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May 2007
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From ZeeNews
Johnny Depp’s alcoholism almost ended his career
Washington, May 31: Actor Johnny Depp recently opened up about his alcoholic past and revealed that he was on the verge of destroying his Hollywood career because of alcohol addiction.
The Pirates Of The Caribbean star confessed that he became entirely dependant on alcohol in his younger days, but soon realised that he could not continue with his booze addiction, and hence quit the habit to get his life back to normal.
Depp, who is now married to long-term partner Vanessa Paradis and has two children, also said that he was grateful for his Hollywood career and happy family life.
"It was trying not to feel anything... My drug of choice back then was alcohol. It might have had the facade of being recreational, but even then I knew it wasn't... "I would end up having to go places or do things that I didn't want to do, and it went against the grain,” Contactmusic quoted Depp, as saying.
I would end up in these strange situations, making small talk with people
I didn't particularly know. I literally had to be drunk to be able to speak
and get through it. I had a keen idea that it was not good at that point.
But you get liquored up and then once you are in that spiral you don't
even get hangovers any more. You wake up and have another drink,” he added.
From Andie - some great pics of Johnny looking at his hair in his roles over the years HERE
From the LA Times
4th 'Pirates' film already on horizon
Like fellow blockbusters 'Spider-Man' and 'Shrek,' the salty series has entered the era of the unlimited sequel.
By Josh Friedman, Times Staff Writer
May 29, 2007
With the latest in Walt Disney Co.'s lucrative series reaping an unprecedented $401 million globally in its debut through the Memorial Day weekend, the question of whether there will be a fourth installment has effectively been answered.
Sure, producer Jerry Bruckheimer is coy, saying he and his mates need a break. But he already has rights to a book that could end up as another installment.
Star Johnny Depp? He hasn't promised another voyage, but he clearly loves the flamboyant, irreverent Jack Sparrow character, telling one interviewer: "As long as you're doing it for the right reasons, why not?"
In today's Hollywood, blockbuster franchises function almost as independent corporations that, once up and running, can't easily be mothballed. Which is why another "Pirates" is pretty much a given.
"When these franchises become part of the world's culture, they take on a life of their own," said Dick Cook, Disney's studio chairman, who says he's on board for another "Pirates" if the script is right and the filmmakers are willing.
Enter the era of the unlimited sequel. DreamWorks Animation SKG began developing a fourth "Shrek" film more than a year ago — long before "Shrek the Third" was even finished, said Anne Globe, the Glendale studio's head of marketing. The next installment is slated for 2010.
A fourth installment of "Spider-Man" — the third one just debuted May 4 — has been in the works for more than a month, with the studio circling screenwriters it may tap.
"If you want the kind of longevity we're hoping for with 'Spider-Man,' you have to think of them as stand-alone movies, not '1-2-3-4,' " said Amy Pascal, Sony Pictures' studio chairman. "They're sort of like the James Bond stories."
One reason the big franchise machines keep operating is the special effects-laden movies have become ever bigger and more costly — making and marketing May's three megasequels cost more than $1 billion altogether — and they require elaborate planning. Studios also need long lead times to line up marketing alliances.
Disney worked with 13 promotional partners to help spread the word on "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," including Volvo, Verizon, Coca-Cola, Circuit City, Best Buy, Toys R Us and Starwood Hotels. Even the obscure, Tampa-based Odyssey Marine Exploration — which recently made headlines when it reported recovering 17 tons of treasure from a shipwreck in the Atlantic — signed on.
Nonetheless, the sheer size of the summer blockbusters can drain filmmakers. Bruckheimer said there would at least be a respite after the production of back-to-back sequels to the 2003 original "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl."
"We've been working on this trilogy for 5½ years, and the latest one was just a monster," he said in an interview from Tokyo for last week's premiere. "It's always about making sure you have a great story with interesting plots, themes and characters. There is a possibility — we'll see what happens."
Though Bruckheimer and Disney executives say the "Pirates" trilogy has concluded, they hint that the series could continue through a spinoff or prequel. In an interview with an Australian film website, screenwriter Terry Rossio said he and partner Ted Elliott would take a crack at another "Pirates" script and see if they could make it work.
Big franchises also take on a life of their own by reaching beyond the multiplex into TV, stage and theme parks. DreamWorks Animation is wrapping up a network special, "Shrek the Halls," for this holiday season, and the big green ogre is headed for the Broadway stage in a 2008 musical.
The franchise sequels can pay off not just for studios but for the entire industry. For the first time, Hollywood could be en route to more than $4 billion in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales for its extended summer season, thanks largely to momentum from this month's trio of high-profile "three-quels."
"Spider-Man 3" reset the opening weekend standard with its $151-million domestic launch early this month, while "Pirates" this past weekend broke the domestic holiday record with $142 million, according to the research firm Media by Numbers. "Shrek the Third" set a new mark this month for animated films by debuting at $122 million.
On a worldwide basis, Disney says its "Pirates" overtook "Spider-Man 3's" $382-million six-day haul — a 3-week-old record. Privately, Sony executives questioned Disney's decision to include Monday's overseas grosses, as well as Thursday night's "pre-opening" sales in the U.S., in the total.
In generating the huge box-office numbers this month, studios overcame concerns about the kind of sequel fatigue that in the past plagued such franchises as "Batman" and "Superman" before they were revived.
Using pricey marketing campaigns, Hollywood sought to convince prospective moviegoers that the latest versions of "Spider-Man," "Shrek" and "Pirates" weren't just retreads. Reviews were mixed, but fans still went in droves to see all three.
In Southern California, moviegoers interviewed were divided on the prospect of a fourth "Pirates" after watching the latest chapter, which clocked in at nearly three hours.
Elizabeth Lopez, 24, of Long Beach, suspected the latest "Pirates" might disappoint as the third film in the series.
"But it actually was very good," she said. "Yes, I'm hoping they make another one because of the way it ended."
But Richard Kirk, 69, of Bellflower, has seen enough.
"It just gets rather complicated, especially the first part of it,"
he said. "I really think they should leave it at three."
From Box Office Mojo
(excerpt)
Third 'Pirates' Sacks Memorial Record
by Brandon Gray
May 29, 2007
Invading more screens (around 11,500) and theaters (4,362) than any picture before it, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End drew a hearty $139.8 million over the four-day Memorial Day weekend for a $153 million total including Thursday night previews.
Buena Vista's supernatural swashbuckler shattered the Memorial Day weekend record, eclipsing X-Men: The Last Stand's $122.9 million last year, and notched the fifth-highest grossing opening weekend of all time with its $114.7 million three-day haul.
Casting a slight pallor over its bustling start, At World's End loaded less loot than Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest did last July. Dead Man's Chest snatched $135.6 million on its three-day opening weekend, and this month's other major sequels, Spider-Man 3 and Shrek the Third, were each bigger than their predecessors out of the gate.
"I think it was hard to expect it to top No. 2 [Dead Man's Chest]," said Chris LeRoy, Buena Vista's senior vice president general sales manager. "Market conditions change so much from one movie to the other. What we wanted to accomplish was to break the Memorial Day weekend record and we're very pleased with that. Spider-Man 3 had a wide open playing field and, though the market expanded to a spectacular degree [this weekend], there was just more competition. I don't like to put too much emphasis on what the opening weekend means."
Among major franchises, the norm is for the third movie to gross less than the second. Lord of the Rings and Star Wars were exceptions, and sequels released in close proximity to each other have suffered in the past, in part due to mixed word-of-mouth for the second movie (The Matrix, Back to the Future). The upshot is that it was unrealistic to expect At World's End to exceed Dead Man's Chest.
A "hail the conquering hero" appeal fueled Dead Man's Chest after the immense good will that the first picture, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, built up. Dead Man's Chest satiated that demand in its $423.3 million run, resulting in less urgency for At World's End. What's more, in its marketing, At World's End looked like the same thing audiences experienced just ten months ago, lacking a clear new dramatic hook.
Overseas, At World's End reached 102 territories over the weekend and
captured $251 million in its first week. Including the domestic gross,
its worldwide opening through Sunday logged an estimated $335 million,
the second-largest ever behind Spider-Man 3's $381.7 million.
From the New York Post
'PIRATES' HAUL: A COOL $43M
AP
May 27, 2007 -- Johnny Depp and his pirate pals pulled in a lot of plunder but fell far short of a record opening day.
