gravity space station to defeat the evil criminal mastermind Raphael Drake.
NightFire will offer a deep gameplay experience that will stay true to the Bond universe. For the first time on a handheld system the Bond game is seen through a first person perspective. Adding to the legacy of the Bond universe will be the use of Pierce Brosnan's image for the Bond character. NightFire will feature a variety of missions filled with action and stealth, gorgeous women, and spy-craft gadgetry that Bond fans expect.
Each of the various locations in NightFire will contain challenging missions and objectives. The game will feature new and familiar characters from the Bond universe, including Zoe Nightshade (from EA's previous Bond game, James Bond 007 in... Agent Under FireTM). Players can blast through each level using weaponry or rely on tricks and gadgets to accomplish objectives and maximize scores.
Key Features: Go higher and deeper than any previous Bond game both in locales and gameplay. Original single-player storyline with new and familiar characters from the Bond universe. Features Pierce Brosnan's likeness as Bond. First person perspective. Various exotic locations worldwide filled with challenging missions and objectives. Nine levels of single-player action. New upgradeable Q-lab gadgets, some exclusive to console versions, advanced camera system, and original missions including zero-gravity assignments.
Well when it comes to this game you've got to hand it to EA.
Elton Says Madonna Will 'Kill Him' For Slamming Her Bond Theme
January 23, 2003 - by Darryl Morden for Launch
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
January 9, 2003 - Variety
It's definitely the year of the digital character as a cast of computer-generated beings are featured prominently in the seven pictures tapped to compete in February for the visual f/x Oscar nomination. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences on Wednesday revealed its f/x and sound editing selections, with George Lucas (news)' Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound having plenty of reason for celebration.
The f/x behemoth once again dominated the list, snaring four of the seven slots with "Harry Potter (news - web sites) and the Chamber of Secrets," "Men in Black II," "Minority Report" and "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones." While ILM was the lead house on "Harry Potter," British f/x shops Mill Film, Cinesite and Moving Picture Co. also provided visuals for that picture.
Sony Pictures Imageworks received a nod for its work on "Spider-Man" and for its contributions to "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," though the main f/x studio for the fantasy sequel was once again New Zealand-based WETA Digital.
WETA walked away from last year's Oscar ceremony with the best f/x trophy for its work on "The Fellowship of the Ring."
The seventh picture in the running is "XXX," whose computer-generated visuals were created by Digital Domain. The picture is the only one on the list dominated by physical rather than digital f/x.
The seven selections signal a year in which live-action pictures starring digital characters in digital settings clearly impressed voters. WETA's work in creating the character of Gollum in "Rings" has been particularly celebrated, with its amalgam of a digitally made-over human actor, but "Spider-Man," "Potter," "MIB II" and "Star Wars" also extensively feature digitally created characters with significant roles.
Among surprise omissions in the list were "Stuart Little 2," a live-action pic that featured three major digital characters, including the lead mouse, and "Die Another Day," the latest James Bond actioner from MGM, which boasted considerably more effects than any of the previous 19 outings.
Leaders of the f/x teams on the seven movies in contention will put together 15-minute reels of their work for the Feb. 5 "bakeoff" at the Academy, where the f/x branch will choose three Oscar nominees. Oscar nominations are announced Feb. 11.
Meanwhile, in the sound editing category, "Potter," "Rings," "Report," "Spider-Man" and "XXX" made the semifinalist list. They were joined by "Road to Perdition" and "We Were Soldiers." Skywalker Sound worked on three of the pictures -- "Potter," "Rings" and "Report."
As with f/x, each picture's sound team will compile a 10-minute reel for a bakeoff to be held Feb. 4. Voters select the three nominees for Oscar consideration.
Typical when it comes to OSCAR. They have snubbed the Bond series for years. Only offering best sound for Goldfinger and best special effects for Thunderball. Diamonds Are Forever was nominated for best sound and lost. The Spy Who Loved Me had the most nominations and didn't win one award. Moonraker had competition with Star Trek and Alien. And the last time Bond was nominated was for Best Song in For Your Eyes Only. However, Cubby Broccoli did receive the Thalberg Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1982.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Manuscript Soars at Sale
January 10, 2003 - Reuters
Rare original manuscripts for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, one of the best-loved childrens' stories of all time, fetched a sky high price at auction in London Thursday.
"They sold for 29,290 pounds ($46,250) in very competitive bidding," a spokeswoman for auction house Sotheby's told Reuters. The presale estimate for the documents was 12-15,000 pounds. The buyer's identity has not been revealed.
The novel of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the flying car with the bubbly personality, was originally penned by James Bond author Ian Fleming in 1961 as he recovered after a heart attack and is based on stories he used to tell his son.
The work prompted Fleming to complain to his publishers they never gave him a moment's rest.
Originally written as three stories but published in 1964 under the name of Ian Lancaster as one, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was an instant success.
It was made into a classic children's film in 1968 with Dick Van Dyke (news) and Sally Ann Howes in the leading roles, and 34 years later has had a new lease of life as a hugely popular London stage musical.
Fleming manuscripts are extremely rare. The major Fleming collection held by the Lilly Library at Indiana University does not even include typescript of Chitty, Sotheby's said.
Fantasmagorical!
DVD Pirates Add Extra Credit To Die Another Day
January 15, 2003 - Reuters
Taiwan's Justice Minister has warned video compact-disc pirates not to underestimate the government's resolve to root out rampant piracy after counterfeiters taunted him by tagging pirated movies with this credit: 'Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!'
ON A TV news footage recently, a DVD player was shown playing the credits of the latest James Bond thriller Die Another day (above), but the pirates had added a sub-credit onto the video which read: "Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!" This was an open challenge to Mr Chen, Taiwan's Justice Minister.
'This is an open challenge to government authority. If you have guts, don't run away,' said an outraged Mr. Chen in comments broadcast on a cable news network yesterday. 'It is unbelievable and unforgivable. If these pirates believe that they will never be caught, they are dreaming,' the minister said.
The minister's warning came after pirated VCDs seized by police featured the challenge at the beginning of the movies. A television news report on Monday had said that the pirated editions of many new movies, such as Die Another Day and Hero, were now available on both VCDs and DVDs at the price of NT$100 (S$5) each at night markets.
Die Another Day, the latest James Bond thriller, is officially scheduled to start showing in Taiwan theatres on Jan 31 while Hero by Chinese director Zhang Yimou is scheduled to start showing on Friday. Its mainland distributor said that vigilant steps to prevent piracy, including requiring viewers to pass through metal detectors at early screenings, were a key factor in the movie's success.
Assistant US trade representative Joseph Papovich said during an October visit that Taiwan was considered one of the largest producers and exporters of pirated CDs, DVDs and other optical discs in Asia and one of the largest producers in the world.--Reuters, AFP
And to prove that theory just log onto Ebay and check out how many DVDs are sent from Taiwan.
NightFire Comes To GameBoy Advance
January 20, 2003 - by Tommy Craig for VideoGameCity
Product Description Get deep into the excitement and intrigue of the most complete James Bond game yet. All-new scenarios and gameplay complement a completely original storyline that delivers all-out Bond-style intensity on the handheld systems.
James Bond 007: NightFire for the Gameboy Advance video game system promises to take players higher and deeper than ever before. As Bond, players will operate in the Austrian Alps, a Japanese highrise, an island in the South Pacific, and even in a zero-gravity space station to defeat the evil criminal mastermind Raphael Drake.
NightFire will offer a deep gameplay experience that will stay true to the Bond universe. For the first time on a handheld system the Bond game is seen through a first person perspective. Adding to the legacy of the Bond universe will be the use of Pierce Brosnan's image for the Bond character. NightFire will feature a variety of missions filled with action and stealth, gorgeous women, and spy-craft gadgetry that Bond fans expect.
Each of the various locations in NightFire will contain challenging missions and objectives. The game will feature new and familiar characters from the Bond universe, including Zoe Nightshade (from EA's previous Bond game, James Bond 007 in... Agent Under FireTM). Players can blast through each level using weaponry or rely on tricks and gadgets to accomplish objectives and maximize scores.
Key Features: Go higher and deeper than any previous Bond game both in locales and gameplay. Original single-player storyline with new and familiar characters from the Bond universe. Features Pierce Brosnan's likeness as Bond. First person perspective. Various exotic locations worldwide filled with challenging missions and objectives. Nine levels of single-player action. New upgradeable Q-lab gadgets, some exclusive to console versions, advanced camera system, and original missions including zero-gravity assignments.
Well when it comes to this game you've got to hand it to EA.
Elton Says Madonna Will 'Kill Him' For Slamming Her Bond Theme
January 23, 2003 - by Darryl Morden for Launch
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
It's definitely the year of the digital character as a cast of computer-generated beings are featured prominently in the seven pictures tapped to compete in February for the visual f/x Oscar nomination. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences on Wednesday revealed its f/x and sound editing selections, with George Lucas (news)' Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound having plenty of reason for celebration.
