Daniel Craig has recalled the joke the Queen made at his expense when they met during their 2012 Olympics skit, with the star hailing her as ‘very funny’. 

The country’s longest-reigning royal, Queen Elizabeth II, died ‘peacefully’, aged 96, at Balmoral in Scotland on Thursday.

And prior to her death during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in the US on Wednesday, the James Bond actor, 53, looked back on their meeting as he told the host what she was like in private.

Memory: Daniel Craig has recalled the joke the Queen made at his expense when they met during their 2012 Olympics skit, with the star hailing her as ‘very funny’

Keen to know what the monarch was like behind closed doors, Stephen, 58, asked: ‘I understand that you may not be able to answer this question, but I’m gonna ask anyway: What’s she like in private?’

Remembering their time together, Daniel – who appeared in the now infamous Olympics opening ceremony sketch with the Queen a decade ago – replied: ‘Very funny. Very funny’

‘[She] wants to crack a joke, and [she] cracked a joke about me. 

‘We were having our photographs taken and she just went, ‘Oh no, he’s the one that doesn’t smile. Fair enough!’ 

So sad: The country’s longest-reigning royal, Queen Elizabeth II, died ‘peacefully’, aged 96, at Balmoral in Scotland on Thursday

The 007 star then went on to describe what her beloved corgis were like, recalling how he enjoyed time playing with the ‘friendly’ dogs.

He explained: ‘I was rolling around on the floor with them most of the time.

‘I think they have their own footmen, they’re very friendly.’

The No Time To Die actor, and Her Majesty filmed a hilarious scene for the opening ceremony, featuring 007 accompanying the royal Bond girl to a helicopter.’

Chat: Prior to her death during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in the US on Wednesday, the James Bond actor, 53, looked back on their meeting as he told the host what she was like in private.

The memorable scene ended with stunt performers, doubling for Bond and the Queen, jumping out of the helicopter and parachuting into the stadium.

The recorded sequence – directed by Danny Boyle –  opened at Buckingham Palace, where a tuxedo-wearing Craig as 007 was presented to the Queen by her personal footman as she was writing a letter and training her corgis Monty, Willow and Holly to roll over.

Greeting him with an ‘Evening, Mr Bond’, the Queen, in a rose-pink dress, was seen striding briskly through the palace with the action hero before climbing into a helicopter emblazoned with the Union Flag.

The two were depicted as soaring over the streets of London and through Tower Bridge until they finally reached the Olympic Park.

Funny: ‘[She] wants to crack a joke, and [she] cracked a joke about me. ‘We were having our photographs taken and she just went, ‘Oh no, he’s the one that doesn’t smile. Fair enough!’ (pictured with the Queen at the Casino Royale premiere in 2006)

Speaking about the skit in 2012, the actor said:  ‘It wasn’t supposed to be funny. It was supposed to be serious.

‘She was fun, incredibly game. We had a short space of time and I was a bit grumpy as it was my day off and suddenly I am at the Palace with the Queen at her private chamber.’

‘And she improvises a little bit. She was supposed to be sitting at the desk and she asked if she could write, so she pretended to write.’

In 2019, the Queen’s dressmaker and confidante Angela Kelly revealed it took ‘just five minutes’ to persuade Her Majesty to agree to director Danny Boyle’s request for her to appear alongside Daniel Craig in the famous footage of her appearing to parachute into the Olympic Stadium.

Mrs Kelly, the Queen’s dresser of 25 years, wrote in her book The Other Side Of The Coin: The Queen, The Dresser And The Wardrobe how she was called to a meeting with Boyle and private secretary Edward Young to discuss the idea in 2011.

Four-legged pals: The 007 star then went on to describe what her beloved corgis (pictured) were like, recalling how he enjoyed time playing with the ‘friendly’ dogs

‘I asked him and Edward to give me five minutes so that I could ask the Queen,’ she said.

‘I remember the look of shock on Danny’s face that I would be asking Her Majesty straight away, but there’s no point in waiting around with these things: If she said no, that would be the end of it.

‘I ran upstairs and luckily the Queen was free. She was very amused by the idea and agreed immediately. I asked if she would like a speaking part. Without hesitation, Her Majesty replied, “Of course I must say something. After all, he is coming to rescue me”.

Action: The No Time To Die actor, and Her Majesty filmed a hilarious scene for the opening ceremony, featuring 007 accompanying the royal Bond girl to a helicopter. Craig is pictured at the No Time To Die premiere 

‘I asked whether she would like to say, “Good evening, James” or “Good evening, Mr Bond” and she chose the latter, knowing the Bond films. Within minutes, I was back in Edward’s office delivering the good news to Danny – I think he almost fell off his chair when I said that the Queen’s only stipulation was that she could deliver that iconic line.’

Meanwhile, after calling his interaction with the Queen, Daniel shared a heartwarming tribute to her following her death.

In a statement to the PA news agency, the 007 actor paid tribute to the former monarch, saying she would be ‘profoundly missed.’

