Who Will Buy My Yesterdays - James Bond Headliners of 2006

James Bond Headliners of 2006

The Real Vesper Lynd
January 4, 2006 – by Jack Batten and Madeleine Masson for The Star

In 1947, Ian Fleming had an affair with a wistfully attractive woman named Christine Granville. Six years later, long after the end of the affair, Fleming wrote Granville into Casino Royale, the first and weakest of his James Bond novels. The name Fleming gave to the Granville character, Vesper Lynd, fit the vaguely comic model that became a trademark of the Bond books. But nobody who ever met Granville doubted where Vesper Lynd originated. Fleming's description of her — square-cut black hair, light but constant tan, enigmatic nature — was Granville exactly.

In Casino Royale, Lynd first appears as a British secret operative assigned to assist Bond in bringing down the evil Russian agent known as Le Chiffre. Later, as treacherous as she is beautiful, Lynd turns out to be a double agent working for the Russians. By the book's end, she has committed suicide out of shame at betraying Bond, with whom she has fallen in love.

In John Huston's film version of the novel, more a lame spoof of Bond movies than a retelling of Casino Royale's story, Ursula Andress plays Lynd. This piece of casting is false to Granville in every particular, from hair colour to brassiere size to nerve. Neither the movie nor the book comes close to the real-life Granville, who, in the world of espionage, was the genuine article — a secret agent of remarkable courage in World War II.

Granville's biographer, Madeleine Masson, met her subject briefly and by chance in May 1952, a couple of days, as it happened, before Granville was murdered.

More than two decades later, when Masson got around to writing the biography (the present book is a welcome reprinting of the 1975 original), she had nothing to work with from Granville herself, no diary, no letters. But Masson industriously researched the secondary sources, and had the benefit of long interviews with the man who knew Granville longer and more intimately than anyone, certainly more so than the two men to whom Granville was married for short periods.

Granville was born Krystyna Skarbeck in Poland in 1915, the child of a bankrupt count and a Jewish banker's daughter whom the count married for her money. Count Skarbeck was an indifferent husband but a devoted father. He taught Christine to ride and ski, and sent her to France to pick up language and sophistication. All of these talents came in handy when the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939, and Christine got into the espionage business.

At first, working out of Budapest, she concentrated on setting up a network that helped men who would be useful in the war to escape from German-occupied Poland. It was an activity that called for many risky trips back into Granville's home country, sometimes by way of gruelling journeys on skis over the mountains between Hungary and Poland. None of this death-defying stuff fazed Granville, who drew strength from the danger. She seems to have been a little crazy in that regard, a woman who thought life was worth living only during those times when the chances were that some Nazi with a gun might blow her out of her life.

By 1941, Granville plugged into Special Operations Executive, which was the spy apparatus put together by the British specifically to operate behind enemy lines. SOE's mandate was to stimulate revolt in the conquered countries and generally make things difficult for the Germans. Granville liked the sound of creating such havoc, and in July 1944, SOE parachuted her into southeastern France.

Her role was as chief assistant to the English spy who co-ordinated resistance activities in a huge chunk of French territory. The Nazis were hot on the trail of this man, and he and Granville stayed constantly on the move while they prepared the local Maquis for the day when the Allies, who had already landed at Normandy, would arrive in their part of France. Granville survived many perilous brushes with the Germans, and served as a dauntless courier and organizer.

Her big moment arrived when the Gestapo captured her boss, the English spymaster, and locked him in a prison. Brazen almost to the point of madness, Granville called on the chief Gestapo officer and pitched him a deal for releasing the Englishman. She argued that the Allies would soon whip the Germans, and it might be to the Gestapo man's long-term advantage if he co-operated in the matter of the spy. Besides, 2 million francs in bribe money — SOE dropped the cash to Granville by parachute — would make life easier for the Gestapo guy. The money and Granville's smooth talk closed the deal.

After the war, the English gave Granville a George Medal, an OBE and 100 pounds. What nobody provided for her was a job; the government she had served so valiantly made not much effort to keep her on its post-war payroll. Granville's family fortune had vanished, her mother died in a Nazi death camp, and Christine found herself down and out in London.

She took a job as a stewardess on an ocean liner. It was on board ship from South Africa to Southampton that author Masson encountered Granville, who serviced Masson's cabin. A day after the ship docked, Masson was stunned to find her stewardess on the front pages of the tabloids, the victim of a fatal stabbing by a stalker.

Christine was dead at 37, leaving a legacy as a daring spy and the inspiration for a character in a thin novel and a terrible movie, but the subject of an intriguing biography.

Facinating story and very timely since CASINO ROYALE is about to begin filming.

Ringing In The New Year With OO7 News

January 4, 2006 – by Stuart Basinger

January 17th marks the first day of filming for the new James Bond film CASINO ROYALE. With less than two weeks left before the first frame of film passes through the Panavision cameras, there is no word as to who will play the Bond girl or Bond villain. In the last hours of 2005, Sienna Miller and Naomi Watts' names have bounced around the headlines. Most likely since both are starring in two holiday movies CASANOVA and KING KONG. Although this website has mentioned in September that Sienna Miller was tapped to play Vesper Lynd, the idea of Naomi Watts opposite Daniel Craig could be very interesting. She was stunning in King Kong and at 37, same age as Craig, she is perhaps more sexy than the majority of 20 something film actresses.

Many news outlets have mentioned that Daniel Craig is 'urging' Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, the producers of Casino Royale, to give Sienna the part of Vesper. But, I personally find that hard to believe. Many interviewers have asked the question to Craig only to be given a polite response saying that it was up to the producers. Mr. Craig seems to be one who is not about to drive the ship himself unlike the days of Pierce Brosnan. He is leaving all the decision making to the producers.

Daniel Craig has been quoted lately as saying CASINO ROYALE will be "very different" from past OO7 films. Adding, "There's a lot of similarities with the book but yes, of course it's been updated. It has to be. But it will have certain elements that will make it a Bond movie." Speculations have enveloped the Internet from updating the villains to an Al-Qaeda terrorist organization and changing the card game from Baccarat to 'Texas Hold-Em' Poker. The latter makes this writer cringe.

As for the Bond villain - Le Chiffre. Many names have been mentioned from Jean (The Pink Panther) Reno to Brian (X-Men 2) Cox. Both men would make great Bond villains, but I cannot end this article without repeating the funny line from the 1967 film version of Casino Royale, spoken by actor Ronnie Corbett. "Who is Le Chiffre? No one knows, not even Le Chiffre."

Should be an exciting year.

From Father With Love

January 5, 2006 – by Ajay Chowdhury for The James Bond International Fan Club

“From Father With Love” is a new play about Ian Fleming’s relationship with his son, Caspar, will be broadcast during 'Afternoon Play' on BBC Radio 4 on Friday, 13th January 2006 at 2:15pm GMT.

The broadcast is a Pier Production and has been written by Mark Burgess and directed by David Blount. In a wonderful touch, husband and wife team, Simon and Lucy Williams will play Ian and Ann Fleming, respectively. Lucy Williams is Ian Fleming's niece being the daughter of Ian's older brother, Peter. Peter's other children are Kate Grimond and the late Nicol Fleming.

The play will chart the tender yet distant relationship of Ian with his only child, Caspar. Writer Mark Burgess states “The play focuses on how Fleming was inspired to write 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' for his son, Caspar. Covering five days in 1961, it is set mainly in Fleming's room at the Dudley Hotel, Hove, where he wrote much of the book, although it begins at Brookland's race track some forty years earlier. There are a number of scenes between Ann and Ian, and many references to the Bond books.”

Caspar was born by Caesarian operation on 12th August 1952 in St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London UK. He followed his father by going to Eton. He went on to New College, Oxford.

Ian adored his son. When recuperating in the London Clinic from a heart attack, Fleming’s friend, Duff Dunbar, suggested Ian write up the story he would tell Caspar at night. The result was Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, published in 1964 and made into a film produced by Albert R “Cubby” Broccoli in 1968.

Ian Fleming died on 12th August 1964, Caspar's 12th birthday. The impact on the young boy cannot be measured. Caspar was keen connect himself with his father's fictional creation (at school he sold his father's autographs and various artefacts) but had a trouble youth, leaving both Eton and Oxford early. Caspar visited Goldeneye in August 1974 and discovered Fleming’s other life. Caspar failed to come to terms with his loss and Ian Fleming’s only son and heir committed suicide by drugs overdose on 2nd October 1975.

Burgess first came to fame in the UK as Gordon Collins on the Mersy soap, Brookside. He was also the author and performer of the superb one-man show about the life of Ian Fleming, 'The Man With The Golden Pen' which toured the UK in 2000-2001. A Hanover Production, directed by Roger Alborough, lit and designed by Dan Thompson and originally staged by the Brighton Revue Company, the show was given the seal of approval by Ian Fleming (Glidrose) Publications Limited. The play was an instant success and was sponsored by Parker Pens for the nationwide tour. An afficianado of the style and elegance of the creator of James Bond, the play took five years to write, Burgess researching the subject extensively.

Should be a good show since there is very little information about Fleming's son.

Get A Bentley, 007, You Only Live Once

January 9, 2006 – by Charlie Higson for Times Online

I have a confession to make. Even though I’ve played a car salesman on TV and am writing a series of James Bond novels I’m not really a car person. I didn’t even take my test until I was well into my thirties. I drive a Ford Focus. There, I’ve said it. As far as I’m concerned there’s enough to worry about in life without having to worry about your car as well. The Focus is a very stress-free car. I don’t even need to clean it. I live in a fairly typical part of north London, so the Focus is regularly dented, scraped by passers-by and used as a toilet by pigeons. Recently the wing mirror was ripped off and once it was even spray-painted.

None of this really bothers me. The car still goes and goes very well. If I had anything more classy I’d be hiding in the bushes every night with a megaphone shouting “Stand away from the car!” every time someone went near it.

And, as a friend said to me recently, if you have children or dogs it’s not really worth spending more than about £75 on a car. I don’t have a dog, but I do have three young boys.

So, when I was asked by The Sunday Times if I wanted to borrow a £110,000 Bentley for the weekend and live the James Bond lifestyle, I was a little unsure at first. Could I take the stress? What if I crashed it? What if it was stolen? What if the children smeared chocolate all over the walnut interior and stuck Chupa Chups to the leather seats? In the end I said yes. It’s not an offer you get every day, and besides, part of me secretly wanted to know what it feels like to be the sort of person who drives a decent car. And, let’s face it, when it comes to decent cars the Bentley Continental GT must come pretty close to the top of the list.

But why a Bentley? Most people associate Bond with an Aston Martin. Well, in the books he drives a Bentley. First of all it’s a battleship grey 1933 4Å litre convertible, the classic Bentley blower. Even way back in 1953, when the first book appeared, this car was a little old fashioned and, after two more books, Fleming wrote it off (literally) by having a lorryload of newsprint dumped onto it at 100mph.

Bond eventually gets another Bentley, however, and in an early example of “pimp my ride” he customises it. This time it’s a Mk II Continental, the top sawn off and replaced with a convertible hood, and a Mk IV engine fitted under the bonnet with 9.5 compression and an Arnott supercharger, controlled by a magnetic clutch.

Us writers are all the same when it comes down to it. Okay, some of us like to give the impression that we have lived the life we write about, but mostly we just sit in a little room somewhere and make it all up, or nick it from someone else of course

No, I don’t know what any of that means either, and as it turns out neither did Fleming. He went to the experts to get his technical advice and luckily Aubrey Forshaw, the head of Pan books, was a real car enthusiast and Fleming simply copied down what he told him.

