You can buy Johnny's DVDs new and used at Amazon.com August 2005
If you can donate to help keep the site going,
please click here:
Rivergirl has captured the "Rove Live" show from Aussie TV with Johnny & Freddie Highmore - HERE
From the Kansas City Star ATTENTION THOSE NEAR KANSAS CITY
Win passes to see 'Tim Burton's Corpse Bride'!Synopsis:
Set in a 19th century European village, this stop-motion, animated feature follows the story of Victor, a young man who is whisked away to the underworld and wed to a mysterious Corpse Bride, while his real bride, Victoria, waits bereft in the land of the living. Although life in the Land of the Dead proves to be a lot more colorful than his strict Victorian upbringing, Victor learns that there is nothing in this world, or the next, that can keep him away from his one true love.
Featured voice cast:
Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Emily Watson, Albert Finney, Richard E. GrantWhen:
Thursday, Sept. 22 at 7:30 p.m.Disclaimer:
Please arrive early! Theatre is overbooked to ensure a full house. Seats are not guaranteed, are limited to theatre capacity and are first-come, first-served. Everyone entering the theatre must have a ticket. Please be advised that all bags and/or purses are subject to search. Absolutely no cameras or recording device of any kind will be allowed in the theater. Theater will be subject to security surveillance.Rated:
PG for some scary images and action, and brief mild languageOpens nationwide:
Friday, Sept. 16, 2005
Congratulations to the Do It For Johnny gang!
Those of you who attended DeppCon 2004 met the entire company of "Do It For Johnny," got to handle the guitar they had made for him, here the story first hand, and become a part of the documentary they were making about their attempts to get the guitar - complete with script - to him. Well, they have succeeded (read it and see just how they succeeded), and you can find out all about their adventures in the video HERE and all the details on the web site HERE or peruse their entire site HERE
Yahoo News reports Johnny is expected at the Venice Film Festival which runs over the next few weeks.
From Sunrise: I spotted this in Australian 'Stuff Magazine' in an interview with Freddy Highmore:Q: Is it true you taught Johnny Depp to play chess and Playstation?
A: He taught me to play Playstation and I taught him a bit of chess. I used to play a bit when I was nine. I was quite a good player but then I gave up a bit.
Found by Emma at The AgeDepp stays true
August 29, 2005 - 12:21PMHe is so talented and good-looking, he would be forgiven for being loud and obnoxious.
Women love him and men have a right to be jealous.
Johnny Depp could have a supermodel on his arm any day of the week, but here he is on a recent sweaty afternoon at the Atlantis Resort in The Bahamas as gentle and sheepish as a sober nerd at a school formal.
Depp, deeply suntanned from six months in the tropical sun, has taken a short break from shooting the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels nearby the resort to stop by and chat about his latest film, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
He speaks in whispers, is polite and intelligent and is so sweet you want to give him a hug, or maybe a clip across the ear and tell him not to be so well-behaved.
It was not always the way, he says.
As a kid his mother had a special name for him.
"She used the term 'hellion'," Depp, on this day looking part scallywag pirate and part Parisian artist, laughs, albeit quietly, as he explains.
"I wasn't obnoxious or precocious but I was curious. There were a lot of practical jokes. I got on her nerves basically. I pissed her off quite frequently."
Depp looks part pirate because he has just walked off the Pirates of the Caribbean set.
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer is shooting two Pirates sequels back-to-back in The Bahamas, so Depp, returning as salty sea dog Captain Jack Sparrow, has spent plenty of time bronzing his skin in the Caribbean.
During this interview he has Capt Sparrow's gold plated teeth (which will have to removed by a dentist after filming ends), his arms are inked with fake tattoos and on his right wrist a thick leather strap dangles with coloured beads.
Depp is also wearing a green beret, a stringy goatee and black-rimmed glasses that look like he has pinched from Woody Allen, so with an easel and some paint he could also pass for a Parisian artist.
That is part of Depp's genius.
He is Hollywood's modern day chameleon, switching from dirty Jack Sparrow, to tidy playwright James Barrie in Finding Neverland, Constable Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow, Edward Scissorhands or D-grade Hollywood director, Ed Wood.
Now he is Willy Wonka, the reclusive, powder-skinned, chocolate mogul in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the remake of the Roald Dahl classic.
That is how Depp likes it.
Moving from character to character is the same as moving from town to town and that is what he has done all his life.
"I don't want to be stuck in one spot," Depp says, fiddling with the beads on his wrist.
"My childhood was spent moving around. We were total nomads. Like gypsies, just moving from one place to another all the time.
"That's kind of ingrained into my psyche, into my being. I couldn't stand being in one spot for too long a period of time.
"For example, we split the year up with six months in Los Angeles and six months in France. It just seems to work for us."
The "us" is Depp's family, a postcard of beauty - his longtime girlfriend, French actress Vanessa Paradis and their two children, six-year-old daughter Lily-Rose and three-year-old son, Jack.
Depp says he is only happy when he is with his family and that is why they are rarely apart. They are with him in the Caribbean, living in a palatial home while he shoots the Pirates films.
"They're here," Depp smiles.
"They're with me.
"The most I've ever been apart from my kids and my girl is four or five weeks and that drove me mad.
"One shouldn't have to do that. I can't do it.
"So as much as humanly possible I bring them with me on location. If Vanessa is doing a film and I'm not working, I'll go on location with her.
"I have to have them with me.
"I love running around on the beach with the kids. Going swimming. Taking them out on the boat."
Making Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has brought back many childhood memories for the 42-year-old actor.
With his equally odd and dark close friend Tim Burton directing, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has been one of America's most successful movies of 2005, making almost $US200 million at the box office over the US summer.
The story follows the poor, good-hearted Charlie Bucket, played by British child actor Freddie Highmore, as he wins a contest and tours Wonka's secret chocolate factory with four other children.
The children, except for Charlie, are brats.
Depp says he is lucky. His children, Lily-Rose and Jack, despite their privileged lives, are just like Charlie.
"They'd both be closer to Charlie's personality," Depp says, knocking on the wooden table in front of him.
"Luckily the kids are pretty well-balanced and well-grounded and not monster-like at all."
Depp is almost unrecognisable as Wonka.
He wore clip-on teeth "which actually changed the shape of my face a little bit".
Wonka's thick white make-up and outrageous clothes had some pointing to Michael Jackson as the inspiration for the eccentric character, also played by Gene Wilder in 1971's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
There's no link to Jackson, Depp says.
There could be a bit of another recluse, eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes, in the character, but mostly Depp's Wonka is an amalgam of quirky TV hosts he watched as a child.
"It wasn't specifically any one or two guys who were models for the characters," he explained.
"There were memories I have when I was a little kid watching children's shows and children's show hosts and I remember, even at that age, their speech patterns and musical quality of the way they were speaking to the camera and the children, I thought then it was really strange, super bizarre.
"'Helloooo children. How are youuuuuuu?'
"So guys that I watched, Captain Kangaroo, Mr Rogers and Uncle Al, became that main part of the ingredient.
"Also game show hosts I remember watching and thinking 'My God, they can't be like that at home', which led me to believe they put on a mask in a way so there's that all-important, positive smile."
Depp and Burton have forged one of Hollywood's most quirky, but successful partnerships.
Since 1990 they have worked together on six films - Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow, Ed Wood, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the new animated feature, Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, scheduled for release in Australia October 27.
"The great thing about him is he has stayed true to himself," Burton said.
"That's what I love about Johnny.
"He's maintained an artistic integrity and been doing great work for years.
"He has one big hit movie (Pirates of the Caribbean) and all of a sudden he's landing on the planet for the first time.
"But, he's always kept his artistic integrity and hasn't got caught up in the Hollywood scene. It's great to see he hasn't changed at all."
The Hollywood scene?
Depp, who owned LA's hottest nightclub of the early 1990s, Viper Room, does not spend much time on the Sunset Strip anymore.
He might split his year between homes in LA and France, but when he is in Tinseltown he is not a regular in nightclubs or Hollywood parties.
When he talks about his lack of interest in the haunts frequented by Hollywood's new generation of Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton, Depp sounds like an old man.
"I like very selfishly and very simply keeping a distance from Hollywood and the social expectations from Hollywood because I'm not good at that kind of game," Depp confides, almost whispering.
"I find great comfort in having that distance because I don't have the pressure or responsibility of knowing who is the top dog this week and who is out from last week.
"I don't know who anybody is and I really like it."
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory opens in Australia Thursday.
Found by Emma
The Courier-Mail
August 27, 2005 SaturdayBAM
Rebel of many faces
Who is the real Johnny Depp? asks Helen Barlow, as the actor portrays yet another fascinating movie character
IS THIS the decade of Johnny Depp, the 42-year-old former indie rebel and wild imbiber who seems to have the showbusiness market cornered?
Kids love him, teens think he's cool, girls of all ages drool over his looks and charm, while parents and grannies find him endearing.
Having cleaned up his act to become a doting parent, he has won a new respectability, and now with his box office clout he can make whatever movie he pleases.
Most important, he can be a star on his own terms after he became a golden box office ticket with Pirates of the Caribbean and now with Charlie and The Chocolate Factory.
But it hasn't always been thus: even as recently as Finding Neverland, director Marc Foster had to push for his casting. Tim Burton had long championed Depp to reluctant studio financiers, from the start with Edward Scissorhands and then Ed Wood and Sleepy Hollow.
"Tim and I have known each other for 15 years, so when we go back to doing a film every few years, it's like going home again," Depp says. "He walks this fine line between darkness and comedy like nobody else."
Just don't ask Depp where his fey, reclusive and slightly creepy Willy Wonka comes from.
He has denied any reference to Michael Jackson -- even if he ultimately does resemble him -- and says that in creating the chocolatier, whose factory tour becomes a life lesson for several kids, he was inspired by the perennially grinning television hosts with high-pitched voices from shows of his childhood such as Captain Kangaroo.
Yet one has the feeling it was all instinctive. Unlike creating a completely new entity as with pirate Jack Sparrow, whom the one-time musician admits to basing on Keith Richards from the Rolling Stones, Depp had to work within the confines of a well-known character from a book he describes as "magical" and by an author he loves.
But that didn't stop him from making him dark.
"Some of Roald Dahl's stuff you wouldn't want to read to your kids," he says.
"Even if Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is child-oriented, it has really subtle, dark messages to it."
His liking of Dahl's writing parallels his fascination with fairy tales that began with his research for Edward Scissorhands.
For Willy Wonka, Depp might as easily have plunged into Tim Burton mode, re-creating a different version of the toothy smile he developed for the B-grade movie director Ed Wood, and the ethereal paleness and emotional fragility of Edward Scissorhands.
"Edward was a total outsider. I really know how that feels," Depp says. "It's pretty rare that a film about a guy with scissors for hands would even get made."