‘I, like so many, was deeply saddened by the news today and my thoughts are with the royal family, those she loved and all those who loved her. She leaves an incomparable legacy and will be profoundly missed.’

Following the Queen’s death, a host of other big names from the showbiz world shared tributes to the monarch, including Victoria Beckham, Sir Elton John and Mick Jagger. 

It comes as Britain is today mourning the death of its beloved Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. After a remarkable 70 years on the throne, the country’s longest-reigning royal yesterday died ‘peacefully’, aged 96, at Balmoral in Scotland.

Her death sparked an immediate and huge outpouring of emotion, with thousands of heartbroken mourners gathering outside the gates of Buckingham Palace and other royal buildings yesterday evening.

Rest in peace: It comes as Britain is today mourning the death of its beloved Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II  

At one point, a rendition of ‘God Save The Queen’ rang out among the mourners, followed by cheers of ‘Long Live The King’.

Others laid flowers outside Windsor Castle – where The Queen had spent much of her time following the death of her beloved husband, Prince Philip, in April last year.

And in a sign of the Queen’s considerable worldwide influence and appeal, royal fans laid flowers outside British embassies including in Washington, Berlin and Oslo.

Senior royals dashed to be at the Queen’s bedside on Thursday, but did not reach Balmoral in time before she passed, it is believed.

Only her eldest children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, who were already in Scotland at the time of the Monarch’s sudden turn for the worse, were able to make it to the royal estate before her death, sources said.

Tragedy:  Her death sparked an immediate and huge outpouring of emotion, with thousands of mourners gathering outside the gates of Buckingham Palace on Thursday evening (pictured)

Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, his wife Sophie, and Prince William all flew in from Berkshire via private jet to Aberdeen on Thursday as they dashed to Balmoral to see her. But it is understood that they did not reach the estate before she passed.

Prince Harry, who was due to attend a charity event with wife Meghan in London on Thursday, also attempted to reach Balmoral in time. But he arrived at 8pm, nearly an hour-and-a-half after the public were informed of the Queen’s death.

The Queen’s son Charles, the former Prince of Wales, is now King Charles III, while Prince William has inherited his father’s title and is now, along with his wife, styled The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge. William is also now the ‘heir apparent’ to the British throne. 

Announcement: Buckingham Palace announced the sad news of the Queen’s passing on Thursday

Program Ask d’Boss kali ini menghadirkan orang kaya Surabaya Hermanto Tanoko. Bos cat Avian Paint ini bercerita banyak soal kehidupan dan perjalanan bisnisnya.

Yang menarik, dia bercerita lahir di bekas kandang ayam. Kesuksesannya saat ini bukan tanpa perjuangan. Kedua orang tuanya mengajarkan Hermanto Tanoko untuk menjalani proses sebelum mendapatkan apa yang dia inginkan.

Kepada detikcom, Bos Avian ini bercerita tentang bagaimana jatuh bangun menjalani bisnis hingga kini memimpin perusahaan cat terkenal di Indonesia.

Penasaran bagaimana cerita kehidupan Hermanto dari kandang ayam bisa jadi Crazy Rich Surabayan? Yuk tonton Ask d’Boss bersama Hermanto Tanoko Sekarang!

Nairobi Expressway, the 27km miracle that has been making folks wonder whether they are in Dubai or Kanairo, finally went live at the beginning of May. It was instantly hailed as a marvel, cutting short the time it would take one to drive from JKIA to Westlands to mere minutes. It is also easy on the eye. But Kenyans, a notoriously stubborn lot, are dipping their toes into the project. Their reasons range from actual financial concerns to sillier ones like the toll stations reminding them of their university gates. Here are reasons Kenyans have been hesitant to embrace one of the most impressive roads in Africa:

1. It’s too efficient
That thing is simply too effective. Nearly 30km in 10 minutes? What were they thinking? So now you can get to work in time? Now you cannot tiptoe into a meeting 40 minutes late, head bowed, talking about the fearsome traffic “pale tu ukiingia tao”? Traffic is our birthright, dammit. What next? Getting home at 5.15pm to spend time with your wife? No, we would much rather fight for the first lane with matatus, thank you very much.

2. Me? Waste my taxes?
Someone whispered that the Expressway was constructed thanks to Kenyan taxpayer money. Kenyans may not have been keen when the contract details were being reported, but as long as someone mentioned their taxes, it was reason enough to boycott that road of theirs. They are patriotic, you see, and they won’t stand for foreigners rummaging around inside their pockets. They can keep their road.

3. Kenyans are broke
As effective as the new road is, it is not kind to the pocket. Kenyans are good at scaling up, so when they heard a trip along the stretch of the highway costs up to 300 good ones, they quickly counted fingers and toes and surmised that it meant upwards of 12k in a month. Will we buy cooking gas or drive to Mlolongo, many Kenyans wondered as they flagged down a matatu.

