Despite the silliness, sexism, and let’s face it, more than a handful of bad movies, James Bond has endured as a franchise for 50 years because deep down inside, all of us, at one time, wanted to be spies, and as anyone living vicariously through the movies knows, a good spy needs a great theme song. For better or for worse, presented below are all 22 James Bond title songs and sequences, ranked in order from worst to best. Get your martinis and Walthers ready, ladies and gentlemen… 22. Quantum of Solace I’ve got nothing against Jack White or Alicia Keys , but yikes. This sort of mash-up is just not what James Bond is about. The grating production and completely asynchronous arrangement would be irritating as a standalone song: in a Bond film it’s borderline insulting. The visuals aren’t too great either, and look like some sort of digitally upgraded B-roll from The Mummy Returns . 21. Die Another Day Fans said goodbye to Pierce Brosnan in 2002, and it’s hard to determine exactly how many films he overstayed his welcome by. Rest assured, however, that Die Another Day will go down in history as one of the worst Bond films of the modern era, and the cookie-cutter, auto-tuned, glitchy mess of a title track by Madonna (speaking of stars who overstayed their welcome…) isn’t going to be fondly remembered any time soon, either. 20. The World Is Not Enough It’s hard to tell when performers began hoping a James Bond film would get them exposure rather than the other way around, but it’s safe to bet that it was well before Garbage performed the title track to 1999’s The World is Not Enough , since I imagine the bulk of kids in the theater went “who?” when the phrase “title song performed by Garbage” flashed across the screen. Still, the song is serviceable, and the sequence impressively slick. 19. Moonraker Ugh. Poor Shirley Bassey deserved better than this. After having her name attached to one certifiably classic and one so-so Bond film, Moonraker had to go and mess with the program. Clearly the producers insisted that Bassey drop the completely unmusical phrase “Moonraker” somewhere into the track, and it’s laughably bad. I would have just turned in a new cut of Goldfinger with the titles swapped out, but that’s why I’m not in charge of such things. 18. For Your Eyes Only This song and sequence are notable only because they ushered James Bond into the 1980s with plenty of appropriate glam and glitter, and because Sheena Easton appeared in the opening sequence. Otherwise there’s not much else to say. 17. The Living Daylights Remember A-Ha, better known as “that Norwegian band who did Take on Me”? Well, they had another hit song two years after their award-winner: the theme to Timothy Dalton’s on-screen debut as James Bond. It’s a nice synthed-out dance number, perfect for 1980s 007, but the visuals look like the director just turned on the camera, told the naked girls to writhe around, and then went to lunch. A little effort, people! (Bonus factoid: Joe Don Baker appears in this film, many years before his turn as a CIA operative in Goldeneye ).
After watching this trailer, I think Parker Posey should consider launching some sort of bad-girl management inspiration seminar. Clearly, she’s breaking a lot of corporate cardinal rules in this trailer to Michael Walker’s Price Check — you know, like the one where you’re not supposed to sleep with your employees — but just watch how Eric Mabius, the sad-sack manager in her grocery store pricing and marketing department perks up over the course of this clip as he gets the focus of her manic attention. (The trailer plays after the jump.) The scene of Posey throwing a tantrum in front of her boss by throwing herself on to the floor is a keeper, and reminds me of a few work situations that I’ve witnessed. (At no time did my feet leave the ground.) I also think this trailer handles a rather complex and difficult idea with great economy: the clip manages to show Posey waking Mabius from his financially strapped sleepwalker’s life and then propelling him into chaos, especially on the home front. The scene of his wife smelling his dirty dress shirt says volumes about the pain to come. Check out the rest below. Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
James Franco is still channeling all those Renaissance Men from – well, the Renaissance. The actor, director, artist, student, musician, model, writer (have I forgotten anything?) hit the Toronto International Film Festival last month promoting his latest in Spring Breakers by director Harmony Korine , in which he plays a low-brow thug . But now it’s late September and it’s time to roll out with something else. This time, it’s a music video with his newly launched musical project, Daddy, with artist Tim O’Keefe. Motown superstar Smokey Robinson joins in on vocals in the sultry single, Crime , which debuted today via Spin Magazine . Franco met the singer in a perfect alignment of coincidences that only a man with outsized good karma can have. He told Spin : “I had been listening to Motown everyday, talking to Tim O’Keefe about our project. He recommended a documentary about the history of Motown. So I watched the doc in the car on the way to the airport in RI one night, most of the doc was about Smokey. [Then] on the plane to L.A. I slept the whole way and when we landed I woke up with a smiling face standing over me. He said, ‘Hey, I’m a big fan.’ I just stared. ‘It’s Smokey,’ he said. If Smokey Robinson was a fan of mine I wasn’t going to let him get away. Six months later after Tim and I had written the songs I called Smokey from Detroit and asked him to sing on one of the songs and he said sure.” Franco said that his experience in Spring Breakers , which also stars Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, and Rachel Korine, influenced his Daddy project. His co-stars are featured on the cover art of the Daddy EP. And in one scene in the feature, his character, Dangeruss, sings to hundreds of people on the beach.”That showed me how different singing to an audience is than acting in a scene before an audience,” he said. “When you sing you are connecting directly to the audience; when you act in a scene you are engulfed in the imaginary world and you are connected to the other performers.” [ Source: Spin ]
