Brian Smith: Edinburgh's 007 Celebration Coordinator Has More 007 Instore

Bond And Beyond presents…
a special 40th anniversary screening of the classic Bond movie
GOLDFINGER
with special guest Shirley Eaton

Dominion Cinema, Edinburgh
Thursday, 25 March, 2004
8.00pm

Ticket hotline (UK): 0131 447 4771

Gold lounge seats: £6.90
Superior lounge seats: £6.00
Lounge seats: £5.50

• Live on-stage interview with Shirley Eaton
• Screening of the Bond classic ‘Goldfinger’
• Autograph & book signing session

A screening of Goldfinger will take place on March 25 at the Dominion Cinema and has been organized by leading James Bond expert Brian Smith of Port Seton, East Lothian.

Shirley Eaton, now 67, who gained worldwide fame by lying naked on a bed covered in gold paint, will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of Goldfinger in the home city of its star, Sean Connery. Eaton played the character of Jill Masterson who was killed by bowler-hatted henchman Odd Job using a suffocating layer of glistening gold paint. Before a special showing Goldfinger, Eaton will be interviewed live on stage at the Dominion Cinema by Brian Smith.

“Shirley was a very big name in British cinema before Goldfinger, which gave her international status. She even appeared on the cover of Life magazine. But she more or less retired in 1968 to devote herself to her husband and children.” -Brian Smith

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In December last year, Bond fans had the chance to meet actor Richard Kiel, who played steel-toothed giant Jaws, when he appeared at the Filmhouse before a showing of The Spy Who Loved Me.

“We had Richard Kiel over for a sell-out appearance and I know a lot of people were disappointed they didn’t get to see him. The Filmhouse can only hold 280 people, but the Dominion can take 430. I hope this one will be sold out too.” -Brian Smith

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Mr Smith is currently in talks to persuade American actress Tanya Roberts, now 48, to fly over to attend a similar special screening of “A View To A Kill”. Roberts played Bond’s love interest, Stacy Sutton, in AVTAK. In the film her seismologist character helped Bond foil a plot by the villainous Max Zorin to destroy California’s Silicon Valley.

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A Bit about Brian Smith:
He runs the Edinburgh-based “Bond And Beyond”, the world’s largest 007 online shop as well as publishing Bond Magazine. (picture: Brian Smith and the director of Goldfinger, Guy Hamilton)

Despite his devotion to all things 007, Mr Smith, 34, does not have a favorite Bond: “I know 99 per cent of people from Edinburgh would say it was Sean Connery but I like different films from each actor. For Your Eyes Only was the first one I saw at the cinema when I was 11 and it blew me away. My interest really stemmed from there. I’ve been to every Bond premiere down in London since The Living Daylights in 1987.”

His wife Fiona, 27, does not complain that an entire room in their home is taken up by his Bond collection: “My wife’s very supportive, although she’s not a fan herself, but she likes going to the premieres, especially when she meets Pierce Brosnan. I suppose that’s the advantage of being married to a big James Bond fan!”

LICENCE REVOKED

As now reported in many news sources around the World (including: Chicago Sun Times & MKKBB), CBn can now confirm from its own sources close to the negotiations for Bond 21 that Pierce Brosnan will not be returning to the role of James Bond.

Brosnan had previously stated that he was good for five, perhaps six films, tying him with Sean Connery’s term with Eon. This no longer seems to be case.

Brosnan has stepped into the role of 007 four times (Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day). Each film he made did better in the global market than the previous one, with DAD being second only to Thunderball in adjusted total worldwide gross. Die Another Day also saw the theme song nominated for two Grammy Awards and featured an acadamy award winning actress (Halle Berry) as the main Bond girl.

However, Brosnan’s term was not without controversy. Some fans felt that Bond had gone too far into the world gadgets and pop culture, while others complained about poor plots and dialogue. Brosnan himself was injured in each of the films he made, hurting his back in the final fight sequence of GE, having his face cut open in TND, getting burned in the back while filming TWINE, and most famously, hurting his knee while filming the hovercraft sequence in DAD.

Negotiations finalising Brosnan’s Bond 21 contract are said to have ceased, and the search for the next James Bond is well underway. Though no replacement has been found at this time, filming of Bond 21 is still reported to begin in early 2005. Eon Productions is said to be waiting to make an announcement until Brosnan?s successor is named.

