DAD Still In Top Ten in US

Die Another Day remains in the top ten at the United States Box Office in its seventh week of release.

In a box office estimate for New Years Eve Die Another Day has shifted back up to eigth position, after the weekend in tenth spot. New Years Even gave the film an estimated take of US$1,025,000 on 1,875 screens across the United States. The Christmas season was, however, more benefitial to the film. On Boxing Day it took US$1,275,225 on the same amount of screens, which only gave it ninth ranking at the box office.

The increased takings continued across Friday and Saturday with takings of US$1,460,002 and US$1,634,423, respectively. Sunday saw takings drop to US$1,271,111 with a taking of US$985,566 on Monday.

While New Years Even estimate will not be revised until Thursday, it does see Die Another Day‘s United States total rise to US$148,710,000, indicating that the film will surpass US$150,000,000 by the end of the week.

If you’d like to discuss the earnings please visit this thread of the Die Another Day Forums. Thanks to mario007 for the tip-off.

Source: Box Office Mojo

Details About Real Switchblades

They may seem an ‘out-there’ element of Die Another Day, but the switchblades that feature in the film are very real, and can fly.

The switchblade was designed by Jack McCornack, owner of Kinetic Aerospace. It wasn’t the switchblade, however, that was McCornack’s first outing in the world of James Bond. For The World Is Not Enough McCornack was approached to provide the Parahawks.

For Die Another Day McCornack set out to “come up with the absolutely most minimal single-person aircraft that was Bond-like”, what resulted was the invention of the switchblade solely for its appearance in the film.

During tests of the switchblades McCornack determined that the craft could glide up to speeds of 200mph, thanks largely to its carbon filament and epoxy Fiberglass construction. The vehicles weighs around 50 pounds and has a wingspan on 8 feet, when the wings aren’t retracted.

During filming of Die Another Day the crafts were piloted by stunt doubles for both Halle Berry and Pierce Brosnan. Allan Hewitt, who also doubled for Gustav Graves during his flight over Buckingham Palace, is a former British military stunt team parachutist and was required to stand in for Brosnan for the switchblade sequence. The reason is, as McCornack explains, the craft is a “Bic airplane”, designed to be thrown away in mid-air. Hence, a seasoned parachutist is required to perform the stunt.

For more details, visit the Statesman Journal, who have also provided a rare picture of Halle Berry’s stunt double on a switchblade.

Thanks to Mourning Becomes Electra for the tip-off

Source: Statesman Journal

OO-Heaven Returns To UK's ITV

OO-Heaven returns to television in the United Kingdom on January with ITV1 screening Pierce Brosnan’s first outing as James Bond, GoldenEye.

Tomorrow Never Dies is expected to be shown on ITV1 on January 14 with The World Is Not Enough being shown on January 21.

The programs start at 8:00pm

Thanks to ‘Carver’ for the tip-off.

Korean Protest Fail To Kill DAD

Continuing its box office success Die Another Day opened to threatres across Korea on Monday, despite the best attempts of minority groups and the North Korean government.

Prior to the films release the North Korean Government slammed the film saying through the North Korean Central News Agency that the “U.S. should stop at once this dirty and cursed burlesque aimed to slander [North Korea] and insult the Korean nation”. The news agency was quoting the Secretariat of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland who is seemingly under the misapprehension that Bond is an American agent, or at least performing propaganda work for the CIA. The news agency further stated that Die Another Day was a “premeditated act of mocking at and insulting the Korean nation.”

At the same time in South Korea minority groups were calling for a boycott of the film. The groups contended that the film portrays South Korean soldiers as inferior to the United States Military, depicts South Korean as a Third World country.

Despite the complaints the film performed strongly after it’s release on Monday. It opened in 145 theatres, despite protests being held outside some of the larger threatres in Seoul, Busan, Gwangju, and Daegu. Advanced ticket sales stayed at a low 30% on Monday, however, rose to near 60% on Tuesday.

Twentieth Century Fox had brought forward scheduled preview screenings last week in a succesful attempt to stem protests. In a statement, the president of Fox Korea again reaffirmed the fact that Die Another Day portrays both North Korean hard-liners and pacifists.

Yahoo News has several photos of the protestors available; 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5.