The f/x behemoth once again dominated the list, snaring four of the seven slots with "Harry Potter (news - web sites) and the Chamber of Secrets," "Men in Black II," "Minority Report" and "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones." While ILM was the lead house on "Harry Potter," British f/x shops Mill Film, Cinesite and Moving Picture Co. also provided visuals for that picture.
Sony Pictures Imageworks received a nod for its work on "Spider-Man" and for its contributions to "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," though the main f/x studio for the fantasy sequel was once again New Zealand-based WETA Digital.
WETA walked away from last year's Oscar ceremony with the best f/x trophy for its work on "The Fellowship of the Ring."
The seventh picture in the running is "XXX," whose computer-generated visuals were created by Digital Domain. The picture is the only one on the list dominated by physical rather than digital f/x.
The seven selections signal a year in which live-action pictures starring digital characters in digital settings clearly impressed voters. WETA's work in creating the character of Gollum in "Rings" has been particularly celebrated, with its amalgam of a digitally made-over human actor, but "Spider-Man," "Potter," "MIB II" and "Star Wars" also extensively feature digitally created characters with significant roles.
Among surprise omissions in the list were "Stuart Little 2," a live-action pic that featured three major digital characters, including the lead mouse, and "Die Another Day," the latest James Bond actioner from MGM, which boasted considerably more effects than any of the previous 19 outings.
Leaders of the f/x teams on the seven movies in contention will put together 15-minute reels of their work for the Feb. 5 "bakeoff" at the Academy, where the f/x branch will choose three Oscar nominees. Oscar nominations are announced Feb. 11.
Meanwhile, in the sound editing category, "Potter," "Rings," "Report," "Spider-Man" and "XXX" made the semifinalist list. They were joined by "Road to Perdition" and "We Were Soldiers." Skywalker Sound worked on three of the pictures -- "Potter," "Rings" and "Report."
As with f/x, each picture's sound team will compile a 10-minute reel for a bakeoff to be held Feb. 4. Voters select the three nominees for Oscar consideration.
Typical when it comes to OSCAR. They have snubbed the Bond series for years. Only offering best sound for Goldfinger and best special effects for Thunderball. Diamonds Are Forever was nominated for best sound and lost. The Spy Who Loved Me had the most nominations and didn't win one award. Moonraker had competition with Star Trek and Alien. And the last time Bond was nominated was for Best Song in For Your Eyes Only. However, Cubby Broccoli did receive the Thalberg Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1982.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Manuscript Soars at Sale
January 10, 2003 - Reuters
Rare original manuscripts for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, one of the best-loved childrens' stories of all time, fetched a sky high price at auction in London Thursday.
"They sold for 29,290 pounds ($46,250) in very competitive bidding," a spokeswoman for auction house Sotheby's told Reuters. The presale estimate for the documents was 12-15,000 pounds. The buyer's identity has not been revealed.
The novel of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the flying car with the bubbly personality, was originally penned by James Bond author Ian Fleming in 1961 as he recovered after a heart attack and is based on stories he used to tell his son.
The work prompted Fleming to complain to his publishers they never gave him a moment's rest.
Originally written as three stories but published in 1964 under the name of Ian Lancaster as one, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was an instant success.
It was made into a classic children's film in 1968 with Dick Van Dyke (news) and Sally Ann Howes in the leading roles, and 34 years later has had a new lease of life as a hugely popular London stage musical.
Fleming manuscripts are extremely rare. The major Fleming collection held by the Lilly Library at Indiana University does not even include typescript of Chitty, Sotheby's said.
Fantasmagorical!
DVD Pirates Add Extra Credit To Die Another Day
January 15, 2003 - Reuters
Taiwan's Justice Minister has warned video compact-disc pirates not to underestimate the government's resolve to root out rampant piracy after counterfeiters taunted him by tagging pirated movies with this credit: 'Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!'
ON A TV news footage recently, a DVD player was shown playing the credits of the latest James Bond thriller Die Another day (above), but the pirates had added a sub-credit onto the video which read: "Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!" This was an open challenge to Mr Chen, Taiwan's Justice Minister.
'This is an open challenge to government authority. If you have guts, don't run away,' said an outraged Mr. Chen in comments broadcast on a cable news network yesterday. 'It is unbelievable and unforgivable. If these pirates believe that they will never be caught, they are dreaming,' the minister said.
The minister's warning came after pirated VCDs seized by police featured the challenge at the beginning of the movies. A television news report on Monday had said that the pirated editions of many new movies, such as Die Another Day and Hero, were now available on both VCDs and DVDs at the price of NT$100 (S$5) each at night markets.
Die Another Day, the latest James Bond thriller, is officially scheduled to start showing in Taiwan theatres on Jan 31 while Hero by Chinese director Zhang Yimou is scheduled to start showing on Friday. Its mainland distributor said that vigilant steps to prevent piracy, including requiring viewers to pass through metal detectors at early screenings, were a key factor in the movie's success.
Assistant US trade representative Joseph Papovich said during an October visit that Taiwan was considered one of the largest producers and exporters of pirated CDs, DVDs and other optical discs in Asia and one of the largest producers in the world.--Reuters, AFP
And to prove that theory just log onto Ebay and check out how many DVDs are sent from Taiwan.
NightFire Comes To GameBoy Advance
January 20, 2003 - by Tommy Craig for VideoGameCity
Product Description Get deep into the excitement and intrigue of the most complete James Bond game yet. All-new scenarios and gameplay complement a completely original storyline that delivers all-out Bond-style intensity on the handheld systems.
James Bond 007: NightFire for the Gameboy Advance video game system promises to take players higher and deeper than ever before. As Bond, players will operate in the Austrian Alps, a Japanese highrise, an island in the South Pacific, and even in a zero-gravity space station to defeat the evil criminal mastermind Raphael Drake.
NightFire will offer a deep gameplay experience that will stay true to the Bond universe. For the first time on a handheld system the Bond game is seen through a first person perspective. Adding to the legacy of the Bond universe will be the use of Pierce Brosnan's image for the Bond character. NightFire will feature a variety of missions filled with action and stealth, gorgeous women, and spy-craft gadgetry that Bond fans expect.
Each of the various locations in NightFire will contain challenging missions and objectives. The game will feature new and familiar characters from the Bond universe, including Zoe Nightshade (from EA's previous Bond game, James Bond 007 in... Agent Under FireTM). Players can blast through each level using weaponry or rely on tricks and gadgets to accomplish objectives and maximize scores.
Key Features: Go higher and deeper than any previous Bond game both in locales and gameplay. Original single-player storyline with new and familiar characters from the Bond universe. Features Pierce Brosnan's likeness as Bond. First person perspective. Various exotic locations worldwide filled with challenging missions and objectives. Nine levels of single-player action. New upgradeable Q-lab gadgets, some exclusive to console versions, advanced camera system, and original missions including zero-gravity assignments.
Well when it comes to this game you've got to hand it to EA.
Elton Says Madonna Will 'Kill Him' For Slamming Her Bond Theme
January 23, 2003 - by Darryl Morden for Launch
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
Typical when it comes to OSCAR. They have snubbed the Bond series for years. Only offering best sound for Goldfinger and best special effects for Thunderball. Diamonds Are Forever was nominated for best sound and lost. The Spy Who Loved Me had the most nominations and didn't win one award. Moonraker had competition with Star Trek and Alien. And the last time Bond was nominated was for Best Song in For Your Eyes Only. However, Cubby Broccoli did receive the Thalberg Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1982.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Manuscript Soars at Sale
January 10, 2003 - Reuters
Rare original manuscripts for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, one of the best-loved childrens' stories of all time, fetched a sky high price at auction in London Thursday.
"They sold for 29,290 pounds ($46,250) in very competitive bidding," a spokeswoman for auction house Sotheby's told Reuters. The presale estimate for the documents was 12-15,000 pounds. The buyer's identity has not been revealed.
The novel of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the flying car with the bubbly personality, was originally penned by James Bond author Ian Fleming in 1961 as he recovered after a heart attack and is based on stories he used to tell his son.
The work prompted Fleming to complain to his publishers they never gave him a moment's rest.
Originally written as three stories but published in 1964 under the name of Ian Lancaster as one, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was an instant success.
It was made into a classic children's film in 1968 with Dick Van Dyke (news) and Sally Ann Howes in the leading roles, and 34 years later has had a new lease of life as a hugely popular London stage musical.
Fleming manuscripts are extremely rare. The major Fleming collection held by the Lilly Library at Indiana University does not even include typescript of Chitty, Sotheby's said.
Fantasmagorical!
DVD Pirates Add Extra Credit To Die Another Day
January 15, 2003 - Reuters
Taiwan's Justice Minister has warned video compact-disc pirates not to underestimate the government's resolve to root out rampant piracy after counterfeiters taunted him by tagging pirated movies with this credit: 'Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!'
