Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman go incognito for A Steady Rain research trip

As regular CommanderBond.net readers are well aware, James Bond star Daniel Craig will be making his Broadway debut this upcoming September alongside Hugh Jackman in the Keith Huff drama A Steady Rain.

A Steady Rain tells of two seasoned cops whose lifelong friendship is severely tested when a seemingly routine domestic disturbance call results in the death of a young boy. When the horrific truth of the situation is revealed, one of the two must take the blame for the fatal mistake.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Craig and Jackman decided to give the officials at the Cook County Criminal Courts at 2600 S. California Avenue a surprise visit earlier today when they showed up unannounced.

‘They came in, best we can tell, with everyone else and walked around pretty nondescript,’ said Cook County Sherriff’s spokesman Steve Patterson, adding that the court was not told of their arrival in advance. The actors confirmed their identities when asked.

Both Craig and Jackman were traveling incognito on a Chicago research trip to prepare for their roles as police officers in the upcoming play. According to a New York spokesman for the play, the visit to Chicago had been kept a closely guarded secret to allow the actors time and space to do the requisite research for their roles.

Patterson further added that there were several female courthouse deputies ‘who gladly would have provided a personal tour’ for the two film stars.

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Become Bond at Seven Stories Museum in Newcastle upon Tyne

The Young Bond Dossier alerts us to an exciting event for fans of Charlie Higson’s Young James Bond series.

Beginning tomorrow, 31 July, and running through 6 August, the Seven Stories museum located in Newcastle upon Tyne will be celebrating James Bond and adventure stories with a set of daily ‘Become Bond’ trails at 11:30am and 2:00pm daily.

Events will include action packed Summer Story Parties, gripping storytimes and riveting craft throughout the day… are you up for the challenge!?

Furthermore, fans will have a chance to get a glimpse of the ultra-rare ‘Gold Book’ edition of Higson’s Hurricane Gold. Last seen at the Imperial War Museum’s James Bond 007 exhibition, this is an exciting opportunity to see a unique piece of Bond memorabilia in the North East for the first time.

For full details on location and attending, visit the official Seven Stories website.

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Key West tour recognizes 20th anniversary of James Bond's Licence to Kill

KEY WEST TOUR RECOGNIZES 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF JAMES BOND FILM,
LICENCE TO KILL

Film location tour and event planning team, Richard and Leslie Skillman of Themepartypeople (www.themepartypeople.com), led 50 James Bond fans, writers and photographers on a Licence to Kill 20th Anniversary tour, to recognize the release of the 1989 film.

Click Here For A Slideshow Of Photographs From The Event

“We created a series of film tours and events on a week-long cruise to great ports of call which included James Bond film sites; James Bond related discussion and trivia sessions, celebrations of the film characters and the new direction for the franchise, including a deck side large screen viewing of Quantum of Solace, remarked Richard Skillman. “Our guests joined us on the cruise in Fort Lauderdale and from there, we headed to Key West, Florida where we toured the major locations of the film, Licence to Kill and were treated to a behind the scenes insights with Captain Bill Grosscup, who doubled as ‘Q’ in the film.”

“We also visited Ocho Rios, Jamaica for a bus tour to several of the sites from Dr. No and Live and Let Die, including access to the Reynolds Pier , the Ruins Restaurant and James Bond Beach. The tour included a lively climb up Dunn’s River Falls, where much of Dr. No was filmed. This was a wonderful opportunity for fans from all around the world to gather and enjoy their shared interests”.

The tour included several sea days of Texas Hold’em, Martini tasting and culminated in a difficult James Bond Trivia Contest, in the style of the television show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, with questions submitted by the top editors of James Bond magazines. Themepartypeople included a post-tour James Bond scavenger hunt at Walt Disney World’s EPCOT Park, challenging teams to solve location based riddles throughout their day at the theme park.

“There is an uncompromising passion and loyalty among fans of the James Bond novels and films. Leslie and I enjoy organizing these tours, as we both are avid Bond followers, and this gives us an opportunity to bring us all together in exotic locations where the films were created.”

