Roger Moore Gets Pacemaker

Roger Moore might have been a little shaken, even stirred, following his onstage tumble Wednesday in New York. But, after a ticker tune-up, the erstwhile 007 is now back in the pink and received his license to leave the hospital on Friday.

Moore, 75, was deemed good to go after getting a pacemaker to help regulate his heartbeat.

The seven-time James Bond collapsed during a matinee performance of The Play What I Wrote at Broadway’s Lyceum Theater. Moore fainted during a dance number at the end of act two, but managed to recover and finish his performance before being taken to a nearby hospital for tests.

While initial reports said Moore had been suffering from respiratory problems, coupled with dehydration and exhaustion, a rep tells the Associated Press that the thesp had been in line for a pacemaker, and doctors at Manhattan’s Beth Israel Medical Center decided to implant it on Thursday.

"He’s feeling absolutely fine," Mary Cahill tells the AP. Cahill, a spokeswoman for UNICEF, the U.N. children’s agency for which Moore has served as a goodwill ambassador for 12 years, says she spoke to the actor shortly after his discharge.

Moore’s feeling so fine that he will make a previously scheduled appearance Friday at a benefit dinner in New York, where he’s due to pick up an award on behalf of UNICEF from the French-American Aid for Children organization.

"He’s very gallant. He’s a real trooper," says Cahill. "He does so much good work for us. The fact that he’s making an effort to go there for us tonight is indicative of Roger’s efforts for children."

According to the producers of The Play What I Wrote, which features a surprise celebrity guest every day, Moore is "looking forward to returning soon."

After a stint as crime-busting Simon Templar on The Saint, Moore took over the Bond role from Sean Connery during the ’70s and early ’80s. His first spin as the sexy secret agent came in 1973’s Live and Let Die. He went on to star in six other Bond flicks, including 1983’s Octopussy and 1985’s A View to a Kill, before passing the torch to Timothy Dalton.

Source: Yahoo! News

Roger Moore To Leave Hospital

Roger Moore is to leave hospital later today, reports the BBC.

He’s been giving the all clear at Roosevelt Hospital in New York after collapsing at a show yesterday.

Roger Moore Collapses On Stage

Roger Moore has been taken to Roosevelt Hostpital, in New York after collapsing on stage in a show.

He was playing a Cameo role in “The Play That I Wrote” and was dancing and singing when he started having breathing problems. The audience believed it was part of his act, and it was only moments later that they realised it was a genuine problem.

He however continued with the show, recieving a huge cheer from the audience, until it finished 10 minutes later, and then he was taken to hospital by Paramedics.

Doctors at the hospital say he’s in a stable condition.

British Forces Use 007 Code Names

The British forces fighting in Iraq are proving that the world of James Bond has a definite influence on our own world by using on the suited heroes missions as the basis for their own.

A recent mission was referred to as “Operation James” by the British forces, and the military targets were aptly code-named “Goldfinger,” “Blofeld” and “Connery.”

“`Operation James’ is an objective named after something the soldiers will remember easily,” said Paul Beaver, an independent military expert in London. “James Bond is a No. 1 Brit, and he’s a hero.”

The Bond-related names are far different from the United States mission titles, which include “Operation Provide Comfort” and “Operation Free Iraq”. While the US Military is aiming for bolstering support with their publicly known titles, the British Military are aiming to help British soldiers remember the code words and boosting military morale with a little humor.

Rent Ian Fleming's Villa!

Island Outpost, a company which describes itself as a manager for finding beautiful and exotic locations for making holidays, now offers Ian Fleming’s Villa “GoldenEye” on Jamaica.

Island Outpost’s website says, “It’s a very sexy place to be. The villas feature outdoor garden baths and showers. The flowers are always moist. The private beach invites indulgence. But Goldeneye is also historic. Fleming crafted all his James Bond novels here. Goldeneye is the perfect choice for a romantic getaway or a personal retreat. It’s also an innovative choice for one-of-a-kind events like weddings, reunions or executive retreats.”

