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February 2005
OSCAR NIGHT SUNDAY
at our Oscar pages
What did they wear? Johnny Depp was in a custom shawl collar blue tuxedo, which he said was made "locally" for him. Vanessa Paradis in Chanel.
Found by Carrie at The Scotsman
Scotland on Sunday
Sun 27 Feb 2005
Johnny Depp attending the 76th Annual Academy Awards with his mother Betty Sue Palmer, left, and Vanessa Paradis.
Photograph: Frank Micelotta/ Getty Images
Johnny, Betty Sue and VanessaBODY LANGUAGE
DR PETER COLLETT
The prospect of having to take care of one’s mother and one’s girlfriend at the same time is enough to fill most men with dread - partly because men present quite different sides of their personality to these two women, and partly because they’re worried that they might pay too much attention to one and thus upset the other.
In this picture Johnny Depp is accompanying his mother, Betty Sue Palmer, and his wife, Vanessa Paradis, to last year’s Academy Awards. The underlying geometry of the group is instructive, because although Johnny is in physical contact with both women, he is standing much closer to his mother. This, coupled with the fact that he’s embracing her while holding hands with his wife, suggests that he’s feeling more protective towards his mum - perhaps because she has had less experience of these glitzy occasions.
We see that Johnny and Betty Sue are both looking towards the cameras, and that while she is smiling, Johnny is looking worried. But there’s no need for him to be so concerned, because his mother and his wife are clearly enjoying themselves. What is revealing is that Vanessa isn’t smiling for the cameras - she’s smiling at her mother-in-law and gazing at her supportively.
This looks like an occasion where the man spends so much time fretting about other people that he fails to notice when they’re having a good time.
Found by Carrie at the Tuscaloosa News
Hangin' with Oscar's writers
By BETH HARRIS
Associated Press Writer
February 26, 2005Surrounded by stand-ins accepting plaster Oscar statuettes at the Kodak Theatre, the Academy Awards writing team surveyed cardboard versions of Al Pacino, Charlize Theron, Renee Zellweger and other stars.
On Sunday night, these joke writers hope the flesh-and-blood versions will get laughs with the words they've written.
Hal Kanter, Alan "Buz" Kohan and Rita Cash are working on their sixth Oscar show together. Kanter is doing his 33rd show, Kohan his 18th and Cash her sixth.
"The faces may change, the names may change, but the challenges are always the same - to make it interesting, to make it humorous, to make it informative, to make it short," Kohan said.
The trio is putting the finishing touches on copy for 24 categories (45 seconds each), two honorary segments (two minutes each) and descriptions of the five best-picture nominees (30 seconds each). Host Chris Rock has his own writers, who didn't interact with Kanter, Kohan and Cash.
Once Oscar producer Gil Cates and talent wrangler Danette Herman assigned presenters to the categories, the writers divvied up the awards, based on who best knew the subject matter or who personally knew a presenter.
After the writers turned in a script, Cates and representatives of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences vetted the jokes and suggested some changes. Then each presenter was given their dialogue - along with the telephone number of the writer who handled that category.
"They have the option of calling you ahead of time and saying ... " Kohan began.
"`Thank you' or `How dare you!'" Kanter injected.
"If you write 10 categories, you maybe get 12 calls," Kohan said, as Cash cackled.
Some presenters insist on changing the copy. "They very seldom improve on what's given to them," Kanter said.
Others take a line and make it better. Years ago, presenter Walter Matthau told viewers the show was being seen in 28 countries. "He said, 'If my tailor in Hong Kong is watching, it still doesn't fit.' It got such an enormous laugh," Kanter recalled.
One year, Harrison Ford told the writers that he wanted to introduce a category without any extra commentary. Another time, Johnny Depp asked for very little copy, explaining his poor eyesight made it hard to read the TelePrompTer.
"You can respect an actor who does that as opposed to one who waits and then has all kind of excuses why not to do it," Kanter said.
Easiest celebrities to write for?
Cash singled out John Travolta, a presenter this year.
"He read me his copy over and over backstage. When he walked out there, he was on," she said.
The truth is, some of Hollywood's biggest stars are nervous wrecks being themselves in front of the worldwide Oscar audience.
"There are people who are not used to having one take and being live," Kohan said. "They're a little more difficult. Not because they're mean, but because they're fearful. It's a very nerve-racking thing to come out and be themselves with someone else's words in their mouth."
Want to tick off the writers?
Skip rehearsals, then complain in front of millions about their copy.
"Don't ever say, 'I didn't write this crap.' That's the cardinal sin of a presenter," Kohan said. "If you didn't write it and you didn't like it, why did you say it? You also didn't write all the things that got the big laughs and the applause."
"You didn't roll your eyes when you got a laugh," Kanter added.
So what do the writers get for all this humiliation?
Union scale and a goody-laden Oscar gift basket. What they don't get is the guarantee of a job next year.
"We could be unemployed by Monday," Kohan said.
From Zap2It
'Finding Neverland' Wins Zap2it Oscars Poll
Sat, Feb 26, 2005, 09:02 PM PT
By Mike SzymanskiLOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) -- "Finding Neverland" and star Johnny Depp won the Zap2it.com Oscar polls.
The film about the life of the author of "Peter Pan" took 33 percent of the Zap2it votes while "Million Dollar Baby" won 22 percent and "The Aviator" 19 percent. "Ray" and "Sideways" earned 12 percent of the vote each.
Depp fans must have dominated the voting because he leads the best actor poll with 54 percent while Leonardo DiCaprio with "The Aviator" came in second place with 20 percent. Leading Oscar contender Jamie Foxx for "Ray" came in third with 15 percent and Don Cheadle and Clint Eastwood bring up the final spots with 5 and 3 percents.
The closest race for Zap2it readers was for best actress, with Kate Winslet earning 41 percent for "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and 40 percent for Hilary Swank for "Million Dollar Baby."
From The Age
Grab a bag of goodies
February 27, 2005 - 1:46PMWin or lose, Oscar nominees will go home from tomorrow's ceremony with tens of thousands of dollars of free gifts, ranging from mink eyelashes to cashmere pyjamas to pampering luxury hotels stays.
Each of the more than 115 nominees for cinema's top prizes, as well as the millionaire stars who will present the statuettes and the performers who will feature in the show, will receive goody baskets.
Last year the Oscars swag bags had an estimated value of $US100,000 ($A127,000) each and contained more than 50 items, including a seven-day cruise and huge television sets.
While Oscars organisers declined to talk about the value and contents of the thank-you gifts, some details have been leaked by companies eager to place their luxurious products with the world's top movie stars.
The likes of best actress nominees Hilary Swank, Annette Bening and Kate Winslet will find Kay Unger cashmere pyjamas worth $US500 ($A636) and a set of mink eyelashes in their groaning gift baskets.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe $US600 ($A763) false lashes come in a red leather case filled with Shu Uemura cosmetics.
Also in the goody bags are a three-night stay for two at a beachside California spa resort worth $US5,900 ($A7,508) and a three-night stay for a couple at the Palmetto Bluff resort in South Carolina valued at $US3,600 ($A4,581).
Depending on whether they are nominees, presenters or performers, the stars doing turns of stage at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre will also get a $US700 ($A890) Krups kitchen set including a toaster, electric kettle and a year's supply of coffee and tea.
A dinner party at the celebrity-friendly Morton's steakhouse in Los Angeles worth $US1,500 ($A1,908) in also on the goody bag menu.
The pampered stars will also receive two more holiday packages: a two-night stay New York's plush Carlyle Hotel, worth $US2,300 ($A2,927) and another at in the wine country of California's Carmel Valley worth $US2,500 ($A3,181).
Nominees for best actress this year who will have to stagger to their limousines under the weight of their Oscar loot are Swank for Million Dollar Baby, Bening for Being Julia, Winslet for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Imelda Staunton for Vera Drake and Colombia's Catalina Sandino Moreno for Maria Full of Grace.
Best supporting actress hopefuls are Australia's Cate Blanchett for The Aviator, Laura Linney for Kinsey, Virginia Madsen for Sideways, Natalie Portman for Closer and Sophie Okonedo for Hotel Rwanda.
Best actor candidates are Jamie Foxx for Ray, Leonardo DiCaprio for The Aviator, Clint Eastwood for Million Dollar Baby, Johnny Depp for Finding Neverland and Don Cheadle for Hotel Rwanda.
This year's Oscar host Chris Rock will also receive one of the baskets, as will presenters who include superstars Barbra Streisand, Pierce Brosnan, Jeremy Irons, Robin Williams, Halle Berry and Charlize Theron.
In addition to the official Oscars goody bags, the acting nominees have already received thousands of dollars worth of other gifts from publicity-savvy companies.
- AFP
From The Globe and Mail
Hair apparent
This year, DAVE LACKIE reports, the big buzz over the red carpet is not about the dress. It's about the hairBy DAVE LACKIE
Saturday, February 26, 2005 - Page L1
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For Best Supporting Actress nominee Virginia Madsen, preparations began weeks ago, in closeted "creative meetings" with stylists to discuss her look for the 77th Academy Awards tomorrow night.
"We booked a whole day and tried style after style," says L.A. hairdresser Guy Romeo, whose clients also include Christina Ricci, Marisa Tomei and the members of Blink 182. "We brought a digital camera and video camera and tested how each hairstyle would photograph. It's such an important night, you want it to be perfect."
We've all heard about the pressure to pick the perfect dress, to borrow a Harry Winston diamond to adorn your decolleté. But unlike recent years, where stylists were falling over each other to scour vintage shops for the most original gowns for their clients, this time, it's all about the hair.
