Hunt for MGM CEO hits snag

The Hollywood Reporter – MGM’s parade of CEO candidates seems to have marched down a blind alley.

Jonathan Dolgen, Peter Chernin and Bill Mechanic each have made it clear he has no interest in taking the Lion’s reins despite urgings from studio lenders and the prospect of a recapitalized new ownership structure. At the same time, lenders have been unable to work up much enthusiasm for others interviewed as prospective new CEOs.

Well-regarded executives at Summit and Spyglass have been consulted but failed to convince weary Lion debtholders that their management prowess alone could put the studio back on the path to prosperity. Burdened by a crushing debt load of almost $4 billion, MGM owners tried unsuccessfully to find a buyer for the studio and now seeks to fashion a financial and management restructuring.

The goal: to buy three to four years of solvency in the hope the studio’s value will rise in the meantime.

In a bit of good news, investment films Qualia Capital, Anchorage Advisors and others remain interested in sinking $500 million or more into the Lion in exchange for an equity stake. That would get film chief Mary Parent back into action after movie development and releasing was halted because of the studio’s woes.

An idea gaining currency in the absence of an obvious candidate would be to keep the “office of the CEO” arrangement that’s been in place since Harry Sloan resigned as CEO in August to become non-executive chairman of MGM. Restructuring specialist Stephen Cooper would remain in place longer than planned, with Parent and CFO Bedi Singh maintaining co-CEO roles during a prepackaged bankruptcy to clean up debt.

In the process, studio equity would shift from a current group of owners to MGM lenders and any new equity investors. MGM’s ownership consortium includes Providence Equity, TPG Capital, Sony, Comcast, DLJ Merchant and Quadrangle.

J.P. Morgan leads a steering committee representing more than 100 MGM debtholders, though consolidation of publicly traded Lion debt in recent months means one-third of the debt now is held by Highland Capital and a handful of other lenders. Lenders holding two-thirds of the studio’s debt would have to approve any prepackaged bankruptcy.

MGM has the thriller Red Dawn set for release in November and the horror thriller Cabin in the Woods slotted for January. But no trailers have been shot, and it’s assumed both will be pushed to later release dates.

The situation has been frustrating for those still in the trenches at MGM. But some see a silver lining in the incremental management shifts since MGM’s financial woes reached crisis proportions.

Older-guard executives tended to be too laid back to address the Lion’s increasingly dire challenges, some suggest.

“We’d be sitting in a meeting with all these problems and $4 billion of debt, and we’d be talking about that night’s Lakers tickets,” a studio insider recalled. “There was always two MGMs—the old MGM and the Mary Parent MGM. If Mary Parent had her way, the Bond film would come out in November.”

MGM’s rights to the James Bond movie franchise represent its most highly valued asset, but the studio recently was forced to postpone development on the next Bond pic until its corporate problems were sorted. A planned co-production with Warner Bros. based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy tome The Hobbit also has been delayed.

Keep your browsers pointed to the CommanderBond.net main page and our Discussion Forums for all the latest James Bond news.

The Blades Library Book Club: Hurricane Gold

Welcome back to The Blades Library Book Club – the place for quality discussions of the books of James Bond!

Every two months a James Bond 007 novel is chosen for the club members to read. A thread is posted in the CommanderBond.net Discussion Forums listing locations where you can find the novel. Discussions about the book will go on as the book is read and when it is finished. Another thread will be created so that club members can post their review and give a rating on the current book.

All fans of the Literary Bond are eligible for membership. All you need to do to sign up is register on the CBn Forums (it’s free and only takes a minute) and then post your name in the sign up thread.

The Book Club’s 39th Book

We are progressing though the James Bond 007 novels in chronological order, since quite a number of members are using the club as an opportunity to read the books for the very first time. After progressing through the Bond novels by Ian Fleming, Kingsley Amis, John Gardner and Raymond Benson the club most recently moved onto Charlie Higson’s Young Bond era and now continues with his fourth novel: 2007’s Hurricane Gold.

Obtaining The Book

Ordering online should be fairly easy. Hurricane Gold can be ordered online from the following sources:

• Amazon.co.uk
• Amazon.com
• eBay

Discuss other places to buy Hurricane Gold or where you got your copy in this thread.

Discuss The Book While Reading

Want to talk about the book while reading it? Post a new thread in The Blades Library.

Review And Rate The Book

After you have finished reading Hurricane Gold, you can discuss it with other club members in The Blades Library, and give the book your personal rating out of five in this thread.

