Daniel Craig Is Bond

Daniel Craig, a.k.a., James Bond's Sexy Body!

2006-09-09T23:34:00.000-07:00

Will ya look at that toned, taught body?!

We're all sitting here at Info Divas, with the City of London as our backdrop, with our mouths open....just a feast for the eyes and the senses is this lovely man, our new James Bond.

Eat your hearts out all of you Ditzy Doo-dahs who dared to murmur that Daniel couldn't be Bond...

Catch a NEWSFLASH - DANIEL CRAIG IS BOND...Now and forever!
The Info Divas

2006-09-09T23:15:00.000-07:00

Will you look at that SEXY Bastard!! Vin Diesel shows us how absolutely stunning a man can look in Howie's 21st Century Kilt!

Come on Daniel, your fans want to see you in a 21st Century Kilt - with those rugged legs and that perfect arse, don't make us beg!

Vin is just one of the many Celebrity clients that 21st Century Kilts attracts...

21st Century Kilts - Howie Tells Us it Takes a Man To Wear It!

2006-09-09T23:08:00.000-07:00

What do you think, Gals? We LOVE IT! Sexy, brawny, rugged and thrilling - wondering if these brutes have any jockers on underneath! Oooh-la-la!

Ol' Danny Boy should don one of these kilts - He'd look super-gorgeous!

Welcome to 21st Century Kilts (TFCK). Launched in 1999 at London mens fashion week, I first created 21st Century Kilts in 1996. At age eighteen whilst doing a crash course in the workshop of my parents business Geoffrey (Tailor) Highland Crafts Ltd. 21st Century Kilts is a brand entirely controlled and produced by Geoffrey (Tailor). Through this relationship I have kept a foot in both camps.

We have tried to put in as much information as possible making your transition from trousers to a kilt even more comfortable. Over the years the brand has grown worldwide. Featured in numerous travel, fashion, topical programmes and magazines. 21st Century Kilts has even been used by VisitScotland to project a younger, funkier image of Scotland at home and abroad, an image of my friends and I drinking a pint outside a local Edinburgh pub in our kilts even appeared in NYC Subways as part of their campaign. We also enjoyed international coverage in a magazine called Vman after a photoshoot with the world famous photographer; Mario Testino. 17 male models all in 21st Century Kilts, pictured on the streets of London.

“The kilt has evolved for thousands of years. Worn by Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Vikings and Brits.”

Through this sort of support and publicity I feel we have truly established 21st Century Kilts as a world brand and an accepted evolution of the kilt in the 21st century. Leading the market in quality alternative clothing for men.

When I started the range, I myself never considered the kilt feasible everyday wear. At twenty-one I started wearing a Kilt full time, flying, driving, in the supermarket and obviously partying, I am always in the kilt. It is not my aim to make all our customers kilt addicts, although perhaps I should warn you - kilts are very comfortable, they liberate you and your wardrobe, making clothes more exciting than ever before. Oh and yes, they happen to be considered sexy wherever you wear one.

A kilt is for life, more often than not, our customers have worn a kilt in the past or have researched the choices. They have found us to be the best choice for them. I do not claim to be the only person doing new things with the kilt but I do claim to be the first and most authentically close to good quality traditional kilts as possible. The kilt has evolved for thousands of years. Worn by Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Vikings and Brits.

The kilt developed from many different cultures throughout the world. Today It is not just the Scots who wear the kilt, but also the Irish, Welsh and yes, even the English. KILT: Danish origins; To Tuck/Pleat. The garment itself is far bigger than any one company or time in history. Remember, this is a piece of clothing that was banned in 1745 for forty-seven years. It was believed that it encouraged rebellion and too much national pride in its wearers. My aim is to give men throughout the world a realistic alternative to trousers. Pioneering the next step of its evolution, 21st Century Kilts is true to the original kilt which was everyday clothing. Casual or formal a kilt should be an option for any man from anywhere and realise they are part of the history of an international garment.

Growing up in the traditional Highland Dress business of the family, Howie wore formal wear on many occasions. After starting 21st Century Kilts and wearing the new designs more and more Howie made it a personal mission to create an alternative to jackets like the Prince Charlie and Argyll.

Through several experimental jacket cuts and styles we have kept to the same principal design for more than five years. In the kilt market 21stcentury Kilts have established the three button kilt jacket well and truly throughout the industry.

Our jackets and waistcoats are completely made to measure. With a consultation regarding buttons, pockets, lining, fit and cut. We have kept the jacket simple. It is based close to a mans single breasted suit yet shorter cut. This is an alternative to the traditional that is stylish, suited for the kilt, formal and timeless. We have seen an amazing response from both Modern kilt wearers and Tartan kilt wearers. Like any good kilt jacket, a jacket from 21st century kilts will still be wearable in ten, twenty, thirty years.

21ST CENTURY KILTS

DANIEL CRAIG IS THE BEST, BEST BOND EVER!!!

2006-09-09T20:00:00.000-07:00

OY VEY! OH MY WORD! STOP PRESS! ALERT THE BLOODY MEDIA!

DANIEL CRAIG IS THE HOTTEST, SEXIEST, MOST AUTHENTIC BOND THAT HAS EVER GRACED THE SILVER SCREEN...

WANT TO BET ON THAT, CHARLIE?? SHOW YOUR HAND - I'LL DOUBLE IT!

Dolls, seriously, Daniel is nothing short of the real bloody BRITISH SPY HEART-THROB. He ignites a nostalgic, classy-cool and at-the-same-time ruthless vital energy that is EVERYTHING Ian Fleming wanted Bond to be from the outset.
(And everything we Ladies imagined all these years! Thank God, Somebody was paying attention over there!

Here it is...(we watched it about 8 times, just for that part where he says he belongs to Vesper Lynd- Aaahhhh, Divine!)
Oh and guys - the fighting is AWESOME! Give it a SQUIZZ!
A presto, Darlings!
Info Divas

Eva Green aka Vesper Lynd

2006-09-08T22:21:00.000-07:00

Green was born on July 5, 1980 in Paris, France to a French mother and a Swedish father and raised in the 17th arrondissement of Paris. Her mother is the actress Marlène Jobert; her father, Walter Green, is a dentist, who appeared in the 1966 film Au hasard Balthazar - this was his first and only on-screen appearance. She has one sibling, a fraternal twin (non-identical) sister, Joy.

Green studied acting in Paris for three years, followed by a 10-week polishing course at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England, UK.

Career

Theatre
Eva began her professional career in 2001, when she performed in the play Jalousie En Trois Fax, playing the role of Iris - a performance that brought her critical acclaim and a nomination for Les Molières in the category Révélation Théâtrale Féminine. In 2002, she made her second stage appearance as the coquette in the play Turcaret.

Cinema
In 2003, Green made her feature film debut in Bernardo Bertolucci's NC-17-rated film The Dreamers with Michael Pitt and Louis Garrel. She played the role of Isabelle and in addition to acting, also composed the score for the film. Described by Bertolucci as "so beautiful it's indecent", her performance brought her critical acclaim, as well as some notoriety for her explicit, extensive full frontal nudity. While filming Dreamers, Green was said to have found Bertolucci manipulative, though in a creative way that wasn't pushy. In comparison to her previous stage acting, she has said that acting in front of the camera makes you its "plaything."

She played the Countess, Clarisse de Dreux-Sobise in the 2004 French film, Arsène Lupin, directed by Jean-Paul Salomé and starring Romain Duris and Kristin Scott Thomas. In 2005, she portrayed Sibylla of Jerusalem in Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven, starring opposite Orlando Bloom as Balian.

Green has recently been cast as "Bond girl" Vesper Lynd in the upcoming James Bond film Casino Royale with new 007 actor Daniel Craig. She is the fourth French actress to portray a "Bond girl," and the first one born in the 1980s. Casino Royale will be released in theaters worldwide on November 17, 2006. In May of 2006, Maxim magazine named her #20 in its annual Hot 100 list.

Green has also joined the cast of New Line's His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass, based on Phillip Pullman's novel, and directed by Chris Weitz. She will play Serafina Pekkala, the queen of witches who guides Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Richards) on her journey to a parallel universe. Green will join Daniel Craig (Lord Asriel), Adam Godley (Pantalaimon), and Nicole Kidman (Marisa Coulter) in the cast.

Personal life
Green speaks both French and English fluently and currently shares her time between her two residiences, one in Paris, France and one in London, England, UK. She has been in a relationship with Yann Claasen since the late-1990s.

The multi-lingual Green's name in Swedish is pronounced "grain" and comes from the Swedish word gren, which means (tree) branch.

Filmography
The Dreamers (2003)
Arsène Lupin (2004)
Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
Casino Royale (2006)
His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (2007)

Nosher Powell, Father of a Powerful Stunt Family

2006-09-05T22:15:00.000-07:00

Nosher Powell, proud Dad of Gary Powell, the stunt-co-ordinator for the new Bond move, Casino Royal, (born 15 August 1928 in Camberwell, London, England) is known both as an actor, sometimes credited as; Freddie Powell, Frederick Powell and Fred Powell, and as a boxer.

Powell has had an extensive, but mostly uncredited career in acting, and, in his biography Nosher!, he is described as the ultimate hard man - a boxer, bouncer, minder, a stunt man, and a force to be reckoned with. Apart from his acting career, Powell was a heavyweight boxing champion in the worlds of unlicensed fighting and the professional arena, fighting with Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali and bare-knuckle champion Roy 'Pretty Boy' Shaw. The last fight of his career was against Menzies Johnson, Nosher won the fight on points, over eight rounds. Nosher had a total of seventy-eight fights, fifty-one of those professional, he lost nine and was never knocked out.[1]

Selected filmography
Oliver Twist (1948)
Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954)
Road to Hong Kong (1962)
A Shot in the Dark (1964)
A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
Oliver! (1968)
On the Buses (1971)
Carry on Dick (1974)
Victor/Victoria (1982)
Krull (1983)
Eat the Rich (1987)
Willow (1988)
Legionnaire (1998)

Gary Powell - Stunt Co-ordinator for Casino Royale

2006-09-05T21:59:00.000-07:00

Gary Powell was born and raised in a 'stunt' family. His father, brother and uncle are all very successful stunt men, so it was only natural ( and expected) for Gary to follow in their footsteps. He performed his first stunt at the mere age of 11 in one of the Carry On films. After that, there was no stopping him.