But even when the sixth James Bond steps into the gunbarrel, for many Bond fans young and old, Pierce Brosnan’s tenure will cast a heavy shadow over those that follow for he succeeded in entertaining millions. CBn wish Mr. Brosnan all the best for the future, and all the best to the forthcoming Bond number six.

Sideshow's OHMSS Winter Bond Giveaway!

From Sideshow Collectables:

Do yourself a service and don’t pass up an opportunity to win these figures from the James Bond movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. This limited edition 2 figure set features George Lazenby as secret agent James Bond and Telly Savalas as Ernst Blofeld.

Winners will be randomly drawn from all registered Sideshow newsletter member entries collected from Feb 3rd 2004 to Mar 3rd 2004. Only Sideshow newsletter members are able to enter this contest, so join now!

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When: This Giveaway runs from 6:00 p.m. (PT) on 02/03/04 and ends 6 p.m. (PT) on 03/03/04.

How: Register, then send an email to [email protected] with the subject line ‘WINTER BOND GIVEAWAY’. Send your complete postal address (Sorry no P.O. Boxes).

Please note: By entering our contest, you agree to have your name and state of residence posted to Sideshow’s site if you are drawn as a winner. This information will be posted without prior notification. For complete details, please see the official rules. [Official Rules]

Notification: Three (3) potential winners will be drawn on 03/10/04 from all Sideshow newsletter subscribers. Your first initial, last name and state of residence will be posted on Sideshow’s site as a winner. See above. If you are a winner, you will need to contact Sideshow at [email protected] to claim your prize. If prizes are not claimed within the allotted time, they will be awarded to the next runner up.

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There will be three (3) winners. Each winner will receive (2) figures: George Lazenby as James Bond and Telly Savalas as Ernst Blofeld. These limited edition figures are a collector’s dream. They come with over 30 points of articulation allowing for full human movement.

George Lazenby & Telly Savalas Set
‘On her Majesty’s Secret Service’ Figures

Description:

Bond Accessories: George Lazenby is secret agent James Bond. Bond comes with the signature blue suit from the movie’s gun battle finale, a Sterling machine gun, the standard 9MM Walther PPK, and cold weather gloves.

Blofeld Accessories: Telly Savalas is Ernst Blofeld. Blofeld comes well prepared to handle Bond with US Fragmentation grenades, a hand mortar tube, a Colt .45 automatic pistol with removable magazine and holster, ski goggles, Binoculars and belt case.

Sculpted by Oluf W. Hartvigson
Product Type: 12 inch figures
Product Size: 12 inches (304mm)
Product Weight: 6.00 lbs (2.59 Kg)

The Living Headlines

Word on the latest Bond film has been scarce of late, and understandably so. The monolith of a film doesn’t go into production until later this year, but us fans still get the odd rumour here and there about how the latest flavour of the month pop star or talent show winner will become the latest Bond song crooner, or how that controversial director has been approached seventy three times to turn Bond into a woman and resurrect SPECTRE as a Socialist Lesbian cult, though by now we’re all cynical/wise (however you choose to phrase it) towards the publicity bandwagon that so many hacks jump gullibly on to, apparently unaware it’s just a hyped-up PR stunt to boost flailing popularity of said ‘celebrity’.

We’re wise to that by now… Aren’t we?

Very recently one story has been dominating the headlines of fan sites and burning the news channels across the planet- arguably the most important story since that of Bond’s re-introduction to the general public in the early Nineties. I am of course referring to Pierce Brosnan’s supposedly imminent departure as the fifth silver screen 007. I say supposed, because we have as of yet heard nothing from the official channels, and all we have been supplied with is mere conjecture and conveniently anonymous sources.

Let’s present the facts, and take the rumours back to the grand old day of February 9th this year, when everything was intoned in a fine shade of sepia and old dears weep fondly about how life was good back then in the day. UK tabloid The Daily Mail reports Brosnan’s “pensioning off” as James Bond. He is supposedly failing to attract “enough young fans” and producers, Eon “will be recruiting a successor before the next film.” The more cynical among us would simply dismiss this: “But Brosnan’s their billion-dollar Bond, the most successful yet.” And you’d be right too. The figures speak for themselves; over 500 million of your American dollars worldwide at the box office for latest installment Die Another Day prove that Brosnan’s popularity certainly isn’t failing.