If you want to rent Ian Fleming’s house, check out this price list!

German Spies Publish Cook Book

It could just well be that German secret agents have forgotten what their task is after they published a cook book.

Top Secret – Schnitzel for Spies is a new cook book published by the Bundesnachrichtendienst, Germany’s equivelant to the British Secret Service, referred to MI6 in the James Bond films.

The book includes over two dozen recipes gathered by German special agents stations world wide. Stories are also included inside the book ranging from advice on a Nigerian solution to black magic attacks to cancelled operations due to equipment falling into Turkish honey.

If the cook book doesn’t quite help you achieve secret agent status, look out for more products from the Bundesnachrichtendienst soon. They’ll soon be selling underwear, y-fronts no less, with the words “Top Secret”, “Keep Contents Private” and “Only for Authorised Personnel” emblazoned on the front, and if you’re not so much of a ‘secret’ agent look out for t-shirts, scarves and ties too.

Source: Ananova

Bond in 100 Heroes & Villains

In 2003 the American Film Institute will continue it’s “100 Years…” television special with a look at “100 Heroes & Villains”.

The 50 heroes and 50 villains will be chosen by a group of 1500 people, all of whom work in the motion picture industry. They’ll be able to choose from 400 characters from films dating 1915 through to the present day.

The James Bond series has garnered four possible nominations. Obviously, the character of James Bond has been nominated. Also on the list are three villains; Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Auric Goldfinger and Jaws. All the characters have been nominated as a whole, that is, not for a particular appearance in any of the Bond films.

The three-hour special will premier on the CBS Television Network in June 2003.

The 400 nominations can be downloaded from the AFI’s website.

International Fan Club To Return

After closing down earlier in 2002 the James Bond International Fan Club has promised to return, issuing this press release earlier today;

You only live twice:
Once when you are born
And once when you look death in the face.

After BASHO
Japanese poet
1643-94

Ian Fleming
YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (1964)

We are pleased to announce that The James Bond International Fan Club will be back in action in January 2003.

The JBIFC has secured new long-term finance and will honour all outstanding subscriptions to ‘OO7’ MAGAZINE currently on its database.

A new annual membership fee will come into effect from January 2003.

The new-style JBIFC membership will now include 4 quarterly issues of ‘OO7’ MAGAZINE, along with monthly emailed newsletters and access to a new ‘Members Only’ area on The JBIFC website, featuring many facts, features and rare, never-before-seen photographs. Other exclusive membership benefits and special offers will be added very soon.

We thank all our loyal supporters over the last 23 years and look forward to many more successful years together with the ‘New and Improved’ James Bond International Fan Club and ‘OO7’ MAGAZINE.

Graham Rye

Editor & Publisher

‘OO7’ MAGAZINE

[email protected]

The JBIFC web site will be fully updated early in the New Year.
Any queries regarding past, present or future membership, please email: [email protected]

Vin Diesel Talks Bond

In an interview to promote the xXx DVD with DVDFile.com, actor Vin Diesel has again discussed the competition between the James Bond series and an attempted xXx series.

However, it seems humility has set in, since xXx performed below expectations at the box-oiffce, and Vin Diesel is no longer as quick to term the Bond series outdated and to prove his spy is the better one. Perhaps because Die Another Day has outperformed xXx at the box-office.

DVDFile: As we talk the new James Bond film (Die Another Day) is just out and seems to be a hit. Did you feel any pressure trying to create a “new Bond” in XXX, and did you intentionally try to pay homage to or avoid any of the elements that has made that series so long-lasting?

V.D: My intentions when I made XXX were not to create a new Bond, but to create an original approach to the secret agent genre, the spy genre. The first and foremost different between XXX and all of its predecessors and contemporaries is that he (Xander Cage) doesn’t want to be a secret agent. And that’s the first characteristic that makes him fascinating, and makes the story fascinating. That this guy is the quintessential reluctant hero.