"There's no possibility to be a true individual on the red carpet," says Toronto's Candy Signorini, fashion producer of CityLine. "I believe an actress's hairstyle is the only place today to demonstrate any kind of personal look."
And it's nothing to spend a day experimenting, as Madsen did. "That's a smart, smart girl," Joan Rivers comments from Hollywood, where she reports on the red carpet for TV Guide Network tomorrow night. "Because if she wins, that's the photo that will be remembered forever. They'll even use it for her obituary, so it better be good."
Rivers, who will dish style gossip next month on the Shopping Channel in Canada, agrees that hairstyles will take more precedence this year as fashions emphasize classic glamour. "I think you'll see Hilary Swank with beautiful loose curl extensions. And I predict Sarah Jessica Parker will try a new style."
She says the truly savvy stars find out where the TV cameras will be positioned, and address this with their stylists. "I know that when I report at the Oscars, the camera hits at the back of my head. I tell my hairstylist to spend more time styling the back of my head," Rivers says.
The scramble for unique hair is also one that cosmetics companies have been actively fuelling for the past few months, as they have loaded up beauty editors' desks with almost daily shipments of new hair products. The latest trend splits existing hair products into colour-specific lines, from shampoos to "colour finishing" sprays, in versions for blondes, brunettes and redheads. There are also curling sprays and shine glosses, shine milks and styling strips -- products to create every conceivable effect.
Despite the rush to "be yourself" on Oscars night, some do predict a dominant trend. "I have a feeling we're going to see lots of safe, romantic-looking hair," Harper's Bazaar beauty editor Kerry Diamond says. "Stick-straight hair has been out for some time, so expect lots of pretty, wavy looks. That said, I'm really hoping a few of the actresses take some fashion-forward risks. Oscars beauty is way too safe."
Expect the most daring changes from those who need to generate some hype around their careers. "A dramatic change in hair colour or style can sometimes create a much-needed buzz around an actress," says celebrity wardrobe stylist Philip Bloch, who reports on red carpet etiquette for CNN this year in addition to dressing Jim Carrey.
The red carpet is all about marketing, says Alan Middleton of the Schulich School of Business at York University. "There's a real danger of an actress getting tied to an era or a look," he says. "It's just like marketing Tide. You don't want the profile of your users to be 65."
He thinks that Nicole Kidman is one celebrity who has managed to negotiate this tableau "brilliantly." The long-haired actress has been red to blond to a shade that's almost pink. "She's continually changing her image and mixing edgy roles with more mainstream ones. It's all about keeping the brand fresh."
Hairstylist Laurent D., whose clients include Debra Messing, Uma Thurman and Gwyneth Paltrow, has a word of advice for those who style nominees. "Don't do something wild to make a name for yourself. The worst thing you can do is try to do too much. The actress must feel comfortable and confident with her style." He predicts soft curls and waves, and longer lengths this year.
Laurent himself will be styling Johnny Depp's hair. "He's bringing his wife, his mom and his sisters for hairstyling. I'm doing the whole Depp family," he laughs.
So just how important will the hairstylist be tomorrow? "Let's put it this way," Rivers says. "If I was on a lifeboat and had to push one out, I couldn't decide between my hairstylist and my makeup artist."
Whatever the hairstyles, expect them to trickle down to your local salon in days. New Yorker Tara Kraft, beauty editor for Star magazine, experienced this first-hand last week while preparing for the Grammy Awards. "I was in Frederic Fekkai's salon getting a blowout and this girl sat down beside me. She had a copy of Star magazine in her hand and she asked the stylist to give her the hairstyle Rosario Dawson wore to the Screen Actors' Guild Awards last week.
"I was amazed. But it makes sense. There are less and less occasions for the average person to wear formal outfits these days. It just isn't a part of our lifestyles or our budgets. But hair and makeup are styles that can be copied and adapted to different lifestyles at different price points."
Dave Lackie is editor of Cosmetics magazine.
What's making waves
More non-blondes
According to Sarah Kemp, manager of education for Procter & Gamble, the race is evening up between blond, brown and red. Take sales of Nice 'n Easy: while blond still holds 36 per cent of the market share, brown is more popular, at 45 per cent, and red is edging up with 18 per cent. Regions that used to favour blond, such as the West, now dye their hair more neutral hair colours; Quebec, where red has always been hot, is going more brunette.
"There's more of a trend toward naturalness," Kemp says. The popularity of Jennifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrow have made new options. "The stars lead the way. We're seeing people enhancing their natural colour rather than drastically changing it."
What's in:
1. Soft, loose curls and waves
2. Longer bangs, ranging from cheekbone to chin
3. Texture
4. Shine
What's out:
1. Straight hair
2. Stripy, high-contrasting highlights
3. Tight chignons
4. Short shags
How to do Oscars hair
Toronto's Marc Anthony, who recently launched his own line of hair products for red, blond and brunette hair, will be in Los Angeles all week for red-carpet events. Here's his guide to getting the year's biggest trend: soft, loose curls.
1. Wash and condition hair with a product that caters to curly hair, which enhances wave and curl.
2. Apply a curl-boosting spray or serum.
3. Add a straightening cream from roots to ends to create a smooth, sleek surface and to prepare the hair for the hot rollers.
4. Wind sections of hair around hot rollers and leave them for about 10 minutes until they cool.
5. Remove rollers and run your fingers through the hair.
-- Dave Lackie
From the Los Angeles Times
Hollywood's Powerful Put Aside Their Feuds to Toast Their Newest Rival at Paramount
# Brad Grey's impressive guest list includes Murdoch and Redstone, Eisner and Katzenberg.By Claudia Eller, Times Staff Writer
Even in a week packed with A-list Oscar soirees, Brad Grey's coming-out party as Paramount Pictures' new studio chief should take home the award for luring Hollywood's heaviest hitters.
Producer Brian Grazer on Thursday night pulled off a virtually impossible feat. At his Pacific Palisades home, he gathered, under one very big roof, the entertainment and media elite to toast someone whom, come Tuesday, they'll be competing against.
That's when Grey takes the reins of the legendary studio from Sherry Lansing. In an industry in which business rivals eat each other alive, these moguls had to settle for sharing a marble white chocolate chip cake featuring the famed arched gates of Paramount on Melrose Avenue.
At the cocktail party, where the hors d'oeuvres included spicy albacore poke on wonton chips and mango brie quesadillas, News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch huddled in one corner with longtime competitor Viacom Inc. chief Sumner Redstone, whose company owns Paramount.
Nearby were Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Michael Eisner and President Robert Iger. Not far away was Eisner archrival Jeffrey Katzenberg, as well as Harvey and Bob Weinstein, who are on the verge of a bitter split with Disney. Even in a town where moguls regularly rub elbows at political fundraisers and charity events, industry veterans were in awe.
"I was blown away looking around the room," said former Warner Bros. Chairman Bob Daly.
Throwing what amounted to an inaugural ball for Grey was the brainchild of Grazer and Grey's immediate boss, Viacom Co-President Tom Freston. Also hosting the party was Bernie Brillstein, Grey's business partner in his former career as a talent manager and producer.
The 250-person guest list was seeded with Grey's new opponents. Warner Bros. chiefs Barry Meyer and Alan Horn were there. So were Universal Studios' Ron Meyer, Disney Studios' Dick Cook and Sony Pictures Chairman Michael Lynton and his boss, Sony Corp.'s Howard Stringer.
"We're all rivals, but we each understand the demand of the job and we're all members of a certain club," Horn said.
Johnny Depp headlined a list of top stars. Dustin Hoffman, Warren Beatty and Don Rickles were there. So were Kirsten Dunst, Penelope Cruz and Kate Hudson. Longtime Grey client Jennifer Aniston made an appearance. Longtime client Brad Pitt did not.
It helped that Los Angeles was packed with moguls and stars in town for Sunday's Oscar ceremony.
Guests parked their cars with a valet, then were driven by golf cart up the winding driveway to Grazer's four-acre estate — a sprawling one-story California ranch home built by noted architect Clifford May for actor Gregory Peck in 1940.
"It took me longer to sit in the valet line than it did to fly in from New York," joked Revolution Studios founder Joe Roth. He said that when he became a studio chief such a head-turning affair "didn't happen for me."
From the New York Times Magazine of Feb 27, 2005Click to see full size
A new line of Edward Scissorhand Dolls were unveiled at the Toy Fair. Photos half way down this page
From the Toronto Star
Feb. 26, 2005. 09:08 AM
Cracking the Academy Code
Will Scorsese get his due? Is Depp the new Streep? Oscar may be a fickle man, but reliably so, by Peter Howell
By Peter Howell Movie CriticGil Cates, the producer of tomorrow's Academy Awards show, makes one of the most grandiose claims ever uttered about the event.
"I believe that anthropological scholars studying our civilization in the future will find no better way to determine the people we are and the society we live in than by viewing the annual Academy Awards broadcasts," Cates writes in his personal blog on the Oscar.com official website.
Should those future scholars manage to sit through stacks of mouldy tapes of these four-hour-plus exercises in celebrity gawking — Cates also calls the Oscar telecast "the biggest circus in the world" — they may well scratch their heads in wonder at our social priorities. How can something of such apparent importance be so incredibly tedious and trivial?
They will be grappling with Oscar logic, which of course is an oxymoron. As anyone who has ever sought reason in this annual fool's-gold rush can attest, nothing about the Academy Awards resembles logic. The best movie of the year rarely wins Best Picture (or even gets nominated, for that matter) and all of the awards are subject to the whims of fashion, political correctness, marketing and sheer reckless fate.
