Daniel Craig

The cast of Skyfall kicked off promotions stateside with a photocall in NYC today. Daniel Craig and Javier Bardem posed with director Sam Mendes and the newest Bond girls, Naomie Harris and Bérénice Marlohe, at the Crosby Street Hotel. James Bond himself, Daniel, has already started promoting the project with his November Vanity Fair cover and recent role as host of Saturday Night Live. Javier, meanwhile, has been busy filming The Counselor in Spain with wife Penélope Cruz and costar Cameron Diaz. There will be plenty more red carpet moments for Daniel, Javier, Bérénice, and Naomie ahead of the film's Nov. 9 opening date. One thing we don't have to wait for is Adele's 007 theme song, which was released earlier this month.

Kate Hudson and Rachel Weisz joined their guys at an SNL afterparty on Saturday night. Daniel Craig hosted the weekend's episode, with Matt and his band, Muse, appearing as the musical guests. Daniel appeared on the show a few weeks ahead of the release of his next Bond film, Skyfall, on Nov. 9. Daniel Craig's SNL wasn't a critical hit, though, with a Big Bird gag on Weekend Update being the most talked-about moment. Kate was able to celebrate in the Big Apple with Matt and his fellow Brits Daniel and Rachel during a break from shooting Clear History in Boston. Kate's HBO movie has a special late-night connection, too — SNL star Bill Hader also has a role in Clear History.

Daniel Craig's bright blue eyes pop off the November cover of Vanity Fair, which is available on newsstands Oct. 9. Inside the magazine, Daniel chats about his latest turn as the world's most famous secret agent, James Bond. Daniel plays opposite Javier Bardem in Nov. 9's Skyfall. Daniel didn't open up about real-life leading lady, his wife of one year, Rachel Weisz, though he did touch on the controversy surrounding the decision to substitute James's drink of choice, a martini — shaken not stirred, for a Heineken. Here's more from Daniel:

• Daniel on protecting the Bond franchise: "What I'm doing is not what Pierce [Brosnan] was doing, and Pierce wasn't doing what Roger Moore was doing, or what Sean [Connery] was doing, or what Timothy [Dalton] was doing. Things have changed. It's just kind of the ride of it. Pierce used to say that it's like being responsible for a small country. It's kind of like you have to look after it diplomatically. I kind of get that, but I can't really say that's my deal. I'm not going to be the poster boy for this. Although I am the poster boy."
• Daniel on living life as James Bond: "It's amazing how many times I've sat in interviews like this in a bar or a hotel, and it's 11 o'clock in the morning and someone sends a martini over. And it's like, Really? It's 11 o'clock! Cheers! I'm not going to drink it."
• Daniel on Bond's new drink of choice: "Product placement, whichever way you look at it, whether you like it or you think it's disgusting, or whatever, it's what it is. Heineken gave us a ton of money for there to be Heineken in a shot in a bar. So, how easy is that? Just to say, OK, there's Heineken. It's there — it's in the back of the shot. Without them, the movie couldn't get sold, so that all got kind of blown up. 'Bond's new drink is a Heineken.' He likes a lot of drinks — Heineken, Champagne; it's all in there. I'll drink a beer in the shot, I'm happy to, but I'm not going to do an 'Ahhhhh' [pantomiming an actor looking refreshed]. And I would say this because they're paying, but they're kind of respectful about it. They don't want to screw the movie up."

Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz stepped out to hit the gym and shop at a Kiehl's shop in NYC on Friday. Later that evening, the happy couple went out to dinner with her son, Henry. Daniel and Rachel are enjoying downtime at their Big Apple home before what will be an exciting Fall. His latest Bond film, Skyfall, is out in theaters on Nov. 9 — check out the latest pictures of Daniel Craig as James Bond and his latest nemesis, played by Javier Bardem. It's also been announced that Daniel's signed on for two additional Bond films. Rachel, meanwhile, is looking forward to the 2013 debut of Oz: The Great and Powerful.

After viewing the trailer for Skyfall, the newest James Bond installment, I am sufficiently excited to see all the crazy stunts on the big screen. Sadly for me, that's not gonna happen until November. The good news is that I have all these amazing pics of Daniel Craig as the iconic superspy, Javier Bardem as the new evil genius, and the rest of these pics from Skyfall to tide us over until then.

Photos courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Her royal highness is apparently a James Bond fan, as Queen Elizabeth II personally requested that current MI6 agent Daniel Craig open up the 2012 London Olympics with a short film that may even include a cameo from the queen. The collaboration is fitting, as the James Bond franchise celebrates its 50th anniversary the same year as the queen celebrates her 60th year on the throne with Diamond Jubilee. And this isn't Queen Elizabeth's first 007 encounter, over the decades she has met with several Bonds, including Daniel Craig, Pierce Brosnan, Sean Connery, and Roger Moore — the latter two of which she knighted! In honor of this weekend's big Diamond Jubilee celebrations, take a look back at the celebrity queen's many meet ups with high-profile men in movies, sports, and politics.