The Skillman’s had previously organized the 070707 Tour of Nassau , that successfully visited film sites and events for the 2006 James Bond film, Casino Royale and previous Bond films lensed in Nassau such as Thunderball and Never Say Never Again.

Themepartypeople can be contacted at [email protected].

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Chitty Chitty Bang Bang stage production concludes national tour

The national tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang soars into Starlight Theatre on July 28-August 2 for six adventurous evening performances. In consideration of the many children expected to attend, Starlight has moved up its show time to 8 p.m. each night.

The stage production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, adapted from the beloved 1968 film starring Dick Van Dyke, opened in London in 2002 and continues to tour in the United Kingdom. The show opened on Broadway in April 2005 and received five Tony Award nominations. The current North American tour began in November 2008 and will conclude its 26-city route at Starlight.

Based on Ian Fleming’s timeless novel and adapted for the stage by director Ray Roderick, the production remains faithful to the film’s story line. It features the original music and lyrics of The Sherman Brothers, whose credits include nine Oscar nominations (one for the title song of this show), two Oscars for Mary Poppins, three Grammys and 24 gold or platinum albums.

The star of the show is, of course, the vintage car that sprouts wings and flies (and sails, too!). The original film team – screenplay author Roald Dahl and producer Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli – always intended to move the story from the big screen to the stage, but it wasn’t until recently that newly developed stage technology turned their dreams to reality. Today’s high-tech modern machinery equips Chitty to fly effortlessly across the stage, although the show’s creators prefer to keep the engineering details under wraps.

“Each summer Starlight provides at least one musical production that is completely appropriate – and entertaining – for all ages,” said Denton Yockey, Starlight president and executive producer. “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is definitely this summer’s ‘must see’ for Kansas City families.”

The show’s cast of principals is led by several Broadway veterans, including Steve Wilson in the lead role of eccentric inventor Caractacus Potts. Wilson’s Broadway credits include Sunday in the Park with George, Lestat, The Frogs and By Jeeves.

Also featured in the show are eight youngsters from the Kansas City metropolitan area. Cast as orphans, the local children auditioned at Starlight earlier this year. They will rehearse with the national tour’s cast members upon their arrival in Kansas City and perform on stage each night. The aspiring local stars who will shine in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang are Luke Boyce, Carter Gonzales, Diana Hunter, Grant Karpin, Faith Kopecky and Emily Levinson, as well as alternates Aurora Kuhn and Avery Mullaly. Throughout its nine-month tour, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has involved local children at each stop.

Also cast in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang are 13 rescue-dogs-turned-show dogs who travel with the production. The dogs’ owner and trainer, JoAnne Wilson of Wilson Productions, transports the canine stars in a custom-made tour bus. Samantha, a sheepdog mix, stars as Edison, the Potts’ family pet. Most of the other dogs star in the show’s Scrumptious Sweet Factory scene.

The story of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang spans generations. Ian Fleming, who is best known for authoring 14 James Bond books, published this story for his son, Caspar, in 1964. While a children’s book, it included the key things – cars, bombs and spies – that fascinated Fleming. Tickets for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang are on sale now at Starlight Theatre, 4600 Starlight Road. Ticket prices range from $9 to $79 and are available at the Starlight Theatre box office, at http://www.kcstarlight.com or by calling 816.363.STAR (7827).

Discount prices for groups of 15 or more are available by contacting Bob Potemski at 816.997.1137
or [email protected].

All performances of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang begin at 8 p.m.

For more information about the touring production, visit www.chittyontour.com.

Presenting Broadway entertainment since 1951, the non-profit Starlight Theatre Association is Kansas City’s oldest and largest performing arts organization. The Association operates, programs and maintains the largest stage in the United States, as well as the 16-acre Starlight Theatre complex. While assuming all annual operating costs for the complex, the Association also raises funds for capital improvements and a variety of programs, including national Broadway musical performances, concerts, community outreach and education. Since 2000, the Association has contributed more than $25 million of privately funded improvements to the Kansas City, Mo.-owned Starlight Theatre. Each Broadway season, Starlight donates more than 11,000 tickets to its performances to regional non-profit organizations serving the disadvantaged.