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" raked in a studio-estimated $43 million domestically Friday. "Spider-Man 3" made $59.3 million three weeks ago.
Disney previewed "At World's End" in about 3,000 theaters Thursday in advance of Friday's official release. The film pulled in $14 million at the early screenings, making its domestic total $57 million in just over a day.
Without those screenings, much of that business would have been done Friday, likely putting it within range of the top single-day grosses.
Despite opening in a record 4,362 theaters, "At World's End" is unlikely
to break "Spider-Man 3's" three-day weekend mark of $151.1 million.
From Box OFfice Mojo
(excerpt)
Third 'Pirates' to Sack Memorial Record
by Brandon Gray
May 27, 2007
Invading more screens (11,000-plus) and theaters (4,362) than any picture before it, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End drew a hearty estimated $112.5 million over the three-day weekend for a $126.5 million total including Thursday night previews.
Buena Vista's supernatural swashbuckler notched the fifth-highest grossing opening weekend of all time, and it will officially shatter the Memorial Day weekend record on Monday, eclipsing X-Men: The Last Stand's $122.9 million four-day start last year.
Casting a slight pallor over its bustling start, At World's End loaded less loot than Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest did last July. Dead Man's Chest snatched $135.6 million on its opening weekend, and this month's other major sequels, Spider-Man 3 and Shrek the Third, were each bigger than their predecessors out of the gate.
"I think it was hard to expect it to top No. 2 [Dead Man's Chest]," said Chris LeRoy, Buena Vista's senior vice president general sales manager. "Market conditions change so much from one movie to the other. What we wanted to accomplish was to break the Memorial Day weekend record and we're very pleased with that. Spider-Man 3 had a wide open playing field and, though the market expanded to a spectacular degree [this weekend], there was just more competition. I don't like to put too much emphasis on what the opening weekend means."
Among major franchises, the norm is for the third movie to gross less than the second. Lord of the Rings and Star Wars were exceptions, and sequels released in close proximity to each other have suffered in the past, in part due to mixed word-of-mouth for the second movie (The Matrix, Back to the Future). The upshot is that it was unrealistic to expect At World's End to exceed Dead Man's Chest.
A "hail the conquering hero" appeal fueled Dead Man's Chest after the immense good will that the first picture, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, built up. Dead Man's Chest satiated that demand in its $423.3 million run, resulting in less urgency for At World's End. What's more, in its marketing, At World's End looked like the same thing audiences experienced just ten months ago, lacking a clear new dramatic hook.
Overseas, At World's End reached 102 territories over the weekend and captured an estimated $205.5 million since Wednesday. Including the domestic gross, its worldwide opening logged an estimated $332 million, the second-largest ever behind Spider-Man 3's $381.7 million.
A scene from Shrek the Thid
Meanwhile, last weekend's top grosser, Shrek the Third, tumbled 58
percent to an estimated $51 million. That's less than Shrek 2's second
weekend, which was down 33 percent to $72.2 million on the same frame in
2004. Shrek the Third had a somewhat bigger opening than Shrek 2, but it's
the nature of sequels to be more front-loaded than their predecessors and
Shrek the Third didn't bring anything new to the table to reinvigorate
the franchise.
and
Sequel Offers More Absurdity, Less Horror
by Scott Holleran
Nine multicultural lords of a Brethren Court unite with dozens of new and old characters, including governor's daughter Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), her lover, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and caricatured Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), against evil Lord Beckett (Tom Hollander) among others in Disney's latest piece of horror adventurism, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. This one's better than the last movie.
Bad Brit Beckett has managed to commandeer the Flying Dutchman, complete with monster Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) and his half-dead crew, and throw the pirate world into a tailspin. After crossing swords with Chow Yun-Fat (whispering the whole time) in Singapore, with subplots about Will and Elizabeth (will they or won't they bond in matrimony?), Will's father Bootstrap Bill (Stellan Skarsgard) and Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and the rest of the gang—voodoo lady (Naomie Harris) among them—all compasses point to a massive sea battle. What's at stake would give the overplotted secrets away.
Besides, the plot's practically there to propel the unhinged action and there's no shortage of that—flying cannonballs, monkeys and midgets—though fans should expect long, absurdist dry spells of bizarre humor. Jack Sparrow plants his tongue here and there and an overdone rock star cameo plays to no effect. Thankfully, the horror is less pronounced.
Some jokes work, some do not and each character is granted some form of resolution, which is worth noting in a movie this long and this populated with pirates. The story takes surprising turns and features a few final bows, though contradictions can exist in this supernatural realm, so anything goes. As Jack Sparrow replies when someone insists he's mad: "If I wasn't, this would probably never work."
On its own terms, it does, as a strange, tightly wound, nightmare intruding upon an otherwise fearless adventure. Exotic locations—world unity—wild characters in bone-crushing action, temporarily involved in emotional outbursts, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End piles it on, coming through relatively clear given that this is a picture with a peanut as a plot device.
The cast delivers, driving the high-flying action and gamely gritting
their teeth through nonstop dialog that needs subtitles to be heard over
Hans Zimmer's spiraling score. At the end of two hours and forty-eight
minutes, director Gore Verbinski has successfully made another loud, manic
moving picture of Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's exhaustive script. When
the series protagonist deadpans, "it's not over," following the frantically
spent energy, it truly isn't; there's more, much more, and that is exactly
what fans, this reviewer not among them, have come to expect.
From Japan Today
In search of pirate treasure
By Chris Betros
[From left: Bill Nighy, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Chow Yun-fat, Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, director Gore Verbinski and Geoffrey Rush. PHOTO BY JULIE MINAMI]
From left: Bill Nighy, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Chow Yun-fat,
TOKYO — Johnny Depp couldn’t help but be amused when 2,500 fans greeted him at Narita airport, many dressed as pirates and addressing him as Capt Jack Sparrow, his character in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” trilogy. It’s a familiar scene each time he comes to Tokyo. Co-star Bill Nighy, who plays the squid-faced Davy Jones, was even more amused when a nervous Japanese reporter addressed her question to him as “Davy Jones-san” at their Tokyo news conference.
The third film in the series, “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” is set to conquer the box office worldwide, especially in Japan where it is already doing well with merchandising tie-ups in products ranging from toys to chili sauce. Helping launch the film in Japan were Depp, Nighy, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush, Chow Yun-fat, director Gore Verbinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer.
After 5 1/2 years working together, the camaraderie was evident, as was the sadness that there would probably not be a fourth film. “It’s hard to say goodbye to Capt Jack. He will always be a part of me,” said Depp, 43. He said it had been a interesting experience, especially early on “when I was getting slapped around by the Disney people” in reference to the way he portrayed Sparrow. Studio bosses couldn’t figure out whether Sparrow was gay, drunk or both.
“At World’s End” sees Will Turner (Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) allied with Captain Barbossa (Rush) to free Sparrow from Davy Jones’ locker. Their quest takes them to a sort of G-8 summit of pirates in Asia before heading to the end of the world and a terrific maelstrom that took 16 weeks to film.
Rolling Stones singer Keith Richards makes a long-awaited appearance as Sparrow’s father. “When you film at sea, nothing stays put,” said Verbinski. “When we got back to land, I thought we'd be on firm ground, but then Keith Richards showed up and he never stays put either. Keith would wander out of the frame, pick up something and sniff it.”
Rush, 55, makes a welcome return to the series. “I thought I was dead at the end of the first film, so this time, every scene I was in was my favorite, even when I am out of focus in the background,” he joked. But the most jokes were reserved for Nighy, 57, and how his character would make good sashimi and calamari.
“Actually, Davy Jones has been getting a lot of fan mail,” Nighy pointed out. “Apparently, there are some lonely women who wish he’d come around. Although his main responsibility in the films is to put the fear of God into everybody, in Part 3 you get to see why he is so angry and damaged.” Though Davy Jones is computer generated, Nighy said he had to wear pajamas with white bubbles, a skull cap with a white bubble on the top, and white spots all over his face. “I looked like a sad clown,” he said.
