“Skyfall,” Featuring a Bad, Bad Bardem, Makes Bond History

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

He may have met his maker in Skyfall, but Javier Bardem will forever be a part of Bond history…

Skyfall, the third Bond film featuring Daniel Craig as 007, earned a notable $87.8 million at the box office in its opening weekend, earning $90 million total domestically since its Thursday preview opening in IMAX theaters.

Since the film’s debut overseas in October, the insta-classic Skyfall – which features Bardem as villainous ‪rogue agent Raoul Silva – has earned a whopping $518.6 million, making it the most successful Bond film to debut in the franchise’s history.

Skyfall has far outperformed the previous Bond films featuring Craig, including 2008’s Quantam of Solace ($67.5 million) and Casino Royale ($40.8 million.)

“It’s quite a testament to Bond, considering it’s the 50th anniversary. What a great anniversary present,” Rory Bruer, head of distribution at Sony, which produces the Bond films along with MGM, said of Skyfall’s early success.

Meanwhile, Bardem has been receiving rave reviews for his baddie role in the film. The Spanish actor, who won an Oscar winner for his creepy role in No Country for Old Men, seems to shine brightest as a villain.

Thalia to Receive Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame…

Posted on June 23, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Following in Shakira‘s footsteps… Thalia will be the next Latina singer to be making a permanent mark in Hollywood in the near future…

The 40-year-old Mexican singer/actress is set to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame sometime next year for her career as a recording artist.

During her 30-year career—as a member of the Mexican child group Din Din, a member of the Mexican band Timbiriche and as a solo artist—Thalia has sung in Spanish, English, French, Portuguese and Tagalog. And, she’s sold more than 40 million albums worldwide.

Along with Thalia, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced 23 other honorees who will be given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, including Javier Bardem.

The 43-year-old Spanish actor, who won an Oscar for his role in No Country for Old Men, is being recognized for his work in motion pictures. Bardem, who is set to appear in the next James Bond film, one of only four actors and actresses selected to receive a star this go-round.

No word yet on when Thalia and Bardem will receive their stars.

Here’s a look at the complete list of 2013 Walk of Fame star recipients below.

Motion Pictures:
Rick Baker
Javier Bardem
Viola Davis
James Franco
Ron Howard
Helen Mirren

Television:
Simon Baker
Bryan Cranston
Ellen DeGeneres
Jane Lynch
Katey Sagal
Matthew Perry

Recording:
The Backstreet Boys
Jennifer Hudson
Jane’s Addiction
Janis Joplin (Posthumous)
New Kids On The Block
Usher Raymond IV
Thalia
Luther Vandross (Posthumous)

Live Theatre/Performance:
Olympia Dukakis
Penn & Teller

Radio:
Steve Harvey
“Shotgun Tom” Kelly

Cruz to Star in “The Counselor” and “Los Amantes Pasajeros” in 2012

Posted on June 11, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

It looks like Penelope Cruz will be having an incredibly busy remainder of the year…

The 38-year-old Spanish actress has reportedly joined the stellar cast of Ridley Scott’s next big project The Counselor, as previously predicted.

Cruz—who will soon be appearing on the big screen in Woody Allen’s To Rome With Love—will appear as Michael Fassbender’s love interest in the dramatic film that’s been called No Country For Old Men on steroids.

Along with Cruz and Fassbender, The Counselor will star Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem and Cameron Diaz.

In addition, Cruz could be teaming up again with noted Spanish director Pedro Almodovar this summer on his latest project, Los Amantes Pasajeros, according to Deadline.com.

The Almodovar-penned comedy, which will star 36-year-old Spanish actress Paz Vega, follows a group of travelers who are placed in life-threatening situation aboard a plane flying to Mexico City. The passengers are defenseless in the face of danger, which provokes colorful confessionals that are their way to put out of mind the possibility they might be about to die.

Los Amantes Pasajeros will begin shooting this summer in Madrid.

First Trailer for “Skyfall” Featuring Bardem Released

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Following his Oscar-winning role in No Country for Old Men, Javier Bardem is back with another memorable villain role…

Sony and MGM have released the first theatrical teaser trailer for the new James Bond movie Skyfall, which stars the 43-year-old Spanish actor as a blonde-haired bad guy. The clip has already been viewed nearly three million times on YouTube.

Directed by Sam Mendes, the film stars Daniel Craig in his third turn as 007 and Judi Dench as M, who seems to be keeping a big secret.

In addition, Albert Finney and new Bond femme fatale Berenice Marlohe appear in the highly anticipated film.

Skyfall opens in theaters on November 9th.

Bardem’s Going Blond in New James Bond Film

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Move over Madonna… Javier Bardem is having his own “blond ambition” moment.

The 43-year-old Spanish actor will sport a police uniform and blond wig for his villainous role in the next James Bond movie, according to set photos taken during the film’s shooting in London.

Despite the shroud of secrecy surrounding the next 007 saga, some details have emerged about Skyfall, which features Daniel Craig’s return as Bond.

In the published photos, Bardem—who plays a bad guy named Silva—is dressed as a British cop and wears a blond wig reminiscent in style to the one in the No Country for Old Men, a part that won him the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

The leading characters of “Skyfall” are in London, where several scenes have been shot in Whitehall, the site of most government offices, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey.

During a press conference for the film last November, Bardem said that Bond movies bring “good memories” of his youth in Spain and that he was sure the experience was going to be “a lot of fun.”

Garcia Bernal to Wield Zorro’s Sword on the Big Screen

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Move over Antonio Banderas! There’s a new Zorro in town… And, his name is Gael Garcia Bernal.

20th Century Fox has tapped the 33-year-old Mexican actor to take on the role of the masked Spanish outlaw in the upcoming Zorro Reborn.

In the modern take on the Zorro films made popular by George Hamilton and Antonio Banderas, the movie will take place in the future during a desolate and post-apocalyptic time—not during the Spanish colonial era in the 18thcentury like in the original story.

“In this version, Zorro will be less a caped crusader for justice than a one-man vigilante force bent on revenge, in a western story that has echoes of both Sergio Leone and No Country for Old Men,” explains the film’s producers.

No director has been hired for the project yet.

The Zorro story has been adapted into more than 40 films and several televisions series. The last film adaptation of Zorro was Michael Campbell‘s The Legend of Zorro, which starred Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Released in 2005, the film grossed more than $142, 4 million internationally.

Garcia Bernal has appeared in more than a handful of Oscar-nominated films, including The Motorcycle Diaries, where he portrayed Argentine Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara.

He’ll next appear in Will Ferrell’s Spanish-language comedy Casa de Mi Padre.

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