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Humble Beginnings and Stardom Johnny Depp has always been a misfit even before he was an actor. When he was young, he didn’t plan to graduate high school, and ended up dropping out to become a musician. He was a guitarist for a band called the Kids. He and his band moved to Los Angeles. During his time in the band, he became a struggling musician, but ended up finding steady work as an actor since he was introduced to Nicolas Cage by his then-wife Lori Anne Allison. Nicholas helped Johnny to audition for Wes Craven for the low-budget horror film ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street.’ The film achieved international success since it scared its audiences and featured a memorable kill by showing a young Johnny Depp being brutally killed by the boogeyman, Freddy Krueger (played by Robert Englund). 1980s The following year, Johnny Depp starred in ‘Private Resort...

Italy’s Torino Film Festival will celebrate the centennial of Marlon Brando’s birth with a 24-title retrospective of films featuring the groundbreaking two-time Oscar winner, known for his naturalistic acting style and rebellious streak.

The Brando retro will be “the backbone” of the fest, according to its new artistic director, Italian actor/director Giulio Base. Accordingly, an image of Brando – photographed when he was shooting Bernardo Bertolucci’s “Last Tango in Paris” – is featured on the poster for the fest’s upcoming 42nd edition, which will run Nov. 22-30.

Torino is Italy’s preeminent event for young directors and indie cinema, and is where Matteo Garrone and Paolo Sorrentino screened their first works. The festival’s lineup will be announced at a later date.

“As an actor, Brando has always been my guiding star and I had been wondering for a while – since way before being appointed at Torino...

Johnny Depp is returning both in front of and behind the camera.

After a first look image of Depp transforming into King Louis Xv for “Jeanne du Barry,” The Hollywood Reporter announced the Oscar winner will be helming his second feature film, 25 years after Depp directed himself and Marlon Brando in 1997’s “The Brave.”

Depp directs upcoming biopic “Modigliani” inspired by the life of painter and sculptor Amedeo Modigliani, with the film co-produced by fellow Academy Award winner Al Pacino and Barry Navidi. Based on a play by Dennis McIntyre and adapted for the screen by Jerzy and Mary Kromolowski (“The Pledge”), “Modigliani” focuses on two days in Paris that marked a watershed moment for Modigliani’s career in 1916.

Production will begin in Europe in Spring 2023, with casting to be announced shortly.

“The saga of Mr. Modigliani’s life is one that I’m incredibly honored, and truly humbled, to bring to the screen,...

Tommy “Tiny” Lister, the hulkish character actor whose pro-wrestler frame and menacing onscreen disposition highlighted the first two Friday films, Jackie Brown, The Fifth Element, and more than 200 other movies, died Thursday at the age of 62. His manager, Cindy Cowan, confirmed the actor’s death to Variety. A cause of death was not immediately known, but Cowan told Variety that he was found unresponsive in his Los Angeles apartment “after displaying symptoms of Covid-19 in recent days.” Cowan said Lister had been diagnosed with Covid-19 earlier this year.

“Deputies were...

Esther Scott, whose film, TV and stage career included roles in Nate Parker’s The Birth of a Nation and John Singleton’s Boyz n the Hood, died February 14 in Los Angeles after suffering a heart attack, Deadline has confirmed. She was 66.

Scott appeared in dozens of TV series including playing Delma on CW’s Hart of Dixie as well as roles on CBS’ The Help, Fox’s Melrose Place and ABC’s The Geena Davis Show and Sister, Sister among others. Her first role was voicing a character on the mid-1980s animated Star Wars series Ewoks.

Her film credits include Gangster Squad, Transformers, The Pursuit of Happyness, Dreamgirls, 2005’s Fun with Dick and Jane, Austin Powers in Goldmember, The Craft, Don Juan DeMarco and Common Threads: Stories From the Quilt. She memorably played a grandmother who nearly caught Cuba Gooding Jr’s Tre fooling around with her granddaughter in Boyz n the Hood,...

This article marks Part 22 of the Gold Derby series analyzing 84 years of Best Original Song at the Oscars. Join us as we look back at the timeless tunes recognized in this category, the results of each race and the overall rankings of the winners.

The 1995 Oscar nominees in Best Original Song were:

“Dead Man Walkin’” from “Dead Man Walking”

“Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman” from “Don Juan DeMarco”

“Colors of the Wind” from “Pocahontas”

“Moonlight” from “Sabrina”

“You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from “Toy Story”

Won: “Colors of the Wind” from “Pocahontas”

Should’ve won: “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman” from “Don Juan DeMarco”

With 1995 and losses in both Best Original Song and Best Original Score for “Toy Story,” composer Randy Newman found himself 0-for-8 at the Oscars. “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” is a real charmer that instantly brings to mind...

Scott McConnell.

