241 replies to this topic

[Santa]

Bond meets Colombo...again and again. (source: www.columbo-site.freeuk.com. Star trivia.

At least 4 Columbo killers have costarred in James Bond films.

1) Donald Pleasance:
Bond: YOLT--1967
Columbo: Adrian Carsini in "Any Old Port in a Storm"--1973

2) Honor Blackman:
Bond: GF--1964
Columbo: "Dagger of the Mind"--1972

3) Louis Jordan:
Bond: OP--1983
Columbo: "Murder Under Glass--1977

4) Patrick Bauchau:
Bond: AVTAK (as Scarpine, security chief to Zorin)--1985
Columbo: "Murder: A Self Portrait"--1989

I'd like to know, Dodge, do you seek out the fascinating trivia or come across it by accident?

[dodge]

Bond meets Colombo...again and again. (source: www.columbo-site.freeuk.com. Star trivia.

At least 4 Columbo killers have costarred in James Bond films.

1) Donald Pleasance:
Bond: YOLT--1967
Columbo: Adrian Carsini in "Any Old Port in a Storm"--1973

2) Honor Blackman:
Bond: GF--1964
Columbo: "Dagger of the Mind"--1972

3) Louis Jordan:
Bond: OP--1983
Columbo: "Murder Under Glass--1977

4) Patrick Bauchau:
Bond: AVTAK (as Scarpine, security chief to Zorin)--1985
Columbo: "Murder: A Self Portrait"--1989

I'd like to know, Dodge, do you seek out the fascinating trivia or come across it by accident?

I stumble across it, mostly, happily surfing away.

[dodge]

What sort of cool cars did SMERSH agents have back in the '60s? Looks like we've found one...

http://englishrussia.com/?p=1034

Way to go, milovy. Very, very cool!

[dodge]

An important announcement about TMWTGG and growing breasts. (source: medical research news: Thursday, Sept. 1, 2005: "James Bond affects the development of breasts!")

The word:

"Breakthrough Breast Cancer has announced that UK scientists have discovered that a gene--named after the James Bond villain Scaramanga--can trigger the development of breasts."

Also:

"Like the gene's namesake, Scaramanga, 1 in 18 people have an extra nipple."

The article did not address the risks (or benefits) of repeated viewings of TMWTGG.

Santa, how many times have you seen it? Is...everything okay?

[Santa]

An important announcement about TMWTGG and growing breasts. (source: medical research news: Thursday, Sept. 1, 2005: "James Bond affects the development of breasts!")

The word:

"Breakthrough Breast Cancer has announced that UK scientists have discovered that a gene--named after the James Bond villain Scaramanga--can trigger the development of breasts."

Also:

"Like the gene's namesake, Scaramanga, 1 in 18 people have an extra nipple."

The article did not address the risks (or benefits) of repeated viewings of TMWTGG.

Santa, how many times have you seen it? Is...everything okay?

I think it may be for the best if I never watch TMWTGG ever again

[dodge]

An important announcement about TMWTGG and growing breasts. (source: medical research news: Thursday, Sept. 1, 2005: "James Bond affects the development of breasts!")

The word:

"Breakthrough Breast Cancer has announced that UK scientists have discovered that a gene--named after the James Bond villain Scaramanga--can trigger the development of breasts."

Also:

"Like the gene's namesake, Scaramanga, 1 in 18 people have an extra nipple."

The article did not address the risks (or benefits) of repeated viewings of TMWTGG.

Santa, how many times have you seen it? Is...everything okay?

I think it may be for the best if I never watch TMWTGG ever again

I'm more worried about Judo.

[Santa]

An important announcement about TMWTGG and growing breasts. (source: medical research news: Thursday, Sept. 1, 2005: "James Bond affects the development of breasts!")

The word:

"Breakthrough Breast Cancer has announced that UK scientists have discovered that a gene--named after the James Bond villain Scaramanga--can trigger the development of breasts."

Also:

"Like the gene's namesake, Scaramanga, 1 in 18 people have an extra nipple."

The article did not address the risks (or benefits) of repeated viewings of TMWTGG.

Santa, how many times have you seen it? Is...everything okay?

