'Golden Gun' Kung Fu Actress

January 1, 2005 - APP.com

Smoking is good for you? Smoking is bad for your health, but it was good for Hong Kong martial arts queen Yuen Qiu's acting career.

Yuen, who appeared in the 1974 James Bond film, "The Man With the Golden Gun," landed a role in "Kung Fu Hustle," which opened in Hong Kong last week, because the director liked the way she smoked, the South China Morning Post reported Wednesday.

Yuen, a popular stunt woman and kung-fu actress in the '70s, said she was accompanying a friend to an audition when director Stephen Chow saw her smoking. He was looking for someone who smoked the way she did and urged her to join the cast, she told the newspaper.

Chow, who directed and starred in 2001's "Shaolin Soccer," asked her to play a landlady in his new comedy about gangsters who try to take over a neighborhood full of kung fu masters disguised as ordinary residents.

Yuen recalled her role in the Bond film.

"I remember the film producers coming to Hong Kong looking for a girl who could fight," she said. "I went to the audition, got the gig and was flown to Thailand to do this part, which involved me and this local schoolgirl rescuing Roger Moore." She added: "I had one line, I think -- 'Hello' or something. I forgot what it was."

An embarrassing moment in Bond film history.





Connery Bashing In New Biography

January 5, 2005 - Scotsman.com

A new biography claims a leading film-maker and novelist was disappointed when her daughter brought Sean Connery home. Jill Craigie, who died in 1999, is reported to have been unimpressed when her 21-year-old daughter brought the then unknown Connery to tea. But her photographer daughter Julie Hamilton ignored her mother’s warnings and began a passionate relationship with the actor.

However the pair broke up when Connery fell for a co-star in a musical. A relieved Craigie, who was married to Labour politician Michael Foot, thought the Edinburgh-born actor had poor manners and did not want him as a son-in-law. She also claimed she gave furniture to the future James Bond star but he never gave it back.

In John Parker’s biography, Arise Sir Sean Connery, out on January 31, Craigie says she didn’t think the actor would have made her daughter happy. But it was Connery’s poor manners and rough edges which really offended her.

She added: "He had very rough manners and great tattoos up his arms. My daughter had terrible trouble with her spine around that time. She had been in hospital for a serious operation and I remember he let her carry heavy suitcases."

I detect just a slight case of snobbery.





James Bond To The Rescue Of Tsunami Victims

January 13, 2005 - Yahoo

"Heroes aren't found just in the movies ... In the world we live in, YOU are called upon to be the hero." So says Sir Roger Moore, who played one of the big screen's greatest heroes, James Bond, in calling on Americans to support the efforts of UNICEF to help child Tsunami victims.

Sir Roger and Starz Entertainment Group LLC (SEG), the country's largest premium television movie service, announced today that they are teaming up to create and run a series of public service announcements urging Americans to help UNICEF, for which Sir Roger serves as Global Goodwill Ambassador.

The spots urge Americans to provide financial support for UNICEF as it works to help hundreds of thousands of children affected by the Tsunami. Starting January 18th, the PSAs will run on teen-oriented channel WAM!, on Starz Family and on Encore, the most widely-distributed network in the SEG family. Approximately 24 million U.S. homes subscribe to the Encore channel. In addition, SEG said it will make the spots available for free to all its affiliates, cable and satellite, to run on other channels. SEG also made a corporate contribution to UNICEF.

In expressing appreciation to SEG, Sir Roger noted, "At UNICEF we see tragedy all the time. We also see hope, and it is the generosity of individuals and corporations such as Starz Entertainment Group that brings us hope."

SEG President and CEO Robert Clasen said, "Like all people everywhere we have been deeply moved by the Tsunami disaster, and particularly its impact on children. We have been searching for a way to use our medium and the creative talents of our employees to help the storm's victims. So we are delighted that Sir Roger brought us together with UNICEF to focus our efforts on the need to help children impacted by this disaster."

Sir Roger and SEG had been working together to promote their "Ultimate Bond" festival running on Starz On Demand in the first part of January. The festival allows Starz subscribers in cable systems with on demand service to watch 17 Bond movies whenever and as often as they wish with all the features of a DVD -- fast forward, rewind and pause -- at no additional charge.

Contributions to UNICEF can be sent to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, 338 E. 38th St., New York, NY, 10016.

Teaming up with OO7.





Bond In Peril

January 13, 2005 - Ireland Online

Whoever replaces Irish star Pierce Brosnan as the new 007 - the battle between wannabes still rages - they will have to wait until the row between producer Barbara Broccoli and top studio MGM blows over. Barbara wants to return to the more serious, plot-driven stories of the original films, but MGM is anxious to keep the James Bond stories packed with special effects, gadgets and jokey asides. The new film is planned for a 2006 release, but that is now in doubt.

Stay tuned. The best is yet to come.





Brosnan: 'My Wife Helped Me Through Bond Let-Down'

January 22, 2005 - Ireland Online

Pierce Brosnan turned to his wife to help him through the disappointment of being dropped as movie superspy James Bond. After the success of 2002's Die Another Day, the 51-year-old was asked to play 007 for the fifth time - but film bosses changed their minds and axed him from the role without explanation.

Brosnan insists the shock and disappointment would have got on top of him if not for the support of his wife Keely. He says: "No one contacted me to tell me anything. No reason. Nothing. What do you do in circumstances like that?

"I was disappointed because I'd put so much of myself into the role. And it would've been nice to get an explanation as to why and how it was coming to an end. I don't mind admitting I was hurt and a bit mystified, but Keely said: 'You have nothing to prove to anyone. Just move on.' I'm one of those guys who believes that you need a good, strong woman in your life. I take advice, so I've got no regrets."

Time to reinvent yourself. Connery did it. So did Moore.





Latest On SilverFin

January 22, 2005 - Compiled by Sharil Dewa for The Star Online

SilverFin is author Charlie Higson’s examination of the world’s most famous spy – James Bond – when he is a boy. James’s childhood is filled with adventure passed on to him from his father who teaches him the pleasures and satisfaction of fishing.

One of Bond Sr’s dreams is to catch Iteairgiod, a Scottish folklore about a giant salmon whose name in Gaelic meant SilverFin. It is what he talks about with James before his death. And it is at his father’s death that James, at the age of 12, finds himself the head of the household.

He also is enrolled at the prestigious school of Eton, where he tries to fit in with the other boys who are determined to freeze him out of their activities. However unhappy that he is with his life in Eton, James – along with his friend, Pritpal – decides to make something out of his stay in Eton. He has determines to find the fabled SilverFin of his father’s tales and catch it.

At first I was not too sure about a novel featuring James Bond as a young teenager, but the premise of this information is very interesting. I'm now looking forward to this new incarnation.





Electronic Arts Announces New James Bond Video Game

January 25, 2005 - Spong.com

We can reveal today that Electronic Arts is underway with the latest game to carry the James Bond 007 license, though from the information we received, recent chat regarding Free Radical’s involvement - triggered mainly by IGN guesswork - is entirely bogus.

The game is titled James Bond 007: From Russia with Love, and will be developed at EA’s Redwood studio.

The game will see an offering for Xbox 2, with Xbox, GameCube and PlayStation 2 versions to follow. All versions are expected to hit stores in time for Christmas 2005.

The game had carried the title Bond 6 internally at EA, with work commencing on the project in the summer of last year. It would seem that the game was too advanced to be handed across to the UK team behind TimeSplitters, with development remaining in the US. It was confirmed that the game will feature a likeness of the mummy-pleasing Sean Connery and will remain faithful to the 1963 movie original.

The film is a classic but I wonder how this will play as a game. Although, it would be cool to fight a CGI version of Red Grant.





Auction To Benefit UNICEF And Tsunami Victims

January 25, 2005 - by Athena Stamos for CommanderBond.net

We’re all aware of the effects the tsunami has had on Asia... and because of this Jeff Marshall and CBn have teamed up in an attempt to raise a "little something" for the UNICEF: 2004 Tsunami Relief Fund. 100% of the money raised by this auction will go directly to the “United States Fund for UNICEF: 2004 Tsunami Relief Fund”. Thanks to MissionFish you can be assured that this is in fact the case, they take the money directly from the E-Bay auction and pass it on to UNICEF.

Jeff Marshall (James Bond artist extraordinaire) has donated his own personal copy of The Spy Who Loved Me lithograph which has been hanging in his office. This litho has been signed by Roger Moore, Richard Kiel and Caroline Munro!

"The litho is one of my favorites, and I was thinking if it could raise a little something - the money could then go over to UNICEF and help those children who so need care" said Jeff Marshall.

Included in this auction, Jeff has also graciously offered an original pencil sketch that he did when creating the art work for The Spy Who Loved Me lithograph. He’ll sign it and if you wish, personalize it too.

Bidding starts at $200 US (auction ends February 3, 2005). Please VISIT OUR AUCTION at http://www.commanderbond.net/Public/Stories/2646-1.shtml and help make a difference.

A fantastic way to make a difference in this world.





The Death Of James Bond OO7?

January 25, 2005 - The Sydney Morning Herald

Last week James Bond was fired. His nuclear pencil gathers dust beneath Whitehall. There is no news of 007 number six and the production of Bond film 21, due this November, has stalled. There is trouble at MI6, minister: the martini-quaffing sexoholic is suffering an existential crisis and it can't be cured by an intelligent Rolex or a gondola that can drive on land.

Eon, which produces Bond, and MGM, which finances his capers, are bickering. It is rumoured MGM wants an action-movie franchise - Spiderman in a tux - that sprouts money. As Bond said to Dr No: "World domination; same old dream; our asylums are full of men who think they are Napoleon." Eon, however, is fighting for the Cold War relic, the "sexist, misogynist dinosaur" and gentleman spy who flowed from the pen of Ian Fleming.

Why is Bond in crisis? He is a corpse; the hero of a dead time and a dead place called postwar Clubland. Fleming was an Eton-educated journalist who worked in British naval intelligence during World War II, where his professional apogee was evacuating King Zog of Albania from Nazi-occupied Europe. Bond was his fantasy alter ego, a libidinous killer who thought women were "for recreation". Bond slapped bottoms and peered at his watch during sex; he killed women he had slept with and, worse, he told one dewy-eyed poppet: "I never miss."

This was acceptable in 1952, when Bond was born on the pages of Casino Royale; but feminism castrated Fleming's hero. Today, any responsible GP would refer him to Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous. We know, though Fleming didn't, that Bond won't be polished off by Soviet crocodiles, but by AIDS. He had a weird predilection for girls with silly names. He had an Electra, a Honey, a Christmas, a Pussy and an Octopussy. He probably had a Decapussy, or did I dream it?

Fleming created two villainous organisations to wound his baby Bond. The first was Spectre (Special Executive for Counter-Intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion), a gaggle of freelance megalomaniacs who wanted to take over the world for fun. Today they would be politicians. Spectre grins on the news every day. You voted for it.

Fleming's other nemesis, Smersh (aka Death to Spies), was a mutant strain of the KGB. Smersh is as frightening as eating toast. Bond always has a vodka martini and a chuckle with the Reds at the end, because, for Fleming, the Cold War was just a disagreement between Western gentlemen.

At the end of The Spy Who Loved Me, Bond escapes into a tented pod with a beautiful KGB agent. He boasts to M that he is "just keeping the British end up, sir". Recent Bonds have experimented with a psychotic heiress, a renegade British agent and a media baron. The authentic candidates for modern Bond villains are, of course, Islamist fundamentalists but it's hard to imagine even 007 peeling back a burka or keeping the British end up with an al-Qaeda operative.

Our tolerance for snobbery has withered. When we hear James musing to a baddie "Red wine with fish; that should have told me something" and explaining that "certain things just aren't done - like drinking Dom Perignon '53 above a temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit", we don't fawn and sputter onto satin sheets. Bond behaves like an ancient gay dress designer, clinging to his final (crystal) marble.

Everywhere, Fleming's fastasies are dust. We've seen the faces of intelligence operatives because they flog their books at literary festivals. We know from Spycatcher that the British secret service spends its time watching Irish grandmothers and destabilising Labour governments - and faking dossiers for Downing Street. The spying game has been demystified.

But Bond's final bullet didn't come from feminism, the government, or the poor entertainment possibilities of modern terrorism. In the end Sean, Roger, George, Timothy and Pierce were vanquished by just one man - Austin Powers. Bond's satirical twin, who danced and shagged and bit his way through three blockbuster Bond spoofs, finally achieved what Smersh could not. Austin's silly ruffled shirts, his encounters with Dr Evil and the Fembots and, most particularly, his plaintive cry, "Do I make you horny, baby?" did for the straight man. Some things just can't withstand satire, least of all a crumbling spy who puns badly. MGM will find a new aspirational hero for us, one who won't make us hurl into our popcorn: a gay Bond, a black Bond, a paraplegic Bond, an obese Bond, a Welsh bond. Any Bond but James Bond.

Has anyone told this person that it is most likely Austin Powers who is through and not James Bond.





James Bond Convention #8

February 1, 2005 - Matt Sherman

The dazzling BCW8 is Thursday night to Sunday, August 25-28, 2005 in New York City! What's up in the Big Bonded Apple in the biggest weekend ever? Bond INSIDERS and celebrities are attending... guided tours of LIVE AND LET DIE locations downtown between the Brooklyn Bridge and Ground Zero... more tours of Bond hotspots in Rockefeller Center.

Bond in Times Square at night. Bond in Midtown. Bond in Central Park and more.

Eat like Bond. Sightsee like Bond.

Still MOORE and more sights from Live and Let Die and (believe it or not) New York locations from Diamonds Are Forever, Goldfinger and Die Another Day. Our annual "COSTUME/COME AS YOU ARE BASH", a MEMORABILIA SWAP/SALE and BOND AUTHOR BOOK SIGNING. More Tri-State 007 locations from 1,000 feet above the city atop the EMPIRE STATE BUILDING... partying and GROUP DINING. Talking shop and horse trading.

Come join the fans who've gotten on board to date from nearly every state in the Union and 5 countries to Bond, Bond, BOND with us!

To make reservations contact:

ALLSPIES PRODUCTIONS
2711 NW 42 PL
GAINESVILLE FL 32605
352.372.5094
info@007Forever.com

Looking forward to it.





And the Next James Bond Actor Is...?

February 2, 2005 - DSBG

One does not need to look too hard if spring is coming when the first buds on a tree begin to sprout. Nor does one need a college education to observe night is falling when the first rays of sunlight begin to fade behind the horizon. These of course are simple tell-tell signs. Perhaps these same signs can be applied to the announcement of the newest actor to play James Bond.

Recently Pierce Brosnan posted at his website these words:

"I would like to thank all of you who have supported me over the last year or so in regard to my playing Bond. It was a decade of my life that I will always hold dear to my heart and a time that will never be forgotten. And you dear friends stood by me throughout. Many, many thanks! But everything comes to an end, and one must accept this decision which cannot be dealt with in any other way but with some kind of grace and knowledge that I did the job to the best of my ability."

Why would Pierce choose this time to write on his website that James Bond is now behind him? Unless, he had to clear some legalities between him and Eon. With this final comment (and we all know that Pierce has been saying this publicly for months) the door has been left open for the next actor to don a tux.



Dougray Scott and Pierce Brosnan



The latest James Bond rumours have actor Dougray Scott taking over the lead role in the long-running movie franchise. Fuelling the speculation around Scott, who has appeared in movies like Mission Impossible II and Ever After, is the decision by British betting house William Hill to stop taking wagers on the actor. William Hill closed its book on Scott on Friday, January 28th, after it received a number of large bets on the Scottish performer.

"In the past, gambles like this have often been right," Rupert Adams, a spokesman for William Hill, told the Daily Mail newspaper.

So with these 'signs' hovering in the background of internet blogs, bookies and tabloids, could it be possible that Bond fans around the world will soon wake up one morning to surprising news that a new OO7 has been chosen?

I would say sooner than later.





Bond 21 Is "CASINO ROYALE"

February 3, 2005 - MGM-Eon Productions

Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, producers of the James Bond films, and MGM announced today that Martin Campbell will direct CASINO ROYALE, the 21st film in the 007 franchise.

This is Campbell's second time as helmer of a James Bond film. In 1995 he directed the hit GOLDENEYE which introduced Pierce Brosnan to the role of 007 with great success.

Wilson and Broccoli said: "We are thrilled that Martin has accepted our offer to direct CASINO ROYALE. He is an extremely talented director and we believe he will help take our films in a new and exciting direction. He is currently finishing filming 'Legend Of Zorro', the sequel to 'The Mask Of Zorro', and will be joining EON Productions shortly to work on the development of the script with our writers, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade."

MGM Vice Chairman and COO Chris McGurk said: "Martin is an incredibly exciting filmmaker. GOLDENEYE was a wonderful movie and helped reinvigorate the Bond franchise. We're thrilled to have him back to direct the newest Bond."

Born in New Zealand, Campbell moved to England in 1966 and made his directorial debut on the popular TV series' 'The Professionals' and 'Minder'. He moved to America in 1986 to direct 'Criminal Law' and 'Defenceless'. Following GOLDENEYE, he went on to direct 'The Mask Of Zorro', 'Vertical Limit' and 'Beyond Borders' and is currently directing 'Legend Of Zorro'.

CASINO ROYALE will be released in 2006 and distributed world-wide by MGM. No decision has yet been made regarding casting for the role of 'James Bond'.

Thank you Ms. Broccoli and Mr. Wilson for giving the fans what they have wanted for years. And it's great to see Martin Campbell back in the director's chair.





John Barry Rails Against Successors

February 11, 2005 - by Charlotte Higgins for The Guardian

The film composer John Barry - whose stellar 50-year career has encompassed scoring the great Bond movies, Out of Africa and Dances With Wolves - has lashed out against his musical successors. "[The composers] have nothing to say. They are just messing around with notes. I'm at a loss," he told the Guardian. "I walk out of the cinema bewildered these days. I think, what was the producer or director thinking of to allow 45 minutes or an hour of music that doesn't mean a damn thing?"

On Saturday, the 71-year-old Yorkshireman receives the Academy Fellowship at the Baftas for an outstanding lifetime contribution to cinema, an honour previously awarded to Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick and, last year, John Boorman.

Talking about the generation of Hollywood composers such as Miklos Rozsa, Franz Waxman and Bernard Herrmann, many of whom were exiled from central Europe in the pre-war years and ended up defining a golden age of film music, Barry said: "They were my heroes. The people I adored and learned from. But today I don't see there's anything to learn. Today it's very empty. There's a whole thing of loading films up with songs - it's a commercial choice. The composers seem to ignore what's going on on screen. I look at movies; in the old days you knew what the composer was about. Today you don't - the scores are like a filler."

Asked whether he could be tempted to write a score for Casino Royale, based on Ian Fleming's first 007 novel and due for release in 2006, he said: "It would depend. Films like From Russia With Love and You Only Live Twice were based on an old tradition of moviemaking. They were great stories - the idea of raiding Fort Knox is a great story. But the Bond movies have totally changed. They don't have any stories any more.

"Sean [Connery] was marvellous. George [Lazenby] - well, we won't talk about that. Roger Moore was good. Pierce [Brosnan] was fine. But the films wouldn't have made it without Sean. We don't have those stars any more. The formula has run out. It was great and it had its day. Now they are just treading water."

Barry, who is based in New York state, has recently received poor reviews for his musical version of Graham Greene's novel Brighton Rock which premiered in October at the Almeida theatre in London.

"When people think of musicals these days they think of Mary Poppins," he said. "When there is murder and deceit they are confused. But I think that's wrong. Think of West Side Story, which is very dark."

The four-times Oscar winner, born the son of a cinema-owner and a pianist, recalled his earliest memories of film. "My father had eight movie-theatres in the north of England. I remember his taking me to the Rialto in York when I was about three or four. I was taken to the back and I saw a big black and white mouse on the screen - and there was all this wonderful music and people were going crazy. I forget what I did last week but I remember this so vividly."

And I thought I was the only one who felt that contemporary film music had died. Thank you Mr. Barry for taking a stand on this issue.





Latest Casino Royale Locations

February 11, 2005 - The Guardian & Fiji Live

First there was a palm-fringed beach on a Caribbean island then there were the bright lights of Monte Carlo. Now, James Bond could be taking a gamble on one of Scotland’s most controversial buildings. The £431 million Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh could be turned into a casino for the latest James Bond movie, it was claimed today.

The film Casino Royale is set to go into production this year and bosses at Eon Productions are not ruling out the home of Scotland’s politicians as a possible location. The building, designed by the late Spanish architect Enric Miralles is understood to be one of several secret locations being mooted by film chiefs, according to the Daily Record newspaper. However, Ann Bennett, director of publicity at Eon Productions, who are making the film, was staying tight lipped.

She would only say: “I can’t tell you anything. We are not even in pre-production. No locations have been chosen at all. But we wouldn’t rule anything out in Scotland.”

The paper quotes an insider at Pinewood studios, where the Bond films are made, saying the Parliament was a “stunning building” which could be turned into a casino. But a Scottish Parliament spokeswoman said today: “We haven’t had any approach by Pinewood and are not entirely convinced about turning the Parliament into a casino, but we would never say never.”

Meanwhile other locations have cropped up from the other side of the world. The Fiji islands is the first of location rumours, primarily the port capital city of Suva. Exactly what this location will be used for is anyone's guess. But as past examples of Bond films have shown it most likely will have some beautiful and shapely forms rising from it's wake.

Both Scotland and Fiji do not appear as locations in Ian Fleming's novel of the same name.





Jill St. John Has Surgery After Ski Accident

February 11, 2005 - ABC News

Former James Bond girl Jill St. John fractured her hip in a skiing accident and was transferred earlier this week to a Los Angeles hospital, family spokesman Alan Nierob said Thursday.

St. John was hospitalized at Aspen Valley Hospital after the accident Saturday and then transferred Monday, Nierob said. The name of the Los Angeles hospital was not disclosed. The 64-year-old actress, whose screen credits include the 1971 classic "Diamonds Are Forever," underwent successful surgery Tuesday. She is married to actor Robert Wagner.

Get well soon, Jill.





COMMENTARY: Bond Back To Basics

February 14, 2005 – Stuart Basinger

James Bond fans were heard throughout cyberspace cheering as the announcement came declaring Bond 21 to be Casino Royale. This was Ian Fleming's first OO7 novel, written in 1953 and introducing the world to a young secret agent. Pitted against the evil Le Chiffre, a French undercover paymaster of the Russian-controlled trade union in Alsace. Recently Le Chiffre carelessly appropriated funds to finance a string of brothels for his own profit. Now, he must repay his debts back to the Soviets. His target is the baccarat table at Royale-les-Eaux. The very place Bond plans to break him, and the Soviets.

Many things have happened in our world since the first printing of Casino Royale and many fans fear that the producers of this most successful movie franchise may end up botching the job. After all, Casino Royale has been produced twice before - once for the live TV drama series CLIMAX on CBS in 1954, and twice theatrically in 1967. Both versions have never given the novel its overdue respect.

One could easily be forgiven for not knowing the reasons why Casino Royale was not the first OO7 film. I could go into great detail but the simple reason is the rights were sold early to many different owners. When Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman bought the rights to the James Bond novels in 1960, both Casino Royale and Thunderball were not available. Thunderball was caught up in a court battle between producer Kevin McClory and Ian Fleming - but that's another story.

The actor/director/producer Gregory Ratoff bought the rights to Royale after surviving a potentially dangerous plane trip and swearing that the first novel he spotted in the airport gift shop would be produce by him. Ratoff bought the rights and proceeded to find a studio to film it. Unfortunately, Ratoff died a few years later and the rights were transferred from his widow to producer (and former associate to Cubby Broccoli) Charles K. Feldman.

Feldman knew he was sitting on a hot property after the success of the first four OO7 films. Unfortunately for him he was unable to convince Broccoli and Saltzman to make the film with him. Rejected by United Artist and pressured by Columbia Studios, Feldman did the unthinkable - Casino Royale became an uneven and over-budget comedy. Not only spoofing James Bond films but also making fun of the psychedelic 1960s craze as well. Years later the film eventually made its money back, but the damage was done to this classic novel.



After four decades, James Bond is about to get the 'Royale' treatment. But how will it translate to the silver screen? If the last four James Bond films is any hint to what Casino Royale will be, then fans of the original novel are going to be greatly disappointed.

Gone will be a terrific and down-to-earth spy story. Gone will be the human part of the story where the misogynistic James Bond falls for a beautiful double agent only to lose her to a suicide. And gone will be the last Ian Fleming novel to be made into a Broccoli produced film.

In late 2006 or early 2007, the new Casino Royale will most likely open up with an overlong pre-credit sequence. Followed by an uninspired title song, over-the-top explosions, CGI stunts and an evil plot that will have so many holes in it you could drive Dr. No’s fire-breathing tank through it. Sadly, after experiencing two hours and twenty minutes, the audience will leave the theater remarking that the 1967 Peter Sellers version was better.

There is of course a chance that Eon Productions will surprise us. Taking Bond and retro him back to the 1950s and 60s. Placing him in the correct timeline of Cold War history, when the world needed a super secret agent. When men were men and women were playthings. When villains were mysterious and sinister and their threats of world domination were real. When car chases were done without computers, and life saving gadgets were visible to the naked eye.

But that would be wishing for too much.

Today, Hollywood is too concern with the bottom line and whether a film can do well in foreign markets. The contemporary Bond films have become nothing more than a two-hour techno-commercial for numerous clients who are willing to get their product shown. Dropping millions of dollars into the studio’s back pockets. Why should the investors throw easy money out the window in favor of a simple outdated spy story?

Perhaps I am being too harsh to the producers. There is a chance that Casino Royale might turn out to be a great film. After all, they went to great lengths to buy back the film rights. That should be a good sign that they are serious about getting Bond back to basics.

One can only hope.





Sean Connery's Street

February 14, 2005 - by Brian Ferguson for The Scotsman

He is Edinburgh’s best-known son, a cinema legend who remains a pin-up at the age of 74. Sir Sean Connery has picked up a knighthood in the Capital, was awarded the freedom of the city and is patron of its world-renowned film festival. Now the former James Bond is set to be honoured by having a street named after him in a multi-million-pound new development in his former stamping ground.

Developers behind the transformation of a former brewery site in Fountainbridge have unveiled plans to pay tribute to Sir Sean to mark the fact he was brought up in the area. The 900,000 sqaure foot site was once home to the tenement building where Sir Sean grew up. A humble plaque to mark the spot was erected on a wall beside the main road by Scotland’s national film agency in 1997 as part of celebrations to commemorate 100 years of cinema in Scotland.

But the developers of the Fountain North want to line up a more fitting tribute to Connery and plan to approach him personally to seek his seal of approval. Strict city council regulations on the naming of streets mean there is a presumption against using names of people who are still alive - although it can happen in exceptional circumstances.

The rules were softened following an embarrassing dispute over a luxury homes development near Murrayfield which was planned to be named after rugby legend Gavin Hastings but had to be re-named after an obscure 16th-century paper maker. City council leader Donald Anderson today threw his weight behind a new tribute to Sir Sean, saying he had "no problem" with celebrating people while they are still alive. Councillor Anderson last year unveiled plans to mark the achievements of the city’s "modern-day heroes", like J K Rowling and Dame Muriel Spark.

He said today: "The most important view will be Sean Connery’s and it will be important to have his backing for whatever is planned. We should celebrate Edinburgh’s successes and he is the city’s most famous son."

The naming of a street is believed to be the favoured option of the consortium behind the development, which includes Grosvenor, AMA (New Town) Limited and the Royal Bank of Scotland. But they have promised to consult local residents to see if another form of tribute would be more appropriate, including naming a major new public park in the development after him or commissioning a sculpture of the star. The development - work on which is due to start next year - will see the former McEwan’s beer-kegging and distribution plant transformed by 160,000 sqaure feet of office space, 650 new homes, tree-lined boulevards, shops and a park. Up to 2500 jobs are set to be created.

A spokesman for the consortium, Fountain North Limited, said: "Of course, Fountainbridge’s most famous resident was Sean Connery.

"The development presents us with a wonderful opportunity to celebrate his association with the Fountainbridge area and we’ll be writing to him to inform him of our plans."

Sir Sean, though, seemed less keen to turn up for the unveiling of the plaque marking his birthplace in the tenement building at 176 Fountainbridge. He even joked about it last year, saying: "You would have to be ten feet tall to see it."

A spokeswoman for Connery today said she did not believe he had been officially approached about the offer. She said: "The key to the city of Edinburgh is his proudest award."

If the city council is smart, they would name a golf course after Sean. That way he'll show up all the time.





The Man with the Golden Library

February 14, 2005 - Times Online

Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond, amassed a big collection of rare books, covering golf to Einstein. Andrew Lycett leafs through his treasures.

James Bond composed a passable haiku in the novel You Only Live Twice. But otherwise the suave secret agent is known for capabilities other than literary. His reading matter tends to be mundane “how to” guides, such as Scarne on Cards (in Moonraker) or Tommy Armour’s How to Play Your Best Golf All the Time (Diamonds Are Forever), although, to give him his due, he was once (as reported in From Russia with Love) seen on a flight to Istanbul turning the pages of Eric Ambler’s The Mask of Dimitrios.

His creator Ian Fleming had similarly utilitarian tastes in literature. When, as a young man, he started a book collection, he asked his friend, the rare book seller Percy Muir, to buy him first editions not of Keats or Shelley but of books which “made things happen”.

This little-known aspect of Fleming’s diverse career is featured in a sale at Bloomsbury Auctions later this month. The highlight is a copy of his first novel, Casino Royale, which he inscribed for Muir, with a wry comment on its contents: “To Percy, who guided my early steps in literature — but not down these dark corridors! Affectionately, Ian.”

In an accompanying letter, Fleming thanked Muir for the gift of another copy of Casino Royale. He acknowledged “a very fragrant thought of yours”, and added, “Incidentally, I think it is the only Fleming first worth having as I think the first edition was only 3,000 copies.”

Fleming had a canny professional sense of Casino Royale’s potential. It is now by far the most collectable of James Bond first editions. Bloomsbury Auctions’ estimate for its admittedly special copy is £30,000 to £40,000 (up 1,000 per cent from a decade ago). With the recent announcement that Casino Royale will be the next 007 film, that final price may well be higher.

Fleming’s own career in the book business started long before James Bond. As a youth in 1929, almost a quarter of a century before Casino Royale was published, he was attracted by an unlikely item in a Mayfair bookshop window — D. H. Lawrence’s controversial volume of poems, Pansies.

The manager Percy Muir became his friend. When he moved to Elkin Matthews, another fashionable antiquarian bookseller, Fleming followed with his custom. He enjoyed the business enough to help Muir oust the controlling Gathorne-Hardy brothers, and he himself became a director.

By then Fleming was working in the City as what was described as “the world’s worst stockbroker”. Having made £250 on a deal, he asked Muir’s help in collecting “milestone books”, covering science, medicine, philosophy and politics, as well as practical inventions and even sports and pastimes.

A bill dated June 18, 1935 (now at Indiana University), records Muir’s initial purchases and gives a good sense of what Fleming had in mind. Among this first lot was a set of nine books by Albert Einstein, including his Nobel prize-winning treatise on the photo-electric effect, Über einen die Erzeugung und Verwandlung des Lichtes betreffenden heuristischen Gesichtspunkt, published in Leipzig in 1905, together with Friedrich Accum’s A Practical Treatise on Gas-Light, published in London in 1815 and, a Fleming touch, the original 1909 edition of Fred T. Jane’s All the World’s Airships.

To house these acquisitions, Fleming commissioned more than 50 expensive black buckram boxes. Muir thought his young client spent too much on such trappings. Nevertheless, Fleming had identified a new area, books were cheap, and over a short period Muir ranged widely to buy everything from a very rare first edition of the Communist manifesto, through scientific tracts such as Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species to Francis Galton on the use of fingerprints in criminology and the first books on rackets and golf.

Fleming’s spending spree lasted only a few years until the start of the Second World War. Then he busied himself in the serious business of serving as personal assistant to the Director of Naval Intelligence, the Admiralty job which gave him the material for James Bond.

His affair with books resurfaced in the late 1940s when he was working as foreign manager for The Sunday Times. Lord Kemsley, the paper’s proprietor, owned a small publisher, the Dropmore Press, which also printed a magazine for bibliophiles, The Book Handbook. Knowing Fleming’s interest, Kemsley put him on the board. Fleming got friends such as Muir and the scholarly John Hayward, who shared a flat with T. S. Eliot, to contribute.

Fleming had little real input until 1952 when he married Ann, the ex-wife of another newspaper magnate, Lord Rothermere. A literary snob who enjoyed the company of writers such as Evelyn Waugh, she was dismissive of her new husband’s fictional output. She also complained about the sombre effect his buckram bookcases had on a succession of marital houses.

So when Kemsley revamped his publishing interests and offered to let his foreign manager take charge of his new imprint, the Queen Anne Press and the re-named Book Collector, Fleming flew at the opportunity, as much to impress his wife as anything. He commissioned his (or rather Ann’s) friend Paddy Leigh Fermor to write the Queen Anne Press’s first title, A Time to Keep Silence. He co-opted Muir and Hayward as directors of The Book Collector.

When, three years later, Kemsley tired of these loss-making concerns, he offered them to Fleming who, after some bluffing, bought control of The Book Collector for £50. (The magazine is still published and highly regarded.)

Bloomsbury Auctions is also selling letters and documents which chart Fleming’s relationship with Muir, particularly relating to The Book Collector. He complained to Muir, for example, when their fellow director John Hayward treated a meeting to discuss some typically loss-making accounts “as if it was the Annual General Meeting of Imperial Chemicals and is now much put out because I tried to hasten proceedings”. As ever he berated Muir about the high price of any books still acquired for his own account.

But the high point of Fleming’s book career was still to come. In 1963 an important international exhibition — Printing and the Mind of Man — was held in London. Through Muir’s offices, Fleming was proud to be called upon to provide 44 books; more than any other private collector, and second only to King’s College, Cambridge. In a telegram he congratulated Muir on his “wonderful catalogue particularly on having elevated our collection to these fantastically proud heights. I truly blush with embarrassed delight and warm with memories of those days when you took me by the hand.”

A year later James Bond’s creator was dead at the untimely age of 56. His widow later sold his books to Indiana University in the American Midwest. There, in the grandly named Ian Fleming Collection of 19th-20th Century Source Material Concerning Western Civilization, you will find at least one book consulted by James Bond — Ely Culbertson’s revolutionary Contract Bridge Blue Book (New York, 1930). In Moonraker, 007 used a Culbertson hand to defeat the dastardly Drax at Blade’s. At least this showed more respect for books than his use for The Bible Designed to be Read as Literature, which provided a neat case for his Walther PPK in Goldfinger.

And now we will link to Ebay to see how high the bidding has gone.





Pierce Brosnan is 'The Omega Man'

February 14, 2005 - Indo-Asian News Service

Hollywood actor and Omega brand ambassador Pierce Brosnan will visit Mumbai later this month to unveil the new Omega Seamaster in India. Brosnan, who has been enthralling audiences across the world as the charismatic James Bond and has to credit a number of Hollywood blockbusters, has been Omega's global brand ambassador since 1997. As a prelude to the visit, the company has planned a Pierce Brosnan film festival here. A specially designed contest will also be run wherein the winners can win a chance to meet with Pierce Brosnan himself.

"It was imperative that we honour our distinguished customers and give them exclusive access to one of our leading international brand ambassadors," said Omega International president Stephen Urquhart.

Omega will also run a nationwide contest on Star One and Star World, giving winners a chance of either winning an Omega Seamaster or meeting with Brosnan.

Facinating that Omega has not dropped Brosnan from advertising their line of watches. You would think they would try another campaign after hearing the news that Brosnan was no longer playing OO7. Could it be possible Brosnan is still in the running to play OO7 in Casino Royale and that all the negative news is just a ploy?





COMMENTARY: Bond Fans Should Be Angry

February 15, 2005 – Stuart Basinger

James Bond fans should be rearing backwards in disgust after hearing the latest news of why Pierce Brosnan is not returning to play Agent OO7. He lost the role because he wanted TOO MUCH MONEY!

For nearly a year Brosnan had been badmouthing the producers by saying they were "opaque" and "they have reached an impasse."

Brosnan had also added: "They don't know what to do. They don't know how to move on. A sense of paralysis has set in. So, for me it's business as usual. I shall just carry on with creating work for myself. I certainly would love to do a fifth Bond and then bow out, but if this last one is to be the last one, then so be it."



Brosnan also expressed his desire for a more character-driven aspect to the Bond films, in the vein of the classic From Russia With Love. He said: "It's frustrating, really, because they feel they have to top themselves in a genre which is just spectacle and huge bang for your buck. For me, I think you can have your cake and eat it. You can have real character work and real storylines and a thriller aspect and all the kind of quips and asides and explosions and the women." (source: March 23, 2004 - Itv.com)

Now the truth can be said that Brosnan wanted $42 million dollars to play James Bond one last time. Ridiculous and I stand behind the producers on their decision to look for another actor to carry a 'license to kill'. Actors today make far too much money to play a part when there are men and women throughout the world saving lives and fighting for good causes who earn only 1% of that sum.

How many Disco Volantes do you need to water ski behind, Mr. Brosnan? Or better still, how many whales do you need to save?

The late Cubby Broccoli was absolutely right when dealing with previous Bond actors in saying that "there have been 13 Tarzans" when asked what he was going to do after losing Sean Connery.

He also commented about Roger Moore's mega salary during filming of For Your Eyes Only by saying, "Roger's a nice guy, I like him a lot. But let's say greed reared its ugly head."

And let us not forget the notorious George Lazenby. Broccoli commented, "Lazenby would have been all right, if it weren't for his personality. Suddenly, he wanted a bigger salary, a bigger dressing room, and a bigger limo. He blew it." (source: THE STAR - September 30, 1980)

To add insult to injury, Mr. Brosnan, you blew it too. Here was your chance to play OO7 based on a bona fide Ian Fleming novel. It does not matter how close the film version will be to that novel, but it would have had Fleming touches throughout.

Personally I have not felt a total loss with this series since Sean Connery left in 1967. Many fans wonder to this day what 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service would have been like if Connery had performed in it. Now, history seems to be repeating itself. Within this year there will be an announcement of a new actor playing the part of James Bond. Chances are he will be an unknown. He will undoubtedly have an uphill battle trying to get people to stop comparing him to Sean, George, Roger, Timothy, and Pierce. And ironically, act in a film that could end like Fleming's novel with the heroine's death and a distraught Bond.

Those who do not learn from history, are condemned to repeat it.





Matthew Vaughan Turned Down 'Bond' For 'Uncle'

February 21, 2005 – New Kerala News

Matthew Vaughan has revealed that he turned down the offer to direct the 21st James Bond movie 'Casino Royale' because he wanted to bring 1960s TV series 'The Man From Uncle' to the big screen. Vaughan had almost finalized the talks to helm the project, which is now being directed by Goldeneye' director Martin Campbell, but dropped out when the production was delayed by a year.