Based in Melbourne and La, story consultant and producer Scott McConnell has read for companies including Nu Image, The Samuel Goldwyn Company, Hallmark, New World Television, Sundance Institute, and Concorde-New Horizons.

A member of the Producers Guild of America, McConnell has produced shows for Nat Geo, Animal Planet/Discovery, TruTV, Spike and Fox. His credits include 'Live Life and Win!' and the reality series 'Hollywood Boot Camp'..

In this guest column, he offers tips for writers on choosing the right script editor to help develop their project.

Writers need editors. But there are editors and there are editors. Finding an excellent screenplay editor versus finding an average one can be a frustrating and expensive process. The following suggestions raise some issues to be aware of when hiring an expert to help you improve your story. (The tips require that you research any experts you are...

On November 2nd, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (Wbhe) release the Johnny Depp: 4 Film Collection, two coming to Blu-ray for the first time, and the Harrison Ford: 5 Film Collection, three of which are also brand new to Blu-ray! To celebrate, we have Blu-ray copies to giveaway!

The Johnny Depp 4 Film Collection sees the actor starring alongside Charlize Theron, Helen Bonham Carter, Michelle Pfieffer, Alan Rickman and screen legend Marlon Brando in films including The Astronaut’s Wife, Dark Shadows, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and Don Juan DeMarco.

The Harrison Ford 5 Film Collection sees the actor starring alongside Tommy Lee Jones, Julianne Moore, Alan Arkin, Virginia Madsen and John C. McGinley in films including Firewall, 42, Presumed Innocent, Frantic and The Fugitive.

Order today: Johnny Depp 4 Film Collection | Harrison Ford 5 Film Collection

© 2015 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved.

To win copies of both Blu-ray boxsets, just...

As Netflix gears up to enter the French market with original series Marseille, the streaming giant is recruiting one of the country’s most widely respected and frequently awarded actors. Gerard Depardieu, who has been nominated for the Best Actor in a Leading Role César 15 times in his career and won it twice, will be taking on a key role in the buzzy series, Netflix announced today.

Depardieu will play Robert Taro, Marseille’s longtime mayor, who finds himself facing off against his ambitious younger protégé (Benoit Magimel) in an election. Suddenly, it’s in question who will hold office in the seaport city, a prospect Taro is none too pleased about. Geraldine Pailhas (Don Juan DeMarco) and Nadia Fares (The Crimson Rivers) also have key roles.

Marseille has been compared to Netflix’s own House of Cards, and the streaming giant is certainly hoping to wrangle similar numbers and acclaim for it,...

Gerard Depardieu has been confirmed to star in Netflix's first French language series, the political drama "Marseilles".

Already compared to the likes of "House of Cards" and "Borgen," Depardieu will play Robert Taro, the longtime mayor of the Southern French city who finds himself facing his ambitious younger protege (Benoit Magimel) in an election.

Geraldine Pailhas ("Don Juan DeMarco") and Nadia Fares ("The Crimson Rivers") also have major roles in the project which is penned by "Carlos" co-writer Dan Franck. Xavier Gens, Florent Emilio Siri and Cedric Anger will helm the eight-episode series which is due to air next year.

Source: Deadline...

Argentine director Pablo Trapero to preside over Un Certain Regard; actress-director Nicole Garcia to head Camera d’Or jury.

Just days before the launch of the Cannes Film Festival (May 14-25), two more juries have been revealed.

As previously announced, Argentine director Pablo Trapero will preside over the five-member jury, which will also include:

Peter Becker, President of The Criterion Collection (Us)

Maria Bonnevie, actress (Norway / Sweden)

Géraldine Pailhas, actress (France)

Moussa Touré, director, scriptwriter, producer (Sénégal)

Bonnevie is best known for her roles in I Am Dina (2002) and The 13th Warrior (1999), and will next be seen in Susanne Bier’s En Chance Til.

Pailhas is best known for Don Juan DeMarco (1994), Palme d’Or nominee Jeune & Jolie (2013) and The Returned (2004)

The 20 films taking part in Un Certain Regard will be screened in the Debussy Theatre from May 15-23. The opening film will be Party Girl by Marie Amachoukeli, Claire Burger and Samuel Théis, a debut movie...

Directors Pablo Trapero and Nicole Garcia will lead two juries composed of six men and six women in the Cannes Film Festival's Un Certain Regard and Camera d'Or competitions, festival organizers announced on Sunday. The Un Certain Regard jury, which will judge the 20 films in competition in that section, is headed by Argentinian director Pablo Trapero (“White Elephant,” “Carancho”) and also includes Criterion Collection president Peter Becker, actresses Maria Bonnevie (“I Am Dina”) and Géraldine Pailhas (“Don Juan DeMarco”) and Senegalese writer-director Moussa Touré (“La Pirogue”). The films they will consider include Ryan Gosling's “Lost River,” “Ned Benson's “The Disappearance.

