Sir Roger, shaken but not stirred

At Buckingham palace yesterday, 75 year-old Roger Moore received his knighthood for charity work, and admitted that he was as shaken as a James Bond martini during the ceremony.

Sir Roger, who was made a CBE in 1999 and has been for the last 12 years a UNICEF’s goodwill ambassador, stated: “I was worrying about whether I was going to get up again after kneeling.“

2003 has certainly become a year of highs and lows for the former Bond actor, with the low point being earlier in the year when Sir Roger suffered a heart attack while on stage in New York and underwent heart surgery to have a pacemaker inserted.

Sir Roger said that the Knighthood was better than winning an Oscar, and even spoke to the Queen about his Bond work.

Sources: BBC News and The Daily Telegraph.

Moore To Receive Knighthood Tomorrow

Former James Bond actor, Roger Moore, will be knighted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in Britain.

Moore was awarded the Knighthood in June of this year as a part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

The Knighthood is in recognition of his work for charity, including his work as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF).

Sean's Hands Go Down In History

Sean Connery has now joined the ranks with such stars as Bruce Willis and Tom Cruise, when he had his hands molded in plaster at his first West End premiere for a decade, this week.

While attending a screening for his new film, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, he added his addition to the famous hand memorial at London’s Leicester Square, and was thoroughly surprised by the crowd’s turnout.

Over 2,000 fan’s cheered on the seventy-three year old, and despite his experience and explosive popularity, the movie legend still had no idea he would draw this much attention. “It’s fantastic out there, but I wasn’t prepared for such an onslaught.”

Sir Sean is the second Bond to have his fingers in concrete, the first being current 007 actor, Pierce Brosnan.

Jinx Movie Set for Nov 2004 Release

The spin-off film Jinx, featuring Halle Berry as the title character, is rumoured to be slated for a November 2004 release internationally. The film had originally been slated for a 2005 release date.

Currently under the working title of Jinx, the film has been in the early stages of production since the release of Die Another Day in November 2002. Various sources have, however, reported that Robert Wade and Neil Purvis have penned the script and that the film will move in to production early next year.

Filming is expected to start soon after Berry completes work on Catwoman, another spin-off film but in that instance from the Batman series.

Should the film be handled by Eon Productions, the production team behind the James Bond series, it is likely that the next Bond film, currently working under the title of Bond 21, will not reach theatres until late 2005.

Source: Yahoo Movies

Bassey's Dresses Raise 250,000 Pounds

As CommanderBond.net reported 8 days ago, dresses belonging to singing star Shirley Bassey have raised £250,000 for charities close to her heart.

Ms Bassey chose 50 of her show-stopping gowns for auction in London, and had hoped to raise around £50,000.

But such was the popularity of her show-stopping gowns that more than five times the amount was achieved.

It is understood the famous Welsh flag dress, worn at the official opening of the Millennium Stadium, was bought by the diva herself for £7,000.

A shimmering chiffon dress, which she wore to sing to US President John F Kennedy following his inauguration, sold for £6,500.

Ms Bassey attended the auction at Christie’s in person, to help boost the bidding.

Before the auctioning began, Dame Shirley told the roomful of millionaire guests and celebrities: "I am going to leave you with these words." She then broke into song to tumultuous applause and clapping with: "Hey big spender spend a little time with me."

Famous faces included broadcaster David Frost, fashion designer Isabelle Kristensen, rock star Bryan Adams, and the Aga Khan. The money will be split between the Dame Shirley Bassey scholarship and two concerns in her birthplace of Cardiff – the Royal Welsh College of Music and the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital appeal.

The sale on Thursday marked Ms Bassey’s 50 years in showbusiness – is a world away from her beginnings as an entertainer when she earned her living in a factory by day and singing in smoky clubs in Cardiff’s docklands by night.

The oldest piece up for sale was a 1955 sleeveless stage gown, known affectionately by Ms Bassey as "the diamond dress".