Us writers are all the same when it comes down to it. Okay, some of us like to give the impression that we have lived the life we write about, but mostly we just sit in a little room somewhere and make it all up, or nick it from someone else of course.

Bond drives an Aston Martin in only one book — Goldfinger — when he’s impersonating a flashy young man about town. Fleming had received a number of complaints from readers about Bond’s choice of wheels, including a member of the Aston Martin owners’ club who wrote asking if he might “have the decency to fit Bond up with a proper bit of machinery. The DB3 coupé is capable of a fair rate of knots and presumably could be fixed up for a bit of high-powered snogging”.

By the time the films were being made, in the Swinging Sixties, they felt Bond should stick with the flashier cars. Talking of snogging, though, the Bentley did make one screen appearance, at the start of From Russia with Love, when Bond is entertaining a young lady in the countryside.

Fleming himself was rather fond of big American cars and he drove a Thunderbird. He managed to write it off, like his hero’s Bentley, but not in quite such spectacular style — Fleming drove into the back of a milk float.

So it had to be a Bentley for this piece and luckily it was the hugely popular GT. They could do a lot worse than have Bond drive one in the next movie.

But I am not Bond. I try to point this out to photographers who ask me to pose in a tuxedo with a plastic gun. I’m just a nerdy writer, for God’s sake. I’ve never driven a sports car before. They scare the hell out of me. And this thing does 200mph. Where could you ever drive it that fast? Having a car that does 200mph is a bit like holding a loaded gun. Sooner or later you’re going to want to shoot someone. Similarly, sooner or later you’re going to want to see if your car really does go that fast. But where would you do it? What road system in the world has a speed limit of 200mph? Maybe there’s some lawless nuthouse in the Middle East somewhere, but that’s not the sort of place you’re going to want to be driving around in a £110,000 car. Unless, of course, you just put your foot down and drive at a steady 200mph from one border to the other so that nobody can jack you.

Suffice it to say I never managed 200mph. In fact I sat in it for about 10 minutes before I even dared start it. Let’s face it, I’m not cut out to be James Bond. Although I am, perhaps, in line with the new approach, as demonstrated by Daniel Craig on his arrival at his first Bond press conference. You may remember he turned up in a powerboat, wearing a life jacket over his tuxedo and gripping onto the sides with white knuckles. That’s my kind of Bond. There are rumours that Q is being replaced in the new movie by H, the man from Health and Safety, and that before each gunfight Bond stops to put on ear protectors.

I knew, though, once I’d pressed the starting button and heard the meaty growl of the engine, that it was going to be fun. Then, as soon as I was on the road my nervousness was forgotten. It was supernaturally easy to drive and very comfortable indeed. I felt safe and cocooned and really rather grown up. And the interior is beautiful — all wood and leather and computer screens. To my horror I found myself actually thinking of getting one. I would have to make a few lifestyle changes, of course, but that was a small sacrifice to make.

The first thing I’d need to do would be to move to the countryside, where I could have a house with a long drive and a secure garage. In order to really make the most of the car, though, I think regular trips to the Continent would be a necessity, so the next step would be to buy a second home in the south of France. Then, to fit in with the other local GT drivers, I’d have to become either an estate agent or a footballer.

I think I’m probably too old to take up soccer, so I guess I’d have to settle for estate agenting, which doesn’t seem to require any qualifications. I would then obviously need to put my kids into a private school so that I wouldn’t stand out in the school car park. At weekends I suppose I’d have to start going to polo matches. Then there would be the problem of fitting the family into the car. No problem. I could sell one, maybe two, of the children. That way I might be able to afford to pay for all this.

But it’s not just the money. You’ve also got to be the sort of bloke who doesn’t care what other people think of them. Because no matter how many people might stare admiringly and salute you in a Bentley, there are many more who are inspired to make obscene gestures and yell obscenities. I got a lot of this, something that never happens in a Focus. But, no, when it comes down to it, buying this car would still be feasible, just so long as I was prepared to move to Cheshire.

VITAL STATISTICS

Model Bentley Continental GT
Engine 5998cc, W12
Power 552bhp @ 6100rpm
Torque 479 lb ft @ 1600rpm
Transmission Six-speed automatic with paddle shift
Fuel 16.5mpg (combined cycle)
CO2 410g/km
Acceleration 0-60mph: 4.7sec
Top speed 198mph
Price £110,000
Rating 4/5
Verdict The perfect car for Q to fit with some Bond gadgets

Charlie Higson’s Blood Fever, a novel about the young James Bond, is out now, published by Puffin

Talk about busting my bubble, and all this time I thought writers knew everything they wrote about.

Tarantino Upset With Bond Producers

January 9, 2006 – Contact Music

QUENTIN TARANTINO has slammed the JAMES BOND producers for failing to contact him following his request to direct forthcoming 007 movie CASINO ROYALE, because the remake had been his idea.

In 2004, the PULP FICTION film-maker suggested producers remake IAN FLEMING's original 1953 storyline, after screenwriters ROBERT WADE and NEAL PURVIS, who penned THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH and DIE ANOTHER DAY, publicly announced they were struggling to write a third script.

Tarantino had hoped to direct Casino Royale and had advised the Bond team to "go my way and do it a little differently", while maintaining he could still be trusted with the legendary superspy series.

But he was upset not to be contacted when GOLDENEYE director MARTIN CAMPBELL was instead chosen to direct the new 007 thriller starring DANIEL CRAIG.

Tarantino says, "I'm annoyed that the James Bond producers never called me to talk about it because I can tell you that they would not be making Casino Royale if I hadn't talked about it first.

"They should have called me. Especially since they are taking my idea and they are taking the publicity I gave them towards that idea. They should have at least had the courtesy to have coffee with me."

If I remember correctly Mr. Tarantino, from a previous article, your idea was to place Bond back in the 1950s and do the film with narration. Those two ideas are not even being considered. Perhaps you would do better producing and directing a 'real' Matt Helm adventure. Those books are tailored made for your film style.

Roger Moore Thinks Connery Was The Best Bond

January 9, 2006 – by Daniel Kilkelly for The Digital Spy

Roger Moore thinks that his predecessor Sean Connery was the best Bond actor. According to former Bond girl Ursula Andress, who played Honey Rider in Dr. No, says that Moore made his opinion known to her.

"The best Bond ever was my Sean," Andress is quoted by Breakingnews.ie as saying. "Every time I see Roger, I say to him that Connery was the best Bond - and he says that I am right.

"The last one, Pierce Brosnan, was handsome but he did nothing for me. [Daniel Craig] looks like he has it, but where are all the real men?"

I would say that all the 'real' men have been shot down by the politically correct bullet.

EA's From Russia With Love: Better Than Rogue Agent, Overshadowed By Everything Or Nothing

January 9, 2006 – IGN

EA sure does like to pimp out their 007 license. In the PS2's lifetime they've created five 007 titles - While none of them can touch Goldeneye 007, some of them still have their good points. Nightfire had an amazingly addictive multiplayer mode with bots, and Everything or Nothing showed that Bond can work as a third person game. But it hasn't been all good - Agent Under Fire showed what happens when you don't use a good engine, and Rogue Agent was very hard to forgive for its complete lack of story or variety.

From Russia With Love, while easily better than last year's offering, is a step down from EA's best 007 game Everything or Nothing. Where EoN was strong, Russia is weak.

The plot of the video game follows that of the classic 1963 film, but there are obviously changes and additions made, as the film by itself doesn't make for a really good game. MI6 receives word that a Russian cipher clerk, who's come into possession of a photograph of James Bond, wants to defect and give them a LEKTOR, a Russian decoding device. However, both parties are unaware that the crime syndicate Octopus plans to manipulate events so as to steal the LEKTOR and kill James Bond, as revenge for the death of Dr. No.

The biggest talking point of the game is quite obvious - Sean Connery is back as 007 for the first time in 22 years. Having Sean Connery's likeness and voice is a great addition to the game, but the issue at hand is that Sean Connery is 75. It's great to have the original 007 at the helm, but you missed the boat EA - he's just too old to sound like he did back in the day. He sounds just as odd as everybody's flaming Sean Connery impressions ("Morning Q. Bushy inventing thingsh?"). Still, it beats the VA that did Bond in Nightfire.

None of the rest of the actual cast voices their characters (M, Q, and Kerim's original actors are all dead), but it's good to see that EA kept their likenesses and didn't try to replace Bernard Lee with Judi Dench, or Desmond Llewelyn with John Cleese. The voiceovers, with the exception of Moneypenny and Eva, are surprisingly good. Maria Menounos's fake russian accent is so flaming that it's awful, especially when she's shouting.

The musical score is excellent - Sean Callary (Award-winning composer for "24") stays true to John Barry's original score and style, and apart from the opening riff, doesn't alter the classic title theme. Something you'll definitely want to acquire when EA Recordings releases the soundtrack to iTunes.

The graphics of the game are also well done - the frame rate is brilliant in most places, and unlike Everything or Nothing, Bond runs like a normal person instead of waddling like a penguin. M looks just like M, Q looks just like Q, and Rosa Klebb is as ugly as she's ever been.

Gameplay is improved and diminished when compared to EoN. The aiming system which was in it's infancy in EoN has been improved for Russia. Initially, as with EoN, you press L1 to target an enemy. This only targets the enemy for basic shooting. If you press the square button, Bond will "focus" on his target. You get the same yellow dot that you controlled with the right analog stick in EoN, but this time there are targets outlined on the enemy. Commonly there's just the chest target (Bond's not really a headshot kind of person), but certain enemies can have other targets to shoot (Radios, grenades, body armor). It feels better done than EoN, plus you rack up points by shooting the targets, so you're encouraged to use it.

The inclusion of the Thunderball Jetpack is another fun aspect of the game. Though not invented until the 1965 flick (And it was an actual jetpack, no special effects), its inclusion is more than welcome. It's simple to use; you target and shoot like normal, the X button jets up, square lowers, and pressing circle while strafing left and right will allow you to dodge quicker.

Hand-to-hand combat is handled a little better this time around. In EoN, you had triangle and square as punches and you used combinations of them to attack your enemies. In Russia, if you're locked onto an enemy and you're within arms reach, you'll start going postal on the enemy. When you do this, one of the buttons will appear on the screen. If you press this, Bond will do a one hit melee knockout on the bad guy in typical Connery brawling fashion. Or you can just pistol whip the bad guy to death.

One fun little quirk is the ability to change Bond's attire on the fly. Whenever you want, you can switch between Bond's grey suit, his classic covert attire, his tux, or his white dinner jacket.

I don't know which version of the Need for Speed engine they were using for driving (Underground maybe?), but it just doesn't work. Controlling Bond's classic Aston Martin DB5 is plain awful. Surprisingly, the other vehicles don't drive so badly.

For multiplayer, EA removed their online service (Why? It could have worked well this time!) and instead of using EoN's co-op gameplay, Russia returns to deathmatch. Its way more fun to shoot at your friends and run them over than it was to try and coordinate a plan of attack. Sadly, there are still no bots in multiplayer (Another thing that could have improved Rogue Agent). You also cannot play as 007 or any of the good guys, but this also means you don't have to worry about the whole "But good guys can't shoot at other good guys!" thing that EA had going in its other deathmatch games.