This is what happens when you agree to do hoodrat things with your friends…. NYC Women Arrested For Trying To Smuggle Narcotics Through Airport Security Two NYC women were arrested at JFK airport yesterday after a failed attempt to smuggle some “booger sugar” through the security checkpoint by hiding it in their luxurious lady locks. via The Grio Kiana Howell and Makeeba Graham came in to New York through a Caribbean Airlines Flight 526 from Georgetown, Guyana on Sunday. The nervous demeanor of the pair alerted airport security officers, which prompted them to search the two women. The officers discovered conspicuous bumps on their scalps, and proceeded to take them to the airport’s medical center. Health workers at the medical center found and removed 996 grams of “booger sugar” from Howell’s weave, and another 1,046 grams from Ms. Graham’s weave. Ladies….(and we use that term very loosely)……let’s do better. SMH.
When train wrecks attack: Amanda Bynes is NOT happy that Lindsay Lohan is trash talking her, texting a friend today saying, “I HATE being compared to her.” Amanda has a point, in that she’s never been arrested for drugs, chasing people, stealing from a jewelery store or violating the terms of her probation … a lot. The same cannot be said of SOME people we know. Lohan had the audacity to Tweet about Bynes and wonder aloud why she’s been to jail and Amanda hasn’t. Bynes says they’re not friends and LL needs to shut it. Lindsay, BTW, has been convicted of crimes (plural) and been to jail as a result of violating probation; Amanda was arrested for DUI this year, but has no convictions. Not yet, at least. Her laundry list of traffic infractions – hit-and-runs (twice), texting and driving, a license suspension – grew again over the weekend. Bynes’ car was impounded Sunday after a bizarre incident in which the actress went at Burbank Airport, parked in a no-parking zone, then just drove off. The Burbank Airport Police noticed Amanda because of her behavior, shooing her away from the no-parking zone where she was stopped, TMZ reports. Shortly after, cops noticed Amanda driving aimlessly near the valet area; she then left the airport without going inside. An hour later, she was pulled over. When police ran her license after that (unspecified) traffic violation, they realized it was suspended and impounded the 26-year-old’s car. Probably for the best. FUN FACT: Lindsay just Tweeted President Obama asking for a tax cut for millionaires ; Bynes Tweeted Obama with a request to fire the cop who arrested her in April. Who’s the bigger mess, Lindsay Lohan or Amanda Bynes?
September 11, 2012. The day I saw the person who changed my life. I know this is actually a sad day but this day seriously changed my life. I’ve never thought I’d ever write my Bieber experience but here we go. My name is Evelyn. I’m 14 years old and I live in Frankfurt, Germany. I’ve been a belieber since 2010 when Justin performed ‘Baby’ at the VMAs. I know I wasn’t there from the beginning but I’ll sure be there until the end. Anyways, Justin gave an acoustic concert at the airport here in Frankfurt. You had to win tickets for this. I didn’t win, but that didn’t stop me from going . Straight after school I went with my group of friends to the airport. It was around 12pm. At first, we didn’t know where we had to go so we asked people. After 30 minutes we finally arrived at the hall where beliebers were already standing at the barrier. I talked with some of them and they told me that Kenny was there and took pictures with them. At 4pm they let the girls in who had tickets and w e tried everything to get to the concert but they wouldn’t let us in. We still stayed there. After 30 minutes, Kenny came out and w e chased after him like crazy! Luckily I got a picture with him and I told him that I love him and he said, “I love you too!”. After that we got back to the barrier where we waited the whole time. We sang Boyfriend, As Long As You Love Me, Baby and a lot more songs. Then we saw Moshe but only for a few seconds. It then around 6pm when the security guys told us that Justin is coming down to say hello to us. I was so excited. Justin finally came down with Alfredo by his side with his camera and everyone started panicking and screaming. No one would have thought he’s coming down to see us. He gave everyone an autograph and you could tell he was really happy. He is so beautiful and perfect in real life. He smiled at all of us and I took so many photos and videos. When Justin, Alfredo and Moshe went outside to the car everyone started crying. When a few left and everyone calmed down, Dan Kanter, his guitarist, came out and we followed him to the escalator and sang the Dan Kanter Song. When he was at the escalator I screamed his name and he looked at me, waved and winked. I waited 3 years for this moment to happen. I never gave up. I’m still in shock and I can’t actually believe that I saw my idol. Justin means the world to me and I finally met him. Here is the original post: September 11, 2012. The day I saw the person who changed my…