Yet Mr Brosnan has been given the old one-two with yet more rumour and speculation regarding the much coveted role, a host of sources, from the Irish Examiner to the Times Of India’s site have all reported the same (though some may have just picked up on the news through the wires). Some sites have taken the rumour aboard like an old friend, Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, for instance report the rumour as semi-fact while others, perhaps wisely, have taken a more cynical approach; fellow fan site MI6.co.uk, for instance have blown the story out of the water and based on past experience, news stories and interviews, maybe it’s the best thing to do.
Pierce has constantly been quoted as saying that he is “good for a fifth” and maybe even a sixth Bond film, and producer Barbara Broccoli stated in an interview earlier this year that commenting on a potential Bond after Brosnan would be akin to “asking a bride when she’s going up the aisle who her next husband is going to be.”

Yet still these rumours persist, and talks of rising star Hugh Jackman becoming the next Bond are also thrown into the mix, thanks to the Melbourne Herald Sun (…who?). The thing that intrigues me most as a Bond fan is that as yet, we have had no official denial from MGM or Eon. They reacted to rumours regarding Judi Dench’s replacement prior to The World Is Not Enough’s filming with more zeal, but that may be due to a number of reasons. More than one person taking holiday leave at the office for instance. It’s a problem at this time of year, you see.

Not only are the producers seemingly going to wave goodbye to the man who helped re-invigorate Bond back in ’95, but they are supposed to be taking a backward step (in time, of course), and focus on one of Bond’s earlier missions recreating the early days of 007, a step never seen before in the series infamous for lack of continuity between films and actors (but that’s why we love it so). The only time this was considered previously was back in 1986, after Roger Moore’s departure from the role and before Timothy Dalton’s crowning as Bond Number 004. The idea was eventually canned and normal service resumed (albeit a slightly darker, more brooding service). Anyway, I digress. The point I’m trying to make is that John Cleese is contracted for one more film as Q, which would definitely pose continuity problems seeing as 007 met him in 1999, not pre-1962. Then again, contracts are broken all the time in the movie game, so I’m potentially making a moot point. Then again we have the recently signed deal with Aston Martin, promising us a look at the new V8 Vantage come 2005, more evidence contrary to the rumour? Certianly, unless they intend to base Bond’s younger days in 2005.

And plus, in Bond’s world years are irrelevant, which would mean that Tracy didn’t die in 1969 at all…Did For Your Eyes Only lie to us?!

Of course we have the old conspiracy theories, that Eon or MGM want to check audience reaction, stockholder reaction or otherwise make people react in some way to the news (to which a great many have), but this rumour is still dogged with all those ‘anonymous source’ hurdles that so often proliferate bad rumours, even if this one does carry a little extra weighting than usual. I intend to treat it as such until we get official confirmation, but by all means vote in our poll whether you would like Brosnan to stay in the role or not, and comment on it in our forums, but you have to agree that it certainly has been the most interesting bandwagon to choose whether to jump on to or not of late. I must admit I would have much preferred a true story regarding the ditching of Purvis and Wade for someone mildly talented as screenwriters for future Bond films, but you can’t have what you want all the time and I’m sure this will keep us fans ticking over discussion-wise until a little later this year.

Until then, I leave you with current producer Michael G Wilson’s wise words: “Ninety percent of rumours are not leaks. Ninety percent are just inventions of people with very active imaginations.”

Brosnan's Head is on the Block?

Sources inside Eon Productions have confirmed that while Pierce Brosnan is not definitely out of the 007 role, Eon is looking at the possibility of replacing him. Our source reports that the recent news stories about Brosnan having already been axed from the role of James Bond are not entirely false.

From what can be made of the information coming out of the production company, the recent leaks of Brosnan being fired are ‘trial balloons’ to test the audiences reaction to the possibility of Brosnan being replaced. If there is a huge backlash to this news Eon could still choose to back down and deny the whole thing as rumour.

At first this whole rumour appeared to be yet another PR stunt to get another actor’s name in the news. However, with no official denial from any company involved that has recently been very fast to deny rumours, it would seem what our source inside Eon is saying could very well be true. Which is that Eon Productions are looking at the possibility of replacing Pierce Brosnan with a younger actor, but they want to see what Bond fan’s reactions would be first.

This all comes on the heels of the wide release of Everything Or Nothing, the first James Bond video game to feature both the looks and original voice content of Pierce Brosnan as James Bond.

Update: Source now confirm that Pierce Brosnan no longer has the role of James Bond. See this story for details.

Discuss this story in this story of the CBn forums.

