Bond News ...

This page will continue to update with any items that grab my attention in the UK Press, TV and Radio.
Abbreviation used .. TWINE - The World Is Not Enough, & OCLS - Odeon Cinema, Leicester Square, London.
Cast: PB - Pierce Brosnan, RC - Robbie Coltrane, RCa - Robert Carlyle, SM - Sophie Marceau DR - Denise Richards, MGC - Maria Grazia Cucinotta DJD - Dame Judi Dench,

Dateline: 29/11/99
Leathered up ... the Life&Style section of London's Evening Standard opens with a whole page devoted to TWINE's DR with heading of It's the hottest Christmas on record. A rocky fashion photo of Denise is seen wearing a leather outfit with windy hair and serious look. Writer Toby Young discovered her "publicist is called David Lust" and met up with her at Starbucks in Los Angeles. TWINE screenwriter Bruce Feirstein is quoted "I got e-mails from everyone I know saying, 'You've got to fix me up with DR. Men go gaga over her." Another LA journalist says, if asked 90% of "men in the industry" would like to sleep with her. Future plans for Miss Richards "I'd love to do a really great dramatic piece."

Chart Update ... pop group Garbage entered the UK charts with the theme song from TWINE at no.11 last week. Today the song has dropped to no.22. A bit of a yo-yo effort !

Dateline: 28/11/99
Worldly Luxuries ... apart from film critic Mariella Frostrup's review of TWINE, the News Of The World has 2 other Bond items. The first, not in the usual Motoring Section, has it's car expert Mike Rutherford revealing "BMW's gorgeous 150mph, gull-winged Z9 - and it makes the Z8 that PB takes for a spin in .. TWINE look like a Dinky toy!"
With caption puns like LEATHER SAY NEVER AGAIN & BOY'S TOY, Rutherford explains that "the bad news for James is the Z9 is a concept car that won't be going on sale. The good news is Bond looks set to get the keys to BMW's new secret weapon, the E63 in time for the next movie. It will bear a strong resemblance to the Z9 ..".

The second item has Holiday writer David Gordois telling us that I spy Bond in Majorca and ".. 007 star PB has a more down-to-earth attitude to his holidays ... he didn't head for some exotic location like the Bahamas or Hawaii. Instead he set off for dear old Majorca." The item confirmed what the press revealed earlier this year with telescopic photos of Pierce & Keely on a Mediterranean boat that he "spent the summer in the breathtaking mountain resort of Deia. It's where Virgin tycoon Richard Branson owns the palatial hotel La Residencia and where Michael Douglas has a hideaway villa." A photo of the resort is seen with another caption pun FROM MAJORCA WITH LOVE.

Dateline: 26/11/99
That Z8 v DB7 again ... another picture of The Sun's motoring expert Gibson inside a BMW Z8 pointing a gun at Clarkson inside a vintage green DB5. In his column, Clarkson gives comparison facts about the 2 cars ( that's the DB7 not DB5 ) and reveals "the producers were offered 10 Vantages by Aston, for nothing. Surely, it couldn't be that free cars aren't enough and that BMW actually pay to promote the film as well , could it ? ... Bond back in an Aston is pretty close to the top of my agenda next year."

Second Time Around ... in order to give a true review and to finally understand the plot of TWINE ( yes really ! ) I went to my local cinema to see the Bond movie again. In my town we have an old 2 tier / 2 screen cinema run by ABC. Performances are reduced to £ 2.60 before 6 p.m. so I was fed up and needed cheering up so I went to another 1st performance. In return for my ticket, I was given a small & excellent TWINE sovenir programme with full cast / credit list ( see right ) and interviews. I asked if they had a big turn-out for the previous evening's preview screening and only 50 turned up ! I was told that there were more upstairs watching Bruce Willis' The Sixth Sense. Once inside, despite an annoying couple with crisps & drinks, I sat and re-watched the movie with an audience of 20 ( mainly kids off school ? ). After the movie I walked outside to the foyer and noticed & took a free TWINE posters ( 16" x 12" ) What great value for half the 'reduced' West End price !
Sadly I have a gut feeling that due to surrounding multiplex cinemas that my old cinema's days are numbered.

Dateline: 24/11/99
It's Party Time ... The Sun's Mohan followed up yesterday's Premiere report with 4 b&w pictures from the Bond TWINE party. This item centred on Goldie who plays Bull with the pop singer pictured with co-star RC and another kissing girl-friend Tracy. Also pictured was Bond girl MGC blowing a kiss. The writer reported that "007 PB, carried on partying till gone 4am at Claridges along with Ray Winstone, RCa & DJD." Also stated that "SM, baddie Elecktra .. went shopping for clothes before the premiere as her luggage had got lost."
Later in the paper's Woman's section, tv presenter Lorraine Kelly becomes a 'Bond expert' with header Why go beyond the Bond we love ? revealing her Bond fantasy ".. chocolate, whisky and Sean Connery", favourite movie From Russia With Love with "best-ever villain - Rosa Klebb", describes Lazenby as "wooden", Moore with "no sex appeal", Dalton as "fine actor and devishly handsome but .. movies dull" and Brosnan "born to play the part". She concludes that "trying to get into the mind of Bond will take away all the fun of these daft romps and the whole thing will collapse like a house of cards."