Since joining the British Stunt Register, Gary has worked on some of the biggest films ever made. These involved performing and arranging some of the most dynamic stunts that have been seen on screen, for example, the barrel roll with the power boat in the opening sequence of The World Is Not Enough and the tank chase in GoldenEye.

The knowledge Gary has gathered from the numerous films to his credit is vast. His expertise in stunts, wire work and blue screen/CGI comes from working on all manner of productions from period pieces to futuristic features. Gary always gets the best out of the Artists and fellow performers, so that not only does the stunt look spectacular, but is performed with optimum safety.

Stunts - filmography
(In Production) (2000s) (1990s)

The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) (in production) (stunt coordinator)
Casino Royale (2006) (post-production) (stunt coordinator)
... aka Ian Fleming's Casino Royale (USA: complete title)
Back in Business (2006) (post-production) (stunt driver)
Blood and Chocolate (2007) (completed) (stunt coordinator)

The Legend of Zorro (2005) (stunt coordinator)
... aka Z (USA: poster title)
The Island (2005) (stunt performer)
"Jane Hall" (2005) TV Series (utility stunts)
Alexander (2004) (stunt coordinator)
... aka Alexandre (France)
Out of Bounds (2004) (stunts)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) (stunts)
... aka Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: The IMAX Experience (USA: IMAX version)
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004) (stunt coordinator)
Trauma (2004/I) (stunt coordinator)
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) (crane stunt driver)
... aka T3 (USA: promotional abbreviation)
... aka Terminator 3 - Rebellion der Maschinen (Germany)
Collision Course (2003) (TV) (stunt driver)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) (stunts)
... aka Harry Potter und die Kammer des Schreckens (Germany)
28 Days Later... (2002) (stunts)
... aka 28 Days Later (UK: closing credits title)
... aka 28 jours plus tard (France)
... aka 29 Days Later (USA: longer version)
Killing Me Softly (2002) (stunt coordinator)
Iris (2001/I) (stunt supervisor)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) (stunt double) (uncredited)
... aka Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Canada: English title) (International: English title) (UK)
... aka Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (USA)
"Midsomer Murders"
- Dark Autumn (2001) TV Episode (stunts)
- Who Killed Cock Robin? (2001) TV Episode (stunts)
"Band of Brothers" (2001) (mini) TV Series (stunts) (episode 6)
The Mummy Returns (2001) (assistant stunt coordinator)
"Jam" (2000) TV Series (stunts)
... aka Jaaaaam (UK: recut version)

The World Is Not Enough (1999) (stunt double: Pierce Brosnan) (uncredited) (stunts)
... aka T.W.I.N.E. (UK: promotional abbreviation)
The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) (stunt double: Pierce Brosnan)
The Mummy (1999) (stunts)
Legionnaire (1998) (assistant stunt coordinator)
Saving Private Ryan (1998) (stunts)
Lost in Space (1998) (stunt utilities)
... aka LS (USA: promotional abbreviation)
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) (stunts) (uncredited)
Titanic (1997) (stunts)
The Saint (1997) (stunts)
Fever Pitch (1997) (stunts)
Fierce Creatures (1997) (stunts)
101 Dalmatians (1996) (stunts)
The Secret Agent (1996) (stunt double)
... aka Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent
Michael Collins (1996) (stunts)
Mission: Impossible (1996) (stunts)
... aka Mission Impossible
Some Mother's Son (1996) (stunts)
... aka Sons and Warriors (video catalogue title)
GoldenEye (1995) (stunt double: Bond double #1) (uncredited) (stunts)
Richard III (1995) (stunts)
First Knight (1995) (stunts)
Braveheart (1995) (stunts)
Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994) (stunts)
... aka Interview with the Vampire (USA: short title)
Shopping (1994) (stunts)
In the Name of the Father (1993) (stunts)
The Three Musketeers (1993) (stunts)
Son of the Pink Panther (1993) (stunts)
... aka Blake Edwards' Son of the Pink Panther
... aka Figlio della pantera rosa, Il (Italy)
"Stay Lucky"
- The Driving Instructor (1993) TV Episode (stunt performer)
Splitting Heirs (1993) (stunts)
"Wild Justice" (1993) (mini) TV Series (stunts)
1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992) (stunts)
... aka 1492: Christophe Colomb (France)
... aka 1492: La conquête du paradis
... aka 1492: La conquista del paraíso (Spain)
Far and Away (1992) (stunts: Ireland)
Year of the Comet (1992) (stunts)
"Waiting for God" (1990) TV Series (stunt performer)

Actor - filmography

The World Is Not Enough (1999) (uncredited) .... Submarine Crewman
... aka T.W.I.N.E. (UK: promotional abbreviation)
Michael Collins (1996) .... Black and Tan on Lorry
The Favor (1994) .... Fishermen
... aka The Favour (UK)
... aka The Indecent Favour (Australia)

GARY POWELL STUNTS

Daniel Craig - Why He Is The Best Bond!

2006-07-30T14:44:00.000-07:00

You know...I read the "ditzy" site that is against Craig being the new Bond...

YAWN!
Obviously, these poor Dahlings haven't got a clue about Ian Fleming's original Bond.

Apparently, they haven't met a real Special Branch agent or an Undercover "chap".

I have. I know...and Daniel Craig is the REAL DEAL!
In fact Guys and Gals, Daniel Craig is the closest encounter you will ever have with a special agent, an international spy or such.

So ENJOY, ENJOY, ENJOY! Because, there is SO MUCH to enjoy!

There isn't anything as SEXY as AUTHENTICITY and Danny Boy is as authentic as Hollywood will ever get to a real undercover agent who is licensed to thrill!

Take it from me - I know!
Info Divas
Copyright 2006

Daniel Craig as James Bond

2006-07-30T14:21:00.000-07:00

Daniel Craig as James Bond.
As early as February 2005, Craig had been named in the media as a possible contender to replace Pierce Brosnan as James Bond. On April 6, 2005 Craig was reported to have been signed by EON Productions as part of a three-film contract worth £15 million [1], however, this news was later debunked by the BBC [2] who contacted EON for an official report.
According to Craig, MGM offered him the role but the Broccoli family never got in touch with him.

Finally, on October 14, 2005, EON Productions named Daniel Craig as the sixth actor to portray 007, taking over for Pierce Brosnan. Craig signed a three-film contract, with the first, Casino Royale, expected to be released worldwide on November 17, 2006. The announcement was made at noon in London at HMS President, a Royal Naval Reserve station at St Katharine Docks, on the banks of the River Thames downstream of Tower Bridge.
When announced, because Daniel Craig has blond hair instead of Bond's typical dark hair, he was consequently dubbed in the media as "James Blond." Roger Moore also sported a lighter sandy coloured hair throughout many of his films, but he is not considered blond.
Born the year after the release of You Only Live Twice and before the release of On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Craig is the first James Bond actor to be born after the start of the film series, and also the first to be born after Ian Fleming's death in 1964.

The casting of Craig as Bond has been controversial among many fans of the film series, resulting in one group creating a website, craignotbond.com, advocating a boycott of the film unless EON Productions reconsiders its casting, even though production of Casino Royale had already begun. The James Bond fanbase is deeply divided over Craig.

In defense of Craig, a number of websites to counter Craignotbond.com have been created, such as craigasbond.com and craigisbond.net and givecraigachance.com, although these have had little publicity or visits compared to Craignotbond.com. Many actors and actresses who have either worked with Craig or have been featured in previous Bond films have argued that Craig is a good choice as Bond.

This list includes four of the past Bond actors: Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, and Pierce Brosnan. Miss Moneypenny, Samantha Bond, and the villain Scaramanga, Christopher Lee, have also backed the new Bond, as has former Bond villain Sean Bean, who worked with Craig in Sharpe's Eagle.

Judi Dench has also voiced her support for Craig in this role, and criticized the negative reaction: "I hate how people have been attacking Daniel Craig. It's despicable and it disgusts me. I have filmed with him in Prague and the Bahamas and he is a fine actor. He brings something new and edgy to the role. His critics will be proved wrong."

As production of Casino Royale reached its conclusion, producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli announced that pre-production work had already begun on the 22nd Bond film, which will once again star Craig as James Bond. After several months of speculation as to the release date, Wilson and Broccoli officially announced on July 20, 2006 that the film, currently known as Bond 22, will be released on May 2, 2008.

Daniel Craig

2006-07-30T13:47:00.000-07:00

Daniel Wroughton Craig (born 2 March 1968) is an English actor. He is the sixth and current actor to portray James Bond in the official film series from EON Productions.

He was born in Chester, the son of a steel erector and an art teacher. He was brought up in Prescot, near Liverpool and Frodsham, near Chester. He also attended Hilbre High School, West Kirby (near Liverpool) and played rugby at nearby Hoylake Rugby Club. After briefly attending Sixth Form at Calday Grange Grammar School, he moved to London when he was 16 to join the National Youth Theatre, later securing a place at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Craig's film career began with The Power of One in 1992, and he later gained wider recognition in the UK with a co-starring role in the critically acclaimed BBC2 drama serial Our Friends in the North in 1996.

