Johnny Depp

On June 9th, our boy turned 46 -and still looks every bit as yummy as he did when I first fell in lust with him during Nightmare on Elm Street. (…21 Jump street? Heck no - bring on the HORROR FLICKS!) He’s definite proof that men only get better with age, for sure!

The cast and crew in San Juan, Puerto Rico, gave Johnny a party to celebrate the day - that included cake, and gifts. What do you give the guy who has everything? Simple! A guitar and the red corvette he’s been driving during the filming of The Rum Diary! Lucky, lucky guy! He does look hot in that car…

So join us in wishing Johnny Depp the happiest of birthdays - may the movies be many, the life be long, and the happiness be great. (…and more pics would be nice too. )

It’s getting closer! July first can’t come fast enough for me, I’ll tell ya. Watching the trailers just makes me more excited to see the film. Sure, it’s not the big Terminator or Wolverine, or even Star Trek, but it’s Johnny freakin Depp, and he is more luscious than the rest!

Here’s the trailers!

Yeah, inorite? Whoo!

In other news, while Johnny is currently filming The Rum Diary down south, with The Lone Ranger coming up after that, as well as Pirates 4 - rumors are swirling that Martin Scorsese wants Johnny to play Frank Sinatra in an his upcoming biopic! There’s no confirmation, but sources say that they’re thrilled with Johnny’s performance in Public Enemies (…duh…) and they “very much” want to “stay in the Johnny Depp business.” Who wouldn’t?!

While Johnny proved he could carry a tune in Sweeny Todd, the Sinatra film would use Sinatra’s own recordings, thanks to a deal with Frank Sinatra Enterprises. It might be a nice change of pace, to see Johnny work with someone new… what do you think?

It’s nice to see all these things line up for our boy -but what does Johnny think about growing older? He wants to take the time later on to develop a nice…. beer belly. “I just want to become a traditional old man with a beer belly. I’d like to be sitting on the veranda of our place in France, just staring out over the lawns.”

Sounds just fine to me. If anyone can pull off a beer belly? I’m betting it’s Johnny!

The promotional poster is out for Public Enemies, and the graphics designer in me can’t help but join my inner 12 year old and giggle every time I see it. Sure, Johnny is pretty as ever, even all mobster’d out - but really, do we need an arrow of words pointing to little “Johnny”? (literally, even, as his name is at the point, and small!)

…inorite?
You’ll never see it the same way again.
Sorry.
(I’m not really.)

Are we surprised? OF COURSE NOT! However, it was officially announced this week that the number one popular movie star according to the Internet Movie Data Base, is Johnny Depp, for the fifth year in a row! They have some fancy smancy Starmeter tool that ranks the celebs by popularity, and Johnny claims the top spot once again. The others in the top five are no surprise either, with Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie. The rest of the top ten include Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Kristen Steward, Will Smith and Gerard Butler. According to the managing editor of IMDB.cm “The Starmeter list is a true gauge of what’s hot in pop culture based on actual user interest and visits to a star’s page.”

Like we need THAT to tell us Johnny tops ANY list!

In other news - Dark Shadows is coming! Richard Zanuk, in an interview with Collider, confirmed that it WILL be the next project for Director Tim Burton after Alice in Wonderland wraps. Naturally, Johnny is slated to take the lead roll in the movie adaptation of the seriest that featured all manner of supernatural creatures; Vampires, Werewolves, and Zombies - Oh my! Johnny is said to be on tap to play the vampire patriarch Barnabas Collins, which is only fitting as Johnny has often said he was so obsessed with the show as a child that he wanted to be… yup, Barnabas Collins.

Lucky for us, he may finally get that wish!

Though we don’t know what direction the script itself will take, with 1225 episodes of the television show, there is certainly enough material to work with.

We all know Johnny is a hard man to find - but when he does come out and face his adoring fans, he always has something to say, something that reminds us how grounded he is, and just why we love him. One thing he’s never shy about talking about his love for his family. He told Britain’s Psychologies magazine recently that he “could sit there all day and do nothing but watch them grow. I’m totally inspired by them.”

Them = his longtime girlfriend Vanessa Paradis and the kids, Lily-Rose and Jack. He credits Vanessa with giving him the proper perspective and understanding in his life, adding that they have “a miraculous understanding of each other.”

Would that we all had that! When asked about his more memorable roles, Johnny admitted that he was “a million percent in love with Edward Scissorhands,” so much so that his last day of filming had him looking in the mirror for a sad goodbye to the character. He also loved Pirates, naturally. He and Orlando Bloom would look at each other and “say ‘We’re actually getting paid to do this?’”