ON A TV news footage recently, a DVD player was shown playing the credits of the latest James Bond thriller Die Another day (above), but the pirates had added a sub-credit onto the video which read: "Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!" This was an open challenge to Mr Chen, Taiwan's Justice Minister.
'This is an open challenge to government authority. If you have guts, don't run away,' said an outraged Mr. Chen in comments broadcast on a cable news network yesterday. 'It is unbelievable and unforgivable. If these pirates believe that they will never be caught, they are dreaming,' the minister said.
The minister's warning came after pirated VCDs seized by police featured the challenge at the beginning of the movies. A television news report on Monday had said that the pirated editions of many new movies, such as Die Another Day and Hero, were now available on both VCDs and DVDs at the price of NT$100 (S$5) each at night markets.
Die Another Day, the latest James Bond thriller, is officially scheduled to start showing in Taiwan theatres on Jan 31 while Hero by Chinese director Zhang Yimou is scheduled to start showing on Friday. Its mainland distributor said that vigilant steps to prevent piracy, including requiring viewers to pass through metal detectors at early screenings, were a key factor in the movie's success.
Assistant US trade representative Joseph Papovich said during an October visit that Taiwan was considered one of the largest producers and exporters of pirated CDs, DVDs and other optical discs in Asia and one of the largest producers in the world.--Reuters, AFP
And to prove that theory just log onto Ebay and check out how many DVDs are sent from Taiwan.
NightFire Comes To GameBoy Advance
January 20, 2003 - by Tommy Craig for VideoGameCity
Product Description Get deep into the excitement and intrigue of the most complete James Bond game yet. All-new scenarios and gameplay complement a completely original storyline that delivers all-out Bond-style intensity on the handheld systems.
James Bond 007: NightFire for the Gameboy Advance video game system promises to take players higher and deeper than ever before. As Bond, players will operate in the Austrian Alps, a Japanese highrise, an island in the South Pacific, and even in a zero-gravity space station to defeat the evil criminal mastermind Raphael Drake.
NightFire will offer a deep gameplay experience that will stay true to the Bond universe. For the first time on a handheld system the Bond game is seen through a first person perspective. Adding to the legacy of the Bond universe will be the use of Pierce Brosnan's image for the Bond character. NightFire will feature a variety of missions filled with action and stealth, gorgeous women, and spy-craft gadgetry that Bond fans expect.
Each of the various locations in NightFire will contain challenging missions and objectives. The game will feature new and familiar characters from the Bond universe, including Zoe Nightshade (from EA's previous Bond game, James Bond 007 in... Agent Under FireTM). Players can blast through each level using weaponry or rely on tricks and gadgets to accomplish objectives and maximize scores.
Key Features: Go higher and deeper than any previous Bond game both in locales and gameplay. Original single-player storyline with new and familiar characters from the Bond universe. Features Pierce Brosnan's likeness as Bond. First person perspective. Various exotic locations worldwide filled with challenging missions and objectives. Nine levels of single-player action. New upgradeable Q-lab gadgets, some exclusive to console versions, advanced camera system, and original missions including zero-gravity assignments.
Well when it comes to this game you've got to hand it to EA.
Elton Says Madonna Will 'Kill Him' For Slamming Her Bond Theme
January 23, 2003 - by Darryl Morden for Launch
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Manuscript Soars at Sale
January 10, 2003 - Reuters
Rare original manuscripts for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, one of the best-loved childrens' stories of all time, fetched a sky high price at auction in London Thursday.
"They sold for 29,290 pounds ($46,250) in very competitive bidding," a spokeswoman for auction house Sotheby's told Reuters. The presale estimate for the documents was 12-15,000 pounds. The buyer's identity has not been revealed.
The novel of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the flying car with the bubbly personality, was originally penned by James Bond author Ian Fleming in 1961 as he recovered after a heart attack and is based on stories he used to tell his son.
The work prompted Fleming to complain to his publishers they never gave him a moment's rest.
Originally written as three stories but published in 1964 under the name of Ian Lancaster as one, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was an instant success.
It was made into a classic children's film in 1968 with Dick Van Dyke (news) and Sally Ann Howes in the leading roles, and 34 years later has had a new lease of life as a hugely popular London stage musical.
Fleming manuscripts are extremely rare. The major Fleming collection held by the Lilly Library at Indiana University does not even include typescript of Chitty, Sotheby's said.
Fantasmagorical!
DVD Pirates Add Extra Credit To Die Another Day
January 15, 2003 - Reuters
Taiwan's Justice Minister has warned video compact-disc pirates not to underestimate the government's resolve to root out rampant piracy after counterfeiters taunted him by tagging pirated movies with this credit: 'Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!'
ON A TV news footage recently, a DVD player was shown playing the credits of the latest James Bond thriller Die Another day (above), but the pirates had added a sub-credit onto the video which read: "Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!" This was an open challenge to Mr Chen, Taiwan's Justice Minister.
'This is an open challenge to government authority. If you have guts, don't run away,' said an outraged Mr. Chen in comments broadcast on a cable news network yesterday. 'It is unbelievable and unforgivable. If these pirates believe that they will never be caught, they are dreaming,' the minister said.
The minister's warning came after pirated VCDs seized by police featured the challenge at the beginning of the movies. A television news report on Monday had said that the pirated editions of many new movies, such as Die Another Day and Hero, were now available on both VCDs and DVDs at the price of NT$100 (S$5) each at night markets.
Die Another Day, the latest James Bond thriller, is officially scheduled to start showing in Taiwan theatres on Jan 31 while Hero by Chinese director Zhang Yimou is scheduled to start showing on Friday. Its mainland distributor said that vigilant steps to prevent piracy, including requiring viewers to pass through metal detectors at early screenings, were a key factor in the movie's success.
Assistant US trade representative Joseph Papovich said during an October visit that Taiwan was considered one of the largest producers and exporters of pirated CDs, DVDs and other optical discs in Asia and one of the largest producers in the world.--Reuters, AFP
And to prove that theory just log onto Ebay and check out how many DVDs are sent from Taiwan.
NightFire Comes To GameBoy Advance
January 20, 2003 - by Tommy Craig for VideoGameCity
Product Description Get deep into the excitement and intrigue of the most complete James Bond game yet. All-new scenarios and gameplay complement a completely original storyline that delivers all-out Bond-style intensity on the handheld systems.
James Bond 007: NightFire for the Gameboy Advance video game system promises to take players higher and deeper than ever before. As Bond, players will operate in the Austrian Alps, a Japanese highrise, an island in the South Pacific, and even in a zero-gravity space station to defeat the evil criminal mastermind Raphael Drake.
NightFire will offer a deep gameplay experience that will stay true to the Bond universe. For the first time on a handheld system the Bond game is seen through a first person perspective. Adding to the legacy of the Bond universe will be the use of Pierce Brosnan's image for the Bond character. NightFire will feature a variety of missions filled with action and stealth, gorgeous women, and spy-craft gadgetry that Bond fans expect.
Each of the various locations in NightFire will contain challenging missions and objectives. The game will feature new and familiar characters from the Bond universe, including Zoe Nightshade (from EA's previous Bond game, James Bond 007 in... Agent Under FireTM). Players can blast through each level using weaponry or rely on tricks and gadgets to accomplish objectives and maximize scores.
Key Features: Go higher and deeper than any previous Bond game both in locales and gameplay. Original single-player storyline with new and familiar characters from the Bond universe. Features Pierce Brosnan's likeness as Bond. First person perspective. Various exotic locations worldwide filled with challenging missions and objectives. Nine levels of single-player action. New upgradeable Q-lab gadgets, some exclusive to console versions, advanced camera system, and original missions including zero-gravity assignments.
Well when it comes to this game you've got to hand it to EA.
Elton Says Madonna Will 'Kill Him' For Slamming Her Bond Theme
January 23, 2003 - by Darryl Morden for Launch
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
January 10, 2003 - Reuters
Rare original manuscripts for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, one of the best-loved childrens' stories of all time, fetched a sky high price at auction in London Thursday.
"They sold for 29,290 pounds ($46,250) in very competitive bidding," a spokeswoman for auction house Sotheby's told Reuters. The presale estimate for the documents was 12-15,000 pounds. The buyer's identity has not been revealed.
The novel of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the flying car with the bubbly personality, was originally penned by James Bond author Ian Fleming in 1961 as he recovered after a heart attack and is based on stories he used to tell his son.
The work prompted Fleming to complain to his publishers they never gave him a moment's rest.
Originally written as three stories but published in 1964 under the name of Ian Lancaster as one, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was an instant success.
It was made into a classic children's film in 1968 with Dick Van Dyke (news) and Sally Ann Howes in the leading roles, and 34 years later has had a new lease of life as a hugely popular London stage musical.
Fleming manuscripts are extremely rare. The major Fleming collection held by the Lilly Library at Indiana University does not even include typescript of Chitty, Sotheby's said.
Fantasmagorical!
