360 DEGREES Weblog

Ahh Make my Day!! Oh no that was another flick. Nevertheless They just made my day!

MGM is announcing that “BOND 23″ is set to go into production in late 2011. Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli of EON Productions, together with Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum, the Co-Chairmen and Chief Executive Officers of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., today announced that the 23rd James Bond film will have a worldwide release on November 9, 2012 — just as Deadline last month reported it would. Daniel Craig will be returning as the legendary British secret agent, with Sam Mendes directing a screenplay written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan. That script is being kept under wraps but the story begins after Quantum Of Solace leaves off. The reason for the 007 delay is this: Broccoli and Wilson had been in pre-production on Bond #23 for release in 2011 but then it took almost a year for MGM’s future to sort itself out what with the failed auction sale of the studio, then the pre-packaged bankruptcy getting approval, and eventually Spyglass taking over studio filmmaking.

The 3D movie version of the quaint TV cartoon series is directed by Raja Gosnell (Home Alone 3, Scooby Doo), and stars, among others, Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays, Sofia Vergara, Hank Azaria, Anton Yelchin, Jonathan Winters, Katy Perry and Alan Cumming.

When the evil wizard Gargamel chases the tiny blue Smurfs out of their village, they tumble from their magical world and into ours — in fact, smack dab in the middle of Central Park. Just three apples high and stuck in the Big Apple, the Smurfs must find a way to get back to their village before Gargamel tracks them down.

The Smurfs is released on August 3.

Take your gaming audio experience to the next level with the Astro MixAmp ($100). Simply plug an optical audio cable into the main unit, connect your favorite headset to the wireless receiver unit, and prepare to be blown away by 7.1 channel Dolby Surround Sound. The MixAmp uses a 5.8 GHz connection to ensure minimal interference, and also provides an enhanced mix of game/voice audio.

A Walther pistol wielded by Sean Connery as James Bond in the photo shoot used for the main image in the poster and advertising campaign for 1963′s From Russia With Love (above) is expected to fetch up to $32,000 at Christie’s’ Popular Culture: Film and Entertainment sale in London on Nov. 25. The iconic image of Connery holding the gun was later used in advertising and promotional material for every Bond film up until 1967′s You Only Live Twice and remains a major pop culture paragon.

Other 007 items in the extremely cool sale include a pair of jodphurs ($2,500) and riding boots ($2,000) worn by George Lazenby in 1969′s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service; and a small derringer pistol used by Scaramanga’s manservant Nick Nack (Hervé Villechaize) in 1974′s The Man With the Golden Gun, estimated at up to $8,000.

The Burj Khalifa, Dubai is an iconic structure in itself, and daredevil Tom Cruise just made it more special. For his latest edition of the Mission Impossible series (part four), Cruise was filmed dangling from 2,717ft from the observation deck of the Burj Kahlifa, while nervous fans prayed and scrutinized from below. The 48-year old generally performs his own stunts, was later seen at the Armani hotel, with his co-stars Jeremy Renner and Paula Patton at the newly opened Armani hotel, where Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol was formally launched.

One of the coolest and most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, the 1964 Aston Martin DB5 driven by Sean Connery as James Bond in Goldfinger and Thunderball, will be put up for sale for the first time in history at RM Auctions’ Automobiles of London event on October 27 where it is expected to fetch over $5 million. Offered by in association with Sotheby’s, the famous Aston Martin is one of only two, and the sole remaining, of the original ’007′ DB5s. With its “rather interesting modifications” as originally conceived by Oscar-award-winning special effects expert John Stears, the car is factory-fitted with the full complement of operational ‘Q-Branch’ gadgets.

These include machine guns, bullet-proof shield, revolving number plates, tracking device, removable roof panel, oil slick sprayer, nail spreader and smoke screen, all controlled from factory installed toggles and switches hidden in the center arm-rest.

Besides the DB5 is also famed Bond Girl Pussy Galore’s 1960 Hiller UH -12 E4 helicopter. Expected to fetch up to $650,000, the historic aircraft has been completely restored to the highest standards and is in full flying condition.

Nintendo officially announced that it will be releasing the 3DS in Japan on February 26, 2011, priced at $298. That’s not all, owners will be able to take their “picture using the 3DS’ front-facing camera and then automatically convert the image into a Mii

France could be getting a bit more Disney. Euro Disney has signed a new deal with the French government that gives it the option to build a new complex on some land east of Paris. Through the extension of an original agreement the company now has until 2030 to build a third park adding to the first Disneyland Paris which opened in 1992 and Walt Disney Studios which opened in 2002. The land may also be home to eco-tourism and sustainable development.

The projects could create a total of 70,000 new jobs and be worth as much as 8 billion euros. According to the Telegraph, one of the ideas being considered is a Marvel “superheroes park” but that project may not be started for several years. Other projects for the Marne-La-Vallee development where Disneyland Paris is located include houses and a nature park that will be set up with French travel company Pierre et Vacances. The nature park “Les Villages Nature de Val d’Europe” could generate up to 1.8 billion euros.

Attendance at Euro Disney was down in the first part of the year but it is still Europe’s largest theme park operator. The Walt Disney Company owns a 40 percent share in Euro Disney, and Prince al-Waleed of Saudi Arabia has a 10 percent stake.

Madonna is poised to become a billionaire thanks to an offer of a five-year performing residency in Las Vegas. The deal, valued at $1 billion, is being brokered by Las Vegas officials looking to give the beleaguered town a boost and restore its tourist traffic, the London Sun reports, and would likely involve appearances at more than one glitzy casino. The arrangement is similar to ones that Celine Dion, Elton John and Cher have had in the past though much more lucrative. Madonna, who is already the fourth highest earning female entertainer in the world, would join Oprah on the very short list of celebrity female billionaires if she decides to sign on the dotted line. The megabucks payment would totally eclipse her previous earnings; in 2007, she signed a ten-year contract worth a measly $125 million with promoter Live Nation.

DJ lovers can get the party started anytime, anywhere with ?Pioneer Pro – 1400 FLT? designed by a French design student, Vivier Raphael. The mobile DJ concept offers two configurations, a sober and classic to keep neutral during transport, the other focuses more on the event with LED devices.