Celebrating A Sixtieth James Bond Day

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Sixty years ago today, on October 5th 1962, Dr. No had its World Premiere in London. In its honour, we’re marking a very special James Bond Day.

Events started last week with the Christie’s Sixty Years of Bond Charity Auction, which raised over £6 million for charitable causes. The Christie’s Online Auction continues until 4pm BST today – lots include the cello case from The Living Daylights and a 007 60th Anniversary Duesenberg guitar signed by the Bond producers, Dame Shirley Bassey, Hans Zimmer, David Arnold and more. 

The weekend saw the British Film Institute host a three day James Bond celebration, headlined by an In Conversation Q&A with cast and crew including producer Michael G. Wilson, writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, casting director Debbie McWilliams and actor Rory Kinnear.

Last night the music of 007 was celebrated at The Sound Of 007 In Concert at the Royal Albert Hall. to benefit Nordoff Robbins and The BRIT School. Curated by Bond composer David Arnold, the event featured 007 artists including Dame Shirley Bassey, Hans Zimmer, Lulu and Garbage, alongside a host of new artists. Stream The Sound of 007: LIVE from the Royal Albert Hall on Prime Video from 10pm BST today.

Continuing the music celebrations, James Bond Day sees the premiere of new documentary, The Sound of 007, directed by Mat Whitecross. The feature length film reveals the history of the Bond music from the genesis of Dr. No’s iconic theme through to Billie Eilish’s Academy Award-winning title song for No Time To Die. The documentary is available now on Prime Video.

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NFT Poster Collection Celebrates 007

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In celebration of James Bond Day, MGM and EON will be releasing a selection of iconic poster digital NFTs on Veve – the largest mobile-first digital collectibles platform on October 5th. 

These collectibles will be offered for purchase in a blind box format, meaning the purchaser won’t know which of the seven posters they have acquired until after their successful purchase. This first series contains posters from Dr. No to Diamonds Are Forever. 

Three more series of posters will be released in the coming months. 

 

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James Bond Collaborates With Fabergé

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Almost 40 years on from Octopussy’s famous Fabergé egg heist plot, the James Bond franchise is collaborating with the iconic brand off screen for the very first time, marking the 60th anniversary of 007 and Fabergé’s 180th celebrations.

The Fabergé x 007 Egg Objet will encapsulate Bond’s stories within its design, which will feature subtle references to Bond’s trademark gadgets. From a manufacturing perspective, the forthcoming egg will “showcase the most innovative and technologically advanced mechanisms Fabergé has accomplished to date.”

Signature to Fabergé, the 007-collaborative piece will have a series of surprising elements which will be revealed in 2023, which also marks 40 years since Octopussy’s release. Despite being central to the story, the ‘Fabergé’ egg in the 1983 film was in fact a film prop set with Swarovski crystals, meaning the upcoming one-off egg is the first of its kind.

“This is a thrilling opportunity for us to fuse the legendary on-screen storytelling of the world’s most famous secret agent with Fabergé’s globally celebrated artistry”, said Fabergé’s Creative Director, Josina von dem Bussche-Kessell.

“With this unique and ground-breaking piece, these two icons will intersect where suspense entertainment meets engineering mastery in precious materials.”

 

Bond Night On Dancing With The Stars

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A James Bond special episode of Dancing With The Stars has been announced.

The celebrity contestants on the Disney+ series will dance to the music of 007 on ‘Bond Night’ on Monday October 3rd, the third week of the competition.

The episode will begin with a group number from the show’s professionals to Paul McCartney & Wings’ Live and Let Die, before the remaining 14 celebrities take to the floor to mark the 60th anniversary of Bond.

Contestants taking part include TikTok influencers Charli & Heidi D’Amelio, Cruel Intentions actress Selma Blair, comedian Wayne Brady, and former American Idol winner Jordin Sparks.

Supermodel Tyra Banks and former Dancing With The Stars & Strictly Come Dancing contestant Alfonso Ribeiro host the dancing series, while the judges are Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli, Carrie Ann Inaba and Derek Hough.