Odd List Ryan Lambie Simon Brew 24 Oct 2013 - 06:46

Another 25 unsung greats come under the spotlight, as we provide our pick of the underappreciated films of 1995...

The year covered in this week's underrated movie rundown was significant for a number of reasons. It was the year that saw the release of Toy Story - the groundbreaking movie that would cement Pixar's reputation as an animation studio, and set the tempo for CG family movies for the next 18 years and counting. It was the year that saw James Bond (played by Pierce Brosnan for the first time) emerge for GoldenEye after a six-year break. It was also the year of Michael Mann's Heat, Dogme 95, and the moment where Terry Gilliam scored a much-deserved hit with 12 Monkeys.

As ever, we're focusing on a few of the lesser-known films from this particular year, and we've had to think carefully about what's made the cut and what hasn't.

Director of the mystical road movie Vanishing Point

Vanishing Point was one of a crop of existential road movies in the early 1970s – the others included Two-Lane Blacktop and Electra Glide in Blue – which quickly gained cult status. Its director, Richard C Sarafian, who has died aged 83, never made another film that struck such a resounding chord with audiences, countercultural or otherwise. No matter: the appeal of Vanishing Point was enduring enough to make him a noted, even influential, figure. Quentin Tarantino thanked Sarafian in the closing credits of his own four-wheeled thriller, Death Proof (2007), and the Scottish band Primal Scream signalled their admiration for Vanishing Point by naming a 1997 album after the movie. "It's always been a favourite of the band," said the singer Bobby Gillespie. "We love the air of paranoia and speed-freak righteousness."

This 1971 film concerns the Vietnam veteran Kowalski (played by Barry Newman after the studio overruled Sarafian's first choice,...

Vanishing Point director Richard C. Sarafian died early this morning in Santa Monica of complications from pneumonia. He was 83. The New York City-born Sarafian had suffered a fall recently where he broke several ribs and his back. He contracted the infection while recovering from that incident, according to his son Daran Sarafian, also a helmer. Richard Sarafian’s direction of the iconic 1971 car pic was an inspiration to Quentin Tarantino, who gave the director a Special Thanks in the credits of 2007’s car-themed Death Proof. The director was also behind the camera of several early iconic TV series like Batman, I Spy, 77 Sunset Strip and Westerns including Gunsmoke. His last directing job was a 2011 episode of Zorro: The Legend Continues. Sarafian was a presence in front of the camera too: Among his acting gigs, his good friend Warren Beatty cast him in both Bullworth and Bugsy, and he also was...

If Johnny Depp had given a buzzy, funny, scene-detonating performance in The Lone Ranger that was clearly superior to the rattletrap Western around it, then perhaps the movie’s bleak showing at the box office wouldn’t count as a strike against him. As it stands, Depp’s black-and-white face paint and studiously deadpan acting as Tonto fitted all too snugly into the film’s overly fussy, not-entertaining-enough landscape. Depp, surely, will survive the wreckage (yes, Pirates of the Caribbean 5 is on the docket, as is his role as the Wolf in a film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s...

He might not look it, but Johnny Depp turns 50 today. And while he hasn’t spent all 50 of those years in Hollywood, he has given us countless memorable moments since exploding on the scene in the ’80s.

The tatted superstar with very interesting taste in movie roles is as pretty as he is mysterious, so in honor of a great actor (and his remarkable cheekbones), here are 50 of his best moments, from his many words of wisdom to his best characters and everything in between:

1. In Don Juan DeMarco: “There are only four questions of value in life … What is sacred?...

After being released in Germany this past spring, "Girl on a Bicycle" has landed North American distribution with Monterey Media, the company announced today. The film follows Paolo, an Italian bus driver living in Paris who is about to propose to his girlfriend when he comes across and becomes immediately infatuated with a mysterious girl on a bicycle. Monterey Media are planning a Fall 2013 release for the romantic comedy. “We are so very thrilled to be distributing Jeremy’s new film, following the Warner Bros. release in Germany. This is a truly delightful and funny comedy, an actual ‘date’ movie for both young and not so young,” commented Scott Mansfield, monterey media President. The film was written and directed by Jeremy Leven, who has not helmed a feature since 1994's "Don Juan DeMarco" but has been a screenplay writer on a variety of films, from "The Notebook" to "Real Steal.

Will all of Robert De Niro's great "Silver Linings Playbook" work be undone in a blink of an eye? The actor has a solid shot at winning Best Supporting Actor tonight despite the fact that Tommy Lee Jones won the SAG award for "Lincoln" earlier this year (the best Oscar augur there is). But his work in David O. Russell's film will go down as one of his finest whether or not he wins. It was an incredibly authentic and charged performance imbued with the anger, frustration and heartache of being a parent struggling with a problem child, on top of the the realization he may have failed said offspring.  De Niro's career in the aughts has gone dangerously close to Marlon Brando's late-career arc, which was hard to watch ("The Island of Dr. Moreau," "Don Juan DeMarco," "The Brave" which never even came out). There have...