Bond Collectors Weekend 007

Bond Collectors’ Weekend 007 Miami
Friday – Sunday, June 4-6, 2004

“This is the best tour of them all, lasting three days, with of course most of the 007 locales on Saturday and Sunday morning,” says Matt Sherman, Bond Weekend 7 organizer. “We are lucky to be working closely with researchers and those who were in Key West during filming. We are hitting twice as many locations as we saw in New Orleans, San Francisco or Las Vegas and have close to 50 points of interest documented to date with some surprises.“

BCW Productions is organizing their seventh Bond Collectors’ Weekend. The BCWs are variety events attended by 007 Fans from around the world. The events are put together for Bond fans to visit James Bond locations, check out movie vehicles, and meet celebrities in an intimate setting (no Celebes have been confirmed yet for BCW7, but stay tune for further information).

Weekend 007 features an overnight in Key West and theme tours of 40 book and film points of interest from Goldfinger, Thunderball, Licence To Kill, Nobody Lives Forever, and The Man From Barbarossa.

The seventh annual Bond Collectors’ Weekend is set for Miami, Florida. Friday through Sunday, June 4-6. Attendance is limited to 50 fans… so sign up quick! Your BCW package will include:

• Hotel stay for three days/two nights single or double occupancy in Miami (Holiday Inn Express Miami Lakes) on Friday and Key West (Best Western Key Ambassador) on Saturday
• Breakfast each morning
• All guided tour admissions
• Dinner Friday night at our party
• All ground transportation and gratuities
• 007th weekend commemorative gifts, themed prizes, and more!

Friday June 4, 2004

8:00 AM: (For those arriving early) Meet fellow fans and collectors from around the US and Canada. Your stay includes complimentary breakfast each day, poolside.
9:30 AM: Guided tour of downtown Miami, Virginia Key, Cape Florida Lighthouse and Biscayne National Park.
12 Noon: Group luncheon on Key Biscayne. Take a dip with us in the Atlantic after lunch.
2:00 PM: Miami tour including fashion and entertainment centers Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, and Bal Harbour.
5:00 PM: Dine at Joe’s Stone Crab, the “Bill’s On The Beach” of Ian Fleming’s Goldfinger. (Nominal charge for those able to attend.)
8:00 PM – 2:00 AM: Nonstop TUXEDO / COSTUME / COME AS YOU ARE, 007 PARTY with games, prizes and themed food and drink at hotel. Sip martinis and dance the night away with couple and single Bond fans and friends.

Saturday June 5, 2004

7:00 AM: Breakfast at hotel
8:00 AM: Visit beautiful Marathon and the Seven Mile Bridge (Licence To Kill – Sanchez escapes!) and more than 25 points of interest from the 007 books and films! Enjoy historic Key West’s Lighthouse, Old Town, Southernmost Point and more on our guided tour plus Bond, Bond, Bond!
8:12 PM: Catch Sunset Celebration (as Bond did in Nobody Lives Forever) on the Gulf of Mexico at Mallory Square before heading for local nightlife. Shop world famous Duval Street. Your overnight stay is at the Key Ambassador on seven resort acres overlooking the Atlantic.

Sunday June 6, 2004

7:00 AM: Breakfast together at Key Ambassador Resort.
8:00 AM: Tour the Florida Keys, South Beach and Miami’s Art Deco district including more movie and book locations from Goldfinger, Thunderball, and Licence To Kill.
3:00 PM: Depart Sunday for home or stay late for shopping, Bonding with the gang and dinner at Bayside Marketplace.

So to quote Roger Moore in Octopussy…

“I’ll see you in Miami.“

Payment Info:

• Single Occupancy (One 007): $389.50
• Double Occupancy (Two 007s, ask about roommate matching): $565.50 per couple
• Extra child staying in room/on tours (Junior 007s 13 and under): $160.00, space permitting (one child and one adult in one room are charged couples’ price)
• Book your BCW 7 trip with payment before March 15, 2004 and get $10 off per person by mentioned CommanderBond.net
• Airfare is up to YOU to arrange and pay for. For airfare discounts from Los Angeles, Chicago, & New York call toll free 1 (866) FLY-4FUN (359-4386) and ask for Jim, the “007 Weekend Agent”.

• BCW packages for locals (without hotel stay) are available for $200 per person.
• Late and early hotel nights are available through BCW Productions.
• Upgrade to a suite on Friday night (Holiday Inn Express Miami Lakes) for only $25 more
• Stay in a suite with Jacuzzi (Holiday Inn Express Miami Lakes) for just $65 more (single or double occupancy)!