DVD Pirates Add Extra Credit To Die Another Day
January 15, 2003 - Reuters
Taiwan's Justice Minister has warned video compact-disc pirates not to underestimate the government's resolve to root out rampant piracy after counterfeiters taunted him by tagging pirated movies with this credit: 'Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!'
ON A TV news footage recently, a DVD player was shown playing the credits of the latest James Bond thriller Die Another day (above), but the pirates had added a sub-credit onto the video which read: "Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!" This was an open challenge to Mr Chen, Taiwan's Justice Minister.
'This is an open challenge to government authority. If you have guts, don't run away,' said an outraged Mr. Chen in comments broadcast on a cable news network yesterday. 'It is unbelievable and unforgivable. If these pirates believe that they will never be caught, they are dreaming,' the minister said.
The minister's warning came after pirated VCDs seized by police featured the challenge at the beginning of the movies. A television news report on Monday had said that the pirated editions of many new movies, such as Die Another Day and Hero, were now available on both VCDs and DVDs at the price of NT$100 (S$5) each at night markets.
Die Another Day, the latest James Bond thriller, is officially scheduled to start showing in Taiwan theatres on Jan 31 while Hero by Chinese director Zhang Yimou is scheduled to start showing on Friday. Its mainland distributor said that vigilant steps to prevent piracy, including requiring viewers to pass through metal detectors at early screenings, were a key factor in the movie's success.
Assistant US trade representative Joseph Papovich said during an October visit that Taiwan was considered one of the largest producers and exporters of pirated CDs, DVDs and other optical discs in Asia and one of the largest producers in the world.--Reuters, AFP
And to prove that theory just log onto Ebay and check out how many DVDs are sent from Taiwan.
NightFire Comes To GameBoy Advance
January 20, 2003 - by Tommy Craig for VideoGameCity
Product Description Get deep into the excitement and intrigue of the most complete James Bond game yet. All-new scenarios and gameplay complement a completely original storyline that delivers all-out Bond-style intensity on the handheld systems.
James Bond 007: NightFire for the Gameboy Advance video game system promises to take players higher and deeper than ever before. As Bond, players will operate in the Austrian Alps, a Japanese highrise, an island in the South Pacific, and even in a zero-gravity space station to defeat the evil criminal mastermind Raphael Drake.
NightFire will offer a deep gameplay experience that will stay true to the Bond universe. For the first time on a handheld system the Bond game is seen through a first person perspective. Adding to the legacy of the Bond universe will be the use of Pierce Brosnan's image for the Bond character. NightFire will feature a variety of missions filled with action and stealth, gorgeous women, and spy-craft gadgetry that Bond fans expect.
Each of the various locations in NightFire will contain challenging missions and objectives. The game will feature new and familiar characters from the Bond universe, including Zoe Nightshade (from EA's previous Bond game, James Bond 007 in... Agent Under FireTM). Players can blast through each level using weaponry or rely on tricks and gadgets to accomplish objectives and maximize scores.
Key Features: Go higher and deeper than any previous Bond game both in locales and gameplay. Original single-player storyline with new and familiar characters from the Bond universe. Features Pierce Brosnan's likeness as Bond. First person perspective. Various exotic locations worldwide filled with challenging missions and objectives. Nine levels of single-player action. New upgradeable Q-lab gadgets, some exclusive to console versions, advanced camera system, and original missions including zero-gravity assignments.
Well when it comes to this game you've got to hand it to EA.
Elton Says Madonna Will 'Kill Him' For Slamming Her Bond Theme
January 23, 2003 - by Darryl Morden for Launch
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
Rare original manuscripts for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, one of the best-loved childrens' stories of all time, fetched a sky high price at auction in London Thursday.
"They sold for 29,290 pounds ($46,250) in very competitive bidding," a spokeswoman for auction house Sotheby's told Reuters. The presale estimate for the documents was 12-15,000 pounds. The buyer's identity has not been revealed.
The novel of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the flying car with the bubbly personality, was originally penned by James Bond author Ian Fleming in 1961 as he recovered after a heart attack and is based on stories he used to tell his son.
The work prompted Fleming to complain to his publishers they never gave him a moment's rest.
Originally written as three stories but published in 1964 under the name of Ian Lancaster as one, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was an instant success.
It was made into a classic children's film in 1968 with Dick Van Dyke (news) and Sally Ann Howes in the leading roles, and 34 years later has had a new lease of life as a hugely popular London stage musical.
Fleming manuscripts are extremely rare. The major Fleming collection held by the Lilly Library at Indiana University does not even include typescript of Chitty, Sotheby's said.
Fantasmagorical!
DVD Pirates Add Extra Credit To Die Another Day
January 15, 2003 - Reuters
Taiwan's Justice Minister has warned video compact-disc pirates not to underestimate the government's resolve to root out rampant piracy after counterfeiters taunted him by tagging pirated movies with this credit: 'Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!'
ON A TV news footage recently, a DVD player was shown playing the credits of the latest James Bond thriller Die Another day (above), but the pirates had added a sub-credit onto the video which read: "Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!" This was an open challenge to Mr Chen, Taiwan's Justice Minister.
'This is an open challenge to government authority. If you have guts, don't run away,' said an outraged Mr. Chen in comments broadcast on a cable news network yesterday. 'It is unbelievable and unforgivable. If these pirates believe that they will never be caught, they are dreaming,' the minister said.
The minister's warning came after pirated VCDs seized by police featured the challenge at the beginning of the movies. A television news report on Monday had said that the pirated editions of many new movies, such as Die Another Day and Hero, were now available on both VCDs and DVDs at the price of NT$100 (S$5) each at night markets.
Die Another Day, the latest James Bond thriller, is officially scheduled to start showing in Taiwan theatres on Jan 31 while Hero by Chinese director Zhang Yimou is scheduled to start showing on Friday. Its mainland distributor said that vigilant steps to prevent piracy, including requiring viewers to pass through metal detectors at early screenings, were a key factor in the movie's success.
Assistant US trade representative Joseph Papovich said during an October visit that Taiwan was considered one of the largest producers and exporters of pirated CDs, DVDs and other optical discs in Asia and one of the largest producers in the world.--Reuters, AFP
And to prove that theory just log onto Ebay and check out how many DVDs are sent from Taiwan.
NightFire Comes To GameBoy Advance
January 20, 2003 - by Tommy Craig for VideoGameCity
Product Description Get deep into the excitement and intrigue of the most complete James Bond game yet. All-new scenarios and gameplay complement a completely original storyline that delivers all-out Bond-style intensity on the handheld systems.
James Bond 007: NightFire for the Gameboy Advance video game system promises to take players higher and deeper than ever before. As Bond, players will operate in the Austrian Alps, a Japanese highrise, an island in the South Pacific, and even in a zero-gravity space station to defeat the evil criminal mastermind Raphael Drake.
NightFire will offer a deep gameplay experience that will stay true to the Bond universe. For the first time on a handheld system the Bond game is seen through a first person perspective. Adding to the legacy of the Bond universe will be the use of Pierce Brosnan's image for the Bond character. NightFire will feature a variety of missions filled with action and stealth, gorgeous women, and spy-craft gadgetry that Bond fans expect.
Each of the various locations in NightFire will contain challenging missions and objectives. The game will feature new and familiar characters from the Bond universe, including Zoe Nightshade (from EA's previous Bond game, James Bond 007 in... Agent Under FireTM). Players can blast through each level using weaponry or rely on tricks and gadgets to accomplish objectives and maximize scores.
Key Features: Go higher and deeper than any previous Bond game both in locales and gameplay. Original single-player storyline with new and familiar characters from the Bond universe. Features Pierce Brosnan's likeness as Bond. First person perspective. Various exotic locations worldwide filled with challenging missions and objectives. Nine levels of single-player action. New upgradeable Q-lab gadgets, some exclusive to console versions, advanced camera system, and original missions including zero-gravity assignments.
Well when it comes to this game you've got to hand it to EA.
Elton Says Madonna Will 'Kill Him' For Slamming Her Bond Theme
January 23, 2003 - by Darryl Morden for Launch
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
Fantasmagorical!
DVD Pirates Add Extra Credit To Die Another Day
January 15, 2003 - Reuters
Taiwan's Justice Minister has warned video compact-disc pirates not to underestimate the government's resolve to root out rampant piracy after counterfeiters taunted him by tagging pirated movies with this credit: 'Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!'
ON A TV news footage recently, a DVD player was shown playing the credits of the latest James Bond thriller Die Another day (above), but the pirates had added a sub-credit onto the video which read: "Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!" This was an open challenge to Mr Chen, Taiwan's Justice Minister.
'This is an open challenge to government authority. If you have guts, don't run away,' said an outraged Mr. Chen in comments broadcast on a cable news network yesterday. 'It is unbelievable and unforgivable. If these pirates believe that they will never be caught, they are dreaming,' the minister said.
The minister's warning came after pirated VCDs seized by police featured the challenge at the beginning of the movies. A television news report on Monday had said that the pirated editions of many new movies, such as Die Another Day and Hero, were now available on both VCDs and DVDs at the price of NT$100 (S$5) each at night markets.