Replay value is where this game takes a sink. There are no unlockable cheats like there were in EoN. There are three sets of things to unlock - weapon upgrades, multiplayer characters, extra material, and four extra levels. Weapon upgrades are unlocked by using research points (Collect schematics and unlock attaché cases), characters and extras are unlocked by using standard points (Kick butt in the main levels, get lotsa target shots), and extra levels are unlocked with award points (Get Bond moments, beat levels in time limits, beat them on 00 Agent).

The problem with this system is that by the end of your first play through, you've unlocked everything except some of the extra levels. By the time I finished the game, I had unlocked all the weapon upgrades, all the multiplayer characters, all the extra material video clips, and two of the extra levels. Maybe I'm just really good at this whole 007 thing. It would have been better if EA had at least included cheats in the unlockables like they did in EoN. I'd be a lot more inspired to beat levels on 00-Agent if I was getting stuff like infinite ammo, rather than four plotless extra levels.

There's another problem with the disc, depending on your PS2. EA screwed up the disc mapping so your PS2's laser will have to travel back and forth on the disc (Predominantly on the main menu screens) rather than just hold still. If your PS2 is older, continued prolonged playing of this game may degrade the track that the laser travels along. So try not to let the game idle while you go make lunch.

In closing, From Russia With Love is by far the second best Bond game that EA has made. Easily better than last year's Rogue Agent crapfest, but it's not enough to let the Connery Bond overtake Brosnan's Bond in EoN.

Still, it's great for what it is - a walk down memory lane with the man who defined an era.

Personally after playing all the OO7 video games with my son (especially in multiplayer mode) I am impressed with the hardwork that goes into them. GERA may be the least popular but it is still alot of fun to fight battles inside Ken Adam's designed hideouts. People may have their favorites, but they are all good in their own ways.

A Stirling Choice For Vesper Lynd

January 10, 2006 – Stuart Basinger

In a surprising revelation, Eon Productions is lining up British actress Rachael Stirling as Bond girl and heartbreaker - Vesper Lynd. The unique part of this casting is that she is the daughter of former Bond actress Diana Rigg. Diana, 67, starred as Teresa Di Vicenzo, who married Bond (George Lazenby) in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service in 1969.

According to The Sun Online, an insider at Eon Productions said: "Rachael’s dark sultry looks and pedigree as an actress make her a favourite with producers. Diana Rigg is a legendary Bond girl and Barbara and Michael think Rachael has the same sexy appeal."

Rachael Stirling was born May 30th 1977 and is 28. She can speak Russian and is highly skilled at horse-riding and jumping. She has a degree in History of Art from Edinburgh University.

Hire her - immediately!

Charlie Higson's Take On Casino Royale

January 11, 2006 – Stuart Basinger

Young Bond author Charlie Higson commented on the new James Bond film CASINO ROYALE. He has high hopes, which will see the arrival of Daniel Craig as Bond later this year.

"I think it's going to be really interesting," he says. "They're definitely trying to think of new ways of doing it and giving it a bit of a shot in the arm. I don't want to namedrop but I was speaking to Bond composer David Arnold, who happens to be a mate of mine, and he says they really are doing something new and exciting and different. So I'm really looking forward to it."

Charlie Higson's favorite Bond film is You Only Live Twice. Now I knew there was a reason why I liked this guy when I first met him.

So Many Actors, So Little Time Left

January 14, 2006 – Stuart Basinger

The office of Albert R. Broccoli's Eon Productions Ltd., must be in overtime mode as they hurry to finish casting the remaining parts of the 21st OO7 film CASINO ROYALE. New speculations have surfaced from a French newspaper 'Le Parisien' in the aptly entertainment section called 'Les Spectacles' where French actor, Simon Abkarian, and former runner-up for Miss Italy, Caterina Murino have allegedly been cast in the parts of Le Chiffre/Demetrios and his mistress/wife, Solange (French meaning - 'dignified').

Abkarian is an interesting choice. Virtually an unknown to most of the world, he recently co-starred with Joan Allen, Sam Neill, and Samantha (Miss Moneypenny) Bond, in the independent film YES (check out the interviews at iFilm.com.). Born in Gonesse, France in 1962, at 43 he is older than Daniel Craig. Which should relieve many fans who were concern that the villain would be younger than OO7.

The question still stands, is he playing the part of Le Chiffre or another villain by the name of Demetrios? Personally, since he is French born and has a Middle Eastern look, he would be perfect for the updated Al Qaeda lookalike terrorist operative.

The part of Vesper Lynd has yet to be cast, but I am holding out for Rachael Sterling.

Daniel Craig To Drive New Aston Martin DBS

January 16, 2006 – Aston Martin

Aston Martin announces James Bond, the legendary British secret agent, will drive one of their models in the next 007 film, “CASINO ROYALE” to be produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli for Eon Productions.

Daniel Craig, who will play James Bond in the film, which is due to be released in November 2006 by MGM/Sony, visited the Aston Martin headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, on Friday to view the featured car. While there he met Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ulrich Bez, and members of the workforce and also took the opportunity to take a short test drive.

In the true tradition of Bond, full details of the car to be used in “CASINO ROYALE” are being kept top secret but the company did confirm that it would be a new model called the Aston Martin DBS.

Dr Ulrich Bez said: “It is great news that Bond will drive an Aston Martin again and we have built him something special to enable him to do his job in style.”

The association with the marque began in 1964 with the film “Goldfinger” when the DB5 was fitted with “optional extras” such as ejector seats and rockets. The last Bond film, “Die Another Day”, featured Aston Martin’s flagship model, the Vanquish.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service was the first OO7 film to showcase a DBS.

No Jacket Required

January 22, 2006 – by Jason Solomons for The Observer

James Bond will not be wearing his trademark black tux in Casino Royale. The new-look spy, as played by Daniel Craig, will dispense with the classic image of Ian Fleming's creation as the holders of the film franchise try to extend their product's popularity.

Meeting with Craig last week to discuss his role as an Israeli assassin in Steven Spielberg's Munich, I asked the star - who was leaving for the Bond set in Prague the next day - if he'd been fitted for his tux yet. 'Actually, he doesn't wear one in this version,' he replied. 'I'm not sure if I should tell you that, so there's a scoop for you.'

Bond producers Eon are keen to bring the spy into the 21st century and opted to ditch Pierce Brosnan in favour of Craig, suggesting they were after a leaner, meaner secret agent who's less reliant on gadgets. Precious little is known about the film as yet, however, so how Bond gets into the titular casino without his trademark black tie is anybody's guess - although I'm sure he'll find a way.

If he is playing Texas Hold-Em poker, all he needs is a t-shirt and jeans.

Original Aston Martin Sells Big At Auction

January 22, 2006 – BBC

The Aston Martin car driven by former Bond actor Sean Connery in 'Goldfinger' and 'Thunderball' pulled in over 1 million pounds when it went under the hammer recently.

The legendary 1965 DB5 model, complete with a host of high-tech gadgets such as built-in Browning machine guns, tyre slashers, an oil slick ejector, a retractable rear bullet-proof screen as well as three revolving number plates including the registrations 007JB and JB007, was bought by an European collector.

RM Auctions spokesman Terrance Lobzun said, "It was just amazing. The atmosphere was electric, it was so exciting. Every seat of the 1,500 in the house was sold - it was standing room only. It was the biggest crowd we've ever had."

The price that the car raked in is a far cry from the earlier price of 5,000 pounds that a Tennessee museum owner paid when he bought it from Sir Anthony Bamford in 1970.

Not too bad of a return on your investment.

Teri Hatcher As Vesper Lynd?

January 25, 2006 – Sky News

Sky News has revealed that Bond bosses are trying to woo Desperate Housewives star Teri Hatcher to make a return appearance - but this time as a baddie.

Teri starred as 007's big lost love, Paris, in 1997's Tomorrow Never Dies and said it was a "swell" experience. Now producers of the new movie, CASINO ROYALE, would like her to play the bad girl against new Bond, Daniel Craig.

"I think it's great that I can be bad, even if it's just on screen. I'll leave an open mind until I see the script."

Just when you thought the casting rumours could not get any stranger.

Brosnan Says No To Remington Steele

January 25, 2006 – Ireland Online

Irish actor Pierce Brosnan has ruled out starring in a film version of his 1980s TV show Remington Steele, because he believes it would take his career backwards. Brosnan, who shot to international stardom as Steele before playing James Bond, is still in talks with his film company Irish Dreamtime about bringing the movie to the big screen. But, at 52, he insists he's too old to play the role again. He says: "I'm too old to play him right now. I don't want to go back there. I've been there and that's where I started."

Hmm, he claimed that he was still young enough to play Bond, but too old to play Remington Steele. Go figure!

Wedding Bells In Daniel Craig's Future?

January 25, 2006 – Monster And Critics

Daniel Craig wants to get married again - one day. The James Bond star insists he still believes in marriage despite his failed union to actress Fiona Loudon, who he has a 12-year-old daughter with. Craig believes his relationship with Fiona imploded because he didn't understand the importance of being a husband.

He confessed: 'I do believe in marriage. I really do. I believe that getting together with somebody and making a public statement about it is a good thing. I just didn't really understand it before.'

Despite his fondness for marriage, Craig - who is currently filming new Bond movie 'Casino Royale' - insists committing to a partner is the hardest thing anyone can do. He added to Britain's Telegraph magazine: 'Commitment is part of a life. The toughest part, probably.'

You may be saying in four years how hard it is to do the Bond films.

Daniel Craig Blames Nude Scenes On Booze

January 26, 2006 – by Mitch Marconi for The Post Chronicle

The new 007, Daniel Craig, has reportedly vowed never to drink alcohol around film directors, because he often finds himself agreeing to outrageous scenes while under the influence, according to a published report. The 37-year-old actor, who dropped his pants in his 2000 movie 'Some Voices', blames a heavy alcohol session with director Simon Cellan Jones for the gratuitous revelation.

Craig confesses, "The scene was written as me running down the road stripped to the waist covered in tomato juice ... But then I got drunk at Simon's and said, 'I'll do it naked!' The lesson is never get drunk with directors."

Craig has won critical acclaim for his work in TV series Our Friends in the North. At his press conference, Craig promised to take the role in a new direction. Speaking about the challenge he faces taking on the job in the next movie Casino Royale, he said: "I've just got to step up to the plate and deal with it."

He said he was always confident he would win the coveted role after the producers spent 18 months looking for a new star to replace Pierce Brosnan. "I had a confidence about it ... I felt good about it," he said, according to published reports.

This should leave the press shaken and stirred. I have not heard such interesting stories since the days of Diana Rigg and George Lazenby and the onion.

Brosnan Hopes To Bond Again

January 31, 2006 – The Mirror

Pierce Brosnan hopes to be back playing James Bond - despite being replaced as 007 last year. The Irish actor, 52, was dumped for Layer Cake star Daniel Craig after four films as the superspy. He was said to be "gutted" at not being asked to make a fifth Bond movie. Sean Connery stepped back into the role after George Lazenby flopped in On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

Brosnan said: "If such a scenario arose I would jump at it."

But he admitted he was hopeless at delivering 007's one-liners with the panache of Connery. He said: "I wasn't very good at them."

My only question to Mr. Brosnan is - what makes him think that Daniel Craig is going to bomb like George Lazenby?

Hilary Saltzman Interview

February 1, 2006 – by Marie-France Vienne for Vue sur Bond 007

Hilary Saltzman, the daughter of the late Bond producer Harry Saltzman, spoke to the people of Vue Sur Bond 007 about her famous Dad.

What is your role in the organisation of the exceptional event “Vue Sur Bond 007”, which will take place in Québec from February 24 to February 26, 2006 ?