Things like talent and deservedness have something to do with it, but not all that much — witness Paul Giamatti's puzzling exclusion from the list of this year's Best Actor nominees, even though he's the heart and soul of Best Picture-nominated Sideways.
Yet within the illogic of Oscar logic there is something approaching consistency, if you can wrap your mind around that convoluted concept. Certain tendencies of the Academy tend to display themselves year after year. Understanding them doesn't necessarily mean you'll win the office Oscar pool, but at least you'll be less likely to say, "How could they possibly make that choice?"
Nobody Knows: The most important thing to know about the Oscars, to quote Oscar-winning screenwriter William Goldman, is that "nobody knows nothing." Especially these days.
There used to be reliable Oscar bellwethers, the two main ones being the Oscar nominations tally and the winner of the Directors Guild of America (DGA) award. But both of these bellwethers have rung themselves out in recent years.
The movie with the most Oscar nominations generally took Best Picture on awards night, along with the Best Director prize and a few other trophies. Prior to 2001, that had been the case in 18 out of the previous 19 Oscar ceremonies. That year, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring led with a near-record 13 nominations. But it lost Best Picture to A Beautiful Mind.
The logic there was that Oscar voters knew they had two more chances in the Rings trilogy to award Best Picture (and they did just that in 2003), but the reliability of this signpost hasn't been the same since. If current buzz is any indication, Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby, which has seven nominations, is poised tomorrow night to knock off Martin Scorsese's The Aviator, which leads the pack with 11.
The DGA award worked in reverse. Whomever the guild members chose as their favourite director almost invariably also became the Oscar winner. Of 56 winners in DGA history, only six did not go on to Oscar glory. And the picture he directed — always a he, never a she — would get Best Picture, too.
But in the past four years, the DGA pick has matched the Oscar pick just half the time, and the director/picture link has been severed, too. It's harder than ever to predict the Best Picture winner, although it does help a nominee's chances if the story is set in the past and not based on an original screenplay, and the director and at least one actor are also nominated.
This makes for greater uncertainty about the Oscars, but also for more surprises.
Nobody Owes: Conventional wisdom says that Academy voters feel guilty about passing over deserving talent time and again, and sooner or later they atone for their sins. Oscar logic says otherwise.
It is tempting to think that big-hearted Oscar voters will finally give Martin Scorsese his due tomorrow night, awarding him Best Director for The Aviator, his first win in five attempts. Don't they owe the guy, especially after stiffing him so badly over Raging Bull in 1980?
Try making that argument to Lauren Bacall. In 1996, she was considered a shoo-in to win Best Supporting Actress for The Mirror Has Two Faces. It was her first Oscar nomination in a storied career, and everybody seemed to love her performance in this otherwise poorly received comedy. But the Oscar went to Juliette Binoche of The English Patient, which went on to win Best Picture. Bacall fell prey to another branch of Oscar Logic: the Best Supporting Actress winner usually appears in the Best Picture winner, a link that often works in other acting categories as well.
There's a case to be made that far from feeling they owe Scorsese, Oscar voters are subconsciously seeking to snub him. Not only have they denied him six previous Oscars (he also has a screenwriting nom to his credit), his previous film Gangs of New York went 0 for 10 in converting nominations into wins. That's almost an Academy record, just behind the 0 for 11 debacles of The Turning Point in 1977 and The Color Purple in 1985.
Academy members aren't immune to guilt — they gave Denzel Washington the Best Actor trophy for Training Day that he should have received for Hurricane — but they are by no means slaves to duty.
Far from feeling they owe Scorsese, Oscar voters may be subconsciously seeking to snub him
And if they snub Scorsese again, he can take comfort in knowing that the great Alfred Hitchcock went 0 for 5 for Best Director nominations, never winning a single competitive Oscar. He finally received the career-honouring Irving G. Thalberg Award in 1967, when he was well past his prime. Maybe that was one instance when Oscar felt he owed somebody.Always One Dud: For reasons that could vex a saint and baffle Einstein, almost every year one of the Best Picture nominees is a film that really shouldn't be there. Oscar Logic demands there be one utterly mainstream choice, the equivalent of a bowl of Pablum for the toothless Academy elders to consume.
In 1999, it was The Cider House Rules, a tepid heartwarmer about orphans. In 2000, it was Chocolat, a treacly confection with Euro pretensions. This year, it's Marc Forster's Finding Neverland, a "fictional meditation on the creation of Peter Pan," to quote Miramax's spin.
It's a well-shot and competently acted film, but it's about as stirring as an after-school special. It's in contention simply because of the appeal of lead star Johnny Depp (see below). And it denied a much-deserved competition slot to such snubbed worthies as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Vera Drake and The Motorcycle Diaries, to name just three.
You could almost weep reading the list of deserving movies that weren't nominated for Best Picture in the past 77 years (see sidebar), including King Kong, Modern Times, The Seven Samurai, Vertigo, Paths of Glory, North by Northwest and 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The only good thing about fumbled fifth choices like Finding Neverland is that they almost never win the big enchilada, making it easier to choose amongst the other four worthier candidates.
Johnny Is The New Meryl: Just as Canadian voters reflexively put an "X" beside the Liberal candidate's name, and Grammy voters routinely award any warble that Tina Turner can manage, Oscar balloters are more than capable of blind love and devotion.
For many years, they could find no wrong in a performance by Meryl Streep, even when she was off her game. She holds the record for the most acting nominations — 13, with two wins — but Oscar's heart may have hardened towards her. She didn't get a Best Supporting Actress nod this year for The Manchurian Candidate, perhaps because the film was released too early in the year for voters to remember. (Oscar logic also demands a release date after Sept. 1, because people tend to forget.)
Johnny Depp has usurped Streep, it seems, as the new Oscar darling. He's nominated for Best Actor this year for his role in Finding Neverland, which made it to Best Picture contention on the strength of his appeal, just as Chocolat did a few years earlier.
Depp was also nominated last year for Best Actor for Pirates of the Caribbean, a summer blockbuster that really had no business being amongst the main Oscar categories, were it not for the popularity of its main man.
He's now been nominated two years running, and he's about to become a two-time loser — he's not going to beat the unstoppable Jamie Foxx tomorrow night. But it's clear the Academy loves Johnny, whose combination of boyish innocence and raw male fury has proved to be a potent combination. He will continue to amass nominations and eventually win, just as the surly Sean Penn did last year after years of trying.
Be Naughty But Loyal: When you are hosting the Oscars broadcast, it is perfectly OK to make fun of the event and to laugh about the hypocrisy of Hollywood. But you have to do it while still appearing to love them at the same time, or the Academy will never forgive you. It's for the same blood reason that you can make fun of someone within your family, but a stranger can't.
Johnny Carson, Bob Hope and Billy Crystal were all expert at this game, pretending to be outsiders while remaining firmly within the Oscar clan. David Letterman was the most notorious failure. He arrogantly attempted to turn the 1995 Oscar show into an extension of his Late Night riffs, and he bombed badly enough to cause permanent ripples in the ratings for his own program.
It will be interesting to watch if cussing comedian Chris Rock, this year's emcee, will be like Carson or like Letterman. There are already worrisome signs it might be the latter, since Rock made the cardinal error of cracking wise about how only gay men watch the show and that awards for art are "idiotic."
That comes close to biting the golden hand that feeds you, as The Hollywood Reporter observed in an editorial last week: "It isn't homophobia that's getting (Rock) into trouble but a lack of deference to the event."
But producer Cates is confident Rock will win the Academy over to his side, even if he says things that ruffle a few features.
"Anyone who has ever seen Chris Rock's work knows that he is a very funny man," Cates said in his Oscar.com blog. "They also know that he is not afraid of making observations that may offend someone somewhere. And that is exactly why we chose him to host the 77th Annual Academy Awards."
If Rock fails, he won't be back as host again. But the Academy Awards will always be with us.
That may be a non sequitur, but it's also Oscar logic.
From the Zap2it.com
Thompson Shot Self While on Phone with Wife
Fri, Feb 25, 2005, 09:02 AM PT
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Although journalist Hunter S. Thompson's wife wasn't home at the time of his suicide, she heard him take his own life over the phone."I was on the phone with him, he set the receiver down and he did it. I heard the clicking of the gun," says Anita Thompson, reports the Aspen Daily News. Even after she heard an unidentified muffled noise, she remained on the line. "I was waiting for him to get back on the phone," she said.
They had been discussing her returning home from the health club on Sunday, Feb. 20 when Hunter S. Thompson merely set down the phone without saying goodbye and shot himself.
From the Evening TelegraphOscar-nominated actor Johnny Depp will go to the Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood this Sunday knowing he is already a star in the eyes of Angus and Dundee Tourist Board.
Depp has been sent a golden statuette in the form of Peter Pan from the tourist board for helping to put Kirriemuir on the international map with his performance as Kirriemuir-born author J. M. Barrie in Finding Neverland.Since the release of the film, which also stars Kate Winslet, Dustin Hoffman and Julie Christie, inquiries about Barrie’s Angus home have multiplied.
Depp’s golden Peter Pan is modelled on the Academy awards statue and has been airmailed to the actor with a good luck message for the Oscars.
Colin Smith, Chief Executive of Angus and Dundee Tourist Board said, “Who would have thought Johnny Depp would play a part in generating tourism in the Kirriemuir area? The town, the birthplace of J. M. Barrie, and indeed the wider Angus area, has a lot to thank Mr Depp for.
“Angus and Dundee Tourist Board extends an invitation to Mr Depp and his family to come to Kirriemuir and see the spiritual home of Peter Pan for themselves. Who knows, if he wins the Oscar, he may become a Freeman of Kirriemuir.”
