News about Johnny Depp and his projects

News November 2004

From Yadira for our Johnny Depp friends in Spain
On Thurday 2nd December The Sitges International Film Festival beginas and "Finding Neverland" will screen there. The official site: http://www.cinemasitges.com/cast/index.html
Where you can find "Finding Neverland" : http://www.cinemasitges.com/cast/programacio.html

Found by Pam
In an interview with Razor Magazine, (Nov., 2004) Radha Mitchell says:
”When you work with someone like Johnny Depp, the best thing you can do is really stay focused on what you’re doing, on yourself, because he’s so much fun, so charismatic, so magical and such an individual. He’s being who he is, doing what he is, so you’d better do your part.”

Found by Peri at Megastar.co.uk
LA mad on Depp's Willy
Jools Long
He's got the golden ticket
Johnny Depp, the king of of the daft accent, bonkers costume and comedy limp has launched a rush for the weird and wonderful tales of Roald Dahl down Hollywood way.
Whereas us Brits were brought up on a rather odd diet of Twits, B.F.G.s and chocolate factories, according to the Telegraph the yanks are only just cottoning on Dahl's twisted delights.
They're just soooo five minutes ago.
The 2005 film version of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory starring Depp as the notorious Willy Wonka, and directed by mad-as-a-fish Tim Burton is supposed to be proper corking, according to the broadsheet.
And the excitement surrounding the upcoming flick has got those LaLa-land magazine writers at Variety squealing “2005 is shaping up as the year of Roald Dahl.”
Omigosh! He's the new black you could say.
So in a mad panic to sign up the rest of his works, The Royal Tenenbaum's Wes Anderson is making The Fantastic Mr Fox, Shrek producer John Williams is making The Twits and Men In Black writer Ed Solomon is adapting The B.F.G.
And since all of those stories feature their fair share of weirdos, we reckon Mr Depp is going to be jolly busy next year.

Thanks to RupertBear
The PEOPLE'S CHOICE Round Two is up - TIME TO VOTE HERE

From the Express India
Shot & Captured
He has photographed leading Hollywood stars. Now Greg Gorman says he’d like to shoot Kapil Dev.
Paromita Chakrabarti
New Delhi, November 27: Remember Dustin Hoffman posing as Dorothy in the movie Tootsie or Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow in the more recent Pirates of the Caribbean? The man who shot the posters and publicity stills for these movies is in Delhi this week. ‘‘I still remember Dustin capering around in his costume, doing crazy stuff after the official shoot was done. He seemed to have more fun as the crazy Dorothy,’’ recalls Greg Gorman, American celebrity photographer.
Gorman is in the city to deliver a lecture on photography tomorrow at Hyatt Regency. Titled ‘‘Faces of Fame—A Perspective By Greg Gorman’’, the talk is an Epson initiative. This is the last leg of his Asian tour. Gorman has already delivered lectures in Malaysia, Singapore and Mumbai.
Based in Los Angeles, he has worked on personality portraits, advertising campaigns and magazine layouts among other things. But his claim to fame is his Hollywood connection: he has shot photographs of leading stars such as Anthony Hopkins, Sophia Loren, Robert De Niro, Marlon Brando all the way back to Bette Davis.
‘‘I was clear from the beginning that I wanted to shoot people. There’s so much of emotion just waiting to be captured,’’ he says. He obviously enjoys his job. ‘‘I love meeting people, the challenge in trying to connect with them and bring out a hidden side to them,’’ he explains.
Gorman says the key to a good photograph is a willingness to experiment. ‘‘When I was shooting with Johnny (Depp) we tried to do away with props. He’s got expressive eyes and I focussed on them. The result was stunning,’’ he recalls. The success of most of his photographs depends on his personal interaction with the subject. ‘‘I discuss everything with them, because it’s important for them to be comfortable and trust me,’’ he says.
On his first visit Gorman’s is quite intrigued with India. “I was unfamiliar with this part of the world. There’s such a radical cross-section of people here it’s amazing,’’ says Gorman who has already clicked lots of photos during his short stay. And who would he love to click among Indian celebrities? ‘‘That’s a tough question. I don’t think I can answer that!’’ he laughs, before adding, ‘‘Kapil Dev, because he’s a friend’’.

The Charlie & The Chocolate Factory trailer is being tested - and over at IMDB a member got to see a test screening. Here's his/her post.

From the News Telegraph
Hollywood studios hit by Roald Dahl mania
By Hugh Davies
(Filed: 29/11/2004)
Hollywood is rediscovering the quirky and mischievous stories of Roald Dahl, 15 years after his death, with a sudden rush of prominent directors, along with stars such as Johnny Depp and John Cleese, anxious to put his work back into cinemas.
No other British writer has combined imagination, wit and black humour to entertain his child readers over the heads and behind the back of disapproving adults.
The buzz in Los Angeles is such that Variety, the movie trade bible, headlined the studio clamour: "Big screen goes Dahl crazy!"
Dahl, who worked from a hut in the orchard of his Georgian house at Great Missenden, Bucks, under the motto "parents and teachers are the enemy", had himself long been enamoured of Hollywood.
He married a film star, Patricia Neal, and rewrote one of his stories, about a World War Two pilot, for the black-and-white movie 36 Hours, starring James Garner, Eva Marie Saint and Rod Tyler.
He adapted two Ian Fleming books for the cinema: You Only Live Twice for the film starring Sean Connery, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with Dick Van Dyke.
Dirk Bogarde portrayed him in the 1981 film The Patricia Neil Story, about his wife's difficult recovery from sudden strokes. Most famously, he adapted his book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for the Oscar-nominated Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, with Gene Wilder.
He also invented the word gremlins.
Now, in what Variety describes as "2005 shaping up as the year of Roald Dahl", the Wonka film, under its original story title, is being finished by the cult director Tim Burton at Pinewood Studios, for release on July 15.
Warner Brothers regards the tale of the amazing factory run by the eccentric Wonka and his staff of Oompa-Loompas as a potential blockbuster.
Burton has cast his girlfriend Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs Bucket, but all eyes will be on Johnny Depp as Wonka.
The British actor Freddie Highmore, 12, plays Charlie Bucket. Depp asked him to be in the picture after appearing with him in Finding Neverland.
Burton is making a much darker version of the story than that portrayed in the original film.
He said: "I don't want to crush people's childhood dreams, but the original film is sappy.
"I responded to the children's book because it respected that children can be adults, and I think adults forget that.
"There can be darkness and a sort of foreboding. Very sinister things are very much a part of childhood.
"I like that sort of humour and emotion put together."
In the original 1964 edition of the novel, the Oompa-Loompas were pygmies from Africa imported to replace the local workers. Reports from the set indicate that the new movie will definitely use the Oompa-Loompas with "rosy-white skin", as depicted in later editions.
Depp, who lives in Paris, is said to have turned his trailer – the biggest on the set – into a "Bedouin tent", complete with silk and satin curtains, huge cushions, animal hide rugs and incense burners.
Another renowed director, Robert Altman, is adapting some of Dahl's macabre adult stories into a six-part television series, on the lines of ITV's Tales of the Unexpected, broadcast in the late 1970s.
Wes Anderson, who made The Royal Tennenbaums with Gene Hackman and Gwyneth Paltrow, is turning Dahl's The Fantastic Mr Fox into a movie.
With him is Henry Selick, who directed the 1996 film of Dahl's James and the Giant Peach. Made by Revolution Studios and Sony, the film relates a feud between a sly fox and angry farmers, tired of sharing their chickens with the animal and looking to get rid of him and his family.
Interest is also building around The Twits, the author's tale of a vile couple and their happy band of performing animals.
Shrek producer John Williams is making the film, with the director Mark Mylos, who made Ali G Indahouse.
The intention is to blend live action and animation. John Cleese has already written the script with a view to star in the movie.
Yet another movie is being made by Paramount of The B.F.G – the Big Friendly Giant – by the producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshal, with a script by Ed Solomon, who wrote Men in Black.
Back in Great Missenden, a museum and "story centre" dedicated to Dahl is about to open, to include displays of the anarchic illustrations by Quentin Blake, Dahl's principal collaborator since 1978.
Dahl, whose parents were Norwegian, was born in Wales in 1916 and went on to study at Repton. He took a job with Shell but when the Second World War broke out he joined the RAF and became a fighter pilot.
The writer died in 1990.

From the Rocky Mountain News
'Pirates' 2, 3 add to Depp's full calendar
November 29, 2004
It's been reported as a strong possibility. Now we can tell you definitely. Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3 will be shot at the same time - beginning late February in the Caribbean. Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley and Geoffrey Rush are back aboard, with director Gore Verbinski at the helm.
Adding to the cast of characters in both sequels will be Tia Dalma, a jewelry-covered gypsy queen with tattoos, dreadlocks and clairvoyant powers. The role is being cast now, and, almost unheard-of in casting notices, word is she doesn't have to be beautiful.
With Finding Neverland in release and The Libertine and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory en route to screen, Depp's dance card would have been full even without the two Pirates of the Caribbean sequels. Among the projects Depp has ahead are the feature adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's The Rum Diaries and the true story of Elle France editor Jean-Dominique Bauby, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Bauby suffered a stroke that paralyzed his entire body in 1995, but he went on to communicate eloquently by blinking his left eye. Then there's the adaptation of Shantaram. Brad Pitt's and Jennifer Aniston's producing company spent $2 million to grab rights to the book for Warner Bros. - with Depp as its star.

Carrie sent this in from the latest Entertainment Weekly magazine:
click to see full size
And, how is it that Johnny is not winning this EW Poll? Aren't you all voting?