Of course, he had to get in a dig or two about his celebrity status, and how he never wanted to be the guy people looked at. “It’s too mortifying.” Not on our side of the coin, Johnny, not at all!

In other news Depp’s production company Infinitum Nihil purchaced the screen rights to a movie about Dante Alighieri, based off the book “In the hand of Dante” by Nick Tosches. The book gives the reader a parallel story of a modern day and a 14th century artist, Dante, and Johnny will be playing the role of the modern day artist.

So, we all know that there is only ONE Sexiest man, despite the fact that People named Wolverine - er, Hugh Jackman number one. That man is Johnny Depp. Who looks FANTASTIC as an old style gangster in the promo piece in Empire UK article about the upcoming Public Enemies. I posted the pictures before, but here are the scans of the entire article:

Click the pictures to bigify into readable chunks! The best part is that the magazine reports the release date to be a week sooner then previously thought -July 3rd, instead of the 9th! one step closer to Depp on screen! Raaaaaaaaawr!

Speaking of Rawr! Here’s another scan, this time as part of People’s Sexiest Men issue - despite the travesty of not being declared number one again, it does have a lovely full page picture of our boy Johnny.

And for those who haven’t yet seen the youtube “Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis - Love Story” that they mention there as having been viewed an astounding 492k+ times (a number that increases as I write this) Here it is:

All together now… awwwwww! It’s glimpses like this of Johnny’s real life, and how grounded he is with his family as well as his career that makes us love him. That and the fact he’s drop dead gorgeous, of course. Heh!

The latest little tidbit of rumor comes from PerezRevenge.com - the online answer to perez.com, of course, where folks are nice all the time. It seems that Sir Roger Moore’s memoirs are to be turned into a movie, and while there’s been no official announcement, Sir Roger, when asked who would play him, “has been telling friends, with a knowingly raised eyebrow, that he’s a great admirer of Johnny Depp.”

Would you watch a film about the life of 007’s Sir Roger? Just to see Johnny? Yeah. me too.

SPEAKING of Public Enemies - because, ya know, we totally were - this site here has a review of the first test screening, including big spoilers, so read at your own risk. And if you have some cash to burn - CharityFolks.com is auctioning off two tickets and after party passes to the premiere of Public Enemies. (does not include meeting the talent…).

We’ll also finally get to see the trailers for the film by Christmas. Hurray! I’m sure they’ll be youtubed as fast as someone possibly can, and we’ll get those as soon as they’re available.

As if that’s not enough - new still pictures from the movie are featured in the January 2009 issue of Empire magazine, so be sure to grab yourself a copy as soon as it hits the news stands near you! After all, there’s also an interview with director Michael Mann!

Need MORE added incentive to buy the magazine? Wolverine on the front cover. Raaaaaaaaawr!

A Wisconsin native had a brush with fame, as her Daughter was able to meet Johnny Depp while he was filming Public Enemies. She called her mom to give her the whole scoop, and dad was awesome enough to blog about it for us! Dad never got close to Johnny, though he did hobnob with the actors at the local pub, he never got to actually meet Depp. His daughter Miriam, however, not only met him - but he TOUCHED her hand, shook it, and talked to her. She was beaming - even over the phone as she told him the story.

“He looked right into my EYES and talked with me! He said my hand was cold. So he took my hand in BOTH of his and rubbed it to warm it up!”

She then admitted she washed her hands right away, because he had shaken many hands - but still, how jealous are WE? (Answer: Very.)

The movie isn’t due to release until July 1st, 2009, but it’s still coming under fire in post production. The state of Wisconsin where it was filmed declared that the movie has failed to bring in the desired amount of cash into the state. Public enemies was the first film to be under the state’s tax film incentive rules for film makers passed earlier this year. Apparently, the tax break at 4.6 million nearly cancels out the $5million earned by the state for the filming.

They’re also apparently bitching about a road that collapsed as a rsult of the traffic diversions. Heh.

They do believe that the film will continue to make money for the state, like the site of “Field of Dreams” in Iowa and the “A Christmas Story” house in Ohio that have both become major tourist traps - er, spots. Robbe and Santoe also stated that the film is a gift that keeps on giving, and will help stimulate Wisconsin’s film industry, and help create many more jobs.

So, correct me if I’m wrong - but since the movie isn’t even out yet, it’s the first one filmed there, AND they know it will rake in more cash for the state - isn’t it a bit too early to be bitching?

Just sayin.