In 2008, Starlight Theatre was selected as the “Favorite Performing Arts Venue or Organization” in the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association’s Visitors’ Choice Awards program. Starlight also received a Gold Award for “Best Performing Arts Venue” and a bronze award for “Best Theatre” in Ingram’s 2008 Best of Business Kansas City Awards. The theatre seats approximately 8,000 and is located in Swope Park.

As always, keep your browsers locked on the CommanderBond.net main page—and our brand new Twitter feed—for all the latest James Bond-related news from around the world.

Sir Sean Connery backs nuclear test veterans film

It’s been several years since Sir Sean Connery declared his retirement from acting, but the original James Bond could possibly return in the role of a narrator for a film centering on a Scottish war veteran.

The Scotsman describes the true story as a David and Goliath-type battle between military bosses and veteran campaigner Ken McGinley, 71, who made history when he was granted the right to sue the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on behalf of thousands of former servicemen who were involved in nuclear testing on Christmas Island.

More than 1,000 British soldiers claim they—and their children—were left with cancer and deformities after being exposed to severe radiation on the Indian Ocean-based island more than 50 years ago.

Sir Sean is backing the campaign and also added that he would be willing to lend his voice for a film about the soldiers’ ordeal.

After speaking with Mr. McGinley, Sir Sean further wrote a letter to his friend, journalist Alan Rimmer, to reveal his interest in the case. Discussing Mr. McGinley’s book, No Risk Involved, Sir Sean wrote: ‘It is a shocking history of events. I have already made my opinion regarding the possibility of filming the book to Mr McGinley … I am more than interested to see the end result and … I would be prepared to do narration.’

Mr McGinley said: ‘Sir Sean was very interested in what we are fighting for. Having Sir Sean’s backing really gave me a boost. He is an icon in the film industry and I can’t think of anyone better to help raise our profile. If a film was ever to be made then it would be a great compliment to the veterans if Sir Sean was involved.’

Sir Sean’s backing comes after a recent London High Court win by Mr. McGinley against the government for compensation. The MoD have until September to appeal the ruling.

Keep turning to the CommanderBond.net main page—as well as our brand new Twitter feed—for all the latest James Bond news and coverage.

Quentin Tarantino: I would have done Casino Royale with Pierce Brosnan

Quentin Tarantino has once again chimed in with a woulda-coulda-shoulda statement regarding the James Bond series reports Showbiz Spy.

He makes a special point regarding Daniel Craig’s 2006 debut in Casino Royale, which was a breath of fresh air for many fans of the 007 series.

‘The reason they did Casino Royale all comes down to me,’ he states.

‘I made it a point, I said I wanted to do Casino Royale. They were already on record as saying the movie was unfilmable but then after I said it and talked about it for a little bit—then the big thing on all the internets was that that was what all the fans wanted to see and so that’s when they said, “Oh, maybe it’s not so un-filmable.”‘

He goes on to state that Craig also would not have been his Bond of choice for the film had he been sitting in the director’s chair: ‘Actually if I had done the film, I wouldn’t have done it with Daniel Craig, I would have done it with Pierce Brosnan.’

What do you think of a Tarantino-directed Bond film starring Brosnan? Sound off here on the CommanderBond.net Forums.

Stay tuned to the CBn main page for all the latest 007-related news.

James Bond is back in Titan's The Girl Machine

The illustrated James Bond is back in action in the just released comic strip collection from Titan Books, The Girl Machine.

007 fans in the UK can currently pick up this latest addition to Titan’s ever growing catalogue of Bond collections. It is scheduled for a US release on 25 August. Pre-order links follow at the end of this article.

The Girl Machine brings together the Beware Of Butterflies and The Nevsky Nude adventures in addition to the title story. All three were penned by Jim Lawrence and drawn by Yaroslav Horak and originally syndicated in 1973/74.