From the Telegraph
Barrie's Peter Pan family album goes on sale
By Will Bennett, Art Sales Correspondent
(Filed: 27/11/2004)
The creation of Peter Pan, the little boy who never grew up and who has entranced children for a century, was the result of a chance meeting between the playwright J M Barrie and two young brothers while out walking in a London park.
Five-year-old George Llewelyn Davies was particularly taken by Barrie who was well-informed on important topics such as cricket, fairies, murder, pirates, hanging and desert islands. The boy decided that he was not a real grown-up and so could be trusted.
Michael Llewelyn aged six
Michael Llewelyn aged six
The friendship that developed between Barrie and George and subsequently the latter's parents and four brothers gave birth to Peter Pan. However, the family's real-life story was more dramatic and tragic than anything the playwright wrote for the stage.
Now the world's greatest privately owned archive of letters, photographs, manuscripts, books and other material relating to Barrie and the boys is to be auctioned at Sotheby's in aid of the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, to which the playwright gave the rights to his most famous work.
The archive was acquired from Nico, the youngest of the Llewelyn Davies brothers, in exchange for several cases of whisky in 1980 by Andrew Birkin, who was researching a biography and a trilogy of plays on Barrie.
"It was always Mr Birkin's intention that it should ultimately benefit Great Ormond Street," said Peter Selley, the Sotheby's specialist in charge of the sale in London on December 16.
The auction coincides with the centenary of the first performance of Peter Pan in December 1904 and with the recent release of the the film Finding Neverland, starring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet.
Although the sale is expected to raise more than £80,000 for the hospital, there is concern among experts that the auction will split up the archive and that much of it may go to America.
"I think it will be a great shame if much of it leaves England," said Lisa Chaney, whose biography of Barrie will be published next April. "It should have been given to a library or institution in his native Scotland."
The archive contains more than 400 photographs, many previously unpublished, and includes a large number taken by Barrie.
They show the Llewelyn Davies brothers, the inspiration for the "Lost Boys", in a long vanished age of Edwardian innocence.
One depicts Michael Llewelyn Davies, the primary inspiration for Peter Pan, dressed as the character, while another shows him playing with Barrie acting the part of the evil pirate Captain Hook. Barrie also photographed George with the boys' mother who the playwright adored.
The creation of the story of Peter Pan flying through the window of the Darling family's nursery, teaching the children to fly and leading them to the home of the Lost Boys in Neverland, was a two-way process with Barrie and the brothers exchanging ideas.
Yet the reality of the family's life was different. The boys' father Arthur, caricatured as Mr Darling in the play, died in 1907 and their mother was killed by cancer three years later. Barrie became the five orphans' guardian.
Michael drowned with a male friend in 1921 and there was speculation that they had made a suicide pact while another brother Peter, who suffered from depression, threw himself under a London Tube train almost 40 years later.
George was killed aged 21 during the First World War and his death and Michael's broke Barrie's heart.

From CNN News
17th Century British Porn to Be Auctioned

LONDON (Reuters) - The world's first known piece of printed pornography, described as the "quintessence of debauchery," is expected to reach up to 35,000 pounds ($65,040) when it is auctioned next month.
"Sodom," penned in the mid-1670s, has been attributed to John Wilmot, the second Earl of Rochester and is described by auction house Sotheby's as a "closet drama rather than for the stage" with pornography "in almost every line."
"We believe this is the first printed pornography in English literature, a unique copy of the quintessence of debauchery," Peter Beal, Sotheby's book specialist said.
"It is one of the most notorious publications in literature and makes most pornography written 300 years later seem tame."
The book centers on the decision made by a lustful King to "set the nation free" by allowing "buggary" to be "used thro' all the land" and then details the dire consequences.
The book, the only surviving copy, will be auctioned on December 16.

11/26/04

From Contact Music
HEWITT'S EMBARRASSING ENCOUNTER WITH HERO JOHNNY DEPP
Movie star JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT hates coming face to face with her acting heroes because she always acts the fool in front of them.
The pretty I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER star has had many encounters with her favourite men, but she fears she always comes across as a mad fan.
She's amazed that her ultimate hero, JOHNNY DEPP, has any time for her whatsoever after she screamed at him and locked herself in her trailer when he decided to pay her a visit on the set of SISTER ACT 2: BACK IN THE HABIT when she was a teenager.
She recalls, "Johnny Depp knocked on my trailer door because a friend of mine told him that I loved him... I open it and I just started screaming, crying, I threw myself on the floor because that's adult and mature and what you want to do.
"Then I locked myself in my trailer and when I came out he was gone.
"I went to his movie premiere like two days later and just as I got there they gave away my seat and I didn't even get to see the movie, so I go to his security guard outside... and I told him all about my obsession with Johnny Depp and how much I loved him.
"I finally got to meet him like a week-and-a-half later and he shook my hand and then I was graduating from high school and he sent me flowers. He's such a nice man... He's my hero."

For Shane MacGowen fans a story that's a little Johnny-related HERE

Endor found the BBC Poll for the Film of the Year here's your chance to vote for Johnny.

The Progress Report from the "Do It For Johnny" people has a video clip from Depp Con 2004 - go to their Progress page and click on the Video Clip link there. DO IT FOR JOHNNY

Carrie made a fascinating find! I put the actual quotes from Icon magaine in italics.
NOT JOHNNY
There is a certain biography of Johnny Depp (unauthorized) that has a questoinable black and white picture right at the beginning of the book. Well of all the ironies, Johnny ends up speaking of that very book and photograph! Of course he was referring the original book that was released, and not the newer version I just bought, as this interview was in 1998. But anyway, that photo is not Johnny, and it comes strait from the horse's mouth. I couldn't believe it! It's very interesting. I will also enclose a photo of the cover of the mag that this interview is in.....
Back at the table in the bar of Depp's house, I pull out copy of a cheezy, unauthorized biography called Johnny Depp: A Modern Rebel. There is a picture of him as Cry Baby on the cover -leather jacket, Elvis hair, a tattooed tear dripping from his left eye - but the irony of Water's creation is completely lost in this context. It looks earnest.
Getting arrested in front of a camera may have been the most effective scene in Depp's image-killing campaign, but the incident launched a whole new set of labels.
Click on thumbnail to see full size the "not Johnny" photograph.
"A modern rebel," Depp says, laughing, holding the book. "Someone showed this to me, and at first I was like, 'Oh fuck.' But then - check this out ..." He turns to the introduction and points to the first photo in the book. It's a full page shot: gelled hair, face half buried in the crook of one arm, one eye peeking out at the reader. It isn't him. Depp laughs and says the guy in the photo looks like he's from New Jersey or something, that he never tight rolled his jeans like that, and most importantly, the guy in the picture can grow a beard, Depp can't. He hands the book back to me with a smile that seems almost proud. "That's what makes this book fucking genius."
Couldn't believe it! Very interesting, and ironic!

Found by Patience-
The Disney Channel UK is showing POTC and here's the advert

From ContactMusic
DEPP WORRIES ABOUT WORKING WITH LEE
JOHNNY DEPP
Hollywood actor JOHNNY DEPP is dreading the prospect of working with screen legend CHRISTOPHER LEE, because he's so in awe of him.
Lee, 82, has been cast as Depp's father in director TIM BURTON's upcoming remake CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, and 41-year-old Depp - who will play confectioner WILLY WONKA - is petrified.
A source says, "Johnny is almost terrified about meeting him, let alone acting opposite him."

Found by Sara at Dark Horizons
Roald Dahl Back In Style
Posted:   Monday November 22nd, 2004
Author:   Garth Franklin
Source: Variety
With Tim Burton's new take on "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" about to wrap, British author Roald Dahl is suddenly coming back in style nearly fifteen years after his death.
Variety reports that several other classic texts by the Brit literature giant are coming together in film versions that should in the next few years. Mark Mylod ("Ali G Indahouse") is freshly attached to direct "The Twits," based on Dahl's tale about a vile couple and their unhappy band of performing animals. John Cleese has co-written the script with a view to star in a pic that will blend live action and animation.
Wes Anderson and Henry Selick are collaborating on a stop-motion version of "Fantastic Mr Fox" for Revolution Studios and Sony, about the feud between the eponymous chicken thief and three villainous farmers. Producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall are working on "The B.F.G." (short for Big Friendly Giant) at Paramount, with a script by Ed Solomon ("Men In Black").
Finally, Robert Altman' desire to adapt some of Dahl's macabre adult short stories into a TV series is now sparking interest among Brit broadcasters after being put in turnaround at HBO. Altman will produce all six episodes and is apparently keen to direct three himself.
Thanks to 'Beatup'

A movie review for "Alexander" starts off "We're doomed without Depp!" Read more

The A&E store is selling the Biography Channel's Biography on Johnny
Here is more detailed information about this DVD:To BUY CLICK HERE
"A far-ranging and revealing look at one of today's top stars.
Filled with clips from "21 Jump Street" to "Ed Wood" and beyond.
Includes interviews with childhood friends, his family and costars.
A master of reinvention, he consistently surprises audiences with his film choices and offbeat character portrayals. Yet he came to acting after his musical career failed to get off the ground.
"From A Nightmare on Elm Street to Edward Scissorhands and Pirates of the Caribbean, Johnny Depp has proved that he can tackle any role with ease and aplomb. But before he could become a true star, he had to shake off Hollywood's penchant for pigeonholing its performers. From dropping out of school at 16 to his marriage to the French singer Vanessa Paradis, BIOGRAPHY(r) examines every step of Depp's professional and personal journeys. Serving as guides are his friends, family and co-stars, who share favorite memories and surprising insights into his life and career."

From Yahoo Ireland News
Tuesday November 23, 09:45 PM

Worth the Waits for fans
Off-beat rock legend and film star Tom Waits returned to the British stage for the first time since 1987.
The only UK date on his current European tour promoting "cubist funk" album Blood Rain has generated great excitement among his British fans.
The 3,000-capacity Carling Hammersmith Apollo sold out in 20 minutes when tickets went on sale and some 70,000 fans clamoured for tickets in the first hour.
Music stars including Thom Yorke, Beth Orton and Jamie Cullum were in the crowd to see Waits perform new material, as well as old favourites from his 30-year career.
The audience responded euphorically to Waits' unique singing voice, which goes beyond gravely and seems to contain things like bitumen and ethanol as well.
Amid the excitement, the arrival of Johnny Depp, with whom Waits is working on Willie Wonka, caused only a minor stir.

From Trish:
The BBC is currently taking votes for the best film of the year. You can use the link to cast your vote for "Finding Neverland". http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/film_2004/films_of_the_year/index.shtml

I spoke with someone today who did see the "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" trailer when she went to see "The Polar Express." So apparently it is out there. She said it was a series of still images and it looked quite interesting.

Johnny won the IMDB poll for SEXIEST MAN HERE

Not totally new - but MSN has pages and pages on Johnny starting HERE

The reviews for "Finding Neverland" continue to pour in - the cream of the crop are on the Neverland pages

From the Globe and Mail
7 THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT JOHNNY DEPP (Unless you have JDOCD)
Friday, November 19, 2004 - Page R18
He based his crooked CIA agent in Once Upon a Time in Mexico on a Hollywood player he knew "who aimed to do you over but you almost didn't mind because he was so fascinating to watch."
He has been married only once (from 1983 to 1985), to Lori Anne Allison, a makeup artist.
Though raised in Florida, he was born in Owensboro, Kentucky's "city of festivals," best-known for its annual International Bar-B-Q fest.
The reason Depp might keep a scruffy hat or a pair of boots for years on end: "Johnny's a kind of strange tribal guy. He has little superstitions, and things that are comforting to him become his friends," friend Jim Jarmusch, who directed him in 1995's Dead Man, told People magazine.
He plays in a band called ' P. '
He played slide guitar on the Oasis song Fade In-Out from Be Here Now (1997).
He still owns the L.A. club the Viper Room.