J. M. Barrie’s two-storey house in Kirriemuir is open to the public and visitors can view the recreated kitchen and bedroom, see Barrie’s writing desk, or find out more about his life in the museum.
The National Trust for Scotland’s Ingrid Turner, custodian of Barrie’s Birthplace in Kirrie, also comments that the release of Finding Neverland has led to an increased interest in J. M. Barrie’s heritage. She says, “Visitor numbers to Barrie’s birthplace last season were up significantly on the previous year as a result of interest in Finding Neverland.
“Since the release of the film there has been a large volume of Press interest surrounding Barrie and his birthplace. Johnny Depp’s wonderful performance in the film has definitely brought J. M. Barrie and Peter Pan to a new audience, and we encourage everyone to visit and learn more about this fascinating man.”
Finding Neverland is nominated in seven categories. As well as the best actor nod for Depp, the film is nominated for best picture, best adapted screenplay, film editing, art direction, costume design and original score.
From the Telegraph (Calcutta, India)
Directing Dustin and DeppAfter making the gripping Monster’s Ball, director Marc Forster is back with the Johnny Depp-Kate Winslet-starrer Finding Neverland (picture above). Nominated for multiple Oscars, the film is loosely based on the controversial figure of JM Barrie, author of Peter Pan.
The film-maker on everything from filming the fantasy sequences to having fun with the “fart machine”…
n Did you know much about Barrie before the movie started?
No, I didn’t really know much at all and, actually, I read a lot of books because when I read the script I loved it but I wanted to see how different his real life story was and how different a person he was. You have all these rumours (about) this whole paedophilia issue. I read everything because I didn’t want to make a movie about someone if he would have been a paedophile. I did like that the script was always focused and concentrated on the inspiration of how this man got the idea to write Peter Pan and I loved how it captured the spirit of that.
n After Monster’s Ball, you must have been inundated with scripts. How did you choose this one as the next project?
Actually, I read this script before I made Monster’s Ball and I loved it. When I finished that, my agent called me and said, “You always loved that script — it’s still available.” They couldn’t find a director, everybody passed on it, or the directors who wanted to do it Miramax didn’t want to give them the project. I showed them Monster’s Ball and they really responded to it. I basically signed up, then people knew I was busy, so they never sent me scripts.
n Johnny Depp was brought in as the lead after all these directors had turned the film down...
They wouldn’t have turned it down if they knew that beforehand (laughs). I thought of him immediately because he still had this child-like quality. I said, “I’m going to ask Johnny because he’s one of the few actors who makes decisions because he’s passionate about something.”
n Was there extensive pre-production work on the costumes and settings?
I tried to get as much time as possible for the money we had. Visually, I had a certain style and approach. Also, in terms of costumes, I worked with an entire British crew, except the cinematographer that I brought with me. Alexandra Byrne, who did the costumes, did Elizabeth as well, which I really thought looked beautiful. We did a lot of discussions, especially for the Neverland scenes and the fantasy sequences. She made everything handmade. I also wanted the characters not to change clothes too much.
n What was it like directing scenes with both Johnny Depp and Dustin Hoffman?
Their approaches are definitely different... Dustin definitely comes from a different school than Johnny does. If you have a scene where they both are in the shot, Johnny’s best work is between take three and take five, that’s when he peaks, and Dustin peaks between eight and 25, somewhere in between there. So it was hard for Johnny because it’s Dustin Hoffman, we both love him, he’s an icon of ours, so you just try to keep going and keep his focus going.
n What is your favourite moment in the film?
I really do like the final scene between Johnny and Freddie. It has a certain honesty in how he treats the child. We also had so much fun in the dinner scene where everybody is there: Julie Christie, Kate Winslet, Johnny and the kids. Johnny had this great idea. He had this fart machine and he said, “We should use this for the kids. It’s hysterical.” It had a remote control and I stole it under the chair of Julie Christie. And Julie didn’t know; nobody knew except Johnny and I. I had the remote control and when we’re shooting the scene and they were eating… (makes a “fart sound”). And you just got these great natural reactions. By take seven or eight, I was just going nuts and then they realised that it’s a machine. But the laughter we got from the kids and the reactions from Julie, how she got more and more tied up during the whole thing, was worth it.
Frenchy's transcript and translation of an interview with Johnny in Ciné Live is up HERE
From Princess Buttercups - she snapped these pictures of the windows at Burgdorf's in NYC and has allowed Oh Johnny! to post them here: I've added closer-up images of the portion of the photos with Johnny.
BIG PIRATE NEWS - see the Pirates News page (link above)
Oh Johnny! has a Grand Bahama Islands Roving Reporter who has sent in photos and news from there. Check it
out on the POTC2 News & Rumor pages (link above).
Harris Poll - the public votes for who they think should win the Oscars HERE
DEPPCON 2005 is COMING IN JULY 2005 !!!! IN ANAHEIM CALIFORNIA
Stay tuned for the updates and announcements to follow.
Lycos - They love Johnny
(excerpt)
Web darling Johnny Depp also receives more searches than all the other best actor nominees combined for Finding Neverland.
From the Denver Post
February 23, 2005
Pals taking a shot at granting Thompson's wish"Pirates" star part of effort to blast writer's ashes from cannon
By Nancy Lofholm
Denver Post Staff WriterAspen - In what could pass for an outlandish scene from the pages of one of Hunter S. Thompson's books, actor Johnny Depp and others who were close to the gonzo journalist are searching for a cannon and researching firing techniques to grant the author's wish that his cremated remains be blasted into the sky.
"If it can be done, we will do it," said Boston entertainment lawyer George Tobia Jr., who has represented Thompson for about 15 years. "Maybe it will be part of a public thing, or maybe one night a shot will ring out and people will know."
Thompson's unusual send-off is not the only posthumous bang that can be expected from a prolific writer who turned journalism on its head with his incisive and manic observations of everything from the Hells Angels to basketball.
Tobia said many unpublished works are forthcoming.
When Thompson sat down in his kitchen near his trusty typewriter and fired a gun into his mouth Sunday night, he left behind numerous collections of unpublished writings, including a novel called "Prince Jelly Fish," reams of essays and scads of letters.
Some of the writings are in manuscript form. Some are included in Thompson's own detailed files of everything he ever wrote going back half a century, when he had to use typewriter carbon paper to make copies. Many are in faxes. The legendary night owl and news junkie would send nocturnal faxes to his confidants, commenting on happenings in the news. President Bush's re-election was a frequent topic. Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" merited at least one essay.
"He has a voluminous legacy of work," said Tobia, who has also represented the interests of famous beat-generation writers, including Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg. "There was hardly a day that went by when Hunter didn't send out a fax. And it wouldn't be a two-line fax. It was always a screed. They were so well written."
Tobia said Thompson sent him faxes in the week before he died. He also kept up his weekly columns for ESPN.com. His most recent piece recommended devising a new golf game that would use guns to shoot balls out of the air rather than hitting them with clubs.
Tobia and other representatives of Thompson's estate will be sifting through the unpublished writings to decide when and in what form they will be publicized.
But first, they have to take care of the matter of the cannon.
Thompson liked to joke that he was cannon fodder, which led to his oft-expressed wish for one final blast.
It's a wish that legally could fly.
"It think if someone wanted to fire a cannon on their own property, I think they could do that," said Pitkin County sheriff's investigator Joe DiSalvo. "I think by statute it would be OK."
Thompson was cremated in Glenwood Springs in Tuesday.
Depp became part of the cannon search because he and Thompson had been close friends since working together on the 1998 movie version of Thompson's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." Depp played Thompson's alter ego, Raoul Duke.
Tobia said jokes cropped up Tuesday that maybe Depp could secure a prop cannon from his 2003 movie "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl."
Thompson fans may be able to witness that unusual send- off, but they will have to wait.
Thompson's close friends and family will have a private gathering March 5 at the Belly Up nightclub in Aspen. A public ceremony is planned in the spring or early summer.
Meanwhile, glasses are being hoisted and Thompson books are being pulled out and thumbed through in Aspen and Woody Creek and around the world, as evidenced in condolence letters being sent to Aspen newspapers.
Two anonymous Thompson fans called the bar in the Hotel Jerome on Monday and gave their credit-card numbers so bartenders could buy a drink for anyone who mentioned Thompson's name.
Even Gov. Bill Owens, who said he read "Fear and Loathing" many years ago, addressed the author's proclivity for spirits.
Asked about Thompson's contribution to Colorado and the nation, Owens said, "He certainly increased substantially the alcohol consumption at the ... Woody Creek Tavern."
At the Woody Creek General Store, T-shirts and pink-and- black thong underwear bearing Thompson's trademark closed fist under the word "Gonzo" were selling to some of those making pilgrimages to Thompson's stomping grounds.
The flag still flew at half-staff at the Woody Creek Post Office on Tuesday, as the loss of a man who Aspen friends say was as kind as he was zany began to sink in.
"He was our Hemingway," said DiSalvo. "He was our friend."
Staff writer Nancy Lofholm can be reached at 970-256-1957 or nlofholm@denverpost.com.
Great news story on Hunter S. Thompson HERE at the Times On Line UK
Moviefone
Moviefone Moviegoer Awards have been announced, and Johnny Depp is BEST ACTOR for Finding Neverland. Click link for full list of winners.
Oscar Nominees Johnny Depp, Clive Owen, Don Cheadle, and Leonardo DiCaprio Top List
(Excerpt from GQ)
NEW YORK, Feb. 22 /PRNewswire/ --GQ names the top ten greatest actors of our generation in its March issue (on newsstands nationwide February 22nd), including Oscar nominees Johnny Depp, Clive Owen, Don Cheadle, and Leonardo DiCaprio. Russell Crowe, Nicolas Cage, Benicio Del Toro, John C. Reilly, Gael Garcia Bernal, and Jim Carrey complete the first-ever GQ best actors list.