DWTS aired for 30 seasons on ABC before becoming the first live competition show to air on Disney’s popular streaming service.

Confirmed Dances for ‘Bond Night’ episode of Dancing With The Stars

Joseph Baena and Alexis Warr – Argentine Tango – Writing’s On the Wall by Sam Smith

Selma Blair and Sasha Farber – Rumba – For Your Eyes Only by Sheena Easton 

Wayne Brady and Witney Carson – Tango – The Name’s Bond… James Bond by David Arnold & Nicholas Dodd

Sam Champion and Cheryl Burke – Samba – Los Muertos Vivos Estan by Thomas Newman ft. Tambuco

Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas – Rumba – No Time To Die by Billie Eilish

Heidi D’Amelio and Artem Chigvintsev – Argentine Tango – Another Way to Die by Jack White and Alicia Keys

Jessie James Decker and Alan Bersten – Rumba – Goldfinger by Shirley Bassey

Trevor Donovan and Emma Slater – Tango – You Know My Name by Chris Cornell

Daniel Durant and Britt Stewart – Rumba – The World Is Not Enough by Garbage

Vinny Guadagnino and Koko Iwasaki – Rumba – Thunderball by Tom Jones

Cheryl Ladd and Louis van Amstel – Rumba – Diamonds Are Forever by Shirley Bassey

Shangela and Gleb Savchenko – Rumba – Goldeneye by Tina Turner

Jordin Sparks and Brandon Armstrong will perform a Rumba to Licence To Kill by Gladys Knight

Gabby Windey and Val Chmerkovskiy – Cha Cha – Die Another Day by Madonna

Christie’s Charity Auction Raises Over £6 Million

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The Sixty Years of James Bond: Part I – Live Charity Auction in conjunction with Christie’s has raised over £6 million for charitable causes.

Taking place in London yesterday evening (28 September), a grand total of £6,103,500 was achieved across 25 lots, ranging from vehicles and props to memorabilia signed by cast and crew. 

Across Part I – Live Charity Auction and Part II – Online Auction which ends on 5 October, over 45 charities will benefit from 100% of all proceeds; recipient charities represented in last night’s sale include The Princes Trust, UNHCR and Severn Hospice.

The headline lot of the evening was the Aston Martin DB5 stunt car from No Time To Die, which fetched £2,922,000 for The Prince’s Trust, The Special Air Service Regimental Association, The Special Boat Service Association, The Special Reconnaissance Regimental Association and The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund. 

The iconic egg from Octopussy raised £327,600 for UNICEF, over 54 times its estimate, while the OMEGA Seamaster Diver Watch as worn by Daniel Craig sold for £226,000 in aid of Time’s Up UK. 

In addition to Bond Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, Bond alumni in attendance included No Time To Die’s Dali Benssallah, Samantha Bond, The Living Daylights’ Maryam d’Abo and A View To A Kill actress Carole Ashby. Video messages from Daniel Craig and Pierce Brosnan were played to those in attendance.

Sean Connery Stage Opens At Pinewood

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Sir Sean Connery has been honoured at Pinewood Studios with the opening of a new stage.

The purpose-built, 18,000 square foot Sean Connery Stage was opened by the late actor’s granddaughter Saskia Connery at a private event yesterday (27 September) attended by Bond Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.

Michael G Wilson said: “Barbara and I are grateful to Pinewood for acknowledging this screen legend and honoured to have been invited to celebrate this evening along with Sir Sean’s granddaughter Saskia.”

Saskia Connery commented: “I am so proud of my grandfather both on screen and for who he was and meant to all of us at home. He would have been humbled and honoured to now have his own stage at Pinewood Studios.”

Previous cast and crew also present included Connery’s From Russia With Love co-star Martine Beswick, plus John Glen, Maryam D’Arbo, Carole Ashby, Madeline Smith, and Caroline Munro.

The evening also featured a screening of Connery’s first appearance as 007 in Dr. No, which was filmed at Pinewood and celebrates its 60th Anniversary on 5 October.