• Please make checks or money order payable to “AllSpies Productions”
• Note on your check: “007th Weekend Registration”. Space is limited so sign up SOON!
• And send to: ALLSPIES PRODUCTIONS
  2711 NW 42 PL
  GAINESVILLE FL 32605

Questions?

Matt & Janine Sherman
352.372.5094 (USA)
[email protected]

The Fine Print: BCW 7 itinerary subject to change. Deposits on weekends are nonrefundable.

Perks of Pre-Ordering EoN

Pre-order your copy of Everything or Nothing from the EA Store before February 17, 2004 (11:59 p.m. PST on Feb 16) for a couple of perks.

• For Everyone, Free shipping and handling: At checkout, enter coupon code ESPIONAGE.

The following Sweepstakes is only open to residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia -but excluding the state of Rhode Island- who are 13 years of age or older at time of entry.

• Your name will automatically be entered into a contest to Win the complete James Bond DVD library! It includes all twenty James Bond 007 DVDs in three special edition gift sets. All nineteen films predating Die Another Day went back to the MGM Vaults on Jan 19 and will not be available anywhere else (available at retailers until supplies last). Ten fans will have the lucky chance to win! Winners will be determined by random drawing on February 29, 2004.
• If you do NOT want to be entered into this contest when you pre-purchase the game, send an email to [email protected] with the subject line “DVD Sweeps: Opt Out”.
• To enter the contest without purchase, send an email to [email protected] with the subject line “DVD Sweeps: Include Me”. Include the following info: your name, mailing address, phone number, and email address so they can contact you if you are one of the 10 winners.

The following perk will be available to those who pre-purchase Everything or Nothing from select retailers. Watch your local periodicals and favorite retailers’ sites for more information.

Recieve a Limited Edition EoN Bonus DVD: EA has put together a limited edition Bond Bonus DVD commemorating some amazing features from the game and a few selections from the “making of” the game. Catch these exciting feature videos which highlight the following:

• Feature Videos
• The game’s stunning opening sequence, plus showcase clips of the cast, the locations, the gameplay, and more
• Behind the Scenes Commentary
• Explosive Game Trailer.
• Exclusive “Everything or Nothing”
• All 3 versions of the theme song written and performed by Mya
• Extensive in-game soundtrack by Emmy award-winning composer Sean Callery

To view Mya’s Everything or Nothing – remix Music video please visit the Officeal Site HERE and view the ‘Featured Cast’ video.

Raymond Benson Signings

Mark your calendars! Tell your friends! Raymond Benson will be signing copies of his latest suspense novel “Face Blind” at:

Saturday, February 21
2:00pm
Borders
1540 E. Golf Road
Schaumburg, IL 60173
847-330-0031

Tuesday, February 24
12:30pm
Borders
150 N. State Street
Chicago, IL 60601
312-606-0750

www.raymondbenson.com

James Bond Trivia 101

Is there anything more thrilling than trivia? I seriously doubt it. There is no sensation that compares to the adrenaline rush one gets from showing off their trivia skills to the amazement of onlookers. And James Bond and trivia go hand in hand. When I think trivia, I think James Bond, and when I think James Bond, I think trivia. James Bond trivia is far more interesting than trivia regarding non-Bond related subjects. Tell people which country won the first Soccer World Cup, or how many episodes of The Partridge Family were made, and they smile politely and yawn. But tell people that Roger Moore is older than Sean Connery or that The Spy Who Loved Me ends to the sound of a pack of drunken sailors singing the title song, and they’ll be hanging on your every word.

You don’t need fancy clothes, a fast car, or even good looks to impress. You can get along just fine with a bit a James Bond trivia. Now I’m sure most of you already have a fair bit of Bond trivia up your sleeves. You can probably run off all the films and books in your sleep, tell stories about what actors were originally considered for what rolls, and quote the licence plate of Bond’s BMW Z8 from The World Is Not Enough. Heck, You may even be able to accurately describe what colour Roger Moore’s hair really is in A View to A Kill. You may know all that and more, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t brush up on your James Bond knowledge every once in a while. Think of this article as a refresher course, and think of me, Freemo, as your wise old tutor with his cardigan and pipe. Together, we will hit the books, and study a few points of 007 trivia not known outside these university halls..

“The first actor to play two different characters in the James Bond series was…. Sean Connery”.

