Sports Illustrated compares Michael Jordan to 007

Michael Jordan

Sports Illustrated in its Feb. 18 issue did a big spread on former basketball star Michael Jordan on the eve of his 50th birthday. The cover story, Michael Jordan at 50, briefly compares the former athlete to a certain gentleman agent.

Here’s the key except in the article by SI’s Phil Taylor. It’s part of a passage about whether Jordan can retain his popularity.

There was a time when Jordan was the coolest guy in any room, the black James Bond. He turned the shaved head into a game-changer for prematurely balding men. Baggy shorts with black socks, once the province of dorky retirees, became stylish once he started rocking them…..But how long can Jordan’s level of public admiration last? As his playing career fades further into the background, can the post-50 Joran maintain his cool pose?

Most of the magazine’s contents are behind a pay wall. You can sample some offerings on its Web site, such as 50 reasons we’ll never forget Michael Jordan and SI’s 100 best Michael Jordan photos.

Jordan turns 50 on Feb. 17.

Oscars producer says show won’t have 6 Bond actors

One of the producers of the Feb. 24 Oscars telecast told THE DEADLINE HOLLYWOOD WEB SITE the show’s James Bond tribute won’t include the six film 007s together.

The Web site interviewed Craig Zadan and Neil Meron about their plans for the broadcast, which will be seen on ABC in the U.S. There was this excerpt:

“We certainly are going to be celebrating the nominees and winners like a regular Oscar show, but they are fitting into the design of the show that we’ve created, so there’s going to be an enormous amount of entertainment”, Zadan says, pointing to the 50 years of James Bond tribute they have announced, which won’t be a reunion of the actors who played 007 despite rampant media speculation. “It’s something else, something very unique and very exciting but no, we’re not getting the Bonds together”.

Zadan isn’t quoted about what the something else is. To view the entire story, which details planned changes in the telecast, CLICK HERE. Meanwhile, you can CLICK HERE for a sampling of some stories that presented less-than-convincing evidence that a joint appearance of the six actors was going to happen.