After moving here almost 3 years ago, I found out about a great film festival here, The Film Festival of the 3 America’s. It has many films from South, Central America and even very far North America that one would not normally have access to. Not only that, the people who run it are very friendly to the public and it is truly a festival for film lovers like myself. I was honoured when they asked me to join the board. A few months later I was approached about doing a fundraiser that would honour my father and his legacy in film as a Canadian film producer. I was delighted and accepted to chair the event.

You have got a special attachment to Québec. I think your father, Harry Saltzman, was born there?

I moved to Quebec shortly after visiting a friend here and really falling in love with the city, the people, and the mountains here. I thought my father was born in St John New Brunswick quite far fromhere. Going through my immigration process where I needed to provide a lot of information about my father, I discovered he was in fact born in Quebec, in Sherbrooke, less than an hour from where I now live. No wonder I feet so at home here!

Let's talk about your father, he can't be disassociated from the name Bond; how did he get the idea to buy the adaptation rights of Ian Fleming's novels?

My father was a very avid reader. I believe he read these books and really felt an association with the stories. Again due to my immigration process I found out my father served in WW2 in the Royal Canadian Air Force then was honourably discharged and worked for the American overseas Office of War Information where he worked on confidential war missions for the OWI.

How did your father and Cubby Broccoli become associates, and how did they “separate”, knowing a lot has been said about it?

Cubby and my father met because they both were interested in making films out of the Ian Fleming novels. I believe my father had just signed an option for the books when Cubby got in touch with Ian. Cubby had access to making a studio deal and wanted to buy out my Dad, but my father really wanted to make the films too, so they became partners and they created cinematic history together. The truth of the separation was that my mother got very ill and my father wanted to stop making films for a while and spend time with her.

Who chose Sean Connery: your father or Cubby Broccoli? Even the names of Roger Moore, Patrick McGoohan and Cary Grant have been mentioned at the time!

I believe my father saw Sean first and felt he was perfect and then introduced Cubby to him and they were in quick agreement. Though Roger’s name had come up at the time he was under contract to The Saint and then later of course The Persuaders.

You have grown up within the 007 universe. Which are your most striking souvenirs?

Growing up “on set” is like growing up with a very large extended family that travels everywhere together. I was never truly aware that my life was any different from other children until I got older. My most favourite memories are of travelling all the time and of both the cast and crew being so kind to me and my brothers. Also when my father took it upon himself to cook for them all!

Do you have any anecdotes from “Live And Let Die” and “The Man With Golden Gun”?

I turned 11 at the time of Live and Let Die and was in my last year at elementary school. My father took my whole class by bus to Pinewood studios and we saw scenes being filmed and then all the Voodoo dancers led by Geoffrey Holder, did a special Birthday dance for me! The sets that we travelled to were super too. I had my first Halloween experience in New Orleans and Jazz too, seeing Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong there. I also remember visiting the crocodile farm, which was very exciting. It was a special time. I remember having the pen set from Man with the Golden gun that became part of the gun. Also meeting Herve Villechaise, it was strange to find myself taller than one of the villains in the film!

Did your father ask your opinion about his work, or your help?

My father always bought home pictures of the Bond girls and we would all give our opinions on choosing who would be best. He also would bring tapes of songs submitted for the opening sequence and we would choose them together.

I know your father was close to Roger Moore. How did they get on together?

My parents were very close friends with Roger and his then wife Louisa. They had a very large group of friends including Michael Caine, Dennis Selinger (Roger’s agent at ICM), Maurice Binder (responsible for those fabulous Bond titles), Ken and Letitzia Adams (set designer)etc. They would gather for most weekends that they were not away on location at either our house, Roger’s house or Michaels house. They worked together and had fun, they cooked together, played billiards together, and even had amazing poker nights!

Do you have privileged bonds with Roger Moore? What do you appreciate in the man, and in the actor?

I have privileged bonds with Roger because I grew up with him as my Uncle Roger! His children used to be at our house and we at theirs almost every weekend we weren’t away! I am still very close to all of his children, in fact I just saw Christian when I was in LA a couple months ago. I appreciate Roger greatly because he is as real and honest a person as you could hope for. He is also incredibly kind, generous, compassionate, intelligent and has a great sense of humour. As an actor, I loved him as Bond but I always hold a special place in my heart for his role as Simon Templar, and also growing up I was addicted to watching him and Tony Curtis on the Persuaders. He has done some fabulous work on screen since the Bond films but for me his earlier roles are what I think of the most. I found him so mischievous and entertaining.

What do you think of Roger Moore's endless devotion to UNICEF? Do you keep informed about his actions and travels for UNICEF?

I admire him greatly for his tireless efforts to help the children of this world. In asking Roger to come to this fundraiser it was his suggestion to partner with UNICEF. I was so thrilled to do so because in honouring my father, supporting the film festival and celebrating in a city I have grown to love, we will also be serving children in South America that may never have heard of James Bond but will ultimately be helped by him. UNICEF is an awesome charity and in working with them on Vue sur Bond 007, I have heard how special Roger and his work are to them and how much he has done to help promote their cause. I myself am a child advocate and make films for children and families. So I am honoured to work on this event knowing that money raised will go to these children, inspired by Roger, I also plan to stay involved with UNICEF myself.

Do you sometimes meet Barbara Broccoli?

Yes I do. In fact the last time I was in London- Barbara, Deborah Moore and myself had lunch in Geoffrey Moore’s restaurant!!!

“Vue Sur Bond 007” will be the opportunity to pay a tribute to a mythical pair: Saltzman/Broccoli. Will there be a special event to commemorate your father's memory?

Yes we will be honouring him in a tribute at the beginning of our Gala evening on Saturday February 25th at the Grand Theatre concert. I also believe Roger will be making a speech about him and his work with UNICEF. It will be a very important event as my father has never really been paid tribute before and here we will be doing it in his native country and place of birth. Truly special, that is why if you are really a Bond fan this is a weekend not to be missed. Besides the concert, we will be screening the first 11 bond films free and there are so many other lovely events planned.

What does this mean for you and the next Bond movie “Casino Royale”: back to the roots or the beginning of a new era?

I hope it is a mix of both. The James Bond film legacy was about finding new talent not only as Bond but as a Bond girl, villain and in music too. It was also about imagination and staying one step ahead of the game in stunts and plot design. I think that Barbara and Michael Wilson have been exemplary in keeping Bond going and I look very forward to seeing the new Bond in action.

Quebec is a beautiful part of Canada, great for skiing too.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Magazine #2

February 1, 2006 – by Ajay Chowdhury

KISS KISS BANG BANG #2, the new publication of the James Bond International Fan Club will be mailed next week.

KKBB #2 features: - an overview of the Young Bond phenomenon including an interview with author Charlie Higson and a look at previous "Young Bonds"

- an in-depth digest of the news charting the development of the 21st James Bond film, Casino Royale

- a report on the 40th Anniversary Thunderball screening and celebration and reports of other Bond events worldwide

- unique photographs and artwork

- product reviews

KISS KISS BANG BANG...because actions speak louder!

Look up, look down, look out - here comes the next big magazine from the James Bond International Fan Club.

Royale Pain? Think Again!

February 3, 2006 – Stuart Basinger

This past week marked the beginning of filming for CASINO ROYALE, the 21st James Bond film, and from all the bad press you would think OO7 has finally met his match. Everything from script changes to casting problems has lept off the computer screen from major entertainment venues.

Recently the citizens of Prague living around the studio where Casino Royale is being filmed complained their lives are being made a misery by the noise and traffic. They say high performance cars constantly speed down the roads, weaving between stretch limos carrying the stars and huge lorries carrying stage props. The town council has ordered controls on the comings and goings around the film studio.

Adding insult to injury, an actor has yet to be announced for the role of Le Chiffre, the main villain of Royale. In the meantime the director, Martin Campbell, is shooting key action scenes that do not require the villain - at least not yet.

If that is not enough, the media is reporting that the new James Bond is without a Bond-girl. Speculations have reached Piz Gloria levels saying the producers are in a tizzy trying to cast the role of femme fatale, Vesper Lynd. Angelina Jolie to Naomi Watts to Thandie Newton and most recently Rachel McAdams have bounced in and out of the casting circle. But this is not the first time a Bond film started shooting without a main squeeze. Ursula Andress was chosen late into production of Dr. No as well as Mie Hama in You Only Live Twice.

This makes for great headlines and the media is having a feeding frenzy that can only rival Blofeld's piranha pool. However, the truth is that the producers are not trying to cast someone like Scarlett Johansson, but more like Scarlett O'Hara. This is the ultimate Bond-girl role and, like the days of Gone with the Wind and David O. Selznick, the Bond producers are going to milk the headlines for all its worth. And who can blame them? Bad press is great publicity and only keeps your mega-production on the front pages until opening day.

I tip my hat off to Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson for creating the best media buzz for their new film since the garlic comment from Diana Rigg to George Lazenby in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. The PR people at Sony must be having a field day. With so many movies vying for box office position (Harry Potter 5 - anyone?), this Bond movie is going to have more headlines than the 1967 fiasco that shares the same title. Only this time the film will be more enjoyable.

Have no fear, Bond is here!

Nobody Can Top Connery

February 6, 2006 – Channel 4 News

Clive Owen has revealed he repeatedly turned down the role of James Bond because, he says, nobody can top Sean Connery. The 41-year-old Sin City star was tipped to be the next 007 before Daniel Craig signed up to be the first blond Bond.

Owen said: "Playing James Bond would have been like entering a golden prison, and I doubt that would have suited me. I may be the only actor who consistently said, `No, no and no'. I never understood what I would have been able to add to the role, or how I could play a character who has already been defined in the past. For me, Sean Connery is the real James Bond."

Craig, 36, was unveiled last year as the star of the next Bond film Casino Royale. Another name once linked to the role was Lord of the Rings star Sean Bean, who played rogue spy 006 in GoldenEye.

"I think there was a time I was linked to it but I suppose I blew it playing 006. They made a good choice in Daniel Craig. He's a very good actor," he said.

Clive Owen may one day regret that decision.

Life's A Drag For Lee Tamahori

February 6, 2006 – Associated Press

LOS ANGELES -- "James Bond" director Lee Tamahori was ordered to appear in court Feb. 24 following his arrest for allegedly approaching an undercover police officer and offering to perform a sex act for money, authorities said Thursday.

Tamahori's directing credits include Pierce Brosnan's 2002 James Bond film "Die Another Day" and last year's "xXx: State of the Union," starring Ice Cube and Samuel L. Jackson. City attorney spokesman Frank Mateljan said the director was dressed in a black wig and off-the-shoulder dress when he approached an undercover police officer in Hollywood on Jan. 8 and offered to perform sex for money. He was arrested for investigation of soliciting an act of prostitution and loitering with the intent to commit prostitution, both misdemeanors.

His attorney, Mark Geragos, who also defended singer Michael Jackson on child-sex charges and actress Winona Ryder on shoplifting charges, did not immediately return a call for comment Thursday. Mateljan said police were running a prostitution sting when Tamahori, 55, approached the officer, who was sitting in a car.

The director was originally scheduled for arraignment Thursday but it was postponed until Feb. 24. Tamahori is free on $2,000 bail. He could face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted.

Meanwhile, friends and colleagues of Tamahori were standing by the Kiwi film-maker as details of his private life emerged following his arrest on prostitution charges. Newspapers reported that Tamahori was a frequent visitor to fetish clubs with girlfriend Sasha Turjak. However, industry colleagues of Tamahori told The Press the scandal should not be allowed to detract from his career.

