Mission: Impossible Stars Shanghai Director Brad Bird

Deadline has linked to this video that might interest fans of the Mission: Impossible films.  Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol director Brad Bird accepts his Windsor McCay Award at the 38th Annual Annies via video link from the set of the latest entry in the spy film franchise.  Stars Tom Cruise and Simon Pegg make humorous appearances toward the end of the segment, following a reel of highlights from Bird's impressive career in animation (including clips from The Simpsons, Iron Giant and the heavily Bond-inspired The Incredibles). The silliness starts around the four-and-a-half minute mark.

The Man With the Golden Career

Deadline reports that Christopher Lee is finally getting some of the recognition he so rightfully deserves.  This Sunday, "the British Academy of Film and Television Arts will present Sir Christopher Lee with the Academy Fellowship at the Orange British Academy Film Awards ceremony at London’s Royal Opera House. Awarded annually by the Academy, the Fellowship is the highest accolade bestowed upon an individual in recognition of an outstanding and exceptional contribution to film." Previous recipients include Sir Sean Connery, Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Stephen Spielberg and Dame Judi Dench, so Francisco Scaramanga is in good company.  Besides playing a Bond villain, Lee's spy career includes two guest turns on The Avengers and a handful of villainous roles in obscure TV movies (Once Upon a Spy) and Eurospy flicks (Five Golden Dragons). If that seems surprisingly skimpy for one of the most prolific actors in film history, it's more than made up for by the fact that Lee's pre-acting career included a real spy career in military intelligence during WWII! Now if only BAFTA's American counterpart, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, would recognize Sir Christopher's amazing career with a Lifetime Achievement Oscar...