If you have any questions or suggestions just post them in a new thread. Happy reading.

*New* Archive Of All Past Read Books

Additionally, club members can review or comment on any of the past read books in the club any time they want. Click here for the full archive of the past read books in the club.

Previous Books Read

• Double or Die: April 2010 – May 2010
• Blood Fever: February 2010 – March 2010
• SilverFin: December 2009 – January 2010
• The Man with the Red Tattoo: October 2009 – November 2009
• Never Dream of Dying: August 2009 – September 2009
• Doubleshot: June 2009 – July 2009
• High Time To Kill: April 2009 – May 2009
• The Facts of Death: February 2009 – March 2009
• Zero Minus Ten: December 2008 – January 2009
• COLD: October 2008 – November 2008
• SeaFire: August 2008 – September 2008
• Never Send Flowers: June 2008 – July 2008
• Death Is Forever: April 2008 – May 2008
• The Man From Barbarossa: February 2008 – March 2008
• Brokenclaw: December 2007 – January 2008
• Win, Lose Or Die: October 2007 – November 2007
• Scorpius: August 2007 – September 2007
• No Deals, Mr. Bond: June 2007 – July 2007
• Nobody Lives Forever: April 2007 – May 2007
• Role Of Honour: February 2007 – March 2007
• Icebreaker: December 2006 – January 2007
• For Special Services: October 2006 – November 2006
• Licence Renewed: August 2006 – September 2006
• Colonel Sun: June 2006 – July 2006
• Octopussy & The Living Daylights: April 2006 – May 2006
• The Man With The Golden Gun: February 2006 – March 2006
• You Only Live Twice: December 2005 – January 2006
• On Her Majesty’s Secret Service: October 2005 – November 2005
• The Spy Who Loved Me: August 2005 – September 2005
• Thunderball: June 2005 – July 2005
• For Your Eyes Only: April 2005 – May 2005
• Goldfinger: February 2005 – March 2005
• Doctor No: December 2004 – January 2005
• From Russia, With Love: September 2004 – November 2004
• Diamonds Are Forever: July 2004 – August 2004
• Moonraker: May 2004 – June 2004
• Live and Let Die: May 2003 – June 2003
• Casino Royale: March 2003 – April 2003

Activision unveils GoldenEye

Activision has officially announced its remake of 1997’s bestselling James Bond game, GoldenEye on Nintendo Wii.

Activision’s GoldenEye is written by Bruce Feirstein, the scripter behind the films GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies and The World is not Enough, as well as EA’s Everything or Nothing and From Russia with Love. This re-imagined GoldenEye will see Daniel Craig step into Pierce Brosnan’s shoes as agent 007. Dame Judi Dench will also star.

A website for the game, featuring a trailer, screenshots and concept art, has launched at goldeneyegame.com. The site features the Nintendo DS logo, indicating another version of the game is yet to be announced.

The full press release follows.

Activision Unveils New GoldenEye 007 for Wii at 2010 Electronic Entertainment Exposition

SANTA MONICA, Calif., June 15, 2010 — With eight million copies sold and a legion of passionate fans worldwide, the Nintendo 64 version of GoldenEye defined multiplayer gaming for a generation of gamers in 1997.

Now, a new take on the legendary James Bond adventure arrives with Activision Publishing’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) all-new GoldenEye 007, which was unveiled at Nintendo’s press briefing, held today during the Electronic Entertainment Exposition (E3) in Los Angeles.

Developed exclusively for Wii and based on the GoldeneEye film, GoldenEye 007 gives players the chance to use the lethal, gritty style of Daniel Craig’s James Bond to outwit, outmaneuver and overtake an arms syndicate that threatens the world in an innovative, modern take on the legendary GoldenEye movie adventure. The game, which is slated for release this holiday season, is playable in Nintendo’s booth in the West Hall, #5407.

“GoldenEye for the N64 was one of the most acclaimed games and fans regularly cite it as one of the most influential and important titles in history,” said David Pokress, Head of Marketing for Licensed Properties, Activision Publishing. “We’re thrilled to bring the new GoldenEye 007 to gamers around the world as an all-new adventure that seamlessly integrates nostalgic GoldenEye movie moments with innovative FPS gameplay and unique multiplayer action that is unrivaled on the platform.”