Depp said he enjoyed the swashbuckling much more this time because he
didn’t have to practice much. “The first time we were serious about it
and trained for months. In 2 and 3, we just did the moves about a week
before. The brilliant stunt team did the majority of the work. I still
get to show my skills at home when I have swordfights with my son. A little
bit of the Sparrow character slips out and he says to me: ‘C’mon dad, not
him again. Can’t you do something new?’” said Depp, who will next be seen
as a murderous barber in Tim Burton’s “Sweeney Todd.”
From Yahoo News
Latest "Pirates" underperforms previous film
Sun May 27, 12:56 PM ET
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -
Johnny Depp sailed to glory at the North American box office on Sunday with his latest "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie, but the family adventure failed to match the performance of its predecessor last year.
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" sold an estimated $126.5 million worth of tickets during the Friday-to-Sunday portion of the U.S. Memorial Day holiday weekend, distributor Walt Disney Co. said on Sunday.
The three-day tally compares with the $151 million record set four weekends ago by "Spider-Man 3," erasing the old mark of $135.6 million established last year by the second film in the "Pirates" franchise, "Dead Man's Chest."
The tally for the latest "Pirates" film includes sales from Thursday-evening previews. Disney declined to detail that sum Sunday, but earlier in the weekend, it had provided an estimate of $14 million.
"Pirates" did, however, break the four-day (Friday-Monday) Memorial Day record with a day to spare. The old mark of $123 million was set last year by "X-Men: The Last Stand."
Internationally, "Pirates" earned $176.7 million from 102 markets, Disney said.
Mark Zoradi, president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Marketing and Distribution, said he was "not a bit" disappointed by the North American tally, given the tough competition.
Depp returns, as Captain Jack Sparrow, as do co-stars
Orlando Bloom and
Keira Knightley. Rolling Stones guitarist
Keith Richards, on whom Depp modeled his slurring, boozy character,
makes a cameo as Sparrow's father. All three films were directed by
Gore Verbinski.
Critics were largely unenthused by the latest film, but their words of warning are often ignored when it comes to big-budget popcorn extravaganzas.
Meanwhile, incumbent North American champ "Shrek the Third" slipped to No. 2 with $51 million, a week after opening to $122 million. Its 10-day haul rose to $201 million. The animated comedy was produced by DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. and released by Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures.
"Spider-Man 3" followed at No. 3 with $13.7 million in its fourth weekend.
Its total stands at $303.3 million. The superhero franchise was released
by Columbia Pictures, a unit of Sony Corp
From the Guardian
Depp set to play poisoned Russian exile Litvinenko
Jason Burke in Paris
Sunday May 27, 2007
The Observer
Johnny Depp is lined up to play murdered Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko in the film of a book that still has no ending, his widow told reporters at the Cannes film festival yesterday.
Marina Litvinenko was at the festival for the showing of a controversial documentary about the death of her husband, who was poisoned with a radioactive substance in London last year.
Rebellion: the Litvinenko Affair was directed by a close friend of the
former spy and in effect accuses the Russian President, Vladimir Putin,
of organising the murder, as well as of embezzling humanitarian funds and
laundering profits from the mafia.
From Box Office Mojo
'At World's End' Bustling on Opening Day
by Brandon Gray
May 26, 2007
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End stormed a record number of ports—over 11,000 screens at 4,362 theaters—and posted the fifth-highest grossing opening day ever, an estimated $43 million, according to distributor Buena Vista. Including an estimated $14 million from pre-midnight Thursday previews at approximately 3,100 sites, the supernatural swashbuckler has racked up $57 million in about a day and a half.
Last July, predecessor Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest grabbed a then-record $55.8 million, which included about $9 million from midnight showings. Buena Vista estimated At World's End's midnight showings at $3 million (included in the $43 million), but initial demand was burnt off from Thursday night.
"We knew by putting shows early it would take away from the opening
day," said Buena Vista's president of distribution Chuck Viane, ruling
out the possibility of breaking Spider-Man 3's $151.1 million opening weekend
record. "Today [Saturday] is the key to how we're going to do."
Click to learn more...
Viane noted that At World's End's grade from CinemaScore, which polls
opening night moviegoers, was an "A-," about the same as Dead Man's Chest.
"Seven theaters yesterday did over $100,000," Viane added and reported the top three: the Salt Lake City, Utah, area's Megaplex 17 at Jordan Commons with $120,696 and Megaplex 20 at the District with $120,073, followed by Hollywood's Disney-owned El Capitan with $118,009. "You always see a Salt Lake theater around on a really big family movie, but I don't recall a Salt Lake theater being at the top, let alone the top two."
At World's End is still on track to deliver the biggest Memorial Day weekend opening ever. Last year's X-Men: The Last Stand is the current title holder with its $122.9 million four-day start. Dead Man's Chest drew $153.8 million in its first four days.
Overseas, At World's End pulled in an estimated $43.1 million from a
global 102 territories on Friday, lifting its foreign cumulative to $84.2
million since Wednesday. Factor the domestic gross, and the worldwide tally
stands at $141.2 million.
Top 10 Single Day Grossing movies
Rank Title Studio Single Day Gross Theaters Average Date Gross-to-Date
1 Spider-Man 3 Sony $59,841,919 4,252 $14,074 F 5/04/07 $59,841,919
2 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest BV $55,830,600 4,133 $13,508 F 7/07/06 $55,830,600
3 Spider-Man 3 Sony $51,336,732 4,252 $12,074 Sa 5/05/07 $111,178,651
4 Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith Fox $50,013,859 3,661 $13,661 Th 5/19/05 $50,013,859
5 Shrek the Third P/DW $47,077,497 4,122 $11,421 Sa 5/19/07 $86,411,827
6 X-Men: The Last Stand Fox $45,102,265 3,690 $12,223 F 5/26/06 $45,102,265
7 Shrek 2 DW $44,797,042 4,163 $10,761 Sa 5/22/04 $94,082,519
8 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest BV $44,443,225 4,133 $10,753 Sa 7/08/06 $100,273,825
9 Spider-Man Sony $43,622,264 3,615 $12,067 Sa 5/04/02 $83,029,136
10 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End BV $43,000,000 4,362 $9,858 F 5/25/07 $57,000,000
Top Opening Day Grosses
Rank Title
Studio Opening Day / % of Total Theaters
/ Average
Date
Total Gross
1 Spider-Man 3
Sony $59,841,919 19.7% 4,252
$14,074 F 5/04/07
$303,342,000
2 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
BV $55,830,600 13.2%
4,133
$13,508 F 7/07/06
$423,315,812
3 Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Fox $50,013,859 13.2%
3,661
$13,661 Th 5/19/05
$380,270,577
4 X-Men: The Last Stand
Fox $45,102,265 19.2%
3,690
$12,223 F 5/26/06
$234,362,462
5 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
BV $43,000,000 34.0%
4,362
$9,858 F 5/25/07
$126,547,000
From Pantagraph
Depp says Keith Richards is 'Cool'
By Associated Press
NEW YORK -- Johnny Depp has a man crush on Keith Richards, who has a small role in the new "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie.
Depp, who received an Oscar nomination for his work in the first "Pirates" film, said he drew inspiration for loopy pirate king Jack Sparrow from Richards.
"He was one of the people I admired for what he's done and how he's handled it," the 43-year-old actor tells Rolling Stone magazine in its new issue, on newsstands Friday. "Forty-whatever years of being this god. And he's just cool."
The Rolling Stones guitarist agreed to play Sparrow's father, Captain Teague, in "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," the third installment of the blockbuster film franchise.
"It was the right place at the right time with the right guys," said Richards, 63, who was also interviewed.
"Me, I'm just a musician," Richards said. "And if the people like my stuff, thank God. It pushes me on to do more. And I want to do more. That's something that you don't factor in when you start this game."
Richards said Depp and Mick Jagger have been the best at impersonating him.
"There's been loads of wannabes," he said. "But it's all posing with a guitar. And not playing right, not looking right, so not being me. ... Really, it's just in the bones and in the moves. You don't know what attracts people to what you do."
"You think, `Who's the greatest rock 'n' roll star? Who's that charismatic and interesting?' And you go, `Oh ... it's Keith, isn't it?'" he said.
Had Richards seen the first two "Pirates" movies?
"Oh ... yeah," he said. "How can you not with your grandkids around? I saw `Pirates' one when it came out. `Pirates' two I did fall asleep in, but I'd been up for three days."
"I might have fallen asleep myself," Depp replied.