Johnny Depp: It's tempting to see high-low calculation on Depp's resume -- a little art house here, a little Hollywood there -- but it's the lack of caution that continues to make him irresistible. Johnny does what
Johnny wants to do. Want to move to France and start a family? Sure! Want to play Willy Wonka? Yeah! Want to make a Pirates sequel? Why not? In Johnny's hands, it all makes sense."The Top Ten Actors of Our Generation" appears in the March 2005 issue of GQ, on newsstands nationwide Tuesday, February 22nd. GQ is the leading men's general-interest magazine and part of Conde Nast Publications, Inc.
SOURCE GQ
Web Site: http://www.gq.com
From Kazren
Click thumbnail to see full sizeYou will be able to buy a copy of Jack's Ring from POTC. This was taken by ladywarringford at the Toy Show. The same company that is mass-producing the Aztec Gold coins, will be selling this. We do not have a price at this time.
Also, I was comparing photos of Johnny taken in 1991. You can see them HERE 1, HERE 2, and HERE 3.
I thought it looked exactly like Captain Jack's ring. Well, someone who knew the entire story, again ladywarringford, wrote me this:
Yep, they wanted him to cover up that tattoo, so that's Johnny's own ring. It's probably something that just struck his fancy one day years ago, and he bought it. Which caused in itself a whole new bundle of fun, since that design probably hasn't been circulating for almost 20 years. For a film like this, a production company likes to have more than one copy of these kind of wardrobe items. Sometimes it's just to have an identical piece for the stuntman to wear, and sometimes it's for somebody who'd doing "second unit pick-up shots" which the actor may not be able to be there for, so another person gets to wear it.Long story short, this particular ring had to be taken to a jeweler and molded, then reproduced for the stuntman (Tony Angelotti) to wear as well. They sold the stuntman's ring on E-bay a few years back. Funny thing is, Geoffry Rush then said "Hey -- why don't I get a ring too?" So the jeweler had to custom make make Barbossa's ring for him, while Jack's ring was just something Johnny had lying around. LOL!
Karen at Johnny Depp Reads reports that Uk Radio 1 as announced the release date for the CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY Soundtrack is July 4th in the UK.
Sad news from http://news.yahoo.com
Author Hunter S. Thompson Kills Himself
Feb 20, 2005
ASPEN, Colo. - Hunter S. Thompson, the acerbic counterculture writer who popularized a new form of fictional journalism in books like "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," fatally shot himself Sunday night at his home, his son said. He was 67.
"Hunter prized his privacy and we ask that his friends and admirers respect that privacy as well as that of his family," Juan Thompson said in a statement released to the Aspen Daily News.
Pitkin County Sheriff Bob Braudis, a personal friend of Thompson, confirmed the death to the News. Sheriff's officials did not return calls to The Associated Press late Sunday.
Juan Thompson found his father's body. Thompson's wife, Anita, was not home at the time.
Besides the 1972 drug-hazed classic about Thompson's time in Las Vegas, he is credited with pioneering New Journalism — or "gonzo journalism" — in which the writer made himself an essential component of the story.
An acute observer of the decadence and depravity in American life, Thompson wrote such books as "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail" in 1973 and the collections "Generation of Swine" and "Songs of the Doomed." His first ever novel, "The Rum Diary," written in 1959, was first published in 1998.
Other books include "Hell's Angels" and "The Proud Highway." His most recent effort was "Hey Rube: Blood Sport, the Bush Doctrine, and The Downward Spiral of Dumbness."
Sent in by Janet Feb 20, 2005
Finally a glimmer of good news regarding the release of Libertine
From Box Office Mojo on LIBERTINE
Distributor: Miramax Release Date: Fall 2005
Running Time: N/A Production Budget: N/A
MPAA Rating: Unknown Est. Marketing Costs: N/A
So it looks like Miramax is getting it released in time for the Oscar races. Wouldn't it be amazing if Johnny was nominated for 2 roles in 1 year?
Get the latest "Shantaram" news at the new Shantaram pages
Hollywood Reporter has a poll for Best Actor HERE
And Gregory Roberts (author of Shantaram) talks about Drugs, Love & Johnny Depp HERE
From R. Fish
The Cotton Factory, a site that I but a lot of tee shirts at has a new one that has Johnny's picture on it and says "Johnny Debt's Savings & Loan", here's the link: http://store.cottonfactory.com/web0230.html .
From The Hindu
Will fate fete him this time?Johnny Depp was in the shadows till "Pirates of the Caribbean ... ," for which he won the Empire Award. In the Oscar race again for "Finding Neverland," will the actor's date with destiny prove a winner, wonders ZIYA US SALAM.
Johnny Depp may finally get his reward with "Finding Neverland."
THE SHADOWS are lengthening. The stakes are getting higher. The choices narrow down, the also-rans prepare to bow out as the world prepares to salute the winners on Oscar night. Amidst all the attention on the once-in-a-year night, there will be one man quietly hoping that finally, maybe, his moment has arrived. That it is time to sneak out of the sidelines and take his place as the winner. He is none other than Johnny Depp, nominated for the Best Actor for "Finding Neverland," released commercially across India this past week.
Depp has had to come through the crucible to prove his mettle when lesser men have had to do so by fire. He has had to bide his time in the shadows long enough for many a man to overtake him in the popularity stakes.
In fact, till "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" came through a year ago, it seemed Depp had missed the bus, and many a mistake of emerging youth was taking a toll on the man, gradually receding from the prime of his youth. And the neglected genius of Depp seemed destined to be just that — neglected.
He had talent. He had combustible temperament. He longed for expression. Then, one day, everything changed. As Captain Sparrow of "Pirates of the Caribbean ... " he was nominated as the Best Actor for an Oscar. In that single stroke gone was the heartburn of the early years when he sought popularity but courted notoriety.
At 15 he had dropped out of school just when kids his age were finding the first sprouts of ambition.
He still beseeched fame, made friends with guys and got involved in garage bans. The Kids happened. Depp wanted to be a rock musician.
Back on track
But fate decided otherwise. And he seemed almost resigned to a life of anonymity. The Oscar nights seemed as accessible as yesterday.
Then, one day, fate intervened again. This time, he met Nicolas Cage, now making headlines with "National Treasure." And Depp's career was finally on track.
An FBI agent, an undercover agent, a cop, a pirate, he seemed to have a fascination for the dark and sombre. Like the colours of much of his life.
Then again fate came calling. The man, who had held his own in front of the likes of Orlando Bloom and Al Pacino was destined to stand aside and applaud the winner. Once again he came second best. At Oscar's this time. That it was still an achievement says a lot about the man who has had nominations for BAFTA, Broadcast Film Critics Award Association Awards, Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, but never won any.
The only time anonymity went on leave, and Depp capitalised on the moment, was when he won the Empire Award for "Pirates of the Caribbean."
Now, it might just be his turn, his year, his moment. He has just been nominated as the Best Actor for "Finding Neverland," a film so gentle, a film so beautiful that one slips into London of 1903 without ever realising that history is upon one.
Ready for centre-stage
As Barrie, the playwright on the look out for a new date with destiny for his work, Depp married persuasive charm with relentless understatements. And so effortlessly made Sparrow a memory that many believed he was born to be a playwright, spending more moments of uneasy leisure with a widow than with a beautiful wife.
The nuances were for the discerning, the hairstyle and the body language were for the connoisseurs. All telling one that here is an artiste desperate to move beyond the silhouettes to occupy the centre-stage. Just like the playwright in the film.
Maybe, with "Finding Neverland," Depp's much-awaited moment might just be here, and the man who once sold ballpoint pens may just find his mark on the Oscar's night.
But then he might not. After all, he has never been destiny's favourite child.
CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY trailer in German HERE
Found by Kare @ Johnny Depp Reads
From Necaonline
Jack Sparrow Wins (again)
# You Don't Know JackOn news stands and in book stores right now, you can find the latest issue of Lee's Toy Review (#148). Besides having a cool spread featuring Sin City, our latest HeadKnockers and other figures, we were also graced with the honor of being included in their "2004 Golden Toy Awards". Top honors went to our 18 inch Jack Sparrow for two categories for "Best Electronic Toy" and "Best Figure: 8" and Over". Jack Sparrow was sculpted by Dave Cortez and painted by Ed Repka, and their great work shines through in this awesome figure.
Attention Norrington Fans - be sure to read the Pirate News page!(Link above)
From Digital Nation
(excerpt)
In the meantime, (Richard N.) Gladstein allows, another 20 directors had passed on the project(Finding Neverland). After he screened Monster’s Ball for Miramax, Forster was hired to direct Neverland. Harvey Weinstein then contacted Johnny Depp, and, three months later, principle photography began.(The gestation period for the film reportedly was extended another year, after Columbia Pictures pulled rank on Miramax over what threatened to be a concurrent release of Finding Neverland and its own adaptation of “Peter Pan.” Miramax agreed to delay the release by one year, in exchange for the rights to portions of Barrie's play.)
Kate Winslet jumped on board next, along with a cast of mostly British actors contacted when the production moved across the Atlantic. Dustin Hoffman, who plays Barrie’s American-born theatrical producer, came in very late in the game.
“Dustin wanted to do it for all the right reasons, but, I think, what got him excited about the project was the opportunity to work with Johnny,” Gladstein suggests. “We had heard through the rumor mill that Dustin wanted to work with Johnny, so we decided to see if the gossip was true. He said he’d love to.”
