The idea, apparently, was that while the character would still be named Bond, he’d use a different handle in the field. And so when a CIA operative introduced himself to 007 at the Hotel Splendide casino – “My name’s Felix Leiter. Glad to meet you” – Bond’s original response was, “Mine’s Secretan. James Secretan.” The word “Secretan” was subsequently scrawled out in blue ink, and “Bond” became the replacement. Grimond said that, “Ian must have realised it would cause confusion if he had Bond known as Bond to friends and the security services in London, but as Secretan for his cover name to strangers or people he didn’t want to know he was a spy.”

It wasn’t the only thing Fleming ended up changing before the book was published (at an on-sale price that he thought was too low, according to a newly released letter). In the earlier version, Miss Moneypenny was originally going to be named Miss Pettavel.

http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/04/15/secretan-james-secretan-how-

james-bond-nearly-ended-up-with-a-different-name/

tampabay.com

ST. PETE BEACH — Hollywood screenwriter and Beach Theatre owner Michael France was discovered dead at his St. Pete Beach home Friday morning after an extended illness, his sister said. He was 51.

In recent years Mr. France struggled with diabetes that impaired his left arm and right leg. Nine months ago he was found comatose at his residence by his sister, who also discovered his body Friday.

….

 

Mr. France was one of Tampa Bay’s most successful movie industry figures, starting with his screenplay for 1993′s Cliffhanger starring Sylvester Stallone. That was followed two years later with a story credit for GoldenEye, reinvigorating the James Bond franchise with Pierce Brosnan. Mr. France also did uncredited work on the script for another 007 adventure, The World is Not Enough.

His final three produced screenplays were among the first Marvel Comics adaptations to the screen: Oscar winning director Ang Lee’s 2003 version of Hulk, Fantastic Four (2005) and a co-writing credit on The Punisher (2004), filmed around Tampa Bay.

Good news for Bond fans in the USA subscribed to Amazon Prime, now though the end of April there are 13 Classic Bond movies available free through Amazon Prime Streaming.

The movies are available in HD for playback on Kindle Fire HD, Xbox 360, PS3, Roku or other HD compatible devices

Check Out Your Favorite Spy for a Limited Time 

============================================ 
You Only Live Twice  
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/ref=pe_bond_r1_april-01b1/?ASIN=B009QRZ31E 

Thunderball 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/ref=pe_bond_r1_april-01b2/?ASIN=B009G9YMKK 

Goldfinger 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/ref=pe_bond_r1_april-01b3/?ASIN=B002BXRCV4 

Dr. No 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/ref=pe_bond_r1_april-01b4/?ASIN=B002BDGSIW 

For Your Eyes Only  
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/ref=pe_bond_r2_april-01b1/?ASIN=B009GJBATQ 

Live And Let Die 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/ref=pe_bond_r2_april-01b2/?ASIN=B009GJBES8 

The Spy Who Loved Me 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/ref=pe_bond_r2_april-01b3/?ASIN=B009G85ALG 

A View to a Kill 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/ref=pe_bond_r2_april-01b4/?ASIN=B009GIYGFW 

Octopussy  
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/ref=pe_bond_r3_april-01b1/?ASIN=B009GJBBWM 

The World is Not Enough 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/ref=pe_bond_r3_april-01b2/?ASIN=B009GMFSXC 

Tomorrow Never Dies 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/ref=pe_bond_r3_april-01b3/?ASIN=B009GJBEF6 

Goldeneye 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/ref=pe_bond_r3_april-01b4/?ASIN=B004N0I3U2 

License to Kill

 

Classic Bond moderator Krisatos has created a new forum elimination game centering on the incidental music of the Bond series, Doctor No to Skyfall. Please be sure to check it out!

Unsung Bond on Spotify

 

Incidental music elimination game

by Kristatos » 04 Apr 2013 10:27 am

I have finally compiled the Spotify playlist featuring one slightly lesser-known instrumental track (hence the name “Unsung Bond” – geddit?) from each EON Bond film, which you can listen to here (total playing time 1:14:22). Thanks to Omega for his help in compiling this list. I have tried to pick a track that is either fairly well-known or which I feel embodies the film it comes from and associated soundtrack (eg a romantic theme for OHMSS, an Oriental-sounding one for TMWTGG etc.) Some films were more difficult than others, as there wasn’t really a standout track. I won’t name names, for fear of influencing the vote, but I think it will be apparent which ones I’m talking about when you listen to the playlist. Also, I have tried not to pick tracks that are simply instrumental versions of the main theme or secondary themes (We Have All The Time In The World, Surrender etc), though it was not always possible to avoid them altogether, as they tend to be woven throughout the score as leitmotifs. In the case of Casino Royale especially, I picked The Switch precisely because it was one of several tracks that very subtly incorporated the James Bond Theme, as I felt that this slow build towards its final unveiling at the very end of the film was the distinguishing feature of that particular soundtrack.

The List:

Dr No: Love at Last (Monty Norman)
From Russia With Love: Girl Trouble (John Barry)
Goldfinger: Golden Girl (John Barry)
Thunderball: Search for the Vulcan (John Barry)
You Only Live Twice: Capsule in Space (John Barry)
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service: Sir Hillary’s Night Out (John Barry)
Diamonds are Forever: Mr Wint and Mr Kidd (John Barry)
Live and Let Die: Baron Samedi’s Dance of Death (George Martin)
The Man With the Golden Gun: Hip’s Trip (John Barry)
The Spy Who Loved Me: Bond 77 (Marvin Hamlisch)
Moonraker: Flight Into Space (John Barry)
For Your Eyes Only: Runaway (Bill Conti)
Octopussy: Bond Meets Octopussy (John Barry)
A View To A Kill: He’s Dangerous (John Barry)
The Living Daylights: Air Bond (John Barry)
Licence to Kill: His Funny Valentine (Michael Kamen)
Goldeneye: Run, Shoot and Jump (Eric Serra)
Tomorrow Never Dies: Hamburg Break Out (David Arnold)
The World is Not Enough: Access Denied (David Arnold)
Die Another Day: Going Down Together (David Arnold)
Casino Royale: The Switch (David Arnold)
Quantum of Solace: A Night at the Opera (David Arnold)
Skyfall: The Chimera (Thomas Newman)

Bond director Martin Campbell (age 70) will be directing the remake of cult classic Blakes 7 for the SyFy channel. Some of our staff are not so sure about remaking this series,  how do you feel about the potential Battlestar Galactica treatment for Blakes 7?  discuss in our forum.