Dateline: 23/11/99
A Premiere Night ... most UK papers had a picture from last night's Bond Premiere on their front pages ( e.g. Daily Mail had 2 pictures of arriving Bond girls MGC & SM ). The Sun had a top box caption with picture of Keely kissing Pierce outside OCLS with header The World Is Snog Enough.
Inside the paper, Dominic Mohan's bizarre column had a premiere special with pictures including Pierce & 3 Bond girls ( see right ) , RCa & wife & Pierce returning front page kiss. The item had a heading of THE SPY WHO BAGGED THREE with under caption of Pierce shows off trio of sexiest ever Bond girls. Mohan, a TWINE extra, described the stars' fashions for the night mentioning Keely's "dazzling £3.5 million necklace from top jewellers." The only quotes from Carlyle "It's easier playing a bad guy than being nice" and producer Wilson about the next movie "It should start in the next two or three years and Pierce will be on board." If released in 2002, movie Bond will be 40 !
Earlier in the tabloid paper, motoring expert Ken Gibson is seen leaning over the BMW Z8 and pointing a gun at fellow writer & tv expert Jeremy Clarkson. They wanted to take the car for a spin but managed only 25 yards ! Under the heading of SECRET AGENTS TEST THE NEW BONDMOBILE and photo, a Z8 fact file is provide.

Tradition Never Dies ... I saw my first Bond film at the OCLS, London in 1969 and some 30 years on ( ugh !! ) the cinema has another face-lift with some comfy new seats. Due to my lack of work, I was able to go to the first public viewing and was surprised by the turn-out for TWINE's early performance - as suggested reduced West End prices ( £6 instead of £10 ). I sat and listened to Arnold's TND & TWINE music and waited for the big moment. The curtains opened and away we go .... ( review to follow ). Shame people didn't stay for the credits with the blazing James Bond Theme ending.
A quick browse around a record store and noting the TWINE CD with a song not in the film or credits ? Next to The Cinema Store and surprised to find no 'official' magazine of TWINE yet. I was told an American version is on order and was pointed to the 'limited' European Premiere Magazine but at £25 slightly out of my price range at the moment.

Dateline: 21/11/99
Real Life ... I've been amazed at some of the stories that have appeared in the press in the build-up to TWINE. Any possible angle / link to the movie has been covered ...

1. The Sun
   Dateline: 13/11/99
   HEADLINE: Tragedy of boy who broke Bond beauty's heart
   tells of DR's hidden "secret torment" and tells of her "high school boyfriend who was her first real love is now confined to a wheelchair after a horrific car crash". A picture of a "young Denise and first love Jamie Medeiros" is seen along with one of Denise at the World Premiere ( seen right ) Denise who broke up 2 years earlier spoke to Jamie at his bedside but due to bad injuries Jamie can't remember who DR was or is now.
2. News of The World
   Dateline: 14/11/99
   HEADLINE: BOND STAR Q: MY WIFE HAS ALZHEIMERS
   re-tells the story of Desmond Q Llewelyn's wife who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease ( see The Sunday Times Magazine - 7/11 ). About his wife Pamela, Desmond says "If it hadn't been for my wife and her family I would not have been an actor". About TWINE he moans "I didn't get a script for the latest film until almost 3 weeks before they finished shooting. I'm still not pleased with the number of lines I got. I've always wanted a bigger role".
3. The Sun
   Dateline: 20/11/99
   HEADLINE: 007: How I popped question
   tells how Pierce proposed to fiancée Keely ( time to get those hankies out ladies ) ...

   "I waited until she came home from work, lit a fire and had a bottle of champagne ready on ice. She finished bathing our son Dylan, then I popped the question over dinner and she accepted."

   The wedding is planned for next year. Best Wishes !

   Pierce is also described as "a good bloke" elsewhere in the paper by writer Ally Ross as during filming of TWINE in East London he was "caught short. ... So he hopped to the nearest pub, Harry's Bar and asked if he could use the toilet. Seconds later a relieved Pierce re-emerged, handed the barman £20 for his troubles and left". Whatever happened to portable loos or movie star caravans ?

Dateline: 17/11/99
A £125,000 Bond ... strange that the final question of the current series of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire ( ITV, Wed ) was about 007. The contestant had reached the £125,000 stage of the quiz and had to answer the following question ( having used all of his 3 life-lines ) ...

Which future James Bond began his career in the chorus of a 1950's production of South Pacific ?
Choose from ... A: Pierce Brosnan B: George Lazenby
C: Roger Moore D: Sean Connery

The contestant's guess was d but he decided not to risk losing his already won £64,000. So host Chris Tarrant congratulated him and told him that the right answer was in fact d. Alas not going with his guess of Sean, he missed out on an extra £61,000 ! Hey that's Show Business !