One of the peripheral benefits that come from being a producer -- or, at least, one who spends lots of time on the set -- is being able to observe the show inside the show. In this case, it came in the form of a mini-clinic in the art of acting … or, more to the point, a lesson in how conflicting artistic recipes can add spice to the broth.
Hoffman, who played the title role in Steven Spielberg’s 1991 take on Barrie’s play, Hook, is notorious for obsessing over virtually every aspect of the filmmaking process. Depp isn’t. Both are among the pantheon of today’s greatest actors.
“Dustin will come in a couple of days early, so he can sit down and talk with the writer, director … see the set … he studies everything,” Gladstein continues. “Johnny studies things, too, but on his own. I think he wants to come in fresher.
“Both are incredibly inventive, on the spot. Johnny tends to stay in the moment, while Dustin likes to churn it around with everybody.”
The job also puts a producer on the front lines of history, especially when it comes to observing talent at various stages of development. Already a perennial Oscar nominee, at the ripe old age of 41, Depp still has a lot of good work ahead of him.
“Johnny continually re-invents himself, but he makes it look effortless … he’s always fresh,” Gladstein adds. “Johnny has such a range, going through different periods, accents, worlds. He’s on top right now … still, you get the feeling he hasn’t reached his peak, yet … he has so much more in him.
“He’s not out to prove anything to anyone. He just wants to create wonderful characters and have a great time.”
There is a rumor that Gregory David Roberts (author of SHANTARAM who is writing the screenplay for the movie, in which Johnny will play him) will be traveling to Johnny's island in the Caribbean to write for a few months. To visit his site: ShataramConfirmation
Emma found this story at the Herald Sun
Thursday, February 10
It's cool bahamas
By Claire Sutherland and Nui Te KohaMelbourne author Greg Roberts is off to the Bahamas in June to be a house guest of Johnny Depp.
Depp is to play the lead role of Lin in the movie version of Roberts' 940-page memoir, Shantaram.
The author will spend six weeks at Chateau Depp putting the finishing touches on the first draft of the screenplay while Depp works on Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3.
Depp and an alliance of United States production companies won an auction for the rights to Roberts' best-seller for a reported $2.5 million.
Roberts, speaking from New Zealand, where he is on a speaking tour, says Depp impressed him with his integrity, insistence that Roberts write the screenplay and, of course, the highest bid.
Roberts spent three weeks with Depp in London after the auction.
"He is an almost unbearably cool human being," Roberts says. "Apart from my dad and my brother, he's the nicest guy I've ever met. What you see is what you get."
Roberts, who changed his name from Smith, was serving a 23-year sentence for armed robbery at Pentridge Prison when he escaped in 1980. He fled to India and ended up working as a forger for the Bombay mafia, all the while running a makeshift slum medical clinic. He also had a stint as a gunrunner in Afghanistan, an actor in Bollywood and eventually worked in a high security jail in Germany.
He was extradited to Australia and served out his sentence.
The film version of his book starts with his arrival in India.
Interiors will be shot in Los Angeles and Morocco is likely to double for Afghanistan. Depp and Roberts are pushing for Indian scenes to be shot in India, but Roberts says he doesn't care if Depp plays the character as an Australian.
"He wants to," Roberts says. "I've told him that's not important to me. It doesn't matter if the character is Australian or Chinese.
I wrote what I believe to be a universal character."
Cutting the book down to a two-hour screenplay has been a challenge, particularly with Depp's insistence that so much of the story remain intact.
"When you're writing a book it's a question of what you put in," Roberts says. "When you're writing a screenplay it's a question of what you leave out. I was more savage with that than Johnny was. He was saying, 'No, no, no, you can't leave that out, I love that part', so we had quite spirited discussions about it."
From The Daily & Sunday ReviewDonated memorabilia to help local Scout pack
By Patrick Abdalla 02/16/2005SAYRE - Mel Gibson, Johnny Depp, Bruce Springsteen, Jim Carrey and the five most recent U.S. presidents are coming to the aid of a local Boy Scout troop.
To benefit Pack 41, of Litchfield, Athens resident Debra Bonn-Brown has donated pictures autographed by celebrities such as Gibson, Hillary Duff and Kyle Petty and other items to be sold at the Sayre Theatre until March 10, when they will be put up for auction on Ribbons of Hope Web site ribbonsofhope.com from March 11 to the 17.
One of the items is an American flag signed by Presidents Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush and their wives. There is also a T-shirt signed by numerous actors, including 19 up for this year's Academy Awards.
This year is the 95th anniversary of the Boy Scouts as well as the 75th for the Cub Scouts.
Honolulu Weekly's Sex Survey
(excerpt)
Sweet dreamsAnd when you’re not at the beach, 39 percent of you are dreaming of someone you don’t stand a chance of getting. The most popular celebrity object of obsession among women and gay and bisexual men is Brad Pitt, with Johnny Depp and Colin Farrell tied for second place. Lesbians, bisexual women and straight guys want to suck face with—you guessed it— Angelina Jolie. We were hoping for a surprise that didn’t come, but one guy did say that he’ll take “Apollo Ono on or off the ice.” Honorable mentions: George Clooney, Jennifer Garner
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Trailer in FRENCH HERE
Found by Carrie at the on-line Dictionary HERE now there's a word for what Johnny does to fans.
From RediffJohnny: A Depp-reciation
Johnny Depp is one of Hollywood's hottest leading men, a definitive A-lister and one of the best actors ever to take box-office centerstage.In 2005, he was nominated for an Oscar for the second year in a row, this time for his effortless portrayal of Peter Pan creator J M Barrie in Finding Neverland.
rediff.com takes a look at a toughly contested set of five of Depp's finest ever celluloid incarnations.
Edward Scissorhands
Director Tim Burton crafted this touching fable about a tender young man surviving Frankensteinal loneliness, owing to the absurd fact that he has scissors for hands. He stays in a painfully patient purgatory, locked inside a mansion.
A nosy neighbour interrupts his sleepless slumber, and Edward reenters reality. He falls in love with a local girl, and his fingers work wonders on bushes and hairdos, thus more than ensuring his popularity among women. Life, as our snippy Ed discovers, can be quite a good thing.But the world isn't that simple, as he finds out after accidentally injuring a young boy. Suddenly, the town awakens to the fact that he's not just a freak, but a monster, and turns vindictive.
The dark tale is arguably the best effort to come from the surreal, fabulous Depp/Burton relationship.
Donnie Brasco
In the late 1970s, Federal Bureau of Investigation agent Joe Pistone (Depp) poses as jewel expert Donnie Brasco to win the trust of ageing mob middleman Lefty Ruggiero (Al Pacino). As time passes, Donnie gets tighter and tighter into the mob, rising firmly into the upper crime echelons when boss Sonny Black gets bumped up.
While Donnie puts his life at risk, his world crumbles as he never sees his wife or children. As he moves up, his friend Lefty (Al Pacino) is bypassed time and time again. As Donnie gets deeper, the FBI start to worry and want to extract him -– something that cannot be done without exposing him and condemning Lefty to death.
This Mike Newell film was a test, as the upcoming Depp had to stand his ground against the formidable talent of Al Pacino. There wasn't much to fear as Johnny's role was an incredible one, and, as most critics grudgingly admitted, the young man pretty much stole the show from his legendary co-star.
Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas
Terry Gilliam's film based on Hunter S Thompson's 'unfilmable' novel is a twisted, outlandish venture into the mind
of a warped junkie, a reporter travelling to Nevada to cover a Hells Angels motorcycle race, along with his Samoan attorney Dr Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro, who gained nearly 80 kg for his role).
'We were somewhere around Barstow when the drugs began to take hold,' is the line that opens the movie, as a red convertible roars from right to left, towards Vegas. 'We had two bags of grass, 75 pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half full of cocaine, a whole galaxy of multicoloured uppers, downers, screamers, laughers. Also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of beer, a pint of raw ether, two dozen amyls.'
The narrator of the story is Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp), a balding, stumbling shell of a man, constantly smoking or doing drugs, his body overloaded with substance abuse. He is in a permanent stupor throughout the film, constantly consuming drugs every time the camera pans on him.
He is the reporter, the main character of the film, and he is in such a daze that after the motorcycle race is over, he's not even sure who has won. So, sitting cramped in his increasingly trashed hotel apartment, he begins clacking away mumbo-jumbo on his typewriter, desperately trying to make sense of the seemingly frenzied world surrounding him.
Brilliant psychedelic insanity, and Depp incandescent as a firefly on acid.
Ed Wood
In this bizarre Burton biopic, Depp plays Ed Wood, purveyor of celluloid mediocrity. The infamous creator of the worst films of all time, including Plan 9 From Outer Space, Wood's cinema demonstrated a tacky and absolute lack of decency and taste.
The film thematically explores the basic fear of anyone believing himself to be a creative artiste. Wood believed, deludedly, in his warped ideas and thought he was making high art.
But he failed miserably, even as he did all his morals commanded him to: he believed in himself, his dream; worked hard and took groundbreaking initiative; he was an entrepreneur. But the darkly comic tale is tragic at heart: you can try like hell and manage merely to get there.
While overshadowed by Martin Landau's compelling – and Academy Award winning – portrayal of Bela Lugosi, Johnny more than held his own in this stunning film, and critics given to hindsight often rate this as the actor's finest performance.