Following a lighthearted introduction to international audiences as Angelina Jolie's rival and sometime love interest in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), he raised his profile in the United States in Sam Mendes' movie Road to Perdition (2002), with Tom Hanks, playing a weaselly murderer who hides behind his mobster father's shadow. Other leading film roles have included Sylvia (2003) with Gwyneth Paltrow and Enduring Love (2004) with Rhys Ifans.

In 2005, Craig played a Jewish, South African-born Mossad agent in Steven Spielberg's controversial, Oscar-nominated political thriller, Munich.
On October 9, 2005, the News of the World newspaper revealed that Craig had allegedly been having an affair with Sienna Miller, his co-star in Layer Cake (2005). Miller had recently been engaged to Jude Law.
He will be lending his voice for DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda starring Jack Black.

Casino Royale

2006-07-28T15:49:00.000-07:00

Casino Royale is the 21st James Bond film produced by EON Productions and the first to star Daniel Craig as British Secret Service agent James Bond. Based on the 1953 novel Casino Royale by Ian Fleming, it was adapted by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Academy Award-winning screenwriter Paul Haggis and directed by Martin Campbell, director of the 1995 Bond film, GoldenEye.

This film marks the third screen adaptation of Ian Fleming's first Bond novel, which was previously produced as a 1954 television episode and a 1967 film spoof. However, the 2006 release will be the only official EON Productions adaptation of Fleming's novel. Casino Royale is the first official Bond film to be co-produced by Columbia Pictures, which had produced and originally distributed the 1967 non-canonical film version; this is the result of the 2005 Sony/Comcast consortium's acquisition of MGM, parent company of Bond film series rights co-owner United Artists.

Casino Royale is a reboot of the franchise in the same light as Batman Begins. After obtaining his 00-number and his licence to kill, James Bond sets out on his first mission which takes him to Madagascar to spy on a potential terrorist. Soon after, Bond is pulled into a game of high-stakes poker in Montenegro with Le Chiffre, who provides a global money-laundering service to many terrorist organisations.

The Search for Vesper Lynd

2006-07-27T15:56:00.000-07:00

Promotional photo of James Bond and Bond girls Vesper Lynd played by Eva Green and Solange played by Caterina Murino.

After Daniel Craig was announced as James Bond the media turned their attention to casting of the lead Bond girl, Vesper Lynd, exacerbated by the fact filming began without the role having been cast. Casting director Debbie McWilliams has acknowledged that Angelina Jolie and Charlize Theron were "strongly considered" for the role. Tabloids reported that both turned the role down, although McWilliams never confirmed they were offered the part. McWilliams also said that Cécile De France auditioned for the role, but her English "wasn't up to scratch." Audrey Tautou was also considered, but ultimately not chosen because of her role in The Da Vinci Code that was released in May 2006 [2]. Eva Green was finally announced as having been cast on February 16, 2006.

Likewise with the search for James Bond, many actresses were named in the media as possible contenders or going so far as to have been confirmed in the media as being signed to the role. The first occurred in January 2006 when the Daily Mail identified Rose Byrne as Vesper, claiming an official announcement would be made soon. When no announcement was made, The Sun tabloid later claimed Thandie Newton had been signed, though she later denied this. Many other actresses had been connected to the role in the media including Sienna Miller (Daniel Craig's co-star in the 2004 film Layer Cake), Naomi Watts, Rachel McAdams, Scarlett Johansson, Rachael Stirling (Diana Rigg's daughter), and Vera Farmiga.

Aston Martin DB5

2006-07-24T16:09:00.000-07:00

Manufacturer: Aston Martin
Production: 1963–1965
1021 produced
Predecessor: Aston Martin DB4
Successor: Aston Martin DB6
Class: Sports car
Body style: FR 2-door coupe
FR 2-door convertible
Engine: 4.0 L Tadek Marek I6
The Aston Martin DB5, released in 1963, was a slight upgrade from the DB4 which preceded it. It is most famous for being the first and most recognised James Bond car, seen in Goldfinger, Thunderball, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, and the next Bond film Casino Royale.

The major difference between the DB4 and DB5 is the engine — the DB5's was boosted to 4.0 L (3995 cc/243 in³). Another addition was the 5-speed transmission option. The standard engine, with three SU carburettors, produced 282 hp (210 kW), propelling the car to 148 mph (238 km/h).

A very unusual DB5 was the "shooting brake" station wagon, a dozen of which were produced by independent coachbuilder, Harold Radford. A design flaw with the station wagon was that there was no change to the rear suspension. Drivers of the shooting brake would find this out when the load in the rear shifted at high speed in a corner with a resultant loss of control.

Overview of New Bond Film - Casino Royale

2006-07-24T15:59:00.000-07:00

Promotional photo of James Bond and M in the upcoming Casino Royale Casino

Overview of the film
Principal photography for Casino Royale commenced on January 30, 2006 and concluded on July 21, 2006. The film was primarily shot at Barrandov Studios in Prague, with additional location shooting in the Czech Republic, The Bahamas, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Production returned to its traditional home of Pinewood Studios to complete the shooting schedule where it is currently in post-production.

Casino Royale will premiere at Odeon Leicester Square in London on November 14, 2006 and will be released in the United Kingdom and the United States on November 17; however, Sony Pictures has announced that a number of European, Middle Eastern, and East Asian countries will receive the film earlier — on November 15 and November 16. Japan, Italy, Argentina, and several other countries will not get to see the film until early 2007 [4].

Casino Royale is said to take James Bond "back to his roots" in a film that would be similar to From Russia with Love where the focus was on character and plot rather than high-tech gadgets and visual effects, two issues that were most criticised in The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day. Additionally, EON has admitted that they relied too heavily on CGI effects and are planning to accomplish the stunts in Casino Royale "the old fashioned way." [5] The move towards more action, bigger special effects, and CGI in recent Bond films was in part due to a need to compete at the time with big-budget action films that dominated the 1990s box office. However, the success of less grandiose action films such as The Bourne Identity in the last few years has suggested the time may be right for the Bond series to scale back as it did during the Roger Moore era with For Your Eyes Only, which followed special effects extravaganzas such as Moonraker and The Spy Who Loved Me. This is an acknowledged gamble for the series, as many previous "real world" Bond films, such as On Her Majesty's Secret Service and For Your Eyes Only, as well as the last Timothy Dalton entry, Licence to Kill, although they became fan favourites, underperformed at the box office when compared to the more lavish series entries.

One major exclusion from the film will be the absence of Q and Miss Moneypenny. They were not included in the screenplay, which will make this only the second Bond film without Q and the first without Moneypenny. Thus a new Moneypenny will not be cast for this film following Samantha Bond's retirement from the role. Likewise, John Cleese will not be making a return as Q. In October 2005 producer Michael G. Wilson stated that Moneypenny's and Q's omission was due to the characters not appearing in the novel; Moneypenny, however, was in the novel and had one line of dialogue, although Major Boothroyd, which the films transformed into the character Q, did not appear until several books later.

The Search for the New James Bond

2006-07-24T15:51:00.000-07:00

Highlighted by a flurry of unconfirmed reports from a variety of different sources, the quest for the actor to replace Pierce Brosnan as James Bond attracted a great deal of high-profile media attention after rumours began to surface in the Autumn of 2004 that Pierce Brosnan would not be re-signing with EON Productions to play agent 007 in Casino Royale. Brosnan confirmed this on October 14, 2004, stating "It's absolutely over," and that he considered himself "fired" from the role.

A spokesperson for EON Productions issued a statement on April 17, 2005 that it would "definitely not be Pierce Brosnan." Despite this and numerous public denials that he would return, various media continued to report that Brosnan was still in contention for the role. Throughout 2004 and 2005, an endless stream of potential new Bonds — both unknowns and established Hollywood actors — were rumoured and even announced by some media. Some of the popular names mentioned to be in actual consideration by EON Productions, a list at one point claimed by Michael G. Wilson to be over 200 names long are:

Christian Bale
Eric Bana
Orlando Bloom
Gerard Butler
Henry Cavill
Daniel Craig
Jack Davenport
Colin Farrell
Ralph Fiennes
Rupert Friend
Ioan Gruffudd
Hugh Jackman
Jude Law
Ewan McGregor
Julian McMahon
Alex O'Loughlin
Clive Owen
Adrian Paul
James Purefoy
Jonathan Rhys-Meyers
Colin Salmon
Dougray Scott
Ewan Stewart
Karl Urban
Goran Višnjić
Dominic West
Sam Worthington

Names in bold indicate actors who confirmed that they auditioned for the role.
Of note, Eric Bana, Clive Owen, Hugh Jackman, and even Daniel Craig were at one point confirmed to have been signed or to have been offered the role by various news outlets. More than any other candidate, Clive Owen had been a staying name while the search was continuing, likely due to his previous 1999 film, Croupier and his role in BMW's short film series, The Hire where in both he played a Bond-like character.

Rumours surrounding Owen intensified in early 2005 after he was awarded a Golden Globe and a BAFTA and nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his 2004 film, Closer. By July 2005, the list of names was down to a mere four, popularly known as "the final four", according to the tabloid, The Sunday Mirror. It was claimed that the shortlist had been whittled down to Henry Cavill (22), Alex O'Lachlan (28), Ewan Stewart (47) and Goran Višnjić (32) [1]. The list was premature and by September 2005 during a press junket for The Legend of Zorro, Martin Campbell claimed the list to have consisted of 8-10 names.

Promotional photo of Daniel Craig as James Bond released on October 14, 2005.
As early as April 2005 rumours began to swirl around Layer Cake star Daniel Craig. In May, Craig stated that MGM had assured him that he had the job, but that the Broccoli family hadn't approached him. Similarly, the director of Layer Cake, Matthew Vaughn stated that he had been offered the job of directing the film by the studio, but not by the Broccolis [2].