From CNN
Johnny Depp: Nautical but nice
POSTED: 1736 GMT (0136 HKT), May 24, 2007
(CNN) -- Johnny Depp has appeared in a wide range of films, from art-house, in Jim Jarmusch's "Dead Man," to the recent grand-scale reworking of Roald Dahl's children's classic "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory;" from the dark and gothic "Edward Scissorhands" to the understated and deeply moving "Finding Neverland."
He has played a gangster, an astronaut, a policeman, a drug dealer, a soldier, a writer and a drug-crazed journalist. However, in recent years his name has become synonymous with one of his best loved characters, the roguish Captain Jack Sparrow.
In "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" Depp made his debut as Captain Jack, and instantly created a Hollywood favorite.
2006 saw the return of the loveable pirate in "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest", and this summer the third installment in the franchise, "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," arrives in theatres.
CNN's Myleene Klass talked to the man who has made Captain Jack Sparrow an instant screen legend about the upcoming addition to this blockbusting series of films.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When asked about people's reaction to this most recent striking character, Depp replied "I hope they like Captain Jack; people seem to enjoy him."
And he's right: People love this nautical rogue.
The first "Pirates of the Caribbean" film is a wild rollercoaster of an adventure movie that caught imaginations across the world with its release; and at the center of it is the charismatic and utterly captivating anti-hero, Captain Jack Sparrow.
Sparrow, although not key to the film's plot, which involves a cursed chest of gold, a band of skeletal pirates and a pair of star-crossed lovers, steals the show and is clearly the main factor behind the huge success of the franchise.
Depp's initial portrayal of the crazy captain must go down as one of the great comedy performances of the 21st Century, and earned him a nomination for best actor at the 2004 Academy Awards.
Some of the inspiration for the character's idiosyncrasies came from Depp's friend, the guitarist from legendary UK rock band the Rolling Stones, Keith Richards.
In the most recent episode of the saga Richards makes an appearance as the fictional pirate's father.
"What was amazing was to see Keith Richards meet Captain Jack," said Depp. "He's known Johnny for a while, but when he met Captain Jack it was pretty interesting. The funny thing is that as Captain Jack I felt I'd known Keith a lot longer than Johnny has."
The combination of Jack and the real-life inspiration for the character is just one exciting aspect of the latest installment of the franchise, which features a range of new faces including the internationally renowned Chinese actor Chow Yun Fat.
Depp talked about the arrival of his new fellow cast members: "These guys came in and just owned everyone instantly; they were just so down to earth and so good at what they do. Chow Yun Fat is a very nice man and a great artist and actor... He's a very special guy."
The third film in the trilogy, according to Depp will be similar, in feel at least, to the original movie. "It's closely related to Pirates 1 with the rhythm and the humor," he said. "We were able to branch out in some very absurd and funny moments."
At the end of the last Pirates movie Jack had been left to die at the hands, or more accurately the tentacles, of the mythical beast the Kraken, and his rescue will form a big part of the new film, but will this be the last outing for everyone's favorite buccaneer?
"I love playing Captain Jack, he's a fun character to play, there's
a great safety in being Captain Jack because you're almost expected to
be as irresponsible as humanly possible, you can get away with a lot of
stuff," said Depp, when pressed. "Yeah, I'd like to meet him again."
Jack Sparrow pilfering, plundering and pillaging again.
May 20, 2007
Yesterday, while waiting on line at Marty Klebba's charity event in Whittier, CA, Captain Jack Sparrow appeared and attempted to rob an ATM. (He was probably practicing for what he'll do to the Box Office come this weekend). Unfortunately for him, he did not realize that there was no person within and that threatening would do him no good. He finally ended up inside the Pirates 'n' Plunder store where the event took place, and he won a Pirates of the Caribbean jacket, much to his astonishment.
Saturday at the Disneyland red-carpet event for the "At World's End" premiere, Marty had become ill with dehydration that was serious enough for him to be hospitalized, but his buddies supported him by sitting for several hours signing autographs and posing for pictures to support Marty's favorite charity to help little people.
Among Jack's Crew (and Barbossa's) were Lee Arenburg (Pintel), Treva Etienne, and Vince Lozano.
Kazren later discovered that this particular Jack roams throughout southern
California, raiding parties, pillagining events, and charming the ladies.
You can find him at Press
Gang Pirates
Well, it was certainly different being on the red carpet! It gave me an idea of what the stars see as they walk down. I know I had friends there, but I only found one of them as I went down. But what you want to know about, I’m sure is Johnny, so I’ll get straight to the events within the portals of Frontier Land. I stood there with a very nice lady named Ann who got a fantastic picture of Keith, the first celeb we saw inside the gates, as he came strolling by. I got a photo of Terry Hatcher & her darling little girl.
We were all given cards that told us where to eat and asked us to be seated at 7:30pm. So I joined friends at the Riverbelle Terrace for dinner then we went over and had our picture taken with a green-screen, that magically inserted us into the foggy poster of Jack, Will and Elizabeth. We went on to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride next and there was no line, and no one but us in the boat. I noticed right away there were these very white skulls that looked waxy with red scarves that I’d never seen before. When we disembarked, I asked about them and the Cast Member explained that 16 of them had been put into the ride just for that day. She couldn’t tell me why.
Next we decided to go take our seats and out of the thousands of people that were there (and seats were assigned) amazingly enough my friends were just a few rows down and over, and a long time friend, Kat aka Depptherapy was sitting just one seat away. A lovely lady named Tina offered to switch with me, and that made the night even more enjoyable.
Below us sat Joey Fatone & his partner from Dancing with the Stars. We saw them talking to several other stars including Max (Ms. Ali’s partner in the show). John Voit was right below us and Martin Landau was everywhere!
A 70’s band played wearing pirate costumes on stage and when they ended, they announced Hans Zimmer who came out and blew everyone away. He had a small orchestra and started with the Davy Jones theme from DMC – he played solo on the guitar, then he moved to the keyboard and they played the Love Theme from AWE.
The audience then got to meet Jerry Bruckheimer, Gore Verbinski, Jack Davenport, Jonathan Pryce, Naomi Harris, Tom Hollander, Chow Yun Fat, Bill Nighy, Keith Richards, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp.
Johnny looked very relaxed, waived and went over to hug Keith. They had a camera on them each as they came out, so we could see them really well on a big screen above the stage.
I won’t critique the movie and spoil it, but I will say I was very pleased with it and very happy that we seem to have a lot more Jack in this one. There are bitter-sweet moments in the twisting and turning of the plot, which I will not divulge, but they cut the credits off and did not show us the tag at the end of the film (though several people there had already seen it with the tag and one of them was kind enough to fill me in). Instead of all the credits, we got a spectacular fireworks display, then we were let out to party.
The Cast Members at Disneyland were all very kind and helpful and as we left, they not only let us take the blankets that had been provided to keep us warm during the movie, but they gave us a bag-o-booty containing the AWE soundtrack, the Wii POTC:AWE game and the Nintendo DS one – along with a Nintendo DS to play it on! They also gave us black baseball caps embroidered with the POTC:AWE Skull and Crossbones, that says “World Premiere – May, 19, 2007 – on the back.
Overall, I thought I was extremely well done by Disney and everyone
I was with there had a great time, too.
This will be the last DeppCon update, since I'll be leaving Friday to attend.
Reminders for May 18th and 19th:
May 18: "Meet and Greet Mixer" at the Anaheim Plaza located at
1700 South Harbor
Boulevard in the lobby/bar area of the hotel scheduled from 5:30 PM
until approximately 7:00 PM. Dinner will be at the Rainforest Cafe
at Downtown
Disney.
If you plan to attend the Mixer and/or the Dinner, you must email your
R.S.V.P. to us as soon as possible.
May 19: No DeppCon activities are planned as this is the day for
the POTC:AWE
premiere at Disneyland.
Friday, May 25: Dinner at
Lucky Strikes Lanes at Hollywood & Highland Mall,
6801 Hollywood Boulevard, at 5:30 PM.
Saturday, May 26: Dinner at California Pizza Kitchen,
located at Hollywood &
Highland Mall at 5:30 PM.
Both restaurants are across the street from El Capitan where "Pirates of the Caribbean" will be playing.
Please R.S.V.P. for these events.
