Oscar update III: John Barry leads off “In Memoriam”

John Barry, the 11-time 007 composer who established the musical sound of James Bond movies (and won five Oscars for four non-Bond movies), was the first person included in the “In Memoriam” segment of the Oscars telecast. But there were a number of others included that contributed to 007 and other spy related entertainment. They [...]

Oscar update II: 007 vet Chris Corbould wins

Chris Corbould, a veteran James Bond film special effects man, was among the special effects crew for Inception that won an Oscar. Corbould’s credited 007 work includes Quantum of Solace, Casino Royale and Die Another Day and he’s worked on the film series since the 1980s. He had the title of special effects supervisor on [...]

Oscar update I: Bond 23 likely director of photography loses

Roger Deakins, who in interviews has said there’s a good chance he’ll photograph Bond 23, lost the Oscar for cinematography to Inceptions’s Wally Pfister. Deakins had been nominated for last year’s remake of True Grit.

Who will make the Oscars “In Memoriam” segment?

You’d think John Barry (5-time Oscar winner, 11-time 007 composer) would be a lock. What about James MacArthur, Robert Culp, Leslie Nielsen? Peter Graves? The latter were known mostly for their work on television but did a number of films. What about one-time 007 screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz, part of a prominent Hollywood clan that includes [...]

Telegraph reports on Ben Hecht’s 1960s Casino Royale scripts

The Telegraph newspaper in the U.K. has an article by Jeremy Duns about the scripts noted screenwriter Ben Hecht did for producer Charles K. Feldman’s ill fated Casino Royale movie. Duns has a brief entry in his blog, the Debrief, which you can read BY CLICKING HERE. You can try to read the article itself [...]

New I Spy CD available from Film Score Monthly

Film Score Monthly has brought out a second I Spy CD, this one containing the tracks of two I Spy albums from 1966 and 1967. The two albums weren’t actual soundtracks. Rather, they had re-recordings of compositions that Earle Hagen did for the 1965-1968 series. Here are some of the details from FSM’s Web site: [...]

Soderbergh tells Omaha audience he’s still interested in U.N.C.L.E.

Director Steven Soderbergh, during an appearance in Omaha, said he’s still interested in doing a movie version of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. as a farewell to making films, according to an account by the Omaha World-Herald. Soderbergh apparently only made a fleeting mention in Omaha. Here’s an excerpt from near the end of the Omaha [...]

45th anniversary of Dino as Matt Helm in The Silencers

This week was the 45th anniversary of The Silencers, the first of four Matt Helm films starring Dean Martin and arguably the most successful non-Bond spy series of the 1960s. Some of the film’s cast and crew had a shot at doing Bond movies but it didn’t happen. Studio Columbia Pictures had turned down Bond, [...]

007 composer Arnold to be music director of Olympics, Telegraph says

David Arnold, the composer of choice for five James Bond movies since 1997, has been named music director for the closing ceremonies of the 2012 Olympics in London, the U.K.-based Telegraph newspaper said. An excerpt from THAT STORY: Luton-born Arnold, 49, said: ‘To be involved in the London 2012 Closing Ceremonies, where we celebrate the [...]

An Artist’s Year with MI6

Monday’s Guardian UK had a rather interesting, and unusual, story from the world of real-life espionage. Joanna Moorhead’s article concerns an artist who was tapped by Her Majesty’s Secret Service to infiltrate itself, sketchpad in hand, to (covertly) record life in the secret world of spies. British painter James Hart Dyke was no stranger to [...]