By August 2005, the 37-year-old Daniel Craig was still considered by many to be in the running and by some insiders, EON Production's preferred choice. On October 11, the Daily Mail confirmed that Daniel Craig had been signed for the role; however, no official confirmation was made until October 14, 2005 during a news conference held by EON Productions and Sony Pictures Entertainment. The conference was held at noon in London at HMS President, a Royal Naval Reserve station at St Katharine Docks, on the banks of the River Thames downstream of Tower Bridge.

Aston Martin DBS V12

2006-07-23T15:22:00.000-07:00

The Aston Martin DBS is the latest supercar to be announced by the British marque and is set to become the latest weapon of choice for the new James Bond (played by actor Daniel Craig) in the upcoming 'Casino Royale (2006 film)'. Aston Martin CEO, Dr. Ulrich Bez summarised the philosophy that was the driving force behind the conception of the new Bond car in the Press Release (see below), explaining that “The DBS is not of the understated elegance of a DB9, nor the youthful agility of the V8 Vantage. It is explosive power in a black tie and has its own unique character which will equal that of James Bond.”

The exact specification is still 'top secret' but it is known that the DBS will be powered by the same 6-litre V12 engine found in the class leading Aston Martin DB9 (450 bhp), however performance has been up-rated to "well over 500 bhp"[citation needed]. This coupled with a number of suspension improvements (some of which can be seen on the DB9 with the additional 'Sports Pack') and a number of composite replacements to the cars' bodywork (which makes the DBS a full 150 kilograms lighter than the production DB9) should make the car the fastest ever to come out of Aston Martin Headquarters in Gaydon.

The car sits in Aston Martin's current range as a transition model between the 'standard' DB9 and the DBRS9 (550 bhp, 0-60 mph < 4 sec (est.), the racing GT version of the DB9 that is available to private customers from Aston Martin Racing, a satellite company based in Banbury, England, that produces high performance cars for the International GT1 series and private buyers. The DBRS9 was designed as a "bridge for teams and drivers looking towards international GT racing." - Aston Martin Racing.

The DBS has been unveiled sporting a brand new exterior colour, a graphite grey with a blue tint which has been dubbed 'Casino Ice'. The car has been tuned to give a louder exhaust note and includes a number of new features. Rumours suggest that only a limited run of 300 will be produced and there is no indication of pricing at this time.

Daniel Craig Controversy

2006-07-19T15:55:00.000-07:00

The film generated considerable media interest when EON Productions chose to end Pierce Brosnan's tenure in the famous lead role, but did not decide upon a successor for over a year. An official announcement was made during a news conference in London on Friday October 14, 2005 introducing Daniel Craig as James Bond, a decision that was instantly controversial.

Some vocal opponents of Daniel Craig's casting as Bond have threatened to boycott Casino Royale, going so far as to setup a website urging others to boycott the film as well. The web site, craignotbond.com, called on visitors "to stop Sony and EON from ruining the future of James Bond by hiring Daniel Craig."

Much of the animosity towards Craig's casting refers to his blond hair, his height and his looks. Although he is 5'11" (about 1.80 m) (two inches (about 5 cm) above the US and UK height average) he is referred to as short in comparison to all of the previous James Bond actors, who are consistently reported as being between 6'1" (about 1.85 m) and 6'2" (about 1.88 m). The subject of his looks is often the most debated, although his having blond hair, instead of Bond's typical dark hair, is most often the first issue from negative reception. Consequently, the media has dubbed Craig as "James Blond," although it is worth noting that Roger Moore also sported a lighter sandy coloured hair throughout many of his films; however, he is not considered blond.

It should be noted in light of this boycott that there seems to be no consensus among fans. Some web polls and fan forums indicate a more positive attitude towards Daniel Craig since the release of Layer Cake on DVD and the release of Munich in theaters. Other polls show mixed feelings or opposition to Craig as Bond.

To counter craignotbond.com, a number of pro Craig websites have been created such as craigisbond.net, givecraigachance.com and CraigAsBond.com. Additionally, many actors and actresses that have either worked with Craig in past films or have been featured in previous Bond films have come out in support of Craig as a good choice for Bond. This list includes four of the previous James Bond actors: Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan.

Ian Fleming

2006-07-15T15:32:00.000-07:00

Ian Lancaster Fleming (May 28, 1908 – August 12, 1964) was an English author and journalist, best remembered for writing the James Bond series of novels as well as the children's story, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Biography
Ian Fleming was born in Mayfair, London, to Valentine Fleming, a Member of British Parliament, and his wife Evelyn St. Croix Fleming (née Rose). Ian was the younger brother of the travel writer Peter Fleming and the older brother of Michael and Richard Fleming.

Ian was educated at Eton College and Sandhurst military academy. He won the Victor Ludorum, at Eton, two years running, something that had only been achieved once before him. After an early departure from Sandhurst which he found uncongenial, he was sent by his mother to study languages on the continent, first at Kitzbühel, Austria, at a small private establishment run by the Adlerian disciples, Ernan Forbes Dennis and his American-born wife, the novelist Phyllis Bottome, to improve his German and prepare him for the Foreign Office exams then at Munich University, Germany and finally to improve his French at the University of Geneva in Switzerland.

Fleming was unsuccessful at the attempt to join the Foreign Office and subsequently worked as, firstly as a sub-editor and journalist for the Reuters news service, including for a time in 1933 in Moscow, Russia and later as a stockbroker with Rowe and Pitman, in Bishopsgate.

World War II
In 1939, on the eve of World War II, Rear Admiral John Godfrey, Director of Naval Intelligence of the Royal Navy, recruited Fleming (who at the time held the rank of reserve subaltern in the Black Watch) as personal assistant. Initially commissioned as a Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve lieutenant, he was subsequently promoted to Lieutenant commander, then as Commander.

While in Naval Intelligence, Fleming conceived, and was author of Operation Ruthless, a plan — left unexecuted — for capturing the German naval version of the Wehrmacht's Enigma communications encoder. He also came up with an attempt to use British occultist Aleister Crowley to trick Rudolph Hess into attempting to contact a faux cell of anti-Churchill Englishmen in Britain. This plan wasn't used, however, as Rudolph Hess had flown to Scotland and parachuted in an attempt to broker peace behind Hitler's back.

Anthony Masters's book The Man Who Was M: The Life of Charles Henry Maxwell Knight asserts Fleming conceived the plan that successfully lured Hess into flying to Scotland — in May 1941, to negotiate Anglo–German peace with Churchill — and consequent captivity; this claim has no other source. Fleming also formulated Operation Goldeneye, a plan to maintain communication with Gibraltar as well as a plan of defence if Spain had joined the Axis Powers and along with Germany had invaded the land.

In June 1941 General William Donovan requested that Fleming write a memorandum describing the structure and functions of a secret service organisation, which Fleming did and was rewarded with a .38 Police Positive Colt revolver with the inscription, "For Special Services." Parts of this memorandum were later used in the official charter for the OSS, which was later dissolved after World War II in 1945. The descendant of the OSS, the Central Intelligence Agency was proposed and created 2 years later.

In 1942 Fleming formed an Auxiliary Unit known as 30 AU, which he nicknamed as his own "Red Indians." 30 AU was specifically trained at lock-picking, safe-cracking, various forms of unarmed combat, and other techniques and skills for collecting intelligence. As Fleming's responsibility, he meticulously planned all their raids, going so far as to memorize aerial photographs so that their missions could be planned out to the detail. Although very successful, 30 AU was eventually taken away from Fleming on D-Day.

It is often reported, and perpetuated by Fleming, that he travelled to Whitby, Ontario to train at Camp X, a top secret training school for Allied forces. This is, however, most likely not true, as no evidence to Fleming being at Camp X has ever been retrieved, nor do any of the staff recall Fleming ever being there. [1]

Writing career
As the DNI's personal assistant, Fleming's intelligence work was the background and experience for writing the James Bond novels. The first Bond novel was Casino Royale, published in 1953. It is believed the woman character, Vesper Lynd, was inspired by real-life SOE agent, Christine Granville; likewise, various inspirations for James Bond, the protagonist, have been suggested. Besides writing the twelve novels and nine short stories featuring James Bond, secret agent 007, Ian Fleming also is known for writing the children's novel, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The James Bond books became wildly successful and part of 1950s popular culture even before being filmed, permitting Fleming to retire comfortably to his home he had in Jamaica, a small cottage he called 'Goldeneye' where he wrote all the Bond novels.

It is not known specifically why Fleming chose that name, however, it could have been done so for a number of reasons. The first is that the estate is located in Oracabessa, which is Spanish for 'golden head'. Fleming is also reported to have read Carson McCullers' novel Reflections In A Golden Eye around the time he had his house built in Jamaica. More notably, Fleming was in charge of the defence of Gibraltar during the Second World War; the operation dubbed by Fleming, Operation Goldeneye.

His 1962 Bond novel, The Spy Who Loved Me was somewhat of a departure from the other books in the series in that he wrote the book in the first person from the point of view of a female protagonist, Vivienne Michel. Fleming gave the fictitious character co-author credit.

In 1961 Fleming sold the film rights to his existing and future James Bond novels and short stories to Harry Saltzman who eventually co-produced with Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli a film based on Dr. No (1962). Fleming suggested his neighbour, actor Sir Noel Coward to play Dr. Julius No and David Niven for the role of Bond. Some sources make claims and wild speculation to other Fleming favourites such as Roger Moore for the role of Bond and Fleming's cousin Christopher Lee for the role of Dr. No and even Bond himself. Although Lee was not selected for either role, he was later cast as the eponymous villain from The Man with the Golden Gun, Francisco Scaramanga. Dr. No became a huge hit, and was followed by From Russia with Love (1963), which would be the last Bond picture Fleming would live to see released.

