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James Bond is one of the best-travelled film characters ever, his missions taking him all over the world, from the Middle East to Florida to tropical ocean islands. The latest 007 adventure is no exception, with Daniel Craig making his debut as James Bond on November 17th in Casino Royale at glamorous locations in Venice and the wild island of Madagascar - the setting for his first mission. Located in the Indian Ocean, off Africa's east coast, Madagascar is home to five per cent of the world's plant and animal species, and is a remote, huge island that is ideal for an adventure holiday. Among the tour operators offering packages to the island are Explore, who have a 19-day tour that works as an introduction to the reserves and cultural sights of the south of the island. One of the country's most famous residents are the endangered Lemur primate species, indigenous only to Madagascar. Starting in the capital, Antananarivo, the tour visits Ambohimanga The 19-day tour costs £2...

A popular hotel in the Bahamas is about to be transformed into the Liberian Embassy in Madagascar — a perplexing development considering Madagascar's location off the coast of Africa - for the forthcoming James Bond film. The Palm Beach Post reports that the Buena Vista, a 200-year-old mansion with a legendary restaurant where waiters in burgundy jackets serve charcoal-broiled lobster and curried grouper to such illustrious patrons as Nicolas Cage, Michael Caine and Julio Iglesias, will double for a location in Casino Royale. Stan Bocus, the dapper Italian who has owned the Buena Vista for 31 years, said the old colonial building will be painted to make it look even older when it is transformed into the embassy, where the new James Bond will take on bad guys in the upcoming Casino Royale. Filming starts there on February 23rd — and the paper's report will go back to catch a glimpse of Daniel Craig as the new 007. MI6 Note: This news confirms that the Bahamas will be doubling fo...

Two major steps to Oscar were taken Wednesday as the Producers Guild of America and the Writers Guild of America announced nominations for their annual film awards. The Producers Guild's five candidates for this year's Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture are the drama about forbidden romance, "Brokeback Mountain"; the Truman Capote biopic "Capote"; the racially-charged drama "Crash"; the Edward R. Murrow biopic "Good Night, and Good Luck" ; and the Johnny Cash biopic "Walk the Line." The PGA also cited five nominees for Best Animated Motion Picture: "Chicken Little," "Madagascar," "Robots," "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride" and "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit." On the WGA side, the guild tapped "Brokeback Mountain," "Capote," "The Constant Gardner," "A History of Violence" and ...

"Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge Of The Sith" is the world's number one film of 2005. It grossed $848.5 million (Lm303 million) at the box office. 45% of that income came from US theatres with the other 55% from the rest of the world. Local audiences contributed very little to this sci-fi thriller bonanza as Star Wars films never are very popular in Malta. Second placed is "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" which tallied $715.3 million. It is UK"s number one film for 2005. The following are the world's top ten films for 2005. Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge Of The Sith - $848.5 million Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire - $715.3 million War Of The Worlds - $588.9 million Madagascar - $525.7 million Charlie And The Chocolate Factory - $471.9 million Mr. & Mrs. Smith - $454.8 million Batman Begins - $371.9 million Hitch - $368.1 million Fantastic Four - $329.5 million Wedding Crashers - $283.1 million by Mario Azzopardi

After capturing Bollywood and becoming a household name in India, the former Australian 'Who Dares Wins' star Tania Zaetta has managed to land herself a new role as the official face of the fourth-largest island in the world, Madagascar. Madagascar's Minister for Tourism and Culture Roger Mahozoasy, at a press conference announcing the deal, said that the country was overjoyed that the star had agreed to officially represent them. "We've all grown up watching Who Dares Wins on this side of the world and it's our pleasure to have her agree to this role," the Daily Telegraph quoted him, as saying. The actress, who starred in the Indian blockbusters 'Saalam Namaste' opposite Arshad Warsi, and also appeared in 'Bunty and Babli', said that she had been forced to cut short her holiday on the island as she had to return to India earlier than expected. "The only disappointing part is that my holiday at home has been cut short by a couple of we...

The biggest movie story of 2005 -- at times it seemed like it was the ONLY movie story of 2005 -- was the Great Box Office Slump. Nearly every Monday from January through December, there was an avalanche of gloom-and-doom reports about yet another disappointing weekend at the box office. Things sounded so dire, I half-expected to read that all the major studios and the independents were shutting down, and everybody in the business was going to have to find another line of work. Sean Penn would become a social studies teacher. Jamie Foxx could get a gig playing piano in a Chicago jazz club. Angelina Jolie would become the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. (Or does she already have that job?) Years from now, we'd be telling the grandkids that Hollywood stopped making movies altogether because of the Great Box Office Slump of 2005. ("And that's why there was never another 'Deuce Bigalow' after 'European Gigolo,' little Timmy.") Only one problem: the ...

