I think I'm ready to give up trying to figure out what's going on with this movie -- I'll just wait till November and judge it then. But here's the latest intangible -- Bollywood actress and British tabloid staple Shilpa Shetty has just joined the cast of Quantum of Solace in an as-yet undetermined role, along with moderately well-known supporting actor David Harbour, whose role is also undetermined. Although it's being touted by MI6, the source of this information appears to be that Harbour and Shetty's names both popped up on IMDB over the weekend, so I would wait for EON confirmation next week before this becomes really, really official. IMDB does have a name for her character, though -- Devi. This late casting of Shetty is a curiosity, since she was considered a prime candidate for a Bond girl during the initial casting phase, and the Bond producers were known to be interested in working a Bollywood favorite into the film to take advantage of the synchronous orbit of Bollywood and British cinema.

Surely they don't have room for three Bond girls, do they? Shetty is very popular in Britain and recently got worldwide press attention for a mini-scandal involving Richard Gere, so I think it's more than likely that this role will amount to a cameo, like Madonna in Die Another Day or like British actress Christina Cole's role as "Ocean Club Receptionist" in Casino Royale. Remember that little scene where Bond checks into the Ocean Club and has a momentary flirtation with a stop-you-in-your-tracks-gorgeous blonde behind the front desk? I'm thinking they invited Shetty to do one of those parts and she agreed, perhaps after quietly losing out on getting one of the main Bond girl parts. But what do I know -- I thought Arterton was Moneypenny. Meanwhile, filming continues to roll on, and more confusion is sure to follow.

The way I see it, it's still way too early in the game to start taking most Bond 22 rumors very seriously -- just ask Abbie Cornish. Since there isn't much for fans to do between now and November 2008, we might as well enjoy a little speculation. The Metro UK is reporting that "unnamed sources" (we all know what that means) have confirmed that Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty is in the running to star as the next Bond Girl. According to Metro's source, 'Shilpa is having secret talks with the top brass who are working on the next movie. She has a huge following in Bollywood, as well as a number of fans in the Western world – especially in Britain – so she will be great for box office sales.'

Shetty began her career in 1993 and has appeared in over 50 films, although the actress has had her fare share of controversy over the years. There has been talk of links to organized crime and obscenity charges. In the last year alone, the award-winning actress has been at the center of not one, but two major scandals. The first was for her appearance on UK Celebrity Big Brother; when a housemate was accused of racist behavior after making offensive comments about Indians on the show. Shetty got the last laugh though, and won the show with 63% of the audience votes. And how can we forget the maelstrom that ensued after Richard Gere kissed Shetty on stage at an AIDS-awareness event.

Since Bond producer Barbara Broccoli and company were still looking at locations a few weeks ago, it doesn't seem likely that they are remotely close to casting Shetty, or anyone else for that matter. While Shetty certainly has the look of a Bond Girl, I'm betting that this is just another rumor that will eventually fall by the wayside. Not to mention, if political groups were burning effigies after a kiss from "The American Gigolo," could you imagine what would happen once Bond was through with her?

Here's a little controversy and rumor reaction for your Thursday:

• I recently posted about Richard Gere inspiring burning effigies in India when he dipped and kissed Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty while promoting AIDS awareness. Now Guardian Unlimited reports that an Indian judge has issued arrest warrants for the actors, citing the country's public obscenity laws. Considering the fact that the UN AIDS agency says that India has the largest number of HIV/AIDS cases (5.7 million), perhaps it's time to focus on education, and not putting an actor up for a possible three months in prison, and/or a fine, for a cheek kiss. If the matter is not resolved, this could interfere with Gere's causes -- he has often visited Tibetan exiles in Dharmsala to offer support.
• If there is any truth to the rumor that Kate Beckinsale could be the next Barbarella, I bet she will be cast. According to IGN, they've talked with the actress, who has confirmed that no one has approached her about the film. However, she doesn't seem to be averse to the idea: "It's thrilling! I've never heard anything about it before today." She continued on to joke about a name change: "Beckinsale-arella! It's gotta happen!" With her positive reaction to the idea, we might just have Beck-Barb confirmation in no time.
• Alec Baldwin has been all over the news lately. If you haven't been following -- his ex-marital woes recently fueled him to leave a nasty message for his daughter, calling her a "rude, thoughtless little pig." Now CNN has reported on Baldwin's disdain for his business, which obviously stems from the never-ending custody suit with Kim Basinger over their daughter Ireland. He's tried to get out of his contract for NBC's 30 Rock, which was refused, and in a pre-taped interview for The View, he said: "If I never acted again, I couldn't care less." He continues: "I've had enough of this quite frankly to last me a lifetime, especially in the modern tabloid world." Whether these are words uttered in the heat of his distress, or firm feelings, remains to be seen.
  

It's no secret that there are people in India who don't take kindly to things they don't agree with. In February, I outlined the trials that Deepa Mehta went through to complete Water, her film about Indian widows. The director's revelations about what a widow goes through after the death of her husband resulted in death and rape threats, riots and burning effigies that almost kept the film from being made. It's an over-the-top response, but at least I can see why they'd be ticked off. Well, now it is happening again, but this time for much less racy reasons.

While promoting AIDS awareness in India with Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, Richard Gere dipped her and laid kisses her on the cheek. Seeing the act as an attack against her modesty as well as Indian culture, men started burning and kicking effigies of the actors in protest all over India -- New Delhi, Kanpur, Meerut, Varanasi and Indore. Hell, some even called for the actors' deaths. Maybe they were incensed because the pair didn't use dental dams while trying to encourage truckers in New Delhi to wear condoms during sex? Or have they heard the *cough* Gere animal rumors?

Shetty considers the protests to be an "over-reaction" and stated: "I admit it went a little overboard, but that was not the intention. He did not do anything obscene." Come on, India! The man is lonely -- George Clooney took over his spot as the grey-haired sexy man. He was standing next to an extremely beautiful woman, and he couldn't help himself!