Karen's bookclub, Johnny Depp Reads
http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/mb/johnnydeppreads will be discussing Gregory David Roberts' novel SHANTARAM beginning Feb. 14th.

From Belinda
If you click HERE you can see Johnny listed as one of the Sexiest Celebs at AOL/PEOPLE Magazine. This is a different photo from the one below from People. You can also tell them who YOU think is sexiest. VOTE HERE

Found by Cathy
Australian fans - you can see Finding Neverland December 13th - click LINK

The cream of the crop of "Finding Neverland" reviews are on the Neverland Pages

From USA Today
'Shantaram' weaves a story of Bombay's unique underworld
Thu Nov 18, 6:18 AM ET
By Rati Bishnoi, USA TODAY
Part travelogue, part love letter, part autobiography, Shantaram is a vivid, entertaining but slightly grandiose tale of Lin, an ex-junkie and convicted robber who escapes from an Australian prison then hides in the most alien of places: the hot, filthy, decadent, seaside metropolis of Bombay.
Shantaram is no wide-eyed backpacker's Lonely Planet travel guide. Instead, it could double as a guidebook for a fugitive who needs to disappear, counterfeit passport in hand.
Or it could just be a fun read for someone committed enough to stay with this lengthy, impossibly heavy book.
Lin is introduced as he steps off a plane with a new identity. Only the punishing Bombay heat is there to greet him. He is instantly intrigued by the city just as it is by him. He is gawked at by locals for being a gora (white), and he can't get enough of the never-ending cacophony of the city's life pulse.
Prabaker, an energetic and sometimes irritating city guide, is the first to greet the newly free runaway. He also is one of the book's most innocent and refreshing characters. It is on one of his city tours - filled as much with slums as tourist sites - that Lin meets the mysterious green-eyed beauty Karla Saaranen.
Karla is Lin's love interest and his gateway to Bombay's underworld of German prostitutes, ruthless madams, corrupt police officers, deadly henchmen, Bollywood money launderers, Iranian smugglers and Afghani mafiosi.
It is under the stewardship of one such Afghani don and philosopher that Lin rises among the ranks of an underworld he struggles to moralize in maddeningly unnecessary philosophical passages. It is at these points that the book bogs down.
Despite occasional flubs, much is covered gracefully during the decade time span. Lin briefly lives in a 5,000-year-old village where he earns the name Shantaram, which means man of peace. He starts a medical clinic in a slum, gets beaten up countless times, fights with the mujahadeen in Afghanistan (news - web sites) and acts in a few Bollywood films.
Roberts based much of the plot on his own life. He escaped from an Australian prison after being convicted of a string of robberies and spent 10 years hiding in India. Eventually, he was extradited, finished his 19-year term and wrote this book.
Roberts' behemoth is Bollywood-like in its strengths and flaws. Its visceral, cinematic descriptive beauty truly impresses. But Hollywood, not Bollywood, has snapped up this tale, and Johnny Depp (news) has signed on to produce and star in the film.
Although Shantaram gives too much of itself, its redemption lies in its bleeding-heart love letter to a Bombay few ever see.

E! will be showing the "Finding Neverland" version of "Behind the Scenes" - check your local listings.

E! online wants to know who is sexiest - take the poll in the bottom left hand corner of the page.

Although People Magazine chose Jude Law as this years "Sexiest Man Alive," Johnny Depp fell into the category of People "off the charts" sexy superstars. Full story HERE

You can save a Turkey at Farm Sanctuary - by adopting a Turkey for Thanksgiving. See info HERE

From Cassady
TBS is going to show Jumanji on Thursday night, and during breaks will be showing interview clips with Johnny and Kate.

From Entertainment Earth - their Top 10 Cool Collectibles for Grown-Ups (2004)
Excerpt
2. Captain Jack Sparrow Talking Smiling 18-inch Action Figure, $39.99
From the box office smash, "Pirates of the Caribbean," this hand-painted action figure features the likeness of Johnny Depp and includes a motion- activated sound chip that plays actual dialog from the movie!

Found by KYWoman from In Style.com
Johnny is featured.
Dark, intense eyes, chiseled cheekbones, sexy mouth ... and he keeps getting better with age. From 21 Jump Street's rookie cop Tom Hanson to Pirate's Captain Jack Sparrow, see Johnny Depp transform through the years.

The boyish yet darkly brooding good looks of actor Johnny Depp haven't been lost on female TV viewers and theater-goers over the years. From his fresh-scrubbed charm on TV's 21 Jump Street to his rogue-ish debauchery in films such as 2000's Chocolat and the 2003 blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, he's left women swooning—and men wishing they were in his shoes. Whether dressed down in torn jeans and earrings (his Kate Moss years) or slickly suited up and bespectacled (now, with his love Vanessa Paradis) his face hasn't changed: dark, intense eyes, chiseled cheekbones and a sexy but seldom smiling mouth. Depp has always been known as an actor's actor, choosing artsy roles like Edward Scissorhands over action flicks. And his current crop of films only adds to that mystique. Out now is Finding Neverland, in which he plays J. M. Barrie, the Peter Pan author. Next up The Corpse Bride, an animated tale directed by Tim Burton. And, in signature Depp flip-flopping, he'll switch to lighter fare in 2005 playing candy czar Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and reprise his sensually sinister role as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: Treasures of the Lost Abyss in 2006. All this and playing dad too. Who wouldn't love this guy?
—Karen Johnst
Hold your cursor over the photo to see which year it was taken

From PEOPLE
If you subscribe or have this week's issue, you can view the page - it's a photo we have seen of Johnny, but they have listed as a "Special" person along with 13 others:
JOHNNY DEPP
"Lovely, lovely, lovely, lovely, lovely," is how Pirates of the Caribbean costar Keira Knightley described 2003's Sexiest Man. Yet Depp (now a father of two with girlfriend Vanessa Paradis), has often opted to bury his flawless features in quirky roles like his Oscar-nominated turn in Pirates.

From AZ
Actor Johnny Depp, 41, lives with French actress Vanessa Paradis and their two children, Lily-Rose, aged five, and Jack, aged two, in Provence.
Vanessa and I are bringing up our kids with pretty simple basic priorities. They come out being who they are, and we just want them to carry on being themselves, with a bit of guidance from us about what's right and what's wrong. And that's not about, for instance, being polite because you're supposed to be polite, but being polite
because you respect other people.
We're big on fairy tales in our house. The Cinderellas, the Snow Whites, the Sleeping Beauties. Classic stories of good and evil, where you learn that if you do bad thinsg, bad things will come back to you, and if you do good things, good things will come back to you. And that, if you put your mind to i, pretty much anything is possible. Cinderella had to deal with her wicked stepmother, but she got her prince in the end, didn't she?
My friend Hector Elizondo once said that being successful in our business doesn't change people - it reveals them. If you were a schmuck before you were famous, you'll be a schmuck after. You can try to hide it, but sooner or later, it will come out. I don't know - maybe I've an evil monster inside me somewhere that will come out at
some point. But so far, I think I'm doing OK.
The worst thing is when people go out of their way to be rude to other people. It's such a despicable injustice. We're all in the same boat here, famous or not, every single on of us.
I was devastated when Marlon Brando died. He was so many things to so many people, and to me, he was a great teacher, a great mentor, and a great friend. The gifts that he gave me in the way of the conversations we had, the laughs we shared, were the greatest gifts in the world. I miss him every day. Although I think he's probably
still around hovering somewhere, laughing at us.
I don't take my work home. I have an amazing job and I make a good living. But for me, the best part of the day is when I go home to my girl and my kids. It's like a whole new day beginning for me.
I went to France a few years ago to make a film - I had no idea I'd be living there for the rest of my life. I was making The Ninth Gate with Roman Polanski, and it was very early on in the production that I met Vanessa. And then I fell in love, and after that I was a lost cause.
Vanessa is a miracle in my life. I feel as though I've met The One you used to think about as a child, the one you were searching the world over, trying to find. She's incredibly understanding, and she's been dealing with me for years, which is no mean task. We're on the same page, she and I.
I divide my time between France and America. I love America, I'll always be American, and I have great friends and family there, but living in France I feel at home. It's the first time I've ever really felt at home anywhere.
One of the most important gifts we have is imagination. If makes up 95 per cent of our minds, it's our greatest asset, our best friend, and, in some cases, if we're not careful, our worst enemy.
Growing older doesn't necessarily mean growing up. I've known quite a few guys in their 60s, 70s, 80s, who have the most amazing, child-like sense of humour. Marlon, for one. And Vincent Price was one of the funniest people I've ever known - we'd giggle together like infants.
I like getting older. It's a good thing, like earning your stripes in life. But it does seem there's a new obsession these days with trying to look younger, and I just don't get it. Anyway, it never works - like the Radiohead song says, gravity always wins, doesn't it? But if you can grow old gracefully, and stay happy in your heart and brain,
I think it's great.
I don't want to get used to being famous and I don't think I ever will - if it ever started to feel normal to me, then I'd know I'd become something I don't want to be! But I do think I handle fame better than I used to, mainly because these days I have a couple of kids to put everything into perspective, and show me the things in
life that really matter and the things in life that don't.
I think you can have it all. I really do. I had a lot but I didn't have it all until I had my girl and my kiddies. Now that I have them, I've got everything I need.

