007 STARTS SHOOTING WITHOUT BOND GIRL OR VILLAIN.

Byline: - Staff and Wire Services

They've got their man, but they don't have the girl or the bad guy.

Sony's ``Casino Royale,'' the new James Bond film starring the newly dubbed Daniel Craig as 007, begin production last week in Prague. And while reports say that the the shoot has locked down globe-spanning ``exotic locales and an intrigue-laden script,'' at least two things are still missing: a female lead and and a worthy evil adversary for the super spy.

Although it's not unknown for a studio to begin principal photography on a film with casting unsettled, it's unusual for a project of this size and scope. According to the Hollywood Reporter, a source familiar with the Martin Campbell-helmed production said scenes involving James Bond's love interest don't begin for more than a month, and the studio still has some breathing room before compromising the film's schedule.

``They're talking to three to four girls right now,'' ``Royale'' scribe Paul Haggis told the Reporter. ``Every week I read there's a new Bond girl, and I call them and they say, 'No, you idiot.' ''

Craig was cast as Bond in October. In recent days, Rachel McAdams and Thandie Newton have emerged as possible Bond girls. An insider said casting of the villain is much further along than that of the female star.

``To be that exposed is unheard of,'' the source told the Reporter. ``(The actor or actress) can have them over a barrel. Not to have your two principal leads (by now) is awfully strange.''

AUTHORITY FIGURES: Before ``Paradise Now'' received its best foreign-language film nomination Tuesday, Academy Awards executives debated a movie credit with rare geopolitical dimensions.

Would the film be designated a submission from Palestine, as it was when it won a Golden Globe, although the country does not technically exist? Or would the source be the Palestinian Authority, the recognized ruling power?

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had ``a little bit of a difficult time deciding what to call it,'' academy spokesman John Pavlik said Tuesday.

``We're not in the business of defining countries,'' Pavlik said. Academy executives chose to use the ``more neutral term'' of Palestinian Authority, he said, adding that is the reference used by the U.S. State Department.

The decision angered ``Paradise Now'' director-write Hany Abu-Assad, who said it represented a slap at the Palestinian people and their national identity.

``It's not like suddenly if you change your name, you didn't exist before,'' he said Tuesday. ``If it's (Palestine) under occupation, it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.''

EVENING STANDARD BEARERS: ``The Constant Gardener'' was named best film at the 33rd annual Evening Standard British Film Awards.

Ralph Fiennes was named best actor Monday for his turn as a diffident diplomat uncovering corporate and government corruption in the movie, adapted from a John le Carre thriller and directed by Fernando Meirelles.

Natasha Richardson was named best actress for ``Asylum.''

Tom Hollander won the Peter Sellers Award for Comedy for his performance as bumbling vicar Mr. Collins in ``Pride & Prejudice.''

Clay-animation pioneer Nick Park, creator of ``Wallace & Gromit,'' received a special award for his contribution to British film.