He was seen during the Istanbul Pogroms, which many Greek and some Turkish scholars blamed Britain's secret hand behind its orchestration. His account, entitled "The Great Riot of Istanbul", appeared in Sunday Times on 11 September 1955.

Later life

Ian Fleming was also a noted bibliophile, and put together an important library on the theme of significant books in the history of western civilization, books which had "started something". He particularly collected books relating to science and technology such as On the Origin of Species, but also included such milestones as Mein Kampf and Scouting for Boys. He was a major lender to the 1963 exhibition Printing and the Mind of Man and 600 books from his collection are now in the Lilly Library at Indiana University.

Early on the morning of August 12, 1964, Ian Fleming died of a heart attack in Canterbury, Kent, at age 56, and was interred in the churchyard cemetery in the village of Sevenhampton, near Swindon. His wife Anne Geraldine Mary Fleming (1913–1981), and their only son, Caspar Robert Fleming (1952–1975), were later buried next to him. Ian's heart attack was most likely the result of his lifestyle of heavy drinking and heavy smoking (seventy cigarettes and a bottle of gin a day[citation needed]) in addition to the added stress of the Thunderball court cases of the early 60s in which Fleming was sued by Kevin McClory for adapting a screenplay that was co-written by, most notably, Fleming, McClory, and Jack Whittingham.

Selected works
James Bond novels
Nr Name Year
1. Casino Royale1 1953
2. Live and Let Die 1954
3. Moonraker2 1955
4. Diamonds Are Forever 1956
5. From Russia with Love 1957
6. Dr. No 1958
7. Goldfinger 1959
8. For Your Eyes Only3 1960
9. Thunderball4 1961
10. The Spy Who Loved Me5 1962
11. On Her Majesty's Secret Service 1963
12. You Only Live Twice 1964
13. The Man with the Golden Gun6 1965
14. Octopussy and The Living Daylights7 1966

James Bond's Pistol - Walther P99

2006-07-12T16:02:00.000-07:00

The Walther P99 is a pistol made in Germany by Walther Sportwaffen.

The design of the P99 was initiated in 1994, and a handgun was presented in 1996. The main goal was to develop a new, modern-style police and self-defense handgun that incorporated all the latest developments and would cost less than its predecessor - the Walther P88, which did not achieve any significant commercial success, mainly due to high prices.

Walther has also created several limited production runs of the P99 including:

MI-6 (James Bond) a marketing tie-in with new James Bond movies, since it is now used by this fictional character.
La Chasse (hunting)
Year 2000 (Millennium).

Sean Connery was Bond

2006-07-04T19:17:00.000-07:00

Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born August 25, 1930) is an Oscar-winning Scottish film actor who is best known as the original cinematic James Bond. His character's catch phrase "Bond, James Bond" has become considerably famous.

Connery is known for his trademark Scottish accent and saturnine good looks, repeatedly mentioned as one of the most attractive men alive by magazines, even though he is considerably older than most other sex symbols.

Personal life
Connery was born in Fountainbridge, Edinburgh, to a Christian mixed-denomination couple. His father, Joseph Connery, was a Catholic of Irish descent with roots in County Wexford, Ireland and his mother, Euphamia "Effie" Maclean, was Protestant. Neither Tommy (Sean) nor his brother, Neil, were raised Catholic. He claims he was called by his middle name Sean long before he became an actor, explaining that he had an Irish friend named Seamus and those who knew them both decided to call him by his middle name whenever he was with Seamus, and it stuck.

His first job was as a milkman with St. Cuthbert's Co-operative Society.[1] He then joined the Royal Navy, and after being discharged on medical grounds he briefly returned to the Co-op then went on to a succession of jobs, including truck driver, labourer, artist's model for the Edinburgh College of Art[2] and lifeguard. He competed (under the name Thom Connery) in the 1953 Mr. Universe contest won by Bill Pearl, coming third in the tall man's division. Another competitor, Johnny Isaacs, suggested that he try out for a stage production of South Pacific, which led to work on the stage, TV, and eventually film. As a weight lifter, his nickname was "Big Tam".

He was married to the Australian-born actress Diane Cilento from 1962 until 1973 (he was her second husband). They have one son, Jason Connery (born January 11, 1963), who was educated at Millfield School in Somerset, England, and the rigorous Gordonstoun boarding school in Scotland, before going on to become an actor. According to Jason, his parents' divorce was an extremely bitter and painful affair (Diane Cilento has reportedly just written an autobiography that paints an unflattering portrait of her ex-husband). Since 1975, Sean Connery has been happily married to French-Tunisian artist Michelle Roquebrune Connery.

James Bond
Sean Connery as James Bond.
Connery, best known to audiences around the world for his role as James Bond, has appeared as Bond in seven films, beginning with Dr. No in 1962, and concluding with Never Say Never Again in 1983. In all, the Connery-Bond films are:

Dr. No (1962)
From Russia with Love (1963)
Goldfinger (1964)
Thunderball (1965)
You Only Live Twice (1967)
Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
Never Say Never Again (1983 'unofficial')

Connery was discovered by Harry Saltzman after numerous names as possible contenders for Bond were ruled out or unavailable, including most notably David Niven, who later played Bond in the 1967 spoof Casino Royale, and Cary Grant, who was ruled out after committing to only one film; some sources also suggest that Grant, at 58, turned the role down feeling he was too old for the part. Due to the relatively small budget, the producers were forced to go with an unknown, and Connery was in part cast for that reason.

Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, reportedly had doubts about the casting of Connery, on the grounds that the muscular, 6'2" Scotsman was too "unrefined", but a female companion of Fleming's told him that Connery had "it", and reportedly that was good enough for Fleming. The author went on to introduce a half-Scottish (and half-Swiss) heritage for his literary character in the later books. Connery's on-screen portrayal of Bond is due in part to tutelage from director Terence Young, who helped to smooth over Connery's rough edges while utilizing his imposing physicality and graceful, cat-like movements during action sequences. Robert Cotton once wrote that in one biography of Connery, Lois Maxwell (who played the first Miss Moneypenny) noticed, "Terence took Sean under his wing. He took him to dinner, showed him how to walk, how to talk, even how to eat." Cotton said, "Some cast members remarked that Connery was simply doing a Terence Young impression, but Young and Connery knew they were on the right track."

Connery's own favorite Bond film was From Russia with Love, one of the most critically acclaimed films in the series. He confirmed this in a 2002 interview with Sam Donaldson for ABCNews.com. (American Movie Classics erroneously listed Thunderball as Connery's favorite during its recent Bond retrospectives.)

In 1967, during the unsatisfying experience of filming You Only Live Twice, Connery quit the role of Bond, having grown tired of the repetitive plots, lack of character development, and the general public's growing demands on him and his privacy (as well as fear of typecasting). This led to the producers hiring George Lazenby to take over the role in 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service. However, Lazenby backed out of a seven-film contract, and quit before On Her Majesty's Secret Service was even released, and the film had a mixed response from fans at the time. Broccoli again asked Connery to return to the role and paid him £1.2 million to do so — at the time the highest salary of any actor. Connery returned one final "official" time in 1971's Diamonds Are Forever, quitting the role shortly after release.

As a result of a deal between EON Productions and Kevin McClory (co-writer of Thunderball), McClory was given the right to create a remake of Thunderball after 13 years had passed since the release of the original film. In the late 1970s McClory teamed with Connery to write an original James Bond film, but the idea was blocked by lawsuits brought by EON and United Artists. However, the project was revived in the 1980s and Connery signed to play Bond for the seventh and final time (on screen) in the unofficial film Never Say Never Again. The title of the film has long believed to have derived from Connery's comments after the release of Diamonds Are Forever who, after filming it, claimed he would never play James Bond again. (For the legal battle see the controversy of Thunderball)

Connery returned to the role once more in 2005, providing the voice and likeness of James Bond for the video game adaptation of From Russia with Love.

Over 40 years since he first played the role, Connery is still widely regarded as the definitive cinematic incarnation of James Bond, despite popular interpretations of the character by the likes of Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan, and what many believe to be a more authentic literary performance by Timothy Dalton. Connery's own feelings on Bond in interviews has run the gamut from bitter resentment to great fondness. At one point he stated he hated the Bond character so much that he'd have killed him, but he has also stated that he never hated Bond, he merely wanted to pursue other roles. Certainly, when the James Bond series was at its peak in the mid-1960s, his association with the 007 image was so intense that different performances in his non-Bond films, such as Alfred Hitchcock's Marnie, A Fine Madness, and Sidney Lumet's The Hill, were being virtually ignored. When asked if he'd ever escape the identification, he replied, "Never. It's with me till I go in the box." At another point, he stated that he still cared about the future of the character and franchise, having been associated with the icon for too long not to care, and that all Bond films had their good points. He praised Pierce Brosnan's performance as Bond in GoldenEye, but was highly critical of Timothy Dalton's portrayal, saying the actor had taken it too seriously and was not cool [citation needed]. In December 2005 he also voiced his support for Daniel Craig, the latest actor chosen to play Bond, for Casino Royale.