From CBS (and there's a video clip on the page you might want to see)
Finding Neverland'
    * By DAVID GERMAIN, AP Movie Writer

Nov 12, 2004 6:21 pm US/Eastern
(AP) Lithe women traditionally have played Peter Pan, but Johnny Depp could slip on the tights and put in a convincing turn as the boy who won't grow up.
Arguably the most versatile actor of his generation, Depp further expands his repertoire with a restrained, compassionate performance as "Peter Pan" creator J.M. Barrie in "Finding Neverland," a role that could bring the actor his second Academy Award nomination.
Though not terribly subtle in its parallels between Barrie's real-life inspirations and his best-known creation, "Finding Neverland" is a smart, engaging portrait whose whimsy nicely complements the flightiness of "Peter Pan."
Depp shares tender chemistry with co-star Kate Winslet, playing a widow whose young sons need a father figure at just the moment Barrie needs a muse to shake him out of his creative doldrums.
Coming off his manic "Pirates of the Caribbean" performance that brought his first Oscar nomination, Depp is a marvel of subtle conflict here, stiff Victorian propriety clashing with his inner child.
The well-cast drama features fine support from Dustin Hoffman, Julie Christie and Radha Mitchell.
"Finding Neverland" also is a pleasant progression for director Marc Forster, who displays a gentle, jocular side that's rather surprising from the filmmaker who made the stark "Monster's Ball" and "Everything Put Together."
In softening his sensibilities, though, Forster loses none of the dramatic heft of his previous films, infusing "Finding Neverland" with dark undertones and an air of fatalistic melancholy beneath its playful surface.
Adapted by screenwriter David Magee from Allan Knee's play "The Man Who Was Peter Pan," "Finding Neverland" traces the roots of the classic tale in the early 1900s.
Fresh from a London stage flop, playwright Barrie meets Sylvia Llewelyn Davies (Winslet) and her four sons during a walk in the park. A chaste friendship ensues with the beautiful widow and her youngsters, including one named Peter (Freddie Highmore), a sober boy with an acute lack of childlike mischief.
These lost boys reinvigorate Barrie, who becomes both a paternal figure and a catalyst for their imaginations as he spins stories and engages them in games of cowboys and Indians and other fantasies.
Barrie, politely bound in a sterile marriage with wife Mary (Mitchell), finds a soul-mate connection in Sylvia, who is battling illness while trying to hold her family together.
The relationship strains Barrie's marriage, while the spectacle of a married writer frolicking like a happy dad with a widow and her children does not sit well with Sylvia's imperious mother (Christie) or London society.
Barrie is deaf to the gossip, save for his indignation when it's insinuated his relationship with the boys might have sexual overtones (the movie never delves deeper into Barrie's rumored pedophilia).
Meantime, the writer's producer (Hoffman) is flabbergasted when Barrie delivers a script with pirates, fairies, flying children, a guy in a dog suit and a boy whose spirit keeps him eternally young.
Of course, "Peter Pan" becomes an instant hit. The film lovingly depicts opening night as Barrie's tale of innocence and purity melts the hearts of stuffy London theatergoers.
Even more touching is a private rendition Barrie stages for Sylvia and her children, with Peter Pan (vibrantly played by Kelly Macdonald) opening the door on a world of wonder for the ailing widow and her boys.
The artful fantasy sequences crafted by Forster and his design team are hit and miss, sometimes reflecting the merriness of Peter Pan's Neverland world, other times clashing with the broader drama.
While "Finding Neverland" takes factual liberties (Sylvia's husband did not die until three years after "Peter Pan" premiered, for example), the film does provide an enchanting look at the power of dreams and the wellsprings of artistic inspiration.
The result is a family film for parents who want to expose their kids to something other than wisecracking cartoon characters, a story with heart, spirit and boundless faith in youth.
"Finding Neverland," a Miramax release, is rated PG for mild thematic elements and brief language. Running time: 105 minutes.
Three stars out of four.

The San Francisco Chronicle has an article about the Oscar Race shaping up.

Vote on your favorite Johnny Depp Hair Style HERE

From Box Office Mojo: Finding Neverland: Opening Weekend:
(limited, 8 theaters)   $241,000
($30,125 avg)
Widest Release:   8 theaters
and from CNN
"Finding Neverland," starring Johnny Depp as Scottish "Peter Pan" playwright James Barrie, earned $240,000 from eight theaters in the top two cities, and earned the best exit polls in distributor Miramax Films' history, a spokesman for the Disney-owned studio said.

From Colleen
Oscar Buzz
Finding Neverland-Johnny Depp is masterful as Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie in this tender tale of the real Peter and the tragedies that beset his family. Through the movie grapples with life-and-death issues (heeding the PG rating), its message is one that ultimately reaffirms the power of belief.

Celeste discovered POTC cartoons in the newspaper in Ausgralia -

New images of the POTC Action Figurs HERE

JDsMyLover has reported that she was lucky enough to meet Johnny and asked him about the release of "Libertine." He thought it was coming out in January, so there is HOPE.

s Johnny Depp Like Nelson Mandela?
Nov 14, 2004, 10:22
To the average person the life of a television star seems like a glamorous occupation. But many actors signed to long term contracts feel more imprisoned than privileged. Johnny Depp was so miserable on 21 Jump Street (1987-1992) he actually tried to get fired, pulling stunts like lighting his underwear on fire on the set. Speaking years later about finally getting off the detective show, he said," I was like Mandela, man."

From Contact Music (not so new news)
DEPP PHONES UPSET PATRIOTS TO EXPLAIN HIMSELF
JOHNNY DEPP was so keen to explain himself after Germany's STERN magazine misconstrued a comment he made about America in a 2003 interview, he chose to personally call the patriots who had bombarded him with hate emails.
Depp was nationally blasted as being unpatriotic when a reporter quoted him as saying America was "an ignorant puppy dog", but he insists the quote was taken out of context.
And the actor set about building bridges with those who were most upset by his apparent comments - by telephoning them.
He tells VANITY FAIR, "I called them, three or four people, and I said, 'It's very easy for a publication to print whatever they want to print as a representation of me, but it's not me. If you would allow me just a moment to represent myself...if you still feel like I'm a s**thead or a schmuck afterwards, then fine. But at least hear me out.'
"These were heavy, right wing, military people: one was a cop, one had a nephew who'd been wounded in Iraq.
"I told them, 'What was printed was ugly, but this is what I meant...' And each one of them said, 'I understand.'"
12/11/2004

If you missed VH1's the A to Z of Johnny Depp, not only can you find the photo caps in our television section, you can read about it on line HERE

NPR's page on Johnny HERE
Depp: 'Finding Neverland'
    “An actor owes it to himself to try different things each time out of the gate... You don't want to keep serving up the same dish.”
Morning Edition, November 12, 2004 · Johnny Depp has played some eccentric characters over the years -- Edward Scissorhands, cross-dressing movie director Ed Wood, Caribbean pirate Capt. Jack Sparrow. Now Depp stars as the legendary J.M. Barrie, the author of Peter Pan. NPR's Elizabeth Blair talks to Depp about his new film, Finding Neverland, and some of the characters he's inhabited.
Depp was drawn to the role of Barrie because he could identify with the author's insistence on staying in touch with his childlike imagination. Barrie "only felt comfortable when he was hanging around with kids for the pure reason that there were no ulterior motives," Depp says. "Kids didn't have any agenda... They just behaved and they were pure and honest and he was kind of obsessed with that."
Playing real people -- like drug trafficker George Jung in Blow (2001) or FBI undercover agent Joe Pistone in Donnie Brasco (1997) -- comes with added responsibility, the actor says.
"You owe it to their memory, to everything they did in life, and to their families to do as good a job as possible and be as honest about it as possible," Depp says.
Depp took a risk playing the outlandish Raoul Duke, based on "gonzo" journalist Hunter S. Thompson, in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The 1998 film flopped, but Depp says "an actor owes it to himself to try different things each time out of the gate... You don't want to keep serving up the same dish. [The audience will] get sick of it."

Johnny is on the cover of PEOPLE MAGAZINE in stores now Check out Oh Johnny's Magazine Page HERE

Apparently Warner Brothers was unable to attach the trailer of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" to "The Polar Express" as planned, because the trailer was reportedly not complete. The rumor now is that it will come closer to Christmas on "Oceans 12."

For those of you who missed Johnny "at home" on EXTRA on November 10, HERE is a web site with everything you would want from that.
ET Online also has a nice video interview HERE
Then E Talk Daily has a nice video HERE

Another poll where you can vote for Johnny & his movies at the Entertainment Weekly Poll HERE

Nice article frome MSN
Johnny Depp does it
better than most
His career may be uneven but every few years he manages to surprise us
COMMENTARY
By Tara Ariano and Sarah D. Bunting
MSNBC contributor
Nov. 8, 2004
As the saying goes: what a difference an unlikely role as a slightly effeminate kohl-eyed pirate in an unexpected sleeper hit movie makes!
(You haven’t heard that saying? Hmm. Maybe it’s a regional thing.)
Anyway, that’s the exact scenario that has vaulted Johnny Depp from the art-house ghetto to the $20 million club. Most of the ’90s straight up until the early ’00s had him squandering his gifts between terrible big-budget thrillers like “Nick of Time” and “The Astronaut’s Wife” and pretentious quirk like “Dead Man” and “The Man Who Cried.” But everything changed with “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.” By appearing in a movie people actually wanted to see, Depp reminded us all that he’s a really great actor. Since then he’s made one fun action film (“Once Upon a Time in Mexico”) and one potentially Oscar-baiting period piece (the imminent “Finding Neverland”).

