Bondage

The next James Bond has been revealed -- it's Harriet Miers! I'm just kidding, of course; it would be patently ridiculous to select someone without substantial relevant experience for such a high-profile role. The Daily Mail reports that Daniel Craig soon will be named as the next James Bond not to measure up to Sean Connery's:

Scores of others, including [Jude] Law . . . Ewan McGregor, Colin Farrell and Orlando Bloom, were considered but rejected.

In the end a shortlist of two emerged - Craig and newcomer Henry Cavill. The pair were auditioned again and tried on tuxedos to see how they would look in the quintessential Bond clothing.

. . . .

[Craig] will star in the 21st Bond film, based on Ian Fleming's first book Casino Royale.

I'm certainly no Bond purist -- I liked Pierce Brosnan's Bond as much as Connery's and On Her Majesty's Secret Service is my favorite amongst the Bond films -- but my initial impression of this new guy is not great: "Craig has said he does not like the fact that the films are more about gadgets than feelings." Super -- a Bond of Endearment for the new millenium.

What's been noted most prominently about Craig is that he will be the first blond to play James Bond; that may be, but Craig's Bond will not be the first lighter-haired British intelligence agent to achieve film immortality. In addition to working in the long shadow of Sean Connery, Daniel Craig (below left) will have his work cut out to eclipse the awesome legacy of Basil Exposition (Michael York, below right):