"I came very close to doing it - as close as you can get. I was offered it by the studio, but then circumstances meant it was pushed back by a year," femalefirst quoted Vaughan as saying. "We're writing it at the moment. We're totally trying to reinvent the whole genre. I'm a real Bondaholic, but I think 'The Man From Uncle' will show Bond a few things," he said.

This is total garbage. I refuse to believe this guy was even considered to direct any Bond film. He has only directed one film and the rest of his career has been as a producer - and not a very good one either. Compared to Martin Campbell this guy looks more like Ed Wood.





Liam Neeson Spurned Bond

February 21, 2005 – Ireland Online

Hollywood star Liam Neeson turned down the chance to play James Bond, because he has never been interested in starring in action movies. The actor was approached to replace Timothy Dalton as the suave super spy in 1995's Goldeneye, but film-makers settled for fellow Irishman Pierce Brosnan after Neeson spurned their advances. The 52-year-old says: "I was approached very heavily, but I wasn't really interested."

Mr. Neeson, if you do not like action movies than why did you do Star Wars I?





Ex-Mrs Bond In Airline Scare

February 21, 2005 – The Courier Mail

A Buzzing noise from the suitcase of a woman once married to James Bond star, Sean Connery, caused a stir at Brisbane airport today. But the sound from Diane Cilento's case was only her battery-operated toothbrush.

Ms Cilento, 71, was on board a Virgin Blue flight due to leave Brisbane at lunchtime today when baggage handlers became alarmed by a buzzing noise coming from her baggage. The Oscar-nominated actress, who was Mrs Sean Connery in the 1960s, said she was seated on the aircraft waiting for takeoff when she was asked by members of the crew to disembark. A shaken Ms Cilento, who now operates a playhouse near Port Douglas in far north Queensland, got off the plane.

"It was rather a shock actually," Ms Cilento told AAP from her home. "I was called off the plane and they had my bag there and they knew my name and they wouldn't go near it because there was a terrible noise coming from it. They made me open it and it was my (electric) toothbrush. I don't know what they thought it was, but no-one was going anywhere near my bag. There was a moment there when everybody thought I was going to be turfed off and I don't know, maybe they thought there was a bomb or something."

Ms Cilento said after identifying the source of the noise and turning off the toothbrush, she and her bag were allowed back on the plane, which took off late for Cairns.

"The whole thing was a bit of a shock because you know somehow I have a bit of a habit of attracting trouble....but not this time," the actor said.

A Virgin Blue spokeswoman said she was unaware of the incident, which was handled by security staff at Brisbane airport.

You could say she made it by the skin of her teeth.





8 Minutes With Brosnan

February 22, 2005 – by Nandini Raghavendra for The Economic Times

Eight minutes is a lifetime for James Bond, given that in those 8 minutes he can defuse bombs threatening to blow up the world, crack a few snappy one-liners, bump off the villain and still find time to romance a svelte, sexy heroine.

It is not every day that you get to meet the most successful and long-standing Bond hero since Roger Moore and Sean Connery created and built the legend of 007. So what the heck if he is only willing to give you eight minutes. You take some time to admire that off-white linen jacket that sits so well on him and look into those Irish blue eyes which have mesmerised audiences across the world. You realise now that seven minutes have elapsed and that it is time to cut to the chase with the man for whom ‘The World Is Not Enough’. The huge red backdrop, filled with the Omega sign for which he is Brand Ambassador seems to blur, as he starts to talk. While Brosnan, who will no longer play Bond, is trying to shed the Bond image, he is fully aware that the 007 tag is hard to drop.

“I have actually seen the power of it first hand. I have seen men buying an Omega watch because James Bond wears it. That’s good business and it worked because it suited Bond’s lifestyle — the cigars, the martinis were all put in by Ian Fleming into his character,” says the actor who admits to having a good collection of watches and more than one brand for sure.

That he is not obsessed with the Bond persona is evident when we ask him about his choice of drink. He makes it clear that while Bond may have made the “shaken not stirred” martinis, the legendary Brosnan has no great affinity for them. Off-screen, the Irishman would prefer a “glass of wine and a bowl of pasta or a great beer and some fantastic curry to go with it”.

Time, it seems, has flown by and a quick glance at Brosnan’s watch reveals that there are only four minutes left. It’s time now to move into fifth gear. We ask him if there are any other brands that he has used as James Bond which he also uses as Pierce Brosnan. He flashes the Bond smile and tells us that he does own an Aston Martin Vanquish 2002 which he asked for and received as payment in exchange for some work he did for the brand.

“People always try to race when they see an Aston Martin next to theirs. When they turn and identify me, it only adds to the accelerator as everyone wants to race with Bond. It’s a beautiful car, a wonderful piece of sculpture, an excellent piece of engineering,” says the man who let many young drivers win a race against him.

The two-minutes-left sign goes up. A quick flashback to Remington Steele. The Irishman’s first taste of fame as the sophisticated, charming detective. “I just saw myself as 25 and saw some bad acting in it,” says Brosnan having seen the series which is being put together for a DVD release.

Seeing the surprise, he smiles and adds, “I am hard on myself. There was a lot of energy in that role and I did make myself laugh as Steele.”

So what does tomorrow hold? Brosnan has just shown Irish Dream Time’s fifth film, The Matador, at The Sundance Festival, which we read has been well-received.

“If I believe everything I read, then I’ve cracked the mould of James Bond. Who knows? There are a number of projects on, from Thomas Crown 2 to Lochinvar. Let’s say I have work and till I have longevity, I will always work.” As Bond would say Tomorrow Never Dies.

Sorry Mr. Brosnan, your time is up.





Doctor Sues Sean Connery for $30M

February 23, 2005 – Fox News Channel

NEW YORK — A downstairs neighbor of debonaire James Bond actor Sean Connery has filed a $30 million lawsuit alleging he's a bully who's trying to force the family out of the townhouse they share.

"Notwithstanding the cinematic James Bond image of consummate finesse, the defendant Connery, in true Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde fashion, acts the part in real life of a bully who ignores norms of neighborliness and decency," the court papers say.

Dr. Burton Sultan, an ophthalmologist, lives with his wife and daughters on the lower four floors of a six-story Tudor townhouse, built in 1869, on Manhattan's East Side. Connery and his wife live on the top two floors.

Court papers claim the Connerys' renovations, which began in September 2001, are a source of constant noise, foul fumes, water leaks and a rat infestation. The lawsuit claims damage to the Sultans' home extended to their collection of Victorian and early 20th century wicker furniture. The lawsuit also claims the famous upstairs neighbor is harassing the Sultans "by playing loud music at all hours and stomping about." On April 7, 2002, one of the Sultans' daughters knocked on Connery's door and requested quiet.

"Connery's appearance and behavior was that of a rude, foul-mouthed, fat old man," court papers say. "Cursing and otherwise using indecent language Connery demeaned Marla's father, refused to lower the noise and slammed the door in her face."

The court papers say the Connerys also owe $15,747 in maintenance and utility payments — another ploy "to harass the Sultans into leaving their home."

The lawsuit includes a letter, purportedly from the Connerys' lawyer, Robert P. Lynn Jr., stating: "I think if we tie him up in several lawsuits, hopefully this will either permanently subdue him or drive him out of the building."

Lynn did not return telephone calls seeking comment.

Mr. Connery should just say Doctor NO!





Casino Royale Update: James Bond Begins

February 24, 2005 – by Henry Cabot Beck for New York Daily News

Director Martin Campbell is going back to the beginning for "Casino Royale," based on the first Bond adventure written by Ian Fleming in 1953 - a novel that has nothing to do with the 1967 spoof starring David Niven and Woody Allen.

"There are things that will have to be changed from the original novel," says Campbell. "The Cold War elements will have to be reconfigured, for example, but 'Casino Royale' will be a grittier, tougher and more realistic Bond movie. We'll be getting away from the huge visual effects kind of films." Bond's last movie, "Die Another Day," featured an invisible car and a killer satellite. In the new film, Bond is essentially starting out in his career, and has just recently become part of the double-0 section," says Campbell, who is finishing "The Legend of Zorro," the sequel to "The Mask of Zorro."

"The idea is to put a bit of the dash back in Bond. By the end of the movie, the character will have been forged into the wiser, harder Bond we know."

In the novel, Bond falls in love with Vesper Lynd, the agent assigned to help him defeat Le Chiffre, a KGB agent who has a weakness for gambling. But Lynd is a double agent and Bond's world is shattered.

"The door is open for Bond, emotionally," says Campbell. "He's in love with Vesper and he sees there's another side to all of this, that life might be far more pleasurable, more gratifying, than being a secret agent. And ultimately that door is slammed in his face, which makes him the tempered steel kind of guy that we know."

At one point, Le Chiffre captures Bond and attempts to torture information out of him. The gruesome scene has Bond at the very brink of castration.

"I don't know what we're going to do about that," says Campbell. "It ranks up there with the teeth-drilling scene in 'Marathon Man.' I'm looking forward to humanizing Bond a bit. In the novel, Bond smokes 70 cigarettes a day - unbelievable. And he gets a little drunk."

This is the best news I've heard in a long while.





Roger Moore Returns To The Big Screen

February 24, 2005 – Contact Music

Former JAMES BOND star ROGER MOORE will star in his first big screen lead role in 13 years. The 77-year-old actor has agreed in principle to appear in a sequel to 1953 comedy GENEVIEVE, playing LORD BROADHURST who takes part in a vintage car race from London to Brighton, England.

Moore has made a number of movie appearances in recent years, none more memorable than his performance as a gay aristocrat in flop comedy BOAT TRIP. But filmmakers are confident the movie will be a hit - as soon as all the paperwork is out of the way and shooting can commence. Screenwriter BEAU DARE says, "Funding is in its final stages."

Welcome back, old friend.





COMMENTARY: Beware Of Bond Rumors

February 28, 2005 – by Stuart Basinger

You have to hand it to those PR representatives who go to extremes to get their clients recognition. Waking up to the news that Julian McMahon is on the short list to play OO7 raised the proverbial eyebrow from this observer.

Mr. McMahon is currently starring in Nip/Tuck and will be seen this summer as the evil Dr. Doom in The Fantastic Four. But that is where one should read between the lines. What better way for the PR experts than to cash in on an Internet rumor that McMahon is the next James Bond.

The truth is HE'S NOT!

One does not need to look too far into Bond movie history to see how Eon Productions conducted auditions and publicity for their actors. Take for instance George Lazenby's announcement. Harry Saltzman told George to disappear for a while until he and Cubby Broccoli prepared the news presser. George kept hidden for a week and nearly blew it with one ambitious reporter. He escaped out the back door of the hotel he was staying at.

The Broccoli family has always been private when it came to publicity. When the time came to reveal their film or actors, they would do it with all the bells and whistles and not before hand.

Whenever an actor announces that the Bond producers are looking at him, don't bet on it. Most likely it is a publicity stunt to get them noticed and in the case of Mr. McMahon, he needs all the help he can get since The Fantastic Four has a great deal of competition at the box office this summer.

Sorry Mr. McMahon, your fifteen minutes is up.





Silverlining In SilverFin?

February 28, 2005 – by David Robinson for The Scotsman

The fan are worried, angry, upset. "James Bond for kids?" spluttered Jonathan Ross when Charlie Higson told him about his next project. "Shame on them and shame on you!"

On the Bond websites - there are more than 100 - Higson’s novel SilverFin, about a 13-year-old James Bond at Eton - is arousing deep suspicion ahead of its publication this week. "Messing with Bond is like messing with Superman," says a typical entry on commanderbond.net. "It touches a nerve." "I’ve got a bad feeling about this," warns another fan with bad memories of the sheer awfulness of The Young Sherlock Holmes.

John Gardner, the English thriller-writer who wrote 14 Bond novels after Ian Fleming’s death in 1964, also scorns the whole notion of Bond as a children’s hero. "It’s just the last desperate attempt to draw in a new audience," he says. "The films have little to do with the Bond we used to know, and now the books are going the same way."

Over to you, Charlie Higson.

At first sight, the 45-year-old across the table from me, whose thick-framed glasses make him barely recognisable from his appearances in The Fast Show, The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer and Swiss Toni, might seem an odd choice to write a series about James Bond in his early teens. Look, 007 purists could say, here is a man whose track record on writing about the world’s greatest fictional spy is to reduce him to ironic irrelevance.

And they’d have a point. Consider Swiss Toni, the bouffant-haired garagiste for whom everything in life can be compared to making love to a beautiful woman. If he could have done a Sean Connery accent, says Higson, that’s how we would have first heard him. "Because for Swiss Toni, Bond is his ultimate idol, a perfect aspirational figure - a suave, sophisticated ladies’ man who knows all about fine wines and Belgian chocolates. It’s no accident that in the first series, the bar they go into is called Fleming’s and it’s James Bond-themed."

Highlighting the disparity between the James Bond dream and life’s grim realities - in Swiss Toni’s case, a dead-end job in a grotty car showroom - was something Higson had already done before in his first novel, King of the Ants. "I wrote it in my twenties, after I’d just finished reading a lot of Bond novels, and the plot mirrors theirs, although it’s a grimy thriller set in London. In the book, the character reads James Bond, and he’s also called Sean because his mother named him after Connery - so, yes, there were quite a few echoes."

At this point, if I were in charge of the Ian Fleming estate and picking which writer would win the millionaire-making franchise of writing about world’s best-known spy, Charlie Higson would be talking himself out of a job. On this evidence, I might have judged, he wouldn’t take Bond seriously enough. Yet I’d be completely wrong.

Because this time Higson writes Bond completely straight. He tested it out, a chapter at a time, on his own three sons (aged 12, ten and six) and, apart from his middle son always wanting Bond to kill everyone in sight, it passed the test. I’m not surprised.

His Bond isn’t too knowing, not a mini-me version of the film Bond, always ready to deflate tension with a cool quip or a deadly pun. Nor is he, like Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider - the nearest contender to the Bond title on the young adult shelves - a whizz with hi-tech gadgets. Instead, Higson’s Bond takes us straight back to Fleming’s books - and an altogether different kind of superhero than the one we know from the multiplexes.

"The Bond of the books is a far more interesting and complex character than he is in the films," says Higson. "He is more real in his motivation, more vulnerable. He has thoughts about death, gets hurt, gets cross, and knows that he has to keep himself separate from other people because of his job. I wanted to put all of that in a book, and for it to be a proper book, not a jokey spin-off."

Instead of something like Spykids, in other words, SilverFin takes us straight back to the old-fashioned physical adventure stories of the 1930s. His 13-year-old James Bond is more like a young Buchan hero or a proto-Bulldog Drummond than a Superman-in-waiting. There’s even a bit of depth and flashes of humanity - not normally qualities anyone readily associates with Bond.

SilverFin begins as Bond starts his first term at Eton. His parents have died in a climbing accident and - just like that other orphan confronting the mysteries of Hogwart’s - James has to work out his place in a particularly eccentric parallel universe. This Eton is a place which is so cold that pupils wear gloves in the classroom, where there were all kinds of strange rules about collars never having to be turned down or umbrellas rolled, and which direction certain streets can be walked down.

"I’ve read as much as I can about Eton and the 1930s, but in a way I’ve had to create my own versions of both, because a real 13-year-old boy like James Bond would have had attitudes that were completely insufferable to today’s children. So, it’s a kind of fantasy Eton. We can all relate to starting at school, but this is a particularly weird, interesting place."

At Eton, Bond is bullied by George Hellebore, whose father turns out to be the villain of the piece, with a Scottish castle at which he conducts horrendous genetic experiments. Some of these involve eels, but their main purpose is to breed aggression. And, without giving away too much of the plot, it is sufficiently frightening to hold the interest of young readers. My 12-year-old son adored it.

Even if he hadn’t met Paul Whitehouse at university in Norwich in the 1970s; even if he hadn’t met Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer through mutual friends there; even if he had never gone on to be a key figure in British TV comedy, Charlie Higson would always, he says, have been a writer.

Whatever else he has done - which includes being the lead singer in the Higsons, a "poor man’s Talking Heads" in the 1970s, as well as all his Fast Show roles - writing matters most to him.

"At university I specialised in American Gothic literature and started writing all these dense, post-modernist novels that were completely unreadable. I’d always been quite snobbish about reading popular fiction, but a friend turned me on to American crime fiction. The turning point came when I thought why, instead of all these bits of fake genre thrillers I was writing, don’t I just write a straight thriller instead?"

It worked. Writing thrillers instead of flash po-mo magic realism meant that his books had a powerful running motor, instead of disappearing up their own exhaust pipe. The trick was to learn how to tune up the plot while still fleshing out the characters. "In The Fast Show, that’s what we were always trying to do too. Some of the characters, like the ‘Suits you, sir!’ guys [two camp tailors with the most annoying catchphrase of the 1990s] we couldn’t do much with.

"But with all the other characters, at least we gradually tried to show a personality behind them."

Indeed, by the end of The Fast Show, with characters such as Ralph, the tongue-tied aristocrat unable to express his feelings for his Irish gardener, had established a humanity that transcended the limits of a rapid-fire gag show.

Sometimes, the more limits there were on a project, the more fun it became to work on. "The worst thing is someone coming up and saying - Can you write me something, anything at all, and we’ll do a film deal. Paul and I get that quite a lot. But with Swiss Toni, it was the opposite: probably the most constrained writing it is possible to get. You’ve got the same set every week, and everything has to happen within it. It only makes you more imaginative."

So look again at SilverFin. It has another person’s character. More than 100 million people have bought books about him, millions more seen the films. They know what to expect. No writer could have greater limitations than that.

Higson’s triumph is that he both meets those expectations and yet surprises his readers. It’s a tough act to pull off, but on this occasion at least, perhaps nobody does it better.

I am actually looking forward to this book. I cannot help feeling that this crazy idea might just work.





Thunderball: Fact Or Fiction?

March 1, 2005 – by Dominic Casciani for BBC News

So how much truth was there really in Ian Fleming's James Bond? Was it all the over-excited imagination of a writer - or did he let us in on things that really happened? Ian Fleming spent World War II in naval intelligence - and biographers have charted how his experiences inspired him to create many of 007's finest adventures. But today MI5 has declassified secret documents shedding further light on the real history of James Bond.

The papers at the National Archives document the secret war to defend Gibraltar. They are a story of brilliant impersonators, femme-fatale agents and exploding fountain pens. What's more, they provide the full story of how an Italian plan for human torpedoes inspired Fleming to write Thunderball, made into one of the earliest Bond films.

During WWII, General Franco's Spain was nominally neutral - although hardly a friend of the Allies. And thanks to a personality clash of epic proportions between Franco and Hitler, Gibraltar was surprisingly spared direct assault. But with the Germans, Spanish and Italians all wanting to prise the British from their Mediterranean colony, a secret war of spying, sabotage and smuggling began.

Fighting the British corner was the Security Intelligence Department, led by David Scherr. His personal history, declassified after 60 years, provides today's fascinating glimpse into counter-espionage. Spanish workers continually smuggled items in and out of Gibraltar for the Axis powers. The key was to seize the weaponry without the Germans or Spanish catching on - but also to use some of it in bogus explosions to convince the enemy the saboteurs were getting through.

Gibraltar was a hotbed of spies and informers and Scherr's team knew it. At one point he paraded Field Marshall Montgomery in public - or rather his double - to confuse the enemy over British plans for the colony. On other days, German double-agents would get the upper hand: false tip-offs would exhaust British agents as they searched market stalls for bombs hidden in vegetables. But while the British generally kept a lid on the Germans and Spanish - foiling 70 attacks in four years - Scherr records the Italians were harder to crack.

The Italian secret weapon was the Tenth Flotilla MAS - frogmen who successfully hit 14 merchant vessels in three years. The Italians had created special torpedoes that could be piloted by frogmen to their target, either from the beach oR submarines.

"The normal method of approach was to travel on the surface until 80 to 100 yards from the target and then to submerge," Scherr records. "Under the hull of the ship the MAS men would then leave their detachable warheads [and incendiary devices] and then escape to the Spanish shore using the torpedo to carry them to safety."

In true James Bond style, the saboteurs would then come ashore on the Spanish beach, strip out of their wetsuits and blend in until they could be picked up from a safehouse.

Growing in confidence, the team secretly adapted a 5,000 ton tanker, the Olterra, which had been partially scuttled on the outbreak of war. Cutting doors in the ship's bow, the Italians created flood chambers from which the human torpedo missions could be launched.

According to Ian Fleming's biographer, Andrew Lycett, the fledgling writer was so inspired by the idea when it passed over his desk at Naval Intelligence, he used it in his novel Thunderball. In this story SPECTRE baddie Emilio Largo uses underwater doors and human torpedoes as the means to smuggle stolen nuclear weapons off his naturally luxurious yacht, the Disco Volante.

Back in the real world, the British were initially baffled by the attacks, thanks to some cunning disinformation put about by the enemy. But the Italians unfortunately had no idea how good the British double-agent network was to become. One of the key double agents was a woman - one who more or less resembled Fleming's concept of the Bond girl. Codenamed the Queen of Hearts, David Scherr describes their first encounter:

"This was a woman in her 30s whose dress, mannerisms speech and general appearance made her a rather seedy but not unattractive imitation of the seductive female spy of the thrillerette type," he recalls. "She sat down, crossed her legs (adjusting her skirt to reveal them to the best advantage), slowly lit a cigarette, inhaled, breathed out the smoke in a furtive fashion, looking down her long aquiline nose at the same time, and then smiled across at her interrogator: 'I am the Queen of Hearts. Who are you?'"

A serendipitous tip from the Queen linked the frogmen to the Spanish authorities and a villa on the mainland. It was only a matter of time before the entire plot would unravel.

The grand Italian plan was to hit the Royal Navy hard in the winter of 1942. Three torpedoes, each with two men onboard, would be launched from the Olterra. Lieutenant Lino Visentin would lead the attack against HMS Nelson, a battleship, and aircraft carriers HMS Furious and Formidable. But it was not to be. Two of the torpedoes malfunctioned and had to be hastily repaired. As they again headed for their targets, naval gunners picked them up. Five of the six frogmen died in the hail of fire and depth charges. The survivor escaped by diving the torpedo early - meaning he would not have enough air to complete the mission. Although David Scherr's team would only later discover the Olterra's real role, the operation had essentially failed and the fleet was safe from attack.

I wonder if producer Kevin McClory has read this?





SILVERFIN: James Bond Is Back . . . In Time

March 3, 2005 – by Neil Smith for BBC News

After 34 books, eight short stories and 22 movies, you would think that we would know all there is to know about secret agent James Bond. But Charlie Higson - who plays Ralph and Swiss Toni on the BBC's Fast Show - knows different. This mild-mannered father-of-three has been given a licence to write five new novels about 007's teenage exploits. And on the evidence of Silverfin, the first instalment in Puffin's Young Bond series, Ian Fleming's legendary hero is in safe hands.



"Originally the Fleming estate wanted a different writer for each book in the series," reveals Higson. "But that seems to have changed because I'm doing the lot. I'd been wanting to write a children's book so my kids could read something I've written, so when I was approached I was naturally quite excited."

Higson is not the first writer to continue Bond's adventures in print. After Fleming's death in 1964, further novels were penned by Kingsley Amis, John Gardner and Raymond Benson.

Silverfin finds James Bond at Eton, Ian Fleming's own alma mater But this is the first time readers will encounter 007 before he joined Her Majesty's Secret Service.

"He's not a spy, just an ordinary teenage boy," explains the author, who has written four other adult thrillers. When we meet James Bond in Silverfin, he is a 13-year-old orphan newly arrived at Eton in the early 1930s. He soon makes a mortal enemy in George Hellebore, the son of a wealthy arms dealer whose castle in Scotland hides sinister secrets.

Hints of the man Bond will become are present in his steely resolve, curiosity and fiercely competitive nature. But Higson says he avoided including more obvious nods to Fleming's originals or the films they spawned.

"I want to show how he becomes who he became, and where some of his attitudes come from," he says. "But we didn't want to go as far as having him meet a teenage M or a bald bloke at school called Blofeld. The great thing about going back to the 30s is you can strip away all the clichés. It's good not to have to worry about ridiculous gadgets, for example."

There are elements, however, Higson did have to address - namely, the "sex, sadism and snobbery" memorably attributed to Fleming by the critic Paul Johnson.

"The sadism's fine because kids love nastiness, torture and death," laughs Higson. "But sex is a tricky one. The books are written for 8 to 12-year-olds, and they don't want to read about someone going round kissing girls."

Higson also admits he has toned down some of Fleming's more elitist opinions.

"A lot of his pronouncements about foreigners and whatnot are quite outrageous, so I didn't want to go down that route."

With a second novel already written and a third on the way, there is little room for comedy in Higson's busy schedule. That said, he is discussing a new sketch programme and film project with Fast Show colleague Paul Whitehouse. So - to borrow Swiss Toni's catchphrase - is writing a Bond novel like making love to a beautiful woman? Charlie isn't saying, though he admits one of Silverfin's saucier passages will be removed from the US edition.

"I think it's the bit where the girl clamps him between her strong thighs!" he says with a smirk that would make Swiss Toni proud.

Congratulations from this website on a new bold beginning in the James Bond lore.





New Bond Author Calls Fans 'Mad'

March 8, 2005 – by Hannah Stephenson for The Journal

In an article for The Journal, the new author of the Young Bond book 'SilverFin', Charlie Higson has gone on record saying Bond fans are 'mad'.

"The announcement of the creation of a teenage Bond has outraged legions of fans, says Charlie, who has followed their comments on fan websites.

"When it was announced, the James Bond websites - and there are a lot - were completely furious. Their attitude was, `You can't make James Bond a kid - he's a drinking, smoking, womanising assassin. Ian Fleming would turn in his grave'. They are very protective of the whole thing but I hope when they read it they'll change their minds."

In his defence, Charlie has logged on to the chatlines of some of the Bond websites under a pseudonym to suggest that they ought to give the book a chance.

"They are all mad collectors, so they all say, `I will of course buy a book but I won't like it'."

The young Bond isn't as self-assured, suave and sophisticated as the older character made famous by the likes of Sean Connery, Roger Moore, and Pierce Brosnan. Charlie has set the first book in the 1930s when Bond is 13 and there is no trace of M or Moneypenny.

Ian Fleming's family had definite ideas of what they wanted - a straightforward, approachable style which wouldn't alienate kids.

"They didn't want an in-joke, parody-type, knockabout book. Some of the people they approached wanted to take it down that route and possibly make it too much their own thing."

In SilverFin, the young Bond is a vulnerable character who is initially victimised by this American bully but soon shows the inner strength that is to see him through.

"In the Fleming books he's a more interesting and more complex character than in the films. He does get hurt, upset and cross and he's always getting captured and tortured and beaten up and he doesn't like it. I wanted the boy to be the same. I wanted to show how the boy became the man, how events in his childhood shaped how he was when he got older. In the adult books he's quite a lonely man because his job is going out killing people. He can't get too close emotionally to women because he might be called away at any moment and have to face death. I wanted to show in my book that, while he has lots of friends, there's something quite private about him and he's a bit of a loner."

While it's billed as a book aimed at nine to 12-year-olds, there are several gruesome and graphic scenes, including one in which a body covered in eels is dragged from a lake. Charlie, who lives in London with wife Vicky, a graphic artist, dismisses the suggestion that such scenes might not be suitable for children. He read every chapter to sons Frank, 12, Jim, 10, and six-year-old Sid as he wrote them.

"They had lots of suggestions. They always wanted it to be more violent and horrible. Frank just wants everyone killed off all the time. Strange things will upset kids. My kids will happily sit through Jaws, but one of them wouldn't watch the film Matilda for years because something about the school teacher freaked him out. The trigger is not necessarily the most gruesome or violent thing."

Vicky also reads his work but doesn't criticise. "You can't rely on your spouse to be any form of critic or genuine sounding board," he smiles. "It's their job to say you're a genius."

He consulted Fleming's nieces but says he wasn't party to the inner workings of the Fleming estate. "They are very protective of what they do and are quite secretive. They have various other James Bond projects on the go and it's all quite hush hush."

Charlie has already completed the second book in the series, due out next year to coincide with the new Bond film.

Interesting, the second Young Bond book will coincide with Casino Royale. Is there a slight hint of continuity here?





The Coolest Cats To Ever Grace The Big Screen

March 8, 2005 – MTV

James Bond tops the list of the 'coolest cats' to ever grace the big screen. MTV went on to say about our favorite British spy:

The essence of cool: Unruffled in any situation, a dry sense of humor, cultured, swanky, in possession of the most cutting-edge gadgets and rather popular with the most glamorous/ dangerous/ beautiful/ enticingly named women in the world. People pretend to argue over the best Bond, but actually the discussion should be "Who's the second-best 007?" since anyone who says anyone other than Sean Connery is lying for the sake of being contrary. While George Lazenby was great in his one, underrated turn as the superspy in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," #2 has to be Pierce Brosnan, who got better with each film. He shall be missed.

The other nine characters were:

2. John Shaft
3. Danny Ocean
4. Bugs Bunny
5. Axel Foley
6. Wolverine
7. Rick Blaine
8. The Bride
9. John Robie, A.K.A. The Cat
10. The Man With No Name

Facinating list. Missing from the list is Dirty Harry, Indiana Jones, Han Solo, Nick Charles, Bulldog Drummond, and Kato. But it is nice to know that OO7 is the epitome of cool.





Higson Says: "Shoot The Film In Scotland"

March 21, 2005 – by Brian Pendreigh for The Sunday Herald

Take the silver screen’s most dashing spy, add a touch of Harry Potter and mix with the unique atmosphere of the Highlands … and you could have the recipe for a hugely successful film franchise. A new book which traces the adventures of the teenage James Bond has already attracted the interest of major film companies and now the author has urged them to film any movie in Scotland.

Charlie Higson, who was commissioned by Ian Fleming Publications to write the young Bond’s first adventure, told the Sunday Herald yesterday: “I thought I should take James Bond to Scotland, because Ian Fleming said in the obituary that his father was Scottish and the family was from Glencoe.’’

The author, who co-created The Fast Show with Paul Whitehouse and plays the series character Swiss Toni, added: “I just thought it made sense to send him up there and show a bit of that world, particularly as I think it’s a fantastic bit of the world. It is such dramatic, bleak, empty countryside, it lends itself perfectly to the kind of action adventure that James Bond goes on. Scotland is so photogenic and fantastic.”

Higson’s book, SilverFin, was published in the UK only a fortnight ago, but has shot up the bestseller lists, sparking major interest among film companies. The novel picks up on biographical details from the original Ian Fleming books. Set in the 1930s, it follows the 13-year-old Bond from school at Eton to his uncle’s house in the west Highlands, where Bond stumbles upon a megalo maniac American laird and sinister genetic experiments with killer eels.

“There has been a great deal of interest in the film rights across the board,” said Zoe Watkins of Ian Fleming Publications. The company has commissioned Higson to write a series of five “Young Bond” novels, taking Bond to the generation of readers that made Harry Potter a publishing phenomenon.

She said that if the Young Bond books sold well she expected them to be turned into films, though there was no timescale at present. “We are concentrating on getting the books out there and established in their own right,” she said.

But another source said the films were “very much under discussion” and interest could well intensify when SilverFin is released in the US next month.

James Bond is the most successful film series ever and the prospect of a movie that combines elements of James Bond and Harry Potter could spark a major bidding war. Most film production companies are keeping any possible interest top secret, but Heyday Films, the English company that makes the Harry Potter movies for Warner Bros, is a likely contender. “We have looked at it, but no decision has been made yet,” said a spokesman.

Eon Productions, which makes the adult Bond films, is not ruling it out.

Higson said he was “pleasantly surprised” at the book sales and endorsed the idea of a film of SilverFin shooting on location in Scotland. Higson took as his starting point the James Bond obituary that appeared in The Times in the Ian Fleming novel You Only Live Twice, when 007 was missing presumed dead. According to the obituary, Bond’s father was a Scot, his mother was Swiss and they died in a climbing accident when he was 11. The youthful Bond attended Fettes College in Edinburgh, after being expelled from Eton as a result of an incident with a maid.

Higson said that Ian Fleming Publications wanted to keep Bond at Eton throughout the first four books at least, for sake of continuity. The author argues the obituary may not have been entirely accurate. However he was keen to pick up on Bond’s Scottish roots. Bond spends his holidays at a cottage belonging to his uncle Max Bond, who was a spy in the first world war, and he gets mixed up in his own adventure with the villain Lord Hellebore.

In his novel, Higson mentions Fort William and Glenfinnan, and Hellebore’s castle was inspired by Eilean Donan, though Higson was unaware that it appeared as MI6’s Scottish headquarters in the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough.

Scotland also provided locations for From Russia with Love, Casino Royale and The Spy Who Loved Me, but has never played a major role in any of the 22 Bond films. Several recent films and television dramas have been set in Scotland, but shot in Ireland and Eastern Europe. Higson was keen that SilverFin should shoot in Scotland. Production company Heyday are no strangers to the west Highlands, having shot Harry Potter scenes at Glencoe and the Glenfinnan viaduct. But before SilverFin makes it to the screen, there is the next James Bond film to be made – a remake of Casino Royale. Intrigue remains, however, over who will take over the role of Bond from Pierce Brosnan.

William Hill suspended betting following a series of big bets on Scottish actor Dougray Scott. They have reopened the book, with Clive Owen odds-on favourite, and have dismissed Scott altogether. The only other actors on whom the bookmaker is taking bets are Daniel Craig and Julian McMahon, the Australian star of Nip/Tuck.

Higson said however that Scott might be suitable for the role of Max Bond. His other suggestions were the Scottish actor Iain Glen or Welshman Timothy Dalton, who succeeded Roger Moore as Bond. “If one was going to be clever, one might get someone like Timothy Dalton to play Max,” he said.

The role of Young Bond is likely to go to a complete unknown. But if the film emulates the success of the book, it could create a new film star as well as being a major boost both for the Scottish film industry and for Scottish tourism.

Timothy Dalton as the 'uncle' to young James Bond? Interesting!





Christopher Lee Speaks Out

March 21, 2005 – by Sherna Noah for The Scotsman

Movie legend Christopher Lee has criticised today’s generation of younger stars for being “over-hyped”. Lee, 82, who has more than 200 films to his name, described some actors’ performances as “holes in the air”. The actor, known for playing villains such as wizard Saruman in Lord of the Rings and Dracula, told Total Film magazine: “Johnny Depp, as far as I’m concerned, is number one.

“Of his generation, there’s no one who can touch him. Some performers today, it’s like looking at holes in the air.”

The British actor, who made his name in the Hammer films, said: “You get these young, over-hyped stars with very little experience, pitched into big-budget movies in major roles and they can’t begin to handle them. It’s extremely dangerous because it means they’re not going to last long.”

Lee, who worked with Oscar nominee Depp on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, said he still did not know why his scenes had been cut from the third Lord of the Rings film. He told Total Film: “When it came out, millions of others were confused too. The reaction of the public was quite extraordinary. My point was not that, as an actor, I’d had my scenes taken out. It was the story. You can’t have a man looking frantic on a balcony when everything is being destroyed and then never see him again. The audience would demand, as they did, to know what happened to him. I just didn’t understand it. I was given plenty of reasons why I was cut out, none of which made sense.”

The Star Wars actor added: “At the time I read it, I wanted to play Gandalf. But they thought I was too old. So I played wizard Saruman, which is in many ways immensely important because Saruman is the one and only total adversary of the Fellowship. Everything that happens he’s responsible for. And that’s why it was so extraordinary that they didn’t have me in the third film.”

Lee, who was a cousin through marriage of Bond creator Ian Fleming, backed Pierce Brosnan, who is said to have been axed from the next 007 movie, as the best of the James Bond actors.

“I don’t think anyone has ever succeeded in putting Ian Fleming’s James Bond up on the screen,” he said. “The closest in my opinion is Pierce Brosnan.”

Lee was voted 16th in a recent poll of the greatest movie stars of all time.

We will be looking forward to seeing Mr. Lee as he reprises his role of Count Dooku in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.





Connery Ends Another Deal To Ghost-Write His Memoirs

March 21, 2005 – by Michael Blackley for The Scotsman

SIR Sean Connery’s autobiography has again been put on hold after he cancelled a deal with his ghost writer. It is the second time in six months that the Scottish actor has ditched plans for the memoirs.

Sir Sean had most recently commissioned Hunter Davies, the only authorised biographer of the Beatles, to ghost write the book. Mr Davies was appointed by Connery, now aged 74, last summer but it is understood that Connery may have been concerned by the author’s desire to write an account giving more personal detail about the actor’s life that he was prepared to accept.

A previous Connery autobiography was to be ghost written by the Scottish author Meg Henderson who was a longtime friend of Sir Sean, and who shared a similar Scottish working class upbringing. However, despite progressing through numerous ideas and spending a lot of time working on the book, Sir Sean pulled out of the deal after a dispute over money. Ms Henderson’s response was to write a fierce article in a newspaper about him, in which she said: "He isn't the man I thought he was, nor the man he likes to think he is."

She should have kept her mouth shut.





Ultimate 'Behind The Scenes' Of Diamonds Are Forever

March 23, 2005 – DSBG

Latest news on the Ultimate DVD collection of the James Bond films has a 'Behind the Scenes' segment for Diamonds Are Forever. This 1971 documentary titled CLOSE QUARTERS COMBAT shows the preparation and filming of the elevator fight scene between Bond and diamond smuggler Peter Franks. Dr. Shatterhand's Botanical Garden is pleased to offer a one minute abbreviated version of this footage. Look closely and you will spot director Guy Hamilton and stuntman Bob Simmons choreographing the fight inside the lift.

The Ultimate James Bond DVD Collection is scheduled for release in 2006.





Young Bond - Book Two

April 1, 2005 – DSBG

With all the excitement bouncing around the Internet about the first Young Bond novel SILVERFIN, speculation has reached an all time high on what the next Young Bond novel is to be called. Click here if your curiosity is too much to bare.

Enjoy.





Is Brosnan Back?

April 4, 2005 – Dark Horizons

Is Brosnan back or is this another April Fools joke? You make the call. With all the speculation about "Casino Royale" and the next James Bond not over but coming towards a close sometime soon, along came this report over April Fools weekend from an apparent MGM insider named 'Artists United' which offers a potential other possibility which many may have dismissed. Like all Bond talk, take this with a grain of salt:

"So - the next Bond. The buzz is that, ultimately, the filmmakers would like Pierce Brosnan back. All the stuff we heard about Brosnan being out is just a ploy from both camps. The negotiations between Brosnan and Eon came to an end because, in the last year, things were up in the air, thanks to all the organizational changes taking place. Many things have been affected by the Sony takeover, and I must say that there are days when it feels like doom and gloom as I walk along the hallowed halls of MGM - there are all sorts of reorganizations in the works and, well, the bleakness of uncertainty surrounding our jobs. Moreover, with the delay of the Bond film and many organizational matters still being worked out, there wasn't really any reason for Eon to continue with the negotiations. And with Eon still immersed in some business matters with Sony, as well as lacking a director (at that time) and a solid script, and an initial salary request from Brosnan that they balked at, it was suddenly premature to proceed with the negotiations. Brosnan's apparent bitterness in some of the interviews (according to our sources at the publicity side) is essentially the reaction of an actor who was chumped from the first stirrings of a good deal in the making: last year, things began to look hopeful, not just in terms of salary, but in the area of story development and an agreement to move away from an excessive action-oriented/special effects kind of Bond film.

