007 and Aston Martin: development of a myth

When Prince William and his bride pulled out of Buckingham Palace in an Aston Martin convertible, it didn’t take long for people to make the connection between the royal couple’s ride and 007. The Reuters news service (Ian Fleming’s one-time employer) ran a video it called James Bond moment for royal newlyweds. Meanwhile, some 007 [...]

Happy birthday No. 98, the real man from U.N.C.L.E.

When somebody reaches their 98th birthday, there’s not much more than can be said. So happy birthday, Norman Felton, executive producer of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., born this day in 1913. We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again. Felton was the real man from U.N.C.L.E. He initiated the project, he bluffed network executives with [...]

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car up for sale, AOL Autos says

Oh you Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, we love you — to see how much of a sales price you’ll fetch. According to a post on AOL Autos (which you can read BY CLICKING HERE), the original car from the 1968 movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is up for sales on eBay. [...]

Web site shows photo of new Superman auditioning for 007

The Book Bond Web site, which normally deals with the literary 007, has dug up a photo of Henry Cavill, recently named as the new screen Superman, auditioning for the role of James Bond in 2005. You can view that photo by BY CLICKING HERE. Cavill was 22 at the time of the audition to [...]

Duran Duran’s salute to John Barry

Duran Duran, in a performance in California on April 17, paid tribute to the late John Barry, according to a short account in the U.K. Express newspaper, which you can read BY CLICKING HERE. A (very) brief excerpt: After they finished the set, Duran Duran returned for an encore and dedicated the first track to [...]

The HMSS Interview: Jeffery Deaver

We were intrigued to learn, in May of last year, that the next official James Bond novelist would be American (and Chicago’s own!) crime writer Jeffery Deaver. Best known for his Lincoln Rhyme detective series (its first entry, The Bone Collector , was filmed in 1999 with Denzel Washington as the quadriplegic detective), and his [...]

Hawaii Five-O season 11 (ex-spy edition) DVDs in the works

No release date is set yet, but a box set of season 11 of the original Hawaii Five-O is in the works and Amazon.com has begun accepting pre-orders, according to the TV Shows on DVD Web site. Season 11, the next-to-last for the original Five-O, is something an ex-spy edition. Of course, you have the [...]

Amazon.com’s intriguing description of new 007 novel

Amazon.com, in its listing for Jeffery Deaver’s upcoming James Bond novel, Carte Blanche carries this description: James Bond, in his early thirties and already a veteran of the Afghan War, has been recruited to a new organization. Conceived in the post-9/11 world, it operates independent of MI5, MI6 and the Ministry of Defense, its very [...]

Happy 58th anniversary Casino Royale; Sony confirms Bond 23 plans

Turns out today, April 13, is the 58th anniversary of the publication of Ian Fleming’s first James Bond novel, Casino Royale. So much has been written, there’s not much more we can add except to note this particular anniversary occurs as Bond is stirring from a bit of a slumber. Next month will see the [...]

Steven Soderbergh catches up on his U.N.C.L.E.

Director Steven Soderbergh, who has said he’s “obligated” to direct a movie based on The Man From U.N.C.L.E., at least has been getting acquainted with the likes of Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin. Sodbergh kept a list, starting in February 2010 and running for a year, of the movies and TV shows he would watch. [...]