The Oscars To Honor James Bond And Its Producers In Musical Tribute

Get ready to shake your martinis to the iconic sounds of James Bond theme songs, as the longtime producers of the seminal cinematic franchise are set to be honored with a musical tribute at the 97th annual Academy Awards. According to reports, producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson will be honored on the main stage after receiving their own Honorary Oscars at the Governors Awards.

In a new report from Variety — though the Academy Awards themselves have not yet commented on the matter — it was confirmed that Wicked will not be the only musical moment to take place during Sunday’s Oscar ceremony. Though details on specifics remain scarce, Variety had this to say about what they did know about the musical moment:

“It is unclear whether the tribute will focus solely on Oscar-winning and nominated songs or take a broader approach to celebrating all 26 Bond themes. However, according to sources, the tribute will include what is being described as an assembly of surprising and immense talents.”

Since 1962, James Bond Has Been Giving Us Some Incredible Theme Songs

Few cinematic theme songs have done what the James Bond theme songs and instantly-recognizable instrumentals have done and continue to do. The multi-award-winning tunes have featured a bevy of big-name performers, including Shirley Bassey’s “Goldfinger,” Nancy Sinatra’s “You Only Live Twice,” Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let Die,” Carly Simon’s “Nobody Does It Better,” Sheena Easton’s “For Your Eyes Only,” Duran Duran’s “A View to a Kill,” Tina Turner’s “GoldenEye,” “Tomorrow Never Dies” by Sheryl Crowe, Madonna’s “Die Another Day,” Adele’s “Skyfall,” Sam Smith’s “Writing’s On The Wall,” and “No Time To Die” from Billie Eilish. Of all those songs, six have received Oscar nominations, with three of them even winning the big prize:

• “Live and Let Die” from Live and Let Die by Paul and Linda McCartney (1973)
• “Nobody Does It Better” from The Spy Who Loved Me by Carly Simon (1977)
• “For Your Eyes Only” from For Your Eyes Only by Bill Conti and Mick Leeson (1981)
• “Skyfall” from Skyfall by Adele and Paul Epworth (2012) — Won
• “Writing’s on the Wall” from Spectre by Sam Smith and Jimmy Napes (2015) — Won
• “No Time to Die” from No Time to Die by Billie Eilish and Finneas (2021) — Won

The move comes as the Bond franchise is undergoing several behind-the-scenes changes now that it is an Amazon Studios property — to say nothing of the current musings about who might become the next 007. Current speculation puts Slow Horses star Jack Lowden at the top of the current list of would-be stars, but these things change all the time, so don’t get your hopes up (or down) just yet.

If the Oscars could get even three of those folks to appear on stage, it would be a big deal. Of course, there’s also the theme song from British composer Monty Norman, and “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” from the 1969 Bond film of the same name. The former tune has been used as the signature theme of the James Bond film series, featuring in every Bond film since 1962’s Dr. No. Here’s hoping they honor those moments as well.

Source:

Variety

James Bond

Summary

James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming’s death in 1964: Kingsley Amis, Christopher Wood, John Gardner, Raymond Benson, Sebastian Faulks and Jeffery Deaver; a new novel, written by William Boyd, is planned for release in 2013. Additionally, Charlie Higson wrote a series on a young James Bond and Kate Westbrook wrote three novels based on the diaries of a recurring series character, Moneypenny.

The fictional British Secret Service agent has also been adapted for television, radio, comic strip and video game formats as well as being used in the longest running and the second-highest grossing film franchise to date, which started in 1962 with Dr. No, starring Sean Connery as Bond. As of 2012, there have been twenty two films in the Eon Productions series, with a twenty third, Skyfall, due for release on 26 October 2012. The film will star Daniel Craig in his third portrayal of Bond: he is the sixth actor to play Bond in the Eon series. There have also been two independent productions of Bond films, Casino Royale, a 1967 spoof, and Never Say Never Again, a 1983 remake of an earlier Eon-produced film, Thunderball.

The films are renowned for a number of features, including the musical accompaniment, with the theme songs to the films having picked up Academy Award nominations on several occasions. Other important elements which run through most of the films include Bond’s cars, his guns and the gadgets he is supplied with by Q Branch.

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