I think it may be for the best if I never watch TMWTGG ever again

I'm more worried about Judo.

Why, has he he grown a third breast too?

[Judo chop]

An important announcement about TMWTGG and growing breasts. (source: medical research news: Thursday, Sept. 1, 2005: "James Bond affects the development of breasts!")

The word:

"Breakthrough Breast Cancer has announced that UK scientists have discovered that a gene--named after the James Bond villain Scaramanga--can trigger the development of breasts."

Also:

"Like the gene's namesake, Scaramanga, 1 in 18 people have an extra nipple."

The article did not address the risks (or benefits) of repeated viewings of TMWTGG.

Santa, how many times have you seen it? Is...everything okay?

I think it may be for the best if I never watch TMWTGG ever again

I'm more worried about Judo.

Why, has he he grown a third breast too?

I haven

[dodge]

[quote name='Judo chop' post='751254' date='28 June 2007 - 14:50'][quote name='santajosep' post='751250' date='28 June 2007 - 09:30'][quote name='dodge' post='751028' date='27 June 2007 - 20:37'][quote name='santajosep' post='751019' date='27 June 2007 - 17:39'][quote name='dodge' post='750926' date='27 June 2007 - 16:29']An important announcement about TMWTGG and growing breasts. (source: medical research news: Thursday, Sept. 1, 2005: "James Bond affects the development of breasts!")

The word:

"Breakthrough Breast Cancer has announced that UK scientists have discovered that a gene--named after the James Bond villain Scaramanga--can trigger the development of breasts."

Also:

"Like the gene's namesake, Scaramanga, 1 in 18 people have an extra nipple."

The article did not address the risks (or benefits) of repeated viewings of TMWTGG.

Santa, how many times have you seen it? Is...everything okay? [/quote]
I think it may be for the best if I never watch TMWTGG ever again [/quote]

I'm more worried about Judo.

[/quote]

Why, has he he grown a third breast too?
[/quote]

[color="#DDA0DD"]I haven

[Judo chop]

[quote name='dodge' post='751259' date='28 June 2007 - 10:10'][quote name='Judo chop' post='751254' date='28 June 2007 - 14:50'][quote name='santajosep' post='751250' date='28 June 2007 - 09:30'][quote name='dodge' post='751028' date='27 June 2007 - 20:37'][quote name='santajosep' post='751019' date='27 June 2007 - 17:39']
I think it may be for the best if I never watch TMWTGG ever again [/quote]

I'm more worried about Judo.

[/quote]

Why, has he he grown a third breast too?
[/quote]

[color="#DDA0DD"]I haven

[Santa]

Well you can both keep eyes open for a three-cupper for me, since my TMWTGG overdose. What makes it more difficult is that all three are different sizes. If I were to watch the film again do you think they'd even out? Or would I be likely to start growing a fourth?

[Judo chop]

Don't do it! A 3-of-a-kind beats a 2-pair every day of the week.

[dodge]

Getting rich the James Bond way. (source: talentdevelop.com/articles/JBHIDY. "James Bond Has It--Do You?" by Mike Litman.)

After seeing CR, Litman wrote:

"James Bond is GREAT at what he does. I want you to find something that YOU can be GREAT in. One of my mentors...said, "Identify a hobby, exertise, interest, or passion...Make sure the market has monety to spend. Discover their problems and have them pay you to solve them. Then cash your checks. Like Bond, you can do something you LOVE and live a lifestyle thast you've always dreamed about. Traveling in exotic places. 2 more vacations a year with youtr family. You don't need a clock anymore. You wake up when you want. Do you want that lifestyle? Seriously, do you? Then copy Oprah, Bond, Tiger, Spielberg. Turn what you LOVE into a monsoon of cash that charges your way 24/7. When the monsoon starts, you can do nothing to stop it. (Yippee!) Your Coach, Mike."

Next week we'll start traipsing on bare feet through filthy lucre. For now, we're left to wonder: How exactly does that work...when James Bond isn't rich?

[Santa]

I love yoga, Professor Colin Pillinger and my dog. Can Mike tell me how to become rich from them?

[00Twelve]

canine yoga, perhaps?