Puddle of Mudd singer Wes Scantlin was arrested at an Austin, Texas, airport for allegedly becoming drunkenly combative with a flight attendant. According to Austin P.D. sources, Scantlin got into a verbal argument with a flight attendant over alcohol while on board a flight to Los Angeles. Security says Scantlin was upset because the flight crew wouldn’t sell him booze. Scantlin’s was bound for L.A. but the flight was re-routed to Austin’s Bergstrom International Airport for an emergency stop; Scantlin was booted off. The rocker was arrested and booked for public intoxication, and he could also face additional federal charges of interfering with a flight crew. If a judge determines that Scantlin caused a mid-air ruckus, he could face prison time for a cocaine charge he is currently on probation for. As well as for public intoxication and interfering with a flight crew, natch. [Photo: WENN.com]
Introducing Movieline’s ARRIVALS series, spotlighting breakthrough performers enjoying a bit of a “moment.” Today meet British actress Carmen Ejogo, whose scene-stealing performance in Sparkle kicks off a big year in film and TV. As much as Sparkle is about well, Sparkle ( Jordin Sparks ), the shy young singer who learns to come into her own in this weekend’s R&B remake (not to mention Whitney Houston in what might have been her comeback), it’s Carmen Ejogo’s scene-stealing Sister — sultry, ambitious, and tragically doomed — who brings the film’s cautionary lessons crashing home. Ejogo’s offscreen story is even more intriguing: the MENSA member and one-time backing singer for Tricky (she does her own vocals in the film) got her start in the 1986 David Bowie musical Absolute Beginners and tried the leading lady route in her first crossover roles ( Metro , What’s the Worst That Could Happen ), before earning notice in Sally Hemings: An American Scandal , HBO’s Boycott , Lackawanna Blues , and last year’s Away We Go . With Alex Cross and ABC’s Zero Hour on the horizon (“It’s kind of like Da Vinci Code meets Mulder and Scully in The X-Files ,” she laughs), Ejogo, who lives in Brooklyn with husband Jeffrey Wright and their children, is poised for a breakthrough year stateside. She rang Movieline en route to the airport, still buzzing about the film’s crowd-pleasing premiere. How did the Sparkle premiere go? Carmen Ejogo: It was fantastic. I’m still sort of trying to absorb the comments that came afterwards about my performance. I’ve been a mom at home mostly for the past ten years, trying to raise a family, and so to come back with a role like this and then to have an evening like last night, where the movie was received really well and my performance is really noted… you know, I’m kind of a little bit dumbfounded at this moment. I have a soft spot for the original Sparkle so I was really interested to see how the film would differentiate itself from the original, and one element that really does set it apart is the performances. CE: I’m most excited when people say that they’ve seen the original and they really responded to our version cause that was my big fear all along. I’d got a lot of questions along the way when people asked what I was doing next and I’d tell them I’m playing Sister in Sparkle . They were like, “What do you mean?” It’s like the untouchable role in so many people’s minds, so I’m most excited when somebody’s seen the original and they’re really into what we’ve done with this new version remake. What’s interesting about Sparkle the story, in both the original and the remake, is that it’s really Sister’s story for so much of the film. Did you find when you were first considering the project and going for it that Sister was a deceptively needy and nuanced character to play? CE: Oh absolutely. I’ve never, ever, if you look at my body of work – I’ve never played a sexy character, ever. You mean a character that explicitly uses her sensuality? CE: Absolutely, exactly. There’s many a career that’s been built on that in this industry and I’ve stayed away from it wholeheartedly, and the only thing that gave me permission in myself to play it in this role was because I understood that the journey. The arc is such that [Sister] is such a naïve personality and that neediness is so much who she is, and that becomes revealed. Where there’s this bravado and controlled sexuality and charisma that’s based on looks and something exterior, you also get an opportunity in this role to really explore and sort of put forth the inner workings of what often makes this kind of girl tick – and it’s usually and very often out of a real deep-seated neediness and insecurity and the need for validation from others. In Sister’s case, it’s from her mother in some kind of strangely complicated way, but it’s also from men, very evidently, throughout the movie. So that sort of complexity is what drew me to this role and I willingly played it, particularly in this sort of cult-celebrity kind of culture that we’re in trying to rope children into. Right, Sister learns that playing into her sexuality for fame is ultimately