Maria Sharapova makes rounds in the whacky media

I guess Amy Winehouse week has ended. Now it’s Sharapova’s turn.

The ever-reliable Sun is quoted in several sources as saying that Maria Sharapova wants to be a Bond girl (according to an unnamed “friend”).

“But her biggest dream is to be a Bond girl. She’s always talking about it,” The Sun quoted the friend, as saying.
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“Maria loves the James Bond films and all the glamour associated with the role. And with her Russian blood, she thinks she would be perfect,” the friend added.

Apparently, these rumors arise from her choice of “James Bond” on her list of “Top Ten Dream Mixed Doubles Partners.”

Good choice.

Marc Forster all over the news

Cinematical, Rope of Silicon, CBn and more are talking about the Marc Forster interview in which he discusses the possibility of using the Alps as a filming location.

Not sure how I feel about it. Been there, done that, plus there’s always production problems because of the harsh weather. Will they never visit South Africa or Australia?

James Bond and One-liners

Yesterday’s Slate declared “Yippee-Ki-Yay-Motherfucker” the greatest one-liner in movie history. And makes a persuasive case for it, too. But the article on one-liners gives 007 his due as well.

And not only did the James Bond franchise give us “Bond—James Bond,” but lines such as “Shocking! Positively shocking!”; “He had to fly”; and “He got the boot” prove that Bond also gave action films their penchant for punning. Throughout the series, Bond’s cheeky dialogue defuses the emotion of a given scene, just as the one-liner does throughout the action genre.

I’d add “No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!” “From my angle, things are shaping up quite nicely;” “I think he got the point;” and “Do I look like I give a damn” to the list of classics.

Amy Winehouse dominates the Bond rumor mill

Okay, okay, I get it. Cover of the Rolling Stone. All that. But Amy Winehouse just won’t leave the Bond rumor mill. When I check my newsfeed today, the two top stories are about her (two top Bond stories, that is).

First, this non-story that Shirley Bassey “backs” Winehouse to record the next Bond song. What does that even mean?

And then, a craptacular story that gets all of it wrong.

Amy Winehouse will not feature in the next James Bond film.
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Last week, it emerged the singer, 23, was being considered to sing the theme song.
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And now it’s been reported that the newly married diva was also offered a starring role.
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‘Amy was asked last month if she’d like to appear in the next movie as a sexy singer in a plush bar that Bond goes undercover in,’ a source says.
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‘Sadly she is too busy to commit to any new projects at the moment but was really annoyed about it.’
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But that doesn’t mean the big-haired lass won’t be involved in future Bond films.
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‘She didn’t want to rule it out completely – she’d love to do it one day,’ the source tells thelondonpaper.

Let’s see how many we can count. First, she has already denied having been offered a role. Second, the role described in this story is surely a cameo along the lines of Madonna as Verity, not a “starring role.” Also, the David Arnold story from last week specifically said she hadn’t been offered the song (yet).

And note that all of this is from “a source.” Not an “inside” source. Not a source “close to Winehouse” or “close to the Bond producers” or close to anything except the reporter’s imagination. Just “a source.”

Yeah, right.

Daniel Craig is so hot

Via Nathaniel, I find this sexy and appealing series of Daniel Craig photos from Interview magazine.

It’s a nice range; the photography is wonderful and Craig displays a lot of humor and warmth. The cover shot is especially good.

The Joy of Drinking

Via Contemporary Nomad, this wonderful quote about spies and drinking:

“… James Bond…was ‘the wave of the future, the drinker not as merrymaker,’ personified by Nick and Nora Charles of ‘Thin Man’ fame, but the drinker “as expert, authority, specialist.’”

Amy Winehouse re-enters the rumor mill

Rolling Stone cover girl Amy Winehouse is back for a second trip around the Bond rumor mill. This time, she’s supposedly singing the Bond 22 theme song (which will, I’m guessing, have a kickier title than “Bond 22”).

Amy Winehouse is set to sing the next James Bond theme tune…after catching the attention of composer David Arnold.
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Arnold, who composed the last three 007 theme songs, is so impressed with Amy’s husky voice, he wants her to record the next Bond title track.
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He told Britain’s Daily Express newspaper, “Amy Winehouse did the best record of last year. I haven’t asked her yet but I think she’d be good, although Bond songs can be a bit of a war zone….
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“The books are all done now so this one is going to be an extension of what happens to Bond, continuing the story from ‘Casino Royale’. We haven’t a title yet but anything without death, dying, tomorrow or dies would be fine by me!”

Certainly seems like a legit interview, although notice that the headline and lede both say she’s “set,” but if you read further, she hasn’t even been asked.

The tidbits about the movie’s story are intriguing.

Marc Forster to Direct Bond 22

Hadn’t been watching my news feeds today, but CBn picked it up:

The official press release:
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Marc Forster to Direct ‘Bond 22’
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Marc Forster will direct the 22nd James Bond adventure, it was announced today by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, producers of the James Bond films, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.
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Forster is the acclaimed director of the highly anticipated motion picture The Kite Runner, adapted from Khaled Hosseini’s best-selling novel. He also recently directed the comic hit Stranger Than Fiction for Sony Pictures. Previously, Forster directed the award-winning and critically acclaimed films Finding Neverland, which was nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, and Monster’s Ball, for which Halle Berry won a Best Actress Oscar.
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Forster will commence work shortly with screenwriter Paul Haggis on a draft of the screenplay by Neil Purvis and Robert Wade.

This looks good to me. I thought Monster’s Ball was excellent, and Stranger Than Fiction was a pleasant comedy that didn’t quite acheive its potential, but got some fabulous performances out of some amazing actors.

Funny that his biggest movie was also Halle Berry’s biggest.

Daniel Craig Joins Academy

Maybe Bond films will now get the nominations they deserve?

No, I don’t think so either.

Literary Bond Girls

Coincidence? Synchronicity? The blog Dollymix has posted an interesting article on Ian Fleming’s Bond Girls.

Let’s take Pussy Galore, for example. Roll in the hay? No way; she’s actually the lesbian leader of a band of tough, Mafioso bitches. Casino Royale’s Vesper Lynd is a dangerous double agent; she may fall for Bond, but he’s the one who is left scarred and vowing not to trust women. And let us not forget the touching love story behind On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Thanks to George Lazenby’s unpopular performance, the story of Bond’s marriage and complete surrender to an intelligent woman who is tough without being either harsh or hapless is less well known than his numerous conquests

I’ll take issue with the author’s contention that Fleming’s women are tough, but the film versions are “simpering.” Just last week, I celebrated the joy of Ass-Kicking (movie) Bond Girls. Almost all of the cinematic simpering was confined to the Roger Moore era; he played opposite certified simperers such as Solitaire, Mary Goodnight, Andrea Anders, and Bibi Dahl. But even Moore had Anya Amasova and Melina Havelock.

Author Alex Roumbas also dismisses Tracy DiVincenzo out of hand because she dislikes George Lazenby. And hey, so do I (as an actor; he’s a great guy). But Diana Rigg kicked major ass in the role and is the single most popular Bond girl among fans.