So where does this leave us? Well, what we're sensing is that the Brosnan/Eon camps are still going through the motions of bluffing each other: an echo of the old poker game that Cubby Broccoli went through with Roger Moore. Moore frequently announced that he wouldn't be back. (Geez, if he had a web site back then, he'd be plastering it with farewell messages.) It's a typical tactic of PR handlers--make your star seem aloof and distant to make the filmmakers worry and chase him--and it worked for Moore. In fact, during the days of "For Your Eyes Only," Moore wasn't even signed until about a month before shooting began. It took Cubby Broccoli's personal intervention along with top studio brass to secure a deal with Moore. Whether it will work for Brosnan remains to be seen, but the mood around here (at least for now) is that he'll be back. Hence, the reluctance of the filmmakers to come right out and announce that they have parted ways with Brosnan. If anything, they've kept the door open by not making any casting announcements in the recent press release.

So much money is at stake and the word is, SONY are not in a gambling mood. They could lose more with an unknown actor, or with an experienced but unpopular actor. They're well aware that you just can't place any actor in this role; and with Brosnan's star power and successful track record ($1 billion from four films), he's currently the strong money-maker for the Bond films. The phrase we've started to hear recently is "The Dalton Problem." Although a fine actor, Timothy Dalton just didn't appeal to the public. One co-worker pointed to an analysis by Steven Jay Rubin (author of "The Complete James Bond Movie Encyclopedia" and "The James Bond Films") in the Dec. 1995 issue of Cinefantastique Magazine, which supports the mentality of the filmmakers. In this article, Rubin states the dilemma that haunts an actor who doesn't have the "big screen" persona required for the Bond role: Dalton, he states, "lent no star-power to the character. This became increasingly difficult for the studio marketing department, because they realized that people weren't flocking to see a Timothy Dalton movie; they were going to see a Bond movie with what's-his-name" (19).They are keen to avoid the same happening with Owen and the other 'candidates' who are supposedly on a short list for the role.

So, providing Brosnan and Sony/Eon can iron out various political and financial issues - our money's on Brosnan coming back for Casino Royale and possibly even Bond 22!" EDITOR'S NOTE: One wonders if Brosnan is to return since Judi Dench is going to be in it. But how do they plan to do this film since announcing Casino Royale is Bond's first assignment unless there is to be two actors playing the part of Bond. One older - Brosnan in present time and the other 20 years younger and on seen at Casino Royale. Perhaps the Casino Royale will take place in the past as well as the present.

All speculation and taken with a grain of iodized salt.





Sean Connery Is Back!

April 5, 2005 – by John Gaudiosi for The Hollywood Reporter

Sean Connery has agreed to reprise his role as James Bond for Electronic Arts' upcoming video game version of "From Russia With Love."

Connery will record dialogue for the game, and his likeness will appear as it did in MGM's 1963 hit movie. He will be joined by other likenesses from the original cast of the film as the game will bring to life such characters as the original Q (Desmond Llewelyn), Donald "Red" Grant (Robert Shaw), Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenya), Tatiana Romanova (Daniela Bianchi), Kerim Bay (Pedro Armendariz) and Miss Moneypenny (Lois Maxwell). In addition, EA will work with Hollywood talent to round out the game.



"As an artist, I see this as another way to explore the creative process," Connery said. "Video games are an extremely popular form of entertainment today, and I am looking forward to seeing how it all fits together."

"The combination of Sean Connery, the Bond universe and 'From Russia With Love' is about the best mix you can have in a Bond game without a new feature film," said John Taylor, video game analyst at Arcadia Research.

The game is slated for release in the fall on PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube, meaning it will come out before MGM and Danjaq Prods.' feature film remake of "Casino Royale," which is scheduled for completion next year. EA already has had considerable success with the James Bond franchise. The video game leader brought classic Bond characters back in 2004's "GoldenEye: Rogue Agent" game, which put players in the shoes of the villain GoldenEye.

A game even adults would probably enjoy.





James Bond Role to Be Filled by U.K.'s Daniel Craig

April 6, 2005 – Bloomberg

British actor Daniel Craig, whose movie work includes ``Sylvia,'' ``Road to Perdition'' and ``Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,'' has been picked to be the new James Bond, replacing Pierce Brosnan, the U.K.'s Sun reported today, citing an unidentified person in the film industry.

Craig, 37, will probably sign a 15 million-pound ($28.2 million) agreement to make three Bond films after being offered the part by producer Barbara Broccoli, the newspaper said. The actor appeared last month in the television version of Robert Harris's novel ``Archangel.''

Broccoli made the offer to Craig after Oscar-nominated Clive Owen, who was being considered for the role, told casting agents he didn't want the job, the Sun reported. Craig would become the sixth actor to play the British spy 007, a role first taken on by Sean Connery in the 1962 film ``Dr. No.'' Katherine McCormack, a spokeswoman for Eon Productions in London, which produces the Bond films, declined to comment in a telephone interview.

Personally Daniel Craig would make a better villain than OO7.





Grace Jones Escorted Off Train By Police

April 6, 2005 – Reuters

Actress and singer Grace Jones was escorted off a Paris-to-London express after refusing to pay for a seat upgrade and abusing staff, train operator Eurostar has said. Police met the 56-year-old at Ashford station in Kent on Tuesday night after the train manager raised the alarm.

"Celebrity or not we will not accept this behaviour from any of our passengers," said Eurostar communications director, Paul Charles on Wednesday.

Neither Jones nor her agent were immediately available for comment. The tall Jamaican-born Jones is famed for her performance as the cropped-haired evil nemesis to Roger Moore's James Bond in the 1985 film "A View to a Kill". She also acted alongside California's governor and former movie muscleman Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1984 film "Conan the Destroyer".

Jones had bought a first class ticket for the evening train from Paris but swore and grabbed the train manager's arm when asked to pay the upgrade price for taking a seat in the more exclusive Premium class, Charles said. Jones claimed she had no cash or credit cards to pay for the upgrade and refused to move from the seat, he added. A first class return ticket costs around 300 pounds and the one-way upgrade would have cost a further 70 pounds.

Eurostar did not press charges and Jones was picked up later in the evening from Ashford and driven to London, police said. "There was a call to report an incident on the train with the lady in question. Officers escorted her off the train -- end of story," said a spokesman for British Transport Police.

Next time take an air ship.





SilverFin Comes To America

April 7, 2005 – FSB Associates

The following is an excerpt from the book Silverfin by Charlie Higson - A special thanks to Jeffery Anderson of FSB Associates (www.fsbassociates.com) for the opportunity to bring this excerpt to our audience.
Published by Miramax; April 2005;$16.95US; 0-7868-3661-X
Copyright © 2005 Charlie Higson


James was shivering. His body felt raw, as if he'd had the skin peeled off it, like Croaker's eel. He rubbed his arms to try to get some feeling back into them, and the raised goose bumps made them feel as rough as sandpaper.

If it was this cold out of the water, what was it going to be like in it?

Well, there was only one way to find out.

It was half an hour before afternoon lessons and he was standing on a low diving board at Ward's Mead, peering at the water, which looked like some of Codrose's less appetizing soup. Cold soup. Freezing-cold soup.

"Come on, then," he said out loud. "Just do it."

He pulled back his arms, took a deep breath and flung himself forward. When he entered the water it was like being hit by a cricket bat. He was stunned by the cold and for a moment he couldn't move, but then he came alive, clawed his way to the surface and gasped. All his limbs were aching and his throbbing head felt numb. The only way to stay in the water and stop himself from jumping out was to swim. He thrashed across the Mead to the other side and fought the urge to get out and run back to his room. After a moment's hesitation, he forced himself round and swam back to the other side.

Weak sunlight was filtering through the low cloud; at least it was warmer than yesterday, but these were hardly ideal swimming conditions. Nevertheless, if he was going to stand any chance in the cup, which was only three weeks away, he knew that he would have to get used to it.

After three widths he found that his body was adjusting to the temperature and, while it could never have been described as pleasant, at least he knew that he was not going to die after all.

He swam a few more widths, and when he had had just about all that he could stand he swam over to where he'd left his clothes and prepared to pull himself out of the water. But, just as he was getting his knees up, somebody put a shoe in his face and shoved him back into the Mead.

He looked up. It was George Hellebore.

"Hey, if it ain't my old pal, Jimmy Bond," he said.

"Hello, Hellebore." James once more tried to scramble out on to the grassy bank.

"Where do you think you're going in such a hurry?" said Hellebore, pushing him back in again.

"To get changed."

"Always in a hurry, aren't you, Bond? Always got to go somewhere fast."

"I'm cold and I want to get out."

"Yeah, I bet you do. Well, I'm in charge of the river today." Hellebore knelt down and gave James a big, sinister smile. "And if you want to get out, first of all you have to pass a little test."

James looked up into George's face. His china-blue eyes were glinting with crazy amusement and there was an ugly smirk on his lips.

"Look, Hellebore," said James, holding on to the side. "You're not in charge here."

"Hey, if I say I'm in charge, I'm in charge."

There was no point in arguing, Hellebore was backed up by his usual gang of cronies: Wallace, with his big, square head and gap-toothed grin, Sedgepole, who had an extremely small head and sticking-out ears, and Pruitt, who was rather good-looking and elegant. They leered at James, daring him to try his luck.

"What do you want?" said James, trying not to let his teeth rattle together with the cold.

"You fancy yourself as a bit of a swimmer, do you, Bond?" said the American, and Bond shrugged. "Well, I've not seen anybody in this country of yours that was half as good a swimmer as me. I practically grew up in the water."

"Yes," said Bond, kicking his legs to try and keep warm. "You're supposed to be quite good."

"Quite good?" Hellebore opened his eyes wide in mock amazement: "Quite good? I'm the best, Bond. Care to have a race?"

"Not now, Hellebore."

"But that's the test you have to pass, Bond, old boy. You have to win a swimming race."

"I'm not racing you, Hellebore . . ."

"Who said anything about racing me? You couldn't beat me in a thousand years. No, you're not racing me." Hellebore whistled and a boy in swimming trunks shuffled reluctantly over from the bushes where he'd been sheltering. It was Leo Butcher, a robust, cheerful, round boy who played in the school brass band. Bond had seen him puffing away at a recent concert given by the Musical Society in School Hall.

"Hello, Bond," he said sheepishly. It was obvious that he had no more desire to be here than James.

'Hello, Butcher,' said James.

"The deal is . . ." said Hellebore. "You get to race Butcher."

Bond frowned. Butcher didn't look like much of a swimmer. What was the catch?

"What do you say, Bond?" Hellebore slapped Butcher hard across the shoulders, and Bond saw him wince with the pain. "A race against fatty Butcher here. The loser gives me . . ." Hellebore paused for dramatic effect, "let's say, their hat."

Bond glanced at Butcher, who was staring at the ground.

"It should be a fun race," said Hellebore. "But I'll warn you, Bond, Butcher's good. He's the best." The older boys laughed.

"If it's all the same to you," said James, "I'd rather not . . ."

Hellebore suddenly grabbed James by the hair and forced his head under the surface. Taken by surprise, James swallowed a mouthful of muddy water. He came up, coughing and retching.

"You race Butcher, Bond. Or me and my good friends are going to play football with your head. Understand?" Hellebore grabbed him and pulled him on to the bank. "So, what's it to be?"

James stood up; George's hands had left red marks on his arms.

"All right," he said quietly.

Hellebore clapped his hands. "Good fellow," he said. "May the best man win."

James and Butcher arranged themselves at the edge of the Mead. Butcher was shivering madly and his knees were knocking together. James wondered what threats Hellebore had used to get him to cooperate.

"Are you all set?" Hellebore called out. "Two widths, loser pays out the forfeit."

Try as he might, James couldn't understand what Hellebore was up to. He could beat Butcher easily -- the blond American must be planning some kind of trick. But what?

"On your marks, get set . . ." Hellebore stopped suddenly. Butcher was caught off guard and toppled into the water. Hellebore's pals laughed.

"Oh, I forgot, Bond," said Hellebore as Butcher clambered back out again. "One more thing."

James looked over at him. Here it came.

"You have to stay under the water."

"What?'"

"You heard me. It's an underwater race. As soon as you come up for air, you're out of the running. If you don't make it back, then whoever gets the furthest is the winner."

James looked over at Butcher, who looked away.

He'd known.

Oh, well. It wasn't the end of the world. James still had a chance. Butcher couldn't be that good, and James was pretty confident that he could hold his breath for quite a while.

"Set! Go!" shouted Hellebore quickly, and they dived in.

James was ready for the coldness this time, but it was worse having to swim underwater. He could only see about three inches in front of him; it was like trying to peer through a particularly vile, greenish-brown fog. Indefinable scraps and dross floated past in the gloom and he thought he glimpsed a pale shape far off that could have been Butcher, but it was gone before he could see it clearly. Slimy weeds brushed against his belly and the thought of the eels waiting below in the mud made him shudder.

He had no idea how far he'd gone, but he knew that it was going to be a struggle reaching the far side, let alone turning round and swimming back again.

He felt awful, as if a cold iron cage were clamped round his head; all he wanted to do was to get to the surface, stick his head out and be up in the fresh air, warmth and light. But he resisted the urge and swam harder, using a clean, strong breaststroke, deciding that the quicker he went, the less time he'd need to hold his breath. However, the quicker he went, the more oxygen he used up, and soon his lungs began to burn. He struggled on, the pounding in his head getting worse and worse. A few more strokes and he had to let some air out, then some more, until his lungs were completely empty and the pain was crippling him. Still he battled on, one more stroke, another, then -- no, it was too much, his whole body was crying out for oxygen, he couldn't fight it any longer. He bobbed to the surface and gulped in several great mouthfuls of air. Then he trod water, panting and choking. He'd drifted way off course and was nowhere near the other side, but where was Butcher? He must still be down there somewhere. Was he all right? Maybe he'd got tangled in weeds?

No, he saw his feet splashing near the far bank. He'd reached the other side, but still he didn't come up. James caught sight of him doggedly sculling back towards the start point. Bond forgot all about losing, forgot all about the cold, forgot all about the older boys jeering from the edge of the Mead. He marveled at Butcher's capacity for holding his breath. It was only when he was within five or six feet of the edge that he finally floated up and took in more air, although he hardly seemed out of breath at all.

"Well done, Butcher," yelled Hellebore. "You're a champion turtle."

James swam to them. He was looking forward to getting warm and dry but, as he reached the older boys, Hellebore suddenly grabbed him by the hair again and forced him back under the water. He had had no time to take a breath and was soon struggling, but, try as he might, he couldn't break free of Hellebore's grip and come up again. The last of his air came out in a huge bubble and he swallowed a gut-full of water. He mustn't panic, that would only make things worse. The American wasn't going to drown him . . . he wasn't . . .

Or was he? A few more moments and he'd be breathing in water . . . He couldn't force himself upwards, the boy's arm was too strong . . . But if he couldn't go upwards . . . maybe he could go the other way.

It was drastic, but it was the only solution.

He suddenly grabbed hold of Hellebore's wrist and pulled. Caught off guard, the boy tumbled over and landed in the water with an almighty splash, letting go of James in the process. James quickly squirmed on to the bank and vomited up a stream of mucus and river scum.

Hellebore was furious; he yelled something, and Sedgepole and Pruitt grabbed James. He knew he was in big trouble now, but anything was better than drowning.

Hellebore clumsily scrambled out in his soaking clothes. His eyes were red, his blue lips pulled back from his teeth in a snarl, his hair flattened to his head. All traces of the handsome young boy had gone, to be replaced by the features of a crazed animal.

"You shouldn't have done that, Bond," he rasped.

SilverFin copyright © 2005 by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd.

Author Charlie Higson is an acclaimed British comedy writer, producer, and actor. His previous novels included Getting Rid of Mister Kitchen; Full Whack; Happy Now; and King of the Ants.

SilverFin arrives in the United States in April. For more information, visit www.youngbond.com. 

 




BCW8 Update

April 7, 2005 – Matt Sherman

Is there a number higher than Double-Oh Seven? But of course, number 8. We're hard at work to make your eighth annual BCW the best event yet. We're chatting with some more celebrities/personalities this week to see who might be able to attend BCW8 as special guests. The list so far (confirmed) is:

007 Dr. Wesley Britton is the author of "Spy Television" and the forthcoming "Beyond Bond: Spies In Fiction And Film", to be published in July 2005 (just before our Weekend together this August in New York!). Dr. Britton has lectured extensively about 007, fictional and real spies on radio, television, and at the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. He's presently compiling the first comprehensive online directory of spy films and continually posts new articles about film and TV spies at his website.

007 Maxine Vesterhalt spent an exhilarating shoot at Roger Moore's side for her For Your Eyes Only casino scene. Dana Broccoli saw her star potential and the Broccolis invited her to screen test for a lead role... until Max's life took some surprising and unexpected turns. Max is making her first and only 007 fan convention appearance with us this August. She is a jazz singer and model/actress from a diverse background and is quite the storyteller!

Party/luncheon at Rockamerica with 007 Ed Steinberg: Ed founded Rockamerica, the foremost company in the licensing, programming, production, editing, remixing, promotion and distribution of music video programming worldwide, including, of course, all the Bond title videos ever created. Rockamerica created the Eye Spy In Hi-Fi clips for SpyFest, the world's largest spy convention, and as the owner of a giant video distribution service, Ed is called upon frequently to provide Bond sounds and video clips for everyone from EON productions to Conan O'Brien. Ed's good chums include Madonna (Die Another Day), whose first music videos he directed and "Le Bon, Simon Le Bon," and the members of Duran Duran (A View To A Kill).

Further special guests are TBA shortly! I'd like to take this opportunity to say a sincere thank you to the many gracious celebrities in touch with us at this time. You make all the work worthwhile!

We're booked at the TRAVEL INN at 515 West 42nd Street in New York City for BCW8.

ALLSPIES PRODUCTIONS
2711 NW 42 PL
GAINESVILLE FL 32605
352.372.5094 (USA)
info@007Forever.com

Contact Matt Sherman for more information.





No Bonding For Orlando

April 8, 2005 – FilmForce

The recent internet rumors of a Young James Bond film and of Orlando Bloom being up for that role are apparently news to him. "I'm not doing Young James Bond. No, no, no. It's funny, my cousin called me up, he said, 'Is there something you're not telling me? That you're playing James Bond? I just saw it on CNN.' I was like, 'Dude, my manager, my agent have never mentioned it to me, so not to date. Young or old, it had never been mentioned to me, so you know, I don't know where that came from but I can tell you that I've never heard a whiff of it, not a whiff."

Another rumour discombobulated.





COMMENTARY: 2 Bonds For The Price Of 1

April 11, 2005 – DSBG

The Internet rumor mill was in full swing last week when word of Clive Owen and Daniel Craig were in the final running to play James Bond #6. Then came another snowball from right field, Pierce Brosnan may still be in the running. My favorite of all was the possibility that Timothy Dalton may make a comeback. Yet one news source claimed Sean Connery was making a comeback but most likely got that mixed up with the news he was doing the voice-over for the EA videogame version of From Russia With Love.

So many rumors, so little time. Many fan based Bond sites have placed their reputations on the line by saying official word was coming this week. All the movers and shakers are allegedly in Los Angeles to make the final announcement. In my opinion, this seems out of the ordinary for Eon Productions. Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson would certainly honor their late parents wishes and keep Bond firmly on British soil. Why break tradition and make the announcement in California, USA.

The possibility of Pierce Brosnan continuing his reign as Bond may not be too far off base. Keeping in mind that Dame Judi Dench has gone on record saying she is returning to play 'M' in Casino Royale, leaves me to wonder if Pierce will be playing OO7 again.

But he may only be one of two actors playing the part.

If Pierce stars in Casino Royale, than the producers perhaps are looking for another actor who looks like a young Pierce Brosnan. This obviously knocks out every actor over the age of 35 including Daniel Craig and Clive Owen.

Casino Royale is the film that will explain how Bond became the man he is, which means they will be showing Bond in his early days prior to the Dr. No mission. The film will also take place in present day which leaves me to think that Bond's past will come back to haunt him. The screenplay writers Neil Purvis and Robert Wade claim that the torture scene and the final line, "The bitch is dead" from the book will be retained for the film.

What they did not say is how?

In the novel by Ian Fleming, Bond falls in love with Vesper Lynd only to find out she is a double agent. Vesper, who is in love with Bond, kills herself knowing the Russians will torture her. Bond's short-lived happiness is smashed leaving him with a 'love em' and leave em' attitude towards all future girlfriends. But that is where the novel ends.

My opinion is that Purvis and Wade are going to use the bulk of the novel for the first half of the film and then take the story in another direction, ala 'Casablanca' where the Bond girl reappears years later. For example, after the Casino Royale mission, Bond meets up with Vesper, who faked her own death. Why would she do this would be part of the second story and perhaps the best Bond film every fan has been waiting for since Brosnan took over from Dalton.

I would like to think that Eon Productions has a few aces up their sleeves and when they are ready to announce who will be playing James Bond, that announcement will be a windfall to the Bond fans everywhere.

Just make sure there will not be an invisible car.





Meet Plenty O' Toole

April 13, 2005 – DSBG

Actress Lana Wood will be at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Gaithersburg, MD on Saturday, May 14th at 10am until 5pm and Sunday, May 15th from 10am until 4pm. The event she will be attending is called the Gaithersburg Antique and Collectible Show. This event usually takes up several large buildings showcasing wall to wall movie memorabilia. She will be there to sign autographs. Past shows have hosted Richard Kiel and Tanya Roberts. Admission is only $5.00 and it is good for both days.

Swimming pool not included.





My Kingdom For A Bond

April 17, 2005 – by Jason Solomons for The Observer

In the light of current events, the beginning of Ian Fleming's novel Thunderball seems strangely prescient: 'It was one of those days when it seemed to James Bond that all life was nothing but a heap of six to four against.' The race to become the next James Bond has been the favourite topic of conversation inside film circles for months, but, although Pierce Brosnan retired last year, it seems we are no closer to finding a successor.

No other film role engenders as much public debate and speculation as Bond, especially in the British media and the list of actors who have been linked with the role of MI6's best known operative is growing. It's a fascinating process because, in all likelihood, the new Bond will be a youngish actor from these shores who finds himself propelled to global prominence and stardom. So we feel we can cheer him on. As Philip Larkin once wrote of the Bond novels: 'Far from being orgies of sex and sadism, they are nostalgic excursions... England is always right, foreigners are always wrong.' Last month, William Hill closed the 007 book after heavy betting on Dougray Scott, then reopened it when he wasn't confirmed in the role. Two weeks ago, Clive Owen was favourite to don the tux. Then, last week, Brosnan was back in the picture. But then, a day later, Daniel Craig charged up on the inside, dashing past a pack of challengers as diverse as Ioan Gruffudd, Gerard Butler, Dominic West, Nip/Tuck's Julian McMahon, Colin Salmon, Hugh Jackman, Rupert Everett and Ewan McGregor. Craig is in America, filming with Sandra Bullock, and hasn't even been screen-tested yet. His 'people' are no fools, though, and confirmed Daniel, among others, has been approached and is extremely flattered.

EON, the production company formed by Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman to make the Bond films, maintains a poker face. 'We haven't even started preproduction,' says a spokesperson. 'There is no James Bond yet cast. All we can confirm is that it definitely will not be Pierce Brosnan, the film will be called Casino Royale, it is being written by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade and it will be directed by Martin Campbell. If you want anything more, ring back in a couple of months.'

Another source at EON told me that the earliest the new Bond can now be expected is the end of 2006 but also revealed that there's a list up in the company's office detailing all the actors who have so far been put forward by British newspapers. 'There are 72 names on there,' I'm informed. 'One of them's a dwarf and two are women.'

A newspaper recently suggested Adrian Lester for the role: 'He's impeccably English, he knows how to wear a suit and tie, and he is capable of being as arch and twinkly as Roger Moore, and he can also act.' So I ask Lester, currently starring in the latest series of Hustle, and he is as surprised as anyone by his inclusion in the race. 'Being mentioned has done me a lot of favours,' he says. 'I don't know how it happened, but the phone went mad, the photographers turned up outside my house and, without even having entered, I was in the running.' Lester, I understand, has now been considered by EON and is a possible Bond. He's on that list, anyway.

So why has casting one of the world's great film roles become some sort of reality TV show? I'm surprised Endemol, the TV production company behind Big Brother, hasn't yet come up with Bond Idol, putting hopefuls through exhausting auditions - the dealing with Miss Moneypenny scene, the walk, turn and shoot bit for the opening titles, the withering aside to a villain. Bond, after all, is merely a series of nine moves, as once defined in a famous essay by Italian critic Umberto Eco in a book called Il Caso Bond. Writing about Ian Fleming's novels, Eco observed: 'The reader knows the game, its pieces and its rules - and, perhaps, its outcome - and thus draws pleasure from the minimal variations by which the victor draws his outcome.'

Bond also inspires avid fan worship and various chatrooms hum with the opinions of devotees. The James Bond International Fan Club is probably the largest such organisation and its chairman, David Black, has been unsettled by all the current speculation. 'It's getting a bit messy and needs to be sorted out soon,' he said. 'Our members take this very seriously and get quite emotional. But all the indecision is nothing new - Sean Connery said he'd never do it again several times, Roger Moore retired at least three times. Our younger members think Pierce is the best-ever Bond and they want him back. Older fans fancy a change.'

The casting process has become a public sport, cruel on openly shunned contestants but, it seems, a shrewd game on the producers' part. Anxious to avoid a repeat of the unpopular miscasting of George Lazenby in On Her Majesty's Secret Service in the Sixties, and later Timothy Dalton in the Eighties, the recent delays and leaks have allowed them to gauge public reaction. Clive Owen had some critical support at first and, had he been called on, was generally agreed to have been up to it. But then King Arthur came out and everyone decided Clive was a bit boring.

One reason for the deluge of possible Bonds is the now-complete takeover of MGM, the studio that owns the franchise, by Sony. The new studio could do with a surefire box-office hit. A successful Bond fits that $500-million-plus bill. Revisiting Casino Royale seemed like a good idea when the film was originally scheduled for this year; after all, the Batman franchise was going back to its roots for its next instalment and this was to be the year that Star Wars would finally catch up with itself. By the end of 2006, however, this prequel penchant could be out of fashion and Bond has been struggling with the 'dinosaur' tag since Judi Dench's M labelled him thus in GoldenEye a decade ago.

Mike Myers's success in sending up the spy game with the Austin Powers series hasn't helped either, although Bond spoofs have been around since James Coburn's mid-Sixties Flint films and Woody Allen, who played Jimmy Bond in the original Casino Royale, double spoofed the genre in What's Up Tiger Lily? by turning a series of Japanese Bond ripoffs about a spy called Jiro Kitami into a story about agent Phil Moscowitz tracing the secret recipe for egg salad.

Ian Fleming's novels don't give a casting director much to work with - 'He was good-looking in a dark, rather cruel way' is the best-known description, from The Spy Who Loved Me - but the casting of our most famous spy has been a tabloid front page ever since Sean Connery got the gig, famously against Ian Fleming's wishes. The part had initially been offered to Cary Grant and Fleming desperately wanted David Niven. His reaction to Connery was a surprisingly terse: 'Not exactly what I envisioned.' Broccoli, who ultimately held the power in such matters and gradually edged out Fleming's influence altogether, also wanted Patrick McGoohan, but the actor turned it down as he considered Bond sexist and violent.

Broccoli has also confessed to considering Lord Lucan, James Brolin, Michael Billington (who screen-tested five times for the role), Batman star Adam West and even the Swingometer's Peter Snow, who auditioned for On Her Majesty's Secret Service but was considered too tall. Ian Ogilvy, Liam Neeson, Sam Neill and Hugh Grant have all also been contenders.

Casting the right Bond is, clearly, key to the success of the films. Then come equally anticipated casting stories for the Bond girls, the Bond villains, the Bond cars. But, after Bond himself, the story that creates the biggest public interest each time is casting the singer of the new theme tune.

Such goes the process of a Bond film.





Author John Brosnan Dead At 58

April 18, 2005 – by John Clute for The Independent

The writer and film critic John Brosnan was a man of deep friendships, some of which had lasted half a century - the Australian writer John Baxter, with whom Brosnan collaborated on a novel, knew him that long - and he enjoyed a wide range of acquaintances throughout the science-fiction and film subcultures of London.

He wrote seven books on film. The first of these was James Bond in the Cinema (1972). His interest in filmed science fiction culminated in Future Tense: the cinema of science fiction (1978). He wrote most of the film entries for The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (1979), edited by Peter Nicholls and John Clute.



As a writer of science fiction and often comically exaggerated horror, Brosnan published at least 23 novels. His collaborations with Leroy Kettle were pseudonymous; the best known of these horror tales is probably Bedlam (1992), the film version of which (Beyond Bedlam) gave Liz Hurley her first main role. More ambitious science-fiction novels, under his own name, included the Sky Lords novels from 1988, and his last published novel, Mothership (2004). He had already completed a draft of the sequel at the time of his death.

Brosnan was born in 1947 in Perth, Western Australia, and became active as an SF fan in the mid 1960s. By 1970 he had moved to London, where he settled for good. Though he was convivial from the start - my own 25-year-old memories of post-launch drinks with him at the Troy Club off the Tottenham Court Road remain warm - the story of his life is essentially one of hard work.

His death was reported on 11 April. Friends had become alarmed at his absence over Easter, and gained access to his flat in South Harrow, where he was found. He had died in his sleep, possibly several days earlier. An autopsy determined that the cause of death was acute pancreatitis. This finding has scotched rumours that he had met with foul play.

It was perhaps to be expected that Brosnan died alone, as he had lived alone for many years. But he was a continual and welcome presence in many lives, a friend to some and companion to many. He was a funny and surprisingly tough-minded writer.

Mr. Brosnan's book James Bond of the Cinema was the first book on the films I owned. He will be greatly missed.





Brosnan: "I Had no Bond With Teri"

April 22, 2005 – by Anthony Harwood for The Mirror

PIERCE Brosnan has lifted the lid on his feud with Teri Hatcher when they filmed TOMORROW NEVER DIES together. The 51-year-old Irish-born actor admitted rowing with the Desperate Housewives star because, he claimed, she kept him hanging around on the set of Tomorrow Never Dies.

The former 007 said: "I got very upset with her - she was always keeping me waiting for hours. "I must admit I let slip a few words which weren't very nice." He told Italian Vanity Fair he later found out Teri had been suffering from morning sickness. But he did not appear to feel too guilty about his reactions.

Brosnan declared: "It came out one morning that Teri was pregnant and she hadn't been feeling very well. Still, these things happen."



It was also rumoured that during the filming Hatcher deliberately slapped Brosnan hard during a stunt sequence. And Teri - whose first famous role was Lois Lane in Dean Cain's Superman TV series - then found her career stalling after playing Bond girl Paris Carver in the 1997 movie. Now she is a hit again and has won a Golden Globe for her performances as Susan in Desperate Housewives - although the show has been plagued by alleged bitchiness between her and co-stars Marcia Cross, Felicity Huffman, Eva Longoria and Nicolette Sheridan. The Mirror told how a US Vanity Fair photoshoot turned to chaos when Cross raged at Hatcher as she posed in the middle of the five - and Cross and Huffman later snubbed her birthday party.

But Brosnan has had his own pain, he revealed, saying that losing his 007 role after four films was "torture". He admitted: "Losing Bond hurt me like mad. It was a shock, unexpected. Then one bad day I had a telephone call. Dropped. Telling my wife Keely and friends was torture."

Brosnan was dumped by Eon Productions after allegedly demanding a massive pay increase on the £11 million he received for Die Another Day.

Recently Layer Cake star Daniel Craig and Clive Owen, Oscar-nominated for Closer, are tipped to be in the running for the role - though some insiders believe Brosnan could be rehired.

Why is Pierce bringing this feud up at this time? Is it because Teri's career has taken off again and his has puttered out? Perhaps it is best that Eon looks for a new OO7 since the last one cannot keep his mouth shut.





Daniel Craig Denies Bond Rumors

April 22, 2005 – by Edward Douglas for Coming Soon

The big hubbub this year seems to be who will play James Bond in the next film, Casino Royale, due out in November 2006. After Pierce Brosnan reported that he was stepping down, rumors started swirling about every actor with a British accent taking his place from Hugh Jackman and Gerard Butler to Clive Owen and Orlando Bloom.



The latest name to pop up as a possible replacement was actor Daniel Craig, who starred in movies like Enduring Love and The Jacket. Craig was in New York to talk about his new film Layer Cake, directed by Matthew Vaughn (who will direct X-Men 3) and he gave ComingSoon.net the skinny on the rumors, stating that he probably willl not be playing the British secret service agent.

Craig was as surprised as anyone else that his name came up, but after doing smaller independent films that "made you think," despite not being seen by that many people, he was quite happy with the way his career was going.

"It is kind of wow, but it never was one of my ambitions, to tell you the truth," he told us. "So I’m perplexed about it as anybody. There’s only been five people who’ve ever done it, so you’d be stupid not to think about. If something was to happen, then I would certainly think about it seriously. On the other hand, I’ve worked long enough, and I’d like to be able to step into both worlds. I wonder if I did Bond, whether or not directors would employ me because I did Bond, and that would be a big shame. And that’s as far as I thought about it, really."

He added that he would know if he had actually gotten an offer from the Brocollis to take over the role and joked "I’ve been offered lots of money in the past to go and do stuff, but I know that I’d abuse it, you know. I’d get drunk."

Craig can be seen next in Layer Cake, which opens on May 13 in New York and Los Angeles.

Interesting to note that his name has been linked to the role of OO7 hopefuls just when his latest film is about to be released.





Picture Depicts 007 As A Teenager

April 25, 2005 – BBC News

An image depicting James Bond aged 13 has been unveiled, in the wake of a new book featuring the spy as a schoolboy. Bond appears with baggy trousers and floppy hair - not quite the suave charmer he is destined to become.



The family of Bond author Ian Fleming commissioned illustrator Kev Walker to create the image. It is hoped the picture will be used on the second of the Young Bond books, created by comic Charlie Higson with the Fleming family's blessing.

The first book of the series, SilverFin, was released earlier this month. Set in the early 1930s, the novel features the junior secret agent as a schoolboy at Eton - Fleming's own school. In the book, Bond makes a mortal enemy in American student George Hellebore, the son of a wealthy arms dealer carrying out sinister experiments on humans.

Higson, who co-wrote comedy the Fast Show, said: "The hardest thing when writing SilverFin was picturing the young Bond in my mind. We have so many different images of Bond as a man, what would he have looked like as a boy? Now I know what he looks like. Kev's also done a fantastic job of making the `30s look cool and exciting for a modern audience. Young Bond and his world have really come alive."

But the news of a junior Bond series has outraged many fans across the world. "The James Bond websites were furious," Higson said after the release of the first book. "Their attitude was `You can't make James Bond a kid - he's a drinking, smoking, womanising assassin. Ian Fleming would turn in his grave'."

I resemble that remark!





He's Bonded To The Role Of James

April 26, 2005 – by Cindy Adams for The New York Post

Dame Judi Dench, a major player in the 007 films, says cool, suave Pierce Brosnan, who's so great as James Bond, will still do his "shaken not stirred" shtick when those cameras roll again. Earlier, I'd asked Pierce if he had the go-ahead to continue in the next go-round as James Bond, and he'd said he "didn't know." Now, there is nothing like a dame, and this one says, "despite the fact that everyone on the face of the Earth has been tested as his possible replacement, he'll be doing it again, and it'll be announced come summer."

It sure is a confusing time for Bond fans. But as I said a long time ago, with Judi Dench in the role to play 'M' it would seem very plausible that Brosnan will be back as OO7. Stay tuned, summer is just around the corner.





Catching Up With Bond's Thunderball Aid - Earl Cameron

April 27, 2005 – by Meredith Ebbin for Bermuda Sun

At age 87, London-based Bermudian actor Earl Cameron has played enough parts during his 60-year career to be able to rest on his laurels. But then last year, director Sydney Pollack came calling, offering him the part of an African dictator in the thriller The Interpreter, starring Sean Penn and Nicole Kidman. The dictator, who is reportedly based on Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe, is wanted for war crimes, but is determined to put his case to the UN.

The Interpreter, which had its U.S. premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York last week, topped the box office in the U.S., taking in $22.8 million in its first week, while in the United Kingdom, it has been the top grossing film for two weeks in a row.

Mr. Cameron could not be reached for comment yesterday, but he told the Bermuda Sun last year the role was “good break for him” because he’s had only small parts since the 1970s. Mr. Cameron, who moved to London during the Second World War, is regarded as a pioneering black British actor and has been the subject of a British Film Institute retrospective.

His first major role was in the 1951 film Pool of London. He also appeared in the 1965 James Bond movie Thunderball. He said he believed he was chosen for the role because he had often played Africans. He was an African diplomat in the 1973 film, A Warm December that starred Sidney Poitier,



The Interpreter is set in New York and Mr. Cameron and his wife Barbara were put up at a posh East Side hotel for two months last summer during the filming. A part of the movie was filmed at the UN, the first time a movie crew was allowed inside the UN.

Mr. Cameron, who has a son, a granddaughter and nieces and nephews in Bermuda, was last on the Island in 2001 when he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Bermuda Arts Council. He told the Bermuda Sun last year that he is off screen for much of the film, but the part was very important because a lot of the plot revolves around his character.

The film has had mixed reviews — it didn’t impress a New York Times film critic, but Roger Ebert gave it the thumbs up, though he wondered why Nicole Kidman’s character had to be a white African. He said he would have liked to have seen Angela Bassett in the role.

Great to see an old friend from the Connery days.





Eon Quiet On Brosnan Return

April 27, 2005 – BBC News

James Bond producers have refused to confirm reports that Pierce Brosnan will return to play 007 in the next movie in the series, Casino Royale. Dame Judi Dench - who played Bond's boss M in the last four films - said Brosnan would reprise the role, the Mirror newspaper reported.

A spokesperson for production company Eon said: "No cast members, locations or release dates can be confirmed." Spokesmen for Brosnan and Dame Judi were unavailable on Wednesday.

Wednesday's Mirror quoted Dame Judi as saying: "Despite the fact that everyone on the face of the earth has been tested as his (Brosnan's) possible replacement, he'll be doing it again and it will be announced come summer."

Goldeneye director Martin Campbell will start work on the next Bond film after making The Legend of Zorro, which is due to be released in October.