Dan Salmon, the president of the Screen Directors' Guild of New Zealand (SDGNZ), said: "I don't think it has anything to do with what he does professionally." He declined to comment on Tamahori's private life, on the grounds the SDGNZ was "a professional organisation".

Brian Kassler of the Auckland-based film company Flying Fish – of which Tamahori is a director – also declined to comment. He said he had not heard from Tamahori since details of the alleged incident on January 8 became public.

Neighbours at Tolaga Bay, north of Gisborne, where Tamahori has a house, were also reluctant to talk to the media, telling reporters his private life was "his own business". The director's sister, Renaye Tamahori, and his father, Philip Tamahori, also declined to comment.

An unnamed friend, who described Tamahori as a "consummate professional", told one Sunday newspaper it was an "open secret" that he was a regular visitor to London fetish clubs.

"During the filming of Die Another Day in London, Lee used to dress up in latex and go to fetish clubs," it quoted the friend as saying. The source said Tamahori "definitely liked the alternative side of sex with black tight latex costumes, uniforms and so", but never let his private life affect his work.

A Los Angeles police media spokesman said that Tamahori could lose his ability to work in the United States, if convicted, and face penalties of up to a year in jail and a maximum fine of $5000.

Tamahori, who was believed to be living in LA with a teenage son and Turjak, gained notice for directing the 1994 drama Once Were Warriors. His James Bond movie earned $430 million, but his action film xXx: State of the Union bombed at the box office last year.

He should have 'dragged' another day.

Roger Moore Approves Of The New OO7

February 8, 2006 – by Peter Howell for The Star

Considering how many times Sir Roger Moore has been asked if he wants his martini "shaken, not stirred" since his days playing Bond, James Bond, it's a wonder he manages to keep smiling about it. Especially since not once in the seven 007 films he made, from Live and Let Die in 1973 to A View to a Kill in 1985, did he make the famous refreshment demand.

"It amuses me because I never said it," Moore, 78, chuckles on the line from his winter home in snow-topped Crans-Montana, Switzerland. "The `martini shaken not stirred' was Sean (Connery). Bartenders and leading ladies knew that I liked them that way, but I never said it."

Ever the good sport — and he was the most good-humoured of Bonds — Moore has provided his favourite martini recipe to his friend Hilary Saltzman, the daughter of the late Harry Saltzman, the Canadian producer who brought Ian Fleming's secret agent 007 to the screen with co-producer Albert "Cubby" Broccoli. (See page F1 for the recipe; note that it's made with gin, not Connery's preferred vodka.)

Moore's martinis will be served at cocktail parties during Vue sur Bond 007, a three-day film and music celebration in Quebec City Feb. 24 to 26 that Moore will attend. (Details are online at http://www.vuesurbond007.com). He'll also make a Toronto stopover a day earlier for an event honouring UNICEF, the children's charity he strongly supports.

Vue sur Bond 007 has the multiple goals of raising funds for UNICEF and a Quebec cultural event known as the 3 Americas Film Festival. It will also salute Harry Saltzman, who was born in Quebec.

Other Bond guests scheduled for the event include Dame Shirley Bassey, the siren of several 007 theme songs; Richard "Jaws" Kiel, Moore's razor-toothed nemesis in The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker; Britt Eklund, Bond girl in The Man with the Golden Gun; and Guy Hamilton, director of four 007 films, two with Connery and two with Moore.

It's been 21 years and three 007s — if you include new hire Daniel Craig — since Moore last saved the world. The father of three is now also a grandfather three times over. But the world still calls him James Bond, or even Commander Bond, as the British military men Moore skied with the night before this interview insisted on doing.

"Oh, sure you always get referred to as Bond," he says. "So does Sean Connery and everybody else. You're always given a label. They always give the age, as well. It's better than being known as a bank robber, although I'd say that playing Bond is sort of like being a bank robber."

The 21st official James Bond movie, a remake of Casino Royale, is currently being filmed in Prague with new blond Bond Craig brandishing the Walther PPK revolver. Moore is as keen as anyone else to see how Craig will do, and he doesn't buy any of the negative press criticizing the casting or doubting the viability of the 44-year-old film franchise.

"Of course it still has life left in it!" Moore roars. "I think they've made a very wise move with Daniel Craig. I wrote to (producer) Barbara Broccoli and told her so. He's been treated so unfairly, Daniel Craig, by the British press in particular. The English press have a great suspicion of something new. They set out to attack the poor bugger. Even when you finish being Bond, they still go on. Every other article I read says, `Well the best Bond of course was Sean and Roger Moore really screwed it up.' But anyway, I got paid!"

Moore also doesn't subscribe to the media theory that the lack of confirmed casting of a Bond girl and a villain for Casino Royale, before the start of filming last week, indicates the fading appeal of the 007 series. "Well, they always do that. It's par for the course. They usually have a script, and the script is really more or less an outline, and then they go off and find the locations and set what sort of stunts they're going to have. And then they'd get around to casting the leading lady ..."

Most Bond watchers agree that the original film version of Casino Royale, a 1967 parody made outside of the Saltzman/Broccoli family starring David Niven as the unlikely spy guy, doesn't do justice to the franchise. Moore is all in favour of the remake, and he's also intrigued by talk it will be a darker take on Bond, more in keeping with the original vision sketched by author Fleming.

"I haven't seen too much of the (007 movies) that I was not in, so I don't know how light or dark they went. If I believe what I read, then the seven that I did were much too light and I was all sort of tongue-in-cheek, so maybe they do want a more serious Bond. But of course, I think I was wonderful."

He has some sympathy for Pierce Brosnan, who played 007 in four films over the past decade. He was abruptly let go last year when his contract expired.

"Sympathy in the sense that it's not good to be turned down in public," Moore says. "You know, rejected. But as an actor, you've got to get used to rejection. It happens every day."

Does he know why Brosnan was booted? There are differing versions of the official story.

"Yeah, I do know some of the inner politics, which I'm not going to go into. But I guess he was sort of fairly p-o'ed — he had at least another two in him. But anyway, he's got his revenge. Have you seen him in The Matador (a movie comedy about an aging hit man)? It's terrific. It was great. I thought, `Wow, good for you, Pierce!'"

Moore's continuing interest in all things 007 is somewhat surprising, since he's seen just one of the six James Bond films made since he left the beat in 1985. That was Die Another Day, the 2002 movie that proved to be Brosnan's swan song.

"I wasn't really that curious about them. It's gone, and it has nothing to do with you after that. I've seen snippets of the others that have been on television when I've been passing by. At first I made a point of not seeing them for the simple reason that I knew that somebody would ask me, `What did you think of it?' And being the truthful schmuck that I am, I'd probably say it was terrible!"

He finally relented and saw Die Another Day. He was impressed by Brosnan, but little else.

"I think Pierce was very good. I thought the movie itself was just a little too confused in its action sequences. Invisible cars really don't make sense. That's stretching it a little bit. Q (the Bond gadget man) was never that dumb."

The only thing you really need to play Bond, Moore believes, is a sense of humour, though he's often been damned for having one.

"Whether you're playing it straight or not, you've still got to have a sense of humour. I think humour is one of the most important elements that we can have in life. If we can't step back and laugh at ourselves, then we're pretty miserable."

You can raise a Moore martini to that thought.

Always a class act.

Former Bond Baddie 'Slit Wife's Throat'

February 8, 2006 – Lifestyle Extra

A former James Bond villain slit the throat of his estranged wife just two days before a court battle for custody of the couple's three children.

Actor Irvin Allen, 71, played bad guy Che Che in Bond blockbuster On Her Majesty's Secret Service. His character fights with Bond, played by George Lazenby, in the spy's Monte Carlo bedroom. Allen repeatedly stabbed his Thai-born wife Chamlong, piercing her heart and lung, before slitting her throat in a lock-up used to prepare food for their business.

In the months before the custody battle for her three girls Chamlong, 49, kept a diary in which she described how she feared for her life and she told a friend that she had been beaten up by Allen, a former boxer, the court heard. The couple ran a market stall called Mrs Tasty Thai Cuisine selling Thai and West Indian takeaways in London's fashionable Portobello Road Market in Notting Hill and had been married for over 11 years. However the relationship foundered and in the months leading up to her death on April 27 last year, mother of three Chamlong was forced to leave the family home and stay with friends or sleep in her car.

The couple were also fighting over the custody of their three daughters aged 18, 16 and 9, and a hearing was due to take place two days after Chamlong was brutally murdered. Chamlong was well liked in the market and was known as either Mrs Tasty or Tum Tum by customers and friends. But four months before her death, she stopped work at the market. When she failed to return to a friend's home where she had been sleeping over for the last three months of her life, concerned friends searched the lock up in Lonsdale Mews the next morning and found her body. Grey haired Allen sat quietly in the dock as the case was opened.

This is a very sad story. I personally feel very sorry for the children.

Moonraker Boat Destroyed

February 9, 2006 – DSBG

The Ian Fleming Foundation is suffering from a major loss after receiving word that the Glastron speedboat, used during the Amazon river chase, was destroyed in transit after completing the Boats Of Bond show in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Doug Redenius' e-mailed friends saying, "It seems the transport person who was hired to bring the boat back here pulled it without a cover, without any tie downs and without checking during the entire trip. The only thing left of the boat at this point is the hull & windshield....everything else has been completely destroyed!"

The Ian Fleming Foundation is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to the study and preservation of the history of Fleming's literary works, the James Bond phenomenon, and their impact on the culture of the Twentieth Century. It has been formed with the goals of procuring, restoring, and archiving Ian Fleming's legacy for the general public. This legacy includes manuscripts, books, periodicals, movies, movie properties, recordings, and merchandise produced over the last four decades. Some of this material has been "lost", some resides in museums, and a large amount has been collected by private individuals. One of the goals of the Foundation is to search out the "lost" items and to restore and preserve them. The publication of the Goldeneye Magazine was a major fund raising activity allowing them to work toward those goals.

I can only hope that the boat is fully insured.

If There Is No Q Branch Then How About V Branch?

February 14, 2006 – DSBG

British actress Thandie Newton has today dismissed reports she is set to star in the next James Bond flick. Newton, 33, has been strongly linked with taking up the job of playing a sexy evil villain opposite new 007 Daniel Craig in latest instalment Casino Royale.

However, the Crash and Mission Impossible II star today laughed off the idea, saying categorically, "That isn't happening. It was a big rumour I enjoyed very much because it gave me an opportunity to fantasise about something that wasn't ever going to happen."

Today's news means that despite the fact that filming has already commenced in the Czech capital Prague, the identity of Bond's leading lady is still not known. Reports in the Hollywood Reporter have indicated that scenes featuring a leading lady and Bond's opponent will not begin shooting for another month, allowing the production team time to cast the roles. Many Hollywood starlets have reportedly declined the opportunity to take on the job, including blonde bombshell Scarlett Johansson and Oscar-winner Charlize Theron.

Latest indications that up and coming Mean Girls and The Notebook actress Rachel McAdams is now the leading contender. Brit actress Rachael Stirling, whose mother Diana Rigg starred opposite George Lazenby in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, is also said to be in with a chance for the role, which director Martin Campbell has described as the 'best Bond girl part so far'.

However a new unknown blonde knockout has recently come under the magnifying casting glass. Actress Vanessa Branch has been approached by the producers to play the main Bond girl Vesper Lynd.