But still the question remains: underneath all the disguises just who is the real Johnny Depp? In movies he has worked with the most creative and eccentric of directors and actors. His debut was in Cry-Baby with John Waters and then came Edward Scissorhands. His excursion into the mainstream as a regular accountant chasing the clock in Nick of Time, directed by the highly respected John Badham, flopped at the box office, and he looked most sexy when he reluctantly played a latter-day Rudolph Valentino in Don Juan DeMarco, which he only did to work with Marlon Brando.
Brando, another adventurer who also became his friend, came out of retirement to feature in the only film Depp would ever direct, The Brave, which played only in a couple of tiny Parisian cinemas.
"I don't think you can spend more than two minutes with Marlon Brando without walking away with an unforgettable experience and with an education," he says. The Brave was hardly a gripping experience, though its native American theme showed that Depp was keen to explore his part-Cherokee roots.
He had appeared already in the Native American-themed Dead Man for his friend Jim Jarmusch, when (five years later) he teamed again with Lasse Hallstrom, his What's Eating Gilbert Grape director, and played a gypsy musician in Chocolat.
He says it is the character closest to himself he has ever played.
He has looked like a kind of gypsy musician ever since.
This was about the time he met his partner, French songstress Vanessa Paradis, during the filming of Roman Polanski's The Ninth Gate, another failed movie by a cinematic auteur.
Within three months Paradis was pregnant. Becoming a father to Lily Rose, six, and Jack, three, gave the actor a new confidence to be himself, and when the family isn't on a Caribbean island they live between Los Angeles and the south of France.
"I'm more relaxed since I met Vanessa, I have more distance and therefore I have more perspective," Depp admits. "Before, I just felt as if I was another ingredient floating around in a boiling pot of stew and I couldn't quite figure out my place.
"When you live in Hollywood all the time you're constantly in that game, and you're susceptible to the pressures of success and the box office. I couldn't stand it because I had no interest in that."
But what about his "bad boy" image?
"I never had a bad boy image," he replies. "I mean, at least it was never anything that I went out and watered every day, you know. That was sort of placed on me and I never saw myself that way -- and neither did my mum. Now I'm just having the time of my life."
Nevertheless, one senses that the wilder side remains.
Even if he now drinks good French reds rather than hard liquor, Depp's commitment to being adventurous continues.
He made The Libertine for John Malkovich's company because of a long-standing commitment to the actor-producer -- even if it seems the film, which has a small release in the US next month, might not be widely seen.
Depp plays John Wilmot, the 17th-century second Earl of Rochester, who turned sex and alcohol into an art form.
"It's a heavy hit," Depp says. "But the life of that guy was like a whirlwind.
"He was dead by the age of 33 by drink and syphilis. Sex and alcohol basically killed him.
"He was like the first punk rocker in a way, but I think he was a great poet and very overlooked in British literature.
"He was kind of written off as a pornographer when he was much more than that."
One things for sure: Depp isn't in it for the money. He only becomes involved in a film, especially now, if he can have a vast amount of input into his character.
Captain Jack Sparrow's dithering eccentricities, after all, were his own creation.
"There are times when I read a script and I think it's really good but I don't think there's anything I can add, or there's anything that will really challenge me, so I go on to the next.
"It's important for an actor to try to keep pushing and learning and trying new things that maybe haven't been done so much.
"It's important for an actor to teeter on the brink of absolute failure, I think."
At the moment, though, failure for Depp doesn't seem likely.
From Carezza found at Las Vegas Weekly
(More on Johnny and Sal's new club)
LINE PASS: A New EmpireClub hopes to bring back era of elegance
By Martin SteinA new nightclub is rising up from the ashes of the troubled Utopia. The Empire Ballroom, behind the Walgreens at 3765 Las Vegas Blvd. S., promises to return patrons to an era of lost elegance and service, according to Salvatore Jenco, general manager and visionary.
The sunken dance floor has been filled and the stage extended, but for now, the rest is stripped-down walls and floors. The vision, then, comes from a nifty, 3-D, animated tour played out on Jenco's laptop to the sounds of Miles Davis' "Freddie Freeloader." But Jenco—who last captained LA's Viper Room with his 21 Jumpstreet friend, Johnny Depp—is so passionate about the project, there is little room for doubt.
A new VIP area is being constructed Strip-side. A second VIP area will be to the dance floor's side, a third will consist of eight alcoves on the second floor, and a fourth will be on the upstairs patio. The Strip-side and patio areas will have their own video and sound systems, able to broadcast the main rooms' action—or something completely different, as customers request. In total, the approximately 16,000-square-foot club will have room for 1,301, all treated as VIPs, as Jenco says people were in the 1920s, '30s and '40s. "It will have a classy, upscale, luxurious, '30s-speakeasy feel," he says. Heck, there'll even be a coat-check girl.
On the laptop's screen and in Jenco's eyes, there will be exposed brick walls, candle sconces and a custom-made, 9-foot-by-7-foot chandelier with intelligent lighting effects tucked away inside. The color scheme will incorporate a lot of reds, browns and burgundies. Parking concerns will be addressed with valet service and access to three lots behind the club.
Comparing the venue to soup, Jenco says it's important to concentrate on the broth. Make the broth as toothsome as possible, and you can add chicken, beef, fish, anything, and you'll still have a great soup. Similarly, Empire Ballroom will play host to DJs, live music, private events and even live theater.
Jenco is most proud of the sound system by France-based L-Acoustics, including a cutting-edge, tweaked Kudo V-DOSC speaker running off of a Midas XL4 mixer. Basically, he explains, it means the music will be cleaner and not as blaring as at other clubs.
Vegas clubgoers will be able to check that out for themselves soon, with a soft opening scheduled for mid-August, followed by an opening party in late September.
"We're not looking to compete with anyone at all," Jenco says. "We're looking to be the competition."
From Gabriela our Mexican Roving Reporter
On the local (Mexican)news they reported that Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley will come to Mexico to continue filming POTC2 and 3. The location is now under preproduction and they are planing be on location up to 4 months for filming, which will be in Costa Alegre, Jalisco. The exact date of filming has no been said yet.
From the Manteca Bulletin
(excerpt)
First Movie in the Park draws over 100'Pirates of the Caribbean' next Tuesday
There's no better way to experience the getaway of a movie than to do so with more than 100 others in the comfort of a family park.
On Tuesday night families took advantage of the Convention and Visitors Bureau free Movies in the Park event at downtown's Library Park -- crowding onto the lawn for the screening of Spiderman II.
Starting next week -- where the Pirates of the Caribbean will be the featured attraction starting at 8 p.m. -- food vendors will be a part of the Library Park scene offering tasty snacks that will go great with the film.
A very nice article about Hunter S. Thompson from the New York Press sent in by Peggy
From Pam transcribed From Hollywood Reporter – August 26-28, 2005
(excerpt)
Stars call Weinstein for post-Miramax help
By Anne ThompsonIt looks like Miramax Films still needs Harvey Weinstein. The Walt Disney Co.-owned Miramax, which will ever its relationship with co-founders Harvey and Bob Weinstein on Sept. 30, will have released about 21 pictures this year by that separation date. But two potentially high-profile movies that were destined to wind up in the current fire sale of releases have been given a new lease on life.
“Proof” and “The Libertine,” two films appealing to adults, had been scheduled to open opposite each other Sept. 16. But the movies have won a reprieve because they boast major stars who used their muscle to pull together deals between the divorcing parties, Disney and the Weinstein brothers, who are launching their new Weinstein Co. Neither “Proof’s” Gwyneth Paltrow nor “The Libertine’s” Johnny Depp was willing to go forward into the crowded fall season without help from Harvey Weinstein. They demanded and got him.
Weinstein has deep relationships with both actors. Paltrow won kudos for her performance in Miramax’s “Emma” in 1996 and a best actress Oscar for her cross-dressing role in the company’s “Shakespeare in Love.” Depp starred for Miramax in Lasse Hallstrom’s “Chocolat,” “Once Upon a Time in Mexico,” and landed a best actor nomination for last year’s “Finding Neverland.”
Ironically, it was “Neverland” that pushed John Madden’s adaptation of the hit play “Proof” out of its planned fall berth last year. Weinstein asked the “Proof” filmmakers to postpone their release a year so that he could take proper care of “Neverland” and “The Aviator.” Both movies landed multiple nominations, and then “The Aviator” won five Oscars to “Neverland’s” one.
As for “The Libertine,” according to the Mudd Co. partner Russ Smith, the filmmakers behind that project were not going to allow their hard-won indie movie to be thrown out with the Miramax bath water. “The moment that the decision came down that the movie was going out in this period of time with so many films and one-ninth of the staff, our imperative was to get this movie released as it should be,” Smith says.
Miramax picked up the film in September, after a work-in-progress, buyers-only screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. The final cut of the movie, trimmed by 30 minutes, played well to buyers in Cannes in May. Depp called Harvey to beg him to take on “The Libertine,” in which Depp stars as the infamous sexual predator the Earl of Rochester. The movie is so sexy that the MPAA’s rating board has slapped it with an NC-17; the decision on whether to appeal the rating or make cuts has not been made. “It’s a special movie that deserves all the attention it can get in December,” says Depp’s agent, UTA’s Tracey Jacobs. “It needs to be handled with intelligent marketing.”
Jake Bloom, Depp’s attorney, took on the task of convincing Disney chairman Dick Cook and Weinstein that it was in their mutual interest for Miramax to give the Weinstein Co. a distribution fee and a print and advertising commitment to distribute “The Libertine” in December for awards consideration. Needless to say, Depp’s role in Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise was a prime motivator for Cook to make his star happy. After nailing down the deal last week, Smith confirms, the release print of “The Libertine” has a “Weinstein Co. presentation” credit. “’The Libertine’ is being distributed by the Weinstein Co.,” Miramax spokeswoman Sarah Levinson confirms. (One added advantage of Disney allowing Weinstein Co. to handle the film is that unlike Disney, Weinstein Co. is not an MPAA signatory and thus is not obligated to release the film with an MPAA rating.)
Of course, the companies will work together on such co-financing partnerships. But what Harvey Weinstein boasts in spades, and the new Miramax still lacks, is that special Oscar mojo. During this transition period, Disney had no choice but to turn to Harvey for help with “Proof” and “The Libertine.” It’s been a “pleasure” working with the Disney team during this time, Harvey Weinstein says.
From InTooDepp found at The Mirror
26 August 2005
JOHNNY BUYS A CLUBHE once owned the infamous Viper Room, where River Phoenix died of an overdose - and now Johnny Depp is investing in another nightclub.
The 42-year-old actor has teamed up with long-term business partner Salvatore Jenco to open the Empire Ballroom in Las Vegas. The pair say it will return patrons to "an era of lost elegance and service".
Not to mention a state of severe inebriation.
From Thelma - I managed to locate an info page on the companion book for Corpse Bride
Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
by Mark Salisbury
Foreword by Tim Burton
Hardcover $29.95, published November 2005, ISBN: 1-55704-698-0
Paperback $19.95, published November 2005, ISBN: 1-55704-699-9
160 Pages
10 7/8" x 8 3/4"
140 color illustrations
Film and Television/Newmarket Pictorial Moviebooks
A stunning visual companion to the newest film from Tim Burton (The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), featuring storyboards, movie stills, and Burton's own drawings.View more details HERE
From TVShowsOnDVD
A peak at the Season 4 DVD.