Casino Royale will be based on author Ian Fleming's first James Bond book, following a 1967 spoof spy movie of the same name which starred the late David Niven. Dame Judi Dench played M in the last four James Bond movies Brosnan, who played the spy in four Bond films from 1995 to 2002, said last November that film-makers originally cast him in the next 007 movie but subsequently changed their minds. He said he was "angry" at the decision but he also felt a "great sense of liberation".

"I thought they did me a favour, really," he said on BBC One's Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. "Leave while you're on top."

Following his announcement numerous actors have been linked to the role, including Clive Owen, Jude Law, Hugh Jackman, Dougray Scott and Colin Salmon - who would become the first black actor to play Bond if selected. Last month 37-year-old Enduring Love actor Daniel Craig was the latest to be linked to the 007 role in Casino Royale, which is due to be released in 2006.

The suspense is killing me. I hope it last.





James Bond Actor Arrested For Murder

April 29, 2005 – by Bo Wilson for The Evening Standard

A screen villain in James Bond films is being questioned by detectives after his wife's body was found in a lock-up garage in Notting Hill. Irvin Allen, who played opposite Roger Moore and George Lazenby, was arrested shortly after the discovery. His wife Chamlong Allen, 48, ran a stall called Mr Tasty with her husband in Portobello Market selling West Indian and Thai food.

Thai-born Mrs Allen was known to customers and fellow stallholders as Mrs Tasty. The couple have three children under 18. Stallholders described 6ft 5in Allen as a "well known local character" who had worked on the market for at least 20 years before retiring following a hip operation. The family's home half a mile away from the market in Ladbroke Grove was sealed off as a forensic science team searched it. Mrs Allen's body was found at 10.30pm on Wednesday at a garage in Lonsdale Mews. Officers from the Met's Serious Crime Directorate are heading the murder investigation.

Allen played Che Che, one of Draco's men, in On Her Majesty's Secret Service and starred as a sailor working for The Spy Who Loved Me villain Karl Stromberg in The Spy Who Loved Me. He was also in Revenge of the Pink Panther, Z Cars, Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea and The Saint.

One stallholder, who asked not to be named, said: "We are all in deep shock. Everyone around here knew Mrs Tasty. She was a lovely woman and was always really friendly and cheerful. We thought that she had been having some problems because she suddenly lost the van she served her food out of a couple of months ago and no one knew what happened to it."

A family friend of the couple said: "Irvin is a big face around the market. He's a huge fellow and is very well known to everyone. We still can't believe she is dead. She was a lovely woman. She would never harm a fly. I can't understand why anyone would want to harm her."

A sad day for that community.





Halle Berry Literally Gives The Clothes Off Her Back

April 29, 2005 – Associated Press

BEDFORD, Ohio — Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry has literally given the clothes off her back to her former high school. The Cleveland-area native donated two of her designer gowns to the school to be auctioned during its annual prom fashion show. The money raised will send Bedford High School students on a field trip to the Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati.



"She always said that if I need anything to let her know," said Yvonne Sims, a guidance counselor and Berry's fifth-grade teacher.

One dress is a knee-length geometric print that Berry wore on an Ebony magazine cover last year. The other is a white Versace halter-style gown that she wore to a party after the debut of "Lackawanna Blues," the HBO film she produced. Bidding, which ends Thursday, starts at $500 per dress.

Berry, who graduated from Bedford in 1984, won the Academy Award for best actress in 2002 for her role in "Monster's Ball." She went on to star opposite Pierce Brosnan in "Die Another Day" Later that year, she told InStyle magazine that Sims was her childhood role model.

You might say I didn't recognize Ms. Berry with her clothes on.





I Spy The Next James Bond — Well, Maybe

May 2, 2005 – by Louis B. Parks for the Houston Chronicle

Sometimes you just have to go to the horse's mouth. If he was offered the job, would British actor Daniel Craig become the new James Bond? He says he's not sure. "Daniel Craig, are you the next James Bond?"

Not to call British star Craig a horse. It's just that in the long-running debate over who should play 007 in Casino Royale, due late next year, Craig has emerged as one of the favorites in the British press and with bookmakers. So, with Craig in Texas, we couldn't pass up the chance to ask the question on every Bond fan's mind. Having been asked 12 million times in the past few weeks, Craig knew it was coming.

"I don't know," he said without hesitation. "It's kind of out of my hands. I don't know. I mean, there are a couple of names going around."

Hmmm. Did that sound like a firm denial?

"If I was to be (Bond)," he continued, "and I'm not saying I am, I couldn't tell you anyway. Believe me, I couldn't tell you. So the answer is ... I'm in a group of names. It's a high-class problem to have."

With all due respect, that sounds a bit like waffling to us.

Whether he replaces Pierce Brosnan as Bond or not, Craig, best known among U.S. fans for roles in The Jacket and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, is about to get more exposure. He recently finished shooting Every Word Is True in Austin for Texas-born director Douglas McGrath (Emma). In the film about Truman Capote researching the classic book In Cold Blood, Craig plays condemned murderer Perry Smith, the man Robert Blake played in the 1967 film. Every Word also features Gwyneth Paltrow, Sandra Bullock, Sigourney Weaver and Jeff Daniels.

And Craig is about to become better known to U.S. audiences as the star of the British crime film Layer Cake, which opens in Houston May 27. Craig is riveting in the role.

But back to Bond. Would the blond take it if it were offered to him?

"I don't know," Craig said. "That's the truth of it, I really don't know. It would be difficult not to give it really serious thought."

Yes, it would be hard to turn down a role that for Sean Connery and Brosnan led to fame, better films and bigger paychecks.

In addition to Craig, the leading Bond contenders of late have been Clive Owens (King Arthur) and, ironically, Brosnan himself. All three have frequently denied having landed the part. The latest rumblings were heard last week when the New York Post quoted Dame Judi Dench, who plays Bond's boss M, as saying, "(Brosnan will) be doing it again, and it'll be announced come summer."

Dench, however, may be politicking in a campaign that pits Eon Productions, which makes the Bond films, against Sony, which releases the movies. Sony is thought to want Brosnan, while Eon boss Barbara Broccoli is said to want to avoid Brosnan's $20 million-plus price tag as well as to take the series in a more realistic direction.

If Eon wins, advantage Craig.

"I know Barbara Broccoli; I've known her for years," he said. "So the discussions are sort of ... you know."

Chummy?

"There's nothing to say on that level. But I do know them and I have talked to them, but there's no decision made as yet."

But he didn't say no.

Alright, I will - NO! Mr. Craig is not what I would consider handsome enough for this role. With all due respect, his face lends more to evil characters than heroes. As I said before, he would make a better Bond villain.





Blast From The Past - Cubby's Opinion About Pierce Brosnan

May 4, 2005 – DSBG

In an effort to bring facinating tidbits about our favorite fictional spy, Dr. Shatterhand's Botanical Garden is please to bring this 60 second interview with the late legendary producer Cubby Broccoli.

In 1987, Cubby Broccoli and Michael Wilson were on NBC's THE TODAY SHOW. During their conversation on the new OO7 film THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS, Cubby was asked why Pierce Brosnan was not carrying the famous license to kill. The comment from Cubby leaves much to debate, of course being a business man he was out to promote Timothy Dalton in the role. Listen and watch the interview and ask yourself if Cubby really did have Pierce in mind for the job.

Makes you wonder how the current auditions are being decided?





Mr. Higson Goes To Washington

May 8, 2005 – by Stuart Basinger for DSBG

His name is Higson, Charlie Higson, and he arrived May 6th in Felix Leiter's backyard, Washington, DC, to sign for patrons the latest novel in the life of James Bond.

The place was Olssons Book Store located in Arlington, Virginia, a short ride from the Capitol and the International Spy Museum. On Friday evening the employees at Olsson's were concern that not too many will show up for the book signing. In fact the 20 odd chairs placed in the center of the store are quickly filled. Not too bad for a Friday evening. Among the 20 patrons attending were two agents from CommanderBond.Net, Dlibrasnow and Doublenoughtspy. Both were armed to the teeth with questions relating to John Pearson's 'BIOGRAPHY OF JAMES BOND OO7' and how the word 'Martini' got placed inside a children's book.

Charlie Higson is not what one would expect to see writing a James Bond novel. He is 40ish, dressed very casual and looks as if the last four days traveling around the United States has worn him out (a far cry from those bowtie photos of Ian Fleming). Soft spoken with his British accent, Higson begins to read the obituary of James Bond in Ian Fleming's You Only Live Twice. All the while he is explaining how he came to writing SILVERFIN, the first novel about James as a 13 year old. The obit of OO7 was written by 'M', Bond's chief in London. In the obit we discover some tidbits of Bond's past but not too much. Higson plans to build upon this information and expose it in the next four novels.



Higson continued reading a few pages from his novel and explains how he chose an American as the villain and not a European or a scarred one handed nemesis. Simply put, he did not want to offend the usual European ethnic races (place Germany, France or Russia here) and certain interest groups who would cry foul by saying that not all handicapped people are Bond villains. Instead his villain is handsome, golden tanned with hair so blond it glows in the sunlight. So perfect is the villain's features that he reeks evil.

Unlike the best of the Fleming novels, there is no sex in SILVERFIN. But there is plenty of violence which Higson points out is what will make the kids interested. His best audience is his own children who apparently look over his shoulder while he's typing out the action filled pages. His one son kept saying, "Kill this one, kill that one." only to reply, "You can't kill off every character."

During the Q and A session I asked Charlie Higson about Bond's 'Uncle Max', and if there was a real Uncle Max in his life. He explained that in SILVERFIN, Uncle Max is a former spy who worked for England during World War I. Max is dying in the novel from lung cancer but helps out young James by being a role model. Higson's real life 'Max' was also an uncle who drove a Jaguar and had a romantic lifestyle similar to James Bond. Tragically his uncle passed away from cancer during the writing of this novel. Higson wrote a posthumous dedication for him in the front of the book.

During the last six months controversy had enveloped the forth coming of SILVERFIN. Many Bond fans have complained in forums that you cannot write a novel with James Bond as a young teenager. Charlie Higson has gone as far as to observe the many OO7 forums on the Internet and has gone on record by saying the fans are 'MAD'. I had the opportunity to interview on videotape Charlie Higson as he addresses this comment.

The book signing was only an hour long and before you could say Aston Martin, Higson was off into the chilly spring night. But not until he told us that he once visited Washington back in the early 1980s. He was a member of a rock band and they played in one of the seedy nightclubs in Georgetown. I asked him what was the name of his group because I may have seen him perform? He answered with a wink, "The Higsons."

I would have never guessed.





Crooner Tony Christie To Sing Bond Song

May 11, 2005 – ContactMusic.com

According to Contact Music and The Daily Star, the movie moguls behind JAMES BOND have found the perfect candidate to create a brand new theme tune for 007 - veteran British crooner TONY CHRISTIE. Christie is reportedly in discussions with producers regarding music for the upcoming film CASINO ROYALE, according to British newspaper the DAILY STAR.



The 61-year-old rocketed back to fame when his 1970s hit (IS THIS THE WAY TO) AMARILLO recently topped the British singles chart for seven weeks to raise funds for British charity COMIC RELIEF

A source says, "The producers want a big-name artist to perform a show-stopping song and Tony fits the bill perfectly. 'Is This The Way To Amarillo' was number one across Europe so he has the big profile and voice we're after."

Anything is possible, but the current trend of singers for Bond themes has been 40 years or younger. Mr. Christie is in his early 60s. Take this bit of news with an ounce of salt.





New Role For Timothy Dalton

May 11, 2005 – by Christian Toto for The Washington Times

Former James Bond star Timothy Dalton got a crash course in the Hercules legend while shooting the new NBC film based on the mythical Greek strongman. Before taking on the role of Hercules' stepfather, the 59-year-old actor had only a superficial grasp of the history behind the legend.

"I thought it was just about a strong he-man. I didn't realize it was quite a revolutionary story, too," Mr. Dalton told Associated Press. "The thing about the Jesus legend is it's all about getting into a heaven outside Earth. The Hercules legend is about finding, in a sense, heaven on Earth by growing to your highest fulfillment."

Mr. Dalton keyed into this notion as the hook to playing Amphitryon in the new three-hour miniseries, debuting Monday at 8 p.m. The actor made his film debut as the young king of France in 1968's "The Lion in Winter," starring Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn. Since then, on both stage and screen, he has tackled various historical roles and classic parts made famous by others, including several tempestuous lovers such as Heathcliff in "Wuthering Heights" (originally played by Laurence Olivier), Rhett Butler in "Gone With the Wind" (synonymous with Clark Gable) and Rochester in "Jane Eyre" (notably depicted by Orson Welles).

"It just happened, but I suppose there's a side of myself that walks into the lion's mouth, which I think I must stop doing," Mr. Dalton said.

Recalling his portrayal as the world's most famous spy, Mr. Dalton said his dark interpretation of Bond didn't click with fans, nor did he revel in the experience. An escape clause in his contract kicked in when extensive litigation between producers and the studio delayed the start of his scheduled third 007 adventure. He was free.

"It was a bit imprisoning, and still is, to an extent," Mr. Dalton said of his Bond days.

But Mr. Dalton, you helped bring the realism back into the role and for that many fans are grateful.





Big Hollywood Collectors Show

May 16, 2005 – DSBG

Lana Wood was in Gaithersburg, MD on May 14th and 15 and has informed us about the upcoming Hollywood Collectors Show in Burbank on July 30th and 31st. As of this writing the following are to attend:

Richard 'Jaws' Kiel
Shirley Eaton (Jill Masterson) from Goldfinger
Blanche Ravalec (Dolly) from "Moonraker"
Maud Adams from "Octopussy" and "The Man With The Golden Gun"
Pamela Salem (Miss Moneypenny) from "Never Say Never Again"
Gloria Hendry Rosie Carver from "Live & Let Die"
Rachel Grant Peaceful Fountains of Desire from "Die Another Day"

Lana Wood is planning to attend and is hoping for Caroline Munro, Virginia Hey and perhaps, Roger Moore. Ms Wood had mentioned that Roger was concerned about his age but was reassured by Ms Wood that the fans would love to have him. As of this writing he is not listed - but let's hope he does make an appearence.

Ms. Wood mentioned that she is trying to get all the Bond girls to dress like Bond girls and make the weekend even more memorable.

For all those fans on the West Coast - I envy you.





Alice Cooper Begs For Bond Villain Role

May 16, 2005 – ContactMusic.com

Rocker ALICE COOPER has begged movie bosses to cast him as superspy JAMES BOND's arch enemy in upcoming 007 movie CASINO ROYALE. The SCHOOL'S OUT star doesn't care whether PIERCE BROSNAN, DANIEL CRAIG or CLIVE OWEN take on the coveted role, as long as he plays the suave secret agent's nemesis.

He explains, "I've played FREDDY KRUEGER's dad in FREDDY'S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE, I was in the JOHN CARPENTER horror film PRINCE OF DARKNESS and I appeared in WAYNE'S WORLD. "I'd love to be a Bond villain, maybe BLOFELD's grandson. I'd be perfect as I'm the consummate villain of rock 'n' roll."

He did write a Bond title song that was rejected back in 1974.





England Wants Bond To Stay

May 17, 2005 – by Caroline Briggs for BBC News

Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell has told the BBC "everything possible is being done" to make sure the new James Bond film is made in the UK. Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival, Ms Jowell told the BBC News website steps were being taken to keep production of Casino Royale in Britain.

Variety reported on the production could go to a studio in the Czech Republic. Bond production company Eon was unavailable for comment on the report. A move abroad would be seen as a big blow to the UK film industry. Traditionally, it has been based at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire.

Ms Jowell said: "Bond films have always used exotic locations anyway, and at the moment nothing has been decided. But I have spoken to the UK Film Commissioner Steve Norris and he has assured me that everything possible is being done to ensure Bond stays a British film. That is something I would very much welcome."

She also commented on the current tax burden for big budget blockbusters such as the Bond films. "The film industry is one of our great success stories, but we are conscious of the need to provide stability," she said. "We are reviewing the tax for larger films, and the need for stability is why the current tax relief system will stay in place for lower-budget films until 2006."

Some US film investors have been deterred after the government announced plans for a new tax credit to replace the existing relief for lower budget movies. A similar tax burden was announced back in 1978 just prior to the production of Moonraker.

Perhaps the title of Bond 21 should be "Taxes Are Forever".





Chicagoland Entertainment Collector's Expo

May 17, 2005 – DSBG

Chicago is gearing up September 16-18, 2005 for a spectacular show featuring many Bond stars. The Chicagoland Entertainment Collector's Expo will be at the Wyndham Northwest Chicago Hotel. The list is as follows as of this writing:

Richard Kiel - Jaws from "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "Moonraker"
Maud Adams - "Octopussy" and "The Man With The Golden Gun"
Lana Wood - Plenty O'Toole from "Diamonds Are Forever"
Virginia Hey - Rubavitch from "The Living Daylights"

Bonding in the windy city.





Casino Royale Delayed Until 2007?

May 17, 2005 – Variety

Variety has confirmed recent reports that Sony will film Casino Royale, the 21st James Bond movie, at Prague's Barrandov Studios instead of U.K.'s Pinewood Studios. Filming apparently won't begin until the summer of 2006, which means the movie will not be ready for release until 2007. As of this writing no actor has been signed to play James Bond. Dame Judi Dench is the only actress attached to the film. Martin Campbell is slated to direct. The last time a Bond film was shot outside of Pinewood Studios (except for post production work) was in 1988 when Licence To Kill (formerly Licensed Revoked) went into production in Mexico.

As I predicted a year ago. Casino Royale may end up a 2007 summer movie.





Michael G. Wilson Bonds With Alma Mater

May 18, 2005 – by David Allen for The Daily Bulletin

If any Harvey Mudd students were disappointed by the lack of gunplay, special effects and babes in the commencement speech Sunday by James Bond's movie producer, they didn't let on. Michael G. Wilson, a 1963 alumnus of the Claremont science and engineering school, urged graduates to be goodwill ambassadors among the science-poor public. He opened by quickly dealing with the Bond curiosity.

"I know that many of you have questions about the next James Bond film," Wilson said. "I generally get asked the same questions wherever I go. I've found that nine answers will take care of most of those questions."

Without naming the questions, he gave this answer: "I don't know which actor; Jan. 17; Oct. 19, 2006; Aston Martin; "Casino Royale'; Martin Campbell; Prague and South Africa; yes, Judi Dench will be back; and no, Halle Berry won't reprise, but I'd love to make another film with her."

To translate for non-Bond fans: who will play Bond; when does filming begin; when's it coming out; which car will Bond drive; what's the title; who's the director; where are the locations; who will play M.; and is Jinx in it.

Earlier, I had some time with Wilson, who's been involved with Bond since 1974's "The Man With the Golden Gun" through the most recent film, 2002's "Die Another Day," starring Pierce Brosnan. I put the obvious question to him first.

"Bond fans are concerned about the casting," I informed him gravely. "Is it true Madonna won't be back?"

"I hate to break it to your fans," Wilson replied, "but it's the truth."

Actually, the lack of a Madonna cameo was good news. Wilson made only one other definitive comment. Roger Moore, who expressed a desire to play a Bond bad guy, won't: "He was Bond, he can't be a villain."

All other questions about Bond's future were gently deflected.

"Whenever we make a statement like "no,' or "never,' I tend to eat my words," Wilson said.

Just like when he decided against a career in entertainment. His parents were actors -- his father, Lewis Wilson, was the screen's first Batman, in 1943 -- and his stepfather, Albert "Cubby" Broccoli, was a movie producer.

"I thought it was too flaky," said Wilson, who went in the opposite direction. He pursued the sciences at Harvey Mudd, then got a law degree from Stanford after law classes at Claremont Men's College proved more intriguing than science. While his stepfather was producing Bond movies, Wilson spent eight years as a tax attorney. I suppose that gave him a license to bill. Wilson, though, took a two-year leave of absence to sort out money issues for Broccoli involving co-producer Harry Saltzman, then stayed on to help in a creative capacity.

He came up with the ski jump stunt in "The Spy Who Loved Me" and the free fall in "Moonraker," in which Bond wrestles a parachute away from a bad guy in midair. "I guess it was in my blood," Wilson said.

He co-wrote and co-produced the 1980s movies. After Broccoli's death, Wilson and his stepsister, Barbara, took control of the series with 1995's "GoldenEye." Has his science training at Mudd helped?

"I like the science to make sense," Wilson said. "The technology may be a little beyond the current. But I like to think if somebody put a lot of money and effort into it, they could do it."

Fine, but I wasn't sure that explained Bond's invisible car from "Die Another Day." Wilson said the U.S. Army has a rough version of the technology as a cloaking device for tanks, then admitted: "I think we went a little far afield with that one." On Wilson's last visit to Mudd, a professor had told him the Bond series keeps the science "pretty tight." A pleased Wilson said: "Somebody cares."

He volunteered the subject of his personal collections -- among them Renaissance-era books, which he donated to Mudd's library, and photography, his real passion. He started a photography archive, staffed by a curator and two assistants, with an emphasis on 19th-century work. He admitted it's more fun to talk about photography than about Bond, in part because there's less pressure. Nobody's blogging about the Wilson Centre for Photography.

"I live in a fishbowl," Wilson said. "You can't have a casual remark. So I am somewhat guarded speaking about Bond." I'm relieved he didn't say he could tell me more about Bond, but then he'd have to kill me.

Hmm, October 19th is a Thursday. Or is he speaking about the premiere in London?





Pierce Brosnan To Host AFI's 100 Years - 100 Movie Quotes

May 26, 2005 – AFI

Internationally renowned actor and action star Pierce Brosnan ("Die Another Day," "The World Is Not Enough") will host AFI'S 100 YEARS… 100 MOVIE QUOTES: AMERICAN'S GREATEST QUIPS, COMEBACKS AND CATCHPHRASES, a new entertainment special saluting the greatest lines of dialogue spoken in American movies, to be broadcast Tuesday, June 21 (8:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. During the broadcast, the confidential list of 100 phrases will be revealed by some of Hollywood's biggest stars.

Those scheduled to be included in the special include Cameron Crowe, Billy Crystal, Nora Ephron, William Goldman, Jennifer Grey, Robert Hays, Buck Henry, Cheryl Hines, Donna Karan, George Lucas, Joe Mantegna, Penny Marshall, Leslie Nielsen, Penn & Teller, Jack Palance, Wolfgang Puck, Burt Reynolds, Rob Reiner, Ray Romano, Chris Sarandon, Roy Scheider, Patrick Swayze and Jon Voight.

This will be the eighth annual special in the AFI's centennial celebration of American cinema, following the seven critically acclaimed Network specials: "AFI's 100 Year… 100 Movies," "AFI's 100 Years… 100 Stars," "AFI's 100 Years… 100 Laughs," "AFI's 100 Years… 100 Thrills," "AFI's 100 Years… 100 Passions", "AFI's 100 Years… 100 Heroes & Villains" and "AFI's 100 Years… 100 Songs," which annually spark a national discussion of America's film history among movie-lovers across the nation.

Pierce Brosnan's feature film credits include the James Bond movies "Die Another Day," "The World Is Not Enough," "Tomorrow Never Dies" and "GoldenEye," as well as "After the Sunset," "Laws of Attraction," "The Tailor of Panama," "The Thomas Crown Affair," "Robinson Crusoe," "Dante's Peak," "The Mirror Has Two Faces" and "Mrs. Doubtfire," as well as the upcoming "The Matador." His television credits include the starring role in "Remington Steele," and the movies "Don't Talk to Strangers," "The Broken Chain," Death Train," "The Heist," "Around the World in 80 Days," "Noble House" and "Nancy Astor," for which he received a Golden Globe Award nomination.

AFI distributed a ballot with a list of 400 nominated movie quotes to a jury of over 1,500 leaders in the creative community, including film artists (directors, screenwriters, actors, editors, cinematographers), critics and historians. The jury was asked to choose up to 100 movie quotes from a comprehensive list that included "Here's looking at you, kid," from "Casablanca," "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," from "Gone with the Wind," "Why don't you come up sometime and see me?" from "She Done Him Wrong," "May the Force be with you," from "Star Wars," "Houston, we have a problem," from "Apollo 13," "Snap out of it!" from "Moonstruck," "You can't handle the truth!" from "A Few Good Men," "I'll be back," from "The Terminator" and "Show me the money!" from "Jerry McGuire." Due to the extensive number of memorable movie lines in American film, jurors were also able to write in votes for up to five quotes, which did not appear on the ballot. Two James Bond films made the list however, "Bond, James Bond." from Dr. No and "Martini, shaken not stirred." from Goldfinger.

The jurors were asked to consider the following criteria in making their selections:

*MOVIE QUOTE: A statement, phrase of brief exchange of dialogue spoken in an American Film. * (Lyrics from songs are not eligible.)

*CULTURAL IMPACT: Movie quotes that viewers use in their own lives and situations, thus circulating through popular culture and becoming part of the national lexicon.

*LEGACY: Movie quotes that viewers use to evoke the memory of a treasured film, thus ensuring and enlivening its historical legacy.

*AFI defines an American film as an English language motion picture with significant creative and/or financial production elements from the United States. Additionally, only movie quotes from feature-length American films released before January 1, 2004 will be considered. AFI defines a feature-length film as a motion picture of narrative format that is typically over 60 minutes in length.

With Pierce as the host does that mean the number one quote of all time will be from Dr. No?





The Real Goldfinger?

June 6, 2005 – by John Ezard for The Guardian

Goldfinger was a man who thought big, a champion of communism, an eccentric, a bully who put people in fear. And that was just the architect. The story of the Erno Goldfinger's vehement reaction when the author Ian Fleming appropriated his name - and aspects of his character - with deliberate savagery for the villain and title of the James Bond novel was disclosed at the Guardian Hay festival.



The dispute led to legal action. When the film Goldfinger came out, the architect was afflicted by spoof calls in the middle of the night. Callers would intone in bad Sean Connery accents, "Goldfinger? This is agent 007," or sing the film's theme tune, "an irritation still endured by members of the family who list their names in the telephone directory," Nigel Warburton, of the Open University, told a breakfast-time audience.

Fleming turned the dominating, 6ft 2in Erno into the 5ft imperious megalomaniac Auric Goldfinger, who nearly succeeds in stealing the US gold reserves at Fort Knox for the Soviet Union.

Erno - like Auric - was a British-naturalised foreigner and a Marxist who spent much of the second world war raising money for the Soviet cause. Otherwise there were differences between the two, as Dr Warburton noted, discussing his new book Erno Goldfinger: The Life of an Architect, the first biography to be published. But when Erno's business associate Jacob Blacker was asked for his opinion of a proof copy of the Bond story, he told Erno ironically that he could find only one substantial difference: "You're called Erno and he's called Auric."

Erno Goldfinger was one of the 20th century's prime advocates of London tower blocks. He designed the often reviled Alexander Fleming House at the Elephant and Castle, Trellick Tower in Ladbroke Grove and Balfron Tower in Tower Hamlets.

One story explaining Fleming's animosity is that he lived for a time in Hampstead and disliked Erno's design for terraced houses in Willow Road, according to Dr Warburton. Fleming knew of Erno through a golfing friend who was related to Erno's wife. The friend appears in the novel - but his woman relative has been transformed into a heroin addict. Erno somehow heard about the novel when it was in the publisher Jonathan Cape's presses in 1959. His response was, "Shall we sue?"

After hearing Blacker's view, Erno ordered solicitors to act. Cape agreed to pay his costs and agreed out of court to make clear in advertising and in future editions that all characters were fictitious. Fleming, in turn, was livid. He asked Cape to insert an erratum slip in the first edition changing the character's name to Goldprick, a name suggested by the critic Cyril Connolly. Luckily for the film posters and theme tune of the future, sung by Shirley Bassey, Cape demurred. Dr Warburton said the clarification did not appear in the novel's current edition.

The real-life Goldfinger, however, deserved to be remembered as a visionary architect who wrote in 1941: "Cities can become centres of civilisation where men and women can live happy lives. The technical means exist to satisfy human needs. The will to plan must be aroused. There is no obstacle but ignorance and wickedness."

Interesting. How can one read the novel Goldfinger and surmise that the only difference between the fictional character and Erno Goldfinger is the first name? Did his associate actually believe that Erno had a manservant named Oddjob who always tipped his hat to his victims and ate cats? Did Erno have a strange sexual habit of painting his lovers in gold, and did he plot to rob Fort Knox? I find this story very bizarre.




Cruising With James

June 6, 2005 – by Lisa Shea for BellaOnline

James Bond lives the elegant life - including a cruise! In the film Diamonds are Forever, a key scene takes place on a cruise ship. In the great ending sequence, Bond's wine skills actually come in handy. Bond and his lady-friend are on a cruise ship when the two bad guys come in, posing as a waiter and a wine steward.

Steward: "Wine sir? Mouton-Rothschild '55."

The steward uses a gas ejector to remove the cork. He then gives Bond the cork. Bond smells the cork and also smells the steward's colone and realizes it's the bad guy.

Steward: "A fine selection, if I may say."
Bond: "I'll be the judge of that." ... (sip) ... "The wine is quite excellent, although for such a grand meal I had rather expected a claret."
Steward: "Of course, unfortunately our cellar's rather poorly stocked with clarets."
Bond: "Mouton-Rothschild IS a claret."

If you're not a wine fan, Mouton-Rothschild is a winery in the Bordeaux region of France. The English often call a Bordeaux a "claret", because of their red color. If you're going to be even more picky about this claret scene, the meal that is being served starts with Oysters "on the Roux" (which should have been pronounced ROO but he pronouses "Rooss"). It has "Tashlich" (Jewish bread??), "Tidbits" (appetizers). Next comes "Prime Rib Au Jour". "Au Jour" means "of the day", which wouldn't really be appropriate for a fancy cruise ship. They would tell you WHAT the prime rib recipe was, not just say "of the day". I think they meant "Prime Rib Au Jus" which is a delicious high end prime rib meal usually reserved for Christmas Day sorts of meals. Next a Salad d'Topia (sort of like a fruit topia is a mix of lots of fruits). And finally, for dessert, the piece de resistance is La Bomba Surpise. A Bomba is a dome shaped dish, usually an Italian rice dish but also sometimes a dome shaped dessert. The "surprise" in this case is that a real bomb is hidden inside!

Anyway, they should have started with a white wine or even a Champagne for the oysters, salad and appetizers. Then while that Mouton Rothschild would have been OK with a prime rib au jus, something lighter would have been better. Poor Bond!

Quick, someone call Tom Mankiewitz.




Bond-ology Stirring, Not Ground-Shaking

June 20, 2005 – by Cristoph Mark for The Yomiuri Shimbun

Did 007 have a hand in JFK's Bay of Pigs fiasco? Was SPECTRE behind the 9/11 attacks on the United States? Is James Bond a feminist lesbian icon? If the contributors to "Ian Fleming and James Bond: The Cultural Politics of 007" have any say in the matter, the answers are roughly, "yes," "yes" and "yes."

This collection of 14 essays on the cultural politics of James Bond offers the reader a glimpse into a side of both Bond and Fleming, both print and film, that even the most extreme Bond fan won't have seen.

Originally presented at a 2003 conference at Indiana University--which claims the world's largest library of Fleming manuscripts--the essays cover a range of topics, such as anal anxiety, Bond as product and lifestyle icon, and 007 as a castrated British cyborg toeing the company line. And while a plethora of books can be found on the subject of the most famous member of Her Majesty's secret service, the essays presented here avoid obvious themes, still managing to offer something for everyone.

Perhaps most interesting are insights into how Fleming's writing both predicted future events and directly affected contemporary ones, and Fleming's arguably healthy attitude toward gays and lesbians in both the film and literary versions of his Bond adventures.

Known for bedding any woman he fancies (that is how most of the movies end, after all), Bond is difficult to imagine as a covert feminist, much less a butch lesbian icon. Yet that's just what Jaime Hovey, an assistant professor of English and gender and women's studies at the University of Illinois-Chicago, proposes in "Lesbian Bondage, or why dykes like 007." She argues that Bond is only ever truly intrigued sexually and emotionally by women (usually lesbians in the novels) who are his physical and intellectual equals as opposed to much of the fluff portrayed in the later films. Her argument is an interesting take on the man many women have branded a womanizer for the past 40 years.

In "The Kennedys, Fleming and Cuba: Bond's Foreign Policy," editor Skip Willman, a professor at the University of South Dakota and conspiracy theory expert, takes a look at the effect Fleming the man and Fleming the author had on U.S. President John F. Kennedy's White House. Without pushing his premise too far, Willman connects Jack (and Robert) Kennedy's love for From Russia With Love to JFK's fixation on using clandestine operations to take out Cuban President Fidel Castro, and ultimately to his death at the hands of a Fleming aficionado on the other side of the political fence.

Stuck in the back of the book--hopefully not as an afterthought--is the most pertinent dialogue in the collection, "007 and 9/11, Specters and Structures of Feeling," by another editor, Stephen Watt, chair of the English department at Indiana University. Watt likens Al-Qaida to Fleming's fictional terrorist group SPECTRE--a nonaffiliated organization that is not centralized, making it, like bin Laden's organization, difficult to pin down.

But, like many of the academics presented here, Watt goes on long tangents that, while interesting, blur the tracks of his train of thought. A prime example of this recurrent failing of this collection can be found in "'Alimentary, Dr. Leiter': Anal anxiety in Diamonds Are Forever," in which Dennis W. Allen argues that the film is rife with anxiety about masculinity, homosexuality and anal vulnerability, only to suddenly make a 180-degree turn on page 12 of his 15-page thesis, saying, "Yet I take this particular anxiety and its resolution to be essentially a surface phenomenon..."

What!?

While a solid background in Freudian thought coupled with a 007 devotion bordering on obsession would no doubt help in a more thorough enjoyment of this book, it's not necessary--it's perfectly enjoyable to the less fully initiated on many levels.

It's sometimes frustrating and by no means is it good in-flight reading, but the writings collected here are conceptually stimulating and provide a good opportunity to revisit the films (mainly the Sean Connery flicks) and dig up those old spy thrillers. It turns out James Bond is not the man we thought him to be.

"Some people can read War and Peace and come away thinking it's a simple adventure story. Others can read the ingredients on a chewing gum wrapper and unlock the secrets of the universe." - Lex Luthor - Superman - 1978




Bond Author To Honor 007

June 20, 2005 – by Dann Gire for The Daily Herald

Not many people outside of Japan have ever heard of the tiny island called Naoshima. That’s about to change because of a new museum based on — believe it or not — a 2002 James Bond novel penned by Illinois’s own Ian Fleming, Raymond Benson.

Given the awkward but self-descriptive name “The 007 The Man With the Red Tattoo Museum,” the newly constructed facility on Naoshima intends to push the island as a James Bond attraction and become a recognized repository for 007 movie and literary memorabilia.

The museum takes its name from Benson’s novel “The Man With the Red Tattoo,” a thriller in which secret agent 007 goes up against a villain’s plot to unleash a fatal strain of West Nile virus upon the West. A large chunk of Benson’s story takes place on Naoshima.

If the idea of an entire museum based on a single Bond book seems strange to you, Benson can relate.

“I got a call two months ago and they said, ‘It’s almost done! Can you be there for the opening?’” Benson said. “I went what’s opening? I didn’t quite believe they did it.”

Benson and his wife, Randi, will be jetting off to Japan for the museum’s grand opening on Friday. But he has commitments that he must take care of back here, too.

“The way it looks, I’ll actually be spending more time in the air next week than I will be in Japan,” Benson said.

Benson, who wrote six original 007 novels, three movie novelizations and three Bond short stories, has given the museum photos, notes and a diary he made in 2001 while preparing to write his “Red Tattoo.”

The principal backer of the museum, the government of Japan’s Kagawa Prefecture (like an American county), has also lobbied Eon Productions, the exclusive producer of the Bond movies, to make a film based on “Red Tattoo.”

If that happens, it will make Bond history. Not one of the post-Fleming novels by Kingsley Amis, John Gardner and Benson has been translated into a movie. Eon has opted for original screenplays ever since the last movie based on a Fleming novel, “Moonraker” and even Fleming’s short story “The Living Daylights.”

Congratulations Raymond from this website.




Clive Owen Kiboshes James Bond Rumors

June 29, 2005 – by Fred Topel for About.com

Clive Owen finally silenced all those rumors that he was in talks to replace Pierce Brosnan as James Bond for MGM. “No talks whatsoever,” Owen asserted. “All media speculation, all rumor. Never been anything official whatsoever.”

Though fans have embraced his casting, Owen has no dreams of becoming 007. “I don't think about it. I really don’t think about it. I think Pierce Brosnan has been fantastic, reinvigorated the franchise, made a fortune. As far as everyone know, he’s doing the next one and they should come out and back him because he is James Bond. He’s the man.”

This website pointed that out several months ago.




Judi's A Dame Good Fellow

July 6, 2005 – Cambridge Evening News

OSCAR-WINNING actress Dame Judi Dench has been made an Honorary Fellow of Lucy Cavendish College. Dame Judi took time out from her hectic schedule to visit Cambridge to receive the accolade. She had lunch with fellows of the college before attending a reception for staff and students.

A star of stage, film and television, and one of the country's best-loved actresses, Dame Judi was born in 1934 in York and made her debut with the Old Vic Company in Liverpool in Hamletin 1957. She went on to join the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1961, and during her 47-year career has played all the leading female Shakespearean roles.

On the small screen, she played in the As Time Goes By, and A Fine Romance, with her late husband Michael Williams, who died of cancer in 2001. In the 1980s she began to take on more cinema roles, including A Room with a View (1985), A Handful of Dust (1987), Henry V(1989), Tea with Mussolini (1999), The Shipping News (2001), and The Chronicles of Riddick (2004). Oscar-nominated for the films Mrs Brown (1997) and Chocolat (2001), she won an Academy Award for the eight minutes she spent on screen as Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love (1998). She has also won a record six Laurence Olivier awards for theatre and a number of BAFTAs.

In 1995, she took over the role of M in the James Bond films, including GoldenEye (1995) Tomorrow Never Dies(1997), Die Another Day (2002), and she is set to return to the role in the next Bond movie, Casino Royale.

Dame Judi is known for her modesty and famously doesn't like to watch herself on screen. She was made a Dame in 1988, and this year was given the prestigious Companion of Honour award. Dame Veronica Sutherland, college president, said: "We were delighted to welcome Dame Judi Dench and to inaugurate her as a Honorary Fellow.

"It is a privilege to have amongst our Fellows one of the country's greatest living actors who has given pleasure to millions while promoting a deeper understanding of the great works of English literature.

"Dame Judi met many of our Fellows, students and staff, and we look forward to seeing her here in the college again."

To quote Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific - 'there is nothing like a dame'.




Brosnan Confirms Again

July 7, 2005 – piercebrosnan.com

Pierce Brosnan has confirmed at his website piercebrosnan.com that he will not be playing James Bond again. A fan wrote this question which is followed by his answer:

Q: Many of us have worked for months sending emails, letters, faxes, putting up banners, doing petitions etc to keep you as James Bond. Is there any truth in the rumour that you are going to play him again?