Die Another Day, the latest James Bond thriller, is officially scheduled to start showing in Taiwan theatres on Jan 31 while Hero by Chinese director Zhang Yimou is scheduled to start showing on Friday. Its mainland distributor said that vigilant steps to prevent piracy, including requiring viewers to pass through metal detectors at early screenings, were a key factor in the movie's success.
Assistant US trade representative Joseph Papovich said during an October visit that Taiwan was considered one of the largest producers and exporters of pirated CDs, DVDs and other optical discs in Asia and one of the largest producers in the world.--Reuters, AFP
And to prove that theory just log onto Ebay and check out how many DVDs are sent from Taiwan.
NightFire Comes To GameBoy Advance
January 20, 2003 - by Tommy Craig for VideoGameCity
Product Description Get deep into the excitement and intrigue of the most complete James Bond game yet. All-new scenarios and gameplay complement a completely original storyline that delivers all-out Bond-style intensity on the handheld systems.
James Bond 007: NightFire for the Gameboy Advance video game system promises to take players higher and deeper than ever before. As Bond, players will operate in the Austrian Alps, a Japanese highrise, an island in the South Pacific, and even in a zero-gravity space station to defeat the evil criminal mastermind Raphael Drake.
NightFire will offer a deep gameplay experience that will stay true to the Bond universe. For the first time on a handheld system the Bond game is seen through a first person perspective. Adding to the legacy of the Bond universe will be the use of Pierce Brosnan's image for the Bond character. NightFire will feature a variety of missions filled with action and stealth, gorgeous women, and spy-craft gadgetry that Bond fans expect.
Each of the various locations in NightFire will contain challenging missions and objectives. The game will feature new and familiar characters from the Bond universe, including Zoe Nightshade (from EA's previous Bond game, James Bond 007 in... Agent Under FireTM). Players can blast through each level using weaponry or rely on tricks and gadgets to accomplish objectives and maximize scores.
Key Features: Go higher and deeper than any previous Bond game both in locales and gameplay. Original single-player storyline with new and familiar characters from the Bond universe. Features Pierce Brosnan's likeness as Bond. First person perspective. Various exotic locations worldwide filled with challenging missions and objectives. Nine levels of single-player action. New upgradeable Q-lab gadgets, some exclusive to console versions, advanced camera system, and original missions including zero-gravity assignments.
Well when it comes to this game you've got to hand it to EA.
Elton Says Madonna Will 'Kill Him' For Slamming Her Bond Theme
January 23, 2003 - by Darryl Morden for Launch
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
DVD Pirates Add Extra Credit To Die Another Day
January 15, 2003 - Reuters
Taiwan's Justice Minister has warned video compact-disc pirates not to underestimate the government's resolve to root out rampant piracy after counterfeiters taunted him by tagging pirated movies with this credit: 'Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!'
ON A TV news footage recently, a DVD player was shown playing the credits of the latest James Bond thriller Die Another day (above), but the pirates had added a sub-credit onto the video which read: "Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!" This was an open challenge to Mr Chen, Taiwan's Justice Minister.
'This is an open challenge to government authority. If you have guts, don't run away,' said an outraged Mr. Chen in comments broadcast on a cable news network yesterday. 'It is unbelievable and unforgivable. If these pirates believe that they will never be caught, they are dreaming,' the minister said.
The minister's warning came after pirated VCDs seized by police featured the challenge at the beginning of the movies. A television news report on Monday had said that the pirated editions of many new movies, such as Die Another Day and Hero, were now available on both VCDs and DVDs at the price of NT$100 (S$5) each at night markets.
Die Another Day, the latest James Bond thriller, is officially scheduled to start showing in Taiwan theatres on Jan 31 while Hero by Chinese director Zhang Yimou is scheduled to start showing on Friday. Its mainland distributor said that vigilant steps to prevent piracy, including requiring viewers to pass through metal detectors at early screenings, were a key factor in the movie's success.
Assistant US trade representative Joseph Papovich said during an October visit that Taiwan was considered one of the largest producers and exporters of pirated CDs, DVDs and other optical discs in Asia and one of the largest producers in the world.--Reuters, AFP
And to prove that theory just log onto Ebay and check out how many DVDs are sent from Taiwan.
NightFire Comes To GameBoy Advance
January 20, 2003 - by Tommy Craig for VideoGameCity
Product Description Get deep into the excitement and intrigue of the most complete James Bond game yet. All-new scenarios and gameplay complement a completely original storyline that delivers all-out Bond-style intensity on the handheld systems.
James Bond 007: NightFire for the Gameboy Advance video game system promises to take players higher and deeper than ever before. As Bond, players will operate in the Austrian Alps, a Japanese highrise, an island in the South Pacific, and even in a zero-gravity space station to defeat the evil criminal mastermind Raphael Drake.
NightFire will offer a deep gameplay experience that will stay true to the Bond universe. For the first time on a handheld system the Bond game is seen through a first person perspective. Adding to the legacy of the Bond universe will be the use of Pierce Brosnan's image for the Bond character. NightFire will feature a variety of missions filled with action and stealth, gorgeous women, and spy-craft gadgetry that Bond fans expect.
Each of the various locations in NightFire will contain challenging missions and objectives. The game will feature new and familiar characters from the Bond universe, including Zoe Nightshade (from EA's previous Bond game, James Bond 007 in... Agent Under FireTM). Players can blast through each level using weaponry or rely on tricks and gadgets to accomplish objectives and maximize scores.
Key Features: Go higher and deeper than any previous Bond game both in locales and gameplay. Original single-player storyline with new and familiar characters from the Bond universe. Features Pierce Brosnan's likeness as Bond. First person perspective. Various exotic locations worldwide filled with challenging missions and objectives. Nine levels of single-player action. New upgradeable Q-lab gadgets, some exclusive to console versions, advanced camera system, and original missions including zero-gravity assignments.
Well when it comes to this game you've got to hand it to EA.
Elton Says Madonna Will 'Kill Him' For Slamming Her Bond Theme
January 23, 2003 - by Darryl Morden for Launch
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
January 15, 2003 - Reuters
Taiwan's Justice Minister has warned video compact-disc pirates not to underestimate the government's resolve to root out rampant piracy after counterfeiters taunted him by tagging pirated movies with this credit: 'Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!'
ON A TV news footage recently, a DVD player was shown playing the credits of the latest James Bond thriller Die Another day (above), but the pirates had added a sub-credit onto the video which read: "Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!" This was an open challenge to Mr Chen, Taiwan's Justice Minister.
'This is an open challenge to government authority. If you have guts, don't run away,' said an outraged Mr. Chen in comments broadcast on a cable news network yesterday. 'It is unbelievable and unforgivable. If these pirates believe that they will never be caught, they are dreaming,' the minister said.
The minister's warning came after pirated VCDs seized by police featured the challenge at the beginning of the movies. A television news report on Monday had said that the pirated editions of many new movies, such as Die Another Day and Hero, were now available on both VCDs and DVDs at the price of NT$100 (S$5) each at night markets.
Die Another Day, the latest James Bond thriller, is officially scheduled to start showing in Taiwan theatres on Jan 31 while Hero by Chinese director Zhang Yimou is scheduled to start showing on Friday. Its mainland distributor said that vigilant steps to prevent piracy, including requiring viewers to pass through metal detectors at early screenings, were a key factor in the movie's success.
Assistant US trade representative Joseph Papovich said during an October visit that Taiwan was considered one of the largest producers and exporters of pirated CDs, DVDs and other optical discs in Asia and one of the largest producers in the world.--Reuters, AFP
And to prove that theory just log onto Ebay and check out how many DVDs are sent from Taiwan.
NightFire Comes To GameBoy Advance
January 20, 2003 - by Tommy Craig for VideoGameCity
Product Description Get deep into the excitement and intrigue of the most complete James Bond game yet. All-new scenarios and gameplay complement a completely original storyline that delivers all-out Bond-style intensity on the handheld systems.
James Bond 007: NightFire for the Gameboy Advance video game system promises to take players higher and deeper than ever before. As Bond, players will operate in the Austrian Alps, a Japanese highrise, an island in the South Pacific, and even in a zero-gravity space station to defeat the evil criminal mastermind Raphael Drake.
NightFire will offer a deep gameplay experience that will stay true to the Bond universe. For the first time on a handheld system the Bond game is seen through a first person perspective. Adding to the legacy of the Bond universe will be the use of Pierce Brosnan's image for the Bond character. NightFire will feature a variety of missions filled with action and stealth, gorgeous women, and spy-craft gadgetry that Bond fans expect.
Each of the various locations in NightFire will contain challenging missions and objectives. The game will feature new and familiar characters from the Bond universe, including Zoe Nightshade (from EA's previous Bond game, James Bond 007 in... Agent Under FireTM). Players can blast through each level using weaponry or rely on tricks and gadgets to accomplish objectives and maximize scores.