From U TV News
THURSDAY 25/08/2005 12:06:33
Actor Depp to present Radio 2 documentaryActor Johnny Depp is to host a show on Radio 2.
The Charlie And The Chocolate Factory star will present a programme about movie idol James Dean.Depp follows in the footsteps of Brad Pitt, who presented a documentary about singer Nick Drake for Radio 2 last year.
The show will go out on September 27 to mark the 50th anniversary of Dean`s death.
And Depp is not the only Hollywood star signed up to the station, Val Kilmer is to present a profile on Marlon Brando the following month.
CaptMeeko reports seeing a commercial for Corpse Bride on television late Wed. night. Keep an eye out.
And Corpse Bride Soundtrack news HERE
From Karen at Johnny Depp Reads
A full page ad in the Hollywood Reporter for the Venice Film FestivalJoBlow has good things to say about this film HERE
From the Aspen Times
Get off Depp's back
August 24, 2005Dear Editor:
All these letters of outcry regarding what some feel was a colossal waste of money spent on the celebration of Hunter S. Thompson's life really piss me off.
Money spent on anything, which is of importance and value to the person paying the tab, is never money wasted. What is it that really bothers these folks who are so offended that HST's family and friends held their celebration and said their good-byes? What would have been an acceptable monetary figure for them? Who has the right to complain and resent how anyone spends any amount of money earned?
I have respect for Johnny Depp and his generosity in what he felt was necessary to honor his friend. I also have admiration for Rick McKinney, who hiked 500 miles from Yellowstone to Aspen, hoping to raise awareness of suicide and drug addiction, as his own way of honoring Hunter Thompson.
A few weeks ago a short seminar was held in Aspen to address the issue of suicide. I know from personal experience that there is a major factor missing in the efforts to raise overall awareness. What is being overlooked is the financial cost and red tape involved for anyone who seeks professional counseling and antidepressant medication. This includes the so-called low-cost mental health clinics. Without medical insurance or funds to pay for expensive medication needed on a regular basis, I can understand why so many turn to the only affordable and easier option to them: illegal drugs and alcohol. If it were as easy and affordable to obtain the legal means of aid, we would see the suicide rate in this country drop significantly. Would people feel better if Johnny Depp had spent his money on providing medication to those who can't afford it for whatever illness they suffer?
Some issues aren't as simple as the awareness to help prevent suicide, but should include how to make medications and counseling affordable. Get off Depp's back. Jump on the pharmaceutical companies, or the doctors who won't see you without leaving a $125 tip for a prescription for a 30-day supply of meds that will rake another $100 from your wallet if you want to complain about money spent.
There will always be people who choose to live, and die, the way they feel is best for them. That includes how they choose to spend their money. Hunter S. Thompson was one of those people, as am I. Perhaps part of the awareness programs should include how those left behind can accept the logical, well thought out process many consider before making that final choice to depart.
Kit O'Carra
formerly of Woody Creek
From Cinimatical
Tim Burton and Susan Sontag events at Lincoln CenterPosted Aug 23, 2005, 8:02 PM ET by Karina Longworth
Man, Film Society at Lincoln Center is on fire. The Reeler told us yesterday that FSLC has planned an evening with four of the five men that could be credited with turning the music video into a stand-alone art form: Anton Corbijn, Mark Romanek, Jonathan Glazer, Stephane Sednaoui and Michel Gondry (David Fincher is presumably busy with other things). Now two new press releases have been slipped under the door of Cinematical headquarters. First off: Tim Burton is going to appear the night before the music video event, to present an advance screening of The Corpse Bride and answer questions from the audience. Then, on September 22, Lincoln Center will host a program dedicated to the late Susan Sontag, featuring screenings of the two films she directed, Duet for Cannibals and Brother Carl. It's quite a trifecta - how could they possibly top it?
Finally, some more new POTC2 pics -
From Jazza for UK Fans
August 21, 2005
Johnny will be appearing on Rove Live this Tuesday night with Freddie Highmore. I thought that you might want to know. Rove Live starts at 9.30pm.
From Sakura
There is an article in the newspaper reporting that Johnny Depp will be visiting Japan starting September 3rd this year. This is in relation to the opening of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in Japan. Here is the report in Japanese:More information from Sakura: Johnny Depp & Tim Burton will give a Press Conference on the 4th of September. THe Japanese Premier will be held on the 5th, and Johnny will walk the red Carpet at Roppongi Hills. He will be visiting Japan for the first time in ten years.
From the Rocky Mountain News
(excerpt)
A gonzo send off
By Jeff Kass, Rocky Mountain News
August 21, 2005WOODY CREEK - Woody Creek-Ho Ho.
That was one of Hunter S. Thompson's favorite expressions, and what he might have said Saturday night as his ashes — mixed with fireworks and shot over a 153-foot fist sculpture — sprinkled an awestruck crowd of close friends and family holding champagne glasses and seeped into the rustic property he called his "psychic anchor."
One guest noted that maybe only King Tut could have rivaled such a send off. In the case of Saturday's event, it was an estimated $2 million from the pockets of actor Johnny Depp, who had portrayed Thompson in a film and became his close friend, that made it a reality.
Unbelievable, fantastic and fitting were among the words that flowed off people's tongues, but even the most influential media personalities who were among those in attendance had trouble searching for more elaborate descriptions.
The other names of attendees were ripped from the pages of Who's Who: television journalist Ed Bradley; presidential historian and official Thompson biographer Douglas Brinkley; Depp, dressed in a black suit; actor Josh Hartnett; former Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern; singer Lyle Lovett; actor Bill Murray, who once portrayed Thompson; and Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner.
While the event was closed to the public, his widow, Anita Thompson, and others later went into Aspen to speak with fans who had made pilgrimages from across the country.
Guests were told to arrive at 6 p.m. and many came by shuttle from Aspen. Stepping onto Thompson's 42-acre property, guests walked past massive red, yellow and black banners with the writer's logo — a dagger with a double-thumbed fist handle. On the banner flipsides were photos of Thompson: throwing a football, smoking, and in his red car.
Earlier in the day Thompson's only son, Juan Thompson, and others discussed Thompsn and his legacy.
"He wouldn't have actually attended this," Juan Thompson said. "He would have set himself up in some isolated corner."
Bradley said of the fist, "How absurd is that? But how absurd was Hunter?"Another report on this is HERE
A very interesting article about Matt Damon tells us why Johnny Depp did not make "The Brothers Grim" - which
was Damon's big question. Check HERE
Hunter S. Thompson memorialized in fireworks
August 20, 2005 8:08 PM
The Associated PressWOODY CREEK, Colo. As he wanted, the ashes of writer Hunter S. Thompson were shot into the sky with fireworks Saturday evening at his Colorado ranch.
Some 250 invited guests watched, including actors Sean Penn and Johnny Depp. Depp played Thompson in the movie version of one of his books.
Thompson planned much of his funeral, including mixing his ashes with fireworks and firing them from a 153-foot tower. His widow, Anita Thompson, says, "He loved explosions."
The tower is modeled after Thompson's logo: a clenched fist with two thumbs, rising from the hilt of a dagger.
Thompson killed himself six months ago at his ranch -- he was 67. He became known in the 1960s and 70s for what was called "gonzo journalism."
From Karen at Johnny Depp Reads for those of you in the New York/Manhatten area
Corpse Bride screening with Tim Burton Q&A after
Special ticket prices: $30 Film Society of Lincoln Center Members; $40 general public.
TICKETS BY PHONE
Tickets by phone can be purchased with your VISA or Mastercard for screenings that take place during the next 7 days by calling: 212-496-3809. $1.25 surcharge per ticket. Tickets purchased by phone must be redeemed at the Walter Reade Theater Box Office.BOX OFFICE HOURS AND INFORMATION
The box office opens at 12:30 pm Monday through Friday, and one half hour before the first screening on Saturday and Sunday. The box office closes every day 15 minutes after the beginning of the last show. If there are no evening public screenings, the box office closes at 6 pm.Our automated information number, 212.875.5600, provides up-to-date schedule and ticket information twenty-four hours a day.
THEATER LOCATION
The Walter Reade Theater is located on the north side of West 65th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, one flight up on the plaza level
Found by Emma at the Scotsman
Richards and Depp are pirate pals
by
ALLAN HALL
JOHNNY Depp may have lampooned Rolling Stone Keith Richards' drug-addled manner when he played Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean, but the two celebrities are now "good buddies".Richards, 61, who is to take the part of Sparrow's father in a sequel to the film, said they had teamed up in pirate costumes to amuse his grandchildren.
In an interview, the former heroin addict also explained the origins of the urban myth that he regularly has all his blood removed and replaced with a fresh supply at a clinic in Switzerland and spoke of the effect the 9/11 terrorist attacks had had on his family.
Depp previously revealed that he had copied Richards' body language for his role in Pirates of the Caribbean.
But Richards appears to have enjoyed the joke and said Depp was now a firm friend. "Johnny is a good buddy," he said.
"Recently, he visited me with a set of Disney pirate costumes and we disguised ourselves one afternoon and had a hell of a fun time. One of my grandkids thinks I am full-time pirate."
Richards, who once drank two bottles of whisky a day, said he was amused by the tale of his full-body blood transfusions and explained he appeared to have inadvertently started it.
"It is a super legend - and just as long-lived as I am. But it is rubbish," he said.
"Once, I was at Heathrow Airport on my way to Switzerland for treatment for heroin addiction. I met some youngsters who asked me where I was going. I said to Switzerland to exchange my blood. They didn't understand me, obviously."
Richards lives in Connecticut and was in New York at the time of the attacks on the World Trade Centre. "On 11 September, I was literally around the corner," he said. "My grandchildren go to school past the World Trade Centre. Fortunately, they are genuine Richards, which means they were reliably, totally late.
"They still were on the street when the first airplane came, and watched how it smashed into the tower.
"In the weeks afterwards, my house became a kind of five-star rock 'n' roll refugee camp. Some of Mick's children came, also because some of their things were all burned. It was a bad time. All this has left a noticeable impression in the American psyche. But life must go on ... you can't simply give up."
Richards said he was keen to avoid involvement in politics and distanced himself from the new Rolling Stones song Sweet Neo Con - short for neo-conservative - whose lyrics were Mick Jagger's idea.
The record is making waves in the US, with one verse referring to Mr Bush thus: "You call yourself a Christian/I call you a hypocrite/You call yourself a patriot/Well, I think you are full of s***/How come you're so wrong/My sweet neo-con."
Richards told the German news magazine Der Spiegel: "The song grew out of Mick's head. There have been political songs of the Stones in the past - take Street Fighting Man or Sweet Black Angel. Mick was keen to write Sweet Neo Con, me less so. I repeat what I said to Mick: politics are exciting, but in rock 'n' roll songs, it's my opinion that it counts for nothing - it does not fit.