A: No truth – I am sorry – but it’s over. It would have been great for the fifth. You just gotta move on, always. Thanks a million for all your support.

It truly is a dark day for those of us who were hoping for Pierce to have a shot at Casino Royale.




Taxes Are Forever: Ian Fleming Faced Tax Probe

July 14, 2005 – Financial Director

Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond novels, may have been a master of the spy thriller, but he did not avoid suspicion from government himself – for the handling of his tax affairs, writes our parliamentary correspondent.

Inland Revenue papers released last week from the National Archive showed that, at one stage in the early sixties, tax inspectors were divided over whether some of his financial dealings amounted to ‘tax avoidance’.

The case arose over the handling of the film rights of Casino Royale, Live and Let Die and Moonraker, which were gifted by Fleming to a family trust. A Revenue board memo at the time said that ‘opinions may differ whether this is or is not tax avoidance’. But a special literary and artistic profits section ruled there was no tax liability.

In 1964 however, the Revenue officers changed their minds and decided there was tax to pay. Fleming himself died in August of that year. It was not until three years later, with the loss of a test case against the author Hammond Innes, that the Revenue finally lost interest in Fleming’s finances.

Hey, now there's a potential James Bond title - TAXBREAKER.




Plenty O' Toole Auction

July 18, 2005 – DSBG

With the help of commanderbond.net and this website, Bond fans around the world have a chance to win two autographed items by Lana (Plenty O'Toole) Wood. An original Diamonds Are Forever PAN paperback from 1958 and the original soundtrack recording on CD from the film.

Ms. Wood autographed each item with a personal quote which cannot be found on any other James Bond collectible. The auction runs through Monday July 25, 2005 and all funds will go to help pay some of the medical bills Lana's daughter has accrued while undergoing treatment for Hogkins disease.

The starting bid begins at $20. Just link over to Ebay right now and toss in your bid.

Here's an opportunity for some fans to do a real Bondian effort by helping out a fellow person.




Film Hunks On Shortlist To Be Bond

July 24, 2005 – by Ben Todd for The Sunday Mirror

These are the four heart-throbs battling it out to be the next James Bond. Established big- screen names such as Clive Owen and Dougray Scott are being overlooked in favour of this shortlist.

ER-hunk Goran Visnjic, 32, posh Henry Cavill, 22, Aussie Alex O'Lachlan, 28, and veteran Scot Ewan Stewart, 47, took part in a series of screen tests last week. They played out love scenes with Emmerdale's Camilla Power - tipped to be a Bond girl.

Production executives at Eon, who make the Bond movies, are now studying the scenes before making a decision.

A movie insider said: "All four are among the most impressive would-be Bonds we've ever encountered. They show style, sophistication and have a natural air of the shaken-but-not-stirred secret agent - and the ability to make women swoon." The top-secret tests took place at Pinewood studios near London over three days.

The shortlist will come as a shock to Bond fans, who were expecting Layer Cake star Daniel Craig to scoop the role in Casino Royale. The insider added: "The shortlist has surprised people because there is no huge star. Bosses want whoever wins the role to become Bond in people's minds, which they wouldn't achieve with a bigger star."

Scots star Gerard Butler and Hulk actor Eric Bana have also been in the frame to take over from Pierce Brosnan as 007.

ALEX O'LACHLAN AGED 28

The second big-screen Bond was Australian George Lazenby - now fellow countryman Alex O'Lachlan is in the running for the next movie. Starred in little-known films Oyster Farmer and Man-Things, but has been tipped as "the new Russell Crowe". Recently quit Australia and moved to Los Angeles to further his film career.

GORAN VISNJIC AGED 32

Trained as a paratrooper in the Croatian army. Most famous for his role as Dr Luka Kovac in long-running drama ER and was named US magazine People's Sexiest Import in 1999. Also appeared as the love interest for Madonna in the video for her song The Power Of Goodbye. Last year took starring role in a TV version of Spartacus. Married to fellow Croat, sculptress Ivana.

HENRY CAVILL AGED 22

Former public schoolboy, born in Jersey, appeared in 2002 movie The Count Of Monte Cristo alongside Guy Pearce. Has also appeared in TV cop dramas Midsomer Murders, on ITV, and the Beeb's Inspector Lynley Mysteries. Co-starred in this year's Hellraiser sequel Hellworld and appearing alongside Sophia Myles and Rufus Sewell in period drama Tristan & Isolde.

EWAN STEWART AGED 47

Son of Scottish music hall legend Andy Stewart - who had a hit in 1961 and 1989 with Donald Where's Yer Troosers. First found fame in late-70s TV drama All Quiet On The Western Front. Has also appeared in The Professionals, Only Fools And Horses and The Bill. Film-wise, starred as First Officer Murdoch in Titanic. Other major film credits include Coll in Rob Roy. Married to actress Clare Byam-Shaw.

If this tryout was so 'Top Secret', how did the Sunday Mirror get this information over all other media outlets? Take this info with a grain of salt.




Little Britain Star Set For Bond Cameo

August 8, 2005 – Guardian Unlimited

Little Britain star David Walliams is being lined up for a cameo role in the next Bond movie, according to the Sun. Casino Royale is being directed by Martin Campbell but it has not yet been announced who will play Bond following the departure of Pierce Brosnan. A source told the Sun: "David has been called in for a screen test. The producers think he is perfect for a small humorous role."

And I thought this was going to be a more serious Casino Royale?!




Bond's Theme Is Back

August 8, 2005 – by Venessa Thorpe for The Observer

Composer Monty Norman calls it 'Dum diddy dum dum', though the world knows it as 'The James Bond Theme'. Whatever you call it, the musical phrase is certainly a contender for the title of the best-known line of music ever written. It is a simple sequence of notes, only a couple of bars long in essence, but the theme has earned Norman a fortune, despite the fact he has never recorded it himself - until now.

The original tune, which was at the heart of a libel battle decided in 2001, is finally to be released the way that Norman wrote it. For years the award-winning film composer John Barry was wrongly assumed to be the man behind the theme - a misunderstanding that Barry did little to dispel.

Norman was awarded £30,000 in damages after the Sunday Times published an article saying he did not write the theme, which it credited to Barry, who had worked on the orchestration of the piece for the Bond films. But the jury decided in Norman's favour and when the new CD comes out in October the public will at last be able to judge his original version for themselves.

In a studio in Norman's native east London the track is finally being laid down with the original lyrics written for it more than 30 years ago. But these are not the dynamic and sexually potent words that Bond fans might be expecting to hear. In fact, the opening words to the song, which was initially titled 'Bad Sign, Good Sign' and intended for the musical theatre, are 'I was born with this unlucky sneeze'.

The tune was composed by Norman and lyricist Julian More for a planned musical version of VS Naipaul's novel A House for Mr Biswas. The show never made it on to the stage, despite Norman's earlier successes, including Irma La Douce, so the catchy Indian-style tune was stored away in his bottom drawer.

'It was really hard to find an Asian and West Indian cast back then,' said Norman. 'It wouldn't be difficult now of course, so maybe we should try to put it on again.'

The new/old version was recorded last week with an Indian sitar and tabla and Norman is also recording a different orchestration of 'The Bond Theme', as we know it.

The transformation of the song came about when the late Cubby Broccoli, producer of the Bond films, contacted Norman and More after seeing one of their musicals. He wanted them to work on the film of Dr No, which he had finally secured the rights to from author Ian Fleming.

'He was very pleased to have the rights,' said Norman, 'but I don't think he knew what he had got. None of us did. I was not sure whether to get involved as I had another couple of musical projects, but Cubby offered me an expenses-paid trip to Jamaica.'

Norman agreed to go along with his then wife, the singer Diana Coupland, and soak up the atmosphere on location. On the island he composed the theme now known as 'Underneath the Mango Tree' and eventually used in the film to accompany the famous sequence in which Ursula Andress walks out of the sea in a white bikini.

He also wrote the music which opens the movie - a calypso based on the nursery rhyme 'Three Blind Mice'. It is the theme played for the three blind beggars who appear in the first assassination scene.

'This set the irreverent tone that Cubby was looking for. He didn't want the film to be as serious as the book,' recalls Norman.

One executive on the film advised Norman to try to come up with a good theme for Bond because he thought there could be as many as two films and a TV series to come out of the franchise.

Norman brought out his 'Mr Biswas' song and split up the notes to create a piece of music with an entirely different atmosphere. Barry, then at the beginning of his prolific film music career, was called in to work on the score and in the past it has been implied that the Bond theme was more his than Norman's, although Norman has always received the royalties. Barry went on to work on all the Bond films and is responsible for many of its other famous themes.

'I have always said that Barry's orchestration of my theme was the best so far and that I think he is one of the best film composers in the business,' said Norman, whose own background is in big band music and whose first love is musicals. He went on to write the shows Songbook and Expresso Bongo and is now working on a musical version of Kingsley Amis's Lucky Jim

'I started out as a singer, working with the Cyril Stapleton Band, then Stanley Black and finally Ted Heath's band. I worked with some of the biggest names in variety: Max Miller, Tommy Cooper, Tony Hancock, but it was a young man's game.'

Norman's new album, Completing the Circle, will feature new and old work, including pieces recorded with the Royal Philharmonic's string section and the London Community Gospel Choir.

Looking forward to hearing this famous tune the way it was originally composed.




Aussie Star Eyes Bond Role

August 8, 2005 – by Michael Bodey for The Daily Telegraph

YET another Australian is being mooted as the next James Bond. But this time, it's for real. Alex O'Lachlan is one of four actors who auditioned for cinema's best known role in England last month.

"I'm spinning out of my brain about it," the 28-year-old star of Oyster Farmer told The Daily Telegraph. I flew to London, stayed on Piccadilly and was looked after beautifully. [I was] fitted out at Hugo Boss for a tuxedo, had my hair cut and filmed two scenes."

O'Lachlan was up against ER's Goran Visnjic, Henry Cavill and Scotsman Ewan Stewart, 47. They filmed a series of screen tests at the famed Pinewood Studios for Martin Campbell, who directed GoldenEye and will helm the next film, Casino Royale. Australians Eric Bana, Hugh Jackman and Nip/Tuck star Julian McMahon had previously been mentioned as possible contenders for the role, although only McMahon was seriously approached.

"Picture it. Picture it!" O'Lachlan laughed. "It's James Bond, need I say any more? The reality is I may not get the role, which is the conundrum for all actors, but at the end of the day, I'm incredibly grateful just to be considered. People's ears prick up and they do take me a lot more seriously here now."

O'Lachlan expects to hear the final decision within the next 20 days. Producers of the Bond franchise are looking for a relatively unknown actor who can take over the role from Pierce Brosnan. Ioan Gruffudd, who played Horatio Hornblower, was favourite for the role until he took a part in Fantastic Four.

Thank you Mr. O'Lachlan, your fifteen minutes are up.





Yes, it's James Bond, Driving a Dorkmobile

August 8, 2005 – by Corky Siemaszko for The Daily News

James Bond's new ride in his next movie, "Casino Royale," is likely to leave fans feeling a bit like the superspy's favorite vodka martini - shaken, not stirred. That's because Bond will be at the wheel of a cheap Fiat Panda, a Polish-made econo-box that sells for about $15,000 and goes from zero to 60 mph ... eventually.

Not only is it a far cry from the luxurious - and fast - sports cars 007 typically favors (the Aston Martin V-12 Vanquish is just one example), a Fiat flack said the Panda signals a stunning lifestyle change for the skirt-chasing secret agent.

"We've seen James Bond always with beautiful women and luxury cars," Lapo Elkann said. "But maybe now he will get married, have children ... and will need a Panda!"

While Pierce Brosnan, who has played Bond since 1995, hasn't officially signed on for "Casino Royale," he apparently digs the Panda. "Pierce Brosnan was so enthusiastic about the car that he immediately bought one," Elkann said. Of course, Bond's Panda will be tricked out with deadly high-tech gizmos not found on the popular proletarian model in Europe - though not in the U.S.

Perhaps this is the car David Walliams will be driving?




Natasha Bedingfield Is New Bond-Babe

August 8, 2005 – by Jonathan Weinberg for The Sun

Pop babe Natasha Bedingfield is in 00-heaven after landing her dream role as Bond girl - alongside movie legend Sir Sean Connery. The gorgeous blonde will appear with the former 007 actor in a remake of his hit 1964 film From Russia With Love, a virtual version of the movie being made for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

The computer game, made by Chertsey-based Electronic Arts, will be released in the autumn and sees the These Words star appear as Prime Minister's daughter Elizabeth Stark, who is kidnapped and must be rescued by the suave super spy.

An ecstatic Natasha, who has recorded a new script for the adventure, said: "It's not every day you get to become a Bond Girl so this is a great honour. I am thrilled to be featured alongside Sean Connery. It's one of my favourite Bond films."

Jon Rissik, of EA, added: "Natasha is an exceptional British talent and was a natural choice for this part."

This version of From Russia with Love will be updated since the character Elizabeth Stark does not appear in either film or novel.




"Bond Sucks", Says Pierce Brosnan

August 13, 2005 – by Ryan Parry for The Mirror

Brosnan, dumped from the role last year, has made more than £20million playing 007 in four movies. But he is glad to see the back of him. The 52-year-old star said:

"I had all these stupid one-liners and loathed them. I felt like such a phony. It never felt real to me and I never felt I had complete ownership of the role. I'd look at myself in the suit and tie, and think 'What the heck am I doing here'?"

His cynical comments will end speculation he could return in the next 007 movie, Casino Royale. That leaves Bond producers struggling to find a replacement. Brosnan ditched his chances even further by accusing Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and her half-brother Michael Wilson of exerting too much control and failing to develop the part.

"I felt like such a phony."

"That was always the frustrating thing about the role...they play it so safe. The pomposity and rigmarole that they put directors through is astounding."

Brosnan is said to have priced himself out of Casino Royale by demanding £25million. Revealing that he only learned he was dropped in an abrupt phone call to his Malibu mansion, he said:

"After that kind of titanic jolt to the system, there was a great sense of calm. I thought 'F**k it. I can do anything I want to do now'. I'm not beholden to them or to anyone. I'm not shackled by some contracted image. So there was a sense of liberation. The money was amazing, but I'm just glad it's not my problem any more. One phone call, that's all it took."

Brosnan was a massive box-office success playing Bond in Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day. The last earned $250 million worldwide.

He has already angered producers by mercilessly sending up his spy image in the indie flick The Tailor of Panama in 2001. Brosnan is now set to lampoon 007 again in his new low-budget film The Matador, due out in November. In the movie he plays a down-and-out hitman desperate to escape his grim past of casual assassinations and one night stands. He told Entertainment Weekly: "For this role to come on the heels of my departure from Bond is a sweet grace - this is my farewell to that chapter in time."

Since this is coming from a tabloid newspaper and the truth tends to be 'stretched', one should take these comments with a grain of salt.




Look Up! Look Down! Look Out!
Here Comes The Biggest Bond Event Of 2005!

August 22, 2005 – by Dave Worrall for Cinema Retro

Cinema Retro magazine, in conjunction with Bondstars.com, the 007 star’s only official on-line autograph store and www.mi6.co.uk, the world’s most visited OO7 web site, are proud to announce a 40th anniversary screening of the 1965 James Bond spectacular "Thunderball" on the big screen this November.



WHEN: SUNDAY, 20 NOVEMBER, 2005
WHERE: CINE LUMIERE, at the Institute Francois, 17 Queensbury Place, London, SW7 2DT
TIME: 4:00 PM- 11:00 PM
TICKET PRICE: £100.00 PER PERSON

YOUR HOSTS FOR THE EVENING:

· Dave Worrall and Lee Pfeiffer - publishers of Cinema Retro magazine and authors of the best-selling book ‘The Essential James Bond’

· Gareth Owen, founder of Bondstars.com and author of ‘Roger Moore: His Films and Career’ and ‘The Pinewood Story’ and Andy Boyle, co-founder of Bondstars.com

· James Page and the co-founders of the popular website www.mi6.co.uk

Join cast and crew members from the film as we celebrate the classic fourth James Bond screen adventure in one of London’s most intimate and unique theatre settings.

Highlights include:

· Pre-screening reception with wine and canapés (a bistro bar will be open for sales of other refreshments and food as well). Mix and mingle with the celebrity guests and fellow James Bond fans.

· Panel discussions

· Question and answer sessions

· Book signing with Sir Christopher Frayling

· See ‘Thunderball’ related documentaries and surprises

· View ‘Thunderball’ in it’s original widescreen splendour with a top quality 35mm print imported to England courtesy of Eon Productions and MGM especially for this one-time only event

· Competitions and prize draws

· Sir Christopher Frayling in discussion with Sir Ken Adam on stage

· Dealers tables and sponsor displays

· Receive a special 007 gift bag containing the collector’s item first issue of Cinema Retro magazine with special ‘Thunderball’ tribute, a 1st Edition copy of Sir Christopher Frayling’s forthcoming book about the art and career of Sir Ken Adam (personally signed by Sir Ken Adam), autographs from cast and crew members in attendance, special 40th anniversary event programme and other surprises.

· As of this date, invited guests include production designers Sir Ken Adam, Mollie Peters (Pat Fearing), stuntman/actor George Leech, Martine Beswicke (Paula), Earl Cameron (Pinder) and sound editor Norman Wanstall – but there may be more!

Please note: this event is being held in a cinema with very limited seating. Once tickets have sold out, we can place you on a waiting list, but there are no guarantees. Book your tickets as soon as possible if you would like to be part of this historic, once-in-a-lifetime event.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: DRESS CODE - James Bond represents the ultimate in style and class. We want the Thunderball anniversary event to reflect those values. Formal attire is not mandatory, but is encouraged for this evening. It’s a wonderful opportunity for gentlemen to dress in a dinner jacket/tuxedo and ladies to wear that special dress. Jackets and ties are required for gentlemen. No blue jeans, t-shirts, trainers/sneakers or other casual attire will be permitted - no exceptions.

To order tickets, please visit:

www.bondstars.com/thunderball

or call: +44 (0)7005 807 187 for event information (Daytime) – no bookings will be taken over the phone, this is an event enquiry line only. Press contact: Dave Worrall + 44 (0)870 4423 007 (Daytime)

Please note, whilst all celebrities listed in this press release have agreed to attend the event, their appearance can be subject to last minute change and is not guaranteed.

(Note: The promoters gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Eon Productions and MGM. However, neither company is in any way responsible for planning or promoting this event nor are they responsible for its content).

Now that's the best OO7 news I've heard in a long time.





Sean Connery is 75

August 25, 2005 – by Mario Azzopard for Di-ve

Sir Sean Connery is 75 today. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. Britain's highest-paid actor has not made a film in nearly three years. In fact, he was in Malta three years ago for the shooting of some scenes for his last film, "The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen". Only a few seconds survived in the final copy. Sean Connery had several artistic differences with director Stephen Norrington on the set.



Although he has not announced his retirement, the acting legend has remarked earlier this month that he is "fed up with the idiots". The 75-year-old Connery, said, "It would almost need a Mafia-like offer I couldn't refuse to do another movie."

Sean Connery is synonymous with Bond Movies. He starred in six 007 films, launching James Bond in "Dr. No" and almost killing the franchise in "Diamonds Are Forever". Connery starred in the three of the series: "From Russia With Love", "Goldfinger" and "Thunderball". His salary rose from $100,000 in 1962 to $1,200,000 plus 12.5% of the gross by 1971. In 1983, he went on to recreate James Bond for a rival producer in "Never Say Never Again".

Sean Connery won an Oscar in 1987 for "The Untouchables". His biggest salary was $20 million when he played in "Entrapment" (1999). His biggest success at the box office was as Profs. Henry Jones in "Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade" (1989). The film netted $500 million from worldwide box office.

75 years old and he can still whip SPECTRE's butt.





Goran Visnjic As James Bond

August 25, 2005 – TV Guide

A question posed to TV Guide writer Ausiello about the possibilities that ER actor, Goran Visnjic, is up for the part of OO7. Ausiello says, "It's true. But should he get the role, it wouldn't mean the end of Kovac. 'We have a contingency plan,' says exec producer David Zabel. 'We would film a bunch of stuff [with Kovac] at one time for later episodes. Or, depending on where the Bond film was shooting, he might be able to work on both at the same time. That's what [George] Clooney did. He was shooting Batman & Robin for part of the day and ER the other part.'"

I think it will be more difficult for Goran since ER is filmed in Hollywood and Casino Royale will most likely be filmed somewhere overseas. With that little revelation, Goran most likely will not be OO7 because the producers do not want a TV show dictating the schedule and PR of the new James Bond. This same scenario happened to Brosnan during the Remington Steele days in 1986, and we all know what happened afterwards.





New Lease Of Life For 007's Licence To Kill

August 28, 2005 – by William Lyons for The Scotsman

WE'VE been expecting a new novel, Mr Bond. Fifty-five years since Ian Fleming's best-known creation put on evening dress and strode into the casino at Royale-les-Eaux, the Secret Agent is to be reborn. Plans for a one-off, new James Bond novel, to celebrate the centenary of its creator, are being finalised by the estate of Ian Fleming.

As yet no author has been chosen for the project, but following the surprising worldwide success of Charlie Higson's young Bond novels, Ian Fleming Publications say they are keen to commission a big, established name. Early favourites to be approached include British thriller writer Lee Child, spy novelist John le Carré and The Day of the Jackal author Frederick Forsyth.

Zoe Watkins at Ian Fleming Publications said: "To celebrate the centenary of Ian Fleming's birth in 2008 we are looking at a wide range of different activities and one of those is a new adult Bond novel. We are still in the planning stages, but at the moment the idea would be to have it done by an established author - potentially a big name."

Watkins says the new book will be a major departure from the light-hearted nature of the films and mark a return to the dark, complex character of the early novels. She said: "The literary Bond is something we want to focus on and any work would have to be in keeping with the literary aspects of the books. If it was successful there could be scope for further novels."

The world was first introduced to 007 in 1953 with the publication of Casino Royale, the first of 14 books penned by Fleming about the secret agent. Despite the often formulaic nature of the films, the early novels received generous reviews by the critics at the time. The Spectator described the debut as "lively, most ingenious in detail" while The Listener called it "supersonic John Buchan". Since then the franchise has spawned 20 Bond films that have grossed more than £1.6bn worldwide.

In 1997, the controlling share of Fleming's estate was bought back by his family, 33 years after the author sold 51% to the Booker Group. This allowed the group to fully exploit the brand. Next year will see the publication of BloodFever the second in the young Bond novels written by Charlie Higson. It will largely be set in Sardinia where the teenage Bond runs into a group of Sardinian bandits and a mad Italian count who is trying to restore the Holy Roman Empire.

Marc Lambert, chief executive of the Scottish Book Trust, said the key for any potential author would be to get a great set of villains. "Bond is an iconic figure, he is a great brand, and publishers obviously see a mileage in trying to extend the story. From Russia With Love is a novel with a fantastic cast of villains. My personal inclination is to really update where Bond is operating and what he is trying to do - the obvious subject matter is terrorists in the post-communist world and grappling with the issues that come out of that. In terms of the character I would still play it fairly straight down the line. I think there would be quite a few writers who would be interested in doing it, but it's not going to be your literary gent, it will be a professional writer. I think they would go for writers who have a background in writing thrillers, like Freddie Forsyth. But the real key to it all is to have a great villain or a great set of villains, because it is the villains that people love."

Bond historian Graham Rye doubted that anyone would want to pit Bond against the terrorists of today. He said: "In the same way that it appears at the moment that not many people want to take on the role in the next movie, I can't see many people wanting to take this on. It is a very difficult character, and in terms of authors it is a bit of a poisoned chalice because you can't ever repeat the novels of Ian Fleming. Al-Qaeda would be too political. A Bond villain has to be a completely abstract creation. Perhaps it is coming to the point where the series is running out of steam."

Edinburgh Book Festival director Catherine Lockerbie said: "The difficult thing would be not to do it as a spoof, because it would be very easy to parody the Fleming novels. But to do it seriously? I would say John le Carré would be the dream person."

The unquenchable thirst for more Bond has led to a number of sequels to Fleming's original series. The most successful was Colonel Sun by 'Robert Markham', the pen name of Kingsley Amis. Published in 1968, four years after Fleming's death, it was more successful than the later series by British mystery novelist John Gardner, and American author Raymond Benson. Last night Gardner ruled himself out of the equation. He said: "Sorry, but for me Bond is very much in the past. No more comments, no more interviews."

WE asked Ian Rankin, Scotland's bestselling crime writer, what he would do with a commission to write the next James Bond novel: "There is still obviously a lot of mileage left in the series. You only have to see that by the amount of people that are still going to the movies. If there is still a role for a James Bond movie there is still a role for a book. There is always a role for an action hero. The parameters might have changed and if you want to move it along you could have someone like the thriller writer Lee Child, who is English but sets his novels in the USA. I think if I was writing it I would give it a little twist. That is what they did in the movies when Pierce Brosnan came along, they made M a woman for example. But it really needs a good spy writer who is interested in technology because people who are interested in the Bond books tend to be technophiles - which sort of counts me out as I can hardly work a word processor. Charlie Higson would be very good. He has probably done as much work as anyone on Bond's motivations and what makes him work and he would probably be good at doing the adult James Bond as well and put a bit of humour in it. But there is scope for more ambitious plot lines. We have all manner of terrorists around the globe but there are also environmental catastrophes all the time and that is something the spy world doesn't seem to have really tackled yet - the causes of environmental catastrophes and how to stop them and how they could be used by terrorists in the future."

I hope they place Bond back in the 1950s or 1960s in the next novel. The Young Bonds have proven that OO7 does very well as a character from that time period.





Casino Royale To Get A Rewrite

August 30, 2005 – by Borys Kit and Anne Thompson for The Hollywood Reporter

For James Bond, 007 means having a having a license to kill. For Academy Award nominee Paul Haggis, 007 means having a license to write. The writer, who was nominated for an Oscar for "Million Dollar Baby" and wrote and directed this summer's sleeper hit "Crash," has been tapped to do a rewrite of "Casino Royale," Sony and MGM's 21st installment of the lucrative Bond franchise.



Producer siblings Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson have brought back Martin Campbell ("GoldenEye," "The Legend of Zorro") to direct his second Bond. Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who cut their teeth on Bond films "The World Is Not Enough" and "Die Another Day," wrote the previous draft. The search for a new Bond to replace Pierce Brosnan is under way.

The movie's script is based on the 1953 Ian Fleming novel, which is the first, darkest and most violent of the Bond books. It introduced not only Bond, but the evil organization SMERSH, as well as model Bond villain Le Chiffre. One of the book's set pieces is a baccarat duel between Bond and Le Chiffre. The book was first adapted as the 1967 spy spoof starring Peter Sellers, David Niven, Orson Welles and George Raft, although the comedy is not considered part of the Bond canon.

Haggis adapted James Bradley's World War II book "Flags of Our Fathers" for director Clint Eastwood, currently filming in Iceland. Haggis is set to direct New Line Cinema's "Honeymoon With Harry," which he adapted from a novel by Bart Baker, followed by Warner Bros. Pictures' military true story "Death and Dishonor," based on a Playboy investigative piece about a career officer's search for his soldier son, who went missing on his way home from the frontlines of Baghdad, which Haggis also will write and produce.

This is interesting news. Mr. Haggis is currently involved with other projects including producing and directing. For him to work on a rewrite tells me that Casino Royale may be delayed even further. Perhaps Casino Royale will be a spring 2007 release.





Post-Brosnan, Bond Is A Tough Suit To Fill

August 31, 2005 – by Anne Thompson and Borys Kit for The Hollywood Reporter

Where is James Bond? With production set to begin in January on the 21st Bond picture, "Casino Royale," the dashing movie hero who dates back to the '60s might as well be missing in action.

The latest Bond film, "Die Another Day," starring Pierce Brosnan, was released by MGM in 2002. But last year, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, the sibling producers who control the Bond franchise, told the Irish Brosnan, 52, the fifth actor to portray Bond in the long-running series, that after four films they would not require his services for the new one.

According to sources familiar with the situation, the producers and Brosnan were too far apart on terms to close a deal. One Sony executive described Brosnan's salary demands, which within the industry have been said to be as much as $30 million, "usurious." (No Bond has ever landed gross points.) Still, commented Steven Jay Rubin, author of "The Complete James Bond Encyclopedia": "They shouldn't have let him go. Now they have to find a guy they can patch up to a seven-year contract."

"It was a big mistake to let Pierce go," agreed casting agent Debra Zane. "He's got it all. Who cares if he's in his early 50s? He's completely Bond."

As a result, the producers now face the difficult challenge of casting a new Bond. The difficulty of that task became apparent shortly after a consortium headed by Sony Corp. of America announced its intent in September to acquire MGM and its assets. In November, the many players who are involved in casting the new Bond -- including Amy Pascal, chairman of the Sony Pictures Entertainment motion picture group -- held their first meeting at a British men's club in London, but they were unable to reach an agreement.

"Casino Royale" is scheduled to start production in January for an October release. Once again, Judi Dench will play M. and John Cleese will be Q. The casting of a new Miss Moneypenny is moving forward. But so far there's no Bond in sight. Broccoli and Wilson, her half-brother -- were schooled in the Bond tradition by the late, legendary Bond producer Cubby Broccoli -- often don't agree with each other on the casting possibilities, according to talent agents. One source close to the movie reported that Broccoli liked "Layer Cake" star Daniel Craig, 37, but Wilson didn't. Broccoli also thought Australian star Hugh Jackman, 36, who in addition to playing Wolverine in "X-Men" has appeared in Broadway musicals, wasn't masculine enough. Colin Farrell, 29, was judged too much of a bad boy. Eric Bana, 37, star of "Troy" and the upcoming "Munich," wasn't good-looking enough. Ewan McGregor, 34, was too short. "Their natural instinct is to do what's been done before," the source said.

Bond director Martin Campbell, who helmed "GoldenEye," has his own ideas about reinventing the franchise. He was involved in the recent hiring of Paul Haggis ("Million Dollar Baby," "Crash") to rewrite old Bond hands Neal Purvis and Robert Wade ("The World Is Not Enough," "Die Another Day"). "Campbell wants to find a complete unknown," one source said. "He wants to take credit for re-energizing the franchise again."

Compounding the challenge, several bigger stars have passed on the opportunity to play Bond. When Clive Owen, 41, was approached by Campbell, who directed him in "Beyond Borders," he told Campbell that he wasn't interested in the role, his spokesman said. "He already had so many interesting, varied offers on the table that he wanted to keep his options open," he said. Owen instead signed up for a string of films, including Spike Lee's "Inside Man," Alfonso Cuaron's "The Children of Men" and Michael Davis' "Shoot 'Em Up." In the meantime, Owen will send up Bond by playing Agent 006 in the upcoming remake of "The Pink Panther."

As the search has dragged on, Bond spokeswoman Ann Bennett has been fending off one Internet rumor after another. Just about every leading man capable of a British accent has been bandied about for Bond. There have been rumors of a black Bond: British "Prime Suspect" star and 007's agent cohort on the last three films, Colin Salmon, 43. There has been talk of a Croatian Bond: "ER" star Goran Visnjic, 32, who studied for 10 days in London with a dialogue coach and did a screen test. And there's even been speculation about a baby Bond: Brit Henry Cavill ("Goodbye, Mr. Chips"), 22, also did a screen test, along with 28-year-old Australian Alex O'Lachlan ("The Oyster Farmer"). Glasgow-born Ewan Stewart ("Titanic"), 47, was reported to have tested for the role but did not, according to a Sony spokesman. "There is no pending announcement," he added.

As a result, agents and managers from Hollywood to Sydney to London and beyond have all been dreaming about one of their clients landing the coveted Bond assignments. There have been lobbying efforts -- some subtle, some not -- to get the producers' attention. One campaign by Julian McMahon, 37, who has starred in "Nip/Tuck" and "Fantastic Four," already appears to have backfired. After the Australian actor struck a Bond pose, dressed in a tuxedo and wielding a gun, along with the headline "License to Thrill" on the April cover of Angeleno Modern Luxury, he might have alienated the producers, sources said. Campbell did want to test McMahon. But according to several sources, the actor's new representatives at CAA and Three Arts Entertainment advised him to turn down a test, a charge a CAA spokesman denied.The producers are determined to give Bond a face-lift. Before MGM's sale to Sony was finalized, MGM execs arranged for "Layer Cake" director Matthew Vaughn to meet with the Broccoli family about directing the next Bond, possibly with Craig as his star. "They loved him more than me," Vaughn said ruefully. "I would have nailed Bond."

Other directors who have spoken about their interest in reviving the franchise include Quentin Tarantino and John Woo, but the Broccolis decided to work once more with Campbell. However, they are concerned that the franchise has been skewing older as the boomer audience that grew up with Bond ages. In deciding to adapt Ian Fleming's first Bond tale, the 1953 novel "Casino Royale," they can reintroduce Bond as a young 28-year-old. "They were looking young," the agent of one Bond wannabe said. "They said they wanted the next generation's James Bond. Someone the younger audience could relate to."

Meanwhile, the media have been busy advancing their own candidates, including Jonathan Rhys Meyers ("Bend It Like Beckham"), 28, who insisted that he was never approached for the role. "Who wouldn't want the chance of being the world's greatest super-spy agent?" he said. "It's not reality for me at the moment."

Jude Law, 32, earned the most votes in a Total Film Magazine Internet poll on Bond. Gerard Butler ("The Phantom of the Opera"), 35, also has been mentioned as a real contender. Other names that have surfaced -- either in the media or inside the Hollywood beltway -- are Hugh Grant ("Bridget Jones's Diary"), 44; Ralph Fiennes ("The Constant Gardener"), 42; Rufus Sewell ("The Legend of Zorro"), 37; Matthew MacFadyen ("Pride and Prejudice"), 31; Karl Urban ("The Bourne Supremacy"), 33; Orlando Bloom ("Kingdom of Heaven"), 28; Jason O'Mara ("Band of Brothers"), 33; Jack Davenport ("Pirates of the Caribbean"), 32; Robbie Williams ("De-Lovely"), 31; Jeremy Northam ("Gosford Park"), 43; Dominic West ("The Wire"), 35; Dougray Scott ("Dark Water"), 39; Rupert Friend ("Pride & Prejudice"), 26; David Morrissey, ("Derailed"), 41; Gary Stretch ("Alexander"), 36; James Purefoy ("Rome"), 41; and Ioan Gruffudd ("Fantastic Four"), 31.

But there is a risk in casting a young Bond, one former Bond marketer said: Although the global franchise needs to be made more contemporary -- many kids see Bond movies as belonging to their parents -- "the danger of going too young to broaden the appeal is that you alienate the core, which is males over 25. He has to wear the suit well, as Brosnan did. You can't lose sight of the core."

Broccoli and Wilson will find themselves competing with movies like "The Bourne Identity" series, starring Matt Damon, one ICM agent said. The "Bourne" filmmakers "took a '70s low-tech action franchise and made it work like gangbusters. Now they (the Bond producers) have to make Bond relevant all over again."

"It's a tough casting job to replace someone whose qualities are stuck in people's heads," said Marcia Ross, senior vp casting at Walt Disney Studios. "He can't be so profoundly different that he's jarring. You have to find someone with similar elements. He has to be charming, intelligent, sexy, commanding and authoritative. You can argue that you bring more value to the part by going to an actor who the audience knows and likes. But the minute you get into somebody who has a career, he'll want to be paid. I'd pick Gerard Butler, who has an impish quality hiding behind his sexiness." All of which has Hollywood asking: Will the next Bond please stand up?

All of this information is great for selling newspapers. However, we the fans, have yet to hear from the producers themselves. One would think that Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson are at odds over who should play Bond. Don't believe everything Hollywood is saying about this. The real reason is Sony's control over the franchise.





Seraphim Falls for Pierce Brosnan and Liam Neeson

August 31, 2005 – by James Wray for Monsters And Critics

Pierce Brosnan and Liam Neeson have been cast in David Von Ancken's Seraphim Falls. Production Weekly reports the film is a psychological action feature set during the American civil war. Neeson will play an army colonel called Carver, who seeks to kill Brosnan's character Gideon...whatever the cost. Von Ancken, who is making his directorial debut, wrote the script with Abbey Everett Jaques. The film is due to start shooting this fall in New Mexico.

Interesting, the writer/director Von Ancken has only worked in television and now he is going to direct two high priced actors in a big production. Yeah, right!





Famed Photographer Horst Tappe Dies

August 31, 2005 – Associated Press

Photographer Horst Tappe, whose portraits of literary and artistic luminaries included Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Vladimir Nabokov and Alfred Hitchcock, has died, a friend said Monday. He was 67.

Tappe died of cancer Aug. 21 in Vevey, Switzerland, said friend and collaborator Charlotte Contesse. His most widely reproduced portraits included his photo of Picasso half in shadow and staring sideways and a 1970 shot of the Russian novelist Nabokov wearing knee pants and holding a butterfly net. Other memorable photos include a wide-eyed Salvador Dali in a Western shirt with arms crossed, and James Bond creator Ian Fleming hand on chin.

"They were photographs of friends, photographs of real people," Contesse said.

The German photographer also captured images of actor Charlie Chaplin, British playwright Sir Noel Coward, U.S. writer Patricia Highsmith, French detective novelist Georges Simenon, American poet Ezra Pound, Indian novelist Salman Rushdie and Russian composer Igor Stravinsky.

Tappe studied photography in Hamburg and Frankfurt am Main. He continued his education in Vevey, Switzerland, before settling in the resort town of Montreux on the banks of Lake Geneva in 1965. He was a regular contributor to newspapers and magazines and a member of the American Society of Magazine Photographers. Tappe, who never married, is survived by his brother, Voelker, who lives in Germany.

Rest in peace, Mr. Tappe.





Scaramanga Gives Clues To Breast Cancer Treatment

September 1, 2005 – by Ainsley Newson for The Times Online

A gene that triggers the development of breasts has been identified by British scientists, who have named it Scaramanga after the Bond villain with three nipples. The gene appears to influence the growth of extra nipples, but is also thought to be involved in breast cancer. Its identification promises to bring new insights into the causes and treatment of the disease.

Researchers at the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Centre at the Institute of Cancer Research have called the gene after the fiendish character Scaramanga, played by Christopher Lee in the 1974 James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun. Bond’s adversary was identifiable only by his third nipple.

Professor Alan Ashworth and his team had wanted to understand the trigger for breast development, including what controls the number of mammary glands. They found that Scaramanga helps to determine how and where breast tissue is laid down while the embryo is developing, in addition to the number of breasts that form. They report their finding in Genes and Development.

In embryo development the formation of all organs and tissues is tightly controlled by different genes. In humans the process normally results in two breasts, but the process sometimes goes awry.

“Identifying the Scaramanga gene is a real advance in our understanding of the early steps in breast formation,” Professor Ashworth said. “By learning more about this gene and the protein it produces, it will allow us to determine how normal breast development is initiated, and, importantly, examine how this is connected with breast cancer.