Key Features: Go higher and deeper than any previous Bond game both in locales and gameplay. Original single-player storyline with new and familiar characters from the Bond universe. Features Pierce Brosnan's likeness as Bond. First person perspective. Various exotic locations worldwide filled with challenging missions and objectives. Nine levels of single-player action. New upgradeable Q-lab gadgets, some exclusive to console versions, advanced camera system, and original missions including zero-gravity assignments.
Well when it comes to this game you've got to hand it to EA.
Elton Says Madonna Will 'Kill Him' For Slamming Her Bond Theme
January 23, 2003 - by Darryl Morden for Launch
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
Taiwan's Justice Minister has warned video compact-disc pirates not to underestimate the government's resolve to root out rampant piracy after counterfeiters taunted him by tagging pirated movies with this credit: 'Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!'
ON A TV news footage recently, a DVD player was shown playing the credits of the latest James Bond thriller Die Another day (above), but the pirates had added a sub-credit onto the video which read: "Come and catch me, Chen Ding-nan!" This was an open challenge to Mr Chen, Taiwan's Justice Minister.
'This is an open challenge to government authority. If you have guts, don't run away,' said an outraged Mr. Chen in comments broadcast on a cable news network yesterday. 'It is unbelievable and unforgivable. If these pirates believe that they will never be caught, they are dreaming,' the minister said.
The minister's warning came after pirated VCDs seized by police featured the challenge at the beginning of the movies. A television news report on Monday had said that the pirated editions of many new movies, such as Die Another Day and Hero, were now available on both VCDs and DVDs at the price of NT$100 (S$5) each at night markets.
Die Another Day, the latest James Bond thriller, is officially scheduled to start showing in Taiwan theatres on Jan 31 while Hero by Chinese director Zhang Yimou is scheduled to start showing on Friday. Its mainland distributor said that vigilant steps to prevent piracy, including requiring viewers to pass through metal detectors at early screenings, were a key factor in the movie's success.
Assistant US trade representative Joseph Papovich said during an October visit that Taiwan was considered one of the largest producers and exporters of pirated CDs, DVDs and other optical discs in Asia and one of the largest producers in the world.--Reuters, AFP
And to prove that theory just log onto Ebay and check out how many DVDs are sent from Taiwan.
NightFire Comes To GameBoy Advance
January 20, 2003 - by Tommy Craig for VideoGameCity
Product Description Get deep into the excitement and intrigue of the most complete James Bond game yet. All-new scenarios and gameplay complement a completely original storyline that delivers all-out Bond-style intensity on the handheld systems.
James Bond 007: NightFire for the Gameboy Advance video game system promises to take players higher and deeper than ever before. As Bond, players will operate in the Austrian Alps, a Japanese highrise, an island in the South Pacific, and even in a zero-gravity space station to defeat the evil criminal mastermind Raphael Drake.
NightFire will offer a deep gameplay experience that will stay true to the Bond universe. For the first time on a handheld system the Bond game is seen through a first person perspective. Adding to the legacy of the Bond universe will be the use of Pierce Brosnan's image for the Bond character. NightFire will feature a variety of missions filled with action and stealth, gorgeous women, and spy-craft gadgetry that Bond fans expect.
Each of the various locations in NightFire will contain challenging missions and objectives. The game will feature new and familiar characters from the Bond universe, including Zoe Nightshade (from EA's previous Bond game, James Bond 007 in... Agent Under FireTM). Players can blast through each level using weaponry or rely on tricks and gadgets to accomplish objectives and maximize scores.
Key Features: Go higher and deeper than any previous Bond game both in locales and gameplay. Original single-player storyline with new and familiar characters from the Bond universe. Features Pierce Brosnan's likeness as Bond. First person perspective. Various exotic locations worldwide filled with challenging missions and objectives. Nine levels of single-player action. New upgradeable Q-lab gadgets, some exclusive to console versions, advanced camera system, and original missions including zero-gravity assignments.
Well when it comes to this game you've got to hand it to EA.
Elton Says Madonna Will 'Kill Him' For Slamming Her Bond Theme
January 23, 2003 - by Darryl Morden for Launch
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
And to prove that theory just log onto Ebay and check out how many DVDs are sent from Taiwan.
NightFire Comes To GameBoy Advance
January 20, 2003 - by Tommy Craig for VideoGameCity
Product Description Get deep into the excitement and intrigue of the most complete James Bond game yet. All-new scenarios and gameplay complement a completely original storyline that delivers all-out Bond-style intensity on the handheld systems.
James Bond 007: NightFire for the Gameboy Advance video game system promises to take players higher and deeper than ever before. As Bond, players will operate in the Austrian Alps, a Japanese highrise, an island in the South Pacific, and even in a zero-gravity space station to defeat the evil criminal mastermind Raphael Drake.
NightFire will offer a deep gameplay experience that will stay true to the Bond universe. For the first time on a handheld system the Bond game is seen through a first person perspective. Adding to the legacy of the Bond universe will be the use of Pierce Brosnan's image for the Bond character. NightFire will feature a variety of missions filled with action and stealth, gorgeous women, and spy-craft gadgetry that Bond fans expect.
Each of the various locations in NightFire will contain challenging missions and objectives. The game will feature new and familiar characters from the Bond universe, including Zoe Nightshade (from EA's previous Bond game, James Bond 007 in... Agent Under FireTM). Players can blast through each level using weaponry or rely on tricks and gadgets to accomplish objectives and maximize scores.
Key Features: Go higher and deeper than any previous Bond game both in locales and gameplay. Original single-player storyline with new and familiar characters from the Bond universe. Features Pierce Brosnan's likeness as Bond. First person perspective. Various exotic locations worldwide filled with challenging missions and objectives. Nine levels of single-player action. New upgradeable Q-lab gadgets, some exclusive to console versions, advanced camera system, and original missions including zero-gravity assignments.
Well when it comes to this game you've got to hand it to EA.
Elton Says Madonna Will 'Kill Him' For Slamming Her Bond Theme
January 23, 2003 - by Darryl Morden for Launch
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
NightFire Comes To GameBoy Advance
January 20, 2003 - by Tommy Craig for VideoGameCity
Product Description Get deep into the excitement and intrigue of the most complete James Bond game yet. All-new scenarios and gameplay complement a completely original storyline that delivers all-out Bond-style intensity on the handheld systems.
James Bond 007: NightFire for the Gameboy Advance video game system promises to take players higher and deeper than ever before. As Bond, players will operate in the Austrian Alps, a Japanese highrise, an island in the South Pacific, and even in a zero-gravity space station to defeat the evil criminal mastermind Raphael Drake.
NightFire will offer a deep gameplay experience that will stay true to the Bond universe. For the first time on a handheld system the Bond game is seen through a first person perspective. Adding to the legacy of the Bond universe will be the use of Pierce Brosnan's image for the Bond character. NightFire will feature a variety of missions filled with action and stealth, gorgeous women, and spy-craft gadgetry that Bond fans expect.
Each of the various locations in NightFire will contain challenging missions and objectives. The game will feature new and familiar characters from the Bond universe, including Zoe Nightshade (from EA's previous Bond game, James Bond 007 in... Agent Under FireTM). Players can blast through each level using weaponry or rely on tricks and gadgets to accomplish objectives and maximize scores.
Key Features: Go higher and deeper than any previous Bond game both in locales and gameplay. Original single-player storyline with new and familiar characters from the Bond universe. Features Pierce Brosnan's likeness as Bond. First person perspective. Various exotic locations worldwide filled with challenging missions and objectives. Nine levels of single-player action. New upgradeable Q-lab gadgets, some exclusive to console versions, advanced camera system, and original missions including zero-gravity assignments.
Well when it comes to this game you've got to hand it to EA.
Elton Says Madonna Will 'Kill Him' For Slamming Her Bond Theme
January 23, 2003 - by Darryl Morden for Launch
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
January 20, 2003 - by Tommy Craig for VideoGameCity
Product Description Get deep into the excitement and intrigue of the most complete James Bond game yet. All-new scenarios and gameplay complement a completely original storyline that delivers all-out Bond-style intensity on the handheld systems.
James Bond 007: NightFire for the Gameboy Advance video game system promises to take players higher and deeper than ever before. As Bond, players will operate in the Austrian Alps, a Japanese highrise, an island in the South Pacific, and even in a zero-gravity space station to defeat the evil criminal mastermind Raphael Drake.
NightFire will offer a deep gameplay experience that will stay true to the Bond universe. For the first time on a handheld system the Bond game is seen through a first person perspective. Adding to the legacy of the Bond universe will be the use of Pierce Brosnan's image for the Bond character. NightFire will feature a variety of missions filled with action and stealth, gorgeous women, and spy-craft gadgetry that Bond fans expect.
Each of the various locations in NightFire will contain challenging missions and objectives. The game will feature new and familiar characters from the Bond universe, including Zoe Nightshade (from EA's previous Bond game, James Bond 007 in... Agent Under FireTM). Players can blast through each level using weaponry or rely on tricks and gadgets to accomplish objectives and maximize scores.