4. It was meant for foreigners
We have seen the tweets praising the Expressway. The ones saying this are our government does not play when it comes to infrastructure. The ones hailing the road as a gift we will be reaping from for generations to come. Those people are the same ones who said SGR was the cat’s pajamas. And so Kenyans don’t want siasa. Maybe when they make it they will come back and do the Mlolongo-Westlands run in 10 minutes.

5. No njugu hawkers allowed
It is elitist, that Expressway of theirs. They have locked boda bodas out, hiding behind big English phrases like two-wheeled motorists to confuse them. Worse, however, is the refusal to allow small-time hawkers to access the super-road. This means no rolling down your window to grab a quick handful of groundnuts. Or a banana. Or a wallet. No haggling over a windshield wiper. No chance of seeing an unfathomably juicy The Nairobian front page on display as a vendor passes. Why would they use the road?

6. Only big cars use it
Not everyone has a V6. Even those ones who have the big Mercedes are rare enough. The best most of us can do is the Nissan with the big bumbum. The rest? A stunning array of Vitz, Passo and Demio kadudus. We don’t want to get into pissing contests on the road. We don’t want to start measuring kadudus with Subaru boys when we are just trying to get to work. The Expressway is full of big cars; small jalopies are content driving in circles just to avoid potholes down below.

7. No lipa na M-Pesa
They are saying if you don’t have cash in hand, you should not even approach those toll stations. To which Kenyans snorted with disbelief. Even Maina, the conductor who runs his Embassava matatu like a dictatorship, usually hands his phone to passengers who want to pay via MPesa. Even mama mbogas have till numbers. Heck, the only place money is still fully operational is on the highway to your village, because bribes have to be non-electronic. Kenyans are tech-savvy people, so until those jokers shape up and wise up, shauri yao.

8. Mine is just a short trip
You know how Kenyans move. “I’m just popping over to Mombasa Road kidogo, I’ll be right back.” “Acha niingie ofisi kidogo.” “You guy, si we pitia Langata.” Ours are more short, random trips than long intentional ones. And we reserve the right, during those trips, to change our minds entirely. “Ama we use Jogoo Road?” Cue the very illegal 180 degree turn in the middle of the highway. The way that Expressway is set up? Ah ah.

9. Someone might photograph them
The Expressway, Kenyans will grudgingly admit, is a ridiculously photogenic phenomenon. It is like the Eiffel tower. Or the building in town inspired by a donkey’s apparatus. Or potential DP Rigathi Gachagua. You see so many photos of it in the course of the day, you wonder if you are being stalked. Kenyans are hesitant to venture into the Expressway because they might end up in some unfocused drone photo on the internet, or their photo of them pleading with the toll attendant might trend on Twitter for a week straight.

10. Good, old-fashioned stubbornness
There is a trait that Kenyans possess, one that is occasionally documented in the form of wananchi giving interviews to TV crews. Kenyans don’t like to be arranged. There is even a song, and a remix, saying just that. Someone asked Kenyans to register their Safaricom lines and a lot of them said “We won’t. Come beat us.” So, who exactly is going to make Kenyans use the Expressway?

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Lea Michele apparently received a total of six standing ovations for her debut performance as Fanny Brice in Broadway’s Funny Girl revival, which opened on Tuesday (6 September).

The show at New York’s August Wilson Theater marked Michele’s return to Broadway for the first time in 13 years.

According to news reports, audience members rose to their feet as soon as the Glee actor, 36, stepped on stage.

This was followed by three more ovations for Michele as Brice – a role first played by Barbara Streisand – before the intermission, Deadline reported.

One of these was for her rendition of “Don’t Rain On My Parade”, which Michele also performed as her character Rachel Berry on Fox’s hit musical dramedy Glee.

According to Variety, the show was attended by A-list celebrities including Michele’s Spring Awakening co-star and close friend Jonathan Groff, who was “sobbing at various points”.

Other stars in attendance included Glee creator Ryan Murphy, Drew Barrymore, Zachary Quinto, producer Jordan Roth, and Harvey Fierstein, who said he hadn’t had “a night like this in the theatre in years”.

Tovah Feldshuh also earned praise for her performance as Brice’s mother. During the curtain call, both Michele and Feldshuh received bouquets of white roses on-stage from company members.

Variety reporter Rebecca Rubin tweeted a video of Michele “sobbing through her first curtain call” in Funny Girl after the performance.

Ahead of the premiere, Michele posted a picture of herself in character.

She also dedicated a post to “to the Fannys who have fearlessly graced the stage before me”, including Beanie Feldstein, Julie Benko, Ephie Ardema and “Barbara Streisand, our queen”.

When the revival was first announced, Feldstein was announced to star as Fanny Brice. However, in July this year, the show’s producers confirmed rumours that Michele would be taking over the role from 6 September, amid mixed reviews for Feldstein’s performance.

In a statement posted to Instagram, Feldstein said that she stepped away as production decided to take the show in a “different direction.”

“Playing Fanny Brice…has been a lifelong dream of mine and doing so for the last few months has been a great joy”, Feldstein said at the time.