Scaramanga was identified in mice strains known to have abnormal breast development and is one of several genes involved in the pathway to breast formation. The gene product, a protein called Neuregulin3 (NRG3), is a growth-stimulating substance which signals cells to become breast cells. Although the link with extra nipples has been made only in mice at this stage, “it is likely to be involved in humans”, Professor Ashworth says.

The protein is very similar to proteins found in breast cancer, suggesting a direct link between the two. NRG3 activates cells that have a protein very similar to one over-expressed in about 20 per cent of breast cancers and which can be targeted by the drug Herceptin.

“While proteins carefully control the development of breast cells in the embryo, inappropriate signals to breast cells during adulthood by these same molecules may cause breast cancer,” Professor Ashworth said.

Third nipples are not very rare: one in eighteen people has one. They can range in appearance from a small mole-like structure to a full breast, which may lactate, even in men. Third nipples are more common in men than in women.

Men have nipples because their physiological structure is laid down during embryo development before the genetic “male” signal is switched on.

The occurrence of third nipples has been observed since Roman times and are often attributed to increased femininity and fertility. In Salem, however, women with third nipples were condemned as witches and burnt at the stake, as they were thought to use them to suckle the Devil. Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII, was victimised because of her third nipple. Actor Mark Wahlberg has a third nipple and has decided not to have it removed. He told Rolling Stone magazine: “I’ve come to embrace it. That thing’s my prized possession”

These days, self-help websites provide tips on how to use third nipples advantageously in dating, socialising and, bizarrely, career advancement. There are even websites devoted to people’s third nipple piercings. People who have third nipples are not thought to be at greater risk of contracting breast cancer, although the tissue area should regularly be checked for lumps.

Do I dare say it? I find this story 'titillating'!





Robert Wade On Casino Royale

September 1, 2005 – Screen Daily and Coming Soon

With production set to begin in January on the 21st James Bond movie, Casino Royale, a new 007 still hasn't been cast, but Oscar-nominated writer Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby) has been hired to do a rewrite of the script by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade.

Wade confirmed this to Screen Daily and added that Haggis will be doing a three-week polish on the duo's second draft of the script.

"What I can say on behalf of me and Neal is that we completed all the work we were contracted to do on Casino Royale," he said. "It has taken us a year-and-a-half. Everything is written, including the structure – it just needs a polish. If you can bring in a hot talented writer to polish it then great, it is normal on this size of movie. I am sure Paul Haggis will do a great job."

While he wouldn't say whether or not he and Purvis would also write the 22nd James Bond film, he did talk about adapting a Ian Fleming novel for the first time. They previously wrote The World is Not Enough and Die Another Day, but this time they used Fleming's novel as their source material.

"It's been different really. There is good solid material but it is set around a game of cards and very contained. We are writing it as he has grown to be now and there are expectations we have to meet. A lot of it is our own material. It is quite different: it is the story that shows what formed his character. It's great to be asked to adapt that and show it in a modern context."

I'm still sticking to my first guess that Eon will have two actors playing Bond. One being in his 20s and the other being in his late 30s or early 40s. It does not make sense to have Judi Dench playing M with Bond being in his 20s.





Happy Birthday, George Lazenby

September 5, 2005 – DSBG

George Lazenby turns 66 on Spetember 5th. For those of you who are new to the James Bond universe, George was the second actor to portray OO7 in the Eon produced series. His first and only James Bond film was ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE in 1969. Sean Connery would return to the role that made him famous two years later in DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER.

Lazenby was 29 when he became OO7 and soon afterwards the world would grow tired of him due to his arrogant attitude. He refused to be tied down in a 7 picture contract and walked away from the role that would have made him a multi-millionaire many times over. His performance was criticized highly from the world press and he would suffer in low budget films for the rest of his career.

Recently he married tennis champ Pam Shriver and became a new father. He has since reconciled with the Broccoli family by attending the 40th anniversary celebration of the long running film series.

Happy B-Day, George from this website.





Pierce Brosnan Reveals His Scathing Orifice

September 6, 2005 – by Stuart Basinger

Pierce Brosnan, after becoming an American citizen and spending a tropical vacation with former President Bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Clinton, has come out with verbal criticism against President George W. Bush on his handling of hurricane Katrina.

"This man called President Bush has a lot to answer for," the former James Bond actor told reporters Saturday. "I don't know if this man is really taking care of America. This government has been shameful."

Brosnan became an American citizen last year in order to vote for Democrat John Kerry in the Presidential elections. He is an environmentalist activist,

Pierce can criticize all he wants. He is a Hollywood celebrity, and everyone knows that all Hollywood celebrities are intelligent and can run the world better than anyone else.





Brosnan Again Opens His Scathing Orifice

September 9, 2005 – Ireland Online

Irish heart-throb Pierce Brosnan has branded the producers of the iconic James Bond movies "stupid" for dismissing Ewan McGregor as too short for the coveted role. The 52-year-old, who made his debut as the superspy in 1995's Goldeneye, was controversially axed from the role earlier and speculation over the identity of his successor has been rife ever since.

But Brosnan was amazed to learn the charismatic Star Wars hunk is not being considered for upcoming movie Casino Royale simply because, at 1.77 metres (5 feet 10 inches) tall, he stands four centimetres (1.5 inches) shy of the minimum Bond measurement.

Brosnan, who is a towering 1.8 metres (6 feet 1 inch), fumed: "It's ridiculous. I thought, 'That's a stupid reason.' Ewan's a fine actor and he's tall anyway. I couldn't believe it."

I am hoping that this article is inaccurate. Because Pierce is sounding more and more like Sean Connery when it comes to the relationship between him and the Broccoli family.





The Force Is Strong With This One

September 13, 2005 – by Michael Christie for The Daily Record

Former 007 Sir Roger Moore wants Ewan McGregor to be the next James Bond. Moore, who played the British secret agent in seven films, said McGregor was the right man to replace Pierce Brosnan in the role. Pierce Brosnan has also backed the Scot after reports that 5' 10" McGregor had been ruled out of the running because he was too short.

Speaking during a visit to Croatia yesterday, Moore said: "I respect all the people who have been reported as being in the running for the role but for me, Ewan is the best."

Asked if he thought McGregor was too short, Moore, who starred in Bond hits such as Live And Let Die, said: "No, I don't think he would be. When I started out as James Bond, there were all sorts of things said about me and people said I was too young for the part or that my hair was too long, but it didn't spoil my performance."

The next Bond movie, Casino Royale, is due to start shooting in 12 weeks - and they've still not signed up the leading man. A leaked memo from producers Eon revealed: "Clive Owen turned it down flat. Eric Bana was deemed not handsome enough, Hugh Jackman too fey, Colin Farrell too sleazy and Ewan McGregor too short."

Several years ago Roger Moore went on record by saying he would choose McGregor as the successor to Brosnan. He obviously has not changed his mind.





Don't Screw It Up! Casino Royale To Show Bond At Age 28

September 16, 2005 – by Stuart Basinger

Those words echoed as I read the trade papers about the latest on CASINO ROYALE. Screenwriter Paul Haggis is polishing the 21st James Bond film. "It's going to be good," he says. "We're trying to reinvent Bond. He's 28: no Q, no gadgets."

I cannot help picture Cubby Broccoli rolling in his grave over this decision. He was always reluctant to take Bond back to the beginning. The words 'Don't Screw It Up' were said to his daughter Barbara and stepson Michael G. Wilson before his passing in 1996.

In the mid 1980s, Wilson and the late Richard Maibaum co-wrote a OO7 screenplay treatment that tells the story of how Bond became OO7. Cubby Broccoli buried that idea and went on to produce THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS with a 40ish Bond played by Timothy Dalton. He felt the movie going audience did not want Bond to start over or be shown as a naive agent.

Now nearly 20 years later, the idea has risen again. However, the audience may be ripe for a Bond Begins film. CASINO ROYALE is a great novel and perfect for this kind of treatment. Especially after this years successful Young Bond novel SILVERFIN, which was criticized at first but so well received after it hit the bookstores.

Casino Royale was Ian Fleming's first novel featuring OO7 and ironically it will be the last of the Ian Fleming novels to be filmed by Eon Productions. Not since 1979's MOONRAKER has a James Bond novel been tailored to the theatrical audience. MOONRAKER was produced on the heels of the STAR WARS craze and CASINO ROYALE is destined to follow BATMAN BEGINS, where we learn how Bruce Wayne became the Dark Knight.

Now we will see Bond at age 28. He will battle an evil mastermind without any outrageous gadget, let alone Q. But what about Bond's superior 'M', played recently by Judi Dench? She is apparently signed to play the character once more. Her character was not the head of MI6 when Bond entered the secret service. Unless, she is seen reflecting on her best agent and reading about his first assignment.

Kind of leaves the door open for Pierce to play OO7 one more time, but in a smaller capacity. A younger actor for the scenes from years before and Brosnan in the second act.





Ken Adam: The Art Of Production Design

September 18, 2005 – The Guardian

The work of the film production designer is always overlooked when people discuss their favourite movies - the actors, directors and writers get all the attention and hoopla. If a film stars a dog it's likely to be paid more. The people who design the sets and choose the locations don't get fan mail or pestered for autographs in Morrisons and there are only a handful of books dedicated to their art. But there is one star in this field - Sir Ken Adam, a cigar-chomping 84-yearold gentleman whose career spans 65 films, a couple of coffee bars and an opera.

It is because of him that people believe criminal masterminds oper ate from the insides of dormant volcanos and travel between their sumptuously decorated lairs on chrome-plated monorails. It's his fault that we think gold bars are stacked in vast cathedral-tall warehouses and that secret agents escape capture by using jetpacks or ejector seats. Despite the fact that he invented the war room in Stanley Kubrick's Dr Strangelove, sketched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and won an Oscar for The Madness Of King George, or even the fact that before he worked in film he led an incredible life that saw him flee Nazi Germany and become the RAF's only Jewish German pilot, Sir Ken Adam will always be the man who made James Bond. His sets for the seven Bond films he worked on (Dr No, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds Are Forever, The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker) are as iconic as the movies themselves and set the benchmark for every blockbuster. Sat in the front room of his house in Knightsbridge, London, surrounded by his original sketches, he lights a Cuban cigar and reveals his favourite Bond sets.

Fort Knox, Goldfinger

"No one was allowed in Fort Knox but because [producer] Cubby Broccoli had some good connections and the Kennedys loved Ian Fleming's books I was allowed to fly over it once. It was quite frightening - they had machine guns on the roof. I was also allowed to drive around the perimeter but if you got out of the car there was a loudspeaker warning you to keep away. There was not a chance of going in it, and I was delighted because I knew from going to the Bank of England vaults that gold isn't stacked very high and it's all underwhelming. It gave me the chance to show the biggest gold repository in the world as I imagined it, with gold going up to heaven. I came up with this cathederal-type design. I had a big job to persuade Cubby and the director Guy Hamilton at first. They said it looked like a fucking prison but that was the idea. Then when Goldfinger was released people were asking why a British film unit had been allowed to shoot inside Fort Knox when even the American president was not allowed in it."

Dr No's apartment

"The budget for Dr No was under $1m for the whole picture. My budget was £14,500. I filled three stages at Pinewood full of sets while they were filming in Jamaica. It wasn't a real aquarium in Dr No's apartment. It was a disaster to tell you the truth because we had so little money. We decided to use a rear projection screen and get some stock footage of fish. What we didn't realise was because we didn't have much money the only stock footage they could buy was of goldfish-sized fish, so we had to blow up the size and put a line in the dialogue with Bond talking about the magnification. I didn't see any reason why Dr No shouldn't have good taste so we mixed contemporary furniture and antiques. We thought it would be fun for him to have some stolen art so we used Goya's portrait of the Duke of Wellington, which was still missing at the time. I got hold of a slide from the National Gallery - this was on the Friday, shooting began on the Monday - and I painted a Goya over the weekend. It was pretty good so they used it for publicity purposes but, just like the real one, it got stolen while it was on display."

The Disco Volante, Thunderball

"We had to use special effects but, unlike special effects today, they were real. The jet pack we used in Thunderball was real - it was invented for the United States army. Bloody dangerous, and it only lasted a couple of minutes. The ejector seat in the Aston Martin was real and Emilio Largo's boat, the Disco Volante, was real. You had power boats at that time but there were no good-sized yachts that were able to travel at 40 to 50 knots so it was quite a problem. But by combining a hydrofoil, which we bought in Puerto Rico for $10,000, and a catamaran, it at least looked like a big yacht. We combined the two hulls with a one-inch slip bolt and when they split it worked like a dream. We used lots of sharks for this movie. I'd rented a villa in the Bahamas with a salt-water pool which we filled with sharks and used for underwater filming. The smell was horrendous. This was where Sean Connery came close to being bitten. We had a plexiglass corridor to protect him but I didn't have quite enough plexiglass and one of the sharks got through. He never got out of a pool faster in his life - he was walking on water. But I was more concerned with the woman who owned the villa. She was inclined to drink too much, so I had to have guards at night in case she toppled into the pool."

Blofeld's volcano headquarters, You Only Live Twice

"We had the idea when we were scouting for locations in Japan. I showed some sketches to Cubby Broccoli and he said, 'That's quite a good idea, how much is it going to cost?' I said, 'I have no idea.' He said, 'If I give you a million dollars, will you do it?' And I said, 'I'll do it.' Although I had no idea if it was possible. The height of the volcano crater lake from the floor of the set was 120 feet, the crater lake diameter was between 60 and 70 feet and I built it on an incline so you could see the whole circle. The diameter of the interior was about 400 feet so it was a huge structure. There were lots of problems, the pressure that the film would be on release in five months' time and the people who lived near Pinewood hated it -they never expected to have a volcano on their doorstep. Then the plasterers and riggers demanded danger money because they were working so high up. But, as often happened on the Bond films, the team got so excited about doing something that had never been done before that they ended up working day and night, and at the weekend they'd bring their families along to look at it. I suppose now you'd use CGI but we tried not to cheat the audience. When we showed 500 stuntmen sliding on ropes down from the roof there really were 500 men."

Aston Martin DB5, Goldfinger and Thunderball

"I had an E-type Jaguar in the 60s and I remember the debate about which sports car Bond should drive. We decided on the sexiest British sports car at the time and John Stears from special effects and myself went to Newport Pagnall, where they made Aston Martins, and they weren't at all helpful. Reluctantly, after the big boys from the studio stepped in, they let us have two, but after the Bond film their sales went up by 47% and there were no problems getting cars after that. I never owned one myself - if I remember correctly the clutch wasn't all that good. In America they were much more progessive. In Goldfinger we had three brand new Lincoln Continentals and there's a scene where one is crushed in a breaker's yard. I remember being among the British crew as they watched it. It was as if they'd been castrated. There was silence: they couldn't believe it, this beautiful car being crushed into a cube. But Lincoln didn't mind."

Ken Adam: The Art Of Production Design by Christopher Frayling is published by Faber. It will be released in December 2005. You can order it at Amazon.





Meet The Cast Of CASINO ROYALE

September 24, 2005 – DSBG

Speculations have dominated the Internet for the past year as to who will play James Bond in CASINO ROYALE? Well, the good Doctor Shatterhand is about to go out on the proverbial limb and make that announcement.

As this website has reported in the past, and most recently my friends at CommanderBond.net, Pierce Brosnan will be back as OO7 in perhaps his best and final James Bond film. The story will be a slight departure from the normal formula since it will show scenes from OO7's past and how he became a double 'O' agent. But that is not the only announcement. Sources have mentioned that Daniel Craig and Henry Cavill have been at Pinewood Studios trying on tuxedos and filming screentests. Reports from around the world have mentioned that they are both up for the role of OO7 and that Craig was recently spotted at an antique bookstore thumbing through a copy of the novel. All true, however the press has it all backwards. Within the next several weeks, Eon Productions and Sony Studios will have a news conference revealing the cast. But Doctor Shatterhand's Botanical Garden has the inside scoop.

Henry Cavill and Pierce Brosnan.

Pierce Brosnan will be back as James Bond in 2006. Henry Cavill will be James Bond at age 28 in scenes that take place over 20 years ago. He will be trying to defeat the villainous Le Chiffre, played by Daniel Craig, in an edge-of-your-seat Bacarrat card game that will rival the poker game between Paul Newman and Robert Shaw in THE STING. Le Chiffre will lose, of course, but will make a hasty escape during the first act only to resurface to do battle against Bond in present day 2006.

Actress Sienna Miller as Vesper Lynd.

But perhaps the best part of this announcement is the choice to play sexy Bond girl Vesper Lynd. Sources have said that actress Sienna Miller will play the tragic double agent, who falls in love with the young James Bond. Seeing that her communist superiors will execute her for siding with the British, she fakes her death and vanishes. Young Bond will believe the suicide and say the haunting final line, "The bitch is dead". Only to discover 20 years later she is still alive.

Sienna met with producer Barbara Broccoli and that her screentest opposite Henry Cavill is nothing less than HOT! Also back for more Bonding is Dame Judi Dench as 'M', John Cleese as the present day 'Q' and Samantha Bond as Moneypenny. Other sources have mentioned that the producers are preparing to make CASINO ROYALE the most faithful adaptation of Fleming's novel since 1969's ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE.

It is worth adding that both Henry Cavill and Pierce Brosnan are the same height and that Cavill looks like a younger version of Brosnan?





James Bond Producers Lose Clive Owen Over Contract Points

September 30, 2005 – Movies Online

According to a report by entertainment trade Variety correspondent Michael Fleming, producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson lost the chance to have Academy Award-nominated actor Clive Owen (41) assume the title role in the James Bond film empire when they refused to include gross profit points for the actor’s contract. Gross profit point sharing is a common consideration given to marquee actors.

As a result of the snub, the producers not only find themselves without a leading man with production on the next James Bond film "Casino Royale" scheduled to begin in January, but their Bond heir-apparent Owen has added insult to injury by agreeing to parody the 007 James Bond character by playing a spoof version named 006 in the comedy remake "The Pink Panther" starring Steve Martin as bumbling Inspector Clouseau.

Director Martin Campbell and scribe Paul Haggis (rewriting a script by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade based on an Ian Fleming novel) have stated a desire to cast a younger actor in the 28-year old range as Bond and take the series back its roots.

Sam Worthington (29), Rikki Lee Travolta (30), and Henry Cavill (22) are the actors under consideration in the younger age range Campbell and Haggis state they desire.

Daniel Craig (37), Julian McMahon (37), and Goran Visnjic (33) are also under consideration, with Craig being the reported favorite of Broccoli but not finding favor with Wilson or Campbell.

Pierce Brosnan (52) who last appeared as James Bond in the video game "Everything or Nothing" in 2004 and on film in "Die Another Day" in 2002, has suggested the producers are using the casting stalemate as a publicity stunt to generate interest in the movie, but has simultaneously indicated he would now be willing to return to the franchise for another appearance. Previously Brosnan suggested he would not be interested in revisiting the Bond character.

Perhaps George Lazenby would be interested in playing the part again?





Stunts Suggest Pierce Brosnan Back As James Bond In "Casino Royale"

October 4, 2005 – by David Easton for MoviesVine

Eon Productions and Sony Pictures Entertainment are keeping silent on the casting of who will play secret agent James Bond in the upcoming film "Casino Royale" but recent maneuvers behind the scenes suggest 52-year old Pierce Brosnan could be set for a return for a fifth appearance as the 007 character.

It has been announced that stuntman Gary Powell has been signed for "Casino Royale." Powell is Brosnan's longtime personal stunt double, standing in for the actor in Bond and non-Bond projects. Because they must be able to physically pass for the performer in action sequences, rarely is the stunt double for a leading character signed prior to knowing whose distinct characteristics they must match.

Interesting revelation.





Martin Campbell Speaks Out

October 6, 2005 – My Movies

Film director Martin Campbell was asked if there was any truth in the claims that the next Bond would be named within 10 days. "The truth of the matter is that I‘ve tested quite a lot of actors, we test them and we run some scenes. I tested some more about ten days ago and there‘s nobody in the front running," Campbell confirmed. "Will we decide in ten days? Maybe, maybe not, but the key is to get the right person."

And the second issue that‘s been burning a hole in our brains is screenwriter Paul Haggis‘s claim that we‘ll see a much younger, gadget –free 007 in the film. "There are certainly no gadgets because there aren‘t in the book and it‘ll be more realistic, more gritty," Martin told us, explaining "It‘ll be "Bond" warts and all in the sense that he‘s just got his double O stripes, and by the end of this he‘ll become the 007 we all know and love. In reality he should be about 28, 30."

It's truly amazing that so many journalist have asked the same question to Mr. Campbell at the same press conference, and yet get different answers.





The Next OO7 . . .

October 6, 2005 – Sky News

The wait is nearly over. The buzz is that we'll soon know exactly who will be the next 007 - and we bring you some likely candidates. So, if the speculation that Pierce Brosnan has really hung up his tux and parked the Aston Martin is true, who is most likely to get their hands on his gadgets?

Early speculation centred around the likes of Brit actors Clive Owen and Jude Law, while hotly tipped contenders now include Hugh Jackman, Daniel Craig and Dougray Scott. But then again, it seems like anyone with a publicist has entered the fray... with a few surprising suggestions along the way.

And Pierce is not out of the race, either.

He may be smarting from comments that he's getting a little too 'mature' to play Britain's top spy, but the bookies still seem to be giving him a fair backing.

What do you think? Is there someone you think is the natural choice for the 21st Bond production, a remake of Casino Royale?

Email Sky News at showbizeditor@bskyb.com and share your thoughts. And if you're stuck for ideas, have a browse through Sky News picture gallery for some serious, and not so serious, inspiration.

To quote Willy Wonka - "The suspense is terrible, I hope it lasts."





Battle Royale

October 8, 2005 – by G. Allen Johnson for The San Francisco Chronicle

“Casino Royale,” the new James Bond film, is three months away from commencing filming, and after months of wrangling, producers still haven’t found an actor to slip into 007’s shoulder holster. But the man who was fired from the role, Pierce Brosnan, said Friday that producers could solve their $150 million problem simply by picking up the phone.

“They know where to find me,” Brosnan said. “Would I go back if they asked me back? Sure I’d go back.”

In an exclusive interview with The Chronicle, Brosnan, who has made no secret of the anger he felt at producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli for being dumped after starring in four successful films that revitalized the Bond franchise, now says he is ready to put bad feelings aside to go on one more mission.

“No question; it’s unfinished business,” said Brosnan, who was in Mill Valley to introduce “The Matador,” which opened the Mill Valley Film Festival. “It feels that way.”

The 52-year-old Brosnan, who assumed the role in 1995’s “GoldenEye,” the first Bond film after a six-year hiatus, and appeared in the last entry, “Die Another Day” (2002), was dropped from the role in the summer of 2004 by Wilson and Broccoli, who reportedly wanted to attract a younger audience with a more youthful Bond.

“They just changed their minds; they had a different take on it one day,” Brosnan said. “I was invited back to do the fifth and I was very happy. … And the phone just (rang) one day and negotiations stopped. To this day I’m not sure why.

“I was terribly upset. It was a real body blow. I thought I’d made some good inroads with the character and felt a sense of ownership after having played him four times, it was a sense of ease and confidence. I was looking forward to making it edgier and grittier — and for all of that to go down in one phone call was highly disappointing.”

But as the months progressed, two things happened. First, Clive Owen, thought to be the first choice to succeed Brosnan, flatly turned down the role. Currently, “Layer Cake” star Daniel Craig and “Fantastic Four” villain Julian McMahon are currently thought to be the frontrunners; many others have tested.

Second, MGM has been taken over by Sony. Amy Pascal, chair of Sony Pictures, has convened two “007 summits,” according to the British newspaper Sunday Times. The Bond franchise is the studio’s most profitable commodity, and at a time of corporate and box-office uncertainty, rumors persist that the studio would prefer a proven winner in the role. Brosnan’s four films have grossed a combined $1.45 billion worldwide.

Brosnan thinks the producers and Sony might have painted themselves into a corner. But after his very public sacking, how could he go back? The answer, it seems, is a friendship that goes back a quarter of a century. Brosnan first met the Broccoli family in 1980, when his first wife, the late Cassandra Harris, was a Bond girl in “For Your Eyes Only.” He was thought to be the heir apparent to Roger Moore in the late ’80s, but his NBC contract with the series “Remington Steele” precluded the move; Timothy Dalton assumed the role for two financially disappointing films before the series took a hiatus.

When MGM and original Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli restarted the series in 1995, Brosnan was ready. Broccoli died in 1996, and his stepson, Wilson, and daughter Barbara assumed stewardship of the series.

“Michael and Barbara, our families have known each other for many, many years — it’s very hard to talk about their feelings or why they had a crisis of confidence in doing a fifth,” Brosnan said. “There have been preposterous ideas that I was asking for $40 million and $30 million, which is not true. There was certainly a salary there that was not out of the ballpark, that other men and women have received for the same (type of film).”

Brosnan begins shooting “Seraphim Falls,” a Civil War film with co-star Liam Neeson, next week, and has a full slate scheduled for 2006, including a sequel to his most successful non-Bond film, “The Thomas Crown Affair.” However, Brosnan said he’d clear his schedule for “Casino Royale,” in which he would be reunited with “GoldenEye” director Martin Campbell.

“Everything’s movable and doable,” Brosnan said. “Nothing’s set in stone.”

It's not over until the Fat Lady sings.





Daniel Craig IS NOT James Bond

October 11, 2005 – by Stuart Basinger

Waking up to more news from tabloid outlets across the globe that 37 year old actor Daniel (Layer Cake) Craig has been crowned the new James Bond, I had to ask myself one question - "Does he look like the man I would love to be?"



Seriously folks, Craig may be a talented actor but he does not share that charisma that embodied Sean Connery or Roger Moore. He certainly does not share the good looks that Pierce Brosnan or even George Lazenby had when they bedded the females. In fact, he looks more like a villain than a real hero.

The other question can only be asked to the non-male population and that is - "Would every female go to bed with him?" That question has been floating around the hemisphere since the Connery days.

My guess on both questions is a very loud and vocal NO!

Oh, sure there may be a few who may find Craig handsome but some of those same people have been pushing for Jessica Simpson to be the Bond girl. A thought that has made me ill just writing about it.

If I were a gambling man, I would gamble that Craig is NOT going to play James Bond. I would like to feel that the producers know what the audience wants in their leading man, but then again the producers chose Denise Richards to play a nuclear scientist in 1999's Bond bore THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH and that was a disaster.

Perhaps this is the end of the franchise?





Ian Fleming Movie

October 13, 2005 – Reuters

The colorful life of Ian Fleming, the British author who created secret agent James Bond modeling 007 in part on himself, may soon become a movie. Warner Bros. has agreed to back the film from a screenplay by writer Damian Stevenson and produced by Andrew Lazar, a spokesman for Stevenson said on Wednesday, confirming a report in show business newspaper Daily Variety.

The deal comes as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Sony Pictures Entertainment prepare for the 21st Bond movie, "Casino Royale," which is expected to begin production in January, although a new actor to succeed the incumbent Bond, Pierce Brosnan, has yet to be announced.

The planned film from Stevenson and Lazar covers Fleming's life, which may be as intriguing as Bond's. His story has been made at least once before in a TV movie called "The Secret Life of Ian Fleming," starring Jason Connery, the son of former Bond actor Sean Connery, as Fleming.

Fleming, born into a wealthy Scottish family, was a journalist for Reuters early in his career and reported from the Soviet Union. He also served as a banker and newspaper executive for a time. He joined British naval intelligence during World War Two, and that experience, coupled with his love of good food, wine and women, led to the creation of Bond.

Fleming's first Bond novel, "Casino Royale," was published in 1953, and 13 other titles followed, including "Live and Let Die," "From Russia with Love" and "Goldfinger." In the early 1960s, Fleming sold the movie rights to producers Albert "Cubby" Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, and the first Bond movie, "Dr. No," hit screens in 1962. Fleming died of a heart attack in 1964 at the age of 56.

Hey, maybe Daniel Craig is going to play the part of Ian Fleming?





Friday the 14th is BOND day

October 13, 2005 – by Stuart Basinger

The day all Bond fans have been waiting for is upon us. Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson will reveal to the world Friday morning the newest actor to portray Ian Fleming's famous spy - James Bond OO7. Speculation is high around the globe, as countless news agencies have pointed the fickle finger of fate at actor Daniel Craig. Earlier this week the British tabloid newspaper The Daily Mail 'jumped the gun' with their claim that Craig was the choice.

Of course if you were to believe the media hype then there is no reason to tune in tomorrow morning for this presser. After all, the world press has in the past successfully picked Richard Burton, Burt Reynolds, James Brolin, and Finley Light after Sean Connery, George Lazenby, and Roger Moore were dismissed from her majesty's secret service.

I for one do not believe that actor Daniel Craig is the next James Bond. In fact, Eon Productions has done in the past an exceptionally good job of keeping the lid tightly shut on their announcements, right up to the minute. In 1968, Lazenby was sent out of the country before his announcement. He hid out in a hotel and almost blew it when a journalist spotted him. He escaped out the back door. Roger Moore was not a big surprise when he became OO7 in the summer of 1972, but many thought Sean Connery was doing one more. And Pierce Brosnan was the people's choice in 1986, only to lose the part because of a contractual agreement with the producers of Remington Steele. When Timothy Dalton became OO7, the world was not impressed.

I will not pretend to know who the next actor will be, but I will offer a guess - Dougray Scott. He is Scottish, dark, handsome and with a hint of cruelty. He would be closer to Sean Connery than any other potential hopeful. He was recently spotted arriving at Heathrow Airport during the last week and has been off the media's radar. I would welcome him as the new OO7, but most likely I will be eating crow by late Friday afternoon when Daniel Craig is seen drinking from a martini glass and saying that famous introduction line.

C'est la vie.





Forging New Bond

October 13, 2005 – by Jim Holt for Canadian Press

Bond. James, rougher, darker, grittier Bond. That's the promise Oscar-nominated Canadian screenwriter Paul Haggis made when he signed on to revamp the super-spy character in the next James Bond film, Casino Royale. Reached at his hotel room in New York where he's directing the pilot of an NBC TV crime series, Haggis said he's excited about sculpting the iconic secret agent into a much darker Bond.

"We're trying to do for Bond what Batman Begins did for Batman," he said, referring to the feature film prequel released this past summer that explained Batman's metamorphosis.

James Bond stepped out of the 1962 film Dr. No to become an icon, spawning more than 20 signature movies and countless imitations. Now it appears it's time for a facelift.

"They had a very good script, by the writers who did the last two Bond films," Haggis said about the people who produce the Bond movies. "But they wanted someone to tweak the character a bit. They brought it to me. I did a rewrite on it -- to try and reinvigorate the character."

Haggis, a native of London, Ont., who lives in Santa Monica, Calif., spent years as a successful TV writer, winning awards for writing Due South and Thirtysomething, before making the leap to feature films. Since being nominated for writing the Oscar-winning movie Million Dollar Baby for Clint Eastwood, Haggis has become one of the most sought-after writer/directors. Haggis says he'll bring James Bond back to his roots with a script based on Ian Fleming's 1953 novel.

"Casino Royale is about when Bond becomes Bond -- his first assignment and how he becomes that character we all know," Haggis said. "We want to start all over with a new Bond and a new take on the series -- much more emotionally based and less involved with bells and whistles and tricks. He added, "I don't like to be pigeon-holed. So I like to take on projects that I can fail at and I haven't done before. It keeps me on edge. And, if I think I'm on edge and unsure of what I'm doing I tend to do good work. If I get comfortable, I tend to do bad work."

Hard to believe that the writers from the last two Bond films had a really good script. Both THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH and DIE ANOTHER DAY lacked in the script department. Perhaps Mr. Haggis is just being polite.





Bond Franchise Is Shaken and Stirred

October 14, 2005 – by Sharon Waxman for The New York Times

The new James Bond is blond. Rough trade, with a pale, flattened face and large, fleshy ears. Accent: well, it ain't Oxbridge. By the time Daniel Craig came churning up the Thames in a power boat for Friday's official announcement in London that he had been cast as Agent 007, much of the world was already in the know. The mystery in the selection of this 37-year-old actor, who had cleaned up nicely in a blue suit and red tie, was why it had taken so long.

The extravagance of the media event belied many months of maneuvering and worry, in which the longtime guardian of the Bond franchise, Barbara Broccoli, and the brand-new distributor of Bond movies, Sony's Columbia Pictures, struggled to settle on a leading actor who could make the series younger, darker and more hip. The search took close to 2 years and considered some 200 actors on 3 continents.

"I was desperately afraid, and Barbara was desperately afraid, we would go downhill," said Michael G. Wilson, the producer of the new Bond film, "Casino Royale," with Ms. Broccoli. He even told that to Pierce Brosnan, the suave James Bond who had a successful run of four films, he said.

"We are running out of energy, mental energy," Mr. Wilson recalled saying. "We need to generate something new, for ourselves."

Like much in Hollywood today, the choice of Mr. Craig came about partly because of a shift in the leisure habits of young men, who used to be the most avid moviegoing audience but have been migrating to other interests. In the late 1990's, market research showed Bond movies to have the oldest demographic of any action-adventure series. Lately, however, the booming success of Bond video games has driven a younger audience to the movies, Mr. Wilson said - which Sony and the producers do not want to disappoint.

Hence the decision to move on from Mr. Brosnan toward a rangy, kinetic actor like Mr. Craig, who played a cocaine dealer in this year's indie crime thriller "Layer Cake" and the creepy son of Paul Newman, Irish crime boss, in "Road to Perdition" in 2002.

The director of "Casino Royale," Martin Campbell, promised at the news conference that it would have "more character, less gadgets" than other Bond films.

But will audiences embrace a rougher-hewn Bond? Mr. Craig becomes the sixth actor to take on the role since 1962, after Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Mr. Brosnan. Brosnan, 52, has been one of the more successful incarnations of the spy, starring in recent hit films, including "Die Another Day," which took in $431 million at the box office worldwide. News reports said Mr. Brosnan priced himself out of a sequel when he demanded a hefty raise to about $40 million to do the next film, which would have included a percentage of the box-office revenue.

Mr. Brosnan continued to lobby publicly for the role, and as recently as a week ago told The San Francisco Chronicle he was still available. But Mr. Wilson said the decision did not have to do with money. "If we wanted to make a deal, we would've made a deal with Pierce at some financially viable level," he said. "This was about us trying to find new inspiration for the series."

Other impediments slowed down matters, primarily the sale of MGM, which had produced and distributed all the Broccoli-produced Bond movies, to a consortium of investors led by Sony. The film, initially scheduled for release in November of this year, was postponed with the sale. Casting, which had already been going on in London, then had to be re-examined when MGM came under the aegis of Sony's Columbia Pictures and the Sony motion picture group's chief executive, Amy Pascal.

According to several executives involved in the project, Ms. Broccoli had already settled on Mr. Craig by April. But by the summer, Ms. Pascal wanted to begin a more exhaustive search that would include other, younger actors. Eventually, some 200 actors from throughout the British Commonwealth came up for discussion, Mr. Wilson said.

They included well-known faces, among them Colin Farrell, Orlando Bloom and Clive Owen. And they included many unknowns. Those who rated screen tests included the British actor Henry Cavill, the Australians Alex O'Lachlan and Sam Worthington, and the Croatian-born Goran Visnjic.

It was only after all these ruminations that the producers and Sony finally settled on Mr. Craig. "I think that he has a kind of intensity, and a sexuality, and a roguishness," Ms. Pascal said. "And he seems like he could be a spy."

For both Ms. Broccoli and Sony, executives said, the model was Jason Bourne, the character Matt Damon successfully incarnated in two gritty spy movies for Universal Pictures, "The Bourne Identity" and "The Bourne Supremacy."

But the producers and Sony are well aware that they are tinkering with one of Hollywood's most lucrative franchises, one that has generated an estimated $4 billion in ticket sales over more than four decades. It is MGM's most important film property and a legacy carefully guarded by Ms. Broccoli, whose father, Albert R. Broccoli, initiated the movie series, based on the books by Ian Fleming, in 1962 with "Dr. No."

"Casino Royale" - also the subject of a spoof Bond movie in 1967 - was the very first Bond novel. Ms. Broccoli gained the rights to it in 2001 in the wake of a legal battle.

Bond fans quickly reminded the producers on Friday just how risky their decision to shift direction might be, and that "dark" and "hip" were far from what they imagined as the shaken-not-stirred polish of the James Bond character.

Moments after the announcement, one fan wrote on the Web site Absolutely James Bond (www.ajb007.com): "My god, don't the producers have any brains? Craig is not Bond material. Bond must be tall, dark and handsome. Or at least two of the three, and he isn't even one!"

Ms. Pascal said fans would have to wait to see the movie before judging Mr. Craig. As for the online criticism, she observed: "Well, he is tall. He's the same size as Sean Connery."

I thought Sean Connery was 6'2"?





Daniel Craig Bags Bond

October 14, 2005 – by Stuart Basinger

Well, it's official. Pierce Brosnan is out and Daniel Craig is the 6th actor to portray Ian Fleming's famous spy - James Bond OO7.



I for one am totally surprised with the choice but I must say that Mr. Craig handled himself with grace and self-deprecating humor as he answered many questions from the world press. Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli were there to present Craig to the media.



"Daniel was the only actor we offered the film to." said Wilson while his half-sister and co-producer Barbara Broccoli sat next to him. "There's been some speculation that we offered other people, but that's not accurate"

Craig, and director Martin Campbell also sat quietly at a table overlooking a small army of reporters. "James Bond is a legendary womanizer." said one reporter. "Who would be your idea Bond girl, Kate Moss or Sienna Miller?" A reference to the two women Craig has been romantically linked to.

Craig with a smug look and shaking his head saying, "I'm not going to get into that." Craig went onto talking about CASINO ROYALE and what he hopes to accomplish. "Together, with Martin, I want to make the best film we can. The most entertaining film we can. And it's not a question of redefining, but it's a question of taking it somewhere maybe where it's never gone before."

Martin Campbell broke in by saying, "If you think about Bond where he ends up now where his view of women, his killing instinct and everything else to arrive at that point. I think you have had to gone through a fairly tough kind of arc. The arc we are talking about is what CASINO ROYALE is about."



One reporter asked if Craig wanted to make his own mark on the series. "Oh yeah, obviously." said Craig.

One female reporter asked what intimidates Craig the most playing OO7? Taking a deep breath, Craig said, "Just about everything. We've got an incredible script, that's my first line of attack. And once I read that I had to go for it." Another female reporter asked if he practiced the famous 'Bond, James Bond' line in the mirror. "Honestly," said Craig, "No". But later said he was very drunk if he did.

I'm not too sure how Daniel Craig will do in the part. I for one will eat crow for saying I did not believe that he was going to be the new OO7.





Daniel Craig: "Ask Me Again In Four Years"

October 18, 2005 – Associated Press

Here is a quick soundbite of Daniel Craig from the press conference. Just

click here.