Key Features: Go higher and deeper than any previous Bond game both in locales and gameplay. Original single-player storyline with new and familiar characters from the Bond universe. Features Pierce Brosnan's likeness as Bond. First person perspective. Various exotic locations worldwide filled with challenging missions and objectives. Nine levels of single-player action. New upgradeable Q-lab gadgets, some exclusive to console versions, advanced camera system, and original missions including zero-gravity assignments.
Well when it comes to this game you've got to hand it to EA.
Elton Says Madonna Will 'Kill Him' For Slamming Her Bond Theme
January 23, 2003 - by Darryl Morden for Launch
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
Product Description Get deep into the excitement and intrigue of the most complete James Bond game yet. All-new scenarios and gameplay complement a completely original storyline that delivers all-out Bond-style intensity on the handheld systems.
James Bond 007: NightFire for the Gameboy Advance video game system promises to take players higher and deeper than ever before. As Bond, players will operate in the Austrian Alps, a Japanese highrise, an island in the South Pacific, and even in a zero-gravity space station to defeat the evil criminal mastermind Raphael Drake.
NightFire will offer a deep gameplay experience that will stay true to the Bond universe. For the first time on a handheld system the Bond game is seen through a first person perspective. Adding to the legacy of the Bond universe will be the use of Pierce Brosnan's image for the Bond character. NightFire will feature a variety of missions filled with action and stealth, gorgeous women, and spy-craft gadgetry that Bond fans expect.
Each of the various locations in NightFire will contain challenging missions and objectives. The game will feature new and familiar characters from the Bond universe, including Zoe Nightshade (from EA's previous Bond game, James Bond 007 in... Agent Under FireTM). Players can blast through each level using weaponry or rely on tricks and gadgets to accomplish objectives and maximize scores.
Key Features: Go higher and deeper than any previous Bond game both in locales and gameplay. Original single-player storyline with new and familiar characters from the Bond universe. Features Pierce Brosnan's likeness as Bond. First person perspective. Various exotic locations worldwide filled with challenging missions and objectives. Nine levels of single-player action. New upgradeable Q-lab gadgets, some exclusive to console versions, advanced camera system, and original missions including zero-gravity assignments.
Well when it comes to this game you've got to hand it to EA.
Elton Says Madonna Will 'Kill Him' For Slamming Her Bond Theme
January 23, 2003 - by Darryl Morden for Launch
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
Well when it comes to this game you've got to hand it to EA.
Elton Says Madonna Will 'Kill Him' For Slamming Her Bond Theme
January 23, 2003 - by Darryl Morden for Launch
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
Elton Says Madonna Will 'Kill Him' For Slamming Her Bond Theme
January 23, 2003 - by Darryl Morden for Launch
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
January 23, 2003 - by Darryl Morden for Launch
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
Elton John thinks Madonna will "kill him" for slamming her James Bond theme song from 2002, "Die Another Day."
As we previously reported, last year the music legend called the 007 theme "the worst Bond tune ever," telling the U.K.'s Sky News, "It hasn't got a tune. I don't think it's the best Madonna record and I'm a big fan."
"She's probably going to kill me after that," Sir Elton told the TV program Access Hollywood. "Like a dagger through the heart. But you know what, she's an amazing talent and great writer, so you know, I love her to death."
Madonna was scheduled to appear at Sunday's (January 19) Golden Globe Awards and would have sat at the same table as Elton John, but cancelled her appearance at the last minute.
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
Don't worry Elton. I don't consider that a total loss. But the real winner nowadays is Lulu who can say that her song from "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" is no longer the worst in the series.
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
The Name Is Law, Jude Law
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
January 27, 2003 - BBC News
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
Film star Jude Law has been narrowly picked as British film fans' choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond.
The star took 28% of the votes in a poll by magazine Total Film.
His biggest rival was Scottish Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who got 26%. Christian Bale, star of Empire Of The Sun and American Psycho, took third place with 24% support.
Law, 30, is best known for his roles in The Talented Mr Ripley and Steven Spielberg's AI. Hugh Grant got only two per cent of the votes.
Pierce Brosnan has already committed himself to his fifth Bond film, the follow-up to last year's Die Another Day. But he has said he may be too old to film a sixth.
"It takes stamina to play this role. I would like to get off the stage with grace," he said last year.
The list of actors and celebrities linked with Brosnan's job is a long one. They range from Russell Crowe to singer Robbie Williams. New Zealander Crowe was reported to be the choice of former Bond director John Glen. Robbie Williams said he relished the chance to take up the role, even spoofing the character in the video for his single Millennium. But casting director Debbie McWilliams said: "Robbie Williams, bless him, I don't think is quite what we're looking for." And Comedian Richard Blackwood even offered his services as the franchise's first black James Bond.
In 2001 Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who appeared in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, was tipped for the role by the Daily Record newspaper, while English star Clive Owen, who was recently in Gosford Park and The Bourne Identity, has also been tipped to be Brosnan's replacement. Welshman Ioan Gruffudd, however, ruled himself out of the running last year when he said he was "too young".
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
It will be at least another three years before a new search gets started so let's all get use to the fact that Mr. Brosnan is playing the part for now.
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
Is There A Psychopath In OO7's Future?
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
January 28, 2003 - IC Wales.co.uk
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
The small town of Haverford-west, known best for its Norman castle, could soon have another claim to fame - the birthplace of the next James Bond.
Pembrokeshire-born actor Christian Bale, star of American Psycho, has just been voted as one of the favourites by film fans to become the next 007 when Pierce Brosnan hands in his licence to kill.
If he wins the role, he would be the second Welsh Bond after North Wales-born actor Timothy Dalton's two-film outing in the 1980s. News that a local boy could take over the Bond mantle has left towns-folk stirred, if not shaken, but more than ready to do their bit to help him get the role.
"It would be wonderful if it happened, really great for Haverfordwest," said town councillor Barbara Shone yesterday. "It could bring in a lot more visitors to the town.
"James Bond has got such a cool image it would help bring us into the 21st Century instead of the 18th."
Pembrokeshire film buff Keith Worthing said he would be pleased to see another Welshman take on the role and hoped he would improve on the "disappointing" Timothy Dalton.
"It would be fantastic if he got the role and let's hope that he would put back the oomph that Sean Connery left behind.
"Without a doubt Sean Connery was the greatest Bond. He had that sense of menace. You knew he could give someone a good hiding and you wouldn't like to meet him after dark, although women would."
Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest on January 30, 1974. His father who became a commercial pilot, is believed to have been serving at RAF Brawdy. The theatre was however in the young boy's blood. His mother was a circus dancer and both grandfathers were actors - one even stood in for John Wayne on two occasions - as was his great uncle, Rex Bale.
The family, however, only spent a few years in the town before moving to Bournemouth and then Portugal before returning to England. The young Christian first found fame as an actor when he won a child's role in Stephen's Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and then successfully made the transition to adult star, starring in Captain Correlli's Mandolin and the more recent dragon epic, Reign of Fire.
He was voted third choice to play Bond with 24% of the vote in a recent poll of move buffs asked by Total Film Magazine who they wanted to be the next 007 star.
Heart-throb Englishman Jude Law was first choice polling 28% of the votes, followed by Scotsman Ewan McGregor with 26%.
But although only voted third, Bale has already shown that he could take on the Bond mantle and play the required tough action scenes. He beefed up for his role as violent yuppie Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and also embarked on intense fitness training for two earlier films Newsies and Swing Kids.
While a host of adoring fan sites on the web - fans are known as Baleheads - show that he is no slouch when it comes to raising the temperature of the opposite sex either. But if he wanted a helping hand then there would be plenty on offer in his old home town. Pauline Turner, manager of the local authority-run Haverfordwest sports centre, where membership at £170 a year is probably a lot cheaper than Hollywood gyms, said he could train for the role with them.
"We could give him all that Hollywood could give him," she said. "If he wanted to pop in we have a fully-equipped gym and run a variety of activities such as pilates, aerobics and yoga. We can't guarantee he will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger but he'd certainly be fit."
And Neil Phillips, manager of Hylton John men's outfitters, said they could fit him out with the traditional Bond evening suit.
"If he gets the role and needs to wear a suit he can always pop in," he said. "We do a lot of evening suits and have just had our busiest time of the year with the Pembrokeshire Hunt Ball. We hire or sell, so if he's got any posh dos or dances to go to, we can kit him out."
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
It is truly amazing how so many actors are out to get this role. Or should I say how many merchants from the actor's hometown are out to increase their sales.
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
Tamahori Defends His Film
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
January 29, 2003 - Reuters
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
Dozens of South Koreans who held rallies outside theatres in Seoul
to demand that movie-goers boycott the latest James Bond film have prompted
authorities to pull the film early from 10 out of 50 cinemas in the South
Korean capital.
The 20th Bond film, "Die Another Day", opened on December 31
to inflamed passions on both sides of the Korean border because of scenes that
protesters say vilify communist North Korea and offend the South's national
pride.