"I do not want to play to party programmes on my guitar. That is tedious. But it is also no taboo, and for Mick it was important; I went through with it because we are a team."
Richards said there was none of the earlier animosity between him and Jagger.
"Perhaps it's because we're getting milder in old age and, I don't like to say it, have grown up.
"Last year, Charlie Watts had treatment for cancer and it wasn't clear how it would turn out. One day I said to Mick, 'Maybe we are the last two originals of this band'. One became very thoughtful. But fortunately the thing with Charlie went very well and everything is running as it should."
From CNN
(excerpt)
Friends gather for Thompson's fireworks farewell 'Gonzo' journalist's ashes to be shot from cannon
Saturday, August 20, 2005; Posted: 9:51 a.m. EDT (13:51 GMT)DENVER, Colorado (AP) -- Firework shells carrying the sealed ashes of "gonzo" journalist Hunter S. Thompson arrived in an armored truck at his mountain home as final preparations were being made for his star-studded farewell.
The shells were scheduled to be launched Saturday night from a 150-foot-tall monument erected behind Thompson's house in Woody Creek, just outside Aspen. The event will be private, open to about 250 invited guests including Thompson's longtime illustrator, Ralph Steadman, and actors Sean Penn and Johnny Depp.
His widow, Anita Thompson, said Depp, who grew close to Thompson after portraying him in the 1998 film version of "Fear and Loathing," funded much of the celebration."We had talked a couple of times about his last wishes to be shot out of a cannon of his own design," Depp told The Associated Press last month. "All I'm doing is trying to make sure his last wish comes true. I just want to send my pal out the way he wants to go out."
Fro Cinimatical
Once Upon a Time in Mexico - for PSP?
Posted Aug 18, 2005, 12:24 PM ET by Karina LongworthIn a new interview with IGN Film Force, Robert Rodriguez talks about a lot of things – his post-Sin City preference for green screen over real sets; the "double feature" he's making with Quentin Tarantino called Grind House; the possibility that he'll direct an episode of The George Lopez Show. But his most out-of-left-field intimation? That the "franchise" begun with his first film, El Mariachi, and extended with the Johnny Depp starrer Once Upon a Time in Mexico, may continue not with another film, but as a video game. "I thought about doing a PSP game that would follow [Johnny Depp's character]," Rodriguez says. "That would be cool, a Once Upon a Time in Mexico video game for the PSP - The Man With No Eyes. He would be a blind gunfighter." Is this the first time a feature shot for less than $10,000 could find new life over ten years later as a video game? If you can come up with another example, I'd like to hear it. [via GreenCine Daily]
and from Film Force IGN
IGN FILMFORCE: What about the El Mariachi franchise - do you have any future plans for that?RODRIGUEZ: I thought about doing a PSP game that would follow [Johnny Depp's character]. That would be cool, a Once Upon a Time in Mexico video game for the PSP - The Man With No Eyes. He would be a blind gunfighter.
From Kazren
So all of us who are Sands fans will have a chance to play with him!
I've tried to find some sort of email address for Robert's company, Troublemaker Studio, I found the web site
http://www.robertrodriguez.com/main.htmI don't know if it will help, but I've sent email to the site's webmaster, so more email might let him know we want more Sands.
webmaster@robertrodriguez.com
From Hollywood.com
Thompson's Star-Studded Funeral Celebration
By WENN
............................................
Hunter S. Thompson's widow is holding a massive star-studded party instead of a wake for the writer's funeral this Saturday - to honor his final wish.The lavish bash, which will be attended by 250 guests including actors Sean Penn and Johnny Depp, will include readings from Thompson's work and live musical performances. The unusual ceremony will also see the cremated remains of the Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas author, who was a huge fan of explosives, being shot into the air over his Woody Creek, Colorado, home.
Hollywood star Depp - who portrayed Thompson in the 1998 movie version of the bestseller - is financing the send off, and has been busy constructing a special cannon so he can blast his late pal Hunter S. Thompson's ashes into the sky.
According to The New York Post, the memorial platform/cannon will be unveiled on Sunday and has been modeled on Thompson's Gonzo logo: a clenched fist, made symmetrical with the addition of a second thumb, perched above a dagger.
Thompson's widow Anita insists the upbeat celebration is perfect for the unconventional star.
She says "No crying, no tears, only celebration. He wanted people to celebrate.
"He envisioned it to be a beautiful party. The most amazing people would be there.
"His friends would celebrate his life. And he was even specific that there would be clinking of ice and whisky."
Article Copyright World Entertainment News Network All Rights Reserved.
From InTooDepp
August 17, 2005
The official Miramax Libertine site is back up and it still says September 16th for the US release date.And there is this from Judith
Total Film September 2005
Down And Out
Johnny Depp films don't get shelved too often. Rough Cut goes in search of the missing period romp The Libertine.It's a debouched, gory, comic period film boasting knockout turns from Johnny Depp, John Malkovich and Samantha Morton. But you haven't seen The Libertine. In fact, you probably haven't even heard of it.
But why? After all, it has Depp dazzling as 17th-century hellraiser poet john Wilmot, the Earl of Rochester, a man who famously drank and whored his way to an early grave."Wilmot was one of the original self destructive libertines," buzzed Depp as the film began shooting in England in 2004."He was an amazing poet and maybe the first punk rocker."However things went wrong. The Libertine was financed under the Uk Government film tax break scheme, designed to attract multiple producers to finance homegrown films, but Gordon Brown's clampdown on the scheme disembowlled The Libertine's budget. Unlike some Brit films, the movie survivied - just. But months later, with threee new production companies on board, The Libertine limped to completion only to gather dust while distributers Miramax raged internally.
But here comes the good news. Ahead of their departure, Bob Weinstein and harvey Weinstein have cleared the shelves, meaning The Libertine is finally pegged for a limited release in the US next month. Sadly, Uk distributors Entertainment still have it filed under, "No set release date."
So as a taster for what might have been, we'll leave you with a defiantly fruity line from Depp's Rochester:"You've cut me down, I must confess; but in your mouth my balls must rest..."
From Contact Music
August 17, 2005
CHARLIE STAYS ON TOP OF THE UK BOX OFFICECHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY is spending a third triumphant week at the top of the UK box-office chart, holding back critically slammed blockbuster THE ISLAND in second place.
The TIM BURTON movie, which stars JOHNNY DEPP, took GBP2.8 million ($5 million) over the course of last weekend (12-14AUG05). To date, it has taken a total of GBP26 million ($47 million) in the UK.
From USA Today (full story on their page
(excerpt)
8/17/2005 12:08 PM
Hunter Thompson widow talks about send-off
The monument towers over a field between the home and a tree-covered red rock canyon wall. It is shrouded in gray and blue tarpaulins that ripple in the wind and it will not be unveiled until Saturday. It is modeled after Thompson's Gonzo logo: a clenched fist, made symmetrical with the addition of a second thumb, perched atop a dagger.Anita Thompson said Saturday will include some reminiscence, readings from Thompson's work and performances by both Lyle Lovett and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. About 250 people were invited, including Thompson's longtime illustrator, Ralph Steadman, and actors Sean Penn and Johnny Depp, close friends of the writer.
Depp, who portrayed Thompson in the 1998 movie version of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, is financing much of the send-off, Anita Thompson said. She said she doesn't know the total cost and said others have offered to chip in.
"Everybody's bringing what they have to offer," she said.
From Times Leader
(excerpt)
August 17, 2005
Security will be tight at Thompson memorialASPEN, Colo. - Authorities are preparing to make sure fans and curiosity seekers don't crash an elaborate memorial planned this weekend for late writer Hunter S. Thompson.
The gonzo journalist's ashes will be blasted out of a 150-foot-tall monument - about as tall as the Statue of Liberty - behind his house at Owl Farm in nearby Woody Creek during the celebration, which also will include readings from Thompson's work and performances by Lyle Lovett and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Guests at the invitation-only event will include Thompson's longtime illustrator, Ralph Steadman, and actors Sean Penn and Johnny Depp.
From Debbie transcribed by her from the August Empire UK
SWEET! JOHNNY DEPP Exclusive — The New Willy Wonka Talks Drugs, Sex,
and Chocolate.
In Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, he's the ultimate manchild. In
The Libertine, he's the first punk rocker. From Pinewood to Italy via
16th century London, Empire travels through time and space to live the
double life ofjohnny Depp...
Words by MARTYN PALMER, PORTRAIT by NIGEL PARRY
In the shadow of two brightred trucks emblazoned with an ornate ‘W’ and
across a courtyard packed hard with (fake) snow, the scarecrow figure
that is Johnny Depp, as outlandish factory owner Willy Wonka, adjusts
his black tunic before leaning in to have a few quiet words in Tim
Burton’s ear. Burton stands away from his camera and has a little
chuckle at whatever Johnny's smiling about. They look happy. They look
like two (big) little boys having a good time together — kids in a
sweet shop, you might say. Or, to be more precise, kids in a chocolate
factory. As if you didn't know, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory
reunites Team Burton and Depp, a kind of modernday Akira Kurosawa and
Toshiro Mifune, with more quirk and fewer swords. Stand by for
collaboration No. 4 (following Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood and Sleepy
Hollow) and expect to enter a world originally created by Roald Dahl
but perfectly designed for Burton's particular, weirdly appealing
sensibility and Depp's beguilingly childlike demeanour."It's fun and it's meant to be fun," Depp says later. "Tim is doing
beautiful stuff, the sets are incredible and the work has been a ball.
And for me, going back into the ring with Tim is like being home. Yeah,
right at home, you know, comfortable. I feel like I can do anything and
he will always pull the reins in or prod me to get me going. He's
great."We are on the backlot at Pinewood Studios, outside the titular
chocolate factory, an imposingly bleak edifice which wouldn't have
looked out of place in Fritz Lang's Metropolis. Around the factory
there are cobbled streets (made from plaster but feetachingly
authentic) with rows of terraced houses and shops. A newsagent's boasts
a poster advertising Wonka Bars that reads, "It's The Best Chocolate In
The World!" (it's actually made by Nestle in Yorkshire), copies of the
local rag, The Gazette ("Ticket Is A Fake! High Levels Of Pesticide
Found In Water!"), and a counter stuffed with chocs and jars of sweets
such as bultseyes and candy canes. Opposite, there's the EZ Pawn Shop
and Biggles the toy shop, a dingy bar and a jeweller's. The overall
impression is of a particularly grim Northern town from the 1950s
(think L. S. Lowry), given a Burton twist.The depth of the set is extraordinary. CGI is to be kept to a minimum,
with even the spectacular chocolate river created for real. Nearby, on
one of the nine sound stages utilised by the production, 200,000
gallons of the brown stuff (actually made from a thickening agent used
in toothpaste and baked beans mixed with food dye) flows for an
impressive 270 feet. It's six feet deep, 40 feet wide in places, and
features a waterfall that uses another 30,000 gallons of the gloop.