Hopefully Craig's tenure will last longer than that.





COMMENTARY: Some Bond Fans Need To Chill Out

October 19, 2005 – by Stuart Basinger

For years, James Bond fans have complained to the filmmakers of the OO7 movie franchise that the films do not reflect the true character of Ian Fleming's famous spy. Throughout the 1970s, Roger Moore portrayed the incarnation. Moore, who had light brown to almost blonde hair, would go on to star in 7 adventures based on the lesser known Fleming novels and short stories. The plotlines of these stories were outdated and needed to be rewritten or completely disregarded for larger-than-life adaptations. Of all of Moore's films, Moonraker was the only Fleming novel that could have been done faithfully. Instead, the film version mimics the Star Wars space opera scenario. The results, a flamboyant action film that just so happens to have a character named Bond. But not the James Bond of the novels.

Moonraker was made over 25 years ago and the producers of the series have since given the world 9 more OO7 adventures. During that time there have been three actors in the coveted role. Each actor has given their own interpretation of the role and each actor has had some success with one film or another. Yet, fans of the series continue to complain that the films are too silly, too outdated, or too commercialized. Truthfully, they are right.

The current producers of the series, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, obviously have listened to the fans. Not only have they gone out of their way to acquire the film rights to Fleming's first novel, CASINO ROYALE (the rights were sold to producers Gregory Ratoff and Charles K. Feldman long before Eon Productions had a chance to purchase it), they plan to keep the second half of the novel intact for the film.

Anyone who has read the novel will remember the rug beater torture scene where Bond's manhood is beaten to a pulp and later the letter 'S' is carved onto the back of his hand by a Russian spy. And the sexual relationship between him and Bond girl Vesper Lynd is not even close to what we now call a 'chick flick'.

The above description would best be characterized as a 'pulp fiction' novel and you would think the fans would be excited that, after two failed adaptations of the book, they are finally going to see CASINO ROYALE done right. Wrong! Fans of the series are split unevenly over the casting of actor and the latest OO7, Daniel Craig. Complaints have been from anything like 'he's too blonde' to comments like 'he's too ugly.' In fact, I even wrote here, at this website, that Craig would make a better villain than OO7. But after the press conference and seeing Daniel Craig speaking about the role, I can now only hope that he will end up being the 'comeback kid'. Who will prove to all of the negative critics that his interpretation is the closest to Fleming's version than anyone before him.

I do not care if he is blonde, brunette or redhead. Besides, many of the characters from the novels were far different than their film counterparts. Take for example Honey Ryder from DR. NO. She was blonde and beautiful but had a broken nose. Ursula Andress did not have that attribute. The many actors who have portrayed CIA agent Felix Leiter have been anywhere from young to old, from thin to heavy. Only two of them come close to the Texas born friend. Three different actors have played cat stroking and chief SPECTRE leader Ernst Stavro Blofeld and yet not one of them looks like the one Fleming wrote. Actress Claudine Auger, who played Domino in THUNDERBALL was brunette, yet the character in the novel is blonde. As well as Tracy in the novel ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE and Tiffany Case in DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER. Pussy Galore in GOLDFINGER and Tatiana Romanova in FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE were brunettes, yet the actresses who portrayed them were blonde. Still, not one film going fan criticized the producers about these actors the same way Daniel Craig has been chastised.

I do not care if he is not as handsome as Pierce Brosnan, Roger Moore or Sean Connery. In fact, Craig's facial features are closer to Ian Fleming's description as mentioned by Vesper Lynd in the novel CASINO ROYALE as being of a young Hoagy Carmichael but with a hint of coldness and cruelty. Daniel Craig, as he appeared before the press, had that look. Even his steel blue eyes have a killer's instinct. He is very believable as a paid government assassin.

Keep in mind, Bond is not the kind of person one would like to spend a long holiday sunbathing on the Riviera. Bond is not the kind of person who would sleep with the girl-next-door (although I am sure he would if given the chance). The typical people Bond mingles with are ruthless themselves and it takes an actor, such as Craig, to convey that cold personality if the producers plan to reinvent the series to be closer to Fleming's novels.

It will be another year before CASINO ROYALE rolls into our neighborhood theaters and with the impressive list of talented people working to bring us this film, I am convinced that the best is yet to come. Welcome Mr. Craig to the best roller coaster ride of your career. I for one will support you.

Ditto.





Can Daniel Craig Bring Bond Back?

October 23, 2005 – by Alex Massie for National Review Online

"The scent and smoke of a casino are nauseating at three in the morning." With that sentence, the legend of James Bond was born 53 years ago in Casino Royale. Kingsley Amis — himself the author of a not-bad-at-all Bond book, Colonel Sun — might be one of the few to consider Ian Fleming a great writer, but it can safely be said that Fleming did more with 007 than the filmmakers who made James Bond an iconic character across the planet, before doing their best to turn him into an international laughing stock worthy only of parody.

The appointment, or anointment, of the English actor Daniel Craig as the new 007 offers hope that Bond might return to his roots. Pierce Brosnan was always a little too smooth for the job (not helped by the producers' feeble insistence that he give up smoking and drastically cut back his liquor consumption). Craig has a pleasing hint of menace in his face that augurs well. Being relatively unknown helps too; audiences can come to him as Bond and buy into the character immediately.

The most interesting moment of Brosnan's tenure was the sequence in North Korea at the opening of Die Another Day in which Bond is taken prisoner and subsequently tortured by his captors. That hinted at a darker, more interesting Bond — a promise that remained frustratingly unfulfilled as the movie degenerated into silliness, even by the franchise's lofty standards, earning Die Another Day a prominent place on the too-long-by-far list of worst Bond movies ever made.

That should serve as a warning: The new Bond film's producers' talk of more character and fewer gadgets will not necessarily count for anything. The sad truth is that, with a couple of exceptions, the Bond movies have flattered their fans as a prelude to letting them down, slipping too quickly from mindless entertainment into moronic pandering to the lowest imaginable common denominator. A charitable estimate might be that only half a dozen of the 21 movies are really worth watching.

The formula desperately needs to return to the spirit of Fleming's books, not so that Bond can be "relevant" (a dreadful word and concept in itself) but simply so he is at least somewhat plausible. I'm not sure if it is reassuring or not that Paul Haggis, writer of the shockingly overrated Milion Dollar Baby, has been brought in to doctor the script for Casino Royale. But his hiring at least demonstrates that the movie's producers are taking their responsibilities more seriously than they have in the past.

Although the memorable villains — Rosa Kleb, Goldfinger, Dr. No, and Blofeld — are vital to Fleming's success, there is material to work with in terms of Bond too. Fleming relished his descriptions of Bond as "cruel," and the character's sadistic streak has only fleetingly been glimpsed on screen. In most of the movies you could be forgiven for forgetting that he's a killer.

Bond is a certain type of conservative hero. Not because he enjoys fine things (the problem with caviar and toast is making sure there is a sufficient supply, not of caviar, but of toast), nor on account of his private-school education and double first in Oriental Languages at Cambridge, but because he would have been repelled by today's emotion-fuelled confessional culture. Histrionics are for villains and foreigners of dubious provenance. Though he chafes at bureaucracy and suffers few fools gladly, and is frequently on the brink of resigning from the service, duty always brings him back to the fray. He is, after all, a lapsed Presbyterian (courtesy of his Scottish ancestors).

He is a loner, easily bored when not working (like Fleming too). His one true love, Tracy, is murdered at the end of On Her Majesty's Secret Service, never to be replaced, and alongside the ice in his heart rests a thick streak of melancholy. In Diamonds Are Forever he muses that "Before a man's 40, girls cost nothing. After that you have to pay money, or tell a story. Of the two, it's the story that hurts most." Decline weighs heavily upon him.

There is, then, plenty of room for character to replace cardboard. That's just as well because very little actually happens in Casino Royale. Bond plays a lot of Baccarat, is double-crossed by his assistant Vesper Lynd, gets tortured and does not even execute the villain, Le Chiffre. There's not too much glamor in Casino Royale, merely the messy, often squalid business of Her Majesty's secret service.

We will know if the Bond reinvention is for real if the producers include Bond's cold judgment on Miss Lynd: "The bitch is dead now."

Casino Royale also offers the chance for a fresh start because it features the most famous example of Fleming's sadomasochism as Bond's genitals are soundly thrashed by a carpet beater. Featuring that realistically will be another declaration of intent that we are in a new, more interesting Bond era.

Refreshing Bond should not be an impossible undertaking. Fleming referred to the books as "fairy tales for grown-ups," but in one significant respect they are prescient visions of a dystopic world plagued by the menace of rogue lunatics and organized crime syndicates.

As Christopher Hitchens argues in his introduction to the Penguin classics edition of From Russia With Love, ''By some latent intuition, Fleming was able to peer beyond the Cold War limitations of mere spy fiction and to anticipate the emerging milieu of the Colombian cartels, Osama bin Laden and, indeed, the Russian mafia, as well as the nightmarish idea that some fanatical freelance megalomaniac would eventually collar some weapons-grade plutonium.''

Spies are in vogue again too. Human intelligence is back; relying solely on technology is out. Toughening up Bond will let the films explore the uncertainties of a world that seems much more complicated and dangerous than it did a decade ago.

Fleming got something else right too. Bond is comfortable with American power — in stark contrast to the sneering attitude towards "the cousins" affected by John Le Carre's characters, many of whom resent Britain's eclipse. Bond, by contrast, offered the appearance of independence and emerged as a reassuring figure of British relevance in the years of imperial decline. He perpetuated Harold MacMillan's romantic, patronizing and deluded idea that Britain could play Greece to America's Rome. (JFK didn't buy this, but he did list From Russia With Love in his list of ten favorite novels.)

Even so, it is no coincidence that the stark realities of the new world order were spelt out in Casino Royale, in which Bond, not for the last time, needs to be baled out by the CIA as Felix Leiter provides the funds 007 requires to continue the mission just when disaster and ignominious failure seem to be his fate.

And the reason a casino is nauseating at 3 A.M.? It's then, Fleming writes, that "the soul-erosion produced by high-gambling — a compost of greed and fear and nervous tension — becomes unbearable and the senses awake and revolt from it." For some aficionados the wait for a new Bond has had a little of the same nervous tension, heightened by the realization that it's too absurd to care much about which actor gets to play the part of the world's most famous secret agent. But then diamonds aren't the only things that are forever: So is James Bond.

This is one of the better articles I have read in the past week.





From Russia With Love Goes from Development to Gold Master

October 23, 2005 – Daily Game

There are basically two people on Earth happy about the recent news that the next James Bond is blonde, so for the other umpteen-million of us, it's great to hear that Sean Connery is about to make his superspy return...in EA's latest videogame.



From Russia With Love, EA's multiplatform Bond game, has gone gold today, putting it on track to ship for PS2 and Xbox on November 1 and for the GameCube a couple of weeks later.

From Russia With Love is the first videogame appearance by Sir Sean Connery. As you'd probably guess from the name, it's based on the classic Bond film from 1963, but it does feature new plot twists, gadgets, weapons and characters.

I haven't felt this much excitement since 1983 when Sean Connery came back in Never Say Never Again.





Meet The New Bond - But Will He Be The Same As The Old Bond?

October 24, 2005 – by Sean P. Means for ON MOVIES

When Daniel Craig was born in 1968, Sean Connery had made five movies as James Bond 007 - and, one might argue, the franchise hasn't been as good since the days of "Goldfinger," "From Russia With Love" and "You Only Live Twice."

Last week Craig, a broodingly handsome and bloody good actor little known outside Britain, was announced as the new James Bond - starting with "Casino Royale," an adaptation of author Ian Fleming's first Bond novel, to hit theaters in November 2006.

And on Craig's burly shoulders will ride the fortunes of the Bond franchise, which after 20 films is looking shabby and shapeless. Craig has the acting chops, that's for sure. Check out some of his tough performances in the past couple of years:

In "Enduring Love," he played a man dealing with the unwanted attention of a disturbed Rhys Ifans.

In "The Mother," he played a drifter who seduces a 60ish grandmother.

In "Sylvia," he played the poet Ted Hughes, ill-equipped to deal with the success or the mental breakdown of his wife, Sylvia Plath (played by Gwyneth Paltrow).

And in this year's thriller "Layer Cake" - practically a 007 audition piece - he's riveting as a London drug dealer trying to get out of the game while he's still ahead, and still alive.

And no less an expert on acting talent than Steven Spielberg has cast Craig in "Munich," the upcoming drama about the Israeli agents who hunted down the Palestinian terrorists who murdered Israel's 1972 Olympic team.

"Casino Royale" director Martin Campbell, who made Pierce Brosnan's first Bond movie, "GoldenEye," told reporters at last week's announcement that the new movie will take Bond back to the beginning.

"It is really the arc in which he becomes Bond," Campbell said, according to an Associated Press report. "He starts out just having earned his double-0 stripes and comes out at the end the Bond we know and love. . . . A lot of the embryonic Bond things will come out in the film - how he gets the Aston Martin, how he mixes a martini."

Unfortunately, though, it's going to take more than a new driver to get the Aston Martin moving again. It may take an overhaul. The current producers of the Bond series are Barbara Broccoli (who has been working on Bond movies since "The Living Daylights" in 1987) and Michael G. Wilson (who's been around since "Moonraker" in 1979). They are the daughter and stepson of Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli, who partnered with Harry Saltzman to make the first Bond film, "Dr. No" in 1962, and oversaw the franchise through "Licensed to Kill" in 1989. (Cubby Broccoli died in 1996.)

In the last decade, there have been four Bond movies - "GoldenEye," "Tomorrow Never Dies," "The World Is Not Enough" and "Die Another Day" - each starring Brosnan, and each hewing closely to an action-movie formula that has scarcely changed since Connery's heyday. The men directing them were able professionals (respectively, Campbell, Roger Spottiswoode, Michael Apted and Lee Tamahori) but not auteurs with enough clout to challenge the Broccolis. Reportedly, Quentin Tarantino offered to direct "Casino Royale," but the Broccolis wouldn't meet with him.

When I interviewed Apted in 2001 at the Sundance Film Festival, he said one of the main advantages of doing a Bond movie was that it "gave me a bit more muscle" to get his pet project, the World War II spy drama "Enigma," made.)

The script for "Casino Royale" is being written by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, the same team who wrote the last two Bond movies, "The World Is Not Enough" and "Die Another Day" - movies widely regarded as inferior knockoffs of the earlier, better Bond outings. Not that the Bond films are noted for brilliant screenwriting (though "You Only Live Twice" was adapted by author Roald Dahl), but can you imagine what Joss Whedon ("Serenity") or J.J. Abrams ("Lost") could do with 007?

If the Bond franchise is to last much longer, the filmmakers need a radical rethink. Make "Casino Royale" a fresh start, the way "Batman Begins" revitalized the Caped Crusader, with realistic grit and strong characters. Otherwise Craig will be, like Brosnan, a figurehead going down with a sinking ship.

I haven't seen so much pressure placed on one actor for this role since George Lazenby, and he could care less at the time.





The Moore - The Merrier

October 27, 2005 – by Scott Renshaw for The Salt Lake City Weekly

Martin Campbell—director of the 1998 The Mask of Zorro and its new sequel The Legend of Zorro—has been signed to direct next year’s James Bond film Casino Royale with freshly annointed 007 Daniel Craig. They’ve promised a darker, edgier Bond. The Legend of Zorro forces me to ask, “Why?”

I know it’s considered some sort of cinephile blasphemy—like loathing the narcotic naturalism of Iranian films—but for me, the defining Bond flicks have always been the 1970s Roger Moore efforts. Yes, fine, Moore’s Bond wasn’t anything like Ian Fleming’s character, and his facial expressions ranged from amusement to bemusement. Still, the Bond films I grew up with put a premium on robust, preposterous entertainment. They defied physics, history and probably several other academic subjects as well, but they were adventures played with heroic gusto.

Campbell has figured out that formula in The Legend of Zorro, resulting in a film that’s more like the Moore Bond films than anything that followed, including Campbell’s own previous Bond project GoldenEye. Ten years have passed since the events in the previous Zorro, landing us during the build-up towards California statehood. Alejandro de la Vega (Antonio Banderas) is still donning the mask and cape to defend the common people, which proves more than slightly frustrating to his wife Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones). She wants Alejandro to retire from his dangerous life while his identity is still secret and help her raise their son Joaquin (Adrian Alonso); Alejandro isn’t quite ready to hang up his sword.

Thus begins a domestic battle that dominates most of the film’s interpersonal dynamics. Elena divorces Alejandro and begins spending time with Armand (Rufus Sewell), a recently arrived French count who must be up to no good because … well, he’s French. Alejandro tries to deal with Joaquin’s feelings of resentment as the young lad—who, naturally, idolizes the Zorro he has no idea is his own dad—acts out in school. Even caped crusaders can, it seems, have dysfunctional home lives.

The Battling Bickersons relationship between Banderas and Zeta-Jones gets a bit wearying—and young Alonso’s cutesy-faced 19th-century Dennis the Menace routine even more so—but there’s also a whole lot of fun. Let loose from dealing with the lengthy back-story that bogged down The Mask of Zorro, Campbell launches right into the swashbuckling and plenty of opportunities for Banderas to look suave and dashing. And aside from a couple of shootings, it’s a decidedly PG-rated brand of swashbuckling, a rousing brand of derring-do reminiscent of Richard Lester’s Musketeers films.

It’s also swashbuckling with an emphasis on the bigger-than-life and gleefully unreal. This Zorro is never content to take a simple step when a backflip could be thrown in for spice; his horse Tornado comically bugs his eyes when imminent danger appears. It’s a groove you’re either going to roll with or snicker at derisively: The action borders on the absurd, then crosses that border, then tramples over the border like an invading army.

That, however, is what you’d expect from 1970s James Bond, and every beat of The Legend of Zorro feels cribbed from that blueprint. Campbell’s opening sequence kicks into high gear out of the gate like Bond’s traditional pre-credits chase. The main villain gets a distinctively grotesque henchman—here a self-styled zealot with a cross burned into his face (Nick Chinlund)—who exists primarily for a satisfying moment before the hero faces off with the main villain. And that main villain doesn’t just plot for anything as mundane as a bank heist. His goal is—say it with me now—World Domination, complete with a doomsday weapon and a lair that, for no good reason, includes a logo for his villainy.

Silly? Absolutely. But it works when a filmmaker commits to this kind of action model, keeps up an energetic pace, and casts performers who don’t take anything too seriously—though admittedly, with Sewell’s version of a French accent, it would be hard to take it too seriously. The Legend of Zorro takes me back to the way I remember popcorn movies—big without being bombastic, goofy without being stupid. It’d be swell if Martin Campbell remembered—before taking that edgy, dark 007 angle—that sometimes Moore is more.

Roger Moore - you have been avenged!





The Daniel Craig Resume: Bond In A Station Wagon?

October 27, 2005 – by Carla Meyer for The Sacramento Bee

Upon the recent announcement that actor Daniel Craig would take over the James Bond role in the forthcoming Casino Royale, we scoured the 37-year-old British actor's previous films for clues as to why he was chosen. We found that while some of Craig's work jibed with the 007 spirit, much of it did not.

Sylvia (2003)

007: As poet Ted Hughes (Sylvia Plath's husband), the naturally blond Craig goes brunet and seductive.
00-No: Bond would never involve himself with a woman as complicated as Plath.

The Mother (2003)

007: His sexy carpenter character romances a mother and her daughter.
00-No: The mom's pushing 70.

Enduring Love (2004)

007: In this tale of romantic obsession, Craig foils a crime with a kiss -- a very Bond-like move.
00-No: The person he kisses is a guy.

Layer Cake (2004)

007: Craig's high-end drug dealer drives a sleek Audi...
00-No: ... wagon

Honestly, I think former U.S. Supreme Court justice nominee, Harriet Miers, had a better chance before her peers than Daniel Craig does among Bond fans.





Companion Of Honour For Judi Dench

October 27, 2005 – Associated Press

LONDON -- Oscar-winning actress Dame Judi Dench, who has played everybody from Queen Victoria to James Bond's boss, was made a Companion of Honor during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday. Dench, who was made a Dame of the British Empire in 1988, received her latest honour from the Queen. The honour recognizes service of national importance and is limited to a select group of 65 people at any one time.

Dench played Queen Victoria in Mrs. Brown, and the 007 boss, M, in several James Bond films. Other screen credits include: Tea with Mussolini, Chocolat, Iris and The Shipping News. She earned a best supporting actress Oscar for her role as Queen Elizabeth in the 1998 film Shakespeare in Love. Dench, 70, started her career playing leading roles in Shakespeare plays for England's Old Vic company and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

The question with many Bond fans is: will she continue to play 'M' in Casino Royale?





CASINO ROYALE Aims To Explain

October 27, 2005 – by Anthony Breznican for USA TODAY

The new James Bond film will see the superspy shaken from the world of cartoonish sci-fi action and stirred by a woman who changes him forever. Casino Royale, which begins filming in January with newly named Bond Daniel Craig, will be the first of the 007 movies to reveal the hero's origins, director Martin Campbell says.

"We're going toward a much more realistic Bond, much more From Russia with Love than we've had in the past," says Martin, who also directed 1995's GoldenEye with former Bond Pierce Brosnan.

Campbell's Legend of Zorro opens Friday, and he says he's ready to trade swords for spies. Casino Royale was first made in 1967 as a spoof of spy movies, with David Niven as Bond. Ian Fleming's first Bond novel, Casino Royale was set during the Cold War and focused on a gambler named Le Chiffre who tries to reclaim a fortune he lost for SMERSH, the Communist secret enforcement unit.

"He has to mount a card game in order to win the money back. Bond is sent in to make sure he doesn't win," Campbell says. The 2006 version of Casino Royale eliminates the Cold War setting.

Bond is teamed with female agent Vesper Lynd, who later helps him recover after he is brutally tortured.

"She's the one who forges him into the Bond that we all know and love," Campbell says. "He certainly falls in love with her, and it does change him forever. It's a genuinely deeper relationship. The film deals much more on a personal level with Bond."

The reason the hero treats subsequent love interests as one-night stands also will be revealed.

"He talks about how it's too boring to have a relationship," Campbell says. "You meet, and it's all exciting, then it starts to fade, and you go through the uncomfortable part of having to get rid of the girl, etc. It's a very interesting observation, given his sort of misogynistic views."

The film also will feature a lot of "embryonic stuff" about why Bond prefers his martini "shaken, not stirred," and why he favors the Aston Martin sports car. But there will be no gadget-master Q. The story is trying to avoid over-the-top weaponry. The production will move among the Bahamas, Prague, Italy and London, says Campbell, now going over action sequences with Million Dollar Baby screenwriter Paul Haggis.

Who will play Vesper?

Says Campbell: "We were so wrapped up getting Bond, that's what we have to do now."

She better be the most seductive Bond girl since Ursula walked onto Crab Key.





Sean Connery Is Back In Action

November 2, 2005 – by Steve Steinberg for GameSpy

Younger gamers might think that the king of espionage is Splinter Cell's Sam Fisher. Sure, he has the cool moves and the funky gadgets, but followers of the international intrigue scene know that James Bond was doing the whole super agent thing while Fisher was theoretically still in diapers and a tiny pair of night-vision goggles. And the true fans know who the real James Bond is. Nope, it's not Pierce Brosnan or the old and bloated Roger Moore. Sean Connery is James Bond. Electronic Arts throws gamers back in time to let them play as Connery's Bond in a highly stylized action romp that's a worthy follow-up to last year's Everything or Nothing.

In the pre-Splinter Cell days, gamers did all of their espionage work in the first-person -- the highlight being Rare's 1997 classic, GoldenEye. As subsequent games failed to reach the same heights, the folks at EA decided to go third-person with the franchise, and the result was the well-received Everything or Nothing. (Last winter, the company did release GoldenEye: Rogue Agent, though -- a miserable first-person shooter that was hopefully recognized as the "last nail in the coffin" that it was.) Playing in the third-person gave gamers a much better sense of what the character was about, adding a lot more action elements to the affair.

Unlike EoN, which invented a story specifically for the game, From Russia with Love follows the plot of the classic 1963 film. For the sake of gameplay, developer EA Redwood Shores threw in a few new scenes and characters, but the story is essentially the one that Hollywood came up with when adapting Ian Fleming's 1957 novel. Such artistic liberties are hardly uncommon; the recent Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 3: Night of the Quinkan strays greatly from Tolstoy's original manuscript.

The game improves in a bunch of ways over last year's release. The first thing that grabbed me was the opening. In EoN, the big bang of an intro had you retrieving an attaché case with a bomb in it. Cool, but hardly over the top. In From Russia with Love, you get sucked in quickly. The before-the-credits opening scene will have you zipping around in a jetpack, killing bad guys, blowing up stuff, and saving the girl. Now THAT'S a Bond opening.

The game also replicates the Bond experience with the sheer amount of stuff you'll have to do. The levels are huge and often involve more than one style of play. This isn't a game broken up into "driving levels," "stealth levels," "shoot out levels." In a typical level, you'll have your combat driving skills tested just as much as your sniping skills. It ups the ante in the tension department. Just when I thought I was finished with a level after doing some particularly hairy missile-firing from my vintage Aston Martin, I'm told I have to make my way through an enemy compound -- on foot -- to destroy a tank.

The game also improves on the ability to tweak and customize things. In addition to picking up the various weapons and ammo that's either lying around the environment or that's been dropped by your offed foes, you'll also be finding research points and other goodies. The research points can be spent on upgrading your weapons and gadgets -- allowing them to fire faster, hold more ammo, do more damage, etc. The other things you'll find will let you tweak the look of your character. And you know you're dealing with a Bond game when one of the first items you find is a white dinner jacket. I can't imagine Solid Snake skulking around under a cardboard box dressed in white formalwear, but Bond is about looking sharp.

Being able to fiddle with the arsenal and look of your agent is fun and definitely adds some replay value, but it makes the omission of online play that much more glaring. In EoN, I was able to go online and bang away with a universe of other Bonds (and hear plenty of really bad "shaken, not stirred" jokes). Here, I'm limited to split-screen multiplay that almost seems like an afterthought. There are no co-op mission modes, just a deathmatch and a team-based tiff. The official game site promises an "engrossing social multiplayer experience," but without online capability, that's a bit of an exaggeration.

While the play itself is tight and relatively intuitive, there are some things that'll annoy you. The thing is very linear. You'll find no shortage of locked doors and blocked streets. You'll also find the environments far too selectively interactive. You have a decent number of moves you can pull off, but too many are linked to the X button, which means the game -- and not you -- decides what happens onscreen. You'll want to vault over a table to rush an enemy, but instead you end up tipping it over. It takes a lot of your freedom away.

That said, the things that you can do -- and use -- are pretty nifty. A laser watch lets you blow stuff up through glass and the Q Copter -- a flying version of the Q Spider from EoN -- lets you remotely access otherwise off-limits areas. Your vehicles are also those befitting a super agent. Gone is the VW Jetta-looking Porsche Cayenne Turbo from EoN. In addition to the aforementioned Aston Martin and way cool jetpack, you'll also get to tool around in a very sweet luxury Rolls and a deco-looking speedboat.

Where the game really stands out -- at times -- is in its presentation. The game runs on a new engine that delivers a cleaner, less flat perspective. There were, however, some framerate issues. The slowdowns occurred only when the screen was full of action, but since these are generally the most important and tense parts of the game, the drop in graphics quality was very noticeable and kind of a drag. Multi-console owners might want to opt for the Xbox version of things. There, play was smooth no matter how much was going on. Framerate aside, you will like what you see. As a period piece, the game does an excellent job of capturing the look of the early Bond films -- from clothing to cars to the use of lighting. Soundwise, the game delivers as well. Connery can occasionally sound forced, but the majority of his lines -- including the obligatory "Bond…James Bond" -- sound legit.

While not without its problems, From Russia with Love picks up in many ways where Everything or Nothing left off and continues to help reestablish the Bond franchise. There are some minor gameplay issues, and the weak multiplay -- with no online gaming -- hurt the overall game, but the single-player story is strong. If you've been soured on the James Bond thing from a series of weak first-person shooters, you may want to check out From Russia with Love and give the super agent another chance.

Looking forward to playing this game.





Humourous Take On Pierce Brosnan's Comments About George Lazenby

November 4, 2005 – DSBG

As if losing the role of OO7 wasn't bad enough, Pierce Brosnan has lowered himself even more on the Bondian scale by attacking former James Bond actor, George Lazenby. Brosnan said "[George] is just an angry, old, pissed-off guy."

Lazenby, 66, an Australian actor best known for portraying James Bond in the 1969 film, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", was branded by Brosnan as a "pissed off Aussie who doesn't know how to show his feminine side. I met him, and he's got that kind of brittle edge to him."

Entertainment reporter Bill McCuddy, of the Fox News Channel, put together a humourous clip displaying Brosnan's film DIE ANOTHER DAY and referred to the comments from his PLAYBOY interview which is due out at the newsstands next month. In the clip he had the scene where Brosnan and John Cleese are walking around Q branch and Brosnan says, "So this is where they keep the old relics." An obvious low shot towards Brosnan's age and why he was not considered for Casino Royale. McCuddy goes on saying in his clip, "Moneypenny, can't we just all get along?"

I especially love the part about 'old relics' in the clip.





Actor Geoffrey Keen Dies

November 8, 2005 – Times Online

In his long life as a character actor, the role in which Geoffrey Keen was seen by the largest audiences worldwide was in the James Bond films The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979), Octopussy (1983), A View to a Kill (1985) and The Living Daylights (1987). Keen’s portrayal of the acerbic Minister of Defence, Frederick Gray, came at the end of a busy career playing authority figures. Once advised by a casting director that if an effective part and a dull part were up for grabs, he would always be offered the latter, Keen accepted the inevitable and made a living specialising in stern, tetchy roles.



During the 1950s and 1960s, if ever an actor was required to portray an authoritarian headmaster, strait-laced chairman or a commanding officer, Keen was high on the wanted list. He established himself as one of the busiest character actors in the profession, often averaging more than five films a year. The joke in British film studios was that Keen seemed to pop up in every home-grown film ever made, an indication of how memorable his performances were. Keen later recalled a gratifying moment when the trailer for his 1954 film, The Maggie, was shown at a cinema he was visiting. When he appeared on the screen, a ripple spread through the audience as people whispered: “Oh, we know him.”

Acting was in Keen’s blood. He was born in Wallingford, Surrey, in 1916; his father was the Shakespearean actor Malcolm Keen. His parents had split before his birth, and he spent his early years with his mother, who blamed her husband’s obsession with the theatre for the break-up of their marriage. It was a lonely childhood: his brother, seven years older, spent little time with him, and his father’s visits were sporadic.

As a boy, Keen moved to Bristol with his mother and attended Bristol Grammar School. He then followed in his father’s footsteps by joining the Little Repertory Theatre, Bristol, earning seven shillings a week. He made his debut at 16 in School for Scandal. After a year with the company, and still not persuaded that his future lay on the stage, he went to France, to stay for a year with his brother in Cannes.

On his return to England, he moved in with his father, but, doubting his ability to live up to his father’s expectations, refrained from announcing his desire to become an actor. Just when it seemed a career in commerce beckoned, after being accepted as a student at the London School of Economics, he plucked up the courage and told his father he wanted to become a professional actor.

He won a scholarship to RADA and was quickly successful: he won the Bancroft Gold Medal after only his first year and played Florizel in The Winter’s Tale at the Old Vic. He went on to acquire more valuable stage experience, playing Edgar in King Lear at the age of 20, David French in Follow Your Saint, directed by Basil Dean, and appearing alongside his father in Treasure Island.

He had just progressed to the Royal Shakespeare Company when the war broke out. He joined the Royal Army Medical Corps, and after six years rose to the rank of corporal. While in uniform he joined Stars in Battledress and appeared in an army instruction film directed by Carol Reed.

After the war his film career got under way when he played a farmer in Riders of the New Forest, following the lives of the ponies in the forest.

He was reunited with Reed for his next two pictures: Odd Man Out (1947), with James Mason and Robert Newton, and The Fallen Idol (1948), with Ralph Richardson and Jack Hawkins, which was voted the Best British Film of the year.

After appearing in The Third Man (1949), he secured his biggest role so far, as the agitator Harry Bolger in Chance of a Lifetime (1951), produced and directed by Bernard Miles. The film spotlighted the lives of factory workers taking over the running of a plough factory. Despite a fine cast, the film lost money and prompted questions in the Commons from MPs concerned about its political bias.

The film offers kept coming, however, and took Keen around the world. He filmed Cry, the Beloved Country (1951) in South Africa and His Excellency (1952) in Sicily. For Born Free (1966) Keen spent three weeks in Kenya with Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers, but found some of the scenes harrowing: “It was a lovely part, except for the lions,” he later recalled. “I actually had to take them for a walk on a lead like a dog.” Chunks of meat were used to help the lions relax in the presence of the tense actor: “It was me that needed the relaxation, but because they were still nervous with me, meat was placed under my legs to encourage them to approach.” The ploy never worked.

Also among Keen’s 100 film credits were Genevieve (1953), Doctor in the House (1954), The Long Arm (1956), Fortune is a Woman (1957), The Spiral Road (1962) — his first taste of Hollywood, he appeared with Rock Hudson — and Doctor Zhivago (1965).

By the 1970s the latter part of his big-screen career consisted mainly of his appearances in the Bond movies. However, there was a steady stream of theatrical engagements, as well as an increasing involvement in television. His most memorable small screen role was his portrayal of Brian Stead, a ruthless oil company chairman, in Troubleshooters.

The Living Daylights (1987) signalled his retirement at the age of 71. Since the death of his third wife, Doris, Keen lived a quiet life in Surrey. He no longer enjoyed watching the films in which he appeared, calling them “ghosts which will only haunt me”. Geoffrey Keen, actor, was born on August 21, 1916. He died on November 3, 2005, aged 89. Keen is survived by his daughter and by his second wife.

Another film (mini series) he appeared in was Walt Disney's The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh with Patrick MacGoohan. Highly recommended if you have never seen it.





Sean Connery Honored By AFI - Court Throws Out Lawsuit

November 10, 2005 – Associated Press/BusinessWire

Sean Connery will receive the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award, its highest honor for a career in film, AFI announced Thursday. The award will be presented to the Scottish actor in Los Angeles on June 8.

Howard Stringer, chairman of the AFI Board of Trustees, called Connery "an artist of the highest order."

"Though best remembered for creating one of the great film heroes of all time, his talents transcend typecasting," Stringer said. "His body of work not only stands the test of time, but illuminates a career more extraordinary than James Bond himself."

Connery portrayed agent James Bond in six films from 1962 to 1971. He appeared in "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" in 2003. Connery is the 34th recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Award, which was established in 1973.

Past recipients include Orson Welles, Bette Davis, Alfred Hitchcock, Sidney Poitier, Elizabeth Taylor, Jack Nicholson, Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, Robert DeNiro, Meryl Streep and George Lucas.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court of the State of New York threw out a lawsuit brought in September 2004 by a New York physician, Dr. Burton Sultan, against Sir Sean Connery and his wife, son and daughter-in-law, among other parties, according to Sean Connery's general counsel. The suit, which was widely publicized in the tabloids and other media, had accused Sir Sean and others of various improper conduct relating to the ownership and remodeling of a residence owned by the Connerys' son in the upper East side of New York City and made claims for millions and millions of dollars of alleged damages. The Connerys and their family feel vindicated by the Courts action.

Subsequent to the Court's dismissal of his lawsuit, Dr. Sultan has refiled essentially the same lawsuit against the Connerys and various construction contractors and other parties. The Connerys consider this action just as frivolous as the original action, merely a further attempt by Dr. Sultan to harass them and their family, and are confident that this case will also be dismissed by the Court in due course.

There is an action pending by the Connerys against Dr. Sultan alleging that he abused the legal process in a related matter and the Connerys are considering whether to bring further action in connection with the newly dismissed case.

Don't mess with Sean, unless you have a golf handicap of about 72.





New James Bond Speaks at LA Young Actors Company Event

November 10, 2005 – by Fred Topel for About.com

Daniel Craig made his first post-007 announcement appearance at a fundraiser for the Los Angeles Young Actors Company on Sunday, November 6, 2005. The launch event for the organization featured autographed memorabilia up for silent auction.

Executive Director Edward Wilson served as Director of the National Youth Theater of Great Britain for 17 years. That’s how Craig became involved.

“I’m here this evening to support Ed and his new venture with the Los Angeles Young Actor’s Company,” Craig said. “Ed’s had a huge impact on my life both personally and professionally in lots of ways, as he has on thousands of people that have been lucky enough to go through the National Youth Theater when he was in charge. He taught me quite a few things. One of the things he taught me was how to find my light, the difference between stage left and stage right which I still haven’t got. How to drink wine. How to drink white wine, red wine, how to serve white wine but most definitely he taught me how not to whine. But mostly he taught me that enthusiasm and hard work get the job done and you’re very lucky to have him because he’s a very special man. And look after him because he’ll make it happen here. Good luck, Ed.”

After speeches, Craig offered a brief interview. He remembered our earlier interview for the U.S. release of Layer Cake, though it helped that I had a name tag identifying myself. Dodging tree branches, we tried to speak poolside behind British Consul General Bob Peirce’s mansion.

"How important was an organization like this while you were a struggling actor?"

"It was incredibly important. It sort of gave me the grounding for what I’m doing now and gave me the confidence. Ed sort of hit the nail on the head. As far as I’m concerned, we’re put on this planet to help each other out and get us through whatever this is and the Youth Theater was the best grounding in that of understanding and making a team work and getting on with other human beings and getting thrust into situations with extraordinary and amazing and scary and all those things. Not just confidence about being an actor but confidence about getting on with life."

"Since Casino Royale is going to be an origin story, does that give you freedom to do your own thing without the comparisons to other James Bonds?"

"You’ll have to wait and see. You’ll have to talk to me when we’ve done it. I’m not going to talk about it. I haven’t given it a second [thought]. I’m in the middle of doing a job at the moment so I’m concentrating on that. When we get around to that, I’ll be giving that lots of stuff."

"Can you talk about [Steven Spielberg's new film] Munich?"

"Nope. We’re having one of those years."

"Well, have you decided whether or not to dye your hair dark for James Bond?"

"No, you’ll have to wait and see."

"Do you want Judi Dench to come back as M?"

"I think that’s going to be a definite possibility. I’d love to work with Judi Dench. I think most actors would."

Ah, he's already learned the first lesson. Keep the average Bond fan in the dark.





Bond Event In Quebec 2006

November 14, 2005 – by Jean-Érick Dorval

Vue sur Bond 007, an unprecedented event that will feature Sir Roger Moore and a host of celebrities and artists who were involved in the filmography of the famous British secret agent. The project was designed and produced to spotlight the contribution of Harry Saltzman, one of the most important producers of this series who also happens to have Québec roots. The project also aims to raise funds for the 7th edition of the 3 Americas Film Festival and UNICEF through cultural and sports activities.