Will Johnny Depp continue on his current trend of making enjoyable, well-received movies that earn lots of money? Or should we expect him to revert to career sabotage — perhaps in a sequel to “The Ninth Gate”? Is Johnny Depp still Johnny Depp if he’s...maybe a tiny bit of a sellout?
You could argue that Johnny Depp started out as a sellout. After all, Depp arrived in the cultural consciousness as a star of “21 Jump Street,” which wasn’t so much a television show as a “Tiger Beat” photo shoot with plots. Say what you want about “Jump Street” — and, having seen almost every episode, I myself can say plenty — but it foisted Richard Grieco on a cowering nation, so...“art-house” it ain’t.
But Depp is also the only “Jump Street” alum who has a real acting career fifteen years later. He went straight from there into a John Waters film (“Cry-Baby”) and then to “Edward Scissorhands,” often considered his signature role, and whenever he’s taken a “sellout” part in the intervening years, it hasn’t hurt him. Directors still want to work with him; audiences still like him.
Johnny Depp made this silly pirate film a lot more fun to watch. Orlando Bloom, take a lesson.
What’s interesting is that we (read: moviegoers) seem to have this conversation about Johnny Depp every few years. Yes, “Pirates of the Caribbean” reminded us that he’s got the chops, but so did “Donnie Brasco.” So did “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.” He takes a higher-profile role, the film does well, everyone raves about his performance, and then he picks a crapfest like “The Astronaut’s Wife” as his next project and shoots himself in the foot.
I don’t think selling out hurts Depp’s credibility at all; I think that if he did it consistently, he’d become a huge star. But some of his choices suggest to me that he’s conflicted — not about the selling-out part, but about the huge-star part.
The man has cheekbones you could cut glass with, but he just cannot resist any artifice that will ugly him up.
Oh, I totally agree. I would go a step further and say that he’s not only conflicted about being a huge star, but about his whole persona as a famous person. I mean, the man has cheekbones you could cut glass with, but he just cannot resist any artifice that will ugly him up: dental appliances, stocking caps, every damn thing he did to himself in “Fear and Loathing.”
Although, on the other hand, one could argue that all of that “don’t look at me” stuff is itself a pose. The dude is clearly not the 5-foot-10 he claims to be, and the reason I think so many interviewers seem to catch him in his good old trusty combat boots is that they probably have lifts in them.
Johnny Depp is author James Barrie in a movie about four fatherless children who inspire him to create the classic fantasy novel 'Peter Pan'
But I don’t know how much he’s actually sabotaging himself intentionally. Of the artsy-fartsy movies, you can say that he responded to their scripts or thought they’d be challenging or whatever, and no one expects freaking “Dead Man” to set the multiplexes on fire. But I don’t think he did “Nick of Time” (to name one mainstream bomb) because he thought it would fulfill him artistically; you don’t do a movie that crappy unless you think it’s going to make a ton of coin. It totally didn’t, of course, because it stank. He probably even thought it stank, but figured he’d take a flyer on it because maybe it would stink in the particular way that attracts many millions of un-choosy moviegoers to see it, like...well, like any number of Jerry Bruckheimer productions, really.
Which brings us back to “Pirates of the Caribbean,” and the point I’m trying to make: I don’t think Depp’s all that good at choosing projects. I think that once he commits to do a movie, he gives it his all and does his best, and sometimes that’s enough to salvage it, and often it’s not. But I don’t think that he just suddenly developed good instincts once the 21st century dawned; I kind of suspect that his current career resurgence is a fluke. There I said it.
Maybe Depp is deeply ambivalent about stardom and the Hollywood machine.
Before I address the meat of your argument, a quick sidebar: I stood next to Depp at a bar once and he’s not Stephen Dorff tiny, but he’s not 5-foot-10, either. He came up to my ear.
And this concludes the Famous People: They’re Often Short portion of our program. Where were we?
Oh, yes, Depp’s ability to pick scripts. He does have a few unbelievable stinkers on his c.v., and a handful other films that aren’t all that bad, but only because he’s in them. “Don Juan DeMarco” is kind of dumb and cheesy, but he redeems it somehow. Still, why would he agree to appear in something that fluffy when he’d just come off a triumphant performance in “Ed Wood”? Yeah, yeah, Brando. Ask Francis Ford Coppola if that’s a good reason to take on a project.
Maybe Depp is deeply ambivalent about stardom and the Hollywood machine. On the other hand, maybe he just isn’t that interested in conventional Hollywood success at all — occasionally he does a big-budget pic to bolster his kids’ college fund, but if it bombs, he doesn’t really care. This is a guy who’s on the record as thinking that “the American culture is a disaster,” which has to make you wonder how much emotional investment he’s got in the job.

From Moriarity at Aint It Cool News
Some Cool-Ass CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY News!!
Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
I got a little sneak peek at some design work from this film the other day. Not a lot. Just enough to whet my appetite. I have to say... this may be the most perfectly cartoonish Burton film in quite a while if they make the whole world look like the bits and pieces I saw.
Sometimes, you pick up news in the oddest places. I was watching the magnificent new FORBIDDEN ZONE DVD the other day, and in the extras, there’s a big batch of interviews with the principals in the film conducted by Richard Elfman himself. One of the most interesting ibts of that interview is when he ends up talking to Danny Elfman. They talk a bit about their days in The Mystic Knights Of Oingo Boingo, and then Richard asks Danny about playing the Devil in FORBIDDEN ZONE. And then he compliments him on his work as Jack in THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, which leads Richard to ask, “Is there any chance you’ll ever sing in a movie again or perform a part like that again?”
And, perfectly casual, like it’s already common knowledge, Danny says, “Yeah, actually. I’m singing all of the Ooompa Loompa songs in CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. I’ll be doing the voices of the Oompa Loompas.”
This sounds freakin’ great. Danny Elfman doing an adaptation of the Roald Dahl work and actually performing the parts? Sign me up for a copy of that soundtrack... RIGHT... NOW.

The first "Charlie" poster

Found by Cathy

Found by Emma at AP
Johnny on how different film making experiences are:
"For me I mean it is always... Even something as grand as 'Pirates' was, I mean it was obviously pretty large film sets and all that stuff, when you are sort of in there in the dirt in the muck doing the work, it's very intimate you know. So the work itself, the process itself, is very intimate and I never felt like Oh my God , look what we are doing here? So basically what I am saying is that working on 'Pirates' felt the same as working on 'Dead Man' or 'Edward Scissorhands' and the same with this with ' Neverland' the work itself is controlled kind of intimate little place.
"I am lucky enough to have the both worlds. I still, I don't live exclusively in Europe, I live in Los Angeles half the year, so I mean there are great things about the States, there are great things about Europe. I always end up on location. It is such a nomadic lifestyle - I am all over the place but there are plusses and minusses to everything. I love it here I love it there."

A&E is selling DVD and VHS copies of Johnny's BIOGRAPHY. CLICK HERE for details

More Wonka pictures - check out our "Charlie & the Chocolate Factory" page.

Johnny will be on Entertainment Tonight Monday November 8th. Check your local listings. There will be an article about Johnny in the New York Times Sunday November 7th.

Found by Karen
GREAT COLLABORATIONS Although Steve Martin, Robin Williams and Nicolas Cage were keen to play Willy Wonka, there was little doubt that when Tim Burton signed up to direct Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, it would not be long before Johnny Depp would be measured for the tall hat. It is their fifth film together and the second Depp has made with his young co-star Freddie Highmore - the young Charlie Bucket recently
starred with Depp in Neverland.
With Mrs Burton, a.k.a. Helena Bonham Carter, playing Charlie’s mom and Brad and Jennifer, no less, as executive producers, you might expect a sugar-sweet project. Except that Burton is planning quite a dark, sinister movie. “I don't want to crush people's childhood dreams”, he says, “but the original film is sappy. I responded to the Roald Dahl book because it respected that children can be adults, and I think adults forget that. There can be darkness and a sort of foreboding. Very sinister things are very much a part of childhood. I like that sort of humour and emotion put together.”
Amanda Conquy, Director of the Dahl literary estate, which had a lot of input in the film, including being consulted by the director and lead actor, says it will be far more faithful to the book than Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Dahl never liked the 1971 film, which was a musical and shot almost entirely in Bavaria. Burton’s version is being made on a huge scale, at times requiring up to eleven of Pinewood Studios’ largest stages, an Oompa-Loompa-like army of special1ist technicians, daily tanker fleets of fresh chocolate from (of course) a nearby Chocolate Factory and the services of at least two of London's close to hand VFX houses.
Although the Burton film will not be a musical, composer Danny Elfman is rumoured to be giving the Oompa-Loompas “a singing voice”. Dahl actually lived quite close to Pinewood, in the Buckinghamshire village of Great Missenden and next year the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre, supported by the film’s producers, is set to open to coincide with the film’s release. So however much darkness Burton throws at audiences, there will be a happy ending after all.
www.showcase.uk.net

Found by Joni at Hollywood.com
Why We Love...Johnny Depp
By Kit Bowen, Hollywood.com Staff
............................................
For oh, so many reasons!
When Florida boy Johnny Depp first flickered on the radar back in 1987 in the Fox show 21 Jump Street, he quickly became a teen idol, the hottie of choice for many a pubescent girl. Even though those girls have grown up, things haven't changed much.
With his chiseled looks, sleepy-smoky voice and deep-set eyes that are a little sad (and a little scary, but we love that)--the now 41-year-old Depp is older and wiser, and still deadly sexy.
Throughout his career, the actor has long been known for choosing to play out-there characters like Edward Scissorhands, Hunter S. Thompson and Ed Wood and quietly intense parts in movies such as What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, Donnie Brasco and From Hell--that is, until Jerry Bruckheimer's big-budget Pirates of the Caribbean made him Hollywood's new golden boy (to his credit, he was still out-there).
Now, Depp is possibly looking at another Oscar nod for his endearing performance as Peter Pan playwright J.M. Barrie in this year's already critically acclaimed Finding Neverland, opening Friday.
Here are a few other reasons why we love him so:
He's sexy without trying. Those dark looks will kill you every time, even though Johnny's never made them the focal point of his performances like some actors, and in fact, takes roles in which his looks are downplayed, or not the stereotype. Remember when Cry Baby really cries? And a little tear spills over that teardrop tattoo? How cute was that? Or confusedly wielding his razor-sharp hands before realizing he can't touch true love Winona Ryder in Edward Scissorhands--heartbreaking.
And he's still sexy… even when he's being devoured by his mattress in Nightmare on Elm Street.
He's a Gemini. Geminis are typically chatty, clever, intellectual, like creative and academic activities rather than loud, active things like sports.
He likes to collect rare books and insects. Kind of speaks to that Gemini thing, no? (Picture him poring over rare books ABOUT insects.)
He loves his family. He's married to French model Vanessa Paradis, is the father of two (Lily-Rose, 5 and Jack, 2) and lives a relatively peaceful life in France (we'll even forgive him for dissing the U.S. a few years ago). "The instant my baby was born, I looked at her and immediately, instantly, everything came into a sharp focus. I looked at her, this pure little angel, that I was just meeting for the first time, and I realized I had known her for 10,000 years. There will never be anyone that will know me better, that will understand me just by a look." (The San Francisco Examiner, 1999)
His early years were really cool. Depp joined a band called The Kids, selling ballpoint pens over the phone while playing nighttime gigs supporting such bands as the B- 52s and Iggy Pop before his wife at the time (a makeup artist five years his senior) suggested he try acting and introduced him to her friend Nicolas Cage.
He's not afraid to turn stuff down (although imagine the possibilities). Depp reportedly turned down the roles of Lestat in Interview With the Vampire, the Keanu Reeves role in Speed and Brad Pitt's role in Legends of the Fall. "I'm not 'Blockbuster Boy'. I never wanted to be. I mean, it would be nice to get a sh**pile of money so you can throw it at your family and friends…I just don't know if movies can ever be considered art, because there's so much money involved." (Vanity Fair, 1997)
His next moves are as offbeat as ever. There's Libertine, in which he plays the debauched 17th century poet the Earl of Rochester, who died of syphilis at the age of 33. He's also slated to play the mysterious yet wondrous Willy Wonka in Tim Burton's revisiting of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and will reprise his ole Capt. Jack in the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels.

