Eon gets casting suggestions for Bond 23

The Cinematical site has come up with seven suggestions for actresses for Eon Productions to consider when casting the female lead for Bond 23. Kevin Kelly, the author of the post, opines about Quantum of Solace:

I just found myself bored throughout it, except maybe during that opening car chase. Otherwise, it was snoozeville. I lay part of that blame on the fact that we didn’t get a decent Bond girl to go with it. Olga Kurylenko bored me to tears with her monotonal portrayal of a daughter seeking revenge, and I would have much rather seen more of the redhead who is all-too-briefly seen as another MI6 agent sent to guard Bond.

Among Kelly’s suggestions: Megan Fox and Carla Gugino. You can read the entire article by clicking RIGHT HERE.

A lesser Cubby Broccoli credit

It’s the title song for Call Me Bwana, the movie Eon Productions Ltd. made in between Dr. No and From Russia With Love.

For Bond fans, it’s mostly famous for the scene in FRWL when Bond helps Kerim Bey kill a murderous Bulgar. An ad for Call Me Bwana, including a likeness of a smiling Anita Ekberg, is on the side of the building. The names of Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman are visible. In Ian Fleming’s novel, the correspondign sequence had an ad for Niagara, the movie that made Marilyn Monroe a star but was released by 20th Century Fox. The 007 producers decided to substitute their own comedy “epic” (released by United Artists, the Bond studio).

As it turns out, Call Me Bwana had many of the crew members who’d have a big impact on Eon’s Bond movies, including special effects wizard John Stears, editor Peter Hunt and director of photography Ted Moore.

Anyway, here’s old Ski Nose, Bob Hope, the star of Call Me Bwana, performing the song. In the video you can see an old 45 record where Monty Norman, the composer of The James Bond Theme, is credited with the song:

A tiger by the tail

British newspaper The Independent‘s website has an interesting article about the legendary producer of the James Bond films, Cubby Broccoli — the man with the golden franchise. 2009 marks the centenary anniversary of Broccoli’s birth, and we’re bound to see many tribute pieces in various media.

The article covers some brief biographical information, and then gets down to the meat of discussion — James Bond. It talks of what Broccoli, an Italian-American, brought to the British fictions of Ian Fleming’s fantasy world. Thunderball issues, vis-à-vis Kevin McClory and Jack Whittingham looked at. And the really interesting question is posed: prior to Bond, Broccoli produced war films, comedies, custom dramas, etc. After Dr. No in 1962, the balance of his career was exclusively devoted to the adventures of 007 (notwithstanding another Ian Fleming property he produced, 1968’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang):

Was he frustrated at having to confine himself to 007? His daughter and stepson insist not. “He was happy to make the Bond films. He loved it. He said that he had a tiger by the tail and that he couldn’t let it go,” remembers Wilson.

The British Film Institute is running a retrospective of Broccoli’s films. Cubby Broccoli: From The Red Beret to Bond runs the last three weeks of April at BFI Southbank. Programs, showtimes, and ticket sales are at their website bfi.org.uk.