A Streetcar Named Desire (60th Anniversary Edition) It isn't the best week for new releases, but there are a couple of catalog titles worth considering, one a bit more likely to catch your interest than the other, which would be Warner's new Blu-ray release of A Streetcar Named Desire. When it comes to Marlon Brando's career The Godfather is most likely the film most associate with the actor, but I have to assume A Streetcar Named Desire is right there with On the Waterfront and Apocalypse Now if the "Family Feud" poll was to ask 100 people to "Name a Film Marlon Brando Starred In." I didn't get a chance to see this new transfer, but I think, for now, I'm quite satisfied with my DVD edition of the film since it isn't one I feel the need to return to all that often, though writing about it now is...

We've got an exclusive look at Meryl Streep's Oscar-winning role in "The Iron Lady." Plus, a full breakdown on all the home entertainment releases for the week -- whether you're DVD or Blu-ray, streaming or rental. Moviefone's Pick of the Week "Into the Abyss" What's It About? Werner Herzog turns his documentary lens onto Conroe, Texas, examining a triple homicide case and the tragic fallout that affected everyone involved. See It Because: "Abyss" doesn't try to change any legislation regarding the death penalty; Herzog -- who is against capital punishment -- simply tries to understand the issue from all perspectives. What follows is a tragic, but ultimately thought-provoking film. New on DVD & Blu-ray "The Iron Lady" What's It About?The Margaret Thatcher biopic may have been met with divisive reviews, but you should find out for yourself if the movie truly deserved to end Meryl's unlucky losing streak at the Oscars.

This week: Meryl Streep has been nominated for more Oscars than any other actress, and the adoring Academy tossed her another little gold man this year for her performance as steely British prime minister Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady," a biopic that also took home an Oscar for Best Makeup.

Also new is this week is the sci-fi thriller "The Darkest Hour," the acclaimed British indie "Tyrannosaur" and the Blu-ray debut of "A Streetcar Named Desire," which includes previously censored footage.

'The Iron Lady'

Box Office: $29 million

Rotten Tomatoes: 53% Rotten

Storyline: This biographical drama stars Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher, the first and only female prime minister of the United Kingdom. The enigmatic, controversial and often despised Thatcher was a grocer's daughter who overcame gender and class barriers, and whose steel determination helped her be heard in a world ruled by men.

Extras! "Recreating the Young Margaret Thatcher" highlights the other actress,...

At the best of times, particularly in the latter stages of his career, Marlon Brando was pretty unpredictable; you never knew what you might get from the mercurial actor once he was on set. But in the case of the never-made "Divine Rapture," the filmmakers never got a chance to see what might happen out of their starry production. Set to star Brando, his friend Johnny Depp (they worked together on "The Brave" and "Don Juan DeMarco") and Debra Winger, the film was all set to shoot in Ballycotton, Ireland (indeed, you can see the cast in costume above) when producers CineFin failed to secure the $4 million they needed to make the movie, leaving the movie and many villagers in the lurch. This was back in 1995, however producer Barry Navidi (Al Pacino pics "The Merchant Of Venice," "Wilde Salome" and the upcoming "King Lear") has stuck with it and it...

The Rum Diary star on his love of Europe, flying by private jet and why he can't stop smoking

In the weeks leading up to this interview, I began to think there must be some law that makes it illegal not to love Johnny Depp. Everyone melts into a puddle at the mention of his name. Men go even loopier than women – and the higher men rank on the cool-ometer of fame, the more in love with Depp they seem to be. Keith Richards, Brad Pitt, Marilyn Manson, the Gallagher brothers – the dudes all adore Johnny – while this month's GQ anoints him "the world's coolest actor". The director of Withnail & I was only talked out of retirement to make Depp's latest movie "because it was for Johnny", and recently Ricky Gervais was swooning in this paper: "His emails are like poetry. He's made of bohemia."

What can Depp do to inspire all of this?...

· Dig these Rango clips dubbed over with Rum Diary dialogue. Suddenly, the discordant whizzbang of the latter film seems like a perfect fit when articulated by Rango's CGI cast. Next, let's overdub Don Juan DeMarco with dialogue from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Faye Dunaway gets the Keith Richards lines, obvs. Click through for that and more of Buzz Break. [YouTube]...

Tony Award nominee and soap opera actress Tresa Hughes has died, according to a death notice in The New York Times. She was 81.

Hughes played Emma Frame Ordway (Frankie, Molly, Wade, Sterling and Henry's mother) on Another World on and off from June 1975 to June 1976. She was the second Emma (Beverlee McKinsey was the first).

