As many of you know, I’ve been working to formally publish the collected works of #Bond_age_. I’ve been tinkering with the existing essays and writing some connective tissue with the intent of publication. It’s not been without its share of frustration (as with any endeavor publish). Many of you have aided me along the way. As I’ve been submitting my queries and pitches over the last four months, I’ve not only been met with deafening silence from my targeted publishers, but I’ve also come to terms with the tragic flaw of the manuscript as constructed. It’s too complicated. It’s too much *stuff* packed into one pitch. Too many related ideas and #Bond_age_ goodness and not enough focus… at least for impartial third-party eyes. I know it makes sense. Maybe you know it makes sense. But Joe Curmudgeon over there reading submission packets doesn’t give it a second glance. Bond essays. Experiential anecdotes. Thoughts on how social media has democratized film criticism. Live tweet tweets? And though I joke, he’d be absolutely right. It’s a mess of ideas. So I’m recalibrating. I’m still working on my other manuscript, come what may.
This #Bond_age_ book was always about how the project came together and built momentum. It was about #Bond_age_ fans as a community of like-minded viewers from all over this planet. Let’s simplify. Let’s take the #Bond_age_ Book back to the essentials. Let’s compile the #Bond_age_ essays, the My Favorite #Bond_age_ Essays and selections from our original live tweets. It will be our book. We did all this. We’ll publish the book ourselves too. The venue for publication will be a secondary concern for now. But if you have ideas, please let me know. I’ll get into this research a little further down the road. Having our contributions to James Bond on this website is lovely, but these are just bits and bytes. Websites can disappear in the blink of an eye (as I found out not so very long ago). Let’s put this on paper and put it on the shelf next our ragged Ian Fleming Signet paperbacks.
We need to go through all the essays and polish. I’m looking for a few sets of eyes to scrutinize. Who’s with me? I promise this will be less Bond leading screaming ninjas to slaughter. Less human-shielding, I promise.
Let’s start with Step One.
I need copyeditors. I need eyes to help me go over all the essays, especially the My Favorite #Bond_age_ essays. I’m hoping to find three volunteers. We can coordinate over email and set up a project Dropbox to share workflow. If you’re interested in joining the Book Team, send me a message on Twitter (@007hertzrumble, in case you forgot) or email me at jdpatrick913 at gmail.com.
We’ll get to Step Two (Design) after I have a willing (or not-so-willing if necessary) team of copyeditors in place.
Another shift in #Bond_age_ programming to report.
Join #Bond_age_ Wednesday, June 17th at 9pm ET to remember Mr. Third Nipple himself.
The Man with the Golden Gun Christopher Lee Memorial Live Tweet
Instead of our regularly scheduled episodes of #Bond_age_TV, we’ll be pushing everything back a week to accommodate our remembrances of the late, great Christopher Lee who passed away last week at the age of 93. As one of the most iconic actors in the business, Christopher Lee left his mark all across the cinematic landscape. He appeared in his first film in 1948, and was Ian Fleming’s first choice to play Dr. No in the very first James Bond film.
We hope you join us for what is always an entertaining live tweet.
Follow #MWGG hashtag. Frequent and liberal use of #ChristopherLee will also be expected.
These past two years flew by. I keep saying it because it’s true — if it weren’t for all the awesome people participating in the live tweets and contributing to the #Bond_age_Pod and buying t-shirts and talking James Bond on Twitter and filling in to host when I’m on a Turkish bender none of this happens. Zero. Zippo. So this #Bond_age_versary celebrates everyone involved in this project.
Raise your glasses tonight as we live tweet #Goldfinger at 9pm EDT and toast yourselves.
A perfect storm of events over the last couple of days resulted in the total annihilation of the #Bond_age_ website. My recent backup files were apparently corrupted and my web host must be owned by SPECTRE. I can reboot to a 15-month-old backup. I’ll likely rescue the original Live Tweet digests from this backup, if nothing else.
For the time being, thejamesbondsocialmediaproject.com will be under construction. We will return. I’m going to take this opportunity to make some improvements I’ve long wanted to make and streamline the entire blog. Thank you to everyone that responded on Twitter last night when I came online to vent my frustrations. At one point yesterday, in my most irrational state, I wanted to scrap the entire project and just walk away. You guys brought me back from the brink. I have not lost everything. @FanForumsTV informed me about Google caching so I can rescue most of the website, page by page. I downloaded these files and will work to restore everything we’ve done to make #Bond_age_ so f’ing great. But this will take some time. And patience. The live tweets will go on as planned. Next week we’re doing FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, the first of the Tournament of Bonds finalists.
I’m looking for some people to help me rebuild. If you have time and want to help, I will take you up on the offer. It will take a considerable amount of time to put the pages from Google cache back into blog format. Though I have the text, all of the images will need to be inserted back into the posts. I’m also actively searching for a webmaster/webmistress to help me build #Bond_age_ better, specifically someone to help with SEO, layout and some fine tweaking. Email me at jdpatrick913 at gmail.com if you have skillz you’d like to offer. *I can provide some financial compensation for the right set of skills.*
If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll know well enough by now that I attended the TCM Film Festival in Los Angeles this past week. I spilled much Twatter during those four days. One event during this 4-day cinema-going extravaganza piqued my interest. I devoted my entire Friday to George Lazenby introducing On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. I chose my movies for the entire day based on setting myself up to get good seats for OHMSS. (As it turns out, you don’t need to have the highest number in the queue, you just need to have friends — Proto-#Bond_age_ hosts @MiddParent and @NitrateDiva — who get the #1 spot in line and save you a seat in the third row.
TCM host Ben Mankiewicz sat with Lazenby before the film, talking about his legacy as a one-time Bond and his experience on set with director Peter Hunt and co-star Diana Rigg. Lazenby commandeered the conversation discussing veiled propositions from Diana Rigg and trysts in the stuntman tent and demonstrated fully the bravado that allowed this non-actor to talk himself into the most famous individual role in all of cinema. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service wowed on the big screen. But I don’t need to tell you that. It’s a gloriously shot film with tremendous snow-capped cinematography and epic chase scenes. My pulse raced even leading up to Lazenby’s infamous quip “This never happened to the other fellow,” anticipating the brassy OHMSS theme. I’ll spare you further fanboy gushing and instead allow tweets, pictures and Nitrate Diva to tell a more robust tale from that glorious evening. See Nitrate Diva’s full writeup about the TCMFF event here, including meticulous notes about the Lazenby/Mankiewicz conversation. I was too busy being absorbed at listening to James Bond spin devilish yarns and causing Mankiewicz to scratch his head in disbelief.
George Lazenby chats with Ben Mankiewicz before On Her Majesty’s Secret Service at the 2015 TCM Film Festival.
Not sure @BenMank77 knows what the hell to do with George Lazenby. Best non-conversation ever. #TCMFF#OHMSS
Finally, here’s a full conversation with George Lazenby courtesy of THRPodcasts. This was recorded during the TCM Film Festival and sheds more light on the enigmatic man who starred in one Bond movie and then walked away from everything. Required listening.