GoldenEye 007 features an unprecedented lineup of four-player split-screen MP options that encourage social gaming, including 40 total characters, 8 classic Bond characters, 5 maps, 3 standard modes and 16 special modifiers that allow gamers to create hundreds of game combinations. GoldenEye 007 also features online multiplayer for up to 8 players designed for seasoned FPS online gamers with unique modes and a robust XP system for unlockables and achievements. GoldenEye 007 also supports the Classic Controller Pro for gamers who want to play with standard FPS controls and the Wii Zapper for “point and shoot” gamers; players will have several control scheme options, allowing them to experience GoldenEye 007 on Wii any way they want.

The GoldenEye 007 video game is developed by Eurocom under license from EON Productions Ltd and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM). For more information about the game, visit www.goldeneyegame.com.

Early previews of the game sound promising. IGN claim it’s “easily one of the more promising third party Wii games at the show” at E3.

Activision’s GoldenEye will be released on Nintendo Wii this November.

Stay tuned to CommanderBond.net for more details of Activision’s GoldenEye throughout E3.

Martin Campbell remains open to 007 comeback

While Sam Mendes remains committed to directing the 23rd James Bond film, one man has no plans to return to the 007 series in the near future.

In an interview with the Indo-Asian News Service, director Martin Campbell has ruled out an imminent return to the franchise he has twice revitalised.

“First of all it was a delight to work on both the Bond movies and quite an experience to work with both Pierce and Daniel,” the director of GoldenEye and Casino Royale told the website. “As of now I have no plan to direct a Bond film. I think I am done with it for now. But then never say never, one doesn’t know what one does in future.”

“Pierce and Daniel both brought the essence of James Bond and that is what a filmmaker wants at the end of the day.” – Martin Campbell

Campbell was quick to praise the strengths of both Bond actors he has directed and is reluctant to choose a favourite. “Pierce and Daniel both brought the essence of James Bond and that is what a filmmaker wants at the end of the day. It would be unfair on my part to compare the two. The fact that Daniel’s both Bond movies were a hit is enough to say he knows his job well.”

Campbell has previously backed Sam Mendes in helming Bond 23. “Sam will do a splendid job,” the director told Time Out earlier this year.

Martin Campbell is currently directing comic book adaptation Green Lantern for release in 2011.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for the latest James Bond news.

GoldenEye returns!

After years of speculation, it’s here: Activision are remaking GoldenEye exclusively for the Nintendo Wii.

Full details are forthcoming, but they appear to be consistent with reports that surfaced last week.

GoldenEye for Nintendo 64 was a game that defined a genre. Now, after 13 years of gaming innovation, the legend is re-imagined. Developed from the ground up for the Wii, GoldenEye takes advantage of the latest technology to deliver the same intense experience with today’s graphics and physics. Play a modernized version of the classic story with the new Bond (Daniel Craig), more lethal and cunning than ever as you take on missions around the world. Relive all the legendary moments from the original game; St Petersburg, the Caribbean and numerous other levels. Leverage the classic arsenal of weapons and gadgets as you fight Onatopp, Trevelyan and their adversaries, from the classic PP7 to the high tech assault rifle, sniper rifles and even the tank. The enhanced multiplayer experience offers 4 player splitscreen like the original and introduces 8-player online matches. GoldenEye is 13 years better, are you?

The game is reportedly being developed by Eurocom and n-Space for release in November 2010.

A trailer for the game, leaked prior to the game’s announcement at E3, is currently available to view below, but may disappear before long.

The trailer shows Daniel Craig in action in a range of re-imagined scenes from the 1997 bestseller. Classic moments from the Nintendo 64 shooter, including the opening dam bungee jump and the St Petersburg tank chase have been faithfully recreated.

Activision will also deliver on the multiplayer mode that cemented the original GoldenEye‘s legacy – players will be able to choose between split-screen and online multiplayer options. The trailer promises the game will feature at least eight playable classic characters, including Jaws, Oddjob and Scaramanga, along with 16 special game modes, including Paintball, Melee only and You only live twice.

Earlier reports that a DS version of the game would also be available have not been confirmed.

Still no word on Activision’s other Bond-related game – Bloodstone – rumoured to be in development alongside GoldenEye.

Stay tuned to CommanderBond.net for more details of Activision’s GoldenEye throughout E3.

Jimmy Dean (1928-2010)

Jimmy Dean, a country music legend for his smash hit about a workingman hero, “Big Bad John,” and an entrepreneur known for his sausage brand, died on Sunday. He was 81.

His wife, Donna Meade Dean, said her husband died at their Henrico County, Va., home.

She told The Associated Press that he had some health problems but was still functioning well, so his death came as a shock. She said he was eating in front of the television. She left the room for a time and came back and he was unresponsive. She said he was pronounced dead at 7:54 p.m.