Pirates Of The Carribean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl
A travesty of Hitchcock-ian proportions ensured Depp not winning the Academy Award for his spellbinding work in the Gore Verbinski adventure film. Captain Jack Sparrow is, quite simply, one of the most original characters ever to grace the silver screen.Depp laughed and claimed he based the unforgettable Sparrow as a cross between rock dinosaur Keith Richards from the Rolling Stones and foppish French cartoon skunk Pepe Le Pew! The Richards' influence was overriding, as he swaggered drunkenly around and slurred some gems of dialogue.
Johnny developed a superbly characteristic walk, a clumsy gait which still managed to possess panache, and Jack Sparrow single-cutlassedly elevated this predictable script to a whole different crow's nest.
And then there was the kohl on the eyes, a true masterstroke. Depp managed to create a wonderfully dimensional character of infinite appeal in a film otherwise bordering on sheer tediousness. A staggering achievement indeed. Hic.
Found by Emma
GAMES FOR ALL REASONS INTRODUCES NEW BOARD GAME INSPIRED BY UPCOMING THEATRICAL RELEASECHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORYTM
Arlington, Mass., Feb. 14, 2005 – Games For All Reasons, LLC, has announced that it has signed a licensing agreement with Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP) to develop, market and distribute a board game inspired by the upcoming theatrical release, Charlie and the Chocolate FactoryTM, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures, scheduled to hit theaters nationwide beginning July 15, 2005 (U.S./UK)*.
Games For All Reasons holds a U.S. license with WBCP, which represents the Massachusetts-based company’s first entertainment licensing project. The new game makes its official debut at Toy Fair (Booth # 6104) in New York.
Games For All Reasons President Joan C. Moravick said, “The new game we are creating for this beloved children’s story supports our mission to produce and market enduring, educational games for the entire family. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is wholesome entertainment for fans of all ages and our game will help generate excitement before seeing the movie and extend it afterwards for years to come. We are very excited to work with Warner Bros. Consumer Products on creating a new game inspired by this imaginative adventure.”
The colorful Charlie and the Chocolate Factory™ board game, designed for ages seven and older, enables kids to travel through Willy Wonka’s factory, from entering the factory gate, to climbing aboard the glass elevator, to racing along the corridor past the Nut Room and the Inventing Room. Participants move ahead by reciting Oompa-Loompa riddles or by choosing to switch places with another player when drawing a WILD card. The game involves reading, making choices, and counting. (However, reading is not necessary to play, so younger children can enjoy this game.) Players receive a “Golden Ticket” by landing on a designated space. The first player to reach the “Up and Out” space on the game board and have five Golden Tickets wins.
The suggested retail price of the new game is $14.95. The product will be available in May 2005 at select department stores, bookstores and specialty retailers, as well as online at http://www.game-board.com, or by calling 781/648-2029.
Acclaimed director Tim Burton brings his vividly imaginative style to the beloved Roald Dahl classic, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a fantasy adventure about eccentric chocolate-maker Willy Wonka, played by Johnny Depp, and Charlie, a good-hearted boy from a poor family who lives in the shadow of Wonka's extraordinary factory. Long isolated from his own family, Wonka launches a worldwide contest to select an heir to his candy empire. Five lucky children, including Charlie, draw "Golden Tickets" from Wonka chocolate bars and win a guided tour of the legendary candy-making facility that no outsider has seen in 15 years. Dazzled by one amazing sight after another, Charlie is drawn into Wonka's fantastic world in this astonishing and enduring story.
About Games For All Reasons
Games For All Reasons, LLC, was founded in 1996 and is based in Arlington, Mass. The company’s products have won numerous awards and accolades from many national consumer and industry groups. Honors include Toy Tips, Parents’ Choice, Mensa -- the high IQ society, The Chicago Tribune, Games magazine, Dr. Toy, National Parenting Publications and iParenting. Games For All Reasons is a member of the Toy Industry Association and the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association.About Warner Bros. Consumer Products
Warner Bros. Consumer Products, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company, is one of the leading licensing and retail merchandising organizations in the world.™ & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Another interview with AnnaSophia Robb (Varuca in CATCF) without any discussion about Johnny HERE
Shantaram the Movie has it's own website HERE
See our POTC2 News page 5 for info about a controversy (already) about the next film.
Found by Newbie at the Hot Blog
Warner Brother's Idea of a perfect Valentine
From the New York Post
(excerpt)
The Macerich Company's consumer behavior study found that men plan to shell out $218.17 on Valentine's gifts, while women will spend $146.26. Men ranked Angelina Jolie, Beyonce Knowles and Jo-Lo as their fave celeb heartthrobs. Women picked Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp and Tom Cruise
From Big News
Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp most kissable
Sunday 13th February, 2005 (UPI)Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp are the Hollywood actors Americans most want to kiss this Valentine's Day, according to a U.S. survey.
More than 2,200 men and women between the ages of 18 and 34 participated in the nationwide survey conducted by Directive Analytics for Close-Up Toothpaste.
Hollywood actors Brad Pitt and Halle Barry were chosen as having the most kissable smiles.
More than 2 in 5 men named the kiss between Kirstin Dunst and Tobey Maguire in the movie Spiderman as their favorite movie kiss of all time, followed by the lip lock between Richard Gere and Julia Roberts in the movie Pretty Woman.
Let's Get It On, by Marvin Gaye, was considered the ultimate make-out song.
The song most likely to remind Americans of their first kiss was Unforgettable, by Nat King Cole, while 37 respondents said the tune made them reminisce about long-lost kisses.
Despite 11 Nominations, "Finding Neverland" failed to win at the BAFTAS - story HERE
The VALENTINE of Choice? Johnny Depp, of course, read the article from Yahoo News
FEATURE/FriendFinder Members Chose Their Fantasy Celebrity Date for Valentine's Day
Thursday February 10, 9:06 pm ET
Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp Are in Big Demand among FriendFinder's Male and Female MembersPALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 10, 2005--FriendFinder, Inc., the world's largest online dating network, polled its huge database of more than 20 million members for their favorite celebrity date.
Rumors accusing the "Lara Croft" star as being the reason behind the Pitts breakup did not keep her from being the men's top pick among the 10 female celebrities. (Ironically, Jennifer Aniston won last year's FriendFinder Valentine's day poll.) "Alias" star Jennifer Garner came in a distant second, followed closely by "Mean Girls" star Lindsay Lohan.
Academy award nominee and "Finding Neverland" star Johnny Depp was the ladies' favorite, followed closely by "Ocean's Twelve" stars, Brad Pitt and George Clooney respectively.
Valentine's Day Dream Woman Valentine's Day Dream Guy
--------------------------- -------------------------
Angelina Jolie 29% Johnny Depp 18%
Jennifer Garner 12% Brad Pitt 17%
Lindsay Lohan 11% George Clooney 15%
Lucy Liu 10% Sean Connery 13%
Kim Bassinger 9% Colin Farrell 11%
Kate Beckinsale 9% Tyson Beckford 5%
Beyonce 8% Mark Wahlberg 5%
Scarlett Johansson 3% Jude Law 4%
Gina Gershon 3% Orlando Bloom 4%
Jessica Lange 1% David Beckham 2%
VOTE Johnny is nominated at the BBC site for Finding Neverland
You can vote HEREand vote at MovieFone
Johnny Depp and Freddie Highmore amoung the nominees for this year's SATURN Awards. See full story HERE
Reel Monkey votes for Johnny in the Oscar Race HERE
The Los Angeles Times has a huge spread on CATCF. Check it out on the Charlie pages.
Johnny and Vanessa have walked the Red Carpet for the Screen Actor's Guild Awards for 2005
Click for all the photos.
From Carrie found at Female First (another abstract from the Rolling Stone article)
Johnny Depp swears to help him relax!
February 4, 2005, 12:01:30
Johnny DeppJohnny Depp has confessed that he swears out loud to help him relax.
The 'Pirates of the Caribbean' star admitted that he relives tension at home with marathon cursing sessions.
He said: "It enables me to get any tension or angry feeling out of my system.
"I've always found it very helpful. It has always been very soothing for me. "The Hollywood star, who now lives in the south of France with his wife, Vanessa Paradis, and two children, admitted that "f**k it" is the expression that relives the most stress - because he's said it so many times.
From Zap2ItDepp's the Best, Spears the Worst Autographer
Tue, Feb 01, 2005, 02:02 PM PT
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Next time you want a celebrity autograph, step up to "Pirates of the Caribbean" star Johnny Depp, but steer clear of Britney Spears.Depp, 41, tops the list of the best celebrity signers of 2004, according to Autograph Collector magazine.
"Johnny Depp has decided to be the undisputed most-accommodating autograph signer in Hollywood today," says Steve Cyrkin, the magazine's publisher and Editor-in-Chief. "One collector told us, 'He'll sign for everyone, and it doesn't matter how many things you ask him to sign.'"
Depp's fellow stars happy to take up a sharpie for their fans include "Bourne Supremacy" star Matt Damon in second place, followed by Tom Cruise, Mike Myers, Angelina Jolie, "Lord of the Rings" hobbit Elijah Wood, "Mean Girls" star Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Simpson, Hilary Duff and "Monster" Oscar winner Charlize Theron.
On the flip side of fame are the luminaries who'd rather not acknowledge their fans with a signature. Leading the list of the 10 worst celebrity signers is pop star Britney Spears because "no one is better at showing their fans how little they mean to them."
"While we're the first to defend any celebrity's right not to sign, how do you defend rude, crude and downright unattractive behavior?" says Cyrkin. "As one collector told us, 'Britney has done all she can to earn her nickname, 'Bitchney Sneers.'"
Keeping Mrs. Federline company is "Charlie's Angels" star Cameron Diaz, webslinger Tobey Maguire, Diaz's beau Justin Timberlake, the Olsen twins, "Aviator" star Leonardo DiCaprio, rapper Eminem, the now split Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, Halle Berry and hotel heiress Paris Hilton.