[dodge]

Bardot as the ultimate Bond babe? (source: notstarring.com)

It's reported that Brigitte Bardot was Peter Hunt's first choice for the role of Tracy. But she'd already committed to making Shalako with Connery.

Hunt's next choice: Catherine Deneuve, who passed.

We did just fine with Hunt's third choice. But, man oh man, Laz and Bardot...On second thought, he'd probably have been too winded for his stunts.

[00Twelve]

Yeah, lots of fans like to speculate on the "OHMSS that could have been," starring Connery and Bardot. I'm not sure it would have been better, muhself.

[Santa]

You can't knock BB, she was spectacular but she was a little bit obvious, I think. I prefer Diana Rigg in OHMSS because she looks like a story rather than just like a beautiful woman. Does that make sense to anyone?

[dodge]

Yeah, lots of fans like to speculate on the "OHMSS that could have been," starring Connery and Bardot. I'm not sure it would have been better, muhself.

No, no, LAZ and Bardot! Sean couldn't have handled the kitten--as he proved in Shalako.

[MHazard]

Connery and Deneuve. That could have been a phenomenal movie (and I have always had a large Diana Rigg crush, but...)

[dodge]

Steve Segal limp-wristed Sean. (source: www.celebritywonder.com)

"He said in an interview that during the filming of NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN, he was taking martial arts lessons and in the process angered the instructor who in turn broke his wrist. Connery stayed with the wrist broken for a number of years thinking it was only a minor pain... the instructor was Steven Seagal."

[dodge]

Austin Powers Flashback. (source: Guarian, Jan. 25, 2005)

We've come a long way since the death knoll sounded for the franchise 30 months ago:

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

[Judo chop]

Austin Powers Flashback. (source: Guarian, Jan. 25, 2005)

We've come a long way since the death knoll sounded for the franchise 30 months ago:

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

I'd like to see the Guardian's review of Casino Royale. A side-by-side might prove to be amusing, in the same vein of President Clinton's "I did NOT have sexual relations..." "I DID have sexual relations..." act.

[MHazard]

Let's be fair to the Guardian (not that I worry about its feelings). By the later Brosnan run the Bond movies had become parodies of themselves, just ones that weren't as funny as Austin Powers. Invisible cars, John Cleese as the new Q, etc. It bore very little relationship to Fleming's novels, it was hard to suspend your disbelief to believe that any of it was plausible (much less that Bond was in any danger at all), and you couldn't even work up any good-natured adolescent envy (like I still get when watching Sean and Daniel Craig) of "gee, I wish I could be that cool". They were essentially on their way out not with a bang but with a whimper.

There was certainly no way of predicting that the producers would decide to make a intelligent, character driven adaptation of one of Fleming's novels, that left the gadgets behind and focused on the emotional and physical price paid by an MI6 agent, who learns the hard way, through betrayal, that he can't trust anybody and thus grows into the hardened operative his job required. Nor could they have predicted that the producers would forego casting an established t.v. actor from an adventure series as Bond, preferring instead to select a relatively unknown (at least in the U.S.) actor with experience in varying roles in independent films, who was capable of bringing emotional depth to the character.

Judo, my friend, you know how obsessed I can get over the man called Bond, but at the time that appeared in the Guardian, I was no longer very interested in seeing the "latest" Bond movie. If the franchise could lose someone like me, then it really was in trouble. I think CR is a fantastic movie. But at the time the Guardian article was written I would have been very sceptical that the producers wouldn't blow it.

[dodge]

Let's be fair to the Guardian (not that I worry about its feelings). By the later Brosnan run the Bond movies had become parodies of themselves, just ones that weren't as funny as Austin Powers. Invisible cars, John Cleese as the new Q, etc. It bore very little relationship to Fleming's novels, it was hard to suspend your disbelief to believe that any of it was plausible (much less that Bond was in any danger at all), and you couldn't even work up any good-natured adolescent envy (like I still get when watching Sean and Daniel Craig) of "gee, I wish I could be that cool". They were essentially on their way out not with a bang but with a whimper.