While much of the world worried about North Korea's pullout from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a dozen young protesters at a cinema
in central Seoul, chanted slogans against the film and called for the
reunification of Korea. They carried banners saying "Stop Running 007," "Be
Alert, Arrogant America," and "Let's not see the 007 film which
stirs up a war crisis in Korea."
"America's Hollywood films chose other countries as bad guys
enemies -- such as U.S.S.R. during the Cold War days, Muslims immediately
after the Cold War era, and now they have selected North Koreans, our
brothers, as a symbol of evil," said Min Kyeong-woo, director of the
Unification Alliance Peace Committee, which organised the rally.
In the film James Bond, played by Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, saves the
world from a megalomaniacal North Korean military officer. The movie starts
with a spectacular hovercraft chase through a minefield in the Demilitarised
Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas.
North Korea, embroiled in a nuclear standoff with Washington, has
called the film a "dirty and cursed burlesque" that showcased U.S.
enmity for the North, whose leader Kim Jong-il is a cinema buff and reportedly
a fan of James Bond films.
North Korea's official news agency has slammed the film as proof of the
hostile U.S. intentions towards a country Washington believes is building
nuclear weapons. North and South Korea, bitter foes for a half-century on the Cold War's last frontier, have found a common enemy in James Bond and the latest 007 adventure.
"Die Another Day" lured 426,200 viewers on its first weekend and about 700,000 during three weeks amid criticism and the mounting boycott. "The Lord of the Rings - Two Towers" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" have attracted about four millions of South Korean film-goers each in a month.
The MGM film starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry has been given
venomous reviews after Internet chat rooms spread the word about scenes deemed
offensive in South Korea. A head of the 20th Century Fox Seoul Branch has a different idea.
"If anybody sees this film as a political approach, it could be a
burden and the joy of seeing this film will be reduced by half," said
Jesse Lee, representative director of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Korea.
In Japan, "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori and Bond
girls Jinx, or Halle Berry, and Frost, Rosamund Pike, addressed reporters on
Tuesday (January 28) to promote the Bond film - the 20th in the 007 series.
Tamahori defended his film saying that the script was written long
before the recent tension caused by North Korea's pullout from the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"It's important to remember that in this movie, the villain is a
North Korean, North Korea itself is not the villain. The individual who plays
our villain is a western-educated villain with a lot of money who has his own programme, but he loves fast cars, fast women and all the trappings of the west and if you look carefully at the movie, you will find the voice of reason in
this movie comes from his father, who is a North Korean general, who spends
most of the movie trying to tell his son that whatever he is up to is going to
cause chaos," he told reporters.
Despite the criticism, however, the Bond girls have gone down exceptionally well. Talks are underway to spin-off the character Jinx in movie of her own.
"As far as the Jinx spin-off we are in talks about that right now,
that could really possibly be a reality. I know I'm really excited about that
prospect happening. my only concern is that I would have to have Lee direct it," said Halle Berry, the academy award winning actress who plays the part of Jinx.
The film has caused controversy in South Korea at a time when emotions
have been stirred up over the U.S. military presence after two teenage girls
were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in a June road accident. South Korea is the 10th biggest foreign box office territory for U.S. pictures.
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
Obviously this person, Min Kyeong-woo, director of the Unification Alliance Peace Committee, has not seen too many OO7 films if he thinks that some Bond villains, after the end of the Cold War, were Muslims. On the other hand, Mr. Kyeong-woo knows how to get his agenda on the front pages of newspapers. By staging rallies on the fears and emotions of other people. Not by the truth.
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
"Of Coursh I Really Am Sean Connery, Honesht"
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
January 29, 2003 - Edinburgh Evening News
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
When you have one of the most famous voices and best known faces in the world, you have to face a problem that no-one else ever even thinks about. So many people do impressions of you that when you do make a call it is possible to find no-one believes it’s really you. That’s exactly what happened when Lynsey Mackay picked up the receiver and heard the burr of one of the world’s most famous actors on the other end - she was convinced she was the victim of just another prankster.
"This is Sean, Sean Connery," the caller drawled, to Ms Mackay’s disbelief. Little did the college student know, it really was the superstar on the other end of the line.
There was a stunned silence as thoughts about falling victim to a wind-up (or prank) merchant flashed through the 23-year-old’s brain. Unperturbed, Sir Sean proceeded to explain that he wouldn’t be able to open St Thomas of Aquins High School’s new building because of filming commitments.
Ms Mackay, a social work student at Stevenson College, who was filling in as receptionist at the school , managed to regain her composure in time to take a message for the head teacher. But it was only when the movie superstar carried on talking so calmly that she realised it was no joke.
She said: "He sounded exactly like James Bond. That’s when I thought this has to be a wind-up. I’d been listening to Real Radio all morning and they’re always doing wind-ups."
But as the conversation continued and the punchline never came, Mackay realised that it must be true.
"He asked to speak to the headteacher. I said she wasn’t in and that the school was closed for the Easter holidays. It was only as the conversation continued I realised that it must be true. It was him." Ms Mackay added: " I think [my disbelief] was partly because he took the time and phoned in. You’d expect someone to phone for him or a letter to be written. I think that really says something about him."
Headteacher Marian Docherty had invited the celebrity by letter to attend the official opening of their new £14 million building this autumn because of his links with the Tollcross community.
But school officials were certainly not prepared for the actor’s personal response. Mrs Docherty said: "I was really pleased he had taken the time and explained why he couldn’t do it. It was because he was filming in the Czech Republic. I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there to take the call. It should have been me."
Sir Sean may have the most distinctive Scottish brogue in the world, but he still has a hard time convincing people of his identity. The children of Sir Sean’s brother Neil were once students at St Thomas of Aquins. Neil confirmed: "It happens all the time. It’s either him or it’s not."
Real Radio Breakfast Show presenter Robin Galloway tried out his best Connery impression on an unsuspecting Englishman a few months ago.
Mr Galloway said: "We phoned a guy who was selling an Aston Martin and he actually thought he was selling the car to Sean. We were asking questions like does it have machine guns on the front and a cocktail bar in the back. The guy was really taken in by it. Mind you, if you phone somebody south of the Border, they think that anyone with a Scottish accent is Sean Connery."
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
Next time try flashing your American Express Card.
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
Roger Moore Presents And Receives Awards
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
February 3, 2003 - Sky News
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com
Roger Moore presented producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson with the Evening Standard Film Special Achievement Award for 40 years of OO7. Actress Rosamund Pike was also there for the festivities.
Heidi Klum and Rosamund Pike arriving.
Meanwhile, Roger Moore will be honored by the German government for his work with the U.N. Children's Fund. President Johannes Rau will present the Federal Service Cross, 1st Class to Moore at a Feb. 10 ceremony in Berlin's Bellevue Palace, the president's office said Friday. Moore, 75, serves as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF's efforts to help children living in poverty in developing countries, including campaigns against the sexual exploitation of minors.
Congratulations to all.
Thunderball CD Reissue Track Listings
February 4, 2003 - DSBG
CapitolMusic.ca has listed the THUNDERBALL reissued CD and here are the tracks as well as the added ones. You will note that there seems to be some music still missing. This listing may be incomplete since THUNDERBALL is the only reissued CD, as of this writing, that has a track listing posted at Capitol so far and no where else.
1. Thunderball (Main Title)
2. Chateau Flight
3. The Spa
4. Switching The Body
5. The Bomb
6. Cafe Martinique
7. Thunderball
8. Death Of Fiona
9. Bond Below Disco Volante
10. Search For The Vulcan
11. 007
12. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
13. Gunbarrel / Traction Table / Gassing The Plane
14. Bond Meets Domino
15. Street Chase
16. Finding The Plane
17. Underwater Mayhem
18. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Looking forward to it.
Ex-Bond Star Roger Moore Takes on Real Criminals
February 10, 2003 - Reuters
British actor Roger Moore said on Monday his real-life fight against child traffickers as a UNICEF ambassador was far more rewarding than battling fictitious villains in his signature role as spy James Bond.
The British actor, who starred as agent 007 in seven of the Bond films, was awarded the German Federal Service Cross from President Johannes Rau for his work as special representative to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"This award is much more important than receiving an Academy Award," Moore, 75, said after the ceremony at Rau's office in Berlin, where an international film festival is taking place this week.
"As James Bond, the villains were easily recognizable. Now the villains are not so visible and the fight is uphill," said Moore, who first played Bond in the 1973 film "Live and Let Die." His final Bond outing was "A View to a Kill" in 1985.
Moore, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1999, announced details of a campaign against child trafficking. During his trips around the world to film the James Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, Moore said he was aware of poverty but had done nothing about it.
"I was more concerned about what I had for lunch or that my shirts were ironed," he said.
I have said this before and I'll most likely say it again. This man will most likely be remembered as a Saint.
Razzies For Madonna
February 10, 2003 - Backstage.com