The outfit is encrusted with thousands of Swarovski aurora borealis crystals and weighs at an incredible 13lb (6kg).

Another of her favourites on sale is a black velvet gown with a three-dimensional orchid made from crystals.

The gold and silver sequinned and beaded gown associated with her first hit, the 1964 James Bond theme tune Goldfinger, is also in the auction.

Source: BBCi

Sir Sean Gives A Lift to the Scottish Parliament

As part of his efforts to promote the new building for the Scottish Parliament, Sir Sean Connery is allowing his voice to be used in the lifts (elevators) in the new building.

For further details on Sir Sean’s involvement with promoting the new Scottish Parliament building, click here BBC News.

Sean Connery To Appear In Berlin

Former James Bond Sean Connery will appear at the German premiere of his new movie, "League of Extraordinary Gentleman" in Berlin on September 30th. Big parts of the movie were shot in Prague, Tchech Republic in summer 2002, at the time when the floods of the river Oder affected Eastern Germany as well as Prague and destroyed big parts of the movie’s set. Connery made big donations to the people affected and is now to show up in Berlin. The European Premiere was held in Prague in August.

Goldsinger Auctions Gowns

A collection of Bond diva Shirley Bassey’s dresses is going on show next week ahead of an auction in the name of charity.

50 of the magnificent gowns- one for each year that Miss Bassey has been in showbusiness- will be on display to the public prior to their auction which will be held by Christies on September 18th.

The 66-year-old singer from Tiger Bay is selling her unique collection to raise money for the Dame Shirley Bassey Scholarship at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff and the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital Appeal.

She admitted that being seperated from the dresses will be a difficult thing for her to do; each one has reinforced her image as the glamorous, larger-than-life singer of such classic Bond themes as Goldfinger and Diamonds Are Forever, and these themes, along with her inmitable style have been ingrained in the consciousness of everyone, Bond fans and non-Bond fans alike.

“Parting with these beautiful gowns will be an emotional experience as they have brought me great success in my career and have been loved and admired by so many…I feel proud knowing I wore these gowns,” she said. “I love them all.”

All the dresses being auctioned at Christie’s are the work of Ms Bassey’s favourite designer, Douglas Darnell.

The dresses:

Below are descriptions of just four of the dresses up for sale to the highest bidder this month.

• A sleeveless stage gown, known affectionately by Bassey as “the diamond dress”, which is encrusted with thousands of Swarovski aurora borealis crystals and weighs at an incredible 13lb (6kg), this is the earliest piece in the auction, having been made in 1955.
• A gold and silver sequinned and beaded gown associated with her first hit, the 1964 James Bond theme tune Goldfinger.
• A black velvet gown with a three-dimensional orchid made from crystals It is one of Ms Bassey’s favourites.
• A cat suit of natural coloured chiffon lavishly embellished with Swarovski aqua marine topaz and aurora borealis crystals – complete with matching coat – which Dame Shirley wore during her 60th Birthday Concert at Althorp Park in 1997.

The entire collection is expected to fetch more than £50,000 charity.

One company which has benefitted from Ms Bassey’s love of glitz and glamour over the years is the Austrian crystal group Swarovski, whose gems have been used in many of her outfits.

“It is a wonderful opportunity to be working together with Christie’s and Dame Shirley on such a noble event in order to raise money,” said company vice-president Nadja Swarovski.

Wealthy fans are bound to bid for the dresses Christie’s deputy chairman Jussi Pylkkanen, added : “It is a tremendous tribute to Dame Shirley that, after 50 years at the pinnacle of the music industry she has taken a momentous decision to sell her famous dress collection.

“The exhibition, like the auction, promises to be a dazzling event and we look forward to raising a significant sum for the charities concerned.”

The auction will take place at Christie’s, King Street, St James’, London, on Thursday, 18 September at 8:15pm BST.