If you’d like to discuss this news please visit this thread of the Die Another Day Forums

Sources: New York Times, The Chosun Ilbo.

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.

Brosnan Possessive of Role

It is undoubtedly the role for which he is best known, so there is no doubt as to why actor Pierce Brosnan describes himself as “possessive” of the James Bond role.

The actor is still promoting the latest James Bond outing Die Another Day, which is currently nearing a take of US$150 million at the United States Box-office, and while in New York told reporters “It’ll be interesting to see how I really kind of deal with it, you know, letting go, before somebody says, ‘Get off the stage.’ … You become a bit possessive of the role. Especially when you’ve had the success like you do with ‘Die Another Day,’ and each one has gotten better and better.”

Brosnan has conceded, however, that one day enough will be enough. While he currently has hopes to appear as James Bond in Bond 22 he is aware that either Bond 21 or Bond 22 will most likely be his last outing as James Bond.

As for whom Brosnan is tipping to replace him, Colin Salmon. Salmon currently appears in the Bond series as Charles Robinson and is also hired by Eon Productions to stand in as James Bond during the screen tests for characters who will be seen opposite James Bond.

Gustav Graves

Gustav Graves

Gustav Graves’ popularity is perhaps best revealed by his recent Knighting. Little is known about Graves’ past by both the media and the intelligence world. It is known that Graves was born in Argentina where he worked in a diamond mine. Before being adopted by an English family, making England his adopted country, Graves learnt enough about diamonds to make them a life long pursuit.

In 2001 Graves’ company Graves Diamonds struck lucky with a mass find of diamonds in Iceland. Within month Graves was exporting his diamonds to the world, and in the continuos bid for self-promotion each diamond was laser engraved with the Graves Diamonds logo.

Aside from his entrepreneurial conquests Graves is also an known environmentalist and philanthropist, both qualities ensuring his quick Knighting. His environmental studies led him to build several biodomes in the vicinity of his diamond mine, each bio-dome featuring an Eden like array of forestry.

In a supposed gift to mankind Graves ordered the construction of Icarus, a second sun capable of illuminating the far reaches of the globe. At the unveiling of the satellite Graves told the world “Let their be light…” and there was.

A budding sportsman, Graves is also believed to be an insomniac, and as a result, require no sleep.

Despite his popularity Graves is being investigated by British Intelligence who, while having no real suspicions, want to ensure that he is legitimate.

Last Updated: December 31, 2002

Biographic and listing material is © Copyright CommanderBond.Net and Respective Authors.

Reproduction is not allowed without prior permission

Giacinta 'Jinx' Jordan

Giacinta ‘Jinx’ Jordan

The National Security Agency’s top female operative, Giacinta Jordan is best known as ‘Jinx’ to her friends; a nickname coined because of the lack of longevity in any of her relationships.

Nothing is known about Jordan’s previous misssions, bar to say they have been mostly succesful.

After the trading of North Korean terrorist Zao for Commander James Bond, on the South and North Korean border, Jordan was sent to kill Zao before he could perform further terrorist acts in the name of ‘freedom’. Her search for Zao led her first to Cuba and then to Iceland, both times her path crossed with James Bond.

Last Updated: December 31, 2002

Biographic and listing material is © Copyright CommanderBond.Net and Respective Authors.

Reproduction is not allowed without prior permission

Miranda Frost

Miranda Frost

Miranda Frost finds her self in an interesting position as an agent for the British Secret Service. She is one of the few MI6 agents to have had a ‘public’ career prior to a secret one. Before her career as a MI6 Agent Frost won a gold edal at the 2000 Sydney Olympic’s for the sport of fencing. She did, however, win the medal by default after the Russian gold medalist overdosed and Frost’s silver medal was ‘upgraded’. To this day she still pursues fencing, but only in private competition.

After the Sydney Olympics Frost began work with the cryptology department of MI6. However, it wasn’t until the emergence of of Gustav Graves that Forst made a career movie within the sercret service. She requested that she be sent to investigate Graves’ legitimacy by posing as his personal assistant. Her interest in fencing was secured her the role as Graves had a similair interest.

Last Updated: December 31, 2002

Biographic and listing material is © Copyright CommanderBond.Net and Respective Authors.

Reproduction is not allowed without prior permission