Vanessa has been seen recently in hit shows such as LOST and STAR TREK VOYAGER. She is currently playing the part of Giselle in the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN sequels. Vanessa holds dual citizenship in the USA and UK. Was Miss Vermont in 1994 and the original spokeswoman for Wrigley's Orbit gum. She speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese and French, which is almost a requirement for the part of Vesper.

Time will only tell as to who will land this part.

Introducing Le Chiffre

February 15, 2006 – by Will Tizard for Variety

Bond's got his bad guy. The evil Le Chiffre will be played by Danish thesp Mads Mikkelsen ("King Arthur"), announced "Casino Royale" helmer Martin Campbell on Wednesday. At a late afternoon press conference at the Czech Republic's Barrandov Studios, new 007 Daniel Craig fielded with good humor questions that grew increasingly bizarre.

One journalist from the Czech magazine Spy asked him what he thought of media speculation about his "orientation." After a moment, Craig responded icily, "I didn't know they had, but thanks for the information."

Another local reporter got off to an interesting start by asking the assembled group -- Craig, Campbell, Judi Dench and producers Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli -- if they were aware there was a previous "Casino Royale."

As for the more burning question of who will play the Bond girl. Campbell disclosed the choice is now down to "two or three" but added, "You'll just have to wait to find out." Eva Green and Olivia Wilde are thought to be the finalists.

Craig, perhaps thinking of the frayed nerves caused by starting the $100 million-plus shoot without a love interest, offered assurances that the shoot is progressing anyway. "We haven't got there, so it's all fine," he said.

Dench, who has delivered a cool, scheming M to the superspy franchise, said her work with Craig on the Prague shoot usually begins with a few jokes, "and that seems to be vital. I only started working with Daniel yesterday, but we found common ground."

Audience will get more insight into M's backstory than they have to date in "Casino Royale," with a scene set in her London apartment, constructed in modernist beige at Barrandov, complete with Asian art and Tanqueray gin cocktail service. Bond himself will show his more sensitive side, Campbell said, in that the film, based on the first of Ian Fleming's 007 books, reveals how he became "the Bond we all know and love." Cast and crew jet off to the Bahamas shortly to shoot a chase sequence at a seaside construction site, then return to Prague for studio and location work and move on to Italy and the U.K.'s Pinewood Studios.

I'm still holding out for Rachael Sterling.

Prague Presser

February 15, 2006 – By Nicole LaPorte and Michael Fleming

An 007 press conference is skedded today at Prague's Barrandov Studios, where the Martin Campbell-directed pic has been shooting.

Though Sony claims no casting will be announced, producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson could use the occasion to unveil its long-awaited supporting cast. But the studio, along with some of the talent's reps, claim nothing's been decided.

Even so, the producers are apparently deciding on a short list topped by Eva Green ("The Dreamers") and Olivia Wilde, who had a steamy arc on "The OC" last season. The producers had earlier approached the likes of Charlize Theron, Thandie Newton and Kimberly Davies.

Even if the cast is not announced today, the villain role is expected to go to Danish thesp Mads Mikkelsen. While scrutiny of Bond productions is always high, "Casino Royale" has been a particular object of curiosity in Hollywood because of how long it's taken to cast. Going into the third week of lensing, key roles were still up for grabs.

The entire casting process has baffled Hollywood. Expectations were that after replacing Pierce Brosnan with Craig, the producers would try to support him with a few well-known names. Unfortunately, the Bond system works against star wattage. On top of tight controls exercised by the producers, there is a longstanding refusal to award gross points to participants -- no actor playing Bond has ever received a gross stake.

Sony, which inherited the franchise from MGM, plans to release the film in November, which meant that shooting had to commence in January regardless of casting. It's highly unusual to work so on-the-fly on a $100 million-plus tentpole pic. But when it comes to Bond, things tend to be shaken and stirred. One rep who's been involved in the production said, "There are a lot of cooks in the kitchen, a lot of people who need to approve things."

As for whether deadline pressure gave agents any advantage in crafting deals for their clients, the rep said: "Not necessarily, especially with the way the business is these days. You're lucky if you can make the deal."

I just love the way Eon makes Hollywood executives jump through hoops. Cubby would be proud of his daughter and stepson.

Bond Plot Shocks Family

February 15, 2006 – by Jonathan Este for The Australian

THE family of a man shot dead by police on the London Underground after being mistaken for a terrorist have said they were "shocked" at reports that his death has been used as part of the plot for the next James Bond film.

According to British newspaper reports, a leaked script of Casino Royale, to be released later this year starring new Bond man Daniel Craig, calls for the British agent to kill an unarmed bomb suspect, only to discover he is the wrong man. Bond, who in the novels by Ian Fleming has a "licence to kill" in the interests of national security, tries to clear his name after CCTV footage of the shooting is broadcast.

A spokesman for the family of the dead man, Asad Rehman, told Britain's Daily Telegraph: "If you can imagine what it must feel like, to think in a year or two's time, to walk down the street to see posters depicting how your loved one died in such horrific circumstances, it can only bring more anguish. No one has spoken to the family to say: 'We are considering this, we know it may be painful'. They are shocked that such a tragic story could become glamourised by a Hollywood film. There's a big concern about such an issue being trivialised."

Brazilian national Jean Charles de Menezes, 28, was killed on July 22 last year, the day after several failed suicide bombings on the Stockwell Underground system. He had been followed to a south London station from his London home by an anti-terrorist unit convinced the building had been used by associates of the bombers. When Mr Menezes boarded the underground train, the three-man unit shot him seven times in the head. The Crown Prosecution Service is considering whether to bring charges against any of those involved in the incident.

In a statement the producers said: "We categorically deny reports that the script of Casino Royale bears any resemblance to the tragic death of the innocent Brazilian citizen Mr Jean Charles de Menezes. In the script of Casino Royale James Bond does not kill any innocent people."

Amazing how an assumed copy of Casino Royale, which certain scenes were exposed online by LatinoReview.com, can cause so much trouble.

OHMSS Actor Cleared Of Wife's Murder

February 15, 2006 – Life Style Extra

A former James Bond movie villain was today cleared of the murder of his estranged wife who was found with her throat cut just days before a court battle for custody of their three children.

Actor Irvin Allen, 71, who played bad guy Che Che in Bond blockbuster On Her Majesty's Secret Service, was found not guilty of the murder of his Thai-born wife Chamlong after the prosecution offered no evidence at the Old Bailey.

Chamlong, who was known as Mrs Tasty after running a Thai take away stall in London's trendy Portobello Market was found in a lock-up used to prepare food for the couple's business with stab wounds that pierced her heart and lung along with her throat slit. The couple were fighting over the custody of their three daughters aged 18, 16 and nine, and a hearing was due to take place two days after Chamlong, 49, was brutally murdered. Having been married for 22 years, the relationship foundered and in the months leading up to her death on April 27 last year, mother of three Chamlong was forced to leave the family home and stay with friends or sleep in her car.

Outside court solicitor Sucheta Sarkar read a statement from ex-boxer Mr Allen which said: "I am thankful that this terrible ordeal has come to an end and I am found not guilty of the sad death of my wife.

"My thoughts at this moment are with my children that have stood with me throughout the long months that have taken to reach this moment. I now hope the police will reopen their inquiries and redouble their efforts to find my wife's killers."

Grey-haired Mr Allen, who played a baddie in two Bond movies, had retired from acting and was no longer working on the stall following hip replacement surgery which left him having to use a walking frame to get around.

In On Her Majesty's Secret Service Allen's character fights with Bond, played by George Lazenby, in a Monte Carlo bedroom. Allen also played a henchman of Bond baddie Stromberg opposite Roger Moore in The Spy Who Loved Me. His first movie appearance was as a hospital attendant in Stanley Kubrick's 1962 controversial film version of Lolita and he also appeared in the 1978 movie Revenge Of The Pink Panther. Allen also made guest appearances in popular 1960s TV series Z Cars, Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea and The Saint, again opposite Roger Moore.

The prosecutors took a year to investigate and they have no evidence. What kind of legal system is that?

More Of The Prague Presser

February 16, 2006 – Reuters

"Casino Royale" is the first James Bond movie to be filmed in the Czech capital Prague. The Czech Republic prohibited the James Bond series during its communist era.

Filming of the latest action packed flick started in the beginning of January. The filming will continue in the Bahamas, Italy, Great Britain until it returns to the Czech Republic in March, specifically Karlovy Vary Spa and Loket castle.

"We came to Prague, because there is a lot of locations in the film, they can be shot easily in Prague and it's a good place to make films. And it is a very competitive place to make films," said one of the co-producers, Michael Wilson.

"Casino Royale's" story comes from Ian Fleming's first book. "How different - Casino Royale is the first book and secondly it is how Bond is forced to become James Bond in the other movies…" said director Martin Campbell.

Daniel Craig, who is the first blond and sixth James Bond, after Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan was surprised to get this chance to play the character.

"I don't know if it was ever really an ambition of mine, it was a surprise really, genuinely a surprise that it came along," Craig said.

"I didn't know I entered a competition, but if you ask me how I celebrated when I found out I got the part...I had a very dry Martini or six. I can't really answer the question but I can tell you about this movie. I am not going to compare it to another Bond movie, but this is a new departure and there is a lot of new things but a lot of the Bond themes are the same - it has to be - because we are doing a James Bond movie," he added.

"Of course it´s different, because it´s a different actor…" says Judi Dench, one of few "old" actors, acting as Bonds chief Lady M.

Got to love it.

Smashing Exit For Paul Haggis

February 16, 2006 – by Liz Smith for Variety

CRASH! That is the title of perhaps the most thought-provoking film nominated for best picture. It is also the sound made when the director of "Crash" and co-writer of "Casino Royale", Paul Haggis, walked through a glass door at the Beverly Hilton Hotel the other day. He had been talking to fans and well-wishers and didn't realize where he was headed. Although dripping blood from a gash in his forehead, Haggis did not cancel his taping of AMC's "Sunday Morning Shoot Out."

Haggis dashed to his doctor, got stitched up, and sat down like a trouper with the show's hosts Peter Guber and Variety editor-in-chief Peter Bart, bandaged but articulate.

It must have been the comment, 'Watch out for the glass door, you idiot' that got him.

Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen and Jeffrey Wright Join Casino Royale

February 17, 2006 – MGM/Columbia Pictures

It was announced today by producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc, and Sony Pictures Entertainment that EVA GREEN has been cast to play the enticing Vesper Lynd opposite Daniel Craig in his debut appearance as James Bond in the highly anticipated 007 adventure thriller, CASINO ROYALE.

It was also announced that renowned Danish-born actor MADS MIKKELSEN has accepted the role of Le Chiffre, Bond's nemesis in the film and JEFFREY WRIGHT has joined the cast as Felix Leiter.

CASINO ROYALE reunites Wilson and Broccoli with Martin Campbell, who directed the 1995 blockbuster GOLDENEYE, and will be the 21st James Bond film produced by the franchise holders, EON Productions. The MGM/Columbia Pictures production began shooting in January this year and will be released worldwide on November 17. It will be filmed on location in the Czech Republic, the Bahamas, Italy and the UK.

Wilson and Broccoli said, "We are thrilled that Eva and Mads have joined the cast of CASINO ROYALE completing a first rate international cast. They bring exceptional talent to the characters Ian Fleming described so vividly in his first James Bond novel. After an extensive search we have found the perfect actress. Eva is one of France's most accomplished young actresses, now receiving international acclaim. She brings to the complex role of Vesper an exciting combination of enigmatic and seductive beauty. Likewise Mads has such a compelling onscreen presence and his riveting performances in Open Hearts and Adam's Apples convinced both us and director Martin Campbell that he was ideal for the role of Le Chiffre."