It's not chocolate but it is edible — not that you'd particularly want
to test the theory. Wetsuitclad crew members dive in each day to make
sure that the underwater pumps which keep it flowing are in full
working order. It's Burton eyecandy — pun intentional — at full tilt,
something Depp clearly finds irresistible."Well, Tim's a friend," he says when asked to explain their
relationship. "First and foremost. I love the guy. And yes, we do share
a certain sensibility, an outlook about our work. And we go back a
long, long way now.”When Johnny Depp first met Tim Burton, it was a form of salvation for
the then 26 yearold actor. Depp was headlining 21 Jump Street — yoof
cops solve yoof crimes, daddio — gracing the cover of every teen mag
and, in his own words, well on his way to becoming "just another piece
of expendable Hollywood meat". Then Burton tapped him up for the shy,
sensitive, stainless steelmitted Edward Scissorhands. Subsequently,
from Ed Wood through Sleepy Hollow's Ichabod Crane and now Willy Wonka,
the pair have conjured up a recognisable hero all their own — a quirky
outsider, full of a naive optimism and bizarro dress sense, squarely at
odds with the conventional world around them."It's a theme that I've returned to now and again," he says. "What
society deems normal and abnormal, and who decides and why. There's
also the sense of not allowing the worio to ttirow garbage on you, to
try to retain those gifts — curiosity, fascination — that we are given
as children."His own childhood was fractured. His family moved 30 times, mostly in
Florida, and his father left home when he was a teenager. Depp himself
felt like an outsider at every school he found himself in, taking
solace in music playing in a band called The Kids and, eventually,
acting."I did feel like an outsider. I felt completely and utterly confused by
everything that was going on around me. It was the one thing that the
teachers didn't want you to do in school, you know, question things.
But I always wanted to know why. It was, 'Well, you should do this and
you shouldn't do that... "Oh okay, why not?' It really pissed them off,
but it shouldn't piss them off because it's a fucking valid question.
It's the only question."That intense feeling of suburban dislocation is a theme he explored
expertly with Burton in Edward Scissorhands, of course. In reality, he
may not have had eightinch blades on the ends of his arms, but be
wasn't about to buy into the American teen dream, no questions asked,
either."I saw these guys and girls competing for most popular this and that,
the Prom Queen and the Prom King, and it was like, 'Jesus, what
bollocks,'you know? Absolute crap. I was lucky in that sense. I was
raised in such a way that it wasn't like eyes on the prize. It was,
'Just get through it man, just get what you can get and keep moving.’ ""'Now that's what I call a big dick," Depp says, and frankly it's hard
to disagree. The World's Coolest Man and Empire are currently eyeing up
a tenfoot willy (phallus, not Wonka) leaning against a wall, being
tenderly cared for by two prop men. We're on the Isle Of Man, it's a
few months before our Chocolate Factory meeting and we're shacked up
with Depp in his Winnebago, on location for The Libertine. The star has
just filmed an impromptu pickup with Richard Coyle (of Coupling fame)
in a nearby car park, doubling today for Hampton Court. ("With a bit of
smoke swirling all around us, hopefully you'll never know the
difference," Depp grins. "It's all smoke and mirrors.") It's the end of
a long day and he's uncorked a rather fine bottle of red and invited
Empire to share a glass. It would be churlish to refuse.Taking on the role of John Wilmot, otherwise known as the Earl of
Rochester, for The Libertine was indeed a labour of love. Rochester was
a 17th century rake, a legendary hellraiser who wrote rather excellent,
often exceedingly filthy poetry, a wit who at turns amused and outraged
the court of Charles 11, bedded nearly every woman he came into contact
with, and drank far too much before he died, from syphilis, at the age
of 33."It was one of those rare occurrences where you read a script and you
think, 'This is great.' Three sentences into the opening monologue and
I was in. I knew it was one of those things, the kind of material that
you see just once. Edward Scissorhands was like that for me."The Libertine, as you might have guessed, is hardly likely to share a
Saturday morning doublebill with Charlie And The Chocolate Factory any
time soon. But, says Depp, it would be wrong to assume that this is
little more than a romp with lots of naughty bits and a liberal use of
words that rhyme with runt."It's very easy for the take on Rochester to be that he was a pig, a
drunk, a randy, psychotic madman. But there are a million things to
like about him and that's the beauty of it. And you know, I'm amazed
that the majority don't know who he is. If people do know him, they go,
'Oh yeah, he wrote the bits about 'pussy' and 'cocks" or,'He made fun
of the king with These witty little satires.' But man, he was very
profound. It's amazing stuff. And I'm amazed that the Marquis de Sade
got more action, you know'? This guy has been kept in the darkness for
too long."Perhaps it is musing about a life lived at full pelt ("Rochester was
like the first punk") that prompts Depp to reflect on times when he was
running wild. While he has always loved the work, at times he's
struggled to cope with the attention that goes with it. In the early
years, he was a poster boy, quite literally, who refused to play the
game. Dating Kate Moss, scrapping with paparazzi that followed them
enverywhere and trashing hotel rooms, this was an angry young man not
dealing with the fame thrust upon him at all. He would drink
"selfmedicate" is how he describes it — to help him get through it all."I'd go to functions and back in those days I literally had to be drunk
to be able to speak and get through it. I guess I was trying not to
feel anything," he says. "My drug of choice back then was alcohol more
than anything. Hard liquor, spirits. And yeah, I had a keen idea that
it was not good. But you get liquored up and once you are in that
spiral you don't even get hangovers anymore. You wake up and have a
drink again."We catch up again in Italy, where Depp is taking a short hiatus from
his Charlie chores. On the terrace of the ludicrously posh Hotel
Cipriani he looks gloriously incongruous, dressed in ripped jeans and a
white shirt, with both wrists, and neck, loaded with beads, bangles and
leather straps. His rollups at his side, a bottle of water — note,
water — on the table, he greets Empire with a firm handshake and says,
“We met on the Isle Of Man, right? I love that place. People complain
about it, and I don't know why.” As the surrounding suits settle into
their power brunches, Depp reflects on the security that family life
has now given him and the platform it provides to go out and enjoy
doing the work."It's all about perspective," he says. "When your baby comes along you
go, 'Oh, that's what it's all about...' And all that stuff that was
spinning around in my head, all the things I was worried about, when
they wrote this about me or when they took a picture outside the
restaurant or whatever... All of a sudden I went, 'Fuck it, who cares?'
There's nothing anyone can do to me these days. I'm lucky to have this
job and I'll do it until they don't give me gigs anymore."Depp has probably never enjoyed his work more. Right now, he's filming
backtoback sequels to Pirates Of The Caribbean, Having done his pirate
research — "They keelhauled people and they did draw and quarter, but
walking the plank, it never happened. Earrings, never" — he's up to
speed on all the little details, but mostly he's excited at the chance
to play Jack Sparrow once again."The first film was very well received and that's great," he says. "But
for me, selfishly as an actor, you wind up getting to know these
characters and, at times, falling in love with them, and then the
moment comes where you have to say goodbye to them. And it really beats
you up. You have to go through a period of decompression. At least with
Pirates they are bringing him back and I get to see an old friend
again."It is, he says, all about playing it for real but playing it for fun,
too. A bit like being a big kid. And a big kid in a chocolate factory,
well, that will be something to behold.
From Emma - UK Release date November 25th.However, Coming Soon is now showing the release date for Libertine as December 2005 for the USA. Miramax has had the official site down for "maintenance" for all of Miramax, not just this film, all day. Harvey Weinstein has to have this movie released by a certain date or he will lose his rights/profits, due to his split with Disney, so this is all very murky at the moment.
and
From the L.A. Times:
Both sides called the unusual move to hurry the films into theaters a joint decision. The Weinsteins were particularly insistent on making sure that they could handle the marketing and release of the movies for their filmmakers before they leave Disney. ("The Libertine" period piece starring Johnny Depp was the exception, recently moved from September to December to increase Depp's Oscar chances.)
I am highly recommending this book:So Idle a Rogue:The Life and Death of Lord Rochester," by Jeremy Lamp: Here's the Amazon link
(not cover)
This is an excellent biography of John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester, the character Johnny plays in "The Libertine." I've read several books about Wilmot in the past two years, and I have enjoyed this more, gotten more out of it, and feel I have finally gotten a handle on the man who was so brilliant and so tragic.The author, Jeremy Lamb, didn't just sit in some ivory tower, he traveled to where the Earl lived, worked and died. He has quotes from his contemporaries, his letters, his poetry and prose. And this is all very cleverly woven into a fascinating and gripping story of the Earl's life. Unlike the other rather scholarly works I've read, this one gets right into the personality of Wilmot, dissecting it, but not in a dry removed manner, rather it's as if you have an insight into the intriguing and paradoxical Earl. I suggest you get this book if you want to have a more intimate glimpse into not only the life of John Wilmot, but his period in history and the fascinating people he lived with, loved, and even hated.
Kazren
If you believe satire is good for the soul, you'll love THIS sent in by Adele at Full-Bloom.net
From Cinimatical
Edward Scissorhands reissue on DVD
Posted Aug 13, 2005, 1:19 PM ET by Jette Kernion
Filed under: 20th Century Fox, Johnny Depp, Home Entertainment
Scissorhanded Depp with Winona RyderTwentieth Century Fox will release a 15th anniversary edition DVD of Edward Scissorhands on November 15, almost surely to capitalize on the recent hype surrounding Johnny Depp and Tim Burton from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Edward Scissorhands: The Anniversary Edition will be available in full-screen and anamorphic widescreen editions, and you can buy the widescreen DVD in a special tin box. Anamorphic widescreen is great, the tin box sounds lovely, and some of us can never seem to get enough of Johnny Depp. Unfortunately, the rest of the features listed - audio commentaries from Burton and Danny Elfman, a "Making Of" short, trailers, and concept art - appear to be recycled from the tenth anniversary special-edition DVD in 2000. Personally, I think I'll save my money for the musical.
InTooDepp sent these photos of the work being done near Aspen for the Hunter S. Tompson memorial
Check the Libertine pages for a new photo from Emma
From Contact Music
August 12, 2005
DEPP: 'MOSS WAS TOO GOOD FOR ME'JOHNNY DEPP
Hollywood superstar JOHNNY DEPP fears he wasn't good enough for ex-fiancee KATE MOSS - but their split had a positive effect on his personality, enabling him to fall in love with French actress VANESSA PARADIS.
Depp and Moss had a turbulent relationship from 1994 -1997 and were notorious for their extravagant lifestyle and champagne Jacuzzis.
But Depp insists their separation has improved her career and allowed him to meet his true soul mate and conceive his beloved children LILY-ROSE MELODY, six, and JACK, three.
He says, "I don't think I was very good for her, so what we did was right - we walked away from each other.
"She went on to bigger and better things and I went on and fell in love and had kiddies.