Hughes also played Rose Carelli Fraser on From These Roots from 1960 to 1961 (she left to do "The Advocate" on Broadway) and Nurse Dumfrey on Ryan's Hope in 1977.

Hughes was born in Washington and moved to Baltimore when her father, Joseph Silverman, retired from his supermarket business. She graduated from Forest Park High in 1947 as an art major. Showing talent as a sculptress, she studied at the Maryland Institute during and following high school.

She received her Tony nomination for her performance in Dore Schary's "The Devil's Advocate." Among her many other Broadway credits...

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Hello Lee Pfeiffer and Crew:

I purchased the current issue of Cinema Retro on the promise of its insights into the obscure film, Candy.  Instead, I was punished with a four-page rant by Dean Brierly who, in his brief bio, could not supply the name of a single film he liked (his "favourite films are the ones nobody's heard of") nor the name of any article of note. You do list magazines he's written for, including Men's Health.  Why I make mention of his scarce credentials is because he so severely botched the opportunity to discover in a film its many treasures -- foregoing the requisite fairness called upon when assessing someone else's work.

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For one, Brierly fails to mention the inspired Dave Grusin soundtrack (in fact, so inspired that Steven Soderbergh uses it in Ocean's Twelve), which makes effective use of Steppenwolf prior to Easy Rider.  The music serves...

Netflix has revolutionized the home movie experience for fans of film with its instant streaming technology. Netflix Nuggets is my way of spreading the word about independent, classic and foreign films made available by Netflix for instant streaming.

How I Ended This Summer (2010)

Streaming Available: 05/10/2011

Synopsis: At an isolated science station in the Arctic, meteorologist Sergei and young intern Pavel face the impending closure of the now-irrelevant base. While Sergei eagerly anticipates returning to his family, Pavel still hopes for a grand adventure. Average Netflix rating: 3.5

Blue Velvet (1986)

Streaming Available: 05/15/2011

Synopsis: An innocent man gets mixed up in a small-town murder mystery involving a kinky nightclub chanteuse and a kidnapper with a penchant for snorting helium in this moodily surreal mystery from writer-director David Lynch. Average Netflix rating: 3.4

Don Juan Demarco (1994)

Streaming Available: 05/15/2011

Synopsis: Marlon Brando stars as a psychiatrist assigned to diagnose a mysterious man who’s convinced that...

The sky is blue, water is wet, and Johnny Depp is ridiculously sexy.

These are facts you just can't argue with. If you tried to argue with that last one, millions of women (and a good number of men) would descend upon you with DVDs, posters, and issues of People Magazine as evidence.

He's just so... hot, what with the chocolate eyes and those sharp cheekbones. To top it off, the man is perhaps most irresistible as a pirate -- a promiscuous, unhygienic, clearly unbathed pirate -- as he proves once again reprising the role of Captain Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides."

Here we look at Depp's nine dreamiest roles.

9. 'Finding Neverland' (2004)

It may be wrong to see children's author J.M. Barrie as a sex symbol. But with Depp playing the legendary writer, it's inevitable. The combination of a dapper Edwardian suit, a light Scottish accent,...

In 1992, there may have been nothing bigger and more exciting than the video game Mortal Kombat. Wisely, Midway Games created their own universe with six realms which have unique backstories, all created by the Elder Gods. Players could manipulate their favorite surviving warrior — Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, Liu Kang, and Jax, — and fight for survival in do-or-die tournaments.

The phenomenon was huge, spawning follow-up games, merchandise, and, of course, movies. Now available for download this week is the first Mortal Kombat film from 1995. The movie can be downloaded from iTunes and played on your iPod, phone, or tablet.

Released on August 18, it grossed $23 million and was proven critic proof. After earning over $70 million, it gave birth to 1997’s Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. The first film had the benefit of Paul W. S. Anderson’s early work, showing us what the director can do with action and other realities.

Warner Digital describes...

Mortal Kombat is now avaiable for download on iTunes: http://bit.ly/DD_Mortal and to help celebrate this digital release we are giving away one Free download of the cool-ass movie! All you need to do is tell us who your favorite character is from Mortal Kombat (movie or game) and why.

The contest ends this Friday (April 22nd) and we'll pick our winner and get you hooked up! Plot:

For nine generations an evil sorcerer has been victorious in hand-to-hand battle against his mortal enemies. If he wins a tenth Mortal Kombat tournament, desolation and evil will reign over the multiverse forever. To save Earth, three warriors must overcome seemingly insurmountable odds, their own inner demons, and superhuman foes in this action/adventure movie based on one of the most popular video games of all time. Starring Christopher Lambert ("Highlander," "Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan"), Bridgette Wilson (“Shopgirl,...