I felt like that there was more integrity in that approach, a little bit more tangible about that reality, especially in the wake of September 11th.

DVDFile: What sorts of things did you try to focus in on with the character to make it more accessible, more tangible?

V.D: I remember when I used to see James Bond movies, the one thing I didn’t relate to was that this guy seemed like he probably went to school for 12 years to be a secret agent. I was like, “No, that’s not going to be me.”

DVDFile: While the Bond films are still popular with a wide audience, XXX seems like it was designed to appeal more directly to the young adult demographic…

V.D: It was successful in that demographic, but it was I also found is that when the older audience went to see the film they were tapping into something completely different than the modern cultural influences that were incorporated into the character. They were talking about the characters, the relationships and the storyline. The were intrigued by it , which was cool. I feel like this is a film that entertained, that hopefully anybody that went to it came away entertained.

DVDFile: Did you allow any influence of Bond the character into your portrayal of Cage?

V.D: Bond is the father of these movies. We were just taking it one step further and making it current. That was Rob Cohen’s objective. But, of course, you can’t help but to take the Bond films into account. Look at it, analyze it, and see what they’ve done. It would be shortsighted not to. Especially the techniques they used to be as successful as they’ve been. When we were doing XXX, we knew that we were creating a prototype, and that if this wasn’t good and we didn’t knock this out of the park, then there wouldn’t be others.

Vin Diesel has also revealed that xXx 2 and xXx 3 are both currently being scripted, with the films set in Washington and Japan respectively.

The full interview transcript is available at DVDFile.com.

Bond Girls Are Forever, A Review

‘Donovan’ was lucky enough to attend the screening of Bond Girls Are Forever in Chicago yesterday, and was kind enough to send in this review;

The documentary “Bond Girls Are Forever” was premiered at the Chicago Film Festival on October 15 at 7:00. Maryam d’Abo was the narrator and a co-producer of the film. In attendance for the premiere was Ms. d’Abo, who played Kara Milovy in “The Living Daylights”, Maud Adams, who portrayed Andrea Anders in “The Man With The Golden Gun” and the title role in “Octopussy”, and Lois Chiles, who played Dr. Holly Goodhead in “Moonraker”. The three actors were featured in the documentary, along with Ursula Andress, Honor Blackman, Luciana Paluzzi, Jill St. John, Jane Seymour, Carey Lowell, Samantha Bond, Michelle Yeoh, Halle Berry, Rosamund Pike, and Dame Judi Dench, who plays ‘M’ for the fourth time in “Die Another Day”.

The documentary was very entertaining and is highly recommended.

It touched on a wide range of subjects, including what it meant for the careers of the women who became “Bond girls”, and how the dialogue and characterizations of women in Bond films has evolved over the past 40 years.

Timothy Dalton Bond fans will especially enjoy the conversation Maryam d’Abo and Carey Lowell have on working with Mr. Dalton.

Also among the memorable moments was Judi Dench’s recollection of a little boy who was shocked at seeing her in person in a restaurant. New Bond girls Halle Berry and Rosamund Pike also give insightful interviews, and Ms. Pike demonstrates some of her newfound talent at fencing.

The production values were very good, thanks in large part to the producer’s wise decision to use clips from the films and authentic Bond music. Another nice touch was all the outdoor footage where we see the various women enjoying life today. A lot of documentaries fall into a trap of using only claustrophobic interior head shots of people sitting in front of a backdrop, talking to the camera.

Before the screening, a trivia question was asked and the prize was a signed poster of the film. The question was, “who is the only Bond girl to marry James Bond? Who played her, what was the name of the film, and who played Bond?” I know I don’t have to post the answer.

After the screening, the ladies answered questions from the audience.

This film is scheduled for broadcast on AMC on November 6 at 8:00 pm EST.

Sounds promising! A big thank you is extended to Donovan for the review.