Halle Berry leads Bond Oscars tribute

Updated: 05:45, Tuesday February 26, 2013

Halle Berry and Dame Shirley Bassey paid tribute to the James Bond films at the Academy Awards last night, but none of the 007 actors appeared on stage.
The actress - who played Bond girl Jinx opposite Pierce Brosnan's incarnation of 007 in 'Die Another Day' - led the tribute to the suave British secret agent at the Academy Awards, while the 76-year-old singer gave a rousing rendition of iconic Bond theme 'Goldfinger'.
Despite much speculation that all of the actors who have played 007 - including Sir Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig - would be united on stage for the first time ever at the ceremony, the segment instead concentrated on the music of Bond.
Former Oscar winner Halle told the star-studded audience: '(The music) is as inextricably linked to Bond as the Martini, the exotic cars and Pussy Galore.
'In film after film, movie-goers have been treated to songs reflective of the moment and scores as cool as 007 himself. Bond music is a genre all its own, guaranteed to make your heart beat faster and take your breath away.'
Following a brief montage of clips from the Bond series, the Welsh songstress - who has provided vocals for three Bond themes - took to the Oscars stage for the first time singing 'Goldfinger', and earned a standing ovation from A-list guests at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, including Reese Witherspoon and George Clooney.
Keeping with the Bond theme, Adele performed 'Skyfall' - the song from the latest 007 film of the same name - live for the very first time. The track also earned Adele and co-writer Paul Epworth the award for Best Original Song.
As well as the dedication to 50 years of 007, there was more reason to celebrate as 'Skyfall' - which starred Daniel Craig in the lead role - was the first Oscar nominated Bond film in over 30 years.