From Cinematical
Burton credits Pirates for Depp's successPosted Aug 9, 2005, 11:55 PM ET by Adam Finley
I like Johnny Depp, and I especially like Johnny Depp when he works with Tim Burton. Actually, his turn as Raoul Duke in Terry Gilliam's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas wasn't too shabby either. The point is, the man clearly chooses roles he can really throw himself into, but Burton said recently it isn't films like Edward Scissorhands or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory that will aid the rising star, but rather Pirates of the Caribbean, which gave Depp a wider audience and a new found admiration in the eyes of movie executives who might have once seen Depp as too weird or too reluctant to be a real celebrity.
From Peggy a Tom Tomorrow cartoon
From Ananova
Johnny Depp planning porn role?Johnny Depp says his next movie might be a porn film because he doesn't want to be typecast.
Depp, whose previous roles include Edward Scissorhands and Captain Jack Sparrow, has just played Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
He told German magazine Gala: "These kind of characters are not so far from my own personality, but I don't want to become typecast as an eccentric.
"Maybe next time I should do something totally different and film a cracking porn with Tim [Burton]. That would really send my popularity down to the depths!"
One of Depp's co-stars in the latest adaptation of Roald Dahl's novel, is 12-year-old German Philip Wiegratz, who plays greedy glutton Augustus Gloop.
Wiegratz said: "Johnny Depp is really nice and funny. He can even speak a little German. But all he knows how to say is: "Who's farted?"."
From BBC News Brazile
Johnny's knocking wood for pirates
Last updated 10 August 2005Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp's revealed he was in two minds about making more 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movies.
He says a lot had changed since making the first film - especially for his co-stars Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley. But Johnny reckons as soon as the cameras were rolling, his fears were put at rest:
"A lot of things have happened. Orlando's making big movies and Keira too."
"You didn't quite know what to expect. But honestly you stepped back on to the set for the first day and it was like jumping back into the skin of Captain Jack."
"It felt like we'd had a week off since the first one. It's been a really great time. Everyone's been super good and fun."
"I think it's going to be good. I hope, I'll knock wood again."
From Adele at Full-Bloom.net found at Extra
Stones Target 'Hypocrites' in New Song
August 10, 2005They've been hailed as the biggest, best and baddest band there ever was. Now, the eternally-rebellious and controversial Rolling Stones are at it again with a barbed protest song reportedly aimed right at President George Bush.
The rockers were in Toronto, rehearsing for their upcoming tour, when they gave a rare interview to "Extra's" music critic Jude Cole. And legendary Mick Jagger spoke for the first time about the song, "Sweet Neo Con," which says in part, "You call yourself a Christian. I call you a hypocrite. You call yourself a patriot. Well, I think you're full of s***."
But Jagger insisted, "It's not really aimed at anyone in particular. It's not aimed personally at President Bush. It wouldn't be called 'Sweet Neo Con' if it was. It's certainly very critical of certain policies of this administration, but so what, you know? Lots of people are critical, and I had my feelings about it."
"Sweet Neo Con" is just one of the songs from the Stones' upcoming CD, "A Bigger Bang," the band's first album in eight years. And Jagger revealed one of the keys to his success: "You've got to retain that vitality you had when you were young. You can't make rock records without a lot of vitality."
The new CD will be released to coincide with a concert tour that kicks off in Boston on August 21st, which will reunite Jagger with fellow legend, Keith Richards. "Every new tour is like a new voyage," Richards admitted. "It's a little school-boyish, a little adventure."
Richards also spoke for the first time about being Johnny Depp's inspiration in "Pirates of the Caribbean," and he confirmed that he'd really like to make a cameo in the sequel, promising, "Wait until you see the patch."
So with movies, music and a new tour, it certainly seems like the bad boys of rock are still going strong and showing no signs of slowing down.
From Adele at Full-Bloom.net found at Pug Bus
Johnny Depp Set for Hunter S. Thompson Sendoff
By Chip Hilton
Aug 10, 2005, 09:25
ASPEN, Colo. - Johnny Depp will interrupt filming of the second through fifth sequels of Pirates of the Caribbean to read selected passages from Hunter S. Thompson's 352-page suicide note at an invitation-only memorial service for the late author.Depp, currently starring as a Michael Jackson look-alike in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, funded the construction of the 150-foot tower from which Thompson's ashes will be scattered at the memorial. He told the Denver Post he is looking forward to the August 20 celebration, which will be held on Thompson's Woody Creek Farm near Aspen. Depp and Thompson became close friends when Depp portrayed Thompson in the movie version of the latter's book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Thompson shot and killed himself on February 20. He left behind a rambling, often profane suicide note, which Rolling Stone magazine in conjunction with St. Martin's Press will publish in book form this fall. The book was originally scheduled to appear in March, but it contained so many potentially libelous references that lawyers hired by Thompson's wife said they could not possibly clear the book for publication in so little time.
After reading several passages from Thompson's suicide note, Depp will perform Ballad of a Slaphead, a tribute to Thompson written by Rolling Stone Keith Richards, who appears as Depp's monkey love child in Pirates.
Following this performance, Depp will use Thompson's favorite flame thrower to ignite the fuse that will trigger a cannon containing Thompson's ashes. Jon Equis, the event producer working with Thompson's family on the memorial service, said the cannon will be perched on top of a tower 12 feet wide at the base, 8 feet wide at the top, and 150 feet in height. The structure will be designed to resemble Thompson's 'gonzo fist' emblem.
According to persons who have read a draft of the Thompson's suicide note, his death was prompted at least in part by the appearance of his phone number on the Internet after Paris Hilton's Sidekick had been hacked.
Johnny Depp rehearsing Ballad of a Slaphead.
"That king-hell, soul-sucking, cellulite-brained sleazoid Paris Hilton has sucked me into the maw of her eyeball-frying power trip," wrote Thompson. "Now every two-bit geek of an editor I ever kept waiting up past his bedtime on a deadline is ringing me as if I'm the local Domino's Pizza just to give me one of the few remaining pieces of his or her mind."The invasion of his treasured privacy wasn't the only thing that drove Thompson to despair. He apparently made—and lost—a large bet with Rush Limbaugh on the Super Bowl.
"I got suckered like a virgin on prom night with her first corsage," wrote Thompson. "No way I should have let that speech-slurring, OxyContin-popping rat bastard hornswoggle me into taking the Eagles without the points. How was I to know that [Eagles quarterback] Donovan McNabb would swallow his colon when the game was on the line? I've seen snitches trapped in the corner of a rest stop on a Hell's Angels' run with more composure than that guy."
McNabb, Limbaugh, and Hilton were only a few of the public figures and celebrities whom Thompson gunned down with bursts of Uzi-like prose. Even Rolling Stone editor, Jann Wenner, who had purchased the rights to Thompson's suicide note for $10 million some time ago, was withered in the crossfire.
"I hope you're happy, you pompous, vainglorious Nancy Boy twit," wrote Thompson. "I can tell your sorry, Mick Jagger-loving ass that I certainly will be glad not having to put up with your limp-wristed voice whining into my answering machine asking how I managed to spend $25 thousand in two days on room service. I ought to send you a bill for all the freakin' answering machines I shot on account of you."
In related news, ESPN has secured exclusive rights to film the Hunter S.Thompspon memorial, which will be broadcast on a special edition of Real Sports with Bryant Gumble.
From Adele at Full-Bloom.net From BBC news
BBC Radio 1 (UK) posts a report on comments Johnny Depp made about being in two minds about making more POTC movies: He says a lot had changed since making the first film - especially for his co-stars Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley. But Johnny reckons as soon as the cameras were rolling, his fears were put at rest: "A lot of things have happened. Orlando's making big movies and Keira too." "You didn't quite know what to expect. But honestly you stepped back on to the set for the first day and it was like jumping back into the skin of Captain Jack." "It felt like we'd had a week off since the first one. It's been a really great time. Everyone's been super good and fun." "I think it's going to be good. I hope, I'll knock wood again." ~posted by Adele at 18:07 PM CET
From Contact Music
BURTON CREDITS PIRATES WITH SAVING DEPPJOHNNY DEPP
JOHNNY DEPP owes his blossoming career to THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN because it was a financial success, according to his CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY director TIM BURTON.
The movie-maker loves working with Depp and fought hard to get him on board EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, but insists studios were frightened of his unpredictability and reluctance to be a celebrity.
Burton tells Empire magazine, "He's always been known as a good actor, but you know, Hollywood is a very safe community, and it's like their attitude towards me: they think he is a good actor but they are also a little bit worried because he likes to transform himself.
"He's more like LON CHANEY than he is a leading man. I hope and I think that they see an integrity to him and, except in my movies, they like the way he looks. Of course ever since the Pirate movie made money it's been different, because they see that as meaningful."
8/8/2005 17:17
From Hilary found at Yahoo UK News
Tuesday August 9, 01:36 PM"Charlie" sweet for second week atop UK box office
LONDON (Reuters) - Life is still sweet for director Tim Burton after his movie version of Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" drew the biggest crowds at British cinemas for the second weekend running.
The film, featuring Johnny Depp as mysterious chocolate wizard Willy Wonka, earned 4.4 million pounds over the weekend to take its gross UK earnings to 19.4 million pounds.
The tale of five children winning a perilous tour round a magical confectionery factory kept animated adventure "Madagascar" in second place, while romantic comedy "Wedding Crashers" moved up one slot to third.
New entries in the top 10 included the return of Herbie the Love Bug in Disney's "Herbie: Fully Loaded" at number five, action thriller "Stealth" at seven and horror comedy "The Devil's Rejects" at number nine.
Films on their way down included superhero movie "Fantastic Four" at four, Steven Spielberg's "War of the Worlds" at six, Voodoo mystery "The Skeleton Key" at eight and caving horror "The Descent" at 10.
From Hilary found at Yahoo UK News
Monday August 8, 10:59 AM'Charlie' enjoys high-calorie weekend overseas
SYDNEY (Hollywood Reporter) - "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" was the weekend's top-ranking film internationally, eating up $14.4 million from 23 markets for a total of $67.2 million (37.6 million pounds), according to estimates issued Sunday.
Tim Burton's adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic tale held at No. 1 in the U.K., earning a sweet $8 million in its second weekend, well ahead of openers "Herbie: Fully Loaded" and "Stealth" (a soft $920,000, No. 7).
"Charlie" also remained No. 1 in Mexico with $990,350 (local total $3.1 million), ahead of rookie "Dark Water" at No. 2 with $755,000 .
"The Island" earned an estimated $12.6 million from 20 markets, hoisting its total to $42.5 million. In Spain, Michael Bay's sci-fi actioner opened at No. 1 with to $2.4 million. The movie also debuted at No. 1 in Brazil with $908,200, and in Norway with $378,600. It opened at No. 3 in Germany with $2.4 million.
"Herbie" burned rubber with a $9.5 million weekend, including $2.9 million in France and $1.4 million in Germany, for a total of $31.5 million in 28 territories.
"Madagascar" did an estimated $8.2 million to take its international total to $238 million. Results were driven by a $2.8 million weekend in Germany and $1.7 million in Britain.