If you are traveling and have no on line access, if you email us your
cell phone number or the phone number of the hotel where you will be staying,
we can let you know if there are any last minute changes or updates.
Also, remember to get your theater tickets as soon as possible. See you soon!
From Yahoo News
At World's End, We Can All Be Pirates
Thursday May 17, 11:52 am ET
Over 80,000 Fans Have Been "Piratized" in Less Than 1 Week
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," Buena Vista Pictures' Online Marketing department has unveiled a whole new way to talk to Pirate fans with the "Piratizer." Users send in a single photo, and get back an animated 3-D version of themselves, ready to be outfitted with a trove of hats, hair, scars, jewelry, and a few choice words to say.
Becoming a Pirate is pretty simple. Start by visiting the official MySpace profile page for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: http://myspace.com/AtWorldsEnd. Click Get Started and the Piratizer will walk you through 5 simple steps:
1) Upload your photo.
2) Check your e-mail - When your head is ready the Piratizer will let you know.
3) Download - Click the link provided in the e-mail and your 3-D Pirate Head will download to your desktop.
4) Customize - Add accessories to your head (hats, scars, tattoos, etc.). You can even make your head talk like a Pirate!
5) Share - Export your head into a variety of items that you can share with friends! You can also upload your Pirate likeness into a gallery on the MySpace page and view other MySpace Pirates.
"The Piratizer allows Pirates of the Caribbean fans all over the world to interact with our brand in a unique and personal way, allowing them to take ownership of the franchise and share it with their family and friends," said Jim Gallagher, President of Buena Vista Pictures Marketing.
The wizardry behind the Piratizer is provided by U.K. based Digimask, an industry leader in video game avatars. Founded by CEO Gary Bracey in 1999, Digimask is the accepted standard for lifelike, personal avatars in many areas of entertainment and communication.
"We're very excited to be able take Digimask to this new level with our association with Disney, and especially grateful to Disney for allowing us to be an integral part of the much anticipated "Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End," says Emmy(TM) Award winner Laurie Hunter, President of Production & Design boutique - Hunter / Sauleda, LLC, based in Hollywood, CA. The company, which has already won 3 Emmy(TM) Awards for visual effects, has been overseeing the production of the "Piratizer," as part of their agreement.
"This has all been, and continues to be, very exciting, and I look forward
to a continued successful relationship between Disney, Digimask and Hunter
Sauleda," concluded Ms. Hunter.
The Rolling Stone with Keith and Johnny on the cover is now out
From Rolling Stone
Johnny Depp & Keith Richards: Pirates of the Caribbean's Blood Brothers
By DAVID WILDPosted May 16, 2007 12:01 PM
This is an excerpt from the latest issue of Rolling Stone, on stands
until June 1st.
Come in, it's a beast out there." With those words, Johnny Depp swings open the door to his sleek air-conditioned trailer and offers blessed relief from the brutal California heat wave. Here on the Disney lot in Burbank, where production is under way on Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Depp's trailer -- where reggae and African music are currently blasting -- is his personal oasis from the rigors of three-peating his Oscar-nominated turn as pirate king Jack Sparrow in the alleged final chapter in this box-office treasure chest ($1.7 billion to date). For the past few days, Depp has been graciously sharing the digs with another unimpeachable source of cool. That would be Keith Richards, on a break last September from the Rolling Stones' Bigger Bang tour, to film the small but pivotal role of Jack's far from dear old dad, Captain Teague. It's damn near typecasting, since Depp admits he used Richards as a model for the dreadlocked, mascaraed Jack. As Roger Ebert wrote, "Depp seems to be channeling a drunken drag queen, with his eyeliner and the way he minces ashore and slurs his dialogue ever so insouciantly."
Even with the heat, there's no slurring today. Never mind those stories later circulated by Pirates castmate Bill Nighy that Richards was so soused and wobbly on the set that director Gore Verbinski had to hold Richards' shins steady while he filmed his scenes. At this moment, both Depp and Richards are ready for action, dressed in full pirate regalia for the day's shoot. Richards, who's actually been up and working all morning, appears fantastically torn and tattered, with a bandanna and braids, scars and patches, facial hair and a puffy shirt. The joke is he doesn't look that much different onstage as the lead guitarist for the Rolling Stones.
Depp's trailer is movie-star expansive and well swabbed with couches and wall tapestries, yet the joint also has the scary vibe of a voodoo lounge. After all, Richards, a certified wild card, recently told a Brit magazine that he was so close to his late dad, Bert, that he snorted his ashes with a bit of blow. He said he was kidding, of course, but with Richards you never know. Days earlier, another reporter earned the wrath of Keith for mistaking Richards' famed skull ring for an Iggy Pop copy. The blunder led the rock icon to threaten the journalist with sodomy by banana.
Richards, 63, and Depp, 43, have been casually friendly for a decade. Depp is downright solicitous of his big-screen father, who today has taken to calling him "Johnny, me boy." Depp even offers to fetch cigarettes, making him the highest-paid gofer in Hollywood. "I could use one, yeah," says Richards. "Thanks, mate."
It's clear that Depp, a longtime musician and guitar freak, is having the time of his life during Richards' solo stop on the Disney lot. For all the rock edge that Richards brings with him anywhere, his affection for Depp is clear even when he calls him an "asshole."
The first question is for you, Keith. Has your career as a rock star
all been Method preparation for playing a pirate?
RICHARDS: Actually, you could look at it like that. Both are ways to
make a good dishonest living. Pirates are very democratic. Everything's
for sale: left leg so much, testicles so much. I mean, they did have a
deal going on those boats that was way ahead of the Constitution.
You have some band experience too, Johnny, from your teen years with
the Kids. Have you figured out if there are any differences between pirates
and rockers?
DEPP: I always thought of pirates being the rock stars of the eighteenth
century. With both, the myth arrives before them. The word comes around
the bend months before they arrive.
Do you remember when you were first aware of the myth of Keith?
DEPP: Very, very early. Simply found his music. It was always my first
love, even as a small kiddie. I remember when I started fucking around
on a guitar for the first time. Keith -- he goes to the forefront.
Have you gotten a chance to play together?
RICHARDS: Not yet.
And how would you compare yourself as a player to the guitar god
over here?
DEPP: I wouldn't even, like, begin.
RICHARDS: Johnny's probably better than he thinks. I'm probably not as good as he thinks.
DEPP: I was almost afraid to meet him for a long time, because there is always a fear that your heroes are going to be shitheads.
RICHARDS: I met him. At first it was like, "Not another one of my fucking son's friends." Johnny started kind of like that and then he worked his way up with me.
How long ago was that?
RICHARDS: I think around '95, in New York. My son Marlon told me, "You've
really got to meet this guy. He is really a fan." And so I got to know
Johnny via that. I knew the name, but I didn't know really what he had
done. I thought he was some guitar player, and then I thought, "Oh, he's
made some movies, too, another one of those blokes." But then over the
years we got to know each other rather better. Hence I'm wearing this [laughs
at himself in pirate outfit].
Was it hard to convince you to be a part of this "Pirates" film franchise?
RICHARDS: It was the right place at the right time with the right guys.
And, you know, because he's an asshole.
DEPP: Truth be told.
I think that you, Keith, gave a great acting performance in the 1987
Chuck Berry documentary "Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll," where you played the
mature one as the concert producer while Chuck raised hell.
RICHARDS: It's just me doing what I do in that movie. Hey, Chuck asked
for it, he got it. I am one of the biggest Chuck Berry fans in the goddamn
world. But not when it comes time to work. He's got a Chuck story as well.
DEPP: I was in this band, the Kids. And we opened up for Chuck Berry in Atlanta. I was seventeen. He arrives. He comes into our dressing room. He thinks we're his band. So I was, like, stupefied. And he handed me his guitar and said, "Tune it up." So I plugged it and used the strobe tuner. He was like, "What the fuck is that?" "A strobe tuner, man." He was mesmerized.
RICHARDS: Yeah, Chuck had never seen a tuner before. He thought you'd be trying to fuck with him. He knows what he wanted to play. Bless his old heart.
Chuck's a great pirate, in his way.
RICHARDS: Oh, yeah, are you kidding me? He used to rape, loot and pillage
all over the place.
Since you both find no difference between pirates and rock stars,
what about between rock stars and actors? The shores are littered with
the bones of rock stars who wanted to act.
