New 007 Novel Due in ’08
Fans of James Bond can look forward to a new novel, “Devil May Care,” to be published on May 28, 2008, the 100th anniversary of the birth of Ian Fleming, the creator of 007. The book, to be published in the United States by Doubleday and in Britain by Penguin, publisher of all 14 of Fleming’s Bond adventures, will be the work of the English writer Sebastian Faulks, whose novels include “The Girl at the Lion d’Or,” “Birdsong” and “Charlotte Gray.” (Other authorized Bond novels have been written by Kingsley Amis, John Gardner and Raymond Benson.) Doubleday said, “ ‘Devil May Care’ is set in the cold war, and the action is played out across two continents, exotic locations and several of the world’s most glamorous cities.” Mr. Faulks, who said he was asked by the Fleming estate to carry out the commission, said: “In his house in Jamaica, Ian Fleming used to write 1,000 words in the morning, then go snorkeling, have a cocktail, lunch on the terrace, more diving, another 1,000 words in late afternoon, then more martinis and glamorous women. In my house in London, I followed this routine exactly, apart from the cocktails, the lunch and the snorkeling.”
Another Book
By Bill Clinton
Sept. 4 is the publication date for a new book by former President Bill Clinton. “Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World” is about citizen activism and public service, and will published by Alfred A. Knopf with an initial printing of 750,000 copies. In a statement, Mr. Clinton said, “I’ve done my best in this book to demonstrate what I’ve seen firsthand through my foundation’s work in Africa and around the world: that all kinds of giving can make a profoundly positive difference.” An announcement yesterday from the publisher said “Giving” would be issued simultaneously as an e-book, as a large print edition and as a Random House Audiobook read by the author. It said a part of Mr. Clinton’s proceeds from the book would be donated to charities and nonprofit groups trying to improve the world.
Live Earth Did Best Live
The nine coordinated Live Earth concerts on seven continents to raise awareness about climate change proved a bigger hit on the Internet than they were on television. NBC’s prime-time special recapping the day’s shows averaged just 2.8 million viewers from 8 to 11 p.m. on Saturday, according to Nielsen’s figures, making it the night’s least-watched program on the four major television networks. The performances were broadcast live, however, on several cable channels over 18 hours last weekend, and Nielsen estimated that 19 million people in the United States watched six minutes or more. Online, the concerts set a record for an entertainment event carried over the Internet. Microsoft’s MSN said on Sunday that since the start of the concerts, it had delivered more than 30 million video streams, reaching more than 8 million viewers. BENJAMIN TOFF
Time Runs Out
On Date Night
Lián Amaris Sifuentes the performance artist who was filmed in Union Square in Manhattan for 72 hours while preparing for a date, as scheduled at midnight Monday. As is often the case, the anticipation was more exciting than the event. After leaving the set of “Fashionably Late for the Relationship,” she changed, gathered her belongings and returned to her apartment. But the exit was a high point. “By the time it was about 11:30, the crowd was huge,” Ms. Sifuentes said yesterday. “Finally I got up, took my purse and my scarf and walked across the set. As soon as I broke frame, I hailed a cab and left. Everybody applauded.” Now the work shifts to the director, R. Luke DuBois, who will edit 250 hours of footage for a 72-minute film.
CAMPBELL ROBERTSON
Wheeldon Troupe Announces Program
Two American premieres and two New York premieres choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon will be danced when his new company, Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, presents its inaugural season of six performances at New York City Center, from Oct. 17 through Oct. 21. Besides the American premieres of Mr. Wheeldon’s ‘”Prokofiev Pas de Deux” and an as-yet untitled work and the New York premieres of “There Where She Loved” and “Tryst Pas,” the company will dance works by William Forsythe, Michael Clarke, Liv Lorent and Edwaard Liang.
Absent Anchor, NBC Sinks
With the July 4 holiday last week, NBC’s evening news broadcast sank to an all-time ratings low, though it still ranked solidly second, ahead of CBS. According to Nielsen Media Research, NBC’s “Nightly News With Brian Williams” drew an average of 6.8 million viewers last week as Mr. Williams, the newscast’s regular anchor, vacationed Wednesday through Friday. ABC’s “World News With Charles Gibson,” who did not go on leave, remained No. 1 for its 11th consecutive week, attracting 7.5 million viewers. CBS’s “Evening News With Katie Couric” finished third over all (5.6 million). Among adults 25 to 54, the demographic most sought after by advertisers, all three evening newscasts posted their lowest numbers since Nielsen began tracking them in 1987. BENJAMIN TOFF
‘Susan’ Sought
As a London Musical
Featuring hit songs by the rock band Blondie, a musical version of the 1985 film “Desperately Seeking Susan,” an early Madonna vehicle directed by Susan Seidelman, will come to the London stage in October, Agence France-Presse reported yesterday. Deborah Harry of Blondie has written a new song, “Moment of Truth,” for the West End production, the producers said. Emma Williams, 24, will perform the role of Susan, played by Madonna in the movie; Kelly Price will play Roberta, the bored suburban housewife who becomes fascinated with Susan, the role Rosanna Arquette first played. ... Claire Danes is to make her Broadway debut as Eliza Doolittle in the Roundabout Theater Company production of “Pygmalion” at the American Airlines Theater this fall. ... Lynn Redgrave (whose one-woman play, “Nightingale,” which just finished a run at Hartford Stage, is being heavily courted by Broadway producers) is coming back to the New York stage in an MCC Theater Company production of “Grace,” by Mick Gordon and AC Grayling. The show is to run at the Lucille Lortel Theater from Jan. 23 to March 8. ... The run of the Second Stage Theater production of Sarah Ruhl’s “Eurydice” has been extended through Aug. 12.
Footnotes
The Disney Company has postponed to fall from summer the release of its massively multiplayer online game “Pirates of the Caribbean Online,” Reuters reported. Need for more development time was given as the reason. ... A German radio station said that enough money had been raised to erect a monument to the Beatles in Hamburg, where the band started its international career 45 years ago, The Associated Press reported. Construction is expected to begin this year on the tribute, to stand on a corner in the city’s St. Pauli district. The monument will depict Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and the so-called fifth Beatle, Stuart Sutcliffe, who died in Hamburg in 1962.