2022 Pioneers Of The Year Honour For Producers

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Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli were honoured by US film industry charity, the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation, last night in Beverly Hills (21 September). The Bond producers were guests of honour at the 2022 Pioneers of the Year Dinner, where they were presented with their award by Daniel Craig and Michelle Yeoh. 

The event has been running for over 70 years and celebrates leaders in the film industry whose career achievements and commitment to philanthropy is exemplary. Alongside philanthropy, the evening was a celebration of the Producers’ cinematic achievements and the franchise’s 60th anniversary. The night also featured a special live set by multi-platinum, GRAMMY, BRIT, Golden Globe and Oscar winning artist/songwriter Sam Smith. 

This year’s event raised $1.5 million for the benefit of the Pioneers Assistance Fund which provides financial assistance to individuals in the motion picture distribution and exhibition community who are encountering an illness, injury, or a life-changing event.

New James Bond Pinball Machines

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Flippers at the ready as Stern Pinball announces the release of a new series of James Bond pinball machines. 

Three new games focus on the Sean Connery 007 films, with elements from Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice and Diamonds Are Forever, with a Limited Edition fourth model celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the franchise including all 25 films and Bonds, villains and henchmen.

Stern Pinball is the world’s largest and oldest pinball machine manufacturer and makes their arcade-quality games in the USA. We caught up with Lead Designer, George Gomez, Stern’s Chief Creative Officer and EVP to discuss his inspiration for this new era of 007 pinball. 

How did it all start? 

Bond has a history with pinball – there were games in the ‘80s and ‘90s based on Moonraker and GoldenEye. But I wanted to celebrate the original genre-defining films: the movies that built the legend. This is my James Bond. My aunt took me and a buddy to see Goldfinger in 1965 when I was 10: big theatre, marquee lights, red velvet seats. She dropped us off with popcorn and candy money and told us that she had seen it and we would love it. We called her from a pay phone in the lobby after the first showing and told her we’d like to stay to see it again. We did. Cool aunt – I’ve dedicated the game to her in the credit roll.

Tell us about the games.

We’ve created four models including the Pro Edition with a Dr. No design and the You Only Live Twice-inspired Premium Edition. The Limited Edition has Thunderball elements – made in a run of 1,000, and the 60th Anniversary machine is a retro-inspired playfield with just 500 being made.

What can players expect?

We’ve included iconic moments and locations from the films – you can gather gadgets from Q Branch as pinballs get ejected through the roof of a custom sculpted Aston Martin DB5. Break through the Osato Chemicals drop targets to battle SPECTRE at the Bird 1 rocket base. The Premium Edition includes Thunderball‘s jetpack and underwater fight scene… hold your breath on the gravity-defying magnetic jetpack as it transports pinballs across the playfield. Players can also track progress, earn achievements and connect with other machine owners across the world with our Insider Connected system.

The Pro and Premium Editions are available to order now at 007Store.com.

The Sound Of 007 In Concert

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New additions to The Sound of 007 in Concert at the Royal Albert Hall on 4 October have been announced. Lulu, Chrissie Hynde, Becky Hill, Ella Eyre, Jamie Cullum, John Grant and Paloma Faith will join the previously announced Dame Shirley Bassey, Garbage and Celeste, accompanied by The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra conducted by Nicholas Dodd. A special guest from Hans Zimmer has also been confirmed following his work on the soundtrack to No Time To Die.

The concert, created by EON Productions and produced by five-time Bond composer David Arnold, marks 60 years since the world premiere of Dr. No on 5 October 1962. Proceeds from the event will benefit Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy and The BRIT Trust, of which The BRIT School is a beneficiary.

Following the concert, The Sound of 007: LIVE from the Royal Albert Hall, an exclusive recording of the live event, will be available to stream globally on Prime Video as part of the James Bond anniversary celebrations.

A custom Duesenberg guitar signed by Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli, David Arnold and the concert artists will be sold by Christie’s to benefit the two charities.