"Vesper is a pivotal role in Casino Royale and it takes much more than beauty to make this role work," said Amy Pascal, Chairman of the Columbia Pictures Motion Picture Group. "When you think about the great James Bond adventures, of course you think about action and espionage, but you need to have palpable sexual tension in the movie and in casting Vesper, we really needed to up the ante, because this character is very much an equal to Bond and central to our story. We believe Eva as Vesper, Mads as Le Chiffre and Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter are perfect additions to our cast and we couldn't be more excited about the way this project has come together."

Described by Bernardo Bertolucci as "so beautiful it's indecent," Eva Green is one of the most intriguing actresses today. Born in Paris, France, she made her debut in Bertolucci's critically acclaimed The Dreamers. Green then starred opposite Kristin Scott Thomas and Romain Duris in Jean-Paul Salome's French-language film, Arsene Lupin. In 2005 she made her Hollywood debut, starring as the female lead in Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven with Orlando Bloom and Liam Neeson.

Mads Mikkelsen made his American debut opposite Clive Owen and Keira Knightley in Disney's King Arthur, directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. Mikkelsen has won many Scandinavian awards for his work on screen and television. He is best known for his starring role in Susanne Bier's Open Hearts for which he was nominated for "Best Actor" for the Robert (Danish Academy Award) and Bodil (Danish Film Critics' Award) in 2003. Mikkelsen has recently appeared in Anders Thomas Jensen's Adam's Apples, Susanne Bier's After The Wedding and the Swedish thriller Exit, directed by Peter Lindmark, due for release later this year.

The acclaimed stage actor, Jeffrey Wright, who first came to film audiences' attention as the doomed artist Jean Michel Basquiat in Basquiat, has subsequently garnered critical acclaim in his Emmy-winning performance in HBO's miniseries "Angels in America," and in such films as Shaft, Ali, The Manchurian Candidate, Broken Flowers, Syriana and HBO's recent "Lackawanna Blues." He will soon be seen in Lady in the Water and The Visiting.

The producers are delighted that the cast is rounded out by talented international actors in feature roles, including; Giancarlo Giannini as Mathis, Caterina Murino as Solange, Simon Abkarian as Dimitrios, Tobias Menzies as Villiers, Ivana Milicevic as Valenka, Clemens Schik as Kratt, Ludger Pistor as Mendel, and Claudio Santamaria as Carlos.

For those of us over 40, I feel like I don't know anyone associated with this cast. Of course I felt the same when Live and Let Die was being filmed and look who is well known now.

A Role To Sink Your Teeth Into

February 22, 2006 – by Bill Zwecker for Sun-Times

Daniel Craig sure is off to a tough start in his debut as 007. The first blond James Bond ended up losing his two front teeth in his very first fight scene, filming the remake of "Casino Royale" in Prague. Apparently, a stunt went awry and Craig took a punch full force in the mouth.

Initially, the crew and director Martin Campbell thought Craig's acting was truly superb -- as he stumbled backward clutching his mouth. But as they saw the blood begin to pour out of the actor's mouth, they quickly realized something was very wrong.

Since Craig was not convinced he could get proper dental work in the Czech Republic, the London Daily Mirror reports the actor's personal dentist, Dr. Rod McNeil, was flown to Prague from London to patch him up. Craig had caps implanted to fix his broken teeth and he now has been given six gum shields to wear for all of his stunt sequences for the remainder of filming on the $120 million film project.

Former 007 Pierce Brosnan offered his sympathy to new James Bond star Daniel Craig over the incident. At the UK premiere of his new film 'The Matador', Brosnan revealed: "I got stitched up and sewn up a few times, it just didn't get in the papers. I had my face sliced open by a stuntman. I had a knee injury. You get twisted some way or another if you throw yourself into it. There's going to be mishaps."

Ouch! From what I understand, the accident happened at tooth-hurty in the afternoon.

Christopher Lee Defends Daniel Craig

February 22, 2006 – BBC News

Former Bond villain Lee said Craig, who will play 007 in the forthcoming Casino Royale, had already been "condemned" by the media.

"People should not pass judgment until they have seen the film," said Lee.

Lee, who was Scaramanga in 1973's The Man with the Golden Gun, was speaking at the Bangkok International Film Festival, Lee defended Craig against media claims he is unsuitable for the lead role as the suave secret agent.

"There's been a lot of nonsense written about him being James Blonde," Lee said.

Craig, 37, is currently filming Casino Royale in the Czech Republic. He was labeled "James Bland" by one newspaper following his response to questioning at his debut press conference last October. Daniel Craig's films include Enduring Love and Layer Cake

Recently Mr. Lee told the press that Brosnan was the best of all the actors to portray Fleming's secret agent.

Craig Is Terrified Of The Press

February 22, 2006 – Web India

If there is one person British actor Daniel Craig would be willing to go the ends of the world for, it would be his 12-year old daughter, and the actor has now slammed the media for trying to publish photographs of his kid.

The Munich star said that he found it terrifying that the press was able to get his family's phone numbers. "As we have seen recently in the papers, with certain individuals, the will find any way they want. Its terrifying. They have my (phone) number. They have my family's numbers. How did they find them?

He added, "Im sorry, but I dont think most of those ways were legal."

Unfortunately, this is the price of playing OO7.

Angry Bond Fans Threaten To Boycott Film

February 22, 2006 – Associated Press

NEW YORK -- They're shaken, stirred and just plain angry. And several months late with their response. A group of James Bond fans have launched a Web site, http://www.craignotbond.com, to protest British actor Daniel Craig replacing Pierce Brosnan in the 007 film franchise, and boycott the upcoming Bond movie "Casino Royale."

The fair-haired Craig, whose recent screen credits include "Munich" and "The Jacket," was tapped last October to play the secret-agent icon.

"EON Productions angered fans around the world when they fired Pierce Brosnan at the height of his popularity as Bond," said a statement on the site. "To add insult to injury, EON cast a short, blond, odd-looking Daniel Craig in the role of Bond."

"Craig, described by The New York Times as having a 'pale, flattened face and large, fleshy ears' is a terrible choice for Bond. If EON Productions and Sony Pictures will not accept they've made a big mistake, then Bond fans promise to boycott Casino Royale!"

Calls by The Associated Press to EON Productions and a representative for Craig were not immediately returned on Tuesday.

Brosnan stepped into the shoes of dashing predecessors Sean Connery and Roger Moore to play a blue-eyed, dark-haired Bond in "Tomorrow Never Dies," "The World Is Not Enough" and "Die Another Day."

In its statement, the Web site claimed EON did not want to pay for Brosnan or other high-profile actors Hugh Jackman and Clive Owen as replacements.

To the people of craignotbond.com - YOU DO NOT SPEAK FOR ME! I am personally looking forward to Eon's adaptation of Casino Royale and will reserve my critique until after I have seen the film and not before. Thank you very much. Your fifteen minutes of fame (or is that flame) is up.

Radio DJ Gives Daniel Craig His Support Radio DJ Gives Daniel Craig His Support
March 2, 2006 – by Lowri Williams for Entertainment Wise

Virgin radio DJ and hard core James Bond fan, Christian O’Connell has given the new Bond, Daniel Craig his seal of approval. The DJ has launched his own campaign against the Daniel Craig haters in the form of a website givecraigachance.com. O’Connell website’s is retaliation to a site launched by some Bond fans, craignotbond.com, who are planning to boycott Craig totally in his new role.

On the site the nutty Bond fans rant: "How can a short, blond actor with the rough face of a professional boxer and a penchant for playing killers, cranks, cads and gigolos pull off the role of a tall, dark, handsome and suave secret agent? This is what happens when you lose touch with public opinion. By casting Craig, Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson have proven once and for all that they care little for the opinions of Bond fans."

It's amazing how this ridiculous story has caused so much press. The next thing we will probably hear is some Bond fan suing Eon because of the distress that has been heaped upon them since October 2005.

Producer Michael G. Wilson Talks About Casino Royale

March 7, 2006 – by Betty Vedrine for Nassau Guardian

He likes his martini shaken, not stirred. He always has a cool car and the latest in high-tech gadgets and he's the world's most charming playboy. And right now, he's here in The Bahamas. That's right! James Bond is here to tantalise our country with his worldly ways, impeccable taste and ability to speak almost every language on the planet.

Recently, Producer, Michael Wilson, took some time out of his tight schedule, to talk to The Guardian about filming Bond in The Bahamas. "We'll be here for about a month to film the next Bond film, Casino Royale. A lot of the locations featured on the film, will be in The Bahamas. About 80% will be filmed in Nassau and then there is a second unit, which is supposed to be Madagascar."

'Casino Royale' is the first book written by Ian Fleming and for many years, Harry Saltzman and Albert R. (Cubby) Broccoli wanted to make that film but Fleming had sold off the rights to Gregory Ratoff and Charles K. Feldman. So it wasn't until the year 2000 that they actually acquired the rights. "There was one picture that was made back in 1967, which was kind of a Bond spoof with the name. So now that we've got the rights, we wanted to make it right way. It will explain how Bond became 007." We don't go back in time, it's a contemporary piece; it will be more 'realistic.'

And the filming of this movie will create quite a number of jobs for Bahamians as crew members and extras. Wilson said about 350 people were brought in and an additional 150 Bahamians were hired as crew. "We will also be needing about 600-700 crowd workers (extras)."

He said that The Bahamas was chosen for the fourth time for many reasons. "The Bahamas is ideal for filming because of its close proximity to the United States, where equipment can be readily purchased. Bahamians speak English and are familiar with film units, so there's a certain amount of support available here. It's also a major tourist destination, so you can get high quality hotels and restaurants for the crew, while they are working here. And of course, the weather," said Wilson.

Wilson said that although he was not here for the filming of 'Thunderball,' he is no stranger to The Bahamas. "I was on the underwater dive unit for six months, filming 'The Spy Who Loved Me,' and I also visited The Bahamas for the filming of "For Your Eyes Only."

In addition to shooting scenes of locations in The Bahamas, a shanty town is being erected in the Coral Harbour area, to depict Madagascar. "We're using the unfinished hotel at Coral Harbour as a construction site, where we'll shoot a free running episode, featuring a major French free runner whom Bond will chase through the steel scaffolding of the hotel," added Wilson. "Bond will be tracking down a villain at 'The One and Only Club,' during a private poker game. Albany House will also be used for Bond's return trip to The Bahamas.

This major motion picture will also boost the Bahamian economy, with more than five million pounds ($8.7 million USD) being injected over the next month. "We normally spend about a million pounds ($1.74 million USD) a week, in addition to location costs."

Wilson said that he can't explain the success of the film, but he believes it had a lot to do with his stepfather's strong belief in the concept. "The formula has been working for a long time. I know that Cubby Broccoli, my stepfather, believed that the audience should always get a great experience for their money and that's what we concentrate on. But I think that that's what all filmmakers do, so I can't say it's a unique situation."

To date, a theme song for Casino Royale has not been confirmed, but Wilson said that David Arnold, who composed the music for the last three films, has submitted some music.

Casino Royale is expected to be completed by mid-October, for a November 17th release. "The filming should be completed by July and then the film will have to be edited and special effects added. Their schedule is very tight, given that they only just started filming a couple of weeks ago. They've shot scenes in Prague and will be returning there, after shooting in The Bahamas. Then they will go to Italy and England.