RICHARDS: I can't really dissect that one. Hey, ever since I bashed
me head [falling out of a palm tree in Fiji last year], I've had these
doctors actually projecting themselves to be rock stars. Me, I'm just a
musician. And if the people like my stuff, thank God. It pushes me on to
do more. And I want to do more. That's something that you don't factor
in when you start this game.
Johnny, your Captain Jack Sparrow character has put you in a new
game: movie icon.
DEPP: It doesn't feel any different than anything I've ever done. It's
just that more people saw this movie and liked this character. I was shocked
and touched by it.
How do you define Captain Jack's appeal?
DEPP: I think it's pure irreverence, you know, that he's kind of the
trickster.
RICHARDS: He represents potential freedom, to break out of the bounds.
When did Keith figure into your thinking about how to play this character?
DEPP: You think, "Who's the greatest rock & roll star? Who's that
charismatic and interesting?" And you go, "Oh, fuck, it's Keith, isn't
it? It's Keith."
In your opinion, who does the best Keith imitation? Mick did a pretty
good Keith on Saturday Night Live."
RICHARDS: Some time ago, yeah. The only other one is the man sitting
right here. There's been loads of wanna-be's. But it's all posing with
a guitar. And not playing right, not looking right, so not being me. It's
amazing so many people would try to emulate me. Really, it's just in the
bones and in the moves. You don't know what attracts people to what you
do.
Growing up, Keith, weren't you a fan of singing cowboy Roy Rogers?
RICHARDS: Oh, yeah, Roy was great. He could shoot, play the guitar
and ride a great horse. What more do you want?
When did you turn to the dark side and go toward the pirates?
RICHARDS: That came naturally later. You get an image that is like
a ball and chain. You can clean up your act and become like, "Oh, how Christian,"
but still you drag your whole life behind you.
Johnny, didn't you have a negative reaction early on from studio
executives as you started to create the character of Jack Sparrow?
DEPP: The first month or so on Pirates 1, they all thought I'd lost
my fucking mind.
RICHARDS: No, the opening with you standing on the sinking ship was "I couldn't have done it better meself."
So you have seen the movie, Keith?
RICHARDS: Oh, shit, yeah. How can you not with your grandkids around?
I saw it when Pirates 1 came out. Pirates 2 I did fall asleep in, but I'd
been up for three days.
DEPP:I might have fallen asleep myself.
RICHARDS: He gave me a call when he started doing promos for Pirates 1: "Before you read this shit, I have got to say that I did base certain parts of my character on you." Well, thanks, Johnny, for letting me know. Otherwise I would have sued your ass [laughs].
And when did you get the thought, Johnny, to ask Keith to be your
father onscreen?
DEPP: We had dinner in New York, hanging out, right after Pirates.
I was never sure that he would even go for it.
RICHARDS: I had a week off, Johnny.
DEPP: Time well spent.
RICHARDS: Yeah, the rest of the Stones are kicking their asses back, and I'm a pirate. Just something different to do. I don't know if I can really pull it or not. Either that or it would be one line and out.
How is he doing?
DEPP: Fucking great, man. Two-take Richards.
Frank Sinatra supposedly had the patience for only one take when
he was acting.
RICHARDS: Yeah, but he was a motherfucker.
DEPP: I don't think Sinatra ever stopped to hit his mark. He would walk out of frame -- done.
Johnny, has the huge success of the first two Pirates movies surprised
you?
DEPP: It surprised the shit out of me, because I'm used to about eighteen
people seeing my movies.
And what, if anything, can you tell us about the third movie?
RICHARDS: You're looking at it now [points to his costume].
This is as close as you'll ever be, Keith, to being a Disney character.
RICHARDS: I'm the next Mickey Mouse -- look out.
DEPP: Mickey Mouse with dreads.
Johnny, you never opened for the Stones. Iggy Pop was as close as
you got.
DEPP: Yeah, yeah, when I was a Kid.
Tell me what Stones records connected with you the most.
DEPP: I was a fan of the early stuff.
RICHARDS: I always hate to pick this one or that one. I mean, as opposed to just, like, rumble away in the background. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's what it's about.
DEPP: I've always had a tendency toward Keith's tracks: "Before They Make Me Run," "Little T&A." As a guitar player, he was a god. As he still is. Don't tell him.
Do you on any level consider yourself a failed rock star?
DEPP: Worse than that, I'm a failed musician. Music was my life, my
first love.
RICHARDS: He's got one of the best guitar collections, very eclectic.
DEPP: There are some nice old L1s.
Keith, haven't you been wearing a skull ring and other pirate regalia
since the "X-pensive Winos" era?
RICHARDS: Since the late Sixties, early Seventies. I have a very good
friend who also makes my handcuffs, but I can't show you because they are
under this goddamn pirate shirt.
Over the years, some of the best quotes have been attributed to you.
One was "I fly under no flag. I'm a musician." Which to me is the pirate
ethos.
RICHARDS: Shit, if I didn't have a guitar, I'd have a boat.
DEPP: I'd do it in a Maserati.
Do you think you have to be a bit of a pirate to survive in the music
business?
RICHARDS: The music business has never been any different. It's a pool
of piranhas. You want to get in there? You better not be tasty.
The following is an update to the May 18 - May 19 schedule:
May 18: "Meet and Greet Mixer" at the Anaheim Plaza located at
1700 South Harbor
Boulevard in the lobby/bar area of the hotel scheduled from 5:30 PM
until approximately 7:00 PM. Dinner will be at the Rainforest Cafe
at Downtown
Disney.
If you plan to attend the Mixer and/or the Dinner, you must email your
R.S.V.P. to us as soon as possible.
May 19: No DeppCon activities are planned as this is the day for
the POTC:AWE
premiere at Disneyland.
The Schedule of Events planned for May 24 - May 26 will be posted on Tuesday.
From Rolling Stone
5/14/07, 12:55 pm EST
On the Cover of the New Rolling Stone: Blood Brothers Keith Richards and Johnny Depp
Keith Richards, Johnny Depp, Pirates of the Caribbean
* Fans of Pirates of the Caribbean, look no further.
Our next cover story is a Q&A with the most rock & roll “father
and son” of all time: Keith Richards and Johnny Depp. Come back Wednesday
for a look at the bitching cover image and a peek at the story. Tomorrow
we’ll drop our lead album review, in which Rob Sheffield gives Wilco’s
new disc four stars.
From Kazren's Inside Source - it has been confirmed, there will be a Pirates 4! You have not seen the last of Captain Jack Sparrow.
From Emma first posted on Johnny Depp Zone
From showbiz gossip column
Sunday Mirror
13 May, 2007
Johnny Depp's drinking tastes have changed since he settled down with
French belle Vanessa Paradis. At the party for his movie Sweeney Todd in
West London bar The Collection last night, Johnny bought 12 bottles of
red wine from his home in France to share with VIP guests. This is man
who once shared a bathed in Champagne with Kate Moss..
From Daily India
Pirates "did a big flip for my career," says Johnny Depp
From our ANI Correspondent
London, May 13: Now that the last Pirates of the Caribbean movie is ready to hit the theatres, lead actor Johnny Depp has revealed how much he owes to the production.
In an emotional interview with the Daily Mirror, Depp confessed that his portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow has rescued his wavering career.
"I was the guy who had been bouncing around the film industry for years and I'd been lucky if five or 10 people would see my movies, so Captain Jack did a big flip for my career," the Mirror quoted him, as saying.
Depp, whose daughter Lily-Rose recently suffered from a critical illness, also revealed that his character, and the film enabled him and his family to afford luxury and live a more comfortable life.
"He and Pirates have afforded me and my family a certain luxury in that we are able to live a little more comfortably and it will be something that will reverberate for my kids and their kids," he said.
The actor also said that he took on Captain Jack Sparrow with pure instinct and never imagined that it was going to be a huge hit.
"When I decided to take the role it was pure instinct. I didn't know
it was going to be such a huge hit. Nothing like this has ever happened
to me. It's very, very moving and emotional, the idea that people feel
this very strong connection with Captain Jack," Depp said.
From the Daily Mail
Johnny Depp's joy over daughter's recovery
Johnny Depp has spoken for the first time of his daughter’s battle against a serious illness.
Seven-year-old Lily-Rose was rushed into hospital at the end of February while the actor was shooting the film Sweeney Todd at Pinewood Studios.