her downfall. CE: I have a daughter and I’m so conscious of the fact that she is bombarded with images of women who are celebrated purely because of their celebrity and their sexiness, and women who have sort of academic prowess or have great minds are not really looked upon in the same glory, so I really enjoyed the fact that we had [Tika Sumpter’s character] Dolores in the movie, who I saw like comes out as one of the most awesome honest personalities in the movie who wanted to be a doctor. She has no interest in these silly games. Sparkle you respect because she has real talent, and in the end, Sister is really just pathetic. I thought that was an interesting thing to put forth, the idea of the sexiest girl in the movie being the most pathetic. Do you feel that you’ve had to make that similar choice in your life in your work, to navigate the Sister-esque route in your career? CE: Definitely, definitely. If I had been making certain choices earlier in my career that I actively avoided I probably would be a little up to speed with a lot of my contemporaries. A lot of girls I was coming up with have far exceed me in terms of focus within the business, but I’m still happy and proud and can stand by my body of work at this point and I don’t feel like I’ve compromised my values along the way. One of my favorite tidbits about you is that you are a member of MENSA… CE: [Laughs] I don’t know if I can still pass if I took the test! After having kids I’ve definitely lost a few brain cells along the way. A high IQ isn’t something that Hollywood tends to naturally exploit in actors, unfortunately. CE: There was a point when I was very young where I remember talking with my mom about going to drama school and this was maybe when I was 8, 9, 10 years old – and she knew that I was also academically very capable, and she steered me in another direction. I ended up getting a scholarship to a really academically strong girls’ school that had produced people like Kate Beckinsale; she’s actually another actress in the industry who I feel has really had to grapple with certain choices and I think has a similar take on this. She was in the year above me in the school that I went to. It’s interesting the kind of girl that that place has produced, that have recognized the complexity of being a woman in this industry and made choices out of that. There were definitely forks in the path where I could have gone one way or another, but the academics certainly were something that was more encouraged in my house. Whitney Houston is such a tremendous presence onscreen just watching the movie. What it was like to be in those scenes and on set with her? CE: I actually had to get up from the [premiere] screening after she performed her song. I was just in absolute tears, as were many of the people around me, but I had to go and fix my make up because I knew that the lights were coming up in twenty minutes. [Laughs] Her presence on the screen is just utterly mesmerizing, she’s luminescent. On the set, she was always a presence, but there was a humility about that presence, an approachability about her that is not always what you find in stars, and that’s what she embodied. I have to really thank her so much to some degree for the performance that I was able to give within this movie because knowing that the people at the helm, the biggest name in the movie, are willing to be vulnerable and to be honest in their performance and their work, and their willingness to work with the other actors, sort of set the tone and freed me up to so what I had to do. She was also very open about her life, her past, in whatever way she thought would be beneficial to my work because obviously there are very strong parallels at times between my character’s past and Whitney’s past and life. I thought that was very generous and not asked for but was really offered. You really don’t know who you’re going to be showing up to work with on a project, and you just hope that have really creative endeavors at heart, and that’s absolutely where she was coming from. I read that you used to be in a band, is that true? CE: Gosh, yeah! I mean a long time ago, and that was really just a brief moment in time. I went on tour with a recording artist in the UK around the States, actually. I dabbled a little bit in the whole music thing but I’ve always thought about Bernie Taupin, who is Elton John’s lyricist; Elton John is the great melody and song writer but Bernie Taupin is the one who writes all the lyrics. I don’t write lyrics, and I never wanted to be in the music business if I was just going to be a puppet in it. So I made that choice at some point but I have such a passion for music and I love that whole space – I just had to decide at some point to devote myself to acting. That kind of made Sparkle a bit of a dream job. I got to combine the two and play at being a pop star. Which musician were you on tour with? CE: His name is Tricky, he’s a trip-hop artist. In that moment in time he was definitely a force to be reckoned with musically. But one of the reasons I didn’t ever pursue a career – in the music world if you’re black or mixed, you need to be able to belt a song or else you’re not a singer, you know? Coming from the UK, I can think of so many great songs and musical moments that didn’t require a belter of a voice; my favorite singer is Kate Bush and she’s not a belter, or PJ Harvey… I’m definitely more of an alternative girl. So given the fact that