I wish I was in the Bahamas. It would be so cool to be an extra in a Bond film.

Barbara Broccoli Speaks Out Against Negative Press

March 7, 2006 – by Nicole LaPorte for Variety

"His teeth are fine, his driving is fine, he doesn't have heat rash and he's not afraid of the water."

That's producer Barbara Broccoli's assessment of the new James Bond. If she sounds prickly, you can't blame her. Tabloid reports that 007 thesp Daniel Craig has been taking a beating on the set of "Casino Royale," the Martin Campbell-helmed Bond pic due out in November from MGM/Sony, have rained down on the production almost from the first day of shooting.

Dealing with around-the-clock Bond gossip -- of which Broccoli says, "We're aware of it, but it doesn't mean anything to us" -- is just one challenge facing Broccoli and her producing partner Michael G. Wilson. It's also a challenge for Sony, which inherited Bond from MGM last year in the hopes that the 007 franchise can become a cornerstone of its release slate on par with "Spider-Man."

James Bond is famously one of the most idiosyncratic properties around. What other franchise has producers who own a controlling stake, or has a 20-film legacy that must be simultaneously preserved and updated?

And Bond is at a critical juncture in its history. Despite all the goodwill toward Pierce Brosnan, who starred in the last four Bond pics, Craig -- the first "blond Bond" -- was selected for "Casino Royale" to give the film a grittier, 21st century feel. (There is much hearsay as to why Brosnan wasn't rehired; some say the problem was his $25 million and 5% gross asking price. No one but the producers have ever gotten gross points on Bond pics.)

The $100 million-plus "Casino Royale," which is the story of Bond's first mission, is not being touted as a special effects or "gadgets" pic -- something that some consider the very essence of Bond.

"There will still be effects, but they won't be obvious to the audience," Wilson says. "We have great action sequences, a lot of things blowing up ... but not space effects or things disappearing or invisible cars."

All this is being tackled by Broccoli and Wilson -- known as being extremely detail-oriented and hands-on producers -- and by Columbia Pictures topper Amy Pascal.

All are working together for the first time. Leaning on Campbell and screenwriter Paul Haggis, the trio is trying to contemporize the franchise and grow its audience in a younger direction.

The move is pre-emptive considering that Bond isn't exactly suffering. The last few pics have each made between $350 million and $450 million worldwide, not to mention lucrative homevideo returns. But Bond has faced fresh-faced competition from films such as "The Bourne Identity" and "XXX."

In the videogame world, Bond has become one of the best known and most lucrative franchises in the bizbiz ever since Nintendo's hit game "GoldenEye" in 1997. Industry giant Electronic Arts took the franchise in 1999 and has been releasing approximately one "Bond" game per year ever since. In 2003, EA signed a seven-year extension of its deal with MGM that's believed to be worth around $50 million. Not all the titles have been as successful as the first, but Sony and MGM certainly can't be upset that EA's efforts have kept Bond alive in the minds of a new generation of gamers and potential moviegoers.

As to the newly forged partnership with Sony, Broccoli says the team has come to "happy agreements" on all Bond matters, and that "all casting and director decisions were made with Amy.... The script and everything."

Sources familiar with the producers' arrangement at MGM say so long as Broccoli and Wilson stayed within the budget the studio had approved, they had the right to make all creative decisions, including casting and script, but that they never invoked that clause, instead opting to include the studio in the filmmaking process.

Presumably, the situation is the same at Sony, but neither the studio nor the producers would comment, saying only that the working relationship between the two parties has been collaborative.

The Bond producers' deal dates back to 1961, when it was forged between Albert "Cubby" Broccoli and United Artists. Back then, UA operated mainly as a marketing and distributing company, providing the producers with an enormous amount of autonomy.

As for the producers' financial arrangement, people with knowledge of the deal say they do not put up money for P&A, but receive gross points as well as an upfront fee. Most contract deals and legal work are done through Eon Productions (the U.K.-based production shingle that owns the Bond production rights), costs that are put on the film's budget and then reimbursed.

Wilson characterizes the Sony partnership as "collegial." "We're all headed in the same direction. The idea that someone throws down the gauntlet--- it never comes to that."

Yet Broccoli does admit that, "We're all very strong-minded individuals," and people close to the film say there have been lively negotiations. Sources say Broccoli was the most passionate about hiring Craig (Sony initially pushed for Clive Owen), although Pascal now waxes adoringly over the blue-eyed "Layer Cake" star and is said to be looking to cast him in another Sony pic.

And while the studio pushed for A-list leading ladies, such as Angelina Jolie and Charlize Theron, who turned the role down (not surprisingly, considering the no gross points rule), the producers insisted on less- expensive, lesser-known thesps who wouldn't overshadow Bond. A compromise was reached in Eva Green, a thesp with international cred (she's French) who starred in the steamy NC-17 Bertolucci pic "The Dreamers."

International box office is hardly an afterthought when it comes to Bond pics, which tend to do almost twice as well overseas as in the U.S. Even Campbell has foreign cred -- he's a Kiwi.

Somewhat ironically, considering that Bond is perhaps the most macho franchise of all time, Broccoli points out that women are calling a lot of the shots.

"I'm glad to be working with a woman executive," she says of Pascal. "It's nice for me."

Most recently, the Bond producers worked with former MGM chairman Alex Yemenidjian and vice chairman Chris McGurk.

As on all Bond pics, the production schedule for "Casino Royale" is brisk. Shooting began Jan. 30 in Prague and will wrap this summer in order to have the pic in theaters Nov. 17. Things were unusually close to the wire on this pic, and Green was cast two weeks into shooting.

The short schedule puts added pressure on Sony marketers, who were in the Bahamas (where the pic is now shooting) as early as last week gathering material for a "Casino Royale" teaser trailer.

Not that raising awareness is a big dilemma when it comes to Bond. "You have an incredible advantage with the franchise because you know what it is," Pascal says.

Wilson says the short schedule is cost-efficient. "It saves money," he says. "There's less time to fiddle in post-production. If you know what you're doing, you know what's right, having a short post is great."

People who have worked on previous Bond films say production is also beholden to licensing deals, some of which operate according to a time frame due to product launch dates, though the Bond producers downplay this notion. For "Casino Royale" cross-promotional deals were made with Ford (the Bond car is an Aston Martin DBS prototype), Taittinger champagne and Sony Electronics, among others.

As for the ruckus over Craig, Broccoli says she's used to being scrutinized by the press and sensitive fans.

"There's always a heightened interest in Bond, and every time we recast the role there's even more. (When Brosnan took over the role from Timothy Dalton, there was similar outrage.)

"It's just in keeping with what we've been experiencing."

Your father would be proud of you.

New Bond Girl Has Twin Sister

March 7, 2006 – by Heather Greenaway for The Sunday Mail

LOOKS like it might be a case of You Only Look Twice for new James Bond Daniel Craig. Because his sexy new sidekick has revealed she has a twin sister. But while French actress Eva Green will burst onto the big screen in the Casino Royale remake, sister Joy will be tending horses.

After they were born, an astrologer predicted one of them was going to become a star and from an early age their actress mother Marlene Jobert knew it would be Eva, now 25. Marlene, 62, said: "Joy was never attracted by the lure of the cinema and devotes all her spare time to her horses.

"Eva is more like me, with a very outgoing personality."

Eva is now set to cause a stir in her role as Vesper Lynd. And the new Bond is delighted. A movie insider said: "Daniel is very pleased. Who wouldn't be?"

Gives a whole new meaning to 'Double Agent'.

Agent 007 To Drive a Ford in Casino Royale

March 7, 2006 – Inside Line

The Ford Motor Company reportedly is paying producers of the upcoming James Bond movie Casino Royale about $24 million to get the secret agent into one of its family vehicles: the European Ford Mondeo.

"Moviegoers will see Bond using the car for chases and picking up girls," reported The Sun, a London tabloid.

At the same time, Aston Martin — a subsidiary of Ford — announced that Bond will also drive one of its models in Casino Royale, which is due to be released in November by MGM/Sony. Daniel Craig, who will play Bond in the film, recently toured Aston Martin headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, to check out the car.

Bond's association with Aston Martin began in 1964 with the film Goldfinger, when his DB5 was fitted with optional extras such as ejector seats and rockets. The latest Bond film, Die Another Day, featured the Aston Martin Vanquish.

What this means to you: Bond apparently becomes a two-car man in the upcoming film, with one grocery-getter and one babe magnet.

Bonding With Paul Haggis

March 7, 2006 – by Kurt Loder for MTV

Loder: Were you called in to be a script doctor for the upcoming Bond movie, "Casino Royale"?

Haggis: Yeah. They sent me a script, a very good script, and asked me to think about the character and re-conceive the character of James Bond. I took 10 weeks on that.

Loder: How is this film going to be different than the 1967 original?

Haggis: It will be completely different, I think. You know, it takes James Bond from the very first Ian Fleming book, "Casino Royale," when he becomes James Bond — when he gets his "Double 0" status, which means he has two kills, and therefore has his license to kill. But all the bells and whistles, all the things that Q used to give him, the gadgets, those are all gone. So you deal with the character as an assassin and what it feels like to be an assassin. And I ask the question, "Why does he treat women the way that he treats them?"

So I've either helped to re-energize this series, or I've just ruined James Bond for everybody forever.

Paul, with all due respect, why would you say you 'think' that the new Casino Royale will be different?

Daniel Craig: "I Never Really Wanted To Do James Bond"

March 9, 2006 – Life Style Extra

James Bond to-be Daniel Craig has discovered the price of donning the 007 mantle after being stung by a vicious hate mail campaign. The actor is said to be shocked at the level of animosity his appointment has generated among fans of the suave, superspy - especially on the internet.

"I have heard about the anti-Daniel Craig websites and the hate emails doing the rounds about me. It's shocking but I've just got to step up to the plate and deal with it."

The 38-year-old, who shot to fame in Brit gangster flick Layer Cake, will take over from Pierce Brosnan in the next movie in the Bond franchise Casino Royale. Brosnan is still a firm favourite with fans of the Ian Fleming creation, with many enthusiasts nastily branding Craig 'too ugly" for the role. But Craig admits he was dubious of accepting the offer as he did not want to end up typecast.

"I never really wanted to do James Bond. If you look at the track record of most Bonds they struggled to get rid of the mantle. Don't get me wrong, I want to make big movies and I want to make as much money as I possibly can, but there's not a tremendous emotional challenge."

The 'Layer Cake' star also revealed that he's worried about being blamed if 'Casino Royale' is a flop.

"It's a dodgy place to be walking. I don't really want to get the rap for destroying that franchise. I mean, that wouldn't be a good place to be."

Craig also admits to being a fan of the least popular 007's - despite them being widely panned.

"Timothy Dalton was great in the part but I think the filmmakers tried to take the franchise in the wrong direction and he got the rap for that. I think George Lazenby got the rap too. I think ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE is one of the best movies."

This is interesting. If he felt that the filmmakers were taking the series into the wrong direction with LICENCE TO KILL, then how dark will CASINO ROYALE be?

Freerunning With Bond

March 9, 2006 – MTV

Sebastien Foucan gained stardom throughout much of the world when the gymnastics enthusiast helped invent freerunning, a gravity-defying sport that received exposure in the U.S. via a series of Nike commercials. Now Foucan will employ his high-jumping, obstacle-evading abilities while engaging the new James Bond in one of the most ambitious chase sequences in the history of the action series.