For those who don’t know - Public Enemies is an adaptation of the Bryan Burrough novel that describes the changs made in the FBI as a result of crime sprees involving John Dillinger, Charles Arthur “Pretty Boy” Floyed and Lester “Baby Face Nelson” Gillis. It’s directed by Michael Mann, with our boy Johnny as the infamous bank robber Dillinger, and Christian Bale as FBI Agent Melvin Purvis. Depp and Bale? Together? Rawr!

In a recent issue of Entertainment Weekly, the High School Musical star, Zac Efron voiced his desire to pick the brains of Hollywood’s elite A-listers - Leonardo DiCaprio and Johnny Depp in particular. Seeking advice, he confessed to wanting a sit down session with the men to pick their brains about their early careers and get some advise for where he should head next. He respects them, for having maneuvered well in the industry that’s littered with wrong turns. “They do it because they love it, not because they enjoy being famous.”

He may get his wish, after all. According to recent reports, Efron will be joining the cast of Pirates of the Caribbean 4. Further reports suggest that he was actually being groomed as Johnny’s successor (good luck with that, buddy boy!) but it was decided that it wasn’t Pirates without Depp (GOOD CALL DISNEY!), and instead offered Zac a smaller part to join with our Johnny. While the paycheck for Johnny Depp is said to be in the $55 million range, Zac stands to get a cool $6 million, double his HSM earnings, to join the swashbuckling crew.

Zac’s ok. But he’s no Johnny. Just sayin’.

In fact - NO ONE can play an oddball like Depp! So says his partner in crime, director Tim Burton, when he recently reported that Johnny is taking his newest role as the Mad Hatter to heart… or stomach, as he ate part of his costume last week.

“Nobody plays oddballs better than Johnny and he’s loving playing this one,” Tim said. “He actually ate his hat the other day. No word of a lie, he just bit into the brim and chewed.”

He may be weird - but it’s definitely part of his charm, hm?

Like we didn’t already KNOW this, but it’s finally official - Johnny Depp WILL be the Mad Hatter for the upcoming Alice in Wonderland, working once again side by side with Tim Burton. Not only that, but according to the Hollywood Reporter, Johnny Depp will also be playing Tonto in a new movie version of The Lone Ranger.

…wait, what?!

Apparently there was a daylong preview of upcoming Disney Movies and projects today at the Kdak Theatre which ended with a surprise Johnny sighting - outfitted as Jack Sparrow, but with “The William Tell Overture” which every one knows is the Lone Ranger theme. Naturally, I have not located any photos of this - anyone? Video would be even better!

Now the question is - will Helena Bonham Carter play the Queen of Hearts?

And who is the Lone Ranger to Depp’s Tonto? And is there ANYTHING else in the works that doesn’t make sense? I mean, Tonto? TONTO? I don’t know if I can quite believe that one, or wrap my head around it at all. But if Disney said it, it’s true, right? Of course, I only remember the old school Lone Ranger, so maybe that’s why it’s not working for me.

But in the end, I’ll have to trust Disney - after all, they’ve given us Pirates, and have a fourth one in development now! No word on if Johnny will return for that, but can it really be Pirates of the Caribbean without Depp’s Jack Sparrow? I don’t think so. (Update: Johnny is DEFINITELY in for Pirates 4. )

No word yet on when Depp will start filming for Alice in Wonderland - though we know that they have started filming other parts of the movie at the Antony House in the UK.

While in Florida this week getting ready for, and performing with The Kids, MarvixPhoto via The Custer County Chief reports that Johnny Depp rented an entire mansion along the seaside just to dock his yacht. The 143 foot mega-yacht, VaJoLiRoJa (named after the entire family, Vanessa, Johnny, LilyRose, Jack) is said to have been docked in an exclusive waterfront gated estate in South Florida.

It appeared that he didn’t bother to enjoy the facilities of the mansion - which boasts 20,753 sq. ft., 11 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms, 360 ft. of waterfront, a nightclub, putting green, gym, massage room, spa, wine celler, infinity pool AND a 9 car garage - but instead, in true Johnny style, had beer and pizza delivered to the yacht.

The property is only minutes away from Fort Lauderdale Beach, and is listed for $14.9 million.

In other news, it seems that the rumors of Christopher Nolan wanting Johnny for the Riddler in the next Batman flick are just that - rumors. The Comic Book Cynic was listening to a Florida radio show that checked in with Deep this weekend in Florida. The interviewer asked Johnny straight out about the Riddler Rumors, and Johnny commented “Oh yeah, I heard about that. Not that I know of.” But he didn’t leave it there - perhaps enticing Nolen to look his way as he added “It seems like it’d be a fun gig for a while, yeah.”