The guest celebrities will take part in these activities. In addition to Sir Roger Moore, Québec City will welcome director Guy Hamilton (Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun), actress and Bond girl Britt Ekland (The Man with the Golden Gun) and actor Richard JAWS Kiel(The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker).

Honouring the event with her presence is Dame Shirley Bassey, the internationally renowned singer of the theme songs in Diamonds Are Forever, Goldfinger and Moonraker. She will perform in Vue sur Bond 007, Le Spectacle, an exceptional concert that will showcase the legendary music from the James Bond films. Under the artistic direction of Steve Barakatt and assisted by Pierre Gagnon, the event will take place on February 25 at 8pm at Grand Théâtre de Québec. It will also feature conductor, composer and arranger Nic Raine – a long-time collaborator of John Barry, notably on two Bond films – who will conduct the Orchestre symphonique de Québec for this occasion.

A tribute to such artists as Harry Saltzman, the screening of film clips and speeches from guest celebrities are also on the program for this memorable evening. Regular tickets ($60 and $90 + taxes and service charges) will go on sale on November 10 through Réseau Billetech. It is worth noting that the tickets for the first 8 rows – that also give access to a meet-and-greet charity cocktail party with the celebrities before the show – will cost $435 plus taxes and must be purchased through the office of the 3 Americas Film Festival by calling (418) 647-1234 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm) or emailing aboulard@infofestival.com.

Also on February 25, from 10am to 1pm, Mont Sainte-Anne will host a ski competition in the style of James Bond chase scenes. Hundreds of people will be able to attend. More information on this activity, including how to purchase tickets, will be provided at a later date.

In addition, movie-goers can make their way to the IMAX theatre at Galeries de la Capitale on February 24, 25 and 26 to watch the first ten James Bond movies with live commentaries from the guest celebrities. These screenings, presented by Loto-Québec, will be free of charge and offered through a promotion that will be in effect in February 2006. Complete details will be revealed at a later date.

A few private donors will have the privilege of sharing an intimate meal with the celebrities, notably at Château Frontenac through a $2000-per-person charity dinner on Friday, February 24 (25 people in total) and at Café du Monde on Sunday, February 26 where brunch is offered at the price of $100 (100 people in total). Those who are interested in these activities can already make a reservation by calling (418) 647-1234 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm) or emailing aboulard@infofestival.com.

Restaurants Resto-Club Largo and Panache de l’Auberge Saint-Antoine will also offer their customers the opportunity to dine with the celebrities through their own logistics and reservations.

Vue sur Bond 007 is a unique event organized by the 3 Americas Film Festival, in partnership with UNICEF, Fairmont le Château Frontenac, Resto-Club Largo, Loto-Québec, Mont Sainte-Anne and Le Panache - Auberge Saint-Antoine and the Café du Monde – Groupe Restos Plaisirs.

Information is also available on the website at www.vuesurbond007.com and at (418) 647-1234.

An added comment - Quebec is a beautiful part of Canada and a great place for skiing.





Goodbye, Ms. Bond!

November 15, 2005 – by Dominic Cavendish for The Telegraph

What is it about Samantha Bond and kissing? She's beginning to get a bit of a reputation for delivering the best smackers in the biz.

Known to millions as Miss Moneypenny to Pierce Brosnan's 007, she secured in Die Another Day a to-die-for clincher of a kiss with her leading man - a fantasy on the pining secretary's part, to be sure, but to all intents and purposes played "for real" on the big screen.

Her work in the Bond films enabled all kinds of ongoing charity work and for a while in 2003 she made her mark as a campaigner against London's congestion charge - alongside other actors, Smithfield market traders and the National Union of Teachers - on behalf of London's poorest residents.

Though on record as describing Brosnan as "excessively beautiful" and "gorgeous", she rises unbidden to the defence of his replacement, Daniel Craig: "I don't know why the press are being so shitty to him. I think he'll be absolutely fantastic. He's the best of the names that have been mentioned and he'll make a fabulous Bond. He's bloody sexy so they can all be quiet."

She admits that she was glad enough to call it a day with the role of Moneypenny: "There is a natural life to these things. I'm 43 and I didn't want to turn into Auntie Moneypenny," she says. "I have huge respect for Lois Maxwell but there's a moment in the films when she turns into that. And besides," she beams, "I got my kiss!"

And a rise out of Bond.





007 Composer Releases Greatest Hits

November 18, 2005 – by Judith Zerdin for Totally Jewish.com

He’s suave, he’s smooth, he’s dangerous, he’s sexy – and he’s back. James Bond has returned, but we’re not talking about new 007 Daniel Craig. No, we’re talking about the famous 007 theme tune, which was released this week in its original form on a new CD, thanks to its Jewish composer.

The name’s Norman, Monty Norman. And during the course of his career he also penned the music and lyrics for film and stage classics, such as Irma La Douce, Lucky Jim and Expresso Bongo.

The new album, called Completing the Cycle, features 18 tracks by the veteran composer, including the original composition on which he later based the familiar 007 song, which hasn’t been heard for more than 40 years.

The St John’s Wood Liberal Synagogue member told the Jewish News: “Cubby Broccoli, who had just bought the rights to produce Ian Fleming’s novels with his partner, Harry Saltzman, approached me and asked if I would like to write the music for Dr No.”

In trying to find a tune that summed up the superspy’s personality, Monty remembered a song he had written years before for a musical set in Trinidad, and developed it from there. The tune, called Bad Sign, Good Sign, is played with traditional Indian instruments on the CD. The 77-year-old added: “It was just what I was looking for, it summed up the style, the mood, the ambiance and character of James Bond.”

Also featured on the album is Underneath The Mango Tree, the song playing as Ursula Andress emerges from the sea in Dr No. The Maida Vale resident said: “The scene has taken its place as one of the great moments in cinema history and I am proud to be a part of it.

Looking forward to hearing this CD.





Broken Bond

November 20, 2005 – by Mark Rahner for Seattle Times

Confidential report re: James Bond. I have gathered the intelligence and assessed the Bond situation in depth. My recommendation: Kill him off. With extreme prejudice.

Given 007's current ubiquity, this action may seem counterintuitive. In particular, "Layer Cake" star Daniel Craig has just been named as the latest actor to portray Bond, in "Casino Royale," due in theaters next November. And the new "From Russia With Love" video game was a blockbuster even before it hit store shelves this month.

Still, to quote Ernst Stavro Blofeld, "Kill Bond! Now!"

Bond hasn't become a Scooter Libby-caliber security problem, but he's definitely become an embarrassment. Purists might argue that the franchise has declined steadily since 1967's "You Only Live Twice." But even less critical fans wouldn't have to be tortured to admit that by the time they saw Pierce Brosnan as Bond para-surfing in 2002's groan-out-loud "Die Another Day," he'd jumped the shark for good.

The movies had become meaningless copies of copies, empty vehicles for a guy in a suit ordering shaken-not-stirred martinis, firing off excruciating quips after stunts that seemed more rote even as they grew more outrageous.

The spy was relevant and even daring in the Cold War when Ian Fleming released the sado-masochistic 1953 debut, "Casino Royale." But the Austin Powers spoofs positioned the stake, and Matt Damon's grittier "Bourne" espionage thrillers pounded it home.

Among the intelligence assets I have cultivated for this report: Chase Brandon, the CIA's film-industry liaison. (Note to Robert Novak: His identity really is public knowledge, so this isn't a leak.) In a 2003 interview, Brandon, who had been consulting for ABC's "Alias" spy series, told me that the only kind of James Bond that would make sense in today's world would be ... a computer geek. Thrilling: "I'd like that Hot Pocket microwaved, not baked."

"It can only parody itself," says Seattle-based intel asset David Deal, co-author of "The Eurospy Guide," a guide to the roughly 300 knockoff flicks inspired largely by Bondmania.

The early films in the series were a unique capsule of time, and it will never be like that again, says Deal. Spy films were winding down as early as 1967 or 1968. But, he says, "Bond has become his own thing. It's almost not a spy film anymore.

"It's kind of interesting to see how a Bond film can never be a Bond film anymore. You can't be derogatory toward women. You can't drink as much. You can kill, obviously. But he can't be this politically incorrect being that he was back in the '60s, as he was envisioned by Ian Fleming."

Screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade have promised to update "Casino" to reflect today's terrorism environment, according to the unofficial Bond news site, www.mi6.co.uk, since the fall of the Soviet Union has neutralized the book's SMERSH (aka "Death to Spies") organization. But Purvis and Wade were also responsible for "Die Another Day."

Likewise, director Martin Campbell has promised that the 21st Bond flick will be a stripped-down re-start of the franchise like "Batman Begins," with more "Bourne"-like grit and less gadgets. But try suffering through the triteness of Campbell's current film, "The Legend of Zorro" (only 23 percent of critics could tolerate it according to www.rottentomatoes.com).

The future doesn't look promising for Mr. Bond.

EA's "From Russia With Love" game offers the most satisfaction likely in the foreseeable future. And it does so with the one strategy that could have saved the films: putting Bond back in the Cold War where he belongs.

The game is based on the second — and what many consider the best — film in the series from 1963, which in turn came from Fleming's fifth novel. Both were watersheds in Bond's movement toward world domination. Fleming had grown weary and wanted to end it with a poisoned kick from Rosa Klebb, but President Kennedy called the film one of his favorites and the public followed. "From Russia With Love" was the true start of Bondmania, with the formula firing on all cylinders after "Dr. No."

The game puts you, as Bond, into scenarios from the movie — including the Gypsy camp and the Orient Express — and a few new ones. The main draw is Connery, the biggest star yet to lend his voice to a game.

"Pardon me, do you have a match?" he asks a contact in one famous exchange. "I use a lighter." "Better still," Bond replies. "Until they go wrong," says the contact. While it's a kick to hear Connery, it's also odd to hear a 75-year-old's voice coming from a young character.

The game doesn't stick strictly to the movie. For some reason, SMERSH has been changed to "Octopus." And one of the best fight scenes in film history — the brutal one between Bond and assassin Red Grant in the close quarters of train compartments — is replaced by a firefight between Bond and Grant from across railroad tracks.

You fight enemies with the jet pack from "Thunderball," a laser watch, a rappelling belt, a remote-control Q-copter and other gadgets. And while I had trouble using them all to knock off Grant, the game's weakness is that it's too easy. Its "Bond Focus" makes it so that you don't have to aim at enemies. Get close to one, and the system tells you which button to press to take him down with a throw. It's even easier in the jetpack: Just hold down the focus button and fire at anything that lights up in the distance.

Going back in time makes sense, though. The first half-dozen Bond movies — including the unfairly maligned "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" — are among the greatest adventures ever filmed. But anyone familiar with the source material also knows that they're a litany of missed opportunities. For instance, they're filmed out of sequence with the books and have almost no continuity from one to the next. Bond's friend and frequent partner, American agent Felix Leiter, is barely seen and never played by the same actor twice.

As background for this report, I read all 14 of Fleming's Bond books, but none of the subsequent ones by John Gardner, Raymond Benson or Kingsley Amis. This spring, Charlie Higson released "SilverFin," the first in a "Young Bond" series; I found it unpalatable and liquidated my copy.

Fleming never describes Bond or his past in great detail. The most that's ever revealed about his life is in an obituary that his boss, "M," writes for him at the conclusion of "You Only Live Twice." Scottish dad, Swiss mom, both killed in a climbing accident when he was 11; raised by an aunt then matriculated and thrown out of Eton for getting into trouble with a maid. Lied about his age to join the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve in World War II, where he served under "M."

Here are a some other ways the literary Bond differs from the celluloid one:

• The novels are devoid of humor, and Bond never makes quips after killing bad guys.

• Bond isn't a cold-blooded killer. In Fleming's final (and unfinished) novel, "The Man With the Golden Gun," he skips a chance to put a bullet in the back of villain Scaramanga's head for that reason, knowing he'll suffer for it later.

• There are few gadgets. Bond is tough and resourceful — which still doesn't prevent him from being horribly tortured or beaten in nearly every adventure. He dispatches Goldfinger and arch-nemesis Blofeld by going berserk and choking them with his bare hands.

• Bond is a womanizer but does grow attached, unlike his pathological satyr film depiction.

• As described in the third novel, "Moonraker," he's a 37-year-old civil servant who gets about three missions a year suited to his talents, and spends the rest of his time slogging it out at the office.

• He has a housekeeper in his flat, who eventually grows suspicious about his assorted injuries.

• He drives a Bentley, not an Aston Martin.

• Both Fleming and Bond said they'd rather live their lives than prolong them. So why not admit he's run his course and euthanize him before even more indignities ensue?

Why he'll live forever

The filmmakers found themselves "in a cul de sac," says asset James Page, editor of the UK-based MI6 site. Operational since 1998, it's the most-visited unofficial James Bond site, publishing off-the-record info from production-company insiders, licensees and other people connected to the series. (Eon Films is more secretive than SPECTRE; the official one is www.jamesbond.com.)

"They decided to go in a certain style with the last movie, but couldn't go on from there. It was a dead end," Page says. "After the first hour, 'Die Another Day' went downhill fast with most of the fans, and landed in CGI sci-fi territory they or the producers don't want to return to again in a hurry."

So why not die today?

It'll never happen, because the property is "such a money machine," Page says. It's the longest-running franchise in movie history, and it's estimated that one in every three people in the world has seen a Bond flick.

Talk about "Diamonds Are Forever": "Most of their money is generated by the merchandise these days. In a year a Bond movie's released, there will be $1 billion in merchandise, which outshines $400 million at the box office."

In other words, greed wins. Bond, who despised ostentatious displays of wealth, would be nauseated.

Case closed.

Oh ye of little faith. The best is yet to come.





Rosamund Pike Gives Daniel Craig The Thumbs-Up

November 23, 2005 – by MTV-UK

Speaking as a guest on UK's TRL talk show, former Bond bad girl, Rosamund Pike, spoke highly of Daniel Craig as the choice for the next Bond. "I think he's a marvelous choice, I think he's great," Rosamund told TRL's Alex Zane. "I hope he has a laugh with it, it's a great ride. If he gives into it, he'll have the time of his life."

Thanks Rosamund, that's the exact same thing I thought.





Casino Royale Update

November 30, 2005 –The Daily Telegraph

Apparently OO7 producer Barbara Broccoli wants to work an Osama bin Laden-type character into Casino Royale. According to some sources there was supposed to be an Islamic baddie in 2002's DIE ANOTHER DAY called bin Sane. However it was deemed to politically risky. Now, Bond may be up against a militant terrorist group, similar to SPECTRE, whose financial backer gambles the funds at Casino Royale.

Other news from the Casino Royale front. Daniel Craig, may have one of Britain's biggest media moguls to thank for helping him to secure his new role. BBC chairman Michael Grade says that he was instrumental in behind-the-scenes manoeuvring on Craig's behalf.

"I actually wrote to Bond film producer Barbara Broccoli about this nine months ago," he said at a party celebrating the 75th anniversary of Shepperton studios. "I suggested that Daniel be chosen as the next Bond. I just hope she remembers to invite me to the première."

Nice to have friends in high places.







Sean Connery OKs Daniel Craig

December 2, 2005 – Associated Press

Sean Connery thinks a blond Bond is just fine. The former 007 says Daniel Craig is a "terrific choice" as the new British superspy. Some eyebrows were raised in October when producers cast the sandy-haired, relatively unknown Craig in the next James Bond film, "Casino Royale." But Connery, 75, told British Broadcasting Corp. television that he approved.

"Craig's a great choice, really interesting different," Connery said in comments released Friday by the broadcaster. The full interview is due to air Monday. "He's a good actor. It's a completely new departure," he added.

The respect is mutual. Craig told a news conference in October that Connery was his favorite 007.

Connery was the first actor to play Bond, appearing in six films beginning with "Dr. No" in 1962 and ending in 1971 with "Diamonds Are Forever." Roger Moore, George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan have also starred as the womanizing, gadget-loving spy.

Connery said he'd left the role in part "because I got really fed up with the space stuff and special effects. I just found it getting more and more influential in the movies."

Funny, I thought it was because a photographer took a picture of him while he was sitting down on the toilet. Of course some people might consider this a special effect.





Marc Lawrence, Gangster Bad Guy , Dies At 95

December 2, 2005 –by Peter Prengaman for Associated Press

Marc Lawrence, whose pockmarked face and brooding mannerisms made him a natural for roles as the tough guy, gangster and undertaker in dozens of movies beginning in the 1930s, has died. He was 95.

Lawrence died early Monday at his Palm Springs home from heart failure, said Alicia Lawrence, the actor's second wife.

"He was the gangster in his movies, that was definitely his style," said Alicia, a Mexico native who married Lawrence two years ago. "But in real life he was a really good person."

After spending eight days in the hospital a few weeks ago, doctors told the family Lawrence was very sick and likely wouldn't live much longer, Alicia said. At that point, Lawrence decided he wanted to come home, she said.

Born in New York City in 1910, Lawrence acted in plays through high school before attending City College of New York. After years of stage performances in Eva Le Gallienne's company, Lawrence signed a contract with Columbia Pictures in 1932. Over the next 60 years, Lawrence would play the mob boss, thug and general bad guy in dozens of films. He played the lead gangster in Diamonds Are Forever (1971), who says the immortal joke line "I didn't know there was a pool down there" after tossing Bond girl, Plenty O' Toole, out of a 10th floor hotel window. In 1974, he played the paid assassin Rodney, who meets his doom in The Man with the Golden Gun's fun house.

"Lawrence was perhaps the only character actor of the 1930s and 1940s still being cast in similar gangsterish roles in the 1980s and 1990s, in such films as The Big Easy (1987) and Ruby (1992)," wrote Leonard Maltin in "Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia."

Lawrence, however, also stepped outside the rogue genre, taking on roles like a mountaineer in "Shepherd of the Hills" in 1941 and an old hotel owner in "From Dusk Till Dawn" in 1996.

During the communist scare in the United States in the 1950s, Lawrence was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee, where he admitted he had once been a Communist Party member. He also reluctantly implicated several co-workers as alleged communist sympathizers, testimony that blacklisted him and brought his U.S. movie career to a halt. Lawrence then departed for Europe, where he took on diverse roles in dozens of Italian movies in the 1960s, also directing crime films and spaghetti westerns. He would return to the United States in the 1980s, resuming his vetted role as underworld thug. He also wrote and directed low-budget movies, keeping busy into his 90s. His last movie appearance was "Looney Tunes: Back in America" in 2003, a minor role as one of many Acme vice presidents. Lawrence is survived by a daughter, Toni Lawrence, and son, Michael Lawrence, his wife said.

Rest in peace, Mr. Lawrence.





Will the Real Bond Please Stand Up?

December 2, 2005 –by Mario de Queiroz for Inter Press Service

Was there ever a real superspy like James Bond, Her Majesty's secret agent with a licence to kill? A resounding "No" was the answer given by Dusan "Dusko" Popov, himself the real character who inspired writer Ian Fleming to create agent 007.

"I doubt whether a flesh and blood Bond would last 48 hours as a spy," Popov declared to a group of Italian journalists in 1981, shortly before his death at his residence outside Cannes, on the Mediterranean C- te d'Azur in France.

"Casino Royale," the book by Fleming that gave birth to the 007 legend, reached its 53rd birthday recently, and "Dr No," the first film in which Scottish actor Sean Connery portrayed Popov in the shape of Bond, turned 43 this month.

After nearly half a century of amazing exploits on the big screen, the saga continues to captivate a faithful public of all ages. Many languages now accept the terms "James Bonds" or "007s" as synonyms for the secret services, even though they originated in fiction.

Fiction? Yes, but with reality for a backdrop, because the person on whom Fleming based his character was actually a secret agent for British intelligence, although he himself was not British but a wealthy Yugoslav lawyer, born in 1912 in the Serbian town of Titel.

An expert baccarat player with a reputation for seducing beautiful women, he achieved his greatest success as a spy in Portugal.

During World War II (1939-1945), the British secret agent codenamed "Tricycle" was sent to neutral Portugal to carry out a nearly impossible mission: to infiltrate the highly efficient Abwehr, the German military counterespionage unit headed by Admiral Wilhelm Walter Canaris.

Lisbon and its elegant residential suburbs of Estoril and Cascais were at that time crawling with spies from both sides of the conflict.

The Allies were closely watched by the International Police for the Defence of the State (PIDE), the secret police, but they could move about freely, thanks to a pragmatic direct order from Portuguese dictator Antonio de Oliveira Salazar (1932-1968).

Corporatist fascism had taken power in Portugal in 1926, and the regime sympathised openly with the four similar regimes in Europe: Spain under Francisco Franco (1939-1975), Germany under Adolf Hitler (1933-1945), Italy under Benito Mussolini (1922-1943) and Hungary under Miklos Horthy (1920-1944).

However, Salazar had no alternative but to turn a blind eye to the presence of numerous Allied spies, because of the constant threat of a British invasion of the strategic Azores islands, situated in mid- Atlantic between Europe and the Americas, and the additional possibility of occupation of Portugal's colonies in Africa by Britain.

The Palace Hotel, with its lush gardens, exudes an air of impressive luxury. It faces the Estoril Casino, recalling the golden era when dethroned monarchs, deposed dictators, Allied secret agents, Jewish refugees and Nazi spies rubbed elbows in the corridors while Europe burned up in a ferocious war that cost 50 million lives.

On Aug. 30 this year "the whispering hotel," as it was called during the war, turned 75 years old.

Its spacious rooms served as home to the Spanish royal family in exile starting in the 1930s, celebrated English economist John Maynard Keynes, French aviator and writer Antoine de Saint Exupéry, and the Hungarian Jewish sisters Eva and Zsa-Zsa Gabor, who went on to become Hollywood movie stars.

When the war ended, the hotel provided a luxurious refuge to Hitler's major allies and monarchs expelled from several countries. Among the best known were Horthy, King Carol II of Rumania, King Umberto II of Italy, Archduke Franz Josef von Habsburg-Lothringen of Austria, Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg and Prince Aleksandar of Yugoslavia.

Famous spies who stayed at the hotel included Spanish double agent Juan Pujol García, who conceived Operation Fortitude to convince the Germans that D-Day (the Allied invasion of occupied Europe that marked the beginning of the end of the war) would take place in Calais, not in Normandy.

Notorious British double agent Kim Philby, who has been described as the spy of the century, was also a guest at the hotel. He deceived the British for four decades, and ended his days in Moscow as a retired agent of the KGB (the intelligence service of the former Soviet Union).

Popov differed from his fellow spies in that he lived a life of luxury, drove fast cars, seduced beautiful women and bankrupted Germans - especially spies, diplomats and PIDE "advisors" - at the Estoril Casino. It was at the Palace Hotel that Fleming, also an agent of the British Naval Intelligence Service headed by celebrated Admiral John Henry Godfrey, met Popov. A decade later, Fleming launched his famous character.

In Fleming's first book, "Casino Royale" (1953), Dusko Popov could discern pieces of his own story at the Estoril Casino and the Palace Hotel. Popov and Fleming even worked together and occupied rooms next door to each other in the Palace Hotel in 1941. This closeness had the effect of magnifying the legend that 007 was based on the Yugoslavian double agent of the Abwehr, codenamed "Ivan", who was really in the service of His Britannic Majesty and whose mission was to discover the Reich's plans against the Allies.

Fascinated by Popov and by the temptation of the casino, which, he admitted, was just too strong, Fleming wanted to emulate his new Yugoslavian friend and colleague. He, too, tried to drive Nazi gamblers into bankruptcy in baccarat. He lost his shirt, and Admiral Godfrey himself had to pay his debts. This fact can be found in the records of the Estoril Casino to this day.

During the war, Popov was considered to be one of the most important British agents operating in the nest of spies in Portugal. In the last half century many people have got to know James Bond, but few have ever heard of Dusko Popov, the agent who, months in advance, managed to discover the Japanese plan to attack Pearl Harbour, the United States' naval base in Hawaii.

Popov travelled in person to the United States with a stack of documents in his briefcase, which he took to the New York office of the then director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, J. Edgar Hoover. However, the director not only ignored the whole affair but also forbade Popov to go to Hawaii to carry out a double-cross mission against Germany.

Border police recorded his last exit from Portugal towards the end of the 1940s, but the possibility remains that he may have used his various passports in false names to re-enter the country. The last information about his life places him in peaceful retirement in the swanky French resort of Cannes, where he died at a well-preserved 69 years of age.

In his book "Crime, Espionagem e Poder" (Crime, Espionage and Power), Brazilian journalist and writer Flavio Moreira da Costa recaptures several moments of the spy's life. Moreira da Costa reveals that the puritanical Hoover, on hearing that Popov's pseudonym "Tricycle" was derived from his penchant for sleeping with two women at once, dismissed him as "an immoral playboy."

According to Moreira da Costa, the very real Popov replied, with an honesty that could never have come from the lips of the film character James Bond: "I'm not a spy who turned playboy, but a man who always lived that way and became a spy."

Facinating. I was not aware of this story. So many former spies have come out in the last 25 years claiming to be the inspiration behind Fleming's creation, that it is hard to figure where fact separates from fiction.





Pierce Brosnan Hates Himself

December 2, 2005 –by Lynda Fisher for All Headline News

The former 'Bond' star, who recently launched a foul-mouthed tirade on 007 bosses for sacking him as the onscreen spy, said he has a lot of "self loathing" and spends hours doubting his talents.

He said: "I know what it's like to loathe oneself. To feel that deep self-loathing. It's painful and ugly and [bleeping] unwanted. And it gets in the way. I can dip in there, into the old black-Irish melancholy.

He added to America's Life magazine: "You think, Am I smart enough? Am I equipped enough to deal with it all? You don't want it to happen, but it's part of life."

Bizarre!





Judi Dench Speak Out

December 7, 2005 – CBS/About.com

During two separate interviews, British actress Judi Dench spoke out about her continuing role as OO7's boss 'M'. She hasn't even met the new James Bond actor Daniel Craig, but she's looking forward to "M's" next adventure. "I know I'm going to Prague and to the Bahamas" for filming, she said, "which is really good."

Judi Dench has not spoken to director Martin Campbell about Casino Royale. “I haven’t seen Martin since we did Goldeneye. I have just been told I’m going to do it. And he’ll tell me how to do it.”

Dench was placed on the spot when asked about her assertion that Pierce Brosnan would return. “I’m not allowed to say that because I said that last time and I got into deep trouble just because I read it in a paper. I was in terrible trouble when I went home.”

Dench says that she is not surprised the producers chose Daniel Craig, but added that she was thrilled for him. Will Judi Dench play 'M' indefinitely? “Well, it can’t be indefinite. She’d drop off. I’m surprised I’m in this one. But she’d drop off, poor old thing. I’m glad to be doing it this time.”

I'm not too sure how to take her last comment. Is she expecting to be let go as well?





Animated Sean Connery?

December 7, 2005 – Scotsman.com

Sir Sean Connery has been turned into a cartoon character. The former 007 star supplies the voice of a Scottish vet in new animated film Sir Billi The Vet. And the character looks more than a little like him - from his grey moustache to his bald head.

Billi is a "distinguished gentleman and pillar of society" who lives in a remote village in the Scottish Highlands. He has a series of adventures accompanied by his faithful companion Gordon the Goat, voiced by actor Alan Cumming.

Gail Porter supplies the voice for Sir Billi's daughter, single mum Lady Serena, while Ruby Wax plays a loud-mouthed American. Richard Briers and Miriam Margolyes also appear in the cast. The low-budget 3D CGI cartoon is being made by Glasgow Animation Ltd.

Sir Sean, 75, agreed to come out of retirement for the role because he wanted to support the Scottish film industry. It is due for completion early next summer. A film spokeswoman said: "We are indebted to these actors and actresses for getting involved in such an independent production and believing in the project."

It seems to be the pattern for aging actors. They reach a part in their lives where voice-overs for animated features become more prominent. Actors such as Boris Karloff, James Stewart and Vincent Price found it very easy to perform in front of the microphone, in their twilight years, rather than a film camera.





The Original Aston Martin DB5 Car Up For Sale

December 7, 2005 – Gizmag

The original and most memorable of secret agent James Bond’s gadget-festooned automobiles, the Aston Martin DB5 which starred in the films Thunderball and Goldfinger, is to be sold at auction. Possibly the most famous automobile in the world during the 1960s when Ian Fleming’s books became box office hits, the highly-modified 1964 model Aston Martin was presented by gadgetmeister Q to Sean Connery (Bond) complete with.30 calibre Browning machine guns behind the front indicators, retractable tyre slashers, a retractable rear bullet proof screen, a radio telephone concealed in the door, a radar scanner with a tracking screen in the cockpit, a passenger ejector seat, an oil slick and smoke screen generator and revolving number plates.

Not only did the car set the imagination of a generation in motion, it was probably the most successful product placement in history. When Fleming wrote Goldfinger, Bond was driving a DB Mk III but by the time the film was being made, the DB4 had been introduced and the DB5 was under development. The producers approached Aston Martin, the prototype DB5 was offered and eventually four complete cars were made. The DB5 is expected to bring somewhere between US$1.5 and US$2.5 million.

I seriously doubt it will fetch that much.





Omega Watches Stays In The Picture

December 8, 2005 – The Hindu Business Line

Poor Pierce Brosnan. He doesn't just stop being Bond. He also stops being the Omega brand ambassador by the end of the year. James Bond, the character, is Omega's international ambassador, not Brosnan himself, says Omega's President Stephen Urquhart. Omega will also be a part of the new Bond movie; it has three Bond movies under its belt. Not giving away anything, Urquhart says Omega will star in a different way from its earlier roles in the Bond movies.

I hope it's not part of the carpet beater. Talk about killing time.





Sean Connery Retires

December 8, 2005 – CBS Broadcasting

LONDON, England Sir Sean Connery, who scooped a lifetime achievement award at the European Film Awards in Berlin, says his movie career is over.

Connery accepted the EFA award on Saturday night from Jean-Jacques Annaud who directed him in 'The Name Of The Rose.' The star joins other winners of the lifetime achievement award, including Richard Harris, Sir Alec Guinness and the Monty Python team.

The Scottish screen legend, says he is excited by the expansion of Europe and the film-making opportunities, but confesses his days as an actor are behind him.

He said: "I had already moved on, as it were, myself because I got fed up, which I've stated publicly before and I haven't changed my opinion and it would need something like an offer I couldn't refuse, to make another movie."

The Oscar winning star now 75, last film was in 2003 when he starred in 'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.' The sci-fi adventure movie had an infamously troubled production with Connery publicly feuding with director Steve Norrington. He is on record as saying the movies are now made by "idiots."

The film veteran explained his waning interest in the film biz: "When enthusiasm goes, then the goalposts are moved on and it doesn't have the same desire, it doesn't have the same excitement and pleasure and if you don't have that, why do it?"

Connery found fame and fortune as the suave, sophisticated British agent, James Bond and he applauded the choice of Daniel Craig as the sixth 007. Connery, still rated as the greatest of them all, gave Craig his blessing: "I think it's a terrific choice. He's a good actor and it's a completely new departure."

Meanwhile, Connery has not completely abandoned the film industry and now spends much of his time helping to promote the Edinburgh Film Festival in the Scottish city where he was born and hopes one day will be the capital of an independent Scotland.

Never say never, Sean.





Professor To Write Official History Of MI6

December 8, 2005 – by Kevin Smith for Reuters

A Northern Irish academic will write the first official history of MI6 foreign spy service, delving into secret files with the agency's permission to shed some light on its mysteries. In the latest in a series of moves to make it seem more accessible, the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) -- the agency's official name -- selected Keith Jeffery, professor of British history at Queen's University Belfast, to write the book and granted him access to its archive.

"I feel like a child in a sweetie shop," Jeffery said on Wednesday, adding he believed he was the first outsider to be granted permission to look at the archive.

Jeffery said he had been given permission to view all the relevant secret files in order to write his account, which will cover the period from the service's creation in 1909 to the early Cold War in 1949.

"I will be able to throw light on certain parts of history that have not had light shone on them before," he said.

Cambridge-educated Jeffery, the author of several books on the history of Ireland, acknowledged he would be working under "some necessary security constraints" but insisted he would have the freedom to explore anything he found in the archives.

"I'm allowed to look at everything, that's my understanding, and I'm allowed to write anything -- my views are my own," he told Reuters. "I wouldn't have taken it on without a free hand."

The reason for the 1949 cut-off date is to protect information still considered especially sensitive.

"This appointment marks another progressive move by SIS, this time by producing an authoritative history which is intended to appeal both to professional historians and the general public," Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who approved Jeffery's selection, said in a statement.

Earlier this year, the SIS turned to the Internet to recruit members, the first time it has publicly advertised for staff, having previously relied largely on discreet sweeps of university campuses or approaches to members of the intelligence branches of the armed services.

MI6's activities have been widely portrayed in fiction and on celluloid, most famously in the adventures of Ian Fleming's suave and ruthless secret agent James Bond. The service has previously said that much of what has been written about it has been inaccurate and misleading. Belfast-born Jeffery, who admits to being a Bond fan in his youth, is due to deliver his book for publication in late 2010.

I'm sure the book will be edited for our eyes only.





Priscilla Barnes Appearance

December 22, 2005 – DSBG

The late Mrs. Felix Leiter (Priscilla Barnes) from the film LICENCE TO KILL will be appearing at the Gaithersburg Antique and Collectibles Show in Gaithersburg, Maryland. She will be signing autographs on Saturday, February 11, 2006. You can link to the website for more information and directions at this link.

Past shows have featured Richard Kiel, Tanya Roberts, and Lana Wood.





Bond Without Moneypenny Is A Travesty

December 29, 2005 – Julie Mccaffrey for The Mirror

Lois Maxwell peers at a picture of the new James Bond actor Daniel Craig and arches an eyebrow. "Hmm," she says. "He's not as handsome as Roger or Sean, is he? He has what you'd call an interesting face. Perhaps the make-up girls could do something to him - maybe give him a wig."

Lois knows her Bonds. She played the original Miss Moneypenny in 14 Bond films, as 007 mutated from Sean Connery via George Lazenby into Roger Moore. For the 23 years she was the classily sexy secretary who never quite scored with the dashing agent. And news that film-makers have axed Moneypenny - most recently played by the aptly-named Samantha Bond - from the next movie Casino Royale has appalled Lois.

"Bond without Moneypenny is a travesty," she says in her familiar baritone. It's the end of an era. I don't want to sound immodest, but I don't suppose I can be replaced. It's hard for another actress to step into my shoes."

Lois actually created the sizzling chemistry between the secretary and the spy that endured for decades. She explains: "Sean and I agreed that we wanted to give Bond and Moneypenny a background. So over a cup of tea we agreed that they'd had a marvellous affair when she was in the typing pool. But it had to end when he became an agent and her heart was broken. "And we never did get round to giving her a first name."

Despite only ever uttering 200 words and appearing on screen for a total of one hour, Lois's role as the poised PA - which began in 1962 with Dr No and lasted until A View To A Kill in 1985 - has become the stuff of legend. Now 78 and living in Freemantle, Australia, the grandmother-of-two is frequently recognised.

"It's always nice and very flattering that someone can see my younger self in me now," she says. Miss Moneypenny may have spent her lovelorn years stuck behind a typewriter, but Lois's real-life adventures would have made a Bond girl blush.

A few months shy of 16, the second daughter of a teacher and a nurse ran away from home in Toronto, lied about her age and joined the Canadian Army.

"My parents were furious," she grins. "I enrolled as a soldier but was part of the Army Entertainment Corps, doing music and dance shows. We toured all over Europe in the back of a truck."

Lois's real age was discovered while she was in London and, to escape extradition, she knocked on the doors of Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and begged to enrol. She was offered a scholarship to the prestigious drama school and became good friends with a classmate called Roger Moore. At 20 she won a Hollywood contract and made her screen debut opposite Ronald Reagan.

"He was absolutely lovely," beams Lois. "A darling. One of the few people in Hollywood who was genuinely nice."

Lois won the Most Promising Newcomer Golden Globe award in 1947, and posed for Life magazine with other promising young starlets, including Marilyn Monroe. Three years later, tired of Hollywood Lois jumped on a cruise ship and ended up in Italy.

"The next five years in Rome were the most perfect time of my life," she says. She made a string of films with some of the top European actors and directors, became an amateur racing driver - and had her heart broken by a prince. She met TV executive Peter Marriott at an airport in Paris and romance bloomed. They married in 1957. "He was wonderful, 6ft 6in tall with exquisite manners and good looks," smiles Lois. "We had a happy life." They moved to Mayfair, London, and had daughter Melinda, now 47, and son Christian, 46. But four years into their marriage, ill health shattered their idyll. "Peter had a massive double coronary," says Lois, sadly. "He was too ill to work, so that's when I became the breadwinner.

"I was destitute. So I desperately phoned all my director friends and said I needed to work."

Bond producer Cubby Broccoli offered her the Miss Moneypenny role. "I said I'd take the part but only if they didn't put my hair in a bun," she says. "My hair was my crowning glory and I didn't want it to be scraped back. I didn't want horn-rimmed glasses or a pencil behind my ear either."

She was guaranteed only two days' work on each production and was paid a paltry daily rate of £100 for the films that became a phenomenon across the globe. "When my agent asked for an extra £50 a day, producers threatened to change the actress," says Lois, sniffily.

"So when I read that Daniel Craig was getting £3.5million for his first Bond, I thought Sean would be jumping up and down with rage under the palm trees in Barbados. I think he was paid £36,000 per film."

Connery has a special place in Lois's heart. "He is a marvellous man," she says. "He doesn't accept idiots gracefully, is fiercely loyal and immensely private. A unique man."

Roger Moore is also a great friend. "We've known each other since I was 17, and I adore him. We did five episodes of The Saint together, so we know and like each other very much. He's super duper."

However, she is hard pressed to choose which Bond she found most attractive. "I would have preferred to marry Roger, but have Sean as my weekend lover," she giggles.

The real love of Lois's life, her husband Peter, died in 1973 aged 51. "I never considered re-marrying. I just concentrated on bringing up my kids," she says. Lois returned to Toronto, where she wrote for a newspaper under the Miss Moneypenny pseudonym and became a businesswoman, importing fabrics and then, bizarrely, supplying crowd control barriers. In 1994 she returned to England to be near her daughter and settled into a cottage in the sleepy village of Frome, Somerset.

"I loved my gorgeous house with its walled garden," she says. "And I consider England home."

But once again illness ruined her bliss. In 2001 she underwent surgery for bowel cancer and six months later left the UK to live with her son's family in Australia. Today she is working on an autobiography, which will doubtless be filled with sexual innuendo that would make Bond blush. Her first book was called I Was Born A Hooker - Hooker was her real name. Over the years she has acquired a pilot's licence, gone on safari and sailed to Singapore armed with a machine gun to see off South China Sea pirates. But one thing she won't do is watch the James Bond films she appeared in.

"They're too painful for me," she sighs. "It's quite upsetting to see myself when I was young and attractive with long blonde hair. Bond's success is all down to Daniel Craig now. And I wish him all the luck in the world."

Don't we all.





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