Other 60th anniversary music moments include The Sound of 007, directed by Mat Whitecross and produced by John Battsek for Ventureland, available on Prime Video worldwide from 5 October. This feature length documentary chronicles the music of 007. Taking us from the iconic James Bond theme to Billie Eilish’s Oscar-winning No Time To Die; the documentary will be previewed at the BFI’s James Bond At 60 weekend in London on 1 October. Bond 25, a new Decca Records album of 007 themes reimagined and performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will also be released on 23 September.

60 Years Of James Bond Christie’s Charity Auction

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Sixty Years of James Bond, the official two-part charity auction will see 60 lots go under the hammer to benefit 45 chosen charities: a live sale on September 28th featuring vehicles, watches and costumes from No Time To Die; and an online sale from September 15th until James Bond Day on October 5th, of themed experiences, props and collectibles from all 25 movies.

A free-to-attend, pre-sale exhibition showcasing highlights from Sixty Years of James Bond will take place between September 15th-28th at Christie’s HQ at 8 King Street, London, with limited edition catalogues available to pre-order now.

The headline lot for sale is a silver birch Aston Martin DB5, one of just eight replica stunt cars built for No Time To Die and the only one to be released for public sale. Estimated to fetch between £1.5 and £2 million, proceeds from this sale will benefit The Prince’s Trust in its work with young people and the Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund’s support of charities assisting serving and former members of the three Intelligence Agencies and UK Special Forces.

Other vehicles include an SFX version of the Q Jet Boat from The World Is Not Enough, a Land Rover Defender 110 featured in No Time To Die’s stunt scenes and a bespoke 007 Land Rover Defender with the 60th Anniversary logo on the instrument panel.

Standout pieces available to bid on include a Swarovski-encrusted, gold-plated egg in the style of Faberge from Octopussy and Timothy Dalton’s signed tuxedo from Licence To Kill.

The auctions will benefit the following charities:

ACLT, Art Fund, Back Up, BFI Film Academy, Breaking Barriers, British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), British Red Cross, Brit Trust, Carnegie Institute for Science, Evelina London Children’s Charity, Feeding America, Film and TV Charity, Grenfell Health and Wellbeing Service, Helen Bamber Foundation, Helen Keller Europe, Intermission Youth, Into Film, John Hopkins Medicine, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, London Screen Academy, Médecins Sans Frontières, MediCinema, National Film and Television School, National Youth Theatre, Nordoff Robbins, NSPCC, Operation Black Vote, Orbis, Papyrus, RADA, Refugee Action, Rosa, Scottish International Education Trust, Scottish Youth Film Foundation, Severn Hospice, Silverlining Brain Injury Charity, Spinal Research, The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund, The Prince’s Trust, The Royal Foundation, The Special Air Service Regimental Association, The Special Boat Service Association, The Special Reconnaissance Regimental Association, The Trussell Trust, TIME’S UP UK, Tusk Trust Limited, UNICEF UK, United Kingdom for UNHCR, Women for Women International, Women in Film and TV (UK).

Find out more at Christie’s. 

GoldenEye 007 Coming To Nintendo Switch Online & Xbox Game Pass

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The iconic Bond video game GoldenEye 007 is to be released for Nintendo Switch Online and Xbox Game Pass.

As first announced during the latest Nintendo Direct broadcast, the Nintendo 64 classic is coming soon to the console’s Nintendo 64 – Nintendo Switch Online service. Microsoft also confirmed news today (September 13) that a 4K resolution remaster is on its way to Xbox’s Game Pass.

Exclusive to the new Switch version of the 1997 title will be online play, allowing 007 fans across the world to take part in the popular four person multiplayer mode together.

The popular game – based on the 1995 film – lets players control Bond through a series of levels following the GoldenEye film story. In multiplayer mode, up to four players can compete in several scenarios based on elements from You Only Live Twice, The Living Daylights, The Man With the Golden Gun and Licence to Kill.

GoldenEye 007 ranks as the third best-selling Nintendo 64 game of all time and is one of the most influential and seminal games of the first-person shooter genre.