Another Batman villain rumor that has been shot down are Cher as Catwoman but, I mean come on, who believed that?

Remember back here when I told you Johnny Depp and The Kids would be performing in Florida this weekend? A lucky photog snapped a shot of our man sneaking into a recording studio in Florida - presumably to practice with the band in preparation for the concert. So who’s in Florida who’ll head over there and snap some photos for us here at JohnnyDeppWatch, hm? Anyone? Beuller? Beuller?

In other news - there’s another rumor floating around - and no, not that Catwoman might be played by Cher to terrorize Gotham along with Depp as Riddler, because some on - who would believe that?! Cher? Catwoman? No. Just no. This rumor has to do with Sin City 3 - Hell and Back which Johnny Depp has been rumored to play Wallace.

Sin City 3 is still in production, with a release date of 2009. Sin City 2, though (A Dame to kill for) was held up for some reason and won’t be out until 2010, which puts Sin City 3 out at the earliest 2011. Also rumored to appear is Michael Clarke Duncan as “Manute.”

The plot involves Wallace, an ex-Navy SEAL, who saves a young woman Esther from killing herself. She then, because this always happens, is kidnapped after a night on the town by mysterious people. “May God have mercy on those who stand in Wallace’s way.”

According to director Robert Rodriquez, the part was written with Johnny in mind. The story revolves around the Sin City Graphic Novel “Hell and Back” which features the brooding artist Wallace, who’s drugged repeatedly and wanders through the story hallucinating.

Sounds like something right up Johnny’s ally, huh?

I was parusing the internets today, looking for new Depp News - but it seems to be in short supply. Instead, I give you some completely gratuitous pictures, and one very awesome youtube video that compiles all of Johnny’s movies into one fantastic clip.

I am saddened to admit that I haven’t seen more then one of them. I feel ashamed. In fact - I never watched 21 Jump Street. I know, right? I need to get on the ‘catch up’ train and support my secret husband, huh? Anyway - here’s the video… how many of these have YOU seen?

And here’s a few minutes of Johnny Depp as he was filming Public Enemies.

And, of course, those completely gratuitous pictures that I promised you… also from the set of Public Enemies, March 25, 2008.

With Dark Knight being the top movie for the fourth week in a row, grossing over $462 million world wide already, with no signs of stopping - it’s no surprise that talk is already begun to circulate on a sequal. Who, what, where, when and who will the villains be? Who could possibly match Heath Ledger’s Joker?

Well, talk is that Johnny Depp is in consideration to play the Riddler! I, of course, could not be HAPPIER about that idea, as Johnny would absolutely shine in the roll. We’ve seen him immerse himself in character after character, each one as (or more) memorable then the last, The Riddler would certainly be no different!

As for the rest of the rumor, that they will cast Philip Seymour Hoffman as the Penguin, that’s a little harder to swallow. Not because Hoffman couldn’t play the part, but because Christopher Nolen has always been opposed to using the Penguin in his Batman films, stating him to be too outlandish a character.

As if that isn’t enough - there are also rumors circulating around that my not at all super secret crush, Angelina Jolie, is looking to play Cat Woman - either in a spin off like Halle Berry did, or by joining the Batman Franchise. Julie Newmar, who played the role on the TV series says that Angelina would be perfect for the role and would own the part, while agreeing that her friends in the industry have told her the inquiries have been made.

She also says that Catwoman is Batman’s one true love, a villainous and heroine, loved by women everywhere.

Christian Bale, Johnny Depp AND Angelina Jolie in the same Batman movie? gives me shivers just to think about it!

This isn’t specific to Johnny Depp, but it does include some of his movies so here we go.

A 29 year old designer named Zakarias Tipton is making a killing on “Cinematique Frames“, eyeglass frames made from recycled strips of famous movies. They have over 300 movies to choose from, and the frames are a mix of vinyl and plastic. (he started the experiments with his father’s record collection without his knowledge. My kinda guy!) He’s been experimenting for about 8 years, and now sells them with the movie frames worked into the funky eyewear.

The frames themselves are designed on a computer, manufactured in Italy, with the front of the frames made in Slovakia. Not all films are good materials though - the images have to be bold and filled with contrast.

And here’s the Johnny Depp tie-in: One of the favorite movies used is Once Upon a Time in Mexico, staring Antonio Banderas as hitman, and Johnny Depp as the psychotic CIA agent. The explosions and people flying and jumping make for an added dimension in the frames.

Now, who’s gonna go buy me a pair (starring Johnny Depp, of course) for Christmas?