She was suffering from potentially fatal E.coli poisoning.
Depp, 43, said: "It was a very bumpy patch but she has come through it beautifully and unscathed and she is now as healthy as she always was. She is wonderful.
"It was a reminder to us of how lucky we are to be able to breathe, walk, talk, think and surround ourselves with people we love."
Lily-Rose is Depp’s daughter with long-term girlfriend Vanessa Paradis, 34.
They also have a fouryear- old son, John Jack.
E.coli - commonly associated with improperly cooked meat - caused Lily- Rose’s kidneys to shut down.
Depp refused to return to the set of Sweeney Todd until she was out of danger.
He told the Daily Mirror: "What got us through this wasn’t the strength of Vanessa or me but our daughter and her incredible ability to make us feel OK even though she was very unwell. She was superstrong."
The Hollywood star is staying at the Dorchester hotel while filming the Tim Burton-directed movie which also stars Helena Bonham Carter and Alan Rickman.
Depp said his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean series had been a "big flip" for his career.
"When I decided to take the role it was pure instinct. I didn’t know
it was going to be such a huge hit."
From Opodo News
Johnny Depp to marry in France
11 May 2007
Hollywood actor Johnny Depp is to marry long-term girlfriend Vanessa Paradis this year.
The Pirates of the Caribbean star and his French lover are to hold a ceremony in a small French village this coming summer.
Johnny and Vanessa have been together for eight years and have two children but only now have made plans to make their love official.
Vanessa is originally from the south of France and the pair are expected to tie the knot in a small village close to St Tropez.
The pair have revealed that they decided they should tie the knot after watching their daughter fall seriously ill.
Lily was struck down by E Coli food poisoning and needed intensive hospital treatment.
Johnny postponed filming in London for his latest film so that he could be by his daughter's side.
The star says that his daughter is now fully recovered and is looking forward to watching her parents getting married.
Click here to plan and book flights, hotels, city breaks, rental cars
and holidays with Opodo.
From Javno
JOHNNY'S FEARS
May 11, 2007
Confessions of Johnny Depp
For the first time Depp speaks about his daughter Lilly-Rose’s illness.
The pirate from the Caribbean is in real life a very withdrawn actor who really values his privacy. But, this unreachable armour was broken by the Daily Mirror and managed to open Depp up about the very dangerous illness his daughter Lilly-Rose suffers from, because of which his career has been on ice until recently.
Little Lilly-Rose is seven and she ended up in hospital two months ago for an E. Coli infection. Whiloe she lay in hospital in critical condition for nine days, Depp and his long-term partner Vanessa Paradis spent every waking minute with their little girl.
What kept us going through that period was not my or Vanessa’s strength, but our daughter and her unbelievable power of conviction that everything was alright, even through the worst times. She was super-strong, Johnny said.
The E.coli bacteria is usually connected with insufficiently processed meat and caused kidney failure in Lilly-Rose. Crazy from worry, the 43-year-old Depp refused to return to the set and continue filming “Sweeney Todd” on which he is working with director and long-term friend Tim Burton.
It was a very rough period, but Lilly-Rose coped with it and is now healthy as she has always been. She is beautiful, said Johnny.
She is our reminder that we can be lucky to be able to breathe freely, walk, talk, think and be surrounded by people we love, Depp said.
After this, Johnny is looking forward to returning to the movies, cooperating
on a new sequel of the Pirates from the Caribbean, which raised his career
from the ashes and restored his old Depp shine.
From Daily Blabber
May 10, 2007 at 07:09am |
Johnny Depp Wedding Talk
Are Johnny Depp and long-time girlfriend (and mother of his kids), Vanessa Paradis, planning to tie the knot? So says the U.K.'s Daily Mail.
Since Johnny's daughter, Lily Rose, was hospitalized in March for E. Coli poisoning, the couple have been tighter than ever.
"Johnny and Vanessa have one of the strongest relationships in Hollywood but after their daughter was taken ill the family became an even closer-knit unit," said a friend. "They have talked about marriage on and off for a long time but the recent emotional roller-coaster they have had to endure seems to have spurred them into action."
The lovebirds, who live in the south of France, have been together for eight years and now seem to have the ball rolling for a wedding, sooner than later.
"We understand they will marry this summer. Villagers thought they would wed in the church here but we now hear that they have a little chapel in the grounds of their home," a source told the paper. "It would make sense they would celebrate there because they don't like drawing attention to themselves. The whole reason they live here is because they like the quiet life."
Such romance! A private chapel in France, with their kids and Johnny
as the groom? That's what I call a dream wedding.
From Monsters & Critics
Johnny Depp's super-Lily
May 10, 2007, 11:30 GMT
Johnny Depp has spoken about the strength of his "wonderful" daughter during her recent life-threatening health scare.
The 43-year-old actor was terrified when seven-year-old Lily-Rose was rushed to hospital in March after contracting the potentially fatal E.coli bacteria, but his daughter's courage gave him hope.
Depp, whose long-term partner is Vanessa Paradis, said in an interview with the Daily Mirror newspaper: "It gave us a great scare. What got us through this wasn't the strength of Vanessa or me but our daughter and her incredible ability to make us feel OK even though she was very unwell. She was super-strong.
"It was a very bumpy patch but she has come through it beautifully and unscathed and she is now as healthy as she always was. She is wonderful."
Johnny and Vanessa kept a constant bedside vigil when Lily-Rose was admitted to a London hospital with what was initially thought to be blood poisoning.
The couple - who also have a five-year-old son, John Jack - were distraught when they discovered their daughter had actually contracted the deadly bug, which caused her kidneys to shut down.
Johnny - who is currently shooting 'Sweeney Todd' in London - revealed the scare made him realise how blessed he is.
He said: "It is a reminder to us of how lucky we are to be able to breathe,
walk, talk, think and surround ourselves with people we love."
New Video Interview with Johnny from AP HERE
Access Interview from May 8, 07 HERE
Los Angeles local ABC station KABC has an interview with Johnny - look for the video box "Hollywood Wrap Up"
From Hilary our UK Correspondent
Here is the Top 50 Movie Soundtracks as voted by the listeners of Classic FM in the UK. Considering the age range of a large portion of the listeners, I think both Pirates movies did incredibly well!
The Pirates of the Caribbean films have beaten some amazing soundtracks – Raiders of the Lost Ark, Superman, Gone With The Wind to name but a few. And the tracks that beat POTC are amongst the finest soundtracks ever created.
Here is the final list:
1 Howard Shore: Lord Of The Rings – Fellowship Of The Ring
2 Hans Zimmer: Gladiator - Earth
3 John Williams: Schindler’s List - Theme
4 John Williams: Star Wars – Theme
5 John Barry: Out of Africa – Main Title
6 John Barry: Dances With Wolves – John Dunbar Theme
7 Hans Zimmer: Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man’s Chest – Jack Sparrow’s Theme
8 Ennio Morricone: The Mission – Gabriel’s Oboe
9 John Williams: Jurassic Park I - Theme
10 John Williams: Harry Potter – Harry’s Wonderous World
11 Klaus Badelt: Pirates of the Caribbean Curse of the Black Pearl – Main Theme
12 Elmer Bernstein: The Magnificent Seven - Theme
13 Nigel Hess: Ladies In Lavender
14 Max Steiner: Gone With The Wind – Tara’s Theme
15 Richard Addinsell: Dangerous Moonlight – Warsaw Concerto
All Johnny Depp fans are invited to our DeppCon dinner meet-up at the Rain Forest Cafe at Downtown Disney Saturday May 18th. Please email DeppCon if you plan to attend so we can keep an accurate count of the reservations. Deppcon@yahoo.com or Entermediamusic@aol.com.
According to BoxOfficeMojo, POTC: DMC formerly held the record of Best Opening Day and Best Single Day with $55.8 million. Now Spider-Man 3 holds both of those records with an estimated $59. Please see POTC:AWE STTT below. The fans of the Pirates movies can shoot it straight back up to the top!
From The Rock Radio
Sunday, May 06, 2007
"Borat" is not the new Freddie Mercury
Over the last few days media have reported that Borat and Ali G creator Sacha Baron Cohen has emerged as the frontrunner to portray legendary Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in a biopic produced by Robert De Niro. The British actor had supposedly beaten competition from his Sweeney Todd co-star Johnny Depp.