Daniel Craig - Filmography

2006-07-02T14:32:00.000-07:00

Year Title Role Other notes
2008 Bond 22 James Bond Pre-production
2008 Kung Fu Panda Yivsoo (voice) Pre-production
2006 I, Lucifer Satan Announced
2006 Casino Royale James Bond Post-production
2006 The Visiting Ben Post-production
2006 Infamous Perry Smith
2005 Munich Steve
2005 Archangel Fluke Kelso Television drama
2005 Fateless American Soldier
2005 The Jacket Rudy Mackenzie
2004 Layer Cake XXXX
2004 Enduring Love Joe
2003 Sylvia Ted Hughes
2003 The Mother Darren
2002 Ten Minutes Older: The Cello Cecil
2002 Road to Perdition Connor Rooney
2001 Lara Croft: Tomb Raider Alex West
2000 Some Voices Ray
2000 I Dreamed of Africa Declan Fielding
1998 Love is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon George Dyer
1998 Love and Rage (Liebe und Leidenschaft) Cathal black
1998 Elizabeth John Ballard
1997 Obsession John McHale
1996 Our Friends in the North George "Geordie" Peacock Television drama
1995 A Kid in King Arthur's Court Master Kane
1993 Sharpe's Eagle Lt. Berry Television drama
1992 The Power of One Sgt. Botha

Aston Martin

2006-06-30T15:27:00.000-07:00

Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a British manufacturer of luxury cars headquartered at Gaydon, Warwickshire, England. The company name was derived from the Aston Clinton hill climb and the company's founder, Lionel Martin. Today, Aston Martin is part of the Premier Automotive Group division of Ford Motor Company.

Foundation
Aston Martin was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. The two had joined forces as Bamford & Martin the previous year to sell cars made by Singer from premises in Callow Street, London. Martin raced specials at the Aston Hill near Aston Clinton, and the pair decided to make their own vehicles. They acquired premises at Henniker Place in Kensington and produced their first car in March 1915. Production could not start because of World War 1 and Martin joined the Admiralty and Bamford the Royal Army Service Corps. All machinery was sold to the Sopwith Aircraft Company.

Astons on film
The very British glamour of Aston Martin cars meant they were a natural choice for the character of James Bond, author Ian Fleming giving his hero a DBIII in the seventh novel, Goldfinger. This became the third in the series of film adaptations, and a long association between 007 and the marque began on screen with the silver DB5 that appears in Goldfinger (1964) and Thunderball (1965). This was James Bond's company car, and then, in GoldenEye (1995) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), appeared to have become his private car. In On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) there appears, at the beginning and end of the movie, a metallic-green DBS. After an interlude with Lotus, Aston Martins were again used: a charcoal-grey V8 Volante and Vantage in The Living Daylights (1987). After switching to BMW for several films, the Vanquish appeared in Die Another Day (2002). In early 2004, Henrik Fisker, Design Director at Aston Martin, revealed that James Bond will be driving the new DBS [1] in Casino Royale to be released in 2006. Traditionally, the James Bond Astons have featured a variety of incredible gadgets that real-life purchasers might have been disappointed not be offered as optional extras!

The Italian Job (1969) features a silver DB4 Convertible, owned by crook Charlie Croker, played by Michael Caine. Later, this car is destroyed in a Mafia ambush, along with a pair of E-type Jaguars. The cars were meant to serve as getaway vehicles in the subsequent robbery "in case anything goes wrong." The gang decide to proceed despite this loss, and the question of what happens if anything goes wrong is pointedly ignored by Croker. Although it is commonly believed that this car was destroyed during filming, it still exists and currently belongs to an AMOC member. Rather than destroy an expensive Aston, a Lancia mocked up to look like its British counterpart was pushed over the edge for the final take. In the 2003 remake with the same title, the character Handsome Rob, played by Jason Statham, ends up driving an Aston Martin, but not the Vanquish that he wanted. Instead, it is a DB7 Volante.

An Aston Martin also appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds.

Bond Girl - Mary Goodnight - Britt Eklund

2006-06-28T20:18:00.000-07:00

Britt Ekland (born October 6, 1942 as Britt-Marie Eklund) is a Stockholm-born Swedish actress, long resident in the UK.

Britt Ekland became famous as a result of her whirlwind romance with British actor and comedian, Peter Sellers, who proposed after seeing her photograph in the paper; they had one daughter, Victoria, before divorcing. The couple made two films together, After the Fox in 1966 and The Bobo in 1967.

She later had a much-publicised romance with rock star Rod Stewart, and in 1984 she married rock musician, Slim Jim Phantom, who was almost twenty years her junior; they also divorced.

She appeared in the 1974 James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun. Other film appearances include The Night They Raided Minsky's, Get Carter, The Wicker Man (for which her voice was dubbed - see notes) and The Ultimate Thrill.

Bond Girl - Major Anya Amasova

2006-06-21T20:09:00.000-07:00

Major Anya Amasova (aka Agent XXX) played by Barbara Bach is the main Bond Girl of the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me. In the film Amasova is an agent of the KGB, however, in the novelisation by Christopher Wood, Amasova is an agent of Otdyel IV, a department of SMERSH.

[edit]
Biography
After the theft of a submarine, M recalls Bond from a mission where he is currently in a cabin located on the top of Aiguille du Mort, a mountain near the town of Chamonix. While leaving Bond is ambushed by a Russian team, but is able to kill one of them prior to parachuting off the mountain. Unbeknownst to Bond, the agent he killed is the lover of Agent XXX, aka Major Amasova who has also been recalled from a mission by General Gogol of the KGB.

Anya meets Bond during a show at the Pyramids in Egypt, however, they are not formally introduced to one another until they both arrive at Max Kalba's club where they attempt to outbid one another for a secret microfilm. After both retrieving the microfilm they report back to Cairo where General Gogol and M have decided to work together to find out how and why their submarines are being stolen while at sea.

For most of the film Bond and Anya have the same mission objectives and try to achieve the same goals often by attempting to outdo one another, during which they fall in love. After travelling to Sardinia, Anya accompanies Bond to meet Karl Stromberg posing as his wife. Afterwards Anya learns that 007 killed her lover. She then tells Bond that she will ultimately have revenge once their mission is complete.

Anya is later captured by Stromberg and held captive at Atlantis, Stromberg's undersea base. Bond sneaks aboard and rescues her. As the mission reaches its end, she points her gun at Bond, only to discover that she's too in love with Bond to kill him.

Bond Girl - Elektra King - Sophie Marceau

2006-06-14T20:07:00.000-07:00

Elektra King is a fictional character and villain from the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough, played by Sophie Marceau.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
Elektra is the daughter of Sir Robert King, whose mother's side of the family is of Azeri descent and fled the country immediately after the Soviet Union was established. She was kidnapped as a teenager by the terrorist Renard, and her father refused to pay the ransom on the advice of family friend (and James Bond's boss) M. Embittered, she became Renard's lover and participated in his scheme to bilk money from her family (going so far as to mutilate her ear so Renard could send it to her father as a warning) but pretended to have been traumatized by the kidnapping (Bond thought she suffered from Stockholm syndrome, but may have been blinded by his affection for her.)

Ten years later, she secretly collaborated with Renard to blow up her family's oil pipeline, becoming Bond's lover to throw off suspicion. When Renard publicly threatened to destroy the pipeline, however, she showed her true colors and kidnapped M, whom she blamed for her father's betrayal in not paying her ransom years earlier. The pipeline destruction, however, proved to be a diversion to further throw off suspicion to her real plan: contaminating the Bosporus with a nuclear meltdown, forcing oil traders to use her family's pipeline to transport the fossil fuel (the rest of the oil routes terminate in the Black Sea, meaning that tankers needed the Bosporus for transport). Her plan was minutes away from completion when Bond stormed her hideout and, after a tense confrontation, shot and killed her.

There is some debate as to whether Elektra, not Renard, should be considered the main villain in The World is Not Enough as it is clear many elements of the plot are orchestrated by her. If this is the case, Elektra is the first woman to be the main villain of a Bond film (since Rosa Klebb of From Russia with Love is clearly answering to someone else). Her main characteristics are that she is extremely manipulative and overwhelmingly arrogant, believing that her beauty and charm would always enable her to get her way. One example of her attitude was depicted in the sequence leading up to Bond killing her. While Bond was chasing her, she taunted him with "You couldn't shoot me... you'd miss me," believing Bond was too much in love with her (obviously once he figured it out he wasn't). The scene climaxed with Bond shooting her, saying "I never miss."

She is the third woman ever to be killed by Bond in the film franchise.

Bond Girl - Tracy di Vicenzo - Diana Rigg

2006-06-05T19:38:00.000-07:00

To date, only one Bond girl has really captured the heart of James Bond. Tracy di Vicenzo played by Diana Rigg, marries Bond in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969). At the end of the film, Tracy is gunned down by Bond's nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld. It was initially planned that her death would actually occur in Diamonds Are Forever (1971), but this idea was dropped during filming of On Her Majesty's Secret Service when current-Bond George Lazenby announced he would step down from the role.

Bond Girl - Lupe Lamora - Talisa Soto

2006-04-30T19:54:00.000-07:00

Lupe Lamora is a Bond girl from the James Bond film Licence to Kill. She was played by Talisa Soto.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow...

Lupe Lamora is Franz Sanchez's girlfriend, who despises Sanchez but stays with him.

In Licence to Kill, Sanchez finds Lupe in a bed with another man and Sanchez whipped her for it. Lupe is sent to the Wavecrest, which is owned by Milton Krest. When Bond sneaks aboard the Wavecrest, Bond finds Lupe in Krest's room. Lupe doesn't tell Krest or Sanchez that Bond was there. After Bond escapes and goes off to Isthmus where he finds Sanchez and Lupe. Lupe then helps Bond escape from Sanchez's place. Lupe then tells Pam Bouvier and Q that Bond is still in Isthmus and not out of the country, she also tells them that she loves Bond. At the end Bond would rather be with Pam than her, suggesting that she goes with the President.

Lupe lies to Sanchez which causes somebody's death, this shows that she doesn't care about people that care for her.

Bond Girl - Plenty O'Toole - Lana Wood

2006-03-09T20:01:00.000-08:00

Plenty O'Toole is a fictional character from the film version of Ian Fleming's James Bond novel Diamonds Are Forever. She was played by Lana Wood, younger sister of Natalie Wood.

