LONDON (Reuters) – As a new documentary shows, the real story behind the James Bond film franchise is almost as dramatic as the 007 fantasies themselves, full of twists and turns, personality clashes, heroes, villains, beautiful women and narrow escapes.

“Everything or Nothing” is released in theatres on Friday, branded “Global James Bond Day” to mark 50 years since the world premiere of “Dr. No” which introduced author Ian Fleming’s suave, sophisticated secret agent to the masses.

LONDON (Reuters) – The English National Opera launched a fresh initiative on Wednesday to attract new and younger audiences to an art form it acknowledged was still seen by many as the preserve of old and wealthy patrons.

“Undress for the Opera” has the backing of former Blur frontman Damon Albarn, whose operatic work “Dr. Dee” was part of the ENO’s 2011/12 season and attracted 60 percent of new ticket buyers.

LONDON (Reuters) – Above ground Somerset House boasts one of London’s most famous courtyards, a neo-classical gem used for film sets, fashion shows and a glamorous skating venue in the winter.

Beneath the spectacular square are little-known underground passageways called the “Deadhouse”, which this week open to the public for the first exhibition of paintings ever to be held there.

LONDON (Reuters) – Salman Rushdie believes literature has lost much of its influence in the West, and movie stars like George Clooney and Angelina Jolie have taken the place of Susan Sontag and Norman Mailer when it comes to addressing the big issues.

The British author, who has just released his account of 10 years in hiding after an Iranian fatwa was declared against him in 1989, believes the “Arab Spring” uprisings have failed but that there is hope for freer Muslim societies in the future.

LONDON (Reuters) – What does the author of the most eagerly awaited book of the year do on publication day?

If you are J.K. Rowling, whose adult fiction debut “The Casual Vacancy” hit the shelves on Thursday, you watch a movie in your hotel, avoid reading newspaper reviews and later in the evening address 900 people at a question-and-answer session.

LONDON (Reuters) – Christie’s will offer 50 items of James Bond memorabilia over the coming week in a charity sale that culminates in a live auction next Friday, the 50th anniversary of the release of the first 007 movie “Dr. No”.

The auction, which will raise funds for a range of charities including UNICEF, is one of a series of events being held around the world to mark the anniversary of one of the world’s longest-running and most successful film franchises.

LONDON, Sept 18 (Reuters) – British author Salman Rushdie’s
memoir of more than nine years in hiding after Iran’s supreme
leader issued a death sentence against him hits the shelves on
Tuesday, ending the wait for his account of a furore that has
echoes across the world today.

“Joseph Anton: A Memoir” opens with the moment when Rushdie,
already a member of London’s literary elite, received a call
from a journalist asking for his reaction to Ayatollah Ruhollah
Khomeini’s 1989 fatwa, or religious edict, calling for his head.

LONDON (Reuters) – British rockers Led Zeppelin will release a concert film based on their 2007 charity performance in London that hits cinemas on October 17, the band said on Thursday.

The film, called “Celebration Day” and directed by Dick Carruthers, was taken from the long-awaited reunion of one of rock’s most successful acts.

LONDON (Reuters) – Hilary Mantel, who won the coveted Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 2009 with historical novel “Wolf Hall”, is favourite to repeat the feat after her sequel “Bring up the Bodies” was shortlisted again on Tuesday.

The other five nominees are Will Self (“Umbrella”), Deborah Levy (“Swimming Home”), Malaysia’s Tan Twan Eng (“The Garden of Evening Mists”) and first-time novelists Alison Moore (“The Lighthouse”) and Indian author Jeet Thayil (“Narcopolis”).

LONDON (Reuters) – Hilary Mantel, who won the coveted Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 2009 with historical novel “Wolf Hall”, is favorite to repeat the feat after her sequel “Bring up the Bodies” was shortlisted again on Tuesday.

The other five nominees are Will Self (“Umbrella”), Deborah Levy (“Swimming Home”), Malaysia’s Tan Twan Eng (“The Garden of Evening Mists”) and first-time novelists Alison Moore (“The Lighthouse”) and Indian author Jeet Thayil (“Narcopolis”).