Johnny Depp had a near-death experience with a horse on the set of his latest film “The Lone Ranger” that could have left him “horrifically mangled,” but he lived to tell the tale. The actor is finally telling his side of the equine story, swinging by the “Late Show With David Letterman” on Thursday to give his fateful account.

In the Disney film, Depp plays Native American warrior Tonto, who rides horses quite a bit in the film. Depp grew up around horses, but said that after a long day of running them at top speed, “everything went very sideways.”

It should be noted that the big-budget film, which reunites Depp with “Pirates of the Caribbean” producer Jerry Bruckheimer, had a troubled past of its own. The production was shut down midway through filming and its release date was pushed back over and over. A crew member was also injured and a stunt diver was killed during production. Despite the injury-fraught back story, Depp was still able to laugh about his own experience. Read the rest of this entry »

No rocker has had more wild fun in the dark than Alice Cooper, who unveiled a renewed nightmare last night at L.A.’s Orpheum Theatre, an old vaudevillian palace befitting this master horror-rock showman. Cooper was joined by actor Johnny Depp on guitar for several songs as he delivered 90 fast minutes of Seventies glam and trash.

It was Alice Cooper in classic mode, with a stage crowded with horror props. The curtain fell in a fiery shower of sparks as the ringmaster strolled out wearing tails with vivid red and white stripes, skull belt buckles across his waist and white spats spattered with blood. “Hello, let the show begin!” he growled.

In Los Angeles in 2011, Cooper ripped through a quick four-song set at the Revolver Golden God Awards with his original band, shortly after their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This time he was with a younger five-piece band, often sharing center stage with Australian guitar virtuoso Orianthi, who was an energetic foil for Cooper in black leather and lace and platinum hair down to her shoulders. Read the rest of this entry »

RALPH Steadman has gone from being the enfant terrible of the British art world to a grand old man of colours.

This documentary, being screened through the weekend as part of the London Film Festival, tracks his story and, as you would expect for someone who has created a signature of a visualisation of the latter half of the 20th century, it’s rather captivating to look at.

Partly presented by Steadman fan Johnny Depp, and using footage of him at work and of his immense archive, we are treated to a film that not only tells us of his development and motivation as an artist, but of the extraordinary relationship he had with his muse, the Gonzo journalist Hunter S Thompson. We get to watch the master at work, and see him create one of his extraordinary pieces. We are also treated to some great footage of him chewing the fat with HST: perhaps the funniest sequence in a film full of joy, mirth, and laughter is the answerphone recordings Thompson made on poor Steadman’s phone. Read the rest of this entry »

Johnny Depp says letting go of his anonymity was “strange”.

Before finding fame as an actor, Johnny worked a number of normal jobs. He initially found it difficult to accept his global status as a Hollywood heartthrob.

“When you recognise that you are letting go of your anonymity, it’s a strange feeling. Especially for a guy who pumped gas and worked construction,” he explained. “And letting go of that possibility of just moving around in the world is strange.”

Johnny has managed to create a stable lifestyle with his long-term partner Vanessa Paradis. The couple raise two children together, and Johnny insists he is more than content with his lot.

“It isn’t very hard being me – it’s very easy. It’s the people around me who have to deal with all that,” he added. “I feel lucky and blessed to have experienced this road.

“There is a great potential for weirdness if you want it. But I don’t want anything to do with that stuff.” [Source]