The legend continues! Stand by for more adventures with the world’s greatest and most famous secret agent, James Bond, as some of his most thrilling missions are collected for the first time ever in a deluxe collectors’ library edition! This bumper action-packed volume collects ultra rare Bond stories that have not been seen since their original syndication between 1973-74: The Girl Machine, Beware of Butterflies and The Nevsky Nude. Plus a brand new celebrity introduction and an exclusive selection of recently unearthed James Bond comic strip artwork that has never before seen print, this latest essential volume is not to be missed!

Keep watching the CommanderBond.net main page—and our brand new Twitter feed—for the most up-to-date illustrated James Bond coverage on the web.

Shirley Bassey returns to the studio

With Shirley Bassey returning to the studio last month to record her first new album in nearly a decade, James Bond composer David Arnold, with whom Bassey has teamed up, spoke to Variety about working with the 007 chart-topper.

“Shirley has sung so many different styles,” Arnold, composer of five Bond scores, said. “She is probably best known for the big ballads and the Bond themes, but ‘Big Spender’ and ‘Kiss Me Honey Honey Kiss Me’ show her playful and provocative side. [In choosing the songs], I tried to do something which honored all aspects of her character.”

Arnold revealed all but one of the new album’s songs is an original composition, but refused to be drawn on the names of the tracks and the writers behind them.

“[The concept] is to make a serious studio album with a great singer, to explore all facets of her abilities and personality,” Arnold said.

The album will be made up of contemporary songs, recorded, as many contemporary albums are, by laying down the instrumental first and the vocals later.

Variety speculates that the pairing could lead to a fourth James Bond theme for Shirley Bassey, following her classic title tracks from Goldfinger, Diamonds are Forever and Moonraker.

72-year-old Bassey recorded the vocals last month at Ireland’s Grouse Lodge. The yet-to-be-named album will be released through Geffen Records later this year.

Keep watching the CBn main page—and our Twitter feed—for more news on this exciting album.

Tickets on sale for Daniel Craig's A Steady Rain

Tickets are now on sale to the general public for the upcoming Broadway play A Steady Rain, starring Hugh Jackman and James Bond himself—Daniel Craig.

The Keith Huff play, which will be produced by Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson (among others), is set to make its debut on Tuesday, 29 September at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, located in midtown-Manhattan, New York. Previews will take place earlier in the month.

To purchase tickets and for further information, click here.

Full details follow below in this release:

Tickets are now on sale to the general public for the Broadway production of Keith Huff’s critically acclaimed two-character play A Steady Rain, starring Daniel Craig (Broadway debut) and Hugh Jackman.

Directed by Tony Award nominee John Crowley, A Steady Rain opens at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on 29 Sep 2009, following previews from 10 Sep, for a strictly limited 12 week engagement through to 6 Dec 2009.

A Steady Rain is a new American play that tells the story of two Chicago cops (Denny & Joey), who are lifelong friends and their differing accounts of a few harrowing days that changed their lives forever.

The drama was first produced in 2006 at New York Stage and Film’s Powerhouse Theater. It had its professional world premiere in 2007 at Chicago Dramatists and was remounted in Feb 2008 at Chicago’s Royal George Theatre winning Jefferson Awards for Best New Work and Best Production. That production starred Randy Steinmeyer (Denny) and Peter DeFaria (Joey), and was directed by Russ Tutterow.

It opened in Chicago to critical acclaim “riveting show is an exceptionally rich, gritty and emotional drama.” (Chicago Tribune); “Huff provides fiery, superbly rendered, often deeply poetic speeches, enough mood shifts, enough emotional cataclysms and action-packed storytelling to keep this hallucinatory roller-coaster ride in motion.” (Chicago Sun-Times); “crackerjack two-hander is like a snowball that builds to an avalanche with genuine dramatic power and a sense of true tragedy.” (Variety).

Huff’s recent productions include Pursued by Happiness at Steppenwolf Theater, Gray City at American Repertory Theater, and The Bird and Mr. Banks, which just finished an acclaimed 4-month run at The Road Theater in Los Angeles featuring Sam Anderson (LOST). Huff’s recently completed works include The Detective’s Wife and Tell Us of the Night, which round out a trilogy of Chicago cop plays that began with A Steady Rain.