Robert Rodriguez's family action-fantasy "The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D" opened to No. 1 in Russia with $850,000. The weekend total was $1.6 million from 11 countries.
"Stealth" earned just $3.6 million from 17 territories as its total rose to $10.5 million.
"The Skeleton Key," which opens in North America on Friday, did $2.3 million to take its total to $6.4 million in four territories, including $950,000 in France and holdovers of $790,000 in Britain and $500,000 in Spain.
The Japanese have kept "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" at No. 1 for five weeks. This weekend the film made $2.4 million for a massive local total of $58.4 million.
"War of the Worlds" earned $5.8 million to take its foreign total to $324 million internationally; "Robots" made $1.7 million for a total of $122.4 million; and "Batman Begins" grossed $1.5 million for a total of $160.2 million.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
Weekend Box Office
E! Online Sun, 07 Aug 2005 6:37 PM PDT
1. "The Dukes of Hazzard," $30.5 million 2. "Wedding Crashers," $16.5 million 3. "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," $10.5 million 4. "Sky High," $9 million 5. "Must Love Dogs," $7.4 million 6. "March of the Penguins," $6.9 million 7. "Stealth," $5.8 million 8. "Fantastic Four," $4 million 9. "War of the Worlds," $3.5 million 10. "The Island," $3.1 millionand from Box Office Mojo:Domestic Total as of Aug. 7, 2005: $169,023,000
From Ariel found at Yahoo News
Coppola, Salles 'On the Road' with Kerouac novel
By Borys Kit Fri Aug 5, 4:32 AM ET
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - After a tortuous trek, Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" is coming to the big screen courtesy of Francis Ford Coppola and the Brazilian director of "The Motorcycle Diaries."
Coppola's American Zoetrope production company has owned the film rights to the novel since 1979. According to Coppola, the novel has had many suitors over the years.
"The book is inherently difficult to adapt to the screen, and we've never quite found the right combination of director and writer to do it justice until now," said Coppola, who will serve as an executive producer.
That "right combination" is director Walter Salles and screenwriter Jose Rivera. They previously collaborated on "The Motorcycle Diaries," the 2004 film recounting the political awakening of Latin American guerrilla Ernesto "Che" Guevara. Salles just released his English-language debut "Dark Water," starring Jennifer Connelly.
"On the Road," published in 1957, played a role in giving rise to the Beat movement. It is narrated by Kerouac's thinly veiled alter ego Sal Paradise, who gets inspired to hit the road and see America. The story follows his ups and downs as he hitchhikes, hops trains, meets other travelers, struggles for meals and explores the themes of freedom and longing.
"'On the Road' is a seminal book that gave voice to a whole generation -- capturing its hunger for experience, unwillingness to accept imposed truths and dissatisfaction with the status quo," Salles said. "It is as modern today as it was four decades ago."
Casting and production is expected to begin in 2006.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
(Note from Kazren. For those of you who do not understand why this is newsworthy of a Johnny Depp news page - this is one of Johnny's favorite authors, and he is wearing Jack's jacket in the photo above. He has been trying for years to get the rights to do this movie.)
From Hilary - Yahoo has an entire page dedicated to Johnny HERE
From Emma
Thursday, Aug. 4, 2005, 2:08 PM Pacific
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 2&3 (Hand/body doubles)
Feature Film
SAG (will accept non-union talent)
Director: Gore Verbinski
Casting: Sande Alessi Casting
Casting Director: Kristan Berona
Interviews: 8/5
Start Date: 8/8
Rate: $132/8
Location: Los Angeles SUBMIT ELECTRONICALLY BY 5 PM TODAY SANDE ALESSI CASTINGNOTE: ALSO INCLUDE PERFORMANCE VIDEOS OR ACTOR SLATES IF AVAILABLE. DO NOT SEND DEMO TAPES.
[JOHNNY DEPP HAND & BODY DOUBLE] Johnny is 5'9", 155 lbs, 38 coat, 32x32 pant. He has very delicate hands. Small, thin fingers, soft skin. Hands must be PERFECT - no hang nails. Must match body and hand description. He is lightly olive complected...
[KIERA KNIGHTLEY HAND & BODY DOUBLE] 5'7 1/2", 33" bust, 26" waist, 34" hip. She has long, beautiful fingers and gorgeous porcelain skin...
[ORLANDO BLOOM HAND & BODY DOUBLE] 5'11", 165 lbs, 40 coat, 32x32 pant. He is medium skin toned...
From Hilary found at Yahoo NewsAnother Poll - this one for hunks - and Johnny is Number 1
Maybe it’s his stupendous talent, his smouldering eyes, or his enormous wealth. Whatever it is, we go Willy Wonkas over Johnny, a man who’s been engaged as many times as a kebab shop toilet.
5 star
From InTooDepp found at Tampa Bay
Originally published July 13, 2005
Pucker up for Johnny Depp! You know you want to
"Depp is a Gender unto himself."
By Gina Vivinetto
With this weekend's opening of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, everyone on the planet is going to be frothing about how beautiful its star Johnny Depp is. We'll also hear "Isn't he a terrific actor?" and, "He's so freaking cool!" Mr. Perfect.
What's this guy's deal, Johnny Depp? Girls love him, guys love him. Every demographic goes gaga.
My friend Helen and I have a theory: Depp is a gender unto himself. Everyone has a crush on Johnny Depp. About a year and a half ago, Helen and I went around the Emerald lounge in downtown St. Petersburg with a tape recorder while local bands played. We decided to do an experiment.
We cornered dozens of local male musicians and scenesters as they drank. With tape recorder on, we stated their names, one-by-one and then asked each:
If you were hanging out with Johnny Depp one night, drinking, comparing tattoos or whatever, and Johnny leaned in to kiss you, would you kiss him back?
Nearly all of the guys said yes. One guy laughed and said, "Hell, I wouldn't even have to bedrunk."
Again and again we heard, "I'm not into guys, (pause) but if I had to pick one, it would be him."
More than once, "That guy (Depp) is prettier than most of the chicks I date!"
A few guys cringed at our question, looking at us like we were nuts. They said no way would they make out with Depp, or any dude. We flatly called them liars, scoffing that if Johnny Depp was coming at them with his pretty lips, they couldn't say no. (Those guys don't talk to us anymore).
Also, for the record, every lesbian we asked - okay, so it was just me and two other girls - heartily agreed to make out with Depp. Again, Depp's appeal KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES.
But Mr. Perfect? Not so fast.
After Depp bought his island a la Marlon Brando, so he and his family could be isolated weirdo celebrity freaks, I grew suspicious. "Say," I asked Helen the last time I visited her in New York, "how do you know if someone's perfect?" This was a toughie - since normally we compare people to Johnny Depp to gauge it.
Could Johnny be flawed? We found some clues.
Ways in which Depp is not perfect:
-- The temper. Remember the 1994 arrest when Depp trashed his $2,200 room at the Mark with then-girlfriend Kate Moss in it? Reportedly, it was Moss' query of "You know what your problem is?" during a fight that triggered him. (But, come on, wouldn't you flip out if that nagging little ninny harangued you? Plus, Depp offered to pay for the damages). Previously, Depp was arrested for scuffling with paparazzi (1999) and for a fracas with hotel security in Vancouver (1989). (Our vote: you could do worse than beating up cameramen and sofas).
-- Depp isn't the most business savvy guy. He turned down roles in both Speed and Titanic, huge moneymakers, to work with small independent directors such as Jim Jarmusch and John Waters.(To which we say: Our hero!)
-- Depp has marriage issues. He was married at 20, divorced at 22, then had serial engagements to Jennifer Grey, Sherilyn Fenn, Winona Ryder, and Kate Moss. Now, he has two kids (Lily-Roseand Jack) with that French actress lady (Vanessa Paradis), but - get this - they're NOT MARRIED! (Of course, that's not really a sign of imperfection. It's just interesting. So, strike this one).
Perfection? Ha! Time to take this guy off the pedestal, people. The evidence is in. Just like the rest of us, Johnny Depp is a flawed human being. Just less so.
- Gina Vivinetto (gina@tampabay.com)
From Monsters and Critics
Johnny Depp scolds his children in French
Aug 5, 2005, 10:52 GMTJohnny Depp scolds his children in French.
The Hollywood actor - whose partner is French singer Vanessa Paradis - claims his children, Lily-Rose, six, and three-year-old Jack only obey him when he uses Gallic phrases to reprimand them.
He revealed: "They're not bratty kids, but every so often when they start to whine. They whine about things they want. So instead of telling them off in English I say it in French, I tell them, 'Chignes-pas!'
"As soon as I say that they stop. It works every time."
Johnny admits he also shows his children his new movie, 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' - in which the film's naughty youngsters all meet sticky ends - to scare them into behaving.
He confessed to Britain's Hello magazine: "I sit them in front of the movie and say, 'Look what happened to this bad kid, and to that one'."
From InTooDepp found at Yahoo News
Depp, Travolta, Mary Poppins in line for Disney launchWed Aug 3, 1:24 PM ET
HONG KONG (AFP) - Hollywood heart-throbs
Johnny Depp and John Travolta will reportedly join singer Julie Andrews to help launch Disneyland's new theme park in Hong Kong next month.Andrews was official ambassador of the Disneyland 50th Anniversary Celebration last month. She will be at the ceremony when the House of Mouse opens the gates of the 3.2-billion US dollar Hong Kong project on September 12, the Apple Daily paper said.
Andrews famously played "Mary Poppins" in the classic children's fantasy movie of the same name.
Depp, starred in Disney films "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Finding Neverland", and Travolta featured in 1998's Oscar-nominated "A Civil Action".
Apple Daily said all three would attend a glitzy, star-studded gala on the eve of the opening of the park, which Disney hopes will draw more than 5.5 million visitors annually.
A spokeswoman for Hong Kong Disneyland declined to comment and only said "We are still working on the grand opening arrangement."
Disney has run into some obstacles in the build-up to opening day, including complaints from environmentalists about shark-fin soup -- since taken off the menu -- and Disneyland's fabled nightly fireworks displays.
From Sky News
Depp Snogs Nana Royle, 80Johnny Depp may be generally considered in the top one per cent of Hollywood hunks, but his latest 'conquest' is twice his age.
And actress Liz Smith - better known as batty Nana in hit comedy The Royle Family - wants the world to know about it.
The actress, 80, admits snogging sexy Johnny is one of her career highlights.
She got all lippy with him for a scene in his latest hit movie Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, in which she plays a golden ticket winner's granny.
And she admits she deliberately engineered the snog herself.
Liz Smith
Liz SmithLiz told the Daily Mail: "I read scripts for both grandmas.
"And when I saw that Georgina got to kiss Johnny I went for that one. And it was lovely."
Liz had better savour it though as Johnny was back in the arms of stunning French girlfriend Vanessa Paradis once the cameras stopped rolling.
The Johnny Depp Zone temperaily down again (August 3, 2005)To fend off email questions, let me say that I have seen that the Zone has been hacked again today. I'm sure Sleepy and the Gals who run it will have it up and running as soon as possible.