The shapely dark haired, dark eyed, Plenty O'Toole is a very beautiful young woman, and her beauty is enhanced by a low cut purple satin dress that places emphasis on her cleavage, as does a golden and diamond necklace. When we first see her, she is at a craps table in Vegas and the man she is with, Maxy, is broke. He asks her back to his place, but she tells him off and walks away, but her attention is called back to the table by James Bond, played by Sean Connery. She is impressed by his gambling skills and latches herself onto his arm, thinking she's hit the jackpot with him. Bond uncharacteristically tries to send her away, but she proves quite difficult to ditch.

In a scene deleted from the theatrical film but now available on DVD, Plenty and Bond share a dinner together and she invites herself to his hotel room.

Plenty accompanies Bond to his apartment and displays her affection for him by kissing him out of the blue. Bond characteristically responds by undressing her—unzipping her purple satin dress, stripping Plenty down to her necklace, her purple high heels and her transparent pink panties. Now almost completely naked, and anticipating a night of passion, Plenty, speaking in a fake throaty voice, excuses herself to her bedroom, where she takes off her necklace and prepares to remove her high heels and her panties, but discovers several thugs there instead. The nearly naked Plenty is forced out of the apartment by the "perverts convention" and is defenestrated, landing in the pool. Bond sarcastically compliments the thugs on their aim, to which one of them replies "I didn't know there was a pool down there," implying that they intended to kill her.

In a scene deleted from the film, a wet Plenty wearing nothing but a white towel returns to Bond's apartment in hopes of retrieving her clothes and is shocked to see Bond making love to Tiffany Case (Jill St. John). This scene has been restored on the DVD.

The next morning, Plenty visits Tiffany's house, presumably to confront her rival for Bond's attentions, although her precise motivation is never revealed. Instead, she encounters Mr. Wint & Mr. Kidd, who promptly drown her in Tiffany's swimming pool, either because they mistake her for Tiffany or because they want to silence an inconvenient witness. The discovery of O'Toole's body then becomes a major factor in winning Tiffany over to Bond's side.

Bond Girl - Rosie Carver - Gloria Hendry

2006-02-18T20:03:00.000-08:00

Rosie Carver, played by Gloria Hendry, is a henchman to Kananga, aka Mr. Big, the main villain of the James Bond film Live and Let Die.

While staying at a hotel in San Monique, Bond is surprised to learn that ‘Mrs Bond’ has also booked into the suite.

Bond soon finds out that the intruder is CIA agent Rosie Carver. After spending the night together, Bond and Rosie head off deep-sea fishing, while they check over the rest of the island. After a picnic where they make love, Bond confronts Rosie, and learns that she is actually in the employ of Kananga and she was to lure Bond to a trap where he would be killed. When Bond threatened to kill her if she didn't come clean, Rosie called his bluff and runs away, being killed only moments later by Kananga’s scarecrows.

Rosie Carver is James Bond's first onscreen black love interest. Her character was initially written as a white woman (and the lead Bond girl, Solitaire, as black) before the producers made the switch. During filming, the producers actually thought about sparing Rosie, but ultimately they went ahead with the original plan and killed her off.

Bond Girl - May Day - Grace Jones

2006-02-08T20:05:00.000-08:00

May Day is a fictional character in the James Bond film A View to a Kill, played by actress Grace Jones.

The character makes a return in the multiplayer portion of the Nintendo 64 game, GoldenEye 007.

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Biography
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
May Day is the henchman and lover of chief villain Max Zorin. She is portrayed as the head of an all-female group of guards for Zorin. She also has superhuman strength; in one scene, she lifts a man over her head with no apparent effort.

Early in the film, she kills Bond's French contact using a poisoned stage prop. Bond then goes on a chase to try to track her down. She first climbs the Eiffel Tower, with Bond in pursuit, and then parachutes from the structure. Bond then tries to follow her in a car, but she eventually gets away.

May Day and Bond next encounter one another at Zorin's horse farm during his annual thoroughbred sale. The two share an intimate evening, but shortly afterwards, she kills Bond's MI6 companion Sir Godfrey Tibbett while he is taking a Rolls-Royce through a car wash, and then collaborates with Zorin to try to drown Bond in that car.

She is one of a select few henchmen to switch sides during a Bond film; others include (arguably) Pussy Galore in Goldfinger and (unquestionably) Jaws in Moonraker. The switch comes after Zorin floods a mine near Silicon Valley which he is using in his scheme to destroy the region, thereby cornering the market in microchips. Bond and companion Stacey Sutton try to escape the mine, with May Day in pursuit; Sutton gets away, but Bond and May Day fall into the floodwaters.

Once the waters start to subside, the two wind up together again, and see the bodies of some of her colleagues. She is immediately angry at Zorin, and is more than willing to help Bond foil Zorin's plan. The pair then go to a fault where Zorin has set a bomb whose detonation would cause a massive earthquake that would lead to the flooding of Silicon Valley. She uses her strength to lower Bond to the bomb, lift Bond and the bomb back to the surface, and put the bomb on a handcar to send it out of the mine on an existing railroad line. However, the brakes on the car malfunction and unexpectedly activate. May Day realizes that the bomb can only be removed from the mine if she stays on the car and holds the brakes open. Bond tries to get her to jump and save herself, but she tells Bond about the brake problem. Her last words to Bond are "Get Zorin for me!"

As Zorin and his remaining henchmen are sitting in an airship over San Francisco Bay, looking at the culmination of their plan, they suddenly see May Day exiting the mine with the bomb. Zorin suddenly says "May Day!", and the camera then changes to focus on her giving Zorin a defiant stare. The bomb then explodes, killing her, but foiling Zorin's master plan.

Bond Girl - Pola Ivanova - Fiona Fullerton

2006-02-07T20:22:00.000-08:00

Fiona Fullerton (born 10 October 1956 in Kaduna, Nigeria) is a British actress.

She is probably best known for her role as KGB spy Pola Ivanova in the 1985 James Bond film A View to a Kill.

Fullerton made her film debut in 1969 with a role in Run Wild, Run Free. Subsequent credits include: Nicholas and Alexandra, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (as Alice) and The Human Factor.

On television, she was an original cast member on the BBC hospital drama Angels before moving on to appear in serials such as The Charmer, Hold the Dream and To Be the Best.

Pola Ivanova is a fictional character from the James Bond film, A View to a Kill. She is played by the British actress, Fiona Fullerton.

A Russian agent from Bond's past, Pola Ivanova, is spying on Max Zorin's testing facility, when her partner is caught and executed. Bond and Ivanova fight on dry land until they recognise each other.

When Bond realised she's been taping Zorin's conversation, he manages to swap the tape with a Japanese music tape in their hotel, much to Pola's embarrassment when she hands the tape to General Gogol.

Bond Girl - Solitaire - Jane Seymour

2006-02-06T19:58:00.000-08:00

Solitaire played by Jane Seymour is the main Bond Girl in the James Bond novel and film Live and Let Die.

As Bond travels to New York by plane, Solitaire describes his journey to Dr. Kananga through the use of Tarot cards.

After Bond follows Kananga to the Fillet of Soul restaurant, he meets Solitaire. After a rather brief encounter with Mr. Big, before he is 'wasted' Bond asks Solitaire about his future. When instructed to pick up a card Bond quizzically comments "us?” after picking up the lovers card.

When Bond and Rosie Carver visit San Monique, Solitaire tells Kananga the future, once more picking the lovers card in regard to Bond. Later that evening Bond returns to the island. After convincing Solitaire they are meant to be lovers, with odds stacked in his favour, Bond succeeds in seducing Solitaire. Bond discovers Kananga is hiding vast areas of poppy fields. Bond and Solitaire evade Kanangas men, escaping in Quarrel Jrs boat.

After arriving in New Orleans, Bond and Solitaire are captured and taken to Mr Big. Before Bond can be given his skydiving lesson without a parachute, he manages to escape. Solitaire is recaptured by Kanangas henchmen and taken back to him.

Later, Felix informs Bond that after a raid on the Fillet of Soul, Kananga has taken Solitaire back to San Monique, leaving three Tarot cards; the high priestess, the moon and death. After travelling to San Monique, Bond manages to rescue Solitaire and kill Kananga whilst Quarrel Jr. destroys the poppy fields.

Haogy Carmichael Reminds Fleming of James Bond

2006-01-12T15:07:00.000-08:00

Hoagland Howard "Hoagy" Carmichael (November 22, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American composer, pianist, singer, actor, and bandleader. He is best known for writing "Stardust" (1927), which has been called the most-recorded American song ever written.

Carmichael was born in Bloomington, Indiana. He attended Indiana University, where he received his Bachelor's degree in 1925 and a law degree in 1926. He was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. He originally studied law while playing music on the side, but he eventually decided to devote his energies to music. Carmichael maintained a lifelong affiliation with the university; in 1937 he wrote the song "Chimes of Indiana" which was presented to the school as a gift by the class of 1935. It was made Indiana University's official alma mater in 1978. Carmichael also holds the distinction of being awarded an honorary doctorate in music by the Indiana University in 1972.

Carmichael joined ASCAP in 1931. Aside from "Stardust", he wrote "Riverboat Shuffle", "Rockin' Chair", "Washboard Blues", "Heart & Soul", "New Orleans", and "Georgia on My Mind"; he also collaborated with Sidney Arodin on the standard "Up a Lazy River". His collaboration with Johnny Mercer, "In the Cool Cool Cool of the Evening", won the 1952 Oscar for Best Original Song. Carmichael was one of the first ten songwriters inducted into the USA's Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1969.