Deadline.com–FremantleMedia is launching sales here in Cannes on the remake of Blake’s 7. Developed by Syfy, the 13-part series is produced by Georgeville TV and Marc Rosen, written by Joe Pokaski (Heroes) and directed by Martin Campbell (Casino Royale). Syfy made a script-to-series commitment back in August of last year on the reboot of the cult British sci-fi series. Originally created by Terry Nation (Doctor Who), Blake’s 7 premiered on the BBC in 1978 and ran for four seasons. Georgeville acquired the rights to the franchise from Andrew Sewell and his company B7 Media with funding provided by Motion Picture Capital. The reboot sees seven criminals – six guilty and one innocent – on their way to live in a prison colony in space. When they acquire an alien ship, they get a second chance at life and to become the most unlikely heroes of their time.

Digital Spy.com –”Blake’s 7 was such a forward-thinking concept that the show continues to have resonance with audiences today,” said David Ellender, CEO FremantleMedia International.

“Its complex characters and gritty storylines, coupled with the highly talented team and modern production techniques are sure to appeal to both original fans of the show and new viewers.”

MGM proudly announced the Bond 50 Blu-ray sales set a record becoming the bestselling Blu-ray box set of 2012 with worldwide sales totaling $50 million (so far). Many of these sets are at this moment wrapped under the tree or in “Santa’s” bag waiting to be opened over the holidays.

While we do not know how  many set were sold the average price was between $200 and $149 (USD) with a Black Friday special of $99 at Amazon.com which sold out half way through the day of the sale, there also was  a similar Amazon.co.uk sale around the same time for  £75 (GBP).

MGM is not claiming to have sold more individual sales of sets like Star Wars and Indian Jones (these sets were also priced considerably cheaper), they are declaring a sales revenue victory, which also demonstrates the draw Classic 007 adventures still hold.

Thanks to “bjamesobrad” for the original post

Discuss this in our forum.

Bond 50 Becomes Bestselling Blu-ray Box Set of 2012 (Blu-ray.com)

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment announced today that Bond 50 is the bestselling Blu-ray box set of 2012 with projected worldwide sales totaling $50 million in consumer spending to date. The unprecedented 23-disc premium collection features all 22 classic films on stunning Blu-ray for the first time and more than 122 hours of bonus features. The collectible box set was released on September 24 in the United Kingdom and September 25 in North America; additional international markets followed through October.

The Bond 50 box set release was timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary celebration of the Bond franchise in 2012. The year-long campaign launched globally at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, included a first of a kind exhibit of Bond vehicles at San Diego Comic-Con, the re-release of Dr. No in U.S. movie theaters and a Roger Moore International press day before culminating with the “007 Days of Bond: the Blu-relay Tour” throughout the UK.

Debuting just prior to the theatrical premiere of Skyfall, the Bond 50 box set includes an additional space for that Blu-ray when it is released next year.

Now you can take the DCinB Classic Bond forum with you on the go thanks to the Tapatalk app for Android and Apple!
You can find us by searching for keyword “Classic Bond Forum”!

Bummed out to get the complete Classic Bond collection you’d be forced to buy the 50th Bond collection, well fret no more. Digital Bits revealed October 2nd, 2012 Best Buy, Target and Wal-mart will each get 3 of the missing Bonds titles as exclusives.

Target will get: A View to a Kill, The Living Daylights & Tomorrow Never Dies

Wal-mart will get: Diamonds are Forever, Octopussy & GoldenEye

Best Buy will get : You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service & The Spy Who Loved Me

Collectors should take note some of the menus options are being changed and a few of the series special features will be lost as well.

Discuss this in our forum

Digital Bits 8-28-2012

First, we’ve got a major Bond 50 Blu-ray update for you this morning. We’ve confirmed with our sources at 20th Century Fox that nearly all special feature content from the previous Special Edition Blu-rays and DVDs will carry over to the new BD releases. The only exceptions are the Mission Control menu-based content from the previous DVDs, many items from Charles de Lauzirika’s original 2003 Die Another Day: Special Edition and 5 items from the 2008 Casino Royale: Collector’s Edition BD (The Art of the Freerun, Catching a Plane: From Storyboard to Screen, Storyboard Sequence: Freerun Chase, Filmmaker Profiles and Bond Girls Are Forever). So if you have those discs and want to retain all the bonus content, definitely keep them.

 

We’ve also confirmed that the 11 classic Bond titles previously released on Blu-ray will be available widely again on 10/2, the same day as the box set. We already know that Walmart will have 3 of the never-before-released titles as BD exclusives that day: Diamonds Are Forever, Octopussy and GoldenEye. We’ve now OFFICIALLY CONFIRMED exactly what we suspected, which is that Best Buy will have On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, You Only Live Twice and The Spy Who Loved Me as BD exclusives on 10/2, and Target will have A View to a Kill, The Living Daylights and Tomorrow Never Dies as BD exclusives. So that’s our Bond news for today. Again, that’s official.