From InToo Depp - News about the November release of Season Four of 21 Jump Street
21 Jump Street - A Quick Jump from 3rd to 4th Season Sets!A couple of months ago we posted news about the 3rd season release of 21 Jump Street in early September. Now we've gotten the heads-up that Cannell Productions and Anchor Bay intend to quickly turn around and release the 4th Season set on November 1st. That date is still subject to change, but if it holds then you'll be able to grab a 6-disc set for a cost of $44.98 SRP. Stay tuned for updates with extras and cover art.
Adele sent in this magazine scan with more info about the appearance of Jack Sparrow and Will Turner, Elizabeth Swan and Barbossa in Disney upcoming game "Kingdom of Hearts II"
According to Box Office Mojo for the Chocolate Factory: Domestic Total as of Jul. 31, 2005: $148,096,000
From BBC NewsCharlie 'conquers UK box office'
Johnny Depp plays Willy Wonka, a role made famous by Gene Wilder Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has triumphed at the UK box office, taking £7.4m ($13.1m) on its opening weekend, according to Screen Daily.
However, the Tim Burton film, starring Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka, was knocked off the top spot at the US box office after two weeks by Wedding Crashers.
Wedding Crashers, starring Owen Wilson, took $20.5m (£11.6m), moving into the top spot after two weeks in the chart.
Official figures for the UK box office are released on Tuesday.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory also entered the charts at number one in Mexico and Israel, and was expected to hold the top spot in Brazil for a second consecutive week.
It is estimated the Roald Dahl adaptation has taken $36.6m in 15 countries, excluding North America where it took $114.1m (£65.6m) in its opening fortnight.
From Adele found at Empire
Total Wonka!
Living legend Johnny Depp talks about the Chocolate Factory
The Coolest Man In The World ™ for quite a few years now, Johnny Depp really needs no introduction. One of cinema's true mavericks, equally home on a pirate ship or in a Jim Jarmusch movie, his career has been going from strength to strength since Pirates of the Caribbean proved that his particular brand of weird genius could win over a mass audience. Now he's weirding out again as Tim Burton's Willy Wonka in a truly delirious turn. We talk to the man himselfWith this role did you enjoy playing a character with almost no social skills?
Yeah I did. He has slightly twisted social skills. It’s good fun playing characters like Wonka and Captain Jack for example, of Raoul Duke from Fear and Loathing, who do things that I would never dream of doing or talk to people in a way that I could never bring myself too. There’s great safety in that in a way, learning to talk like them or be like them.What was the appeal of playing Wonka? Were you a Gene Wilder fan?
Well I was definitely a Gene Wilder fan but that’s not what dragged me in. I must say that as much as I like Roald Dahl’s works – and the material was one of the seductive elements certainly – but more than anything it was the fact that it was Tim asking me to do it. As soon as he mentioned it and I said yes. I knew there were great risks involved, but that’s one of the exciting things for an actor.What risks?
It’s a very well loved character both to fans of the book and of Gene Wilder’s brilliant performance in that early film. I knew I had to take it somewhere far away from where Gene Wilder had stomped. Having that amazing material by Roald Dahl and trying to interpret what he might have liked to have seen, what kind of character would he have liked. There’s such darkness and light in that story and such a subversive undertone, such a twisted perverted kind of side to the character that I ran in the direction that just seemed right to me.What do you think about comparisons to Michael Jackson?
It actually never crossed my mind to be honest. He was never an ingredient or inspiration for the part. I guess on some level I can understand, the look a little bit, but you could just as easily think of some kind of reclusive germophobe like Howard Hughes. Roald Dahl wrote the book and wrote this character in 1964. Michael Jackson was a wee lad then so I don’t think he was his inspiration either.Who was your inspiration?
When Tim and I talked about doing it there was no script at the time, there was only the book. It was a gift because I could use Roald Dahl’s work for my notes. What I started to think about, in my early research, was that I had these memories of children’s show hosts. When I was a kid, like 5 years old, watching guys like Captain Kangaroo and Mr Roger’s Neighbourhood, I remembered thinking even then how odd the way that they spoke was. That bizarre musical rhythm and cadence to their speech. So I took that and made that one of the main ingredients for Wonka. I was also thinking about game show hosts that I remembered on TV growing up and that perpetual grimace grin. They’re not like that at home; at least I hope they’re not. They go on stage and put a mask on then do their thing then take it off again. The Prince Valiant haircut came to me early when I was doing little sketches of what might be right. I thought of this strange, almost like a Brian Jones bob with really shorts bangs. I was thinking that obviously he’s lived in this self-induced isolation and removed himself from the modern world, so his point of reference would be very very dated. He’d be in the back somewhere. So I thought maybe he’d locked himself in a room with a stack of Herman’s Hermits records. And also that became part of the speech. It would be very dated, like when I talked jive to one of the kids.Did you test the character on your kids?
It’s funny because normally I would never ever go through the script, and I’d be mortified if I found myself reading as a character. With Wonka I tested it a little bit on my daughter, Lily Rose. It felt like I was going in the right direction. A lot of times what happens is that you come up with these ideas and you never really get to try them until the read through. So you don’t even know the guy until they do the sticks and Tim says action. With Lily Rose I was talking to her one day and many times we’ll play Barbies and she’ll say “Daddy don’t use that voice; just be regular”. One particular time I started to do the Wonka voice a little bit and she started to light up, like "Where’d that come from?" So then I thought I was on the right trackDo you stay in character between takes?
No I never really bought into that. The image that really stays in my head thinking of that is some guy playing Henry VIII and walking over to the craft services table and eating a handful of fritos instead of a chicken leg. I think once you’ve got the character, once you know the guy, it’s pretty simple to slide in and out.How were the kids?
They were great. For about the first ten days you’d get these (shocked) looks. They’d check each other out and they weren’t quite sure how to deal with it. They caught on and started to enjoy it.As an actor do you appreciate that Tim does so much on set rather than in the computer?
It makes all the difference in the world because everything’s there. It’s a gift, especially for kids. Imagine these kids who have never been on a movie set before. To have all these things, to see, to touch and in the case of the chocolate river, to smell. It smelled bad. After a couple of weeks it really got funky. I really appreciate that old school way that movies were done a long time and should still be done. I also appreciate that there are times when you must use CGI and it works as a creative tool.Did you improvise on the film?
Oh yeah, Tim and John August are great about it. It’s some kind of illness. I can’t help myself; I need to do it. If I don’t I feel like I’m held captive or something. There are times when you know that you’re doing it too much and you kind of have to stop yourself, but there are times when I feel very strongly about adding something. The trick is that you can say anything, do a take of anything and then go back to the page.And you do the same with Captain Jack?
Oh yeah, and Ted and Terry who wrote Pirates were so gracious because there I was, at the read-through, saying, “I’d like to do this, this, this and this, and say this and this.” And they were so sweet about it. Now on Pirates 2 and 3 they’ve been incredibly open to my suggestions and line changes. So it’s been fun.How is it shooting the two films at the same time?
Well it’s a lengthy process; it’s going to take us a while. As much as we can we’re doing 2, but every now and again you might have to slot something in for 3. The majority of what we’ve done so far has been 2 and then we’ll do 3 after the hiatus.After working with Tim five times, do you feel like you're his onscreen alter-ego?
Tim was the guy back in 1990. The only other guy who’s gone out on a limb for me was John Waters on Cry Baby. So I’ll always be thankful to John for that. Tim’s risk was quite a bit higher, to cast me as Edward Scissorhands. That’s something I will never forget. I also know that over the years he’s had to knock heads with studios because I wasn’t very popular at studios. He’s fought long and hard battles to get me in and won. So on that side there’s a bond and a love and a respect that will be there forever. The other side is that he happens to be one of the most interesting filmmakers of all time. I just feel really lucky to be chosen by Tim. I don’t know about representing him on screen, but I think we do have a similar outlook on things. Similar sense of humour, sense of the absurd.You’ve always been a respected actor but you’re now a commercial star. How did that change things?
I’ve never really thought about it so much. Somebody mentioned something about some Forbes list. It just made me laugh. If that’s where they want to put me this week, then great. That doesn’t mean I’ll be there next week. It’ll always change. At the same time, because I’ve always been doing the things that I’ve chosen to do, I feel good for that small core group of people – and I hate to use and won’t use the word ‘fans’ – who have stuck with me all these years. Great masses of people decided to watch Pirates of the Caribbean, which has done great things for me and my career. These people have stuck with me and now I’m happy for them that they don’t have to hang their heads in shame… at least not so much.Pirates is your first sequel. What was your reason for wanting to revisit this character?
For me there was one reason and one reason only, which was Captain Jack. Just selfishly to have the opportunity to play Captain Jack again. Some people could look at it and say “Aha, Depp’s sold out”. I don’t believe I have and it wasn’t my intention to sell out. But I wanted to play Captain Jack again because he’s so much fun to play and there’s so much more to explore. I’d keep going; if they want to do Pirates 6 and 7, I’m there, why not? In Pirates 2 and 3 you’ll get to see new layers of Captain Jack. You get to see him in different situations; situations that he can’t talk his way out of. There’s a lot of fun stuff.Is Keith Richards going to be in it?
It’s looking very good. I’ve spoken to Keith about it and he’s been super sweet and keen to do it. It’s look very good but we’re just hoping we can work out the dates with the Stones tour and everything. But if that happens man, talk about a dream come true. Get to be a pirate with Keith Richards? It doesn’t get any better than that.Are you going to produce your own movies?
Well my sister and I have a little company and we’re looking at a couple of things. We’ve made some fairly recent acquisitions that are pretty exciting. Some I’ll be in and some of them just to see that they get made. Some pretty special stuff. We’re very excited about the new Nick Hornby novel, The Long Way Down, and a great book from an Australian writer named Gregory David Roberts called Shantaram(?), which is a beautiful book. I think I’ll be in Shantaram. It seems like the right thing to do. I’ve spent some time with Greg and it feels like the right thing to do. It’s an area that I haven’t really explored as an actor and I’d like to try.The new issue of Empire also has a several-page spred on Tim Burton
Found by Catie at Female First
DEPP PROUD OF PIRATE TANJohnny Depp loves his tan!:-
London | July 31, 2005 2:25:04 PM IST
Johnny Depp might have got his skin tanned during the shooting of Pirates Of The Caribbean but he is still happy.
According to Femalefirst, he is thrilled with his healthy suntan after spending years looking as "white as a ghost". He is currently in the middle of nine months of back-to-back filming for the two sequels to Pirates Of The Caribbean, and is proud of the tropical glow he's acquired.
"This is what happens when you spend three months in the Caribbean, and most of that time is on a boat. I remember spending years looking as white as a ghost, and feeling like one, so I guess you could say I'm enjoying a more comfortable lifestyle these days. I'm so dark now I don't even have to use sunblock," he was quoted as saying
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST, the first sequel, is due for release in July 2006.
29/07/2005 05:09
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