Good news! As if to help the American Idol nation cope with the surprise departure of Pia Toscano last week, this week the Top 8 contestants will be singing songs from the movies (sorry, the “cinema,” as the show’s British producers often insist on calling it), which in years past has proven to be a solid night of music. In season 2, winner Ruben Studdard pulled off a surprisingly soulful “A Whole New World”; in season 3, winner Fantasia Barrino delivered what many believe is still the best Idol performance ever when she sang “Summertime”; and in season 8, winner Kris Allen took...

Johnny Depp was supposed to play Pancho Villa, and that seemed like a good idea. After all, if he can play a Native American then why not a notorious Mexican revolutionary general. I guess. He did play Don Juan DeMarco. Johnny Depp knows his espanol. The movie is the awesomely titled Seven Friends of Pancho Villa and the Woman with Six Fingers which at one point was supposed to be re-titled Wild Roses, Tender Heart, which is far less awesome. It was also supposed to start shooting this month and that didn.t happen. What I.m getting at here is that the whole project has sort of turned into a mess. So it should come as no surprise to hear that Depp has dropped out and will no longer be playing Pancho, who after his work as a general later went on to found a chain of low-rent tex-mex...

How cool is Johnny Depp? When he (or his publicist) got a letter from an adorable British third grader requesting pirate Captain Jack Sparrow's help in rising up in mutiny against teachers at Meridian Primary School in Greenwich, south-east London -- where J.D. just happens to be filming "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" -- 'ol John boy knew just what to do: keep the Sparrow dreads on after work and swish on down to the school for some real-life pirating. After regaling the kids with some swashbuckling songs and dances, Depp wisely counseled the tot to hold off on the mutiny, since, you know, the authorities were keeping an eye on him.

That just got us thinking about how awesome it would be if Johnny dressed up as some of his other legendary characters and paid in-character visits to other totally inappropriate audiences.

Click here or on...

Filed under: TV Shows on DVD

Before Johnny Depp was Edward Scissorhands, Don Juan DeMarco or even Jack Sparrow for that matter -- he was Officer Tom Hanson on '21 Jump Street.'

For anyone who remembers or wants to remember vintage Johnny Depp at his finest, pick up the complete third season of '21 Jump Street' on DVD and in stores today.

Today is a big day for new releases as there is literally something for everyone. For the rest of new titles, including new 'Stargate Universe' and 'Battlestar Galactica' DVD's, find the entire list after the jump.

 

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At this point in the competition, we have spent over 24 hours watching the judges weed out the best of the best. Early on we had a few good laughs thanks to "Pants on the Ground" man, we have been inspired by truly remarkable stories of hope and compassion, and we have overworked our rewind button watching over-the-top auditions. But only four have survived the difficult, tiresome journey and with the help of Oscar winner Jamie Foxx, they were ready to battle for the Top 3! Jamie Foxx is becoming a regular on American Idol (TV) and continues to push the Idol hopefuls to achieve their best. The actor is so chummy with Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi, and Ellen DeGeneres, we are left wondering if he will fill Simon's chair next year. Back to business, Foxx was there to guide the Top 4 as they picked songs from popular films throughout the years.

At this point in the competition, we have spent over 24 hours watching the judges weed out the best of the best. Early on we had a few good laughs thanks to "Pants on the Ground" man, we have been inspired by truly remarkable stories of hope and compassion, and we have overworked our rewind button watching over-the-top auditions. But only four have survived the difficult, tiresome journey and with the help of Oscar winner Jamie Foxx, they were ready to battle for the Top 3! Jamie Foxx is becoming a regular on American Idol (TV) and continues to push the Idol hopefuls to achieve their best. The actor is so chummy with Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi, and Ellen DeGeneres, we are left wondering if he will fill Simon's chair next year. Back to business, Foxx was there to guide the Top 4 as they picked songs from popular films throughout the years.

momlogic's Vivian: In an effort to separate the "artists" from the "contestants," the "American Idol" top four took on songs from the silver screen last night -- performing individually and in two duets -- with tips from mentor Jamie Foxx. Here's the nitty grit:

Just as I predicted, Crystal, Mike, Casey and Lee cruised into "American Idol's" upper echelon. With Jamie Foxx as mentor, they picked their favorite songs from movies -- making some welcome-surprise choices. Foxx tried to stoke their creative fires by telling them, "Now it's time to go into another gear. Now let's figure out how to take what we really have and elevate it." Among his guerilla tactics? Getting right up in their faces as they sang to him, and dangling T-shirts that said either "contestant" or "artist" to see how high they could jump.

Having been dubbed an artist after his initial go-round with Foxx,...

Watching "Songs of the Cinema" night on "American Idol" was a lot like eating a large popcorn at the movies. Some of the kernels were close to perfect, with salty flavor and crispness balanced perfectly (Crystal). Others were stale, as if the concession workers had just dumped a new batch on top of one that had been sitting around since the theatrical run of "Kindergarten Cop" (Lee). And others were inexplicably soggy, which totally makes you gag 'cause Lord knows you didn't order any butter (Michael). (If Aaron was still on the show, I'd also talk about the kernels that were too young to pop.) And when the end credits rolled, you felt so bloated you regretted buying popcorn to begin with.