I’m on a soundtrack with Whitney Houston and Jordin Sparks and Cee-Lo, for goodness sake, a performance like mine is probably not going to get a lot of attention, and I’m okay with that. [Laughs] But that’s Sister singing those songs. The way I would approach those songs might be a little different – there’s a sassy, there’s a sultry, there’s a husky going on in that voice that’s not necessarily how I’d perform a song. It’s a performance! I was pleasantly surprised to find that R. Kelly was involved in the music of Sparkle . Did you interact with him much? CE: I learned a lot about R. Kelly from Whitney because they go back forever, and I didn’t know that. Whitney would talk about certain people in her life – she’s very reflective, I found, in lots of ways, and would talk about times with Michael Jackson who she really knew when she was a teen, and R. Kelly who she’s known forever. I never actually got to meet him. He remains in the shadows. Your next film is Alex Cross … CE: It is, and it’s a really small but pivotal role in the movie. It’s funny because it’s destined that it happened, because that’s how I got Sparkle – the make-up artist on Alex Cross said, “Do you sing?” And I said yeah, a little bit, and she said, “You really need to know about this movie that’s happening in Detroit, called Sparkle . And that’s when I decided to self-tape that night to go for the role of Sister. As small as the role is in Alex Cross , it’s a funny thing for that to come out after Sparkle . But I’m so thankful for that because really, one came from the other. What was it like to work with Tyler Perry? He has this niche following but this promises to be a real crossover. CE: I totally agree, and that’s what interested me about the project. Rob Cohen, who directed it, had been a fan of Sally Hemings which I did many, many years ago. So I was very excited to work with him for that reason as much as any, but this Tyler aspect was a bit of an unknown because I’ve never seen any of his movies. Of course I knew who he is, and I know the space he inhabits in terms of film, but I recognized that this was going to be a serious role and a departure for him from what he normally does. And he, I have to say, was as dedicated to the work as any actor I’ve ever seen. To the point that I don’t know if I ever actually experienced time with Tyler. I had never met him previously. I think he’s coming to the premiere so I might get a sense of who he really is, but I felt like I was constantly talking to Alex Cross. He was kind of method in his approach, and he was really full on! Audiences will also get to see you on the small screen, in Zero Hour . What can we expect? CE: I literally start as soon as I get back filming [ Zero Hour ] for ABC with Anthony Edwards, this is his return to network television. It’s really a two-hander; what excites me about the potential of this is it deals with subject matter that I think is going to be quite potentially controversial and titillating for the American audience, because it’s all about religion versus science and faith versus non-faith, and these topics that people don’t like to get into too much. It’s kind of like Da Vinci Code meets Mulder and Scully in The X-Files . [Laughs] It’s funny, I know where I’ve been coming from all these years and my background and I realized as I reflect, I’m a horror/sci-fi buff without realizing it. I was a big Stephen King book reader growing up, and I think I’ve made certain choices over the years based on that taste, and this is definitely one of those moments. Sparkle is in theaters now. Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Boston Airport Accused Of Racially Profiling Minority Passengers A heavily traveled Boston airport is facing accusations of racial profiling after implementing a “behavioral detection” program that flags potentially threatening minority passengers based on where they are traveling to and what they are wearing. Transportation Security Administration officers at Boston’s Logan International Airport are alleging that a program intended to help flag possible terrorists based on passengers’ mannerisms has led to rampant racial profiling, a newspaper reported Saturday. The New York Times reported on its website that in interviews and internal complaints it has obtained, more than 30 officers involved in the “behavior detection” program at Logan contend that the operation targets not only Middle Easterners, but also passengers who fit certain profiles — such as Hispanics traveling to Miami, or blacks wearing baseball caps backward. The officers said their co-workers were increasingly targeting minorities, believing the stops would lead to the discovery of drugs, outstanding arrest warrants and immigration problems, in response to pressure from managers who wanted high numbers of stops, searches and criminal referrals, The Times reported. “The behavior detection program is no longer a behavior-based program, but it is a racial profiling program,” one officer wrote in an anonymous complaint The Times obtained. Utterly ridiculous. If your own TSA officers are the ones making the accusations….well…. Source
I spend so much time focusing on Amy Childs ’ chesticles, I’ve never noticed that she has a great set of legs. Here she is at the airport wearing a pair of sexy Daisy Dukes. God damn, I love those things! Greatest clothing invention ever! Anyway, I still think she looks like a dolled up Miley Cyrus , which isn’t a bad thing.