The honor role of people who have had the privilege of appearing in multiple roles in the 007 flicks is a long and distinguished one. From Charles Grey, Maud Adams, Martine Beswick and Joe Don Baker in rather large roles, to the repeated cameos of Shane Rimmer and Michael G. Wilson, popping up every now and then as different minor characters. But if watching the films in order, preceding all those people was Anthony Dawson, who played Geologist Professor Dent in the first Bond film Doctor No, before returning a year later as the hands of Ernst Stavro Blofeld in From Russia With Love. With that in mind, most aficionados would most confidently that he was the first. Those people would be wrong. Now before you look at me as if I’ve just slapped your mother, think about it for a minute, and you’ll agree that the first actor (stuntmen not included) to play multiple characters in the Bond series is, infact Sean Connery. He, of course, played 007 in Doctor No and From Russia With Love, but also played a SPECTRE agent wearing a James Bond mask in the pre-credit scene of From Russia With Love. Connery is in the scene, running around the maze, and the character he is playing is not James Bond. That scene coming being before Dawson’s scene as Blofeld, making Connery, technically, the first actor to play multiple characters in the James Bond film series.

“The only Bond film not to have a major villain is…. Tomorrow Never Dies“.

Talking about a Bond film with no major villain will thrill and wow your audience no end. Many would say that From Russia With Love is the Bond film missing the major villain, with Red Grant and Rosa Klebb in a double act role. But I’d have Klebb as the major adversary and Grant as merely the henchman. After all Grant’s only interested in swiping some gold sovereigns and getting Bond to kiss his feet. Klebb is the one out for glory. But, Tomorrow Never Dies, there is a film without a major villain. At first glance, Elliot Carver seems to fit the bill nicely, but was Elliot Carver really so bad? When you look at the film closely, it’s clear that he isn’t really a villain at all. I mean, surely he’s one of the nicest, most honourable media moguls you’ve ever seen. For one, the stories he printed were true, without any of the cheap tricks or persuasive messages the media so often use. “17 British Sailors Murdered”. I mean, 17 British sailors really were murdered. Sure Carver may have been the one responsible, but he’s reporting the news better than most. Most newspapers or TV news programs run sleazy headlines fresh from the rumour-mill, about attention-seeking celebrities trying to resurrect their failing careers. “Madonna in love triangle with Brittnay Spears and Francis the Talking Mule”. Bombarding us innocent readers with stories like this is surely a far greater crime than anything Elliot Carver ever did. Even worse, they spelt “Britney” incorrectly. When you look at it like that, it’s reasonable not to consider Carver a villain at all, let alone the major villain.

Quarrel Junior (seen in Live and Let Die) isn’t really…. Quarrel’s biological son.

Well, I can’t actually prove this one for certain, but it’s well known that Mrs. Quarrel “got around”, if you know what I mean. Hard to forget those rumors about her and Puss Feller, or the ones with Commander Strangways. She probably named the child “Quarrel Junior” so that her husband wouldn’t get suspicious, a very crafty scheme indeed. Quarrel was probably too busy filling and refilling that rum bottle of his to ever notice the lack of family resemblance between him and Junior anyway. Hmmm.

So there you have it. Three more precious pieces of James Bond trivia to improve upon your expansive knowledge (well two, third ones a bit doubtful. If anyone can prove it one way or the other, send me an email). And it’s on that note that conclude the lesson for today. For homework, find out which John Garnder novel has the most words. Sorry we didn’t have time to discuss who currently owns the 2CV Melinda drove in For Your Eyes Only, or to go into what the “J.W” in Sheriff J.W Pepper really stands for. Those are pieces of Bond trivia that will have to wait for another time.

Oh, and by the way, Uruguay won the first Soccer World Cup, and there were 96 episodes of The Partridge Family.

Until next time,

Freemo

Comments, suggestions, ideas and corrections can be sent to [email protected], or posted in the forums.

"Evil Hours" To Be Republished

Originally written in 1998, the book was commissioned in 2000 by Publishing Online Inc. to be an online serial novel for their website. It was then subsequently published as an e-book and print-on-demand book. When Publishing Online went out of business, Raymond retained the rights. There are still a few copies left of the original print-on-demand Publishing Online edition… Raymond has reduced the price of these, so if you’d like one, order it from his website www.raymondbenson.com now!

The publishers of his latest suspense novel, “FACE BLIND,” recently decided to publish “EVIL HOURS” officially. The book is essentially the same, but Raymond felt that since he had written it earlier in his novel-writing career, the text could use some tweaking. The new improved “EVIL HOURS” will be available in March 2004. Watch this space for further details on how to order the new edition.