From DI-VE
Johnny Depp chooses his "father"
by Mario Azzopardi
Saturday, 06 November, 2004
Johnny Depp's wish has come true - he has chosen the man who will play his father in the much awaited sequel, "Pirates Of The Caribbean: Treasures Of The Lost Abyss".
The man is Keith Richards, the Rolling Stones guitarist. Filming on the sequel is set to start in February. It is scheduled to be released in Summer 2006. The original, "Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl" was the third most successful film with local filmgoers during 2003.

From the Union Deomocrat (More about our friend Ivy getting to meet Johnny)
Summerville girl gets a date with Depp
Published: November 5, 2004
By ABBY SOUZA
Very few teenagers actually meet the celebrities they pine for on the big screen.
But Summerville High School sophomore Ivy Parsons is about to be one of the lucky ones.
Thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Parsons, her mother and her aunt are jetting off to London today to meet Hollywood superstar Johnny Depp on the set of his new movie and to tour the city with him.
"I've liked him way before ‘Pirates of the Caribbean' just so you know," said Parsons as she took off her Summerville High School cross-country parka. Then she pulled out a photo of Depp, in his pirate regalia, from her backpack.
Parsons has cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that causes glands that provide mucus, saliva and intestinal fluids to work improperly. In turn, this causes respiratory, digestive and reproductive problems.
Parsons said she was born with the life-threatening disease and had two surgeries before she was 2 weeks old.
Since then, Parson said she has never been hospitalized for the disease, but still goes to the doctor every three months for check-ups.
Cystic fibrosis would keep most young victims from running on a school cross country team or playing a wind instrument like the flute, but Parsons does both.
"I sometimes feel bad because I'm the healthiest kid with a disease you'll ever meet," the active 15-year-old said.
Healthy, but still deserving of a wish, according to her doctor, Nancy Lewis of Walnut Creek. Parsons said her doctor offered to write to the foundation on her behalf if there was something she wanted.
Parsons first considered asking to go on a Disney cruise until her mom, Janice Anderson of Twain Harte, suggested she ask to meet her favorite movie star.
"I thought we'd do an L.A. meet-and-greet thing," said the petite blond with an easy smile. "I had no idea I'd get to go to London for a week."
While in London, Parsons, her mom and her aunt Diane Heinze, also of Twain Harte, will not only meet Depp, but will get to watch him at work on his latest movie, a remake of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," in which Depp plays Willy Wonka, and meet other stars in the film.
"I've always wanted to watch him film. He's an awesome actor," said Parsons, giving no indication of nervousness, just anticipation over the trip to Britain.
Funded through donations and grants, Make-A-Wish Foundation is a national organization that grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions.
Children ages 2 1/2 to 18 are referred to the foundation by their doctors or parents.
Since its beginning in 1980, the foundation has granted the wishes of about 110,000 kids.
Parsons trip was coordinated through an area chapter of the foundation based in Angels Camp.
"They're really helpful, the nicest people," Parsons said. "I'm so excited."

From Variety
November 5, 2004
Found and typed by Gina
REAT COLLABORATIONS
A series highlighting the best of the filmmaking collaborations between the US and UK - to mark the forthcoming "UK Showcase"- a celebration of the US/UK filmmkaing parthership. In Hollywood from 8th - 11th November.
Although Steve Martin, Robin Williams and Nicolas Cage were keen to play Willy Wonka, there was little doubt that when Tim Burton signed up to direct Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, it would not be long before Johnny Depp would be measured for the tall hat. It is their fifth film together and the second Depp has made with his young co-star Freddie Highmore - the young Charlie Bucket recently starred with Depp in Neverland. With Mrs Burton, a.k.a. Helena Bonham Carter, playing Charlie’s mom and Brad and Jennifer, no less, as executive producers, you might expect a sugar-sweet project.
Except that Burton is planning quite a dark, sinister movie. “I don't want to crush people's childhood dreams”, he says, “but the original film is sappy. I responded to the Roald Dahl book because it respected that children can be adults, and I think adults forget that. There can be darkness and a sort of foreboding. Very sinister things are very much a part of childhood. I like that sort of humour and emotion put together.”
Amanda Conquy, Director of the Dahl literary estate, which had a lot of input in the film, including being consulted by the director and lead actor, says it will be far more faithful to the book than Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Dahl never liked the 1971 film, which was a musical and shot almost entirely in Bavaria. Burton’s version is being made on a huge scale, at times requiring up to eleven of Pinewood Studios’ largest stages, an Oompa-Loompa-like army of specialist technicians, daily tanker fleets of fresh chocolate from (of course) a nearby Chocolate Factory and the services of at least two of London's close to hand VFX houses. Although the Burton film will not be a musical, composer Danny Elfman is rumoured to be giving
the Oompa-Loompas “a singing voice”.
Dahl actually lived quite close to Pinewood, in the Buckinghamshire village of Great Missenden and next year the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre, supported by the film’s producers, is set to open to coincide with the film’s release. So however much darkness Burton throws at audiences, there will be a happy ending after all.

Found by Emma at the New York Observer
ew York Observer
November 8, 2004
Finding Johnny
By Noelle Hancock
"I don’t want to alarm anybody, but I have absolutely no idea what I’m going to say," actor Johnny Depp told the crowd at the Actors’ Fund of America gala. "Hopefully I won’t pass out, vomit or soil myself. It’s been done before." Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—Mr. Depp did nothing of the sort; however, he did pick up the Lee Strasberg Artistic Achievement Award, and raised a million dollars for the AFoA with the help of Whoopi Goldberg, Marty Richards, Bernadette Peters and other "nonorees" who crowded into Waldorf-Astoria’s Grand Ballroom on the night of Saturday, Oct. 30. Mr. Depp, 41, had flown in from England, where he’s on location shooting Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. When The Transom asked the soft-spoken actor what he considered his greatest achievement, the father of two replied, "Being involved in the creation of my children."
Fellow honoree Angela Lansbury took home a lifetime achievement award for her work in films like National Velvet and The Manchurian Candidate, plays like Sweeney Todd and Mame, and her long-running television series, Murder, She Wrote.
Mr. Depp drew laughs during his acceptance speech when he joked, "I’m admitting this for the first time in public, but when I did the film Sleepy Hollow a few years ago, Angela Lansbury was the main inspiration for my character of Ichabod Crane. So I thank her for that."
Retired Motion Picture Association of America president Jack Valenti was on hand to present an award to J. Nicholas Counter, president of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
He recalled one of his favorite stories from his tenure as head of the MPAA: "I wanted to let Russia see all the pictures that we had, and their government only wanted the pictures that made us look bad. For instance, they wanted Grapes of Wrath, which for years our State Department wouldn’t allow to be shown because it’s about poor people. Finally I said, ‘By God, I’ll raise a stink about this—let them have it!’ And we did; we showed it there. The USIA had Russians doing some exit polling, and what impressed the Russians was not that Americans were poor, but that the poorest Americans had a pickup truck!"
Back onstage, Mr. Depp was coming to grips with his reputation. Holding his bulky glass award, the actor told the crowd, "You know, for years I’ve been listening to people say that the choices I’ve made in my career are weird and bizarre and strange, and I’ve never understood what they were talking about … until I saw THAT!" Mr. Depp gestured to the video montage showcasing his life’s work. "And, yeah—apparently it is weird!"

Found by Sandstorm
TWO THUMBS UP! FOR FINDING NEVERLAND

Roeper says that Johnny definitely deserves an Oscar nomination for FN. They discuss all of Johnny's different roles and then the go into the review.
Johnny Depp is emerging as one of the most versatile actors of his generation. Since, 2003 he has played a haunted author in Secret Window, a wild pirate in POTC, a crazy CIA agent in OUATIM and now a shy, middle aged author in Finding Neverland

Ebert - "Very few actors could negotiate the hazards of this role without asking for trouble but for Johnny Depp it is a brilliant balancing act Thumbs Up"

Roeper - "Thumbs up too
Oscar nomination for Johnny Depp.... (Ebert: YES!) no other actor could ....
you are so right Roger...he strikes the right note."
Ebert: "Only Depp can show that is possible that JM Barrie could like these kids without thinking sexual"

They also rave over Kate in this role and Eternal Sunshine.
Great cast , great story. Plus Julie Christie

Found by johnnylubber
DEPP FOR PRESIDENT: Johnny Depp found himself in never "Neverland" Saturday night.
With his Nov. 12 release, "Finding Neverland," already igniting Oscar buzz, Depp kicked off the fall awards season by picking up an artistic achievement accolade from the Actors' Fund of America at a Waldorf-Astoria gala in New York.
We think Depp should win awards for everything. Has he snagged the statuette for looking good in eyeliner yet? How about kilts and pirate braids?
Depp, 41, was recognized for his body -- ahem, of work -- by the nonprofit group, which provides social services to entertainers.
He flew in for the gala from England, where's he's shooting "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," and spent a fairly ordinary day getting gussied up.
"I took a shower. Shaved. Brushed my teeth," he said. "But you can never be prepared. You've got to walk around in confusion, not understanding why someone wants to give you something as prestigious as this."

From the Houston Chronicle
Nov. 3, 2004, 9:59AM
Depp draws raves from Actors' Fund of America
Knight Ridder Tribune
Johnny Depp found himself in Neverland Saturday night.

With his Nov. 12 release, Finding Neverland, already igniting Oscar buzz, Depp kicked off the fall awards season by picking up an artistic achievement accolade from the Actors' Fund of America at a Waldorf-Astoria gala in New York, reports USA Today.
"I'm flattered, dumbfounded and amazed," said Depp, dapper in a tux.
Angela Lansbury, known to younger fans for her sleuthing TV series Murder, She Wrote, also snagged a lifetime achievement award at the ceremony, co-hosted by Whoopi Goldberg.
"If you have enough work under your belt, the years add up pretty fast," joked Lansbury, 79, who starred in the 1944 thriller Gaslight.
But the night was all about Depp, 41, who was recognized for his body of work by the nonprofit group, which provides social services to entertainers.
"What an actor he is!" raved Broadway star Bernadette Peters. "I just love everything he does. I loved Sleepy Hollow."
Depp flew in for the gala from England, where's he's shooting Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and spent a fairly ordinary day getting gussied up.
"I took a shower. Shaved. Brushed my teeth," he said. "But you can never be prepared. You've got to walk around in confusion, not understanding why someone wants to give you something as prestigious as this."