Paramount film studios, part of Viacom, has purchased DreamWorks, makers of "Shrek" and "Madagascar" for 1.6 billion dollars in cash, the company said. DreamWorks SKG, which created successful computer animated features such as "Shrek," was also sought after by NBC Universal, a unit of General Electric. "In nine months we were never able to get an agreement GE," said David Geffen, one of the founders of DreamWorks, during a telephone conference call. The final deal gives Paramount access to 59 films in DreamWorks' library, including "Gladiator," "American Beauty," "War of the Worlds," "Saving Private Ryan," and "Catch Me if You Can." Paramount plans to sell off the catalogue, according to the company, for somewhere between 850 million dollars and one billion dollars, said Brad Grey, without revealing the names of possible buyers. DreamWorks Animation receives 75 million dollars to pay off debt...

HOLLYWOOD - Blockbuster Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit leads the nominations at the 2006 Annie Awards, picking up 15 nods, including Best Feature. The latest tale about inventor Wallace and his intellectually-superior dog Gromit will fight Chicken Little, Corpse Bride, Howl's Moving Castle and Madagascar for the coveted Best Animated Feature gong at the International Animated Film Society's Feb. 4 ceremony. Wallace & Gromit is also up in directing, writing, storyboarding, effects, music and character design categories, while the movie's voiceovers Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes, Peter Sallis and Nicholas Smith are all up for voice acting awards. Article Copyright World Entertainment News Network All Rights Reserved. By WENN

The International Animated Film Society recently announced the nominees for its awards, known as Annies, and Wallace and Gromit cleaned the hell up. Among Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit's 15 nominations are one for best animated feature, another for best directing, and four nods in the best vocal work categories. Battling the man and his dog for the best picture award are Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, Madagascar, Chicken Little, and Hayao Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle. Dreamworks was the big overall winner, since it distributed both Wallace & Gromit and Madagascar, which came away with nine nominations of its own (odd, since no one seemed to like it much). Winners will be announced in February. Posted Dec 6, 2005, 10:50 AM ET by Martha Fischer Filed under: Awards, Dreamworks, Animation, Newsstand

The claymation buddy film Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit scored a leading 15 nominations for the 33rd annual Annie Awards. Other contenders for best animated feature include Chicken Little,Corpse Bride,Howl's Moving Castle and Madagascar, which earned nine nominations overall. Presented by the International Animated Film Society, the awards recognize the year's best in animation from film, television, commercials and short subjects. Nominees were announced Monday. Wallace & Gromit garnered nominations for directing, writing, storyboarding, effects, music, character design and best animated feature. The film dominated the voice acting category, with its four lead actors — Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes, Peter Sallis and Nicholas Smith — all earning nods. Competing for the top honor in the animated television category are AVATAR: The Last Airbender,Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends,My Life As A Teenage Robot,Star Wars: Close Wars II and The Batm...

The three-phase campaign's objective was to create hype and excitement around, and interest in, Air Madagascar in conjunction with the cinema release of the animated film Madagascar. The first phase involved a "crate display" in cinema foyers. These crates, just like the ones in which the film's characters are shipped to Madagascar, each accommodated one of the film's characters and served as a base for promoters handing out information flyers about the airline. The second phase involved the placing of airplane headrests on the headrests of the cinema seats. Moviegoers entering cinemas to watch the film were greeted by branded headrests, just as if they were boarding a plane to Madagascar. The final phase of the campaign involved handing out informational brochures and flyers to Madagascar audiences on completion of the show, and informing patrons of the competition being run in conjunction with the campaign. In addition to the attention attracted by the competiti...

Most of the Oscar races are so wide open right now that speculating about them would be pointless. But one category has grabbed my interest, because academy rules have made this competition as fierce as Thunderdome. Only in this case, the chant would be "Ten films enter, three films leave." Last week the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced 10 films were eligible for the animated feature Oscar. When the category was created in 2001, the academy stipulated that only three films could be nominated if fewer than 16 are eligible. I have seen six movies on the list and consider five of them worthy of a nomination. The one I consider unworthy, "Madagascar," almost certainly will be one of the nominees. In alphabetical order, here are the eligible films: "Chicken Little," "Gulliver's Travel," "Hoodwinked," "Howl's Moving Castle," "Madagascar," "Robots," "Steamboy," "Tim Burt...

The Academy followed up its announcement regarding the Best Documentary contenders with the 10 films that will contend for the Animated Feature Oscar. There were no notable omissions, and with such a low number of eligible animated features, relative to the “live-action” variety, almost all were included. However, Valiant--about a pigeon-turned-hero during World War II--is a surprising inclusion since it was widely panned by critics and largely ignored by audiences. The same goes for Steamboy, about a boy inventor in 1860s Britain, which hardly got any play in the U.S. There seem to be a few frontrunners vying for the coveted top three spots in this relatively new category. Madagascar, Tim Burton's Corpse Bride and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit all have the upper hand, but there is room for a few surprises, including Hoodwinked, which is being released Christmas weekend. Here are the contenders: Chicken Little Gulliver’s Travel Hoodwinked Howl's Moving Cas...