However, the actor's publicist told MTV News that rumours that Cohen will play Mercury are "absolutely untrue". It seems that Johnny Depp is still the favourite for the role.
The role will depict Mercury's music, wild lifestyle, and untimely death in 1991 at the age of 45, due to AIDS-related bronchopneumonia. "Film makers are working flat out to get the best possible script," an unidentified source told the Mirror.
The Rock Radio online
From and transcribed by Hilary our UK correspondent from The Woman’s Own Interview
Thank God Lily Survived – Johnny Depp, 43, opens his heart for the first time about his young daughter Lily-Rose’s battle to survive a mystery illness in a London hospital…
Johnny Depp has been a pin-up since he was a teenager, but today he prefers to pick quirkier parts and his favourite role of all is fatherhood. We talk to the Pirates of the Caribbean star about his parents’ split, past loves and his daughter’s battle to survive a life threatening illness…
It must have been very worrying for you when your daughter, Lily-Rose, was ill…
It was – for all of us. I was in London working on Sweeney Todd when she was rushed to hospital, so I just dropped everything to be with her. At first they didn’t know what it was. Then it turned out to be E.coli – probably brought on by something she ate. All we could think about was losing her, so it was such a huge relief when she came through. The medical staff were great, and we were very grateful that they helped her pull through.
Sounds as if it was an awful time.
Yes, it was horrible. There were no guarantees she’d survive. We were very, very relieved. We don’t want to go through that again. Lily-Rose is wonderful, a little angel, and her brother Jack’s just great. They put everything into perspective. I love to see them wake up in the morning, wide-eyed and surprised. If I’m working and don’t see them for a few days, it really gets to me. I could just sit and do nothing but watch them grow.
Are you a big kid, too?
Quite often! I like to do things kids do – I could watch Shrek or Finding Nemo over and over. And I love colouring and eating chocolate. We’re into healthy food, but that doesn’t mean the kids don’t get bars of chocolate! I was allergic to it for a while when I was a kid. That made it extra funny when I was cast to play Willy Wonka.
Where’s home?
Wherever my family is. We spend a lot of time in France because my wife, Vanessa, is French. I learnt to speak French so I could impress her parents. I love Europe. I’m American, obviously, but I have some German and Irish in me and also some Cherokee and Navajo. We also go back to our home in LA as often as possible.
Click
to enlarge
Do you have many regrets?
Not too many. I regret my parents splitting up when I was young
– kids need stability. I think I went through a lot of relationships
when I was younger because of that. I married in 1983, but wasn’t
ready to handle such a commitment. I thought I was. Just as
I thought I was when I got engaged to Winona Ryder, Jennifer Grey and Kate
Moss. When I was with Winona, I had a tattoo that said ‘Winona forever’.
When we split up, I had it changed to “Wino forever’. It was easier
than having the whole thing removed. When I look back, I shudder
sometimes. It wasn’t until I met Vanessa that life started to be
real.
Johnny’s world…
I used to be… a pen salesman. Maybe that would have been my career if I hadn’t made it.
I’m not very keen on… spiders. If I see one at home, I ask it to remove itself – very politely of course.
I’ve been known to… go to film premieres and leave as soon as it’s polite to do so. Making a movie is one thing – watching it is something else.
I am… a shy kind of guy, but I don’t mind signing autographs and talking to people. I don’t like it when people start taking your photograph without asking – especially when they sell it to the press.
I’d love to… make a hit album. I played in a band, The
Kids, when I left school and we had some success. I still play guitar.
Maybe The Kids will make a comeback or I’ll be Captain Jack Sparrow and
The Pirates!
From Ask Men
Johnny Depp
2007/05/06
Johnny Depp’s family nerves
Johnny Depp hates showing his two children his films, because he is always nervous they won’t like them.
The actor - who has two children, Lily-Rose and Jack, with long-term partner Vanessa Paradis - doesn’t care what critics think of his movies but always values his family’s opinion.
He said: "They saw ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, which made me very nervous. I was scared they’d come home and say, ‘Hey dad, better luck next time!’ But they came home quoting it, which is nice."
Johnny insists there are a number of his movies that he won’t show to his kids until they are older, because he doesn’t want to give them nightmares.
The actor - who has starred in a number of strange adults-only films, including ‘The Ninth Gate’, ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’ and ‘Secret Window’ - added: "I only let them watch some of my movies, but some I’m not sure they’re ready for. Hell, I’m not sure I’m ready for them!"
He is currently shooting the Tim Burton directed 'Sweeney Todd', in
which he plays the murderous London barber of the same name.
From Monsters & Critics
Johnny Depp's Pirates 5 & 6: No problem
May 4, 2007, 7:00 GMT
Johnny Depp wants to make 'Pirates of the Caribbean' films for the rest of his career.
The Hollywood actor, who plays Captain Jack Sparrow in the hit adventure series, has no intention of hanging up his pirate hat and is prepared to keep making sequels.
He told Top of the Pops magazine: "I'll never get bored of Captain Jack, he is so much fun. If they wanted to do 'Pirates 7', why not? There are new layers to Jack and situations that he can't just talk his way out of, so it would be good to keep exploring the character."
Johnny - who based the character on Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, who has a cameo as Jack's father in the hotly anticipated third film, 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End' – admits there is one thing he hates about playing Jack.
The 43-year-old star finds the process of having gold teeth glued on for every scene very uncomfortable.
He added: "They're bonded on to my own choppers! They make the surface of my teeth kind of rough then use hot glue and laser the false teeth on.
"The process of taking them off can be quite ugly. Sometimes they just
shoot off and other times you have to address the issue more intensely
with yanking."
Peggy sent in this cute news story called Undressing Johnny Depp - watch the slide show to the very end.
Friday May 11th (1:35pm on the West Coast) STARZ is airing "On the Set: Pirates of the Caribbean AT WORLD'S END" Check your local listings for the time in your area.
From Yahoo News
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Zorro laments not being a female magnet anymore!
By ANI
Saturday May 5, 03:31 PM
Washington, May 5 (ANI): Spanish heartthrob Antonio Banderas is getting accustomed to the fact that he is not popular with the fairer sex any more.
According to the 'Philadelphia' star, he only gets attention for playing an animated cat in the Shrek films.
Banderas, who played Puss in Boots in the incredibly successful movie franchise, claimed that he is noticed for this particular role more than anything else.
"Women, especially before Shrek, would see me in the street and say, 'Oh we loved you in Zorro, you looked so cool', but now it's, 'I love you, pussy cat,'" Contactmusic quoted Banderas, as saying.
Meanwhile Banderas might be reuniting with his "Once Upon A Time
in Mexico" co-star Johnny Depp and director Robert Rodriguez for a role
in the Sin City sequel.
Access Hollywood advertised that this coming Tuesday they will have Maria Menounos doing an interview with Johnny from London and they will "set the record straigth" bout Lily-Rose.
From JD101
MTV Movie Awards will air live Sunday, June 3 at 8pm Eastern - 8pm PDST on MTV.
You can vote here: http://www.mtv.com/ontv/movieawards/ma07/vote.jhtml
There are 3 categories with POTC2
1. Best movie - P2
2. Best villain - Bill Nighy
3. Best performance - Johnny Depp
From the LA Times
(excerpt)
The actor you didn't know
Prankster, inventor, father -- a TCM documentary on Brando explores the electrifying performer's many facets.
By Susan King, Times Staff Writer
April 30, 2007
Marlon Brando was different things to different people — catnip to women, a director's worst nightmare on set, champion of the underdog and the downtrodden.
For actress Penelope Ann Miller, the acting icon was a lovable goofball.
She recalls a dinner she had with costars Matthew Broderick and Bruno Kirby during the production of the 1990 Brando comedy "The Freshman."
"We felt these little things hitting us and falling on the table," she says. "We looked down and there were these little rolled-up balls of bread."
The prankster turned out to be Brando. "He was taking the bread from the table he was eating at, rolling them up and throwing them at us," Miller says, laughing.
Miller is one of many actors — including Al Pacino, John Turturro, Jon
Voight, Harry Dean Stanton and Johnny Depp — who discuss the performer
in the two-part, three-hour documentary, "Brando," airing Tuesday and
Wednesday on Turner Classic Movies.
