Keeping 'Bond' in the Family

Barbara Broccoli and Chris Noth at the premiere of 'Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007.'

People are getting really excited about this new Bond movie.

The Internet's all atwitter about Adele's theme song, which, like the film, is called "Skyfall." Daniel Craig is on the cover of the latest issue of Vanity Fair. And this week, in New York, the cable network Epix threw a very splashy premiere for "Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007," a documentary chronicling our obsession with James Bond in cinema since the first movie, "Dr. No," hit screens in 1962.

The premiere took place at the Museum of Modern Art, with an afterparty at the swanky Metropolitan Club, which tends not to allow jeans and sneakers. There were plenty of celebrities who have nothing to do with James Bond (i.e. Chace Crawford, Chris Noth and Kate Upton); a string quartet playing Bond themes (though they didn't yet know "Skyfall"); and a vegetarian table of eggplant and hummus, which didn't seem particularly Bond-like to us, but maybe he's considering going vegan.

In the center of it all was the film's producer, Barbara Broccoli, the daughter of the late Bond producer Albert "Cubby" Broccoli, who has worked on the franchise since she was a teenager. Ms. Broccoli, along with her half-brother, Michael G. Wilson, has taken over the duties of shepherding 007 through the 21st Century. "At the moment, every waking hour is Bond," she said.

Does she ever get tired of the guy?

"How could I get tired? It's an extraordinary life. It's a privilege. It's magic making movies," said Ms. Broccoli. "I think it can go on forever and ever. We'll keep making the films. Either my kids or someone else will continue to take them on. I think there's a need for a hero like Bond, as long as there's villainy out there."

Ms. Broccoli said the longest Bond marathon she's ever engaged in was "two or three in a row." At home, at least, not everything is shaken martinis: "We switch off," she said. "We talk about normal things. Like homework."

How would Bond deal with the villainy of everyday homework? "Hmm," Ms. Broccoli said. "He's pretty smart."

In some circles, Norman Mailer might be considered the James Bond of the literary world. OK, it's a stretch, but he was married six times, so at least the lady-killer thing works.

On Thursday, a lot of media types, including Oliver Stone, Alec Baldwin, Gay Talese, Joyce Carol Oates and Robert Caro, along with Muhammad Ali, ventured to the Mandarin Oriental for the 4th annual Norman Mailer Center Benefit Gala. The center provides support for writers "in all genres who relish dialogue and debate."

We were curious to know from his pals and children: What would the late Mr. Mailer make of a black-tie gala like this, at a fancy midtown hotel, sponsored by a jewelry company (Van Cleef & Arpels) where the main motif of décor was butterflies?

"He always liked a good party," said Mr. Mailer's son, Michael, a film producer. "He liked pomp and circumstance when the occasion called for it. This has become more distinguished as an award ceremony. Last year, we had Bill Clinton. For better or worse, the Mailer name is a magnet of sorts."

"He was a trip," said Mr. Stone, who was bestowing an award about ethics. "I knew him late in life. He liked people. He was always fun and gregarious. I think he'd be very flattered, but I'm not sure he'd want to be around."

"I don't think he was a big butterfly man," said Mr. Mailer's son, John Buffalo. "But he had a luxury to live in a time when corporate commercialism didn't dominate everything. What the hell would Norman have to say about today? He died before the iPhone really came out. What would he say about that?"

"He would have been amazed that Norman Mailer could have drawn a group of this size and stature," said Mr. Talese, Mr. Mailer's old friend and colleague, as he finished a martini. "He was much abused when he was alive. He was very underappreciated. It took his death to draw a crowd like this. It's true of Rudolph Valentino too. He would not have believed that he had so many friends."

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