A Steady Rain is produced on Broadway by Frederick Zollo, Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli, Raymond L. Gaspard, Frank Gero, Cheryl Wiesenfeld, Jeffrey Sine, Michael Rose and Robert Cole.

Set and costume design are by two-time Tony Award winner Scott Pask, with lighting design by two-time Tony Award nominee Hugh Vanstone and original music and sound design by Mark Bennett.

Daniel Craig (Joey). British Actor Daniel Craig’s theatre credits include leading roles in Hurlyburly with the Peter Hall Company at the Old Vic, Angels in America at The National Theatre, and A Number at the Royal Court Theatre. In 2006 Craig became the sixth ‘James Bond’ in Casino Royale, for which he received a BAFTA Award nomination (Best Actor) and the film became the highest grossing in the history of the 007 franchise. 2008 saw Daniel’s second outing as ‘James Bond’ in Quantum of Solace directed by Marc Forster, which became the highest grossing of the 22 films in the Bond franchise in America and Canada. Craig has recently finished making Steven Spielberg’s new film The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn.

Hugh Jackman (Denny). Australian native Hugh Jackman won a 2004 Tony Award for Best Actor in a musical when he made his Broadway debut as the 1970s singer-songwriter ‘Peter Allen’ in The Boy From Oz. Previous theater credits include Carousel at Carnegie Hall, Oklahoma! at the National Theater in London (Olivier Award nomination), Sunset Boulevard (MO Award – Australia’s Tony Award) and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (MO Award nomination).

Jackman made his first major U.S. film appearance as Wolverine in the first installment of the X-Men franchise, a role he reprised in the enormously successful X2 and 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand, and most recently in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. In late 2008, Jackman appeared in 20th Century Fox’s romantic action-adventure epic Australia directed by Baz Luhrmann.

John Crowley (Director). An award-winning theater director in his native Ireland, John Crowley has also served as associate director for London’s Donmar Warehouse. He received a 2005 Tony nomination for his work on The Pillowman. His recent work includes the National Theatre’s original production of The Pillowman, On an Average Day and Macbeth in the West End and The Turn of the Screw for Welsh National Opera. Productions at the Donmar Warehouse include Tales From Hollywood, Juno and the Paycock, The Maids, How I Learned to Drive and Into the Woods. For the National: Fair Ladies at a Game of Poem Cards. For the RSC: Shadows. Crowley won a BAFTA award for Best Director for his film Boy A.

Keep turning to the CommanderBond.net main page–as well as our brand new Twitter feed–for all the latest James Bond news and coverage.

Ian Fleming Foundation eyeing Illinois facility for James Bond museum

The Ian Fleming Foundation is considering potential locations for a James Bond museum that would display the numerous vehicles used in the popular films and may have found suitable location in a former Momence auto dealership in Illinois.

My Web Times reports that Doug Redenius, a Momence post office employee and the vice president of the Ian Fleming Foundation, has addressed Momence aldermen about using the former Case Motor Sales dealership near the intersection of Illinois Route 1 and Illinois 114 on the city”s south side to display the 007 vehicles valued at $5 million.

The non-profit Fleming foundation owns 32 original James Bond vehicles, many of which are currently stored in Momence already. However, because there is no single place to put them all on display, they are all currently closed to the public.

‘Did I ever envision something like this would be right here in our backyard? No,’ Redenius said of the dealership facility. ‘It’s a perfect facility. There is certainly room.’ He added that there was no firm timetable for a decision set and that the foundation would not be interested in operating a museum. ‘This was only a first step.’

At the moment, the 5,000-square-foot building is currently owned by the city and is the home of the Momence Community Center, which is available to rent for parties or gatherings. If it was indeed turned into a museum dedicated to 007, it’s unclear exactly how many of the vehicles would be put on display.

Redenius estimated that 30,000 to 40,000 people would visit the museum in its first year. ‘… There are different degrees of Bond fans just like there are with anything. But the number of people that are familiar with Bond is very large.’

Momence Mayor Mick Porter said this is a perfect opportunity for Momence and one he wants to continue exploring. ‘This is international, it just is,’ he stated. ‘We are always thinking of what we can do to bring Momence to its fullest potential. This can be a step.’

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