The March issue of Autograph Collector is currently on newsstands.
From the Travel GuardianThe Libertine
Johnny Depp made headlines in Wales last year when he bought drinks all round at The Bear Hotel in Crickhowell.
The Hollywood hero was staying at The Bear while shooting The Libertine (still awaiting release) at nearby Tretower Court, in which he plays the Restoration poet and rake John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester.
Just north of here are the Black Mountains: dark ridges rising almost 2,000ft above the narrow Rhiangoll valley. To explore these modest peaks, it's a clamber up the slopes above Cwm Banw, directly northeast of Tretower, and on to the Penallt Mawr range for an easy eight-mile hike.
The relatively gentle climb up to the broad horseshoe ridge takes you over dusty red sandstone. Slabs of rock have been piled into small semicircular walls to provide shelter from the wind whipping in from the west - whether this was done by the quarrymen of old or hikers of late is hard to say, but certainly latter-day walkers do their bit to ensure these small shelters continue to withstand the wind and rain.
You can see the human touch everywhere once you get up on to the heights, but the overall view is classic Wales: whaleback peaks and ridges of russet moorland plunging down to sheep-speckled green fields.
A slab of sandstone that you pass marked with a weathered "M" is a boundary marker set down centuries ago by a local landowner named Macnamara, a bit of an Earl of Rochester in his time. He had a road constructed across these wild moorlands especially for visits to his mistress.
The halfway point of the circuit is at the 645m Pen Twyn Glas, with a view over the rounded ridge of Mynydd Troed above the west side, and an iron-age hill fort atop the east side of the Rhiangoll valley.
Next is a springy moorland trail before a short, steep climb up to Pen Allt-Mawr, at 719m the high point of the walk. Pen-y-Fan and Waun Fach rise darkly in the west and north; the well-trodden Sugar Loaf and Blorenge are either side of the river Usk to the south east.
The easily rounded ridge now provides exhilarating walking, through the remains of another iron-age fort, Crug Hywll (hence the town's name), on top of Table mountain. Now it is downhill all the way into The Bear for an afternoon pint. Well contented with life, you might follow Depp's lead with a cry of "drinks all round".
From the Green Bay Gazette
Posted Feb. 03, 2005‘Neverland’ pulls through with magic at end
By Bill Muller
Gannett News Service“FINDING NEVERLAND’’
• Stars: Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet
• Rated: PG, with brief profanity
• Opens: Friday at Marc Cinema
• Oscar nods: Best picture; Johnny Depp, actor; adapted screenplay
• Should you go: Depp turns in a magical performance, and the ending will move you to tears.
• Our rating: 3 stars (out of four)
With “Pirates of the Caribbean,” Johnny Depp gained long-deserved acclaim but lost some mystique. He’s no longer the guy from “Ed Wood” and “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” — the best actor in movies nobody ever saw.“Pirates” was a runaway hit in large part due to Depp’s boldly eccentric, Oscar-nominated performance as Capt. Jack Sparrow.
Hopefully, people won’t expect the same Depp in “Finding Neverland,” a vibrant look at the life of Scottish playwright J.M. Barrie, author of “Peter Pan.” While Captain Jack required boundless energy from Depp, he ratchets things down to play Barrie, a famous literary figure frustrated late in his career by his work and his marriage.
After one of Barrie’s plays flops, much to the unhappiness of his producer (Dustin Hoffman), the writer starts another and meets a family in the park. With his wild imagination and playful antics, Barrie ingratiates himself with the widow Sylvia Davies (Kate Winslet) and her three elder sons, though youngest son, Peter (Freddie Highmore), remains distant.
Much like in “Shakespeare in Love,” the audience catches glimpses into Barrie’s creative process as the Davies family inspires the story about the boy who wouldn’t grow up, who’s befriended by a fairy and hunted by a pirate.
The story, a fictionalized account of Barrie’s life, is emblematic of the author’s outlook as he takes on the traits of his young hero, refusing to grow up and write “mature” works.
But his author’s mind is still churning. As he plays cowboys and Indians with the lads, reality shifts to a mock-up Old West town. The movie then switches back, and we see they’re just in a back yard. In another sequence, Barrie and the boys find themselves aboard a pirate ship. Such diversions come often in “Finding Neverland,” but they’re not overused, allowing director Marc Forster to show Barrie’s vision come to life. Forster builds on each scene, and the finale — when we see Neverland without the constraints of a stage — is quite moving.
While the movie is about small children, it’s not aimed at them. The story deals with some adult issues, including the disapproval of Barrie’s frosty wife, Mary (Radha Mitchell), and whispers that Barrie has ulterior motives in his relationship with Sylvia and the kids.
As for Depp, he remains one of the few actors worth watching when he’s in a blase movie (such as “Blow” or “Secret Window”). He’s also one of the best performers without an Oscar.
The movie is constructed like a tailored suit with not a stitch out of place, but it sometimes lacks inertia. Such drawbacks are forgotten during the final 30 minutes. “Finding Neverland” finishes much better than it starts.
From the South Manchester Reporter
Johnny Depp imposter is unmaskedCARMELLO Masi - likes to impersonate Johnny Depp.
HE fooled them and he fooled us — he even fooled a top showbiz expert.
Johnny Depp look-a-like Carmelo Massey, 34, from Slough, sauntered into the Railway pub on Lapwing Lane, Didsbury, and convinced regulars he was the real deal.
His act was so good — he was flanked by four ‘bodyguards’ — landlord Mark Howard had his picture taken with him on a customer’s mobile and even enquired after his ‘wife’ Vanessa.
But following the report, we were besieged by readers and visitors to our website who claimed the man was an impostor.
Now, months on, we’re able finally to lift the lid.
Carmelo, or Mel, is a singer with Berkshire rock band Confuzin’ Jack.
He has looked like Johnny Depp since he was 15 and has even earned an award as the ‘Sexiest Male’ in a Granada ‘Stars and their Doubles’ television show screened last year.
And he admits that he uses a fake American accent to reinforce the impression. He said: “One time I was sitting outside a café and one woman suddenly turned into eight women. I’ve also had a few girls screaming and chasing me down the street.”
Even when he speaks in an English accent and tells people he isn’t Depp, people think it’s the Hollywood actor who is just trying to dupe them.
Railway landlord Mark was shocked when we revealed he’d been duped. The 31-year-old said: “I’ve actually met him before when I worked as a roadie and I was convinced. I even asked him about his wife and he answered me in an American accent — why bother doing that and appearing with bodyguards.
“Thing is I’m sick of all this now. I’ve had the Sun and The Daily Mirror camped on my doorstep and I just want to draw a line under it now.”
Another mindless Contact Music story ripped from the body of the Rolling Stone article.
DEPP SWEARS TO RELAXJOHNNY DEPP
Hollywood heart-throb JOHNNY DEPP uses repetitive swearing to help him unwind.
The PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN star - who has a hectic movie-making schedule - finds that shouting a string of expletives helps him to relax.
The 41-year-old says, "It's pretty soothing."
04/02/2005 14:12
From "What's wrong with this Picture?" and the Times of India
LONDON: George Clooney and Sandra Bullock have been voted the world's most attractive 40-year-olds according to a survey commissioned to celebrate the lives of 'Naughty Forties' for new mid-life comedy drama Huff, on TV channel FX 289.Others on the men's list were Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp and Mel Gibson.
While Sandra Bullock cruised past Sharon Stone and Michelle Pfeifer to get the top spot in the women's category.
The most attractive men in their 40s are:
1 George Clooney
2 Brad Pitt
3 Johnny Depp
4 Mel Gibson
5 Tom Cruise
6 Clive Owen
7 Nicolas Cage
8 Gary Lineker
9 Simon Le Bon
10 Gary Oldman
And a strange warning for bar-goers from Johnny found at Contact Music
THE THINGS THEY SAY:"Don't ever go for the peanuts. They've got 27 different kinds of urine on them, scientifically tested." Former Viper Room owner JOHNNY DEPP dishes out some bar advice.
28/01/2005 14:09
Some increasingly good news From Contact Music
SMOKING DEPP CUTS BACKJOHNNY DEPP
Former chain-smoker JOHNNY DEPP is cutting back on his bad habit - but still insists on enjoying at least three cigarettes each day.
The movie star, who lives in France, made the decision to reduce his daily nicotine intake after turning 40, and he's pleased with his progress so far.
FINDING NEVERLAND star Depp says, "I've weaned myself down to about, on a great day, on a really great day, three cigarettes.
"For a nicotine junkie the essential cigs are three: the first-of-the-day cigarette smoked after lunch, then the after-dinner cigarette and then the one taken whenever you want - the luxury, wild-card smoke. It used to be quite a bit more."
28/01/2005 09:35and from March of last year a very similar article from Contact Music
DEPP DITCHING SMOKINGJOHNNY DEPP
Hollywood hunk JOHNNY DEPP is making efforts to give up smoking, after years of indulging his habit.
The father-of-two is gradually weaning himself off nicotine, although his publicists still arrange cigarette breaks for him whenever he's doing hours of press interviews.
He says, "I'm starting to get the better of the habit. One has to make the conscious decision to get hold of the habit that's had you for so long."
14/03/2004 20:54
News for January 2005 HERE
News for December 2004 HERE
News for November 2004 HERE
News for October 2004 HERE
News for September 2004 HERE
News for August 2004 HERE
News for July 2004 HERE
News for June 2004 HERE
News for May 2004 HERE
News for April 2004 HERE
Latest Vanessa Paradis news HERE
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