Jamie Foxx returned as a mentor (one of the few celebs in the history of "Idol" to return in the role, along with Quentin Tarantino, oddly enough) but...

Normal 0 Three Men and a Bowersox. It's been five long months on American Idol and that's all that remains.

Casey James, Michael Lynche, Lee DewYze, and Crystal Bowersox continue the fight on this week's "Songs of Cinema" edition of American Idol. Their mentor, fittingly enough, is singer/actor Jamie Foxx who combined music and movie magic to earn himself an Academy Award for his performance in Ray. If he could pass on some of his knowledge he may be able to Jennifer Hudsonize this bunch.

However if there is any weight to Crystal Bowersox's tweet, in which she mentioned the contestants performing duets like last season, then Jamie Foxx' judgment may have to be amended (unless of course you enjoyed his auto-tune infested pairing with T-Pain). Also to add to the damage, the song list (despite the update to the even lamer original list) is pretty weak. Is...

Maybe the remaining "American Idol" finalists should start a band?The final four singers earned more praise for their moody matchups than their solos during Tuesday's edition of movie-themed performances on the Fox singing competition.Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze ascended with "Falling Slowly" from the film "Once," while Michael Lynche and Casey James dazzled with "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?" from "Don Juan DeMarco.""They were better than all of the solo performances," gushed Kara DioGuardi.The picky judge declared that both duets, which featured the finalists accompanying themselves on guitars, were incredible, but she asserted the union between Bowersox and DeWyze on the Oscar-winning song was one of her favorite moments from the ninth season. She informed them the teamwork "brought out the best in both of you."Simon Cowell agreed.&quot...

'After that performance, you, Crystal, are back in the game,' critiqued judge Simon Cowell.

By Eric Ditzian

Crystal Bowersox performs on "American Idol" Tuesday

Photo: Fox

Would it be a blockbuster or a bomb? That was the key question heading into Songs of the Cinema Night on Tuesday's (May 11) "American Idol," a theme whose approved song list heavily favored a perplexing mix of tunes from golden oldies, '80s action flicks and Disney cartoons. And while this Hollywood-centric episode might not be the stuff of awards-season glory, the "Idol" crew handled themselves well in front of the camera. Crystal Bowersox shined like a seasoned A-lister and made Lee Dewyze look like a breakout star during their duet. Meanwhile, Casey James and Michael Lynche proved they just might not be bankable solo stars at this point in the competition.

Dewyze got the night started with "Kiss From a Rose," a...

Johnny Depp?! Speaking Spanish?! Ladies, you better take the next year and a half to bone up on swooning your asses off because not since Don Juan DeMarco has Depp dropped this amount of sexiness in one sitting. Combine that with the just announced co-star Salma Hayek and the sheer force of that much sexy in one room may just cause the world to implode. Screen Daily is reporting that the long anticipated Pancho Villa film, now titled Wild Roses, Tender Roses, changed from Seven Friends of Pancho Villa and the Woman with Six Fingers, will start shooting in February 2011 with Emir Kusturica at the helm. The renowned Serbian director is a two-time Palme d.Or winner at Cannes alongside a laundry list of other awards he.s been given for just about every project he.s touched since 1981. Contrary to what we.re used to seeing from Depp, the...

There are two sides to Mike Judge in Hollywood. There’s the TV star, who took a ton of heat but came out as one of the most daring and biting voices of satire in the 1990’s with Beavis and Butthead, and the successful maistream animator with a thirteen season run of the folksy and engaging King of the Hill. Then there’s the film director, who was cajoled into the theatrical Beavis and Butthead Do America, but has worked in live action ever since. He made two films for 20th Century Fox to see them abandoned theatrically, only for both 1999’s Office Space and 2006’s Idiocracy to now be regaled as cult classics. His most recent film, 2009’s Extract did not set the film world afire (Extract is now available on DVD and Blu-ray), but it showed a less biting Judge doing what he does best: everyday life comedy.

The first sign things were going wrong on the set of Divine Rapture was when Marlon Brando shaved his head. But that was the least of the film's troubles

If all the roads in Ireland were to converge at a final destination, you would probably find yourself in Ballycotton, Co Cork. A tiny village on a rocky headland, it is as removed and cosy as its name suggests. Its harbour is stocked with a colourful fishing fleet and traditional music seeps from the pubs on Main Street. Despite an annual running marathon that passes through the town, it is slow-paced, sleepy, and cocooned from the outside world. But although 200-ft cliffs keep the Atlantic at bay and an offshore lighthouse looks out for danger, nothing could protect Ballycotton from nature's cruellest force: Hollywood.