“He was amazing,” she said. “He had a lot of talents.”

Born in 1928, Dean was raised in poverty in Plainview, Texas, and dropped out of high school after the ninth grade. He went on to a successful entertainment career in the 1950s and ’60s that included the nationally televised The Jimmy Dean Show.

In 1969, Dean went into the sausage business, starting the Jimmy Dean Meat Co. in his hometown. He sold the company to Sara Lee Corp. in 1984.

Dean lived in semiretirement with his wife, who is a songwriter and recording artist, on their 200-acre estate just outside Richmond, where he enjoyed investing, boating and watching the sun set over the James River.

In 2009 a fire gutted their home, but his Grammy for “Big Bad John,” a puppet made by Muppets creator Jim Henson, a clock that had belonged to Prince Charles and Princess Diana and other valuables were saved. Lost were a collection of celebrity-autographed books, posters of Dean with Elvis Presley and other prized possessions.

Donna Meade Dean said the couple had just moved back into their reconstructed home.

With his drawled wisecracks and quick wit, Dean charmed many fans. But in both entertainment and business circles, he was also known for his tough hide. He fired bandmate Roy Clark, who went onto “Hee Haw” fame, for showing up late for gigs.

More recently, a scrap with Sara Lee led to national headlines.

The Chicago-based company let him go as spokesman in 2003, inciting Dean’s wrath. He issued a statement titled “Somebody doesn’t like Sara Lee,” claiming he was dumped because he got old.

“The company told me that they were trying to attract the younger housewife, and they didn’t think I was the one to do that,” Dean told The Associated Press in January 2004. “I think it’s the dumbest thing. But you know, what do I know?”

Sara Lee has said that it chose not to renew Dean’s contract because the “brand was going in a new direction” that demanded a shift in marketing.

Dean grew up in a musical household. His mother showed him how to play his first chord on the piano. His father, who left the family, was a songwriter and singer. Dean taught himself to play the accordion and the harmonica.

His start in the music business came as an accordionist at a tavern near Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., where he was stationed in the 1940s. After leaving the Air Force in 1948, he fronted his band, the Texas Wildcats, and drew a strong local following through appearances on Washington-area radio.

By the early 1950s, Dean’s band had its first national hit in “Bummin’ Around.”

“Big Bad John,” which is about a coal miner who saves fellow workers when a mine roof collapses, became a big hit in 1961 and won a Grammy. The star wrote it in less than two hours.

His fame led him to a string of television shows, including The Jimmy Dean Show on CBS. Dean’s last big TV stint was ABC’s version of The Jimmy Dean Show from 1963 to 1966.

Dean in February was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame. He was to be inducted in October and his wife said she thinks he was looking forward to it.

Dean became a headliner at venues like Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl and became the first country star to play on the Las Vegas strip. He was the first guest host on The Tonight Show, and also was an actor with parts in television and the movies, including the role of James Bond’s ally Willard Whyte in the 1971 film Diamonds Are Forever.

Besides his wife, Dean is survived by three children and two grandchildren, Donna Meade Dean said. Arrangements have not be made, but it will be a private service, she said.

In the late ’60s, Dean entered the hog business—something he knew well. His family had butchered hogs, with the young Dean whacking them over the head with the blunt end of an ax. The Dean brothers—Jimmy and Don—ground the meat and their mother seasoned it.

The Jimmy Dean Meat Co. opened with a plant in Plainview. After six months, the company was profitable.

His fortune was estimated at $75 million in the early ’90s.

Having watched other stars fritter away their fortunes, Dean said he learned to be careful with his money.

“I’ve seen so many people in this business that made a fortune,” he told the AP. “They get old and broke and can’t make any money. … I tell you something, … no one’s going to play a benefit for Jimmy Dean.”

Dean said then that he was at peace at his estate and that he had picked a spot near the river where he wanted to be buried.

“It’s the sweetest piece of property in the world, we think,” he told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “It sure is peaceful here.”

007 Magazine Archive Files #2: On Her Majesty's Secret Service

The second instalment of the newly launched 007 Magazine Archive Files James Bond magazine is now available to order online.

This publication follows the 2009 news that the popular Bond magazine would be returning to print to mark its 30th anniversary after three years as an internet-only publication.

As stated on the official 007 Magazine website, each issue of 007 Magazine Archive Files spotlights various elements of one particular James Bond film featuring rare and never-before-seen imagery coupled with informative and definitive information.