Fort Jesus, Mombasa Old Town, Rift Valley lakes and Mijikenda Kayas are among the sites that could be added to the World Heritage Sites map, an official has said. Dr George Abungu, who was recently elected as a member of the Unesco World Heritage Committee, said the main challenge facing heritage sites was lack of funding to develop infrastructure. And local communities were also not aware of the value of the sites and needed to be educate about them, he added. The official also said that heritage sites faced with the threat of being de-listed will be given a new lease of life. Happily, Lamu, the only cultural site in Kenya to be listed was not yet on the danger list but needed urgent attention to address the collapsing drainage system and unregulated buildings. Other Kenyan sites on the prestigious map include Mt Kenya and Sibiloi in Turkana, which were classified as natural sites. "Lamu does not have a working management plan. One of the steps we are going to take is to ensure ...

Interactive agency Naked Penguin Boy has created its third project for Dreamworks with an online promotion supporting the DVD release of the box-office hit 'Madagascar'. The agency has produced a microsite, five online games, downloads and materials for marketing departments worldwide to support the November release of the DVD. The English version of the microsite is due to launch in mid-November. This is the third marketing project that Naked Penguin Boy has completed for Dreamworks, having previously developed campaigns for 'Shrek 2' and 'Shark Tale'. Features on the microsite include mobile telephone wallpaper of the film's characters, including Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Gloria the hippo and Melman the giraffe. Users can also download "desktop buddies" such as the psychotic Madagascar penguins, Skipper, Riko, Kowalksi and Private. Fans of the film can also get hold of screensavers and an email signature that can be downloaded for use in...

Banc of America Securities Chief Financial Analyst Michael L. Savner increased earnings estimates for DreamWorks Animation SKG (nyse: DWA - news - people ) following Madagascar's better-than-expected international performance. "We continue to believe that the success of Madagascar at the international box office and the commercial success of DreamWorks Animation’s upcoming film slate will drive greater visibility in the stock going forward," said Savner. Madagascar has grossed over $315 million at the international box office. Savner doesn't expect DreamWorks' recent release, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, to generate much revenue in the fourth quarter, but he expects the company to sell 15.6 million units of the Madagascar home video. Savner increased his third-quarter 2005 earnings estimate for DreamWorks to 2 cents per share on revenue of $66.7 million, from a loss of 13 cents per share on revenue of $19.5 million. He maintained a “buy” rat...

Madagascar is arriving on DVD and you can expect heavy sales on this hysterical adventure of four zoo animal friends and a crew of wacked out penguins. Look for it to hit shelves this coming November 15th. Technical Features Available in both 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen & Full Screen English and French in Dolby Digital 5.1 English and Spanish in Dolby Digital 2.0 English, French and Spanish subtitles Bonus Features Penguin commentary as they give you their unique take on the film Untamed games and activities (including Foosa Whack and Learn to Draw) Behind the Crates featurette Tech of Madagascar featurette Mad Mishaps featurette 'Crack the Code' game for a special prize and more To view the cover artwork click here .

Dreamworks, the movie studio headed by Steven Spielberg and other big media moguls, Television has signed cereal and snacks maker Kellogg's to create treats and goodies based on its movies. Under the agreement Kellogg's gets exclusive rights to make cereals and other tasty breakfast foods based on Dreamworks movies including Shrek 3 and Madagascar 2. Kellogg's will be responsible for promoting the foods, and therefore the movies, via in-store, TV and online ads. Kellogg's is just four years into what was supposed to be a 15-year agreement to do just this kind of thing for Disney but that deal's fate is now uncertain. Kellogg's is unlikely to create product for two movies from competing studios, after all. Sales of the Disney movie-themed snacks were moderate at best. Chris Thilk Filed under: Online, Print, Television

MAHAJANGA, Madagascar (Reuters) - Like other mediums at the annual "Fanompoana" festival in northwest Madagascar, Zo Andrianikenindraza is believed by the Sakalava tribe to be capable of hosting an ancestral spirit. Gripped by faith in the influence of the departed, he believes he has been taken over by the spirit of an ancient Malagasy monarch. "I want to speak with my people," Zo says, using words understood by villagers to be the king's. "I have come back to bless the Sakalava tribe and wish them prosperity." Taking a swig of cheap rum, he says he is not pleased with the progress the people have made since the king's reign. "It makes me sad to come back and see that my people are suffering from the lack of money and material goods," he shouts, followed by a crowd of children. "I want things to go better for them." Respect for dead ancestors and belief that they influence the living are paramount for the people of Madagascar, ...

If you choose to vanish, we're told early on in Madagascar, you probably won't be found. Nine out of ten people who disappear most likely prefer to remain lost. What happens then? The answers are not easy, but they can be surprising, as is J.T. Rogers's Madagascar. This delicate, ineffably moving play is splendidly acted by the trio of Kathryn Lee Johnston, Angie Radosh, and Bill Schwartz. It's a directorial tour de force for Ricky J. Martinez, whose fine-tuned ear for subtle mood changes and dizzying reversals of direction add up to an exhilarating theatrical triumph for this Florida premiere. In particular, Martinez's attention to gestural detail is touching and true: the stillness of a mother's hands as she contemplates the loss of her son, the wild and nervous hands of a giddy airline passenger, the caressing hands that reach out even when there is no longer anyone to caress. Frankly the Madagascar set is drab, but the words are brilliant and the characters ...