Note from Kazren: Even though my sources say Keith Richards will not be in POTC, the press continues to give us stories:
From Soulshine
Keith Richards Frees Inner Swashbuckler
Published: 2004-11-03
When it comes to the movie ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl’, people just love to announce that lead actor Johnny Depp found his inspiration for character Captain Jack Sparrow by looking no further than rock legend Keith Richards. Just in case that piece of knowledge isn’t satisfying enough, it’s been confirmed that Disney has recruited Richards to appear in the sequels to the film in more than just spirit.
The Rolling Stones guitarist and sometimes vocalist has signed up to play Jack Sparrow’s father, er, Mr. Sparrow. Richards has reportedly already been for a costume fitting for the upcoming ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Treasures of the Lost Abyss’. Not only will the 60-year-old act in the second instalment of ‘Pirates’, but he’s also set to return for the third movie.
One of the last musicians to jump on the acting bandwagon, ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Treasures of the Lost Abyss’ will be Keith Richard’s acting debut. Filming for the two movies, which is to occur simultaneously, is set to begin in February of next year. In addition to Richards and Depp, the cast of the ‘Pirates’ sequels will include Keira Knightly, Orlando Bloom, and Geoffrey Rush.
For those who somehow missed out on Depp’s now infamous quote (taken from a BBC interview), here it is: “I didn't want to do an imitation of Keith, or a character study, just a kind of salute to him, you know, to show him I appreciate him. I was thinking about the pirates of the 18th century, about how they were the rocks stars of their day. So I thought: Who's the greatest rock and roll star who ever lived? And to me, it's Keith Richards hands down. Keith is a bit of a pirate himself!”
Writer: Jaclyn Arndt

Two of interest Found by MyManDepp:
According to The Metro, a free UK newspaper, Johnny Depp may try his hand at children's literature. In the section called "The Green Room", Celebrities Behind Closed Doors in the Nov. 2 issue, it reads, "Fresh from his role as Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie, Johnny Depp is writing a children's novel. "It will be great for my kids to see the inner child in me," he said."
A trailer for "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" will be attached to "Polar Express" (the film with Tom Hanks playing seven characters in the beloved children's classic) which will hit theaters November 10th.

ic Essex - Kate finds 'Motherland' bliss
KATE Winslet stars alongside Johnny Depp in Finding Neverland. She talks to Eileen Condon about love, motherhood and her latest starring role. Actress Kate Winslet can't disguise the huge smile on her face these days, and you wouldn't begrudge her that either. Click on link to read full article.

Stretching the boundaries of imagination
The Ham&High Network
This life of Peter Pan author JM Barrie at times has a storyline based on pure fantasy - but it is rescued by some fine acting. Click on link to read full article.

News from fellow Depp fan Ivy.
Hey ladies and gentlemen...guess what? MY DREAM HAS COME TRUE!!!! In one week, the Make-A-Wish Foundation is sending my family and I to LONDON for a week, and I GET TO MEET THE JOHNNY DEPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My mom told me, and I was screaming, jumping, crying, running into things! I was tweaking with happiness! lol : ) It was an awesome surprise, and needed since some home things have happened recently. (Our little baby kitty died. We all loved her to death). And we've all been mourning and quite some time. This was the perfect escape!
The reason I get to be part of the Make-A-Wish Foundation is because I have a disease called Cystic Fibrosis. It mainly has to do with the lungs and stomach. I have to take pills when I eat and do a daily lung treatment. BUT DONT WORRY! Im VERY healthyI even do cross country as a sport! I just ran 4 = miles todayAnd I really did run it! Lol : ) If anyone has any other questions, please IM me on yahoo as little_miss_angel48 or AIM as ChellesAngel95! Lol : ) A good site to visit that I like is www.cff.org it is very informative, and even helped ME learn more about it! Lol : ) Hope you all enjoy!
I don't know how I could be happier!! I'm going to take my aunt (who means A LOT to me) with my mom and I.

We are leaving to the airport in Sacramento on Friday, we'll be in London by Saturday. As far as I know I will meet him on Monday with a few other Make-A-Wish Kids on the set of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; we'll probably do a meet and greet type of thing, and then watch him film!? Today, in band, we recorded our version of Pirates of the Carribean theme song, and I'm gonna give it to him! I'm not gonna say what it is, I'm just gonna say it's from the Orange Crush Band! lol For the rest of the week that we are there, we'll probably just sight see, and have fun...I still don't know hardly any details! lol
I need you guys to understand something, and don't take this the wrong way, ok? I am SUCH a healthy person, sometimes I forget I have a disease. It is such a small portion of my life, it sometimes makes me sick to think that they (the Make-A-Wish Foundation) is putting up so much money for me to get my wish. Don't get me wrong, I'm ETERNALLY grateful that I get to do this, but that's how I feel. So please don't feel sorry for me in any way! lol : ) After reading all of your wonderful posts in response to what I wrote, I kinda got the feeling that you guys gave it more attention than it needed! lol I'm really not trying to be conceded at all, I just hope that you all understand that aspect of it! lol : ) Thanks for listening to me some more, so I'll talk to ya all when I get more info, k?! Love Ya ALL!!
~~Much Love Yet Again~~
*!~Ivy~!*

Johnny's hair - award winner!
From Wella
Excerpt:
BEST MALE HAIRCOLOR:
     * Consumers love Johnny Depp's pirate-influenced hair, and vote him Best
       Male Haircolor.

From the San Francisco Chronicle, news is out that Absinthe is once again legal in Switzerland. It is not legal in the USA

From the Irish Examiner
November 04, 2004
Depp hits sauna to perfect Captain Jack
Johnny Depp credits his local sauna in France with helping him perfect his oddball Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl character Captain Jack Sparrow.
The movie hunk famously based the movie pirate on Rolling Stones star Keith Richards, but he says he perfected Sparrow's mannerisms by spending time sweating away in the sauna.
He reveals: "I would go into the sauna for great lengths of time, which I don't recommend, by the way, and you start to get a little woozy after about 30 minutes. I don't think it's very good for you."

Colleen found a small, small article and small picture about Finding Neverland in Teen People the December/January issue on page 56

Nice review of FINDING NEVERLAND over at the Rolling Stone

From Oprah's site
There's a video preview of today's show with Johnny. RUMOR has it he may continue on in the "after" show seen on the Oxygen Network. Check local listings.

DeppFan reports that E! News Daily will have Johnny on today. Early.

From the New Zealand Herald
Someone has to do the dirty works: it's Depp
02.11.2004
By LOUISE JURY
He was a legendary hell-raiser in the licentious court of the Restoration king, derided by his peers for his "contempt of decency" and the author of elegant, if explicit, poetry. Yet in the three centuries since the premature death of John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester, his works have been a naughty pleasure appreciated by a small band of readers - primarily consisting of English undergraduates.
But with Hollywood star Johnny Depp starring as Rochester in a new £10 million ($18 million) screen version of his life, entitled The Libertine, publishers have decided the poetry that made Rochester famous is ripe for a renaissance.
Penguin Classics, whose latest edition of the works of Rochester has been out of print for several years, is publishing a new selected works tailormade for the movie fan who is inspired to turn to the original source of inspiration.
There are hopes that Johnny Depp may do for 17th century poetry what Four Weddings and a Funeral did for W.H. Auden and The English Patient achieved for Herodotus, the 5th century BC historian.
More than 100,000 copies of an Auden anthology were sold after his poem, Funeral Blues, was quoted in Four Weddings. Annual sales of Herodotus shot up from 12,000 to 50,000 copies immediately after his writings were featured in the film of Michael Ondaatje's book.
Rochester at least has the selling point of being a taboo-buster: he wrote more frankly on sex than most writers before the 20th century. Laura Barber, editorial director for Penguin Classics, said the film, originally due for release this month but now set to hit the screens in the new year, was the ideal opportunity to get a significant author back on the bookstore shelves.
"I've always thought it was a shame that we didn't have Rochester on the list. It's one of the few things that students like to study because it's just so full of filth, so it seemed odd that we couldn't keep an edition in print," she said.
Wilmot, second Earl of Rochester, was born in 1647 and educated at Oxford and on the Grand Tour courtesy of King Charles II in gratitude for the service of the young man's father, who was a royalist general under Charles I.
He arrived at court at the age of 17 and quickly set the pace for a coterie of charming wits who surrounded the king.
He wrote poetry, had a penchant for practising disguises and rapidly acquired a reputation for wildness, serving as a model for countless young rakes in Restoration comedies. He was even banished from court at one point after mistakenly, and possibly drunkenly, handing King Charles some coarse lines on the King himself instead of a lampoon on ladies, and his career plummeted into melancholy decline.
He fell out with his former friend, Dryden, the greatest poet of his age, and was embroiled in fights and lawsuits. Never robust in health, he died in 1680, at the age of 33.
Johnson, the 18th century writer, said of Rochester: "With an avowed contempt of decency and order, a total disregard to every moral, and a resolute denial of every religious observation, he lived worthless and useless and blazed out his youth and health in lavish voluptuousness."
Rochester is likely to reach a wider audience thanks to the film, shot on the Isle of Man this year with John Malkovich and Samantha Morton also in the cast.
Television and film adaptations of literary classics often have dramatic effects on sales. There was a surge in interest in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet after Baz Luhrmann's film in 1996 and the BBC's adaptation of Wives and Daughters in 1999 prompted a run on Elizabeth Gaskell, as did any serialisation of Austen or Trollope.
The life of Alexander the Great, compiled from the writings of ancient historians Arrian, Quintus Curtius Rufus and Plutarch, is being prepared prior to the release of films starring Colin Farrell and Leonardo Di Caprio.

