"Die Another Day" Director Lee Tamahori Busted for Prostitution

Friday, February 3, it was finally revealed that New-Zealander Lee Tamahori, who directed James Bond film "Die Another Day", was arrested in an alleged prostitution sting in Hollywood.

The 55-year-old director was arrested on January 8th after he approached an undercover policeman and agreed to engage in an act of prostitution, while dressed in drag. Tamahori faces two separate charges of soliciting an act of prostitution and loitering with intent to commit prostitution on Hollywood's Santa Monica Boulevard.

Frank Mateljan of the Los Angeles city attorney's office revealed the filmmaker "was loitering on the sidewalk in drag and then approached an undercover officer in his car and offered to orally copulate him for money". Officer Jason Lee from the Los Angeles police department confirmed that Tamahori has been freed on bail but will appear in court in Los Angeles on February 24th.

For this felony the New-Zealander director faces a maximum sentence of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Tamahori has been working in the film industry for nearly 30 years; his 1994 film "Once Were Warriors" gave him his breakthrough and he subsequently directed the likes of Morgan Freeman and Anthony Hopkins in moderately successful films before landing the Bond job in 2002. He also directed the big budget action flick "XXX: State of the Union" last year and is currently involved in two films, one due to be released this year and the other late in 2007.