The Museum Folkwang in Essen, Germany is presenting an exciting exhibition of original international James Bond movie posters as well as rare still photographs. The exhibit has been drawing large crowds and will be presented through January 13. Many of the items in the exhibition have been provided by well-known German Bond memorabilia collectors Thomas Nixdorf and Robert Ganz. For information and illustrations click here

Skyfall is closing in on a worldwide gross of $800 million- with plenty of juice still left in the 007 thriller.

Studios are savoring the long weekend grosses over the Thanksgiving holiday, which is now the biggest in history. Twilight: Breaking Dawn- Pt. 2 led the pack followed by Skyfall, which became the first James Bond movie to cross the $200 million line in the North American market. It's international grosses are now approaching a staggering $800 million.  Steven Spielberg's Lincoln continued to perform strongly and Life of Pi is doing better than predicted. For more click here

By Lee Pfeiffer

The old adage goes that you can't judge a book by its cover. In the parlance of my old Jersey City neighborhood, "Well, here goes your proof." The Bond on Set books by photographer Greg Williams are becoming a most welcome tradition. This impressive hardback is the best in the line, offering superb insights into the filming of the 007 blockbuster Skyfall. Williams captures not only the incredible hard work and diverse team of talented people concentrating on bringing this big budget film to the screen, but he also lets us see those behind the scenes moments of levity that show there is much joy in movie-making- in particular on an Eon production where so many cast and crew members consider each other part of an extended family. There are wonderful shots of producer Michael Wilson hugging Dame Judi Dench, the team members meeting for a pre-production conference in a very unglamorous bare room at Pinewood Studios, Daniel Craig and Javier Bardem living everyone's dream of sliding down the escalator barrier in the London underground and director Sam Mendes valiantly bringing all the disparate elements of a Bond production together as a coherent whole.

The book covers the entire process of making of the film in stunning color photographs. The only downside is the drab cover which doesn't do justice in the slightest to the dynamic content of this book. The main photo is a dismal B&W shot of Bond holding a shotgun, making one think a more appropriate title might be "Hunting Tips from Daniel Craig". Considering this is the most stylish and fashion conscious of Craig's three 007 movies, you have to wonder what the thought process was behind burying these aspects in marketing the book. Aside from, that this is a "must-have" for anyone who has ever admired the long-ignored contributions of still photographers on film sets. Williams does a magnificent job of showing us the magic behind Skyfall. The book does contain many spoilers, such as the secret behind Albert Finney's character, but chances are that if you are tempted to buy this book, you've probably seen the film numerous times.

Click here to order discounted from Amazon.

Lana Wood as Plenty O'Toole with Sean Connery in Diamonds Are Forever.

A bevy of James Bond actresses will be appearing at the Hollywood Show in Burbank, California on January 11-13. The collector's show features a wide array of movie memorabilia and celebrity autograph opportunities. Among those appearing from the Bond films: Lana Wood, Luciana Paluzzi, Britt Ekland, Eunice Gayson, Tania Mallet, Gloria Hendry, Maud Adams and Maryam d'Abo. Also appearing is fan favorite Richard Kiel and James West himself, Robert Conrad. For more click here

(Thanks to Lana Wood for the news alert.)

Spurned by the enormous international grosses of the James Bond film Skyfall as well as several other hit movies released earlier this year, Sony executives are crowing about having reached a significant achievement: the best year for movies in the studio's history. Sony has taken in a massive $4 billion. The Bond film is now the biggest entry in the long-running franchise.The 23rd Eon-backed 007 film has taken in $669 million to date internationally and has plenty of life left in it. For more click here

The Wrap web site reports that expectations are very high for the latest James Bond blockbuster Skyfall in its opening weekend. The film is already doing phenomenal business in its international engagements. Industry insiders are also carefully watching the public response to Lincoln, Steven Spielberg's prestigious production that is no one's idea of a blockbuster in terms of grosses but is considered a shoo-in for major Oscar nominations. The Bond franchise has such clout these days that rival studios cleared their releases to give Agent 007 a free reign this weekend. Sony estimates the film could take in $67 million but industry expectations are even higher. For more click here

James Bond has always been dressed to kill and, by-and-large, his on-screen cinematic sense of style has never been outdated (well, except for "the decade that style forgot"- the 1970s when Roger Moore was sentenced to wear some embarrassing suits that would make Austin Powers blush.) Click here for an article that looks at the fashions of James Bond- and why the sense of style continues with Daniel Craig.  

Recently revealed WWII documents show that Canadian film producer Harry Saltzman, who famously co-produced the James Bond films with Albert R. Broccoli, had a secret past in intelligence operations. A routine request for her father's files from the U.S. government led Saltzman's children Hilary and Steven to investigate some intriguing clues to their father's secret past. The conclusion seems to be that he may well have been a spy for U.S. intelligence during the war. For more, see Vanity Fair article.  click here