From the Houston Chronicle Nov. 1, 2004, 7:16PM
Depp draws raves from Actors' Fund of America
Knight Ridder Tribune
Johnny Depp found himself in Neverland Saturday night.
With his Nov. 12 release, ``Finding Neverland,'' already igniting Oscar buzz, Depp kicked off the fall awards season by picking up an artistic achievement accolade from the Actors' Fund of America at a Waldorf-Astoria gala in New York, reports USA Today.
``I'm flattered, dumbfounded and amazed,'' said Depp, dapper in a tux.
Angela Lansbury, known to younger fans for her sleuthing TV series ``Murder, She Wrote,'' also snagged a lifetime achievement award at the ceremony, co-hosted by Whoopi Goldberg.
``If you have enough work under your belt, the years add up pretty fast,'' joked Lansbury, 79, who starred in the 1944 thriller ``Gaslight.''
But the night was all about Depp, 41, who was recognized for his body of work by the nonprofit group, which provides social services to entertainers.
``What an actor he is!'' raved Broadway star Bernadette Peters. ``I just love everything he does. I loved `Sleepy Hollow'.''
Depp flew in for the gala from England, where's he's shooting ``Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,'' and spent a fairly ordinary day getting gussied up.
``I took a shower. Shaved. Brushed my teeth,'' he said. ``But you can never be prepared. You've got to walk around in confusion, not understanding why someone wants to give you something as prestigious as this.''

From Contact Music
TOMMY LEE: 'LET DEPP PLAY ME IN MOVIE OF MY LIFE'
Rock hellraiser TOMMY LEE wants film icon JOHNNY DEPP to play him in a movie about his life.
The former MOTLEY CRUE drummer and ex-husband of PAMELA ANDERSON is a huge fan of the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN star.
He says, "Johnny Depp. He's about my age too - I turned 42 recently. I've had the pleasure of hanging out with him on numerous occasions at The Viper Room (Depp's Los Angeles nightclub) and he's a super-cool guy. He's really fanatical about his music too.
"It would be amazing if he could grow his hair long enough - and turn into me.

From USA TODAY
November 1, 2004
In a flash, Johnny Depp draws raves
By Donna Freydkin, USA TODAY
Johnny Depp (news) found himself in Neverland Saturday night.
With his Nov. 12 release, Finding Neverland, already igniting Oscar buzz, Depp kicked off the fall awards season by picking up an artistic achievement accolade from the Actors' Fund of America at a Waldorf-Astoria gala.
"I'm flattered, dumbfounded and amazed," said Depp, dapper in a tux.
Angela Lansbury, known to younger fans for her sleuthing TV series Murder, She Wrote, also snagged a lifetime achievement award at the ceremony, co-hosted by Whoopi Goldberg (news).
"If you have enough work under your belt, the years add up pretty fast," joked Lansbury, 79, who starred in the 1944 thriller Gaslight.
But the night was all about Depp, 41, who was recognized for his body of work by the non-profit group, which provides social services to entertainers.
"What an actor he is!" raved Broadway star BernadettePeters. "I just love everything he does. I loved Sleepy Hollow."
Now, Depp is busy promoting Neverland. He stars as playwright J.M. Barrie and explores the inspiration for Peter Pan. But the actor is not too hung up on statuettes and prizes.
"As you're doing the work, you're so involved in the process itself that they never enter your brain," Depp said.
The king of quirky character actors, who earned an Oscar nomination for last year's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, also was amazed at the agitation of the photographers, who went into a flashbulb frenzy when he walked in.
"I just kind of suck it up," the soft-spoken actor said.
Depp flew in for the gala from England, where's he's shooting Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and spent a fairly ordinary day getting gussied up.
"I took a shower. Shaved. Brushed my teeth," he said. "But you can never be prepared. You've got to walk around in confusion, not understanding why someone wants to give you something as prestigious as this."
As for rumors that Rolling Stone Keith Richards (news) might play Depp's dad in the Pirates sequel?
"That would be great," Depp said. "He seems open to it. I hope it works out."

Johnny has won the Irish Film and TV AVICA Award for Best International Actor! WEBSITE

From about.actionadventures.com
Johnny Depp interview
Anyone who saw Johnny Depp on Jay Leno saw that he still had his gold teeth in from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Before even that appearance, when we met Depp for interviews, we were struck by the sparkling chompers. That wasn’t all. He still had the goatee and a lot of the costume put together.
But Johnny Depp is awesome, so he can be a little weird. If this is what serves all his eccentric characters, so be it. Pirates is no exception, as he turns a traditional action hero into a total goof. This guy wobbles and stumbles, goes bug-eyed but still manages to save the day.
How did you fight back? I remember I had two more gold teeth and there were a few that wanted them gone, in fact wanted them all gone. And they wanted the braids in my beard gone and they wanted a lot of the trinkets and things gone. I just basically said, “I respect you guys. I’ll compromise to some degree which means I’ll take two teeth out. Cool. But anything beyond that I feel is compromising the integrity of the character and I’m not willing to do that. You’ve got to trust me. You’ve got to let me do what you hired me to do and if you’re not happy with doing that, then you’ve got to replace me.”
How did you develop your walk? The way I walked, well, it was a couple of things. To me, it was like this guy who had spent a very, very long time on the ocean battling the elements. It was a guy who had spent way too much time in the sun, so maybe his brain was literally cooked a bit. And he was way more comfortable on the deck of a ship in terms of the rhythm of the ocean than he was on dry land. And I think he would also be a guy who would understand that, like he could take that and use it to his advantage, as if to hypnotize someone. He’d kind of go back and forth and hypnotize them, kind of like a cobra, moving target. So, that’s where it came from. I thought he would hate being on land.
How did you approach the comedy? I’m always, again, a sucker for [comedy]. Whenever I find an opportunity to throw in humor on any level, even when it doesn’t apply, [I will]. I mean, I’ve done it in scenes in Blow and other things where it probably shouldn’t have been there but it just seemed to work at the time. So, I’m always trying to throw as much humor into a part as I can. This guy, I knew this guy so well, I felt so comfortable playing him that again, I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t help myself.
Your teeth are still in? They’re still there, yeah. I never had a chance to take them out.
What are they? They’re gold and platinum.
Are they caps? It was a cap, it was molded to my teeth to fit over my teeth and then they bonded them onto my teeth.
Was the studio ever resistant to your characterization of Jack Sparrow? Well, yeah.
Hollywood, France and high school
How has your relationship with Hollywood changed? The five years that I’ve been living in France and in the States to some degree a little bit, because I’m not a resident of France, has done wonders for my relationship with Hollywood. And also having kids, I’m so removed from it that I don’t know anything. I mean, I don't know who anybody is. I don't know who’s famous. I don't know who’s not famous. I don't know who’s rich, who’s poor, who’s successful, who’s a drag. I don't know anybody. I don't know what made money and what didn’t make money. And it’s great. So, I come in just completely ignorant of all of it and it feels really good. Because then, I don’t have to think about anything but my work and I don’t have to worry about what anybody else is doing or anything. I just think about my work.
How does it feel to be a high school dropout who’s done well? Isn’t that something? Well, I can only say it worked for me. It’s not for everybody. I wouldn’t recommend it to most kids, but the situation that I was in, it was inevitable. I had to leave. School’s a weird thing. I’m not sure it works. It’s debatable, but I think that the way school is now, I’m not sure teachers- - certainly there are some who are very, very good but there’s a lot of teachers who I don’t think care about teaching. Therefore, it’s not inspirational for kids to learn when they’ve got a teacher who basically is just taking a paycheck. And there’s also you’ve got to deal with some kind of weird cop syndrome and the abuse of authority and all that stuff. I just couldn’t take it anymore.
What’s the greatest piece of advice you’ve ever received? Don’t ever take any sh*t off anybody. It think that’s probably the best advice I’ve ever gotten.
Who told you that? My mom.
Are you up for a Pirates sequel? Yeah. The amount of fun that I had on this film was criminal really. There were moments where the director and I would sort of look at each other and just go, “Can you actually believe that we get to do this and we’re getting paid for this? Like this is our job.” Yeah, if there was a sequel- - in a perfect world, it’s Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio writing it, it’s Gore Verbinski directing it, I’d be there in a second.
Early on for quite a while.

Did you order your Captain Jack doll from Kyrila? Update HERE

Until we get an exact transcript of Johnny's acceptance speech at the Actors Fund Gala, here is a summary. Photos are on our Actors Fun Gala page:
Before the award presentation several brief clips of some of Johnny's more memorable characters including Captain Jack Sparrow, Edward Scissorhands, Gilbert Grape and BonBon were shown.
Whoopi Goldberg introduced Johnny, who looked very young and handsome in his suit and spats sans glasses. He went up to join Whoopi on the stage and they hugged and kissed.(lucky Whoopi)
In his typical humble way, Johnny said he couldn't believe the award was being presented to him by Whoopi Goldberg. He studied the award itself and said: "Oh wow, it has my name on it."
He continued on saying that he hoped no one was be alarmed because he hadn't prepared a speech, and that he might talk for a few seconds or several minutes.   He confessed he felt he might vomit, or faint or mess himself.
Johnny went on to talk about the type of roles he chose, saying that he had heard it said that many of his choices were weird. He said after seeing the compilation of film clips, "I guess they were!" Ichabod Crane was one of the characters shown and Johnny admitted he'd based his character on Angela Lansbury, who was also there as one of the night's recipients. He told the story of how the producer arrived on the Sleepy Hollow set and after seeing his work said "Ichabod Crane, girl detective."
Johnny said he was very honored by the award. He thanked Tracy Jacobs his agent for standing by him for the past 17 years through all the weirdness and said that the award was as much hers as his. Johnny also thanked his sister, Christi, without whom, he said, he could not have done it. He thanked the Actors Fund, held up the statue before leaving the stage to much applauds.

Photos of Johnny at the Actors' Fund Gala are coming out. I will get as many up as possible in a few hours.

As mentioned above (in the red box) Johnny will be on Oprah Winfrey and apparently continue on after on the Oxygen Channel - and we have our wonderful Web Spy Lady Ashleen to thank for seeing that he and Vanessa both went into the Harpo Studio lot for the taping. If you know anyone who was at the taping and has news for us, please encourange them to send it to us, or send it yourself!
It is the network of fans that keep us all informed on what's going on with Johnny. He will be at the Actor's Fund Awards tonight in New York City as mentioned in the article below, to receive the 2004 Lee Strasberg Artistic Achievement Award.

From Angie
French magazines are speculating on Vanessa possibly being pregnant:

Several people have reported they go to their Fandango website for local theatres and they are giving away passes to screenings of FINDING NEVERLAND for Oct 30th. Check it out.

Found by Emma - two more pictures of Johnny filming "Charlie and the Chocolat Factory"

More photos on our Chalrie & the Chocolate Factory page.
REPORT

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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Legal Stuff: The movies of Johnny Depp and the characters, events, items, and places therein are trademarks of their respective film companies. Copyrights and trademarks for the books and films are held by their respective owners and their use is allowed under thefair use clause of the Copyright Law.