There was certainly no way of predicting that the producers would decide to make a intelligent, character driven adaptation of one of Fleming's novels, that left the gadgets behind and focused on the emotional and physical price paid by an MI6 agent, who learns the hard way, through betrayal, that he can't trust anybody and thus grows into the hardened operative his job required. Nor could they have predicted that the producers would forego casting an established t.v. actor from an adventure series as Bond, preferring instead to select a relatively unknown (at least in the U.S.) actor with experience in varying roles in independent films, who was capable of bringing emotional depth to the character.

Judo, my friend, you know how obsessed I can get over the man called Bond, but at the time that appeared in the Guardian, I was no longer very interested in seeing the "latest" Bond movie. If the franchise could lose someone like me, then it really was in trouble. I think CR is a fantastic movie. But at the time the Guardian article was written I would have been very sceptical that the producers wouldn't blow it.

And your remark is very much in the spirit of my original post, which began by noting how far we have come since that article. A year later, even when CR was filming, many were convinced that CR would be a disaster. So no fun was intended at the Guardian's expense. I was starting to believe, myself, that Bond's days were over.

[MHazard]

Then, since we agree, we are obviously Bond fans of keen sensitivities and refined taste for the important nuances of Bond.

[Santa]

it's been puzzling me lately though, how we can please all of the people all of the time. This being the internet age aside, I'm sure back in the 60s and 70s there wasn't this much divisiveness, maybe more some disapproval?
You see the thing is, while I can understand why some people like Brosnan's Bond, it repels me, it really does. And while Craig is right for me, I can equally see that it wouldn't be to everyone's taste (which is not an excuse for "he ugly bond not blond franchise dead blah blah"), but what can be done? How can we get something that's more down the middle, without losing its edge?

[MHazard]

I think how you feel about Brosnan is how I feel about Moore, except I can't even understand why people like his portrayal. I think that there is a diference between literary Bond and movie Bond and how you perceive Bond the character is going to affect how you perceive different actors and approaches. Craig is more a "Fleming Bond" so I find him much more to my taste which also runs to Sean and Laz. But, both Sean and Craig brought a certain charisma to the role which attracted the general public who don't read the novels or wonder if The Living Daylights took place after The Property of A Lady or if DAF was supposed to follow OHMSS in continuity. In some ways there sort of the Beatles of Bond, giving performances that transcended Bond and became a phenomenon (certainly, Sean at the height of Bond spy madness did).

So, as I work through it, maybe the reason most people seem satisfied with Craig, is he really did a fantastic job in a good script that appeals even to non-Bond fanatics. Whereas with some other movies and Bonds, you really had to like that type of Bond to enjoy it.

[dodge]

Ian Fleming as showman and marketeer. (source: National review, Aug. 12, 1996, book review by Anthony Lejeune.)


Fleming faced a fate common to too many authors: poor sales. I find how he dealt with it both interesting and inspiring:

The first two in the series, Casino Royale and Live and Let Die, were published to little more than mildly good notices from regular reviewers. With the third, Moonraker, they started to take off, and the next, From Russia with Love, was helped by a dazzling new asset -- the rose-and-pistol jacket design by a brilliant trompe l'oeil artist named Richard Chopping, whom Fleming personally commissioned and paid. Never was fifty guineas better spent. By the time of Fleming's death, thirty million copies of his books had been sold worldwide.

[Judo chop]

Let's be fair to the Guardian (not that I worry about its feelings).

Just for the record, I never meant to be unfair to anybody (though I also have no concern for the Guardian's feelings to speak of.) I wasn't suggesting that the ex-President's domestic blunder was on the same level of shame as the Guardian's death knell for Bond.

The skepticism in that article is completely justified, but then for the same reason a humorous look at the pre and post CR articles would be equally justified. You, Dodge and the Guardian I'm sure we're not the only folks hearing the Taps theme slowly take the place of the Barry Bond theme. Had I been as "Bond aware" then as I am now, I probably would have agreed. But as the case was, I never thought that far ahead. I suppose my stance then was that as long as Bond had a pulse (= movies continue to be made) that eventually he'd come around again. What's more, my distaste for the Brosnan era has festered since TWINE. Up to that time I had no particular quarrel with him or his films, and since then it's been a slow decay. (Pretty well rotting off the bones now.)

That was a long ramble to say very little. Sorry...