Back in 1995, Johnny Depp, Debra Winger, and Marlon Brando rolled into town to make a film called Divine Rapture.

We finally get to see and hear Kate interact with Neal - and it definitely made this episode worth it. Surprisingly enough, there are more clues to what she is trying to say. This time, she actually uses her voice - which means Neal must be getting closer to figuring it all out..esp. about who the guy with the pinkie ring is.

It bothers me to no end the "cat and mouse" game Neal and Kate are playing. I guess it's good for ratings, but C'mon! Enough is enough already. I am sure White Collar will drag this story line out for the rest of the season.

Yet, there was a couple really funny parts to this week's episode, "The Portrait". For one, anything involving Peter and women - makes it very humorously awkward. He is a handsome looking man, but when it comes to being hot and sexy,...

An IMDb search for "therapy" as a plot device in movies will turn up hundreds of titles -- the Woody Allen catalog alone would take weeks to wade through. For some reason, psychological counseling is a well that screenwriters never tire of dipping into, with wildly mixed results. This week's addition to the oeuvre is the Jon Favreau penned Couples Retreat, in which he, Vince Vaughn and their wives take part in a week's vacation that involves time on the couch ... because nothing's funnier than watching bitter, middle-aged people kvetch about how much sex they're not having anymore.

The arguable quality of Couple's Retreat aside, therapy is, when done well, a potentially fascinating hook on which to hang a plot. From asylum-based films like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Girl, Interrupted to stories about the unhinged like What About Bob? and Don Juan DeMarco, there's a daunting list...

Training Day producer Robert Newmyer has died of a heart attack. He was 49. The film-maker died on Monday of a heart attack triggered by an asthma attack while we was working out at a Toronto, Canada, gym. Newmyer started his film career as vice president of production and acquisitions at Columbia Pictures, before forming Outlaw Productions in the late 1980s with partner Jeffrey Silver. Silver says, "He liked to move people. He liked to make them laugh, and he liked to make them cry. We formed Outlaw to make film fares that the studio didn't know how to make - lower budget, edgy." During his career, Newmyer produced Sex, Lies And Videotape, The Santa Clause, Don Juan De Marco and Three To Tango.

Marlon Brando, the legendary actor whose performances in A Streetcar Named Desire, The Godfather and Last Tango in Paris made him one of the most important screen actors of all time and whose larger-than-life persona offscreen dominated his later years, died Thursday at an undisclosed location in Los Angeles; he was 80. According to Brando's attorney, David J. Seeley, the cause of the actor's death was being withheld because the actor was "a very private man." (A later report from Reuters stated that a UCLA Medical Center spokesperson said the actor died there at 6:30pm on Thursday of lung failure.) The most famous proponent of Method acting and considered by many to be America's finest actor, Brando paved the way for a new style of acting in the 40s and 50s, first working on Broadway, where he created his first signature role as Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire. He made his screen debut in 1950's The Men, which was followed by his Oscar-nominated re-creation of Kowalski in Elia Kazan's film of A Streetcar Named Desire. Riding his sudden superstardom, roles in Viva Zapata, Julius Caesar, The Wild One and On the Waterfront followed, the latter of which won him his first Oscar. Once he became a true icon in the late 50s and 60s, he branched into directing (1961's One Eyed Jacks) and a troubled, bloated adaptation of Mutiny on the Bounty, where his need for perfection (and infatuation with the south Pacific) put the movie over budget and over schedule.

That film marked the beginning of a string of failures in the 60s, and by the early 70s the actor's star seemed to have faded. However, it was a little gangster film in 1972 called The Godfather that catapulted Brando back into the spotlight, and his phenomenal turn as mob boss Vito Corleone earned him a second Oscar . which he notoriously refused, sending an actress dressed in Native American garb to the Academy Award ceremony to reject the award with a diatribe against the wrongs done to Native Americans by the U.S. He courted even more controversy with Bernardo Bertolucci's X-rated Last Tango in Paris (though he grabbed another Oscar nomination), and appeared in both Hollywood projects (Superman, for which he received a record salary at the time) and award-winning films (appearing as Kurtz in Francis Ford Coppola's troubled masterpiece Apocalypse Now) through the 70s. Sporadic film appearances marked the end of his career, including The Freshman, A Dry White Season and Don Juan De Marco, and his later years were dominated by scandal when his son, Christian Brando, shot and killed the lover of his half sister, Cheyenne, at the family's home in 1990; Christian was jailed and Cheyenne committed suicide five years later. Legal fees reportedly drained the actor's fortune, and the scandal contributed to the stories of Brando's bizarre offscreen antics. He lived in seclusion for the past few years, and most recently was the target of yet more rumors to be published in an unauthorized biography (one of many). Details about funeral arrangements were not immediately forthcoming. --Prepared by IMDb staff...