Hoagy Carmichael appeared as an actor in at least 14 motion pictures (most notably the Humphrey Bogart-Lauren Bacall classic To Have and Have Not, Young Man with a Horn with Bacall and Kirk Douglas and The Best Years of Our Lives with Myrna Loy and Frederic March), often singing and playing the piano on his own compositions. Carmichael wrote two autobiographies: The Stardust Road (1946) and Sometimes I Wonder (1965). He also voiced a stone-age parody of himself, "Stoney Carmichael" on an episode of The Flintstones.

He died of a heart attack in Rancho Mirage, California. He is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Bloomington.

Author Ian Fleming wrote in his novels Casino Royale and Moonraker that British secret agent James Bond resembled Carmichael, looking like Carmichael with a scar down one cheek.

Bond Girl - Tatiana Romanova - Daniela Bianchi

2006-01-11T19:45:00.000-08:00

Tatiana Romanova is a fictional character in the James Bond novel and film From Russia with Love. She is played by Daniela Bianchi.

A corporal in Soviet Army Intelligence, Tatiana Romanova is assigned to work in the Soviet Embassy in Istanbul. She originally intended to be a ballerina, but she had to drop out because she was just one inch too tall to qualify. She has a number of friends and is very popular, even though she has had only three lovers.

She likes the look of Bond and when she sees him face-to-face she comments, "You're even nicer than your photograph", to which 007 replies "You're the most beautiful girl I have ever seen."

Her commanding officer is Rosa Klebb — secretly an agent for SPECTRE — who manipulates her into believing that she is on an important mission for her country, when she is in fact merely a pawn in the terrorist organization's latest bid for world domination. At the end of the film, when Klebb appears dressed as a cleaning lady who tries to steal the LEKTOR code machine, Tatiana is torn between her orders to shoot Bond and her feelings for him; in the end, she turns on her former superior, ultimately saving the day.

Ian Fleming's Creation of James Bond

2006-01-11T15:01:00.000-08:00

Ian Fleming's creation and inspiration
Inspirations for James Bond
Commander James Bond, CMG, RNVR is an agent of the international arm of the British Secret Service. He was created in February 1952 by Ian Fleming while on vacation at his Jamaican estate called Goldeneye. The hero of Fleming's tale, James Bond, was named after an American ornithologist of the same name who was an expert on Caribbean birds and had written a definitive book on the subject: Birds of the West Indies. Fleming, a keen birdwatcher, owned a copy of Bond's field guide at Goldeneye. Of the name, Fleming once said,

"I wanted the simplest, dullest, plainest-sounding name I could find, James Bond was much better than something more interesting like 'Peregrine Maltravers.' Exotic things would happen to and around him but he would be a neutral figure — an anonymous blunt instrument wielded by a Government Department. [1]

After completing the manuscript for what would later be titled Casino Royale, Fleming allowed his friend William Plomer, a poet and later Fleming's editor, to read it. Plomer liked it enough that he gave the manuscript to Jonathan Cape, who did not like it as much, but published it anyway due to the fact that Ian was the younger brother of Peter Fleming, an established travel writer who also put in a good word for Ian.

Since the fictional James Bond's creation, hundreds of reports by various news outlets have suggested names for Ian Fleming's inspiration of Bond. Usually these people have a background of some kind in espionage or other covert operations. Although some names share similarities with Bond, none have ever been confirmed by Fleming, Ian Fleming Publications or any of Ian Fleming's biographers such as Fleming's assistant and friend, John Pearson.

Most researchers agree that James Bond is a highly romanticised version of Fleming himself; the author was known for his jetsetting lifestyle and reputation as a womaniser. Both, for the most part, went to the same schools, like the same foods (e.g., scrambled eggs), have the same habits (e.g., drinking and smoking), share the same view on women (e.g., how they should look and how they should dress), and have similar education and military careers both rising to the rank of Commander.

Although the character of Bond is not known to be based on anyone but Fleming himself, the look of James Bond, famed for being "suave and sophisticated," is based on a young Hoagy Carmichael. In Casino Royale the character Vesper Lynd says of Bond, "He reminds me rather of Hoagy Carmichael, but there is something cold and ruthless." Other characteristics of Bond's look are said to be based on Fleming, such as his height, his hairstyle and his eye colour.

Fleming has, however, admitted to being inspired by true or partially-true events that took place during his career at the Naval Intelligence Division of the Admiralty. Most notably, and the basis for Casino Royale, was a trip to Lisbon that Fleming and the Director of Naval Intelligence, Admiral Godfrey, took during World War II en route to the United States.

While there they went to the Estoril Casino in Estoril, which, due to the neutral status of Portugal had a number of spies of warring regimes present. Fleming claimed that while there he was cleaned out by a "chief German agent" at a table playing Chemin de Fer; however, Admiral Godfrey tells a different story, that Fleming only played Portuguese businessmen and that afterwards Ian had fantasised about them being German agents and the excitement of cleaning them out.

James Bond aka 007

2006-01-10T14:59:00.000-08:00

James Bond, also known as 007 (pronounced "double-oh seven"), is a fictional British spy created by writer Ian Fleming in 1952. Fleming wrote numerous novels and short stories based upon the character and, after his death in 1964, further literary adventures were written by Kingsley Amis (pseudonym "Robert Markham"), John Pearson, John Gardner, Raymond Benson, and Charlie Higson. In addition, Christopher Wood wrote two screenplay novelisations and other authors have also written various unofficial permutations of the character.

Although initially made famous through the novels, James Bond is now best known from the EON Productions film series. Twenty films have been made as well as two that were independently produced and one American television adaptation of Fleming's first novel under legal licence. However, it is generally considered that only the EON films are "official". Albert R. (Cubby) Broccoli and Harry Saltzman produced most of these up until 1975, when Broccoli became the sole producer. From 1995, his daughter, Barbara Broccoli, and his stepson, Michael G. Wilson, jointly continued production duties.

To date, six actors have portrayed James Bond in the official series. They are:

Sean Connery (1962–1967; 1971)
George Lazenby (1969)
Roger Moore (1973–1985)
Timothy Dalton (1987–1989)
Pierce Brosnan (1995–2002)
Daniel Craig (2006–present)
In addition, Barry Nelson portrayed Bond in an Americanised television episode adaptation of Casino Royale in 1954. Bob Holness portrayed James Bond in a 1956 South African radio adaptation of Moonraker. David Niven played the role in a non-EON production of Casino Royale in 1967, and Connery reprised the character in another non-EON film, Never Say Never Again in 1983. Since neither of these films were produced by EON, they are not considered official.

The twenty-first official film, Casino Royale, with Daniel Craig as James Bond, is in post-production and is scheduled for a November 17, 2006 release.

Broccoli's family company, Danjaq, LLC, has co-owned the James Bond film series with United Artists Corporation since the mid-1970s, when Saltzman sold UA his share of Danjaq. Currently, Columbia Pictures and MGM (United Artists' parent) co-distribute the franchise.

In addition to novels and films, Bond is a prominent character in many computer and video games, comic strips and comic books, and has been the subject of many parodies.

Bond Girl - Paris Carver - Teri Hatcher

2005-12-02T20:25:00.000-08:00

Paris Carver is a fictional character who appeared in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997). She was portrayed by Teri Hatcher.

Paris was a beautiful brunette who was a once a lover of Bond's (Pierce Brosnan). He left her behind, however, because his job was too dangerous for a real relationship. She later married TV and news magnate Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce), who led a conspiracy to concoct a war between the United Kingdom and China — a war that his news divisions would have exclusive coverage of, sending his ratings into the stratosphere. MI6 sent Bond to investigate, and he eventually crossed paths with Paris. M had instructed him to seduce her and learn some of Carver's plans.

When he saw her again, her beauty was not lost on him, but she was not exactly pleased to see him. When he came up in conversation with her husband, Paris lied that he had dated her roommate and that she barely knew him.

Suspecting that the man she had married was up to something nefarious (and out of a need to be with Bond again) Paris went to him after her husband's henchmen tried to kill him. At first he tried to send her away, but they were too strongly drawn to each other. They made love, and Bond confessed that he had left her because she had gotten too close. Paris gave Bond the information he needed, but Carver, who had been spying on his wife, sent his personal assassin, Dr. Kaufman, to her room hours later to kill her. Paris' murder ignited in Bond the desire for revenge, shaking his usual professional detachment and clouding his judgement. His eventual partnership with Chinese Intelligence agent Wai Lin brought him back to his senses, however, as well as provided him another lover.

Bond Girl - Pussy Galore

2005-06-02T19:27:00.000-07:00

Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore in a promotional still from GoldfingerUrsula Andress is often considered the first Bond girl, playing Honey Ryder in the film Dr. No (1962). In fact she was preceded by Eunice Gayson who played the character Sylvia Trench in the same film. Trench is the only Bond girl to appear as the same character in more than one film, appearing again in From Russia with Love (1963). Initially, Trench was planned to be a regular girlfriend of Bond's in the series, but she was dropped after the encore appearance.

Bond Girl - Maud Adams

2005-05-30T19:41:00.000-07:00

Within the official series, Maud Adams is the only actress to play two different Bond girls, first in The Man with the Golden Gun in 1974, and then as the title character in Octopussy (1983). She additionally appears as an extra in a third Bond film, A View to a Kill in 1985. Two other girls, Martine Beswick (Thunderball) and Nadja Regin (Goldfinger) also appear in a second adventure: they first appeared in From Russia with Love. If one includes the unofficial Bond films, Casino Royale and Never Say Never Again, there are a number of other girls who have also played more than one girl. Ursula Andress, for instance returns in 1967 to play Vesper Lynd in the unofficial spoof, Casino Royale as do a number of other girls who played minor characters such as Angela Scoular (On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Casino Royale (1967)), and Valerie Leon (The Spy Who Loved Me and Never Say Never Again).