Academy Celebrates The Music of James Bond in LA Today, Oct 5

As part of the global 50th anniversary celebration of James Bond, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present "The Music of Bond: The First 50 Years," tonight, October 5, at 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. Held 50 years to the day after the U.K. opening of the first Bond film, "Dr. No," the evening pays homage to the memorable title songs and indelible scores that have become as celebrated as the films themselves.

Hosted by music historian and writer Jon Burlingame, the program will feature many of the people who made the music, including composer Bill Conti ("For Your Eyes Only"), songwriter Carole Bayer Sager ("Nobody Does It Better" from "The Spy Who Loved Me"), lyricist Don Black (title songs for "Thunderball," "Diamonds Are Forever," "The Man with the Golden Gun" and "The World Is Not Enough") and guitarist Vic Flick, who laid down the famous guitar lick for the "James Bond Theme." There also will be a special video message from actor Roger Moore.

Over the 22 films released to date as part of the official James Bond series, there have been several constants: suave but deadly leading men, gorgeous and sexy Bond girls, over-the-top villains and incredible music. Bond theme songs, sung by such leading performers as Nancy Sinatra ("You Only Live Twice"), Shirley Bassey ("Goldfinger"), Paul McCartney and Wings ("Live and Let Die"), Carly Simon ("Nobody Does It Better") and Sheena Easton ("For Your Eyes Only"), consistently landed on the pop music charts. Duran Duran's "A View to a Kill" became the first Bond song to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Those notable elements combined with the remarkable scores by composers including Conti, John Barry, Marvin Hamlisch and David Arnold has resulted in a body of work that continues to play a major role in popular film culture.

Tickets for "The Music of Bond" are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID, and may be purchased online at www.oscars.org, in person at the Academy box office, or by mail. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Ticketed seating is unreserved. For more information, call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.