Daily Prompt: The Interview

Interview your favorite fictional character.

So many characters to choose from. See how many questions it takes for you to identify, who the subject is.

Me: So how do you enjoy your role as _________?

???: I am actually the sixth, seventh or eight incarnation of myself. It depends on how you define me.

Me: When did you first come to our attention?

???: In print I was first mentioned in 1952, so over 60 years have passed since I first started skulking around.

Me: When did you first make the jump to the silver screen?

???: Two years afterwards I appeared on movie screens in another country, America was the first to thrill to my exploits. The land of my birth and where I risked life and limb had to wait till 1962. Somehow in that 15 years I lost 5 years in age,  from 37 to 32, as well as picking up an accent, or regaining my accent depending on how you look at it I suppose.

Me: So you became a star in your homeland in 1962. Did you quickly gain acceptance?

???: Yes but they got a Scotsman to play me, an Englishman played by a Scot. Plus he wore a toupee every time he portrayed me. In 1962 I had to tackle a medical professional. Also it was the only time you will have hear me sing during the movie. In 1963 I did a movie about International love. 1964 brought a villain with a golden appeal to oppose me. 1965 was this actor’s favorite film to do, as he made a loud noise with sporting gear.

Me: Besides movies and books, you only sang once, so music wasn’t a big part of the package?

???: On the contrary music was a very large part of the story. Theme song which has been part of every movie produced by the current rights holders, to the story. Monty Norman wrote the original theme. However each movie has had a theme song as well. Such notables like, Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones, Frank Sinatra, Luis Armstrong, Paul McCartney and Wings, and most recently Adele.

Me: Well James, by now our readers have figured out I am interviewing 007, or Bond, James Bond, lets leave them with some of the music from your movies.

http://youtu.be/23BgQxgujiY  Dr. No

http://youtu.be/2XGqbIZv9-g    From Russia with Love

http://youtu.be/s-NIdcP-HGQ     Goldfinger

http://youtu.be/xAQ-nG0AlSg     Thunderball

http://youtu.be/hcIl_6amBvU     You Only Live Twice

http://youtu.be/Apvge4l3Nmw     Live and Let Die

http://youtu.be/LO75vJSlr_w     The Spy Who Loved Me

http://youtu.be/NGrptJTswNg     For Your Eyes Only

http://youtu.be/SqHg_HSwgIA     Tomorrow Never Dies

http://youtu.be/OpGWTNaVc04     Skyfall

More Interviews

To all the Leaf’s fans suffering today.

First of all, I have to let everyone know I am an Oiler’s fan when it comes to hockey. Canada’s most popular and most profitable team in the NHL is the Toronto Maple Leafs though. Last night they had a 4-1 lead over the Boston Bruins, and managed to lose the game and the series. They managed this by accomplishing what had never been done in the NHL before, losing game 7 while holding a three goal lead in the third period. Yup in over 100 years of Stanley Cup playoffs, no team had let the other team come back, and eliminate them from advancing to the next round, after gaining a three goal lead. This continues the drought the Leafs have suffered since 1967, Canada’s Centennial year, when they last won the Stanley Cup.

You could argue the best team won, or the losers beat themselves. So in honor of this accomplishment, I propose a new theme song for the Leafs. Coincidentally this song by Sonny and Cher was released and a top 40 hit in the same year, 1967. So for all the Leaf fans, I hope it helps bring back the memories  of a different time. As the song says, “And the beat goes on”

For another take on this topic, visit my friend David Kanigan at his great blog.

Hockey 101

This post came to mind after reading Kim’s admission she is a Habs, (Montreal Canadiens) fan.  To read her confession just head over here. I have been teasing Diana about being a Calgary Flames fan. The Oilers and Flames are a provincial rivalry, in hockey that has few if any equals. As many of my readers live in places where ice, is only found in their beverage, I thought I would explain hockey a little. The Montreal Canadiens use the French spelling of Canadians, as Montreal is the largest French speaking city in our bi-lingual country.

image source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hockey

Hockey is first mentioned in 1363 in England as part of a list of banned sports. The word hockey is thought to have come from the Middle French word hoquet, which was the name for a Shepard’s hooked staff. The modern game has been part of the Olympics since the 1920 Summer Games. Yes you read that correctly, a winter game showcased during the the Summer Games. Luckily cooler minds prevailed and in 1924 hockey became a Winter Games sport where it has remained since.

The premier league in the world is the National Hockey League, which is normally referred to as the NHL. The NHL was originally an all Canadian league founded in Montreal in 1917, with four teams. Since 1924 the league has been bi-national with teams in Canada and the USA. Today there are thirty teams in the NHL, with seven in Canada and twenty three in the USA. The trophy the champions are awarded is called the Stanley Cup.  The NHL has played games in other countries since 1938. That year the Montreal Canadiens played a nine game series in England and France, with the Canadiens winning the series with a 5-3-1 record. In 1959 the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers played a 23 game our through 10 cities in Europe, which was won by the Rangers with a 11-9-3 record. In 1975/1976 the NHL played the Russian Red Army team, and the Soviet Wings in what was called the Super Series, the Russian teams won the series with a 5-2-1 record.The NHL has continued with international games, and they have helped develop the sport world wide.

The objective of the game is to shoot a puck into the oppositions goal. Each team normally has three forwards, two defense man and a goalie on the ice. This number may be reduced due to penalties, and if the goalie is the penalized player, one of the other players on the ice will serve the time in his place. Also teams sometimes will pull the goalie and replace him with an extra attacker to score a goal to tie the game and force overtime. The game consists of three 20 minute periods. If the teams are tied at the end of regulation the game will go into overtime. Until the 1983/84 season except for playoffs the game ended in a tie. Since then a 5 minute overtime period has been played, but with only 4 skaters and a goalie on each team, instead of the normal 5 skaters and goalie. Since 2005/06 a shoot out has been used to determine a winner, with each team choosing three skaters to go one on one against the opposng teams goalie. If either team scores more goals than the other, they are declared the winner. However if they remain tied after the first three shooters, each team will continue to send out one player, until one team has scored and the other team hasn’t scored. During the playoffs there is no shoot out, rather a 20 minute period is played under sudden death rules, in other words first goal scored ends the game.

image source:http://www.edmonton.ca/attractions_recreation/documents/Images/29050_rdax_90.jpg

In 2003 the Edmonton Oilers hosted the first outdoor game in the NHL’s history. Played on a temporary ice surface at Commonwealth Stadium, the football stadium, the game attracted 57,167 spectators. The game was conceived to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Oilers joining the NHL, and the 20th anniversary of their first Stanley Cup. The Montreal Canadiens were chosen as the opposition for the game, being the most successful team having won 24 Stanley cups. The Oilers even though a young team won 5 over seven years in the 1980/90s and lost a possible sixth cup in 2006 in the seventh and final game.

I hope you have enjoyed this brief introduction to my favorite sport, and if you want to know more check out the NHL website. Now it’s your turn let us know what your favorite sport is, and a little bit about it.