007 Magazine Archive Files #2 examines features exclusive previously unpublished comments from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service director Peter Hunt (1925-2002) and also includes 100 rare and never-before-published images relating to the film. Far Up! Far Out! Far More!

Bond fans can purchase 007 Magazine Archive Files #2 at the official 007 Magazine website for the following prices: £9.99 (UK) | $15.99 (US) | €11.99 (EU) | £9.99 (Worldwide). Please be aware that prices do not include shipping.

Visit this CommanderBond.net article to read more about the return of 007 Magazine in print for 2009. To view the detailed 1979 – 2005 bibliography of 007 Magazine on CBn, click here.

As always, keep your browsers pointed to the CommanderBond.net main page and our always active Discussion Forums for all the latest news from the world of James Bond.

Jeffery Deaver teases Bond fans on US tour stops

Several of CommanderBond.net’s forum members have caught up with new James Bond continuation novelist Jeffery Deaver during his US tour to promote his newest thriller, The Burning Wire.

Hot on the heels of Deaver’s first Project X revelations, our spies are reporting that the author graciously, though guardedly, answered a number of questions about the mysterious 007 novel.

Forum member “godwulf” attended Deaver’s Scottsdale, Arizona appearance, where the author stated his James Bond will be a sprightly 28-years-old in Project X, a reboot of the literary 007 in which the events of Fleming’s original books never happened; a sort of Casino Royale-style re-imagining.

According to the author, his outline for the novel currently stands at 180 pages and is accompanied by several thousand pages of research. Deaver also stated Project X would be “a ticking clock novel”, one of the author’s trademarks.

Meanwhile, forum member “jwheels” caught up with Deaver in Seattle, Washington where the novelist revealed he’ll begin writing Project X very soon. Like in Casino Royale, Deaver’s Bond will be a former military operative who has recently joined the 00-section.

Deaver also revealed he is only signed on for a single novel and that the literary Bond reigns will be handed to other authors after Project X. However, he is laying down the foundations of this new Bond universe, and may well return at some point in the future to pen another 007 outing.

These revelations seem to indicate Project X will be one of the boldest moves ever undertaken by Ian Fleming Publications.

James Bond fans hoping to catch up with Deaver in the US this June, or the UK in July, can check out a full list of tour dates at JefferyDeaver.com.

Project X – working title only – will be published on 28 May 2011 by Hodder & Stoughton in the UK and Simon & Schuster in the US.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for the latest literary James Bond news.

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Win Sir Sean Connery's Being A Scot

CommanderBond.net is giving away a free copy of the UK paperback edition of Sir Sean Connery’s Being A Scot.

Being a Scot mixes a ‘frank account of Connery’s life with an esoteric take on Scotland’s history and culture’. The 414-page long book features more than 400 photograghs from the James Bond star’s personal collection and is co-written with Scottish filmmaker Murray Grigor.

This competition is open to all members of CommanderBond.net (CBn). You must be a registered member of the CBn Forums and answer the following question correctly to be eligible to win. Not yet a member of CBn? Register here now—it is free and only takes a minute!

How To Enter:

To enter, fill out the following questionnaire and send a Communiqué/Private Message on the CBn Forums to ‘CBn Competition’ (Subject: CBn June10 SC) by Midnight EST on 2 July 2010 (simply click on the link in this paragraph).

1. In which James Bond film does Sean Connery’s 007 utter the line: ‘She’s just dead.’…

1. From Russia with Love
2. Thunderball
3. Diamonds are Forever
4. Never Say Never Again

2. What is your CBn Forum Screen Name?
3. What country/state do you live in?

Goldfinger lined up for Film4 Summer Screen 2010 at Somerset House

Film4 Summer Screen at Someset House has been announced for 2010 and James Bond is featured in the line-up.

A highlight of the summer calendar, the series features everything from special previews to cult classics, all showing on a state-of-the-art screen with full surround-sound.

007 fans will definitely want to mark their calendars on Monday, 2 August when Sean Connery’s classic 1964 Bond adventure Goldfinger hits the screen.

2010’s Film4 Summer Screen will run from 29 July to 8 August. For all film screenings, there is no fixed seating in the courtyard and guests are welcomed to bring rugs, blankets and cushions to sit on. Seating begins at 6:30pm and screenings begin at 9:15pm. Note that the screenings are open air and will go on despite inclement weather.

For further information, phone +44 (0)20 7845 4600 or visit the official Somerset House website.

As always, keep turning to